The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-25 00:00:00

with those of an ar'ny outside. Make these resources
practically infinite, and the problem of successful defence
is unquestionably solved. But how is this to be done
Certainly, there is no lesson to he learnt from Sehastoltoi
in this respect. On the contrary, vast as were the re
sources of that fortress, they must, as far as we can un-
derstand, have been exhausted long ago had it not been
for fresh supplies. Of guns there was perhaps, owing to
the accession of the artillery of the fleet, a sufficient
stock, hut of stores and munitions we know that con-
voys have repeatedly been brought up, and that the force
in our front bus been constantly renewed. Here lii s the
true secret of the defence. It is not simply in earth-
works, or even in earthworks with abundance of guns,
but in a position communicating with the resources of a
whole empire. This much, however, must at the same
time be anmitted, that only by the use of earthworks a-
distinguished from other works of the kind could the
Russians have constructed their defences, or repaired
their damages so rapidly. _ _

Mr. Fergusson's theory of fortification is certainly
complete in itself. He proposes to build circular forts of
earth, and to mount them with so many guns that the
fire of the fort upon any given point must be superior to
that which can be brought against it. He assumes, in
short, that the fire of the defence can be secured in an
ascendancy over the fire of the attack. Now, this may
or may not be feasible, but it has certainly not been
accomplished at Sebastopol. There the fire of the be-
siegers is undoubtedly superior to that of the besieged,
though not, as yet, so much as to enable them to subdue
sufficiently the artillery of the defence. It is not by this
or by any other novel theory of fortification that Sebas-
topol has been defended, but by the unexampled supply
of resources at the command of the defenders.
The truth is, that all the maxims and deductions of
military science fail of application to operations so pecu-
liar as those conducted in the Crimea. Hitherto, the
number of guns which it was thought practicable or ne•
cessary to bring against a fortified place was compara-
tively small, 207 pieces of artillery of all descriptions,
mortars and howitzers included, being the largest com-
putation, we believe, ever made for such a purpose. The
Austrian equipment for a siege train reckons 178 ; the
Prussian, 142 ; the French, at Antwerp, had 144. On
the whole, it has been concluded that 100 pieces of
heavy artillery would be as many as could be brought
into battery against a fortress in a hostile country, and i
it is, in fact, upon this assumption that the superiority
of Mr. Fergusson's fort depends, inasmuch as these 100
guns could be answered by more than twice as many.
But the Allies at Sebastopol have not only a much
greater number than this, but the pieces themselves are
of a larger calibre than is usual in battering trains.
Again, garrisons are usually of 3,000, 5,000, 10,000, or
perhaps 15.000 men-30,000 being a very large garrison
indeed. But what has been the number of the Russians
in the Crimea!

We own ourselves somewhat at a loss to discover any
facts which may be regarded as establishing new laws iu
the science of fortifications generally. Earthworks have,
no doubt, been employed, more largely and effectually
than formerly, but they have not been built upon the
new principle or yielded any new results. That 300 or
400 pieces of cannon, supported by a large army, should
produce a greater effect than a far smaller number, sup-
ported only by a limited and exhaustible garrison, is
eel tainly nothing extraordinary. The strength of granite
in resisting shot seems to be still uncertain, for the ex-
periments at Bomarsund and Sebastopol appear in op-
posit:on to each other ; and there was no trial of it,
strength at Sweaborg, where the shells thrown by the mor-
tar-boats passed clear over the batteries. We do not, then,
see that anything has occurred to affect the general con-
clusions respecting the attack and defence of fortified
places. If earthworks are employed instead of masonry,
they must either be mounted with a most powerful force
o" artill, ry. or they will be liable to be carried by storm.
If the artillery is so increased, so must be the garrison,
and so must be the clsualties, and how are the resauree-
of the place to support such exhaustion ? So long as the
operations of a siege presume the first condition of a
siege—viz., that the garrison shall be confined to the
resources actually contained in the place at the period of
investment—so long must the means of the attack be
superior to those of the defence, unless some species of
rampart can be discovered which gunpowder cannot de-
stroy, and which the assailants cannot surmount. This
discovery has not, in our opinion, been made in any
form of earthworks. Abundance of guns is, of course,
a most valuable condition, but abundance will be of little
use unless it implies relative superiority, and, if this is
implied, the secret of the defence will lie in the cannon,
and nut in the ramparts on which they are mounted.

MARKET NEWS.-(THIS DAY.)

COVENT GARDEN.

Very large supplies of fruit and vegetables were on sale
to-day, and an extensive business was transacted, as
follows

Faurr.—Pine apples, English, 3s to 6s per lb; colonial
do., is to 3s each ; hot-house grapes, is 6d to 4s Od per lb ;
foreign ditto, Od to Os Od ; melons, is Od to 5s each;
pcaches, 8s Od to 15s ; nectarines, 5s Od to 12s per dozen ;
apples, 3s Od to 6s Od per half sieve ; pears, 3s Od to
6s per half sieve ; Orleans plums and green gages is 6d to
3s per punnet ; apricots, 2s to 4s per doz. ; common plums,
3s 0 to 4s per half sieve ; cherries, 2d to 6d per pound;
lemons, 4s to 8s Od per 100 ; oranges, 8s to lls per 100; fil-
berts, Os per 100 lbs ; cobnuts, Os to Os ; almonds,
Us to Os pet lb. ; walnuts, Gd to is per 100 ; figs, 3s Oil
to Gs Od per doz ; strawberries, 2d to Gd per pottle ; goose-
berries, 1s 63 to 2s Ud per half sieve ; currants, 3503 to
4s Od per half seive ; raspberries, 2d to Gd per pottle.
V EGETABLES. —White cabbages, 6d to is 3d per dozen;
red ditto, 2s to 5s Od per dozen ; French beans, is 6
to 2s Gd per half sieve ; brocoli, 03 per bund. ; potatoes, 45s
to 90s per ton ; vegetable marrow, Gd to is per doz. ; peas,
4s to 4s 6d per bushel ; broad beans, is Od to is 9d per hall
sieve ; turnips, 2d to td per bunch ; carrots, 3d to bd per
bunch ; cucumbers, Os Id to Os 9d each ; garlic, 8d to
Os 8d per pound ; spinach, is Od to 2s 6d per sieve ;
old onions, Os Od to Os Od per bushel ; new ditto, 1.1 to
4d per bunch; leeks, 23 to 3,1 per bunch ; shallots,
4d to 6d : horse-raddish, 2s Od to 4s OA per bundle ; parsley,
21 to 3d per bunch ; celery, is Od to is 63 per
Punch ; endive, is ;:id to 2s 3d per score ; beet, is 6(1 to 2s
per doz. ; parsnips, Os Gd +43 is 03 per dozen ' • small
salad, 23 to 31 per punnet ; mushrooms, is to is Gd per
pottle ; artichokes, 4s to tis per doz. ; cabbage lettuces
93 to is per score ; sorrel, 6d to Is per half sieve ;
radishes 6(.1 to is per dozen hands ; tomatoes, is Od to 2s.
6d per half sieve; chillies, is to is Gd per 100; Brussels
sprouts, is Od to 2s 03 per half sieve ; capsicums, is to 2s
dozen.; walnuts pickling, Gd to is per 100; cauliflowers,
3s to 6s per doz.
NEWGATE AND LEADENHA LL.

Turkeys, Os Od to Os Od ' • Goslings, 5s 6(1 to 6s 6(1 each;
Ducks, 2s 6d to 38 03 ; tame Rabbits, Os Od to Os Od;
wild do., is to 1s 6d each ; Pigeons, 6(1 to 93 each ;
loge Surrey Fowls, Os Od to Os Od ; middling, 2s 03 to
3s od • Chickens, is 9d to 2s 3d ; Capons, 3s 6(1
to 4s 6:1; Hares 3s 03 to 4s Grouse, is 6.1 to 2s !:3 each ;
Guinea Fowls, 2s tid to 38 Od each. Ostend fresh butter, Ils
to 12. s 6(1, and English lls tid to 14s 0(1 per dozen lbs.
English Eggs, tis Od to 9s Od ; French ditto, 58 0.1 to 7s 0
per 120.