The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-11 00:00:00

LONDON,,TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMI3Eit 11, 1855-.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

THE FALL OFSEBASTOPOL.

( From the Times of this
On Saturday, the Bth of Septembse‘ithiet a few.days
of the anniversary of the landing of au-embed forces in
the Criellikad 316 days after, the opening of the be-
sieging batteries against Sebastopsl, on the 17th of Octo-
ber, 1854, a final and victorious assault was made upon
the southert part of the town. Before night the French
flag waved irk triumallastillin the4l4l4loiffToWl7, which
had fallen befores-Ckimiornitabhs_Assrand -perse-
verance of thtasiltilklts,Vad witliliskhours mole
the Russian garrison had evacuated. tlits Karabelnaia
suburb awl the- sduthern 'poriiin of the foitres.s, after
blowing up the magazines- andlirincipal works, setting
fire to the town in many places, arid.then endeavouring
to withdraw by the bridge across the harbour from this
terrific scane of devastation atid defeat. So fell Sebas-
topol. The catastrophe surpasses in horrible interest all
the preceding scenes of this gigantic contest. The co-
lumns of the allied armies, combined in a fourfold attack,
struggled all day with equal valour, though with un-
equal 'success, against the principal points marked out
for assault. The extreme right of the French attack wal
directed against the work called the Little Redan, which
was at first carried by the impetuosity of our allies,
though they were subsequently driven back by the fierce
resistance of the Russians. The second and principal
assault of the French army was against the Malakhoff,
which was carried by storm, and determined by its fall
the. fate, not only of the day, but of the siege. A third
attack was made by the British forcess on the Great
Redan, and, although we learn that the salient angle of
this formidable work was at one moment carried and
occupied by our troops, it must be added that they were
subsequently driven out ofiti,by the'fire of the Russitin
batteries which commanded it, and this check in some,
degree di:ninishes the exultation which will Ise felt
in this country at the triumphant termination of
the siege. The French columns on the left also assailed,
in the fourth place, the Central Battery, but failed to
establish themselves in the work. We have no doubt
that every man who attacked the defences of Sebastopol
on that eventful day fought with the same undaunted
gallantry and the same determination to carry the place
or to perish in the attempt; and although the results of
these several attacks were unequal, all were animated
by the same spirit and contributed to the great result.
The first prize of this glorious victory belongs of right
to our gallant allies the French, since the Malakhoff
Tower, the key of the main -position, fell before the
vigour of their assault ; but with that. chivalrous feeling
which is the noblest bond of men who have fought and
conquered together, the names of all those who carried
the rugged defences of Sebastopol deserve to stand side
icy side on one page, and no invidious distinctions Shall
sully or lessen their c mmon renown.
The Russians on their side unqu-stionably defended
the place• with the utmost determination, and on more
than one point they bad the advantage over the besieg-
ers But it was the courage of desperation, for this effort
was their last. No sooner was• the outer works taken,
which laid the town and the port at the mercy of the
allied forces, than the ines-of•war and steamers in the
harbour were all set on fire, bl .wn up, sunk, or destroyed,
either by the fire of the allied batteries, or by the orders
of the Russian authorities. Such wa- the fate of the Ras-
Sian Black Sea fie-t, on which the Imperial Government
had expended incalculable sums of money and incessant
labour—that fleet which two years ago threatened the
very existence of the Turkish empire, but whose solitary
naval achievement was the atrocious outrage upon a far
inferiOr force at Sinope. Of the authors of that nefarious
attack what remains? The Eoiperor Nicholas sleeps in
the vaults of St. Peter and Paul, no longer conscious
of the chastisement his wicked arnh:_sien has brought down
on his empire and his heirs The admirals* who com-
manded and the crews who fought on that occision have
most of them fallen in the batteries of Sebastopol. The
very ships for which Russia contended at the Confer-
ences of Vienna as e.ssential to her dignity and power
are torn plank from plank and scattered upon the
waves. The dockyard and arsenal were already,: on
Sunday, in possession of the allied troops ; Prince Gort-
achakoff ha I, it seem, solicited an arrnistics, though we
know not whether it was granted ; but his troops were
hurrying away with the utmost precipitation ; and, con-
sidering the moral and physical results of such a defeat
upon the remnant of his army, it may be doubted whe-
ther the Russian General can attempt to make any fur-
ther stand on the north side of the harbour.

TheSe great events terminate the siege of Sebastopol,
properly so called,,for the allied armies have 'aChieved-
within the last-three days the grand objects of their en-
terprise. They have wrested from the whole military
power of Rus-ia a fortress which she had converted into
a place of extraordinary strength and defended wish in-
numerable boats of her best troops.. They have annihi-
fated the Laval power on which she relied to secure her
authority from the shores of the Caucasus to the mouths
of the Danube. But, above all, they have shown the
servile and creddlous nations of the East that the
Powers now 'paramount in the world are not those of
fanaticism and barbaric absolutism, but those of liberty
and of civilisation. In this struggle Sehafitripul became
at. once the test of strength and the reward of victory.
To reduce it by force of arms was ta overthrow that co-
lossal fabric of Russian influence which a century and\
a-half of rapine and intrigue had called into being, until
it overawed the surrounding nations and threatened the
independence of Europe. While the expedition to the
Crimea offered the incalcul able advantage of circuinseribi rg
within a few square miles of the enemy's territory all
the horrors of war, and of staking the strength of four
empires on a mingle point, the result.of our victory is as
boundless as the globe. It tells the world that the alli-
ance of &gland and of France has stood the test of war-
fare by the sufferings of the camp and the perils of the
fle'.d. It assures mankind that their united policy can
impose its will and execute its resolutions. even though
the timid stand aloof, and though men of baser minds
may abandon the cause of their country in her hour of
need. We owe our success in no slight degree to the
unwaverii.g firmness with which the Emperor of the
French has prirsueil this enterprise and adhered to the
policy that dictated it. But we owe it no less to the clear
a,,d unanimous resolution of the people of Eogland,
whose mind was made up that this thing was to be done.
In the course of these events, which broke in so sud-
denly on our wonted avocations, we have had much to

learn and much to bear. At times the tedium of sus-
pended excitement became almost intolerable, and more
than once the fainthearted or the factious lost confidence
in the result. Yet what is the fact ? What is it we have
done ? A year has not yet elapsed since the allied armies
set foot in the Crimea. Within that time they have won
three pitched battles, rind twice assaulted a fortress of
extraordinary magnitude. , They have encompassed the
works of the enemy with trenches extending over more
than 30 miles of ground ; they have armed these trenches
with the heaviest ordnance, and kept up so incessant a
fire that not only an incalculable amount of projectiles has
been consumed, but five or six siege trains have been

worn out. They have created at Kamiescb, Enpatoria, and
Yenikale three military stations which the Russians have
not dared to assail, andllalaklava has become a populous
mart. A railroad connects the harbour and the camp ;an
electric chain binds the Crimea to Europe, and conveys to
us in a few hours the tidings of these triumphant suc-
cesses. Upwards of 200,000 men encamped within the
lines of the Tchernaya have been conveyed thither and
are daily fed, clothed, and housed from the resources of
Western Europe. All this has been effected in spite of
the rigour of winter, the heat of summer, and the dis-
tance of 3.000 miles from our shores, and within • one
little year from the nailing of the expedition the leading
objects of the campaign are accomplished and Sebastopol
is in our power. The military and political results of
this event open a new chapter in the history of these
transactions to which we shall shortly take occasion to
revert, but, be they what they may, the grand fact now
before us justifies the ctmfidence we have never ceased
to feel and rewards our hopes, for within 12 months from
the commencement of this enterprise Sebastopol has
fallen, and the power of Russia in the waters of the
Euxine is at an end.

( From the .Daily News of this day.)
All the south side of the harbour of Sebastopol is in
the possession of tha Allies—not a single Russian re-
mains there except as a prisoner. To enable our readers
to form as clear a conception of the process by which
this important issue has been obtained, as the curt tele-
graphic despatches 'admit of, we submit to them a resume
of the operations from the moment of re-opening the
bombardment. The French and English batteries opened
their fire at daybreak on the sth inst. The bombardment
was continued all that day and the next without slacken-
ing. .On the night between the sth, a Russian two-decker
was set on fire by a shell, and burnt to the water-edge.
Ou the afternoon of the 7th, another Russian frigate was
set on fire and destroyed. A great explosion was heard
of a magazine on the north side. On the morning of
h
from the Russian werks about midnight, supposed to have-
tbeeenfith a great fire was observed to be burning about the
middle of the town of Sebastopol. At noon on the same
day a simultaneous attack was made on the Malakt.off,'
the Careening Bay Redan, and the Central Bastion by
the French ;on the Redan by the English. The two
first mentioned works were carried by assault, and our
llant allies made good their position in the entrench-
, :rents of the Malakhoff, but were forced to retire from
the Careening Bay Redan by the heavy fire of the enemy.
The attack on the Central Bastion proved unsuccessful.
The English carried the salient of the Roden, but were
forced to retire before the enemy's artillery and his
posierful reserves. General Peliseer says, " Our loss
was severe :" General Simpson, "The casualties, I re-
uret to say, are somewhat heavy." On the morning of
the-9th it was found that the Russians bad evacuated the
South Side. During the preceding night they had blown
up tbeir magazines and set fire to the town. As soon as
their trqaps were withdrawn, the bridge connecting the
south side of the harbour with the north was broken up.
All the Russian men-of-war in the harbour were destroyed
during the night. General Simpson states that they
were "burned ;'' Sir E. Lyons. that they were " sunk. '
The Russian navy in the Black Sea is now reduced to
three small steamers, in the harbour of Sebastopol,
within range of and exposed to the artillery of the
Allies.
imagination may be enabled, even by
this
narrative, to conjure up a lively
proeu
t ens of 14'0 mom For sox,* tzt
4
- -
Thbealmdos atn torpid r
meagrep id

I kw,&l

'---

previous to the attitolc, we know that the Russians were
availing theiriselvesof their newly-constructed floating
bridge to convey large,reinforcernents of men and artil-
lery acrose'fii9iartilir frbm the north. The antagonists
mustered tbefir utmost disposable strength on both sides
for the death`-grapple- For three days and nights did the
allies continue ,to popr an uninterinitting storm of shot
and shells upon the doomed fortalices, from artillery of
unprecedented calibre and range. For a time the enemy
continued to reply with a fire almost as heavy and
vigorously sustained. At intekvals might be heard above
the roar of artillery the explAcins of magazines ; the in-
termittent flashes of the guns were outshone by the blaze
of burning houses and ships. At noon of the fourth day,
after a temporary lull, the assailants rushed tothe attack
under a salvo from all their batteries; Next was heard
in fierce and rapid succession the sharp cracks of thou-
sands of rifles. A deadly hand to hand struggle ensued
as soon as the columns of the assault crowned the
crumbling walls and mounds of the defences, and then
again the Russian artillery opened with redoubled roar.
The immediate result appeared doubtful. The Russians,
unable to regain the Malakhoff, receded from that posi-
tion ; the troops which had assaulted the two Retians
and the Central Bastion retired within their trenches.
There was a brief pause on both sidesto recruit exhausted
nature. Then ,arose fro rfithin the fortifications, in
rapid successioillle. einillons of magazines, and these
volcanic era tip liftli,i4cariely ceased when the shades
of night ticrkpthe lurid glare of a burning town
and a t.,„ • tan early hour of the morning
all the so 'plia4topol were left untenanted ;
the broad Tv ere interposed between the
combatants of the p ce mg day, and their surface was
only dotted at rare intervals by a few small steamer's, the
fragments of a broken bridge, and the topmasts of sunken
ships. The silence of exhau,tion 'settled down on the
scene of strife, where for four continuoes days the roar
of artillery, the crash of explosions, and the shoats of
men preternaturally excited by the awful contest, had
reverberated through thehollow rolues with deafening
effect. _

The universal mind of Londop:;ivas last night fairly
thrown off its balance by the announcement of the tri-
umphant issue of the dread struggle. For a time the rush
of the multitude to obtain early copies of the eveningjour-
nals bore a strong similitude to au &Lade. The excitement
spread rapidly through all the crowded streets. From
every church tower and steeple the bells rang out the
'laruin of victory with deafening clamour. The French
Embassy was the first to illuminate, aed the example
was.followed in many places. All this exultation, after
moo of anx►ous expectation, was irresi tilde. All
ranks, all ages, all temperaments were carried away by
the spring•ti le of contagious enthu-iasm. By the time
these lines meet the eyes of our readers the electrifying
intelligence will have produced the same effect through
every province of the United Kingcliims. Vire May
with the poet, "Now universal England getteth drunk"
—at least with mental intoxication. But it behoves
those upon whom has devolved the guiding of the reins
of Government to preserve, amid this whirlwind of tem•
pestuous jubilee, a tranquil mind awl_ a. relentless pur•
pose. The triumph has been dearly bought by long
months of suffering, heroically endured by our noble
army, and by a lavish expenditure of life, and it is yet
incomplete. The foe whose insatiable ambition has dis-
turbed the peace of Europe must be incapacitated from
renewing his outrages for a long period. His navy in
the Euxine has been destroyed ; his arsenal, where was
fabricated and repaired the artillery which enabled him
to make so protracted a defence, has been reduced to
ruins and wrested from him ; his warlike stores have
been in a great measure wanted and exploded. The
troops which have been driven back from.theTchernaya,
and forced to recross the harbour of Sebastopol, are
doubtless dismayed and dispirited. But he has still a
numerous army in the field, covered by the inlet of
Sebastopol, the fortifications which bristle along the
heights on its north side, and the entrenchments which
extend from those strongholds along the Mackenzie
heights to the base of the mountain range that over-
hangs the road to Simpheropol. The blow which has been
struck ought to he followed up before the enemy has time
to recover frem it., The Russian army in the Crimea
must be harassed and assailed until it is forced to sur-
render. No mistaken genera-ity mu-t be displayed to-
wards a power w hose threatening ambition has fur nearly
half a century hung like a dark thunder-cloud over
Europe, and has at last burst in storm. Our armies have
done their duty, and are ready to do it again ; the nations
are still animated by the *ante deliberate resolve with
which they entered on the strife ; it is for the Govern-
ments to take care that such heroism and self-sacrifice
shall not have been displayed iu vain.

( Prom the Morning Herald of this day. )

The stronghold of the Criava is at length itipoisession
of the allies. Alter a defence of eleven months, con
ducted, it must be admitted, with remarkable ability,
and sustained with unflagging energy, the enemy have
abandoned the south side of Sebastopol, after firing the
town, magazineF, and shipping. It is the well-known
practice of the Rus,i ins, when a p'acebecomes no longer
tenable, to carry out the work of destruction on all sides,
so as to leave nothing to the assailants but smoking and
ruinous heaps, and it appears -ttaly have not departed
from that practice in the present instance. The de-
spatches of General Peli,sier and of General Simpson
give, so far, but a mere outline of the operations and
their grand result. We learn that the assault was de-
livered at the Great and Little Redan, the Malakhoff,
awl the Central B tstion. The French carried by storm
the redoubts of the Malakhoff, together with the Le,ser
Redan ; but they failed to carry the Central Bastion,
although attacked twice meanwhile the English carried
the salient of the Great Redan. The French found it

impossible to hold the smaller work, Jo consequence of
the irresistible fire of artillery which swept it, nor did the
English succeed in their first assault upon the Great
Redan. No sooner, ho ►ever, were the French
firmly installed in the Malakoff than the enemy
must have seen that the gone was up. That work
commands and enfilades both Rollins and the entire
eastern portion of the town, while it is in its turn com-
manded only. by Mount Saponne, which is in possession
of our gallant allies. There is a heavy battery immedi-
ately inside the Malakhoff, mounting, it is said, 800
guns. It was anticipated that this formidable work
would have rendered the occupation of the Malakhoff
impossible, but the Russians seem to have turned it to
little purpose. The fact is that the Malakhoff is nothing
else than the key of the whole position. The enemy
seem to he quite conscious of this, arid to have taken
their resolution, once its possession by the French had
been secured, to abandon the town, and throw them-
selves into the defences of the north side.

At whatever cost achieved -_and the carnage must
have been terrific—the e.tpture of Sebastopol is a splen-
did success, and one on which, with the deepest sin-
cerity, we congratulate the c.mtitry. In the absence of
all particulf.rs of the numbers engaged and the various
features of the assault, it is impossible to do more thau
speculate upon them. Our allies, no doubt, displayed
that fiery courage which has ti o often borne the French
eagles to victory. Our own troops, we are satisfied, be-
haved, as they ever do, with determined courage and un-
flinching resolution. United, they have, after a struggle
as arduous if not as prolonged as any in the history of
sieges, planted their ensigns on the ruins of the Gibraltar
of the Elaine. They have seized the reward of months
of privation, watching, and patient endurance. The Rus-
sian boast and the Russian falsehood are alike unavail-
ing. The enemy has been signally routed in the field,
and he is now driven from the defences which he flat-
tered himself were proof against the united arms of
the allies, which he boasted would defy the armies of the
earth. _ -

The affect of this glorious news will be electrical. It
will scatter the delusion of Russian invincibility, and
will ruin the confidence of the Cabinet of St. Peters-
burg. True, the Czar and his advisers may have looked
for this catastrophe, but the actual event will for the
time confound them. It will be seized at Vienna, no
doubt, as an opportunity for pressing negotiations for
peace, and we have a Government but too willing to
listen to overtures, however insincere and worthless.
But let no man imagine that the fall of the southern
defences of Sebastopol will change the fixed policy of
Russia, or afford as yet the opportunity for an honour-
able and secure peace. It is too probably but the true
commencement of the war—the first great event of a
struggle that the next 10 years may not see conoluded.
It is good earnest of future conquest--a well-directed
blow at the vulnerable heel of Russia.

( Prom the Morning Post of this day.)
The great southern stronghold of Russia exists no
more. Its arsenals are ruins—its forts shapeless heaps
—and the vast fleet, built at such cost, and cherished
with such pride, is burnt or sunk, without one excep-
tion.
As we indicated yesterday, the possession of the
Malakhoff Tower placed the Allies at once in the position
of commanding the whole of Sebastopol. So strongly,
indeed, was this felt by the Russians, that without de-
lay, after having lost the Malakhoff on Saturdarafter-
y proceededthat
al l towe
de i nokf all
i t theiran d ships,
evacuate
the
to destroy
neverything h
t e
southern side of Sebastopol with' the utmost possible
speed.
Our success is as complete as it is rapid ; and, .to un-
derstand it aright, it may be well that we recapitulate
the events which immediately led to it, adding to the
outline of the official statements such information as we
have best reasons for believing to he accurate.
After a tremendous bombardment, which was kept
up unremittingly on Thursday and Friday, the Allied
Generals gave the word for the storming of the forts on
Saturday, at mid-day. Then ensued what is historically
known to be the most fearful scone in the hideous pro-
gress of war. Thousands of gallant men rushed to an
almost certain destruction—the more terrible in appear-
ance that it was concentrated in so small a space. The
English attacked the Redan. The French assaulted.
the Central rOstion, the Redan of Careening Bay, and
the Malakhoff Tower.
The last attack was alone successful from causes which
our readers will at once appreciate, and which we are
most happy in being able to state, as such elucidation at.
once clears away the apparent disparity of success be-
tween ourselves an l our noble Allies.
The Malakhoff Tower is, as is well known, the highest
point of the fortifications which defended Sebastopol. It
is flanked on either side by the grand Redan, the object
et tl2n gvgliala attack, aid the lildeu of Caretuipt DV
_

Now, behind these forts the Russians had constructed a
formidable second line of earthworks, heavily armed,
which commanded all the works in fr3nt, with the ex-
ception of the Malakhoff Tower, and this exception was
due to the over care of the Russians, who, in their anx-
iety to strengthen the Malakhoff, had built its works in
three tiers, the one rising above the other, whereas the
Redans were constructed with only one tier of guns.
The consequence of this was, that when. the French
swarmed on tJ the first tier of the Malakhoff, the second
tier saved them from being hurt by the fire of the works
in the rear of the Tower; and, in like manner, when
they attained the second tier, the third saved them in its
turn. Consequently thOusands of men thronged its
ramparts, protected from the Russian fire. The combat
raged on the fl anks, where the enemy could only attack
them with his musketry, and their own rifles and brilliant
impetuosity were too much for him. Under the protec-
tion of a galling fire from the French, their sappers
slipped round the work, threw up an entrenchment, and
thus, effectually covered on all points, the whole work
was theirs.

Here, then, to brave men success was as natural as
their own enthusiastic courage, but alas I upon other
points courage availed not. The gallant. assailants of
the Redan and of the Central Bastion no sooner had
carried these works, as they did triumphantly, than they
found themselves exposed to a terrific close fire of grape,
which rendered life impossible. The forts, built in one
exposed tier, were open to the full range of the second
line of earthworks, and in vain our gallant men, in vain
our chivalrous allies, tried to hold their position. They
would not retreat, but were swept away as corpses by
the pitiless storm of grape. The tenacity of our struggle
may be easily conceived when it is known that in car-
rying, and in endeavouring to hold, that one Redan, our
loss amounted to two thousar,d men. _ _ .

Our allies, and we ourselves had, therefore, to retire
from these points ; but the Malakhoff was in the hands
of the French, add that was everything. The proof of
that is in the result. The Russians set at work, at once,
to burn and destroy. They sunk or burnt their ships,
and the latest aecounta left them -suffering under the
fire of our bombs, but still exploding mines in all dire*.
riot's, and rai.ing such havoc, that General Pelissier de-
cri bes Sebastopol as one vast circle of conflagration.
The Russians then escaped en masse, breaking the
bridge they had recently constructed, and without time
to carry off their• ' killed and wounded, for whose re•
moval Prince Gortschakoff was compelled to solicit an
armistice.

The naval power of Russia in the Black Sea is thus
annihilated, and the huge arsenal the Czar had can.
structed at so much labour and expense is utterly ruined
and destroyed.
We have nothing to fear from the North Fort. It
will soon be ours. We command its fate with certainty.
It cannot hold a large garrison, and the troops encamped
near it or in its neighbourhood are in a most precarious
condition. The army of General Lipraudi, on Mac-
kenzit'l's Heights, is in great want of water, and provi-
sions are scarce. In the southern side of Sebastopol
great quantities of provisions must have been destroyed,
and on the north side there are no sufficient places of
depot for any sufficient amount of stores.
The road to the North Fort is commanded by our
position at Eapatoria, to which we are now free to
transport large and adequate forces to cut off the com-
munications of the fort, to take the armies in the rear,
and menace the safety of every Russian in the Crimea.
Of two things, one, either we shall menace their posi-
tions, and force them t• battle or capitulation ; or they
will play the desperate game, and at once attack us
with a view to a final struggle. We are ready for them,
and doubt not the result

The consequences of the fall of Sebastopol will be im-
mense, both strategically and politically. Our enemies
have received a great blow, and many of our friends will
probably be roused to a more lively sense of their posi-
tion and our own.

Let us not, boast, but ascribe the victory to that
Power to whom alone it is due ; but whilst we deplore
our losses and those of our gallant Allies, let us resolve
that our sacrifices shall not have been made in vain;
that the torrents of blood shed in the cause of right
shall, by the blessing of Providence, not have been spent
in vain ; and that so far as in us lies we will steadfastly
pursue our righteous and single object-‘—not deluded by
false protestations of anxiety for peace, but determined
to secure on firm and lasting bases the restriction of
Russian power and the future liberties of Europe.

(From the Times of this gay.)

'We would much rather not bs under the necessity of
believing that there are some at home to whom the glo-
rious news from the Crimea will be a disappointment.
It is indeed with the greatest difficulty that we can ima-
gine the state of those minds that have blundered into
so morbid and ridiculous a position. Yet we cannot
doubt the fact. These persons, drawing largely on the
obscurity and uncertainty of the future, and encouraged
possibly by some sinister auguries of their own, have
dwelt incessantly on the delay and comparative failure
of our military operations—on the patriotism and devo-
tion of the foe—on the inexhaustible extent of his re-
sources—on the presence of a religious idea on his side,
and the absence of it on our own—on the fatal neglect
which, in a way known to none but these mystic politi-
cians, had converted England and France into the
authors of a new war, instead of the in-ulte I, aggrieved,
and threatened parties in an old one. On these and
other topics, fabricated in a workshop of their own, and
more or less unintelligible to ordinary people, this select
knot of politicians have brooded and declaimed till they
have forgotten they are Englishmen. They cannot but
think that a great misfortune has happened to England
and to the common interests of humanity in the fall of
Sebastopol. On Mr. Gladstone's own pri-onises, that
event which this day fills with honest joy every sound
hear, among ourselves and our noble allies is the ti iumph
of criminal ambition, obstinacy, and revenee. Accord-
ing to him and his handful of political associates, a hide-
ous crime has been perpetrated, and the flames of Sebas
topol, with the thousands who lie buried in its smoulder-
ing ruins, cry from the ground for vengeance upon u•.
As far, indeed, as regards their own country, there is
one small consolation. In the plain, modest language
of the British Commander-in-Chief, the French suc-
ceeded in their main attack, while our stack failed. But.
for this the gentlemen we refer to would scarcely wish
to show themselves in public during the present re-
j iicing. To the air ef satisfoction which every English
face will wear this day, notwithstanding the destiny,
net to cell it by a higher name, which has given the
palm of victory more to our gallant ally than to our
own arms, these gentlemen are now able to reply, " You
have not much to boast of ; it was not you that did it."
This saving clause in the victory will render their ex
istence tolerable for the present, and of course we can-
not but be content that such able and excellent men
should have some encouragement to live a little longer,
and to hope no day for souse event inure entirely ac-
cording to their vvishe-i.
As for the people of England, in the broad sense of
that word, which we will not allow to have any excep-
tem, they will rejoice on this occasion with a deep, a
chastened, and a rational joy. They now know more of
the burr ire of war than they did a twelvemonth ago.
They have parsed many months of anxiety and grief,
and have been brought to the verge of despondency ;
they have learnt that they must make great sacrifices,
and expect great reverses ; and, what is even more,
many, very many, have had the sorrows brought home
to them in the loss of near and dear friends. But
people who have suffered so much, so cheerfully, so
hopefully, and with so increasing a determination to
persevere at all costs, are better able to appreciate suc-
cess when it comes. We all know by this time that we
cannot snatch a victory ; we do not come upon it by
lucky chance. That would, indeed, be robbing it of
its highest significance. There have been many great
deeds of heroism which to this day live in fame.
There ha% e been many national deliverances which,
after the lapse of centuries, still claim our personal
gratitude. But in all these the splendour of vic-
tory shines on a foil of disaster • and death. Men-
tion any name of glory in the annals of Greece
or Rome, of England, of France, or of any other nation
of Europe, and that name only serves as a torch to throw
light on a long period of unsuccessful labour, unrequited
sufferings, and unredeemed losses. None have lamented
and remonstrated so much as we that we do not bring
our vast mechanical resources more to the sparing of our
men. There was a time when we did hope that possibly
we might compound with money and the toil of the ar-
tisan for the blood of the soldier. The result, however,
shows that the character of war and the game of the
battle-field are much the same as ever. It is still life
that is staked, and personal courage that must carry the
day. When the artificer and the engineer have done their
best, there remains the contest of man with man. In
that contest the utmost we can hope for is somewhat less
loss on our side than that of our foes. With that whole-
some conclusion forced upon us by bitter experience, we
are in a better con 'ition to read the glorious news that
Sebastopol has fallen to the arms of the allies.

Alter the lessons of this long struggle, it would be
vain to exaggerate the success, even were there any
reasons for doing so. Our armies now stand on a heap
of ruins. As far as the skill of the Russian engineers
could devise it, not one stone is left upon another of the
vast works south of the harbour ' • and we may be sure
that, in the event of the Russians finding it necessary to
retire from the north, they will complete the gha-tly
amphitheatre, and from the water's edge the We-tern
conquerors will see nothing but blackened mounds,
shattered walls, and many a hideous spectacle of mortal
decay. What next—whether we shall complete the wolk
of destruction, or establish within its circle some portion
of our vast host, or whether trusting to the fierce of that
host and the abundance of our supplies, we shall drive
the Russian out of the Crimea, and hold it against him,—
is possibly not yet decbled on. But we are satisfied that
the only way to tring the war to a close is to carry it
on with all our heart and soul, all the opportunities in
our reach, and all the mears in our power. We are tied
to no terms, except such as the allies may have agreed
to between them-elves, and such as, in the exercise of
their discretion, they may think best for the security and
peace of the world. The only object, then, that we need
at present recognise is to reduce the enemy to the lowest
possible condition, and compel bin to sue for his very
existence. Let England know that we have to deal
with a foe who knows no rule but necessity, and who
will only be restrained from resuming his long-cherished
5C4C=e- Izlivervai 44.izup by tta wit:t ci power PO
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