The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONJDON FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 16, 1855,

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DESPATCH FROM MARSHAL PELISSIER.

LITERATURE.

HEAD-QUARTERS, SEBASTOPOL,
Nov. 2.

Familiar Words, as offteling the, Conduct of
England in 1855. By 'David Urquhart. Second

M. lo Marechal,—You have already been in-
formed that about the middle of October, I sent
General de Failly's division of infantry to Eupa-
toria. General Simpson also ordered the embar-
kation of Lord Paget's cavalry brigade with the
same destination.

Series. Trubner and Co.

The familiar words with which Mr. Urquhart
deals in the present part include Aristocracy,
Barbarism, Civilisation, Conscience, Democracy,
Diplomacy (suggestive word !), Faith, Independ-
ence, March .of Intellect, Monarchy, Organs of
Public Opinion, Progress, and Ministerial Respon-
sibility-. The object of the writer is to prove " the
present English language a web of sophistries and
the ideas to correspond therewith," and to point
out the almost hopeless state of confusion our bad
metaphysics have led us into. As the reader will
perceive, some of the words are sufficiently sugges-
tive to elicit assertions, arguments, and conclusions
eminently Urquhartish. What his notions are in
relation to public opinion and its organs may in
part be gathered from the following quotations :--
" In treating of .publie opinion I have shown that
if men did.not rely on it they would rely on them-
selves. But public - opinion exists by its organs;
were they to disappear_ we might get men again.
The nation,' said Charming, is the tomb of the
man.' Nation—No ! Press. As I have had to
watch day by day .the effects of the papers on' the
people, I stand perhaps alone in the position of
being able to hope
.great things from their removal ;
that is, if false data were not to be administered,
false intelligence not communicated, and fallacious
reasons not supplied. With the Press nothing is
known. Who advises a measure, nobody knows.
Who carries it into effect, nobody knows. Who
writes an article; nobody knows. Everything
secret ; the soul and the life of publicity is secrecy.
Again, "The Press is an invention for the develop-
ment of original sin." Possibly this may be deemed
sufficient ; it would, however, be unjust not to acid
that the book contains grains of truth, and is not
without suggestive power.

This accession of strength would enable General
d'Allonville to obtain an insight into the disposi-
tions made by the enemy is the two directions of
Perekop and Simpheropo], to harass the great line
of communication that unites these two points,
and to extend, in case of need, but with the greatest
prudence, his action round Eupatoria. In order
to put him in a position for making several marches
in this barren and arid district, waggons, and sets
of portable pumps, buckets and engines fit for.
working the few wells in that region, had been
sent to him from Kaniiesh.
In the great reconnaissance effected between the
22d and 24th of October, which I had the honour
of reporting to your Excellency, General d'Allon-
ville acquired the conviction that the enemy had
selected his points of concentration towards the
south.

In order to ascertain this fact this general left
Eupatoria on the 27th of October, in the morning,
with 24 battalions from the corps under General de
Faill and Ahmet Pasha the Alushir, 38 English,
Turkish, and French squadrons, and 56 guns.
Having arrived at 2 o'clock in the afternoon be-
fore Sak, and having in front of him only a cover-
ing line of Cossacks supported by a few squadrons,
General d'Allonville stationed the French and
Turkish divisions in echelons to the right in front
of Sak, the right leaning on the great muddy ravine
that runs towards this village, and he himself pro
ceeded with all the cavalry and horse artillery to-
wards Tchobotar, which is about a league and a
half distant.

The enemy's squadrons continued to retire along
the Simpheropol road, and when our cavalry had
arrived to within about 1,500 metres of the posi-
tions covering the point where this road crosses the
Tchobotar ravine, • the Russians unmasked 30
pieces of large calibre (32-pounders), the shells from
which burst along our whole line, killing four of
our men, and wounding 18. General d'Allonville
then put the numerous cavalry of the enemy con-
fronting him to the test. He despatched towards
our left four Turkish squadrons against 10 Russian
squadrons, who did not wait for them, but retired.
The enemy either did not dare or did not wish
to engage, and it could not come into Gen. d'Allon-
ville's mind to let himself be drawn on, with only
his cavalry, against defensive positions strongly pro-
tected. The day was declining. The general de-
cided accordingly on rejoining the infantry, and he
took up a strong position for the bivouac, his front
covered by Sak, and his wings by the two neigh-
bouring lakes. A few English and French light
vessels, stem to stern along the bank, were ready
to give the support of their artillery in case it had
been required ; but the enemy did not attempt to
make any attack.
It was probable that, in presence of this demon-
stration, the Russians would collect their disposable
forces from the points occupied in the vicinity, fdr
the purpose of obtaining their aid in defending the
route now menaced. With a view to get a better
judgment of these forces, and of the arrangements
adopted by the Russians, General d'Allonville re-
solved to march again towards the enemy on the
28th. The keeping of Sak and the nether ravine of
Tchobotar were entrusted to the Turkish and Egyp-
tian infantry of the Mushir Ahmet Paella ; Gen.
de Failly took up his station with his division a
league in advance, and General d'Allonville, with
Lord Paget's English cavalry brigade. Ali Paella's
Turkish cavalry, and the French cavalry under the
orders of General Walsin-Eiterhazy, marched east-
wards in a direction between Temesch and Djamin,
and passed along the Russian positions out of the
range of their guns.
The enemy's squadrons fell back on our right and
flanked us on our march without disturbing it,
although our cavalry had advanced more than two
leagues ahead of our infantry. In these movements
the Russians showed about 60 squadrons, and it
was possible to distinguish earthworks and troops
collected in the direction of Toulat and Aich.
After attempting, but in vain, by a few manoeuvres
to bring about a cavalry combat in the plain,
General d'Allonville, who could not find any water
except at Lez, behind Toulat, fell back about noon
on General de Failly's infantry, and with it re-
gained in the evening, without being pursued, his
bivouac of the previous evening at Sak.
The wells at Sak were nearly exhausted ; half the
horses had not even been able to drink ; moreover,
the essential object of this operation, which was to
reconnoitre the positions of the enemy in this
quarter, was attained. General d'Allonville re-
turned, therefore, on the morning of the 29th, to
Eupatoria, after ascertaining that on this side, as
on all the rest, the entire circuit round this place
had been evacuated ; that in a radius of seven to
eight leagues the enemy had compelled the inha-
bitants to abandon all the villages, and that the
Russian army did not maintain there a single
cantonment. PELISSIER.

Practical Proceedings for the Removal of Nui-
sances, &c. By `l'oulmin Smith, Esq. Henry
Sweet.

The great benefits derivable from the Nuisances
Removal Act render it a matter for congratulation

that so competent a hand as Mr. Toulm— in Smith
should lend his aid to facilitate its application
In the present volume will not only be found
practical proceedings for the removal of nui-
sances, but also the execution of drainage
works, with numerous forms and complete instruc-
tions for the conduct of parish committees ; to
which is added the. " Diseases Prevention Act." It
should not be forgotten, that to the suggestions of
Mr. Smith the characteristic and most important al-
terations in the Statute Law, made by the Nuisances
Removal Act, are mainly owing. An act which
it is no exaggeration to describe as " the first act
that in our time rests upon the constitutional prin-
ciple of recognising the right and duty of those
who are concerned to do, in every place, that
which the welfare of each place needs."

The Metropolitan Local Management Act, 1855.
By Toulmin Smith, Esq. Henry Sweet.

The vast and various interests involved, and the
important principle at stake in the administration
of this welcome though' imperfect act, render it a
matter of great moment that no information shall
be wanting likely to conduce to its satisfactory
working. To insure this result Mr. Toulmin
Smith—who, by the way, is entitled to regard the
act 'with a parental sort of feeling—has poin ed
out the circumstances out of which it has grown,
those to which it applies, the practical bearings of
its various provisions, and its more or less obvious
defects. These will be found in a very interesting
preface, and a number of notes in connection with
the various sections of the bill. In short, so com-
plete and so well-arranged is the information given
in relation to the,Aclt; that the dullest ratepayer
may readily become acquainted with its spirit and
scope, and so be enabled 'to contribute his mite to
its success. More practically useful manuals than
this and the preceding,—(Proceedings. for the Re-
moval of Nuisances)—which should go together,
we do not remember to have seen.

MARKET NEWS.—(This Day).