The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-11 00:00:00

THE FRENCH FIGHTING ON THE 23d,

We have received the St. Petersburg journals of
the Ist of June.
The Invalide Busse has the following :
" A full report was received yesterday, the 17th (29th)
of May, from Aide-de-Camp-General Prince Gortscbakoff
of the sanguinary and obstinate combat which took place
on the night between the 10th and 11th (22(1 and 23d)
of May, when we repulsed an attack made by thefenemy
against the lodgments we had commenced constructing •
in front of Bastion No. 5. The following are the details
of this brilliant affair

" Aide-de-Camp-General Prince Gortschaltoff having
observed that enemy extended their trenches on the
left of their approaches against Bastion No. 5, and,
threatened also our lodgments nearthe Cemetery, ordered
the construction on the night between the 9th and 10th
(21st and 22d) of May of a line of counter-approaches
in advance of those lodgements, on the incline of the hill
towards the enemy, with approaches towards Bastion 5.
This new trench could he defended by the cross fire of
our nearest batteries. The object of this work- was to
establish a battery at its extremity, to take in flank the
approaches of the besiegers against Bastion No. 5,
"'Taking advantage of a fog in the night between the
9th, 10th (21st and 22d) of May, we succeeded in esta-
blishing the projected lines of counter-approach with
only one man wounded ; but owing to the rocky nature
of the ground we could only dig a shallow trench. At
daybreak the workmen were withdrawn, and it was oc-
cupied by riflemen.
" On the 10th (22d) of May, in the morning, the.
enemy opened a fire of grape from their nearest bat-
teries upon our works : a heavy cannonade and a con-

_ -
tinual fire from the • riflemen was kept up during the
whole of the day.
"'lntending to complete in The- -night between the
10th and 11th (22d and 231) of May the trench which
had been commenced, Prince Gortschakoff ordered to
concentrate at 9 p.m., in front of Bastion 6, to protect
their works, the Chasseura -of the regiments Prince of
Warsaw and Podolia, with two battalions of the Jitomir
Regiment. The chief command of these troops was in-
trusted to Lieut.-General Chruleff, chief of the Ist and
2d sections of the line of defence of Sebacitopol.
" ' Before even the men had commenced working the
enemy commenced the attack, throwing first of all a
battalion against the lodgments under construction ; re-
turning to the charge with the greatest determination,
they brought nearly 12,000 men into action, including
two battalions of the Imperial Guard, without counting
their reserves. A most sanguinary struggle now ensued,
in which both sides fought with the greatest fierceness.
As soon as the first attack took place, two batta-
lions of the Prince of Warsaw Chasseurs and the Podolia
Chasseurs made a rapid advance, and thiew the enemy
into disorder. At the same moment the two battalions
of the Jitomir Masseurs charged the French who had
occupied the lodgments in front of the right angle of the
Cemetery, aod were establishing themselves there, and
the 4th battalion of the Prince of Warsaw Chasseurs
acted a reserve to the troops in the trenches.
" ' The enemy, supported by additional reinforce-
ments, again threw themselves upon our approaches,but
after a sharp fire of musketry the Podolia and Jitomir
Chasseurs drove back the assailants, and the battalions
of the Podolia. Chasseurs, who pursued the flying enemy
with the bayonet, came to the very approaches of the
enemy at the salient angle of the Cemetery, and de-
stroyed a portion of them.

" ' As regards the lodgments occupied by the Jitomir
Chasseurs, they thrice changed hands.
" The battalions of the Minsk Infantry and Ouglitch
Chasseurs were sent to support the troops engaged.
Their charge was irresistible. The enemy made a last
effort, but without success. This hard-contested com-
bat lasted thus throughout the night, till, as day broke,
the enemy, finally repulsed, withdrew to their trenches ;
our own troops returned to the fortress on the morning
of the 11th (23d), leaving 150 sharpshooters to occupy
the trench. •

" During the whole of that night the fire of artillery
and rifles never ceased for.one minute, the riflemen only
stopped firing when it came to a band-to-hand fight.
" 'According to the testimony of Prince Gortschakoff,
our troops behaved heroically, and, in general, this san-
guinary combat, in which the Russians repulsed and
drove out an enemy double their number, does the
highest honour to our army. The success with which
this attack upon a half-constructed trench was repulsed
has showti to our enemies what they have to expect
should they attempt to give the assault to the fortifica-
tions of Sebastopol. The Jitom r and Ouglitch Chas-
seurs particularly distinguished themselves ; the latter,
having repulsed the attack of the French Guards, and
driven the enemy from our trenches, followed tbem with
the bayonet on their loins to the nearest French
trenches, and some of the boldest )f the Chasseurs even
entered with them.

" Accordingto the testimony of prisoners, there were

17 battalions of the enemy engaged in this combat,
among which there were two battalions of the Guards,
two of Chasseurs, and two of the Foreign Legion.
" 'Owing to the length and obstinacy of the struggle,
377 meo wounded (of whom
our loss was very considerable. We have altogether
hors de combat-1. Major-General, 2 superior officers, 15
subaltern officers, and 746 men ; 7 superior officers,
24020sllsibigahlttelryn),oaffindceris,
superior
;or
officer,
3 subaltern.,
and
315 nape, who received contusions.
Unhappily we have to regret the loss of many dis-
tinguished officers ; thus, among tie dead is the brave
Major-General Adlerberg, Commander of the Second
Brigade of the 9th Infantry Division ; the intrepid and
skilful Colonel Zatsepine, Commander of the Third Bat-
talion of Sappers, who had the direction of the engineer-
ing works ; Major Ourbanovitch, Commander of a Bat-
talion of the Prince of Warsaw Chasseurs ; and other
distinguished officers.

"'The loss of the enemy must home been still greater
than ours, for at every charge they came under the grape
of our batteries, and when they reached us were received
by a close fire of musketry, and then thrown into disor-
der by the bayonet.
_

" 'Lieutenant-General Chruleff, 'who commanded in'
this affair, speaks in high terms of the under-named offi-
cers (the names follow in the original).'
" The journal of the military operations from the 7th
to the 12th (19th to the 24th) of May, which accompanies
this report, gives the following details respecting the
progress of the siege-works of Sebastopol :
" `During the whole of that period the fire on both
sides was slack, and our loss insignificant. From the
9th (21st) the enemy had commenced mining against
Bastion 4, but did us no damage ; their approaches and
mines make no advance. The construction of fortifica-
tions in front of Kamieseh and Streletza Bays Is actively
carried on ; moreover, the enemy is increasing the thick-
ness of his epaulements and batteries, and the width
and depth of his trenches.
" On our side, despite the bad weather and the
proximity of the besiegers' fire, we successively strengthen
the works which are attacked.

" 'ln the night between the 11th and 12th (23d to
24th) tl,e besiegers assembled large masses of troops be-
hind the Cemetery in front of Bastion No. 5, and after
a short but.heavy cannonade from all their batteries ad-
vanced against the lodgments they had attacked with
so little success nn the night between the 10th
and 11th (22d and 23d). Then, at a given signal, the
two battalions of Jitomir Chasseurs who occupied them
fell back upon onr fortifications, whicl latter opened a
cross and concentrated fire of artillery upon the columns
of the assailants.

" ' The French suffered great loss upon this point,
but they succeeded in maintaing themselves in the two
embankments (remblais) nearest to the Cemetery and
destroyed them. As regards the trench which united
those lodgments to Bastion No. 5, and which we bad
evacuated, it was not occupied by the enemy.
" On the 12th (24th) of May, according to the re-
port of prisoners, two new French divisions and two re-
giments of Cuirassiers arrived from Constantinople at
the camp before Sebastopol."'
The Invalide also publishes the following :

"Everything is quiet before Eupatoria. AR regards
the operations of the enemy in the Reach peninsula,
we have already spoken of them in a telegraphic mes-
sage."
The Police Gazette publishes tbefollowing notifi-
cation from the Military Governor-General of St.
Petersburg, dated 18th (30th) of key :
" We have received by the southern line the follow-
ing despatches from the Gulf of Finland :
" ‘SOIKINA-GORA.—The enemy is still at anchor under
Schep4l6va•Gora to the number of 13 screw ships of the
line, one frigate, five steamers, and seven gun-boats.
" ‘ICRASNAIA-GOIUKA.—There is no movement visible
in the enemy's fleet.
‘" It results from reports received on the 16th (28th)
of May that bettveen the Island of Seskar and Krasnala-
Gorka, in the Gulf of Finland, the enemy seized five
merchant vessels laden with timber, one of which they
buri,t, and sunk another.
." To avoid such disasters in future, arising probably
from the want of foresight of the owners of the vessels,
Aide-de-Camp General Count Rudiger, Commander-in-
Chief of the Guards and Grenadiers, prohibits all Bhip•
owners from sending their vessels to sea till further
orders.' "

THE SEA OF AZOFF.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—ln your Paris correspondent's letter of the 7th
of June, there are extracts from a French work pub-
lished in 1854, entitled, "Guide Maritime et Stratdgique
dans la Mer Noire, la Mer d'Azoff, et sur le Thdatre de
la Guerre en Orient," by M. Cereard.
M. Coreard has compiled, if not copied, his informa-
tion from my •' Geographical and Hydrographical Notes
on the Ottoman Empire and Black Sea, written and
published in 1854. _

The late Chevalier Taitbout de Marigny furnished me
with his observations, the result of 20 years' travel in
the Black Sea and Sea of Azoff; p,s also did several
gentlemen long resident in that part of the world. M,
Coreard has appropriated my compilation, and has not
acknowledged the source whence he derived his in-
formation. •

I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,
JAMES WYLD, Geographer to the Queen and
his Royal Highness Prince Albert.
Charing-cross-east, June 7.