The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-03 00:00:00

THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL

ENGLISH CAMP, HEIGHTS OF
SEBASTOPOL, JIN. 20.
The enemy's garrison in Sebastopol has, during
the last two or three days, been showing forth in
the lines in very considerable strength.
The French have considerably slackened in their
fire upon the town since the date of my last letter.
The reason alleged for this is, that such a y
leads
only com-
paratively trifling fire from ten mortars, without
producing any very important results,
the enemy to take measures to counteract the
effects of a future bombardment. Tho English, it
is said, are now in a position to support the fire of
our allies, and only wait for favourahle weather to
commence the final attack.
Since the last post and until the 16th there has
been an intense frost, which, while it lasted, sur-
passed for its severity anythin., we 'have yet felt.
During the day the thermometer seldom rose above
18 deg., but with the night a keen wind swept over
the snowy waste, which froze the very blood of those
exposed to it. I
Major Macdonald, of the 89th, .it was stated,
was frozen to death in the trenches on the night of
the 16th, and another gallant officer who fell into
a deep snow drift most narrowly escaped the Bann
fate. Both in the nights of the 16th, 17th, and
18th, many of the men on sentry and on fatigue
parties were numbed by the cold in such a man-
nar as to expire in a few hours afterwards.
On the 17th, fourteen of the 46th were buried,
the majority of the deaths being caused by the
severity of the weather, and on the 18th ten
more were interred from the same cause.
The huts which have been disembarked at Bala-
klava are being erected for hospital purposes
around the village. The men are on full rations ;
but, in spite of the presence and spread of scurvy,
bonetteeraltwitrahotuiotn.e, Awbhoiueth one-efyou
wouldf
thee b at almost
s
have their warm great coats ; the rest are
pretty 'much as they landed. This is the
actual state of affairs on the 20th of January.
Applications for medical stores have been sent in
to Balaklava, and the answer returned was that
there were none there. It is not enough to say
that we are unfortunate in the mortality which
prevails. Such a term is far too weak to stigma-
tise
life which takes place
men are literally murdered
—murdered by neglect, by incapacity, by the
r e the
every
day . waste
o ar of
etiquette of military routine, and by every way
t l l oirh town,:
in which our endless form of mismanagement can
reach both officers and privates, old and young.
cg oh, if we had only a
Naval and military officers exclaim perpetually,
jury hero for one day to inquire how and by what
coroner with an English
neglect our men die!'
common during the last
tTthwiso
o expressionrthree
days.l ra s bean
Lord
Raglan again took the Balaklavians by surprise, by
entering the village on the 18th. Numberless were
the jokes and comments in.the town on this sudden
visitation ; and much ironical anxiety was ex-
pressed lest his lordship should suffer from the ex-
citementodf
days
ihs his
lordshipcomfortable
m el
merely
rode quarters t
through
rtowoigniei
within 20
and only delay
Russian piquet round Balaklava have ap-
peared unusually busy
old residence near the chuerdeba. few minutes at his
during the last f©w days,
and the force on the ]eft of the Tchernaya has been
strengthened by the addition of some 3,000 or 4,000
rioelniension. The filthi of the
men.
of Balaklava is beginning
exhoeit
town is now something beyond all description. We
are now giving rationstn 4,000 Turks ; two months
ago we were rationing 14,000 ;
Tseansietarrioyu condition onad apprehension.
8,000 of the missing
10,000 are dead and " buried " on the slope of the
bill, over the harbour.

"caution" was issued on tho 18th,
to eahoohfo eri
anlgofficer commanding a division :
CAMP BEFORE SEBASTO POL
JANUARY 19.
'' MitmoitANntat.
"To-morrow,
likely t eoing a great holiday
with themake an attack,
Tglelnow
they 18th
are instant, t
lainkt, e
and officers commanding divisions are requested to im-
press upon the officers and men, particularly those en
duty, the necessity of increased vigilance that day and,
ini°w' Russians, the
following night.
(Signed) "R. AIRS; Q.M.G;"
. Tho 4 C caution" proved unnecessary.
A General Order was Published yesterday, 'an-
nouncing tho names of those brave and gallant fel-
lows, whose " deeds of arms," since the 20th of
September last, have recommended them for pro-
motion from not
sonson-c d
follows :
missione officers' to ensigns
and cornets.
ti GENERAL 011 DEB.
"Head-Quarters, January 18.
" In accordance with the instructions contained in the
letter from the General Commanding-in-Chief, of the
14th December, 1854, which was published in the Gene-
ral Orders of the 28th ult., the Commander of the Forces
has the satisfaction of appointing provisionally, and
pending her Majesty's plemure, the undermentioned
sergeants of the cavalry and the line, as cornets. or en-
signP, each in his own regiment. All commissions to
bear date sth November :
2d Dragoons—Sergeant Gibson. ' •
4th Dragoon Guards—Sergeant-Major Price.
sth Dragoon Guards—Serjonot-Majer Fitzgerald.
Ist Dragoons—Sergeant-
Major Lee.
6th Dragoons—Sergeant-Major Hall.
4th Dragoons—Sergeant-Major Jennings.
Bth Dragoons—Sergeant-Malt:lr Harrison.
11th Dragools—:Bergeant-Major Silver, ,