The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-10 00:00:00

MEDITATED ATTAOK ON BALAKLAVA.

Although many here
:have been disposed to treat as
idle rumour and even to turn into ridicule the reports
that the Russians meditated an attack on Balaklava, it
vould appear that this danger has not been disregarded
it head-quarters, where information has doubi less been
received on the subject. The Leander aid Diamor,c:
frigates have been lying moored ty a single cable, and
Lieut. Fletcher, commanding the Triton war-steamer,
has directions to be in readiness to get his steam up at
brief notice, and tow them out of Balaklava harbour to
a position whence their guns would bear on the Marine
Heights.

A RUSSIAN " SURPRISE."

It is unnecessary and inexpedient to detail the parti•
culars of our own preparative measures ; but I may re-
mark that they are such as to leave small ground for fear
that the enemy's attempt, if it be made, will turn out a
" surprise " to any but themselves. If rape, canister,
musket-balls, and hayonets can repel them, their ad-
vance will be short and their retreat rapid. The bridge
of boats which they commenced throwing across the
harbour last week is all but completed, and, from it,
hrea ith and apparent strength, will pernit of the pas-
sage of the heaviest field artillery. Whatever may be
o special purpose for wh ch this structure is being put
together, some important purpose it bag, and the fact
that it will be capable of greatly facilitating the move-
ments for some such attack as I have mentioned gives a
strong degree of inferential proof to the information
received from our spies. We know, of course, that
the main force of the enemy's moveable soldiery is at
present on the north side, and, with the aid of this new
bridge, fifteen or twenty thouiand of these, with any

number of heavy field guns, could be thrown into the
town in less time tha, as many hundreds cull be ferried
over by the few steamer in the harbour ; whilst, should
the attempt prove a failure, a ready and safe nif,ams of
retreat would be available for both men and materiel.

ANTICIPATIONS OF PEACE
Notwithstaiiding all these preparations for action, I
repeat that people seem less confident, or, at any rate,
talk less of that which two or three days ago every one
declared to be iininieent ; aid last evening some san.
guine spirits, . who doubtle-s, and with good reason,
would prefer a day on the moors to a night in rho
trenches, were heard ieinfidently to predict approaching
peace. The Russians, 'they declared, could sustain the
contest no longer, owing to the wait of water and the
difficulty of obtaining supplies ; their final attempt had
been made at the ac.ioe of the 16th, and, finding them-
selves totally repulsed with heavy loss at the point they
had selected as offering most chances of succeee, they
would not risk another aback, but would yield, treat for
peace, make the necessary cenceesions, and in a ceuole
of months the Biitish army would go home again. T-1-
hopefulness of youth and a certain vivacity of imagilia
tion may doubtless (pally a man to produce rose-tinted
sketches of this kind, and there certainly can be nu
manner of question as to the immense superiority of
a merry Christina. in England to a inuddy one On
Balaklava's heights any more than of that of the.
smoking sirloin and tenderly-fed turkey over Crenea'is
lean kine and fowls thet refuse to he fattened. But
there is no magic in wishes any more than in words,
and it is to be feared that these prophets of peace
underrate the Russian's tenacity and endurance. It
is certain that his position is ,a difficult one, if, as is
now the growing belief, he runs short of water and
cannot get up supplies fast enough for the number iif
men necessary to hold his position. Teat such is the
case we have evidence worthy of consideration, but
which must not be unhesitatingly rec-ived, since it is
chiefly that of deserters. Accepting it, fur argument's
sake, as trustworthy and positive, the enemy's only al-
ternative is to attack or to give in. To get them to
attack is just what is most to be thsired. Setting aside
the idea of a siege, which, in fact, is no siege, we have
two powerful armies, each occupying a line of extremely
strong positions,' not to be taken without severe Hay a el
some risk of defeat. Evidently the di euiventege is with
the army which is first compelled to assume time offen-
sive. The result of the action on the Tcherneya is suffi-
cient proof of this. Since it occured the defences of the
point then assailed have been greatly improved by the
French, who laugh at the idea of a similar attempt being
made with even a shadow of success. An attempt on
Balaklava or a general attack on our lines would be a
strung indication that the statements of the straitened
condition of the Russians are well founded, and that
they are driven to a desperate effort. Such as attack,
if our generals prove as able as we know our soldiers to
be brave, ought to recoil with terrible force upon the
heads of the assailants, occasioning them heavy losses
of men and giving us solid proofs of success in the shape
of newly-acquired positions.
THE ENEMY'S " IMPROVEMENTS."
Yesterday I went down into our advanced trenches,
and from the fifth parallel, the most forward of them,
a,, ginoiopdrovvieemwecnotsu.l,d, blvou
e ihtandot the aid
latent
me
o f aogfl glass,
len
ecould's
see crowds of people passing and repaeeing from the
north and south sides of the harbour,
whilst workmen
were busily engaged about the middle of the bridge in
completing it. Some fifty or sixty yards off
the corner of the dockyard lay the huge Twelve Apos-
tles ; and, about midway between her and the broken
line of the mast beads of the sunken ships, runs the
bridge—apparently some 20 feet in breadth, and pro-
tected on either side by a low handrail. Sail boats and
barges, laden with various kinds of stores, were plying
between the two sides of the harbour ; and altogether,
as looked at through the rifle loophole from which I
viewed it, the whole scene appeared as undisturbed and
industriously busy as if not a French or English soldier
had foothold within the realms of the Czar. From
within revolver shot of the Redan a very prolonged or
complete survey was, of course, not convenient ; but
even with such glimpses of the place as could be hail
from the parapet. I saw enough to convince me that,
whatever may he the state of the besieged's commissariat,
they are as active as they could he if fed upon the beet.
In the open, some 50 yards from the parepet which shel-
tered me, poor Yea received his death wound on the
disastrous 18th of June;and all reund were strewn the
sacrificed hundreds who fell on the same memorable
morning. Fifteen or twenty perches beyond runs the
low broken hedge of stakes forming the abattis, stretch.
ing down the elope towards the similar defensive barrier
in front of the adjacent Malekhoff As seen at a dis-
tance of about a hundred and fifty yards, this obstruc-
tive Ike appears, at first sight, as if it could offer little
hindrance to an attacking force ; hut a closer scrutiny
of it shows it to be just low, intricate, and strong enough
to check assailants, whilst au extra discharge or two of
grape could be poured into them from the black muzzles
• bristling in terrible array ecas 70 or 8Q yards beynd.