The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-05 00:00:00

1- PRICE SD.

TUB SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.

(Prom the Times' Correspondent.)
CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, MAY 21.
It has been resolved to send another secret expedition
to the eastward of the Crimea, and preparations are
being made at present f'r its departure, which will pro-
bably take place on Wednesday next. Sir George
Brown is to command the British troops, but as yet I
have not been able to learn any particulars respecting
the regiments, the vessels, or the numbers of the expe-
dition. However, I trust I shall be able to glean some
information on these points ere the post leaves to-mor-
row, but the result of the expedition will be known in
England long before these lines are in print. General
Canrobert does not return to France as was imagined, but
retains the command of a division of the French army. I
saw him 'yesterday riding about with only two orderlies I
after him, a'l his appanage of staff officers, spahis, and gui-
dons gone to ibllow his successor. There are reports of con-
siderable changes being made in the commands of our
divisions. Sir George Brown will, it is said, resign the
command of the Light Division to .become Lieutenant-
General second in command of the British army, and on
the arrival of General Bentinck a fifth division will be
formed, which will occasion a displacement of some of the
divisional generals, and very probably confer a divisional
command on Major-General Barnard. The cholera has
not made any considerable progress, and the cases which
have occurred are considered by the doctors to be only
spasmodic. We have to lament the loss of Major Norton,
of the 88th Regiment, a' young and promising officer,
who served with his regiment in Bulgaria, and was
present with them at the battles of the Alma , and of
Inkerman. On Saturday he was quite well and at-
tended the sale of Colonel Lawrence's effects, which
took place on that day, on the departure of that gallant
officer for England in bad health. On Saturday night he
was seized with cholera, and he died on Sunday morning.

.I All our batteries are in admirable order, and the effect
of our fire from the second parallel and from the adianced
batteries will be tremendous, though our losses from the
enemy's fire at the shortened distance must be propor-
tionally greater than it has been. Hitherto we have
made little use of carcases, a kind of shell perforated with
three boles, out of which the internal composition burns
fiercely, firing whatever it comes in contact with, and giv-
ing forth intense light. The Russians, on the contrary,
have used both carcases and fire balls freely, and have de-
rived considerable advantage from them in theirnocturnal
attacks, as they have been able to see our position clearly
while they were shrouded in darkness. From the number
of carcases recently sent up to the front it is to be pre-
sumed we intend to make use of them at the next bom-
bardment. There was a plan some time ago proposed
by an engineer to save us from surprise. It consisted of
wires placed at the distance of a few feet front poles fixed
in the ground, and so arranged as to set fire to blue
lights on being touched. For some reason or other the
project has not been carried out. We have been un-
able to enfilade the Russian works to any extent, owing
to the ravines and the skill of the Russian engineers.
The great object of the attacking engineer is to place
the line of his batteries at right angles to the pro-
lohgation of the faces of the batteries of the enemy,
and by that means to obtain an enfilading fire. The
Russian engineers have frustrated this object in the pre-
sent instance by the judicious position of their de-
fences. The prolongations of the faces of the Redan, of -
the Garden Battery, of the Flagstaff, of the Round '
Tower, and of the redoubts to the east, terminate,
with few exceptions, in ravines, or run at right angles
to positions inaccessible to us. Hence our fire has been
"direct," and has lacked the advantages usually derivable
from a choice of ground on the part of the besiegers,
and the points of attack are so widely extended that the
Allies have not been able to obtain any considerable
amount of concentrated fire. It must be remembered
that earthworks, however admirable for the purpose of
immediate attack or defence, are unsuited for perma-
nent defence. They are in a constant state of " break-
ing down," decay and decadence are their inseparable
conditions, and if we were to retire from Sebastopol to-
morrow, and if the Russians were to leave their works
unrepaired, a winter's snow and rain and the action of
the weather in a few months would soon destroy the
works which now represent the aggressive force eV
four nations and the defensive power of one. . It is pro-
bable,
therefore, notwithstanding the eulogies bestowed '
upon earthen works, that if the Allies were to hreak up ;
their camp to-morrow and leave the Russians to them- '
selves, they would find on returning in a few years that '
the lines of the present works would be repreited by 1
solid stone, and that the Redan and Mamelon weuld be '
crowned with redoubts of masonry. It is in oonsequence .
of the rapidly-decaying property of earthworks that our •
labours have been so great—they are like a London I
house, there is always something or other to be done, 1
losses made good, repairs effected—they cannot be let
alone for 24 hours. The action of shot and shell upon
them of course accelerates the destructive influ es of
the weather and df titne—gabions are knocked to s
in a moment inst4Ad. of the willow and twig ribs becom
ing rotten in sun and rain, and parapets fall down and
ditches are filled up by the iron shower more rapidly, but
not more surely, than by the rains of heaven. I need
scarcely say that the statements which have appeared in
some of your contemporaries respecting the establish-
ment of batteries within 180 or 200 yards of Malakhoff
are not correct. There is no parallel armel with mor-
tars or heavyguns within twice that distance of the place
indicated, and the fact of the Mamelon being 560 yards
in front of it (nearly duo south of it) sufficiently proves
the absurdity of these assertions. Our nearest parallel
in front of the left attack is more than 500 yards from
the enemy's works, and there we must stop, be-
cause the Woronzow road runs below the cliff to- '
wards which we have pushed our works at the bot- '
tom, and the ground is so steep that no earthworks '
could be formed upon it. At one portion of this
attack, however, where our lines incline towards the
north to meet the French, we made a curve which brings
us nearer to the enemy, but the ground is unfavourable
for the construction of batteries. On the right attack
front our lines have been advanced close to the enemy's
centre approaches, but the latter are considerably in
front of the Mamelon and Round Tower. It is said
that one of the privates of the 48th Regiment has given
i some very valuable information respecting the terrain of
Sebastopol, and has corrected a serious misconception
under which our engineers were labouring respect-
I ing the course of a creek in front of the left attack.
The man had been for some years in Russia, and as a
stonemason he laboured at the works of Sebastopol, and
knows every street in it. He pointed out the position
of the terminus of the water-works, and of the
engines working it, and it is now stated that there are
no less than 100 guns all hid from view defending these
works, and raking the Redan, so that bad we assaulted
and carried that formidable work we should have met a
fire on which none of our officers had calculated. The
uncertain reports we receive respecting the strength of
the garrison are most perplexing.
The 'reooh here were lately flying large kites over the
Flagstaff bastion, whether to amuse themselves and an-
noy the enemy, or to seeure some practical object, I
cannot say. Their example has been followed, and a
large kite is at this moment soaring gracefully in front of
the Fourth Division. An order has just been sent up to
the 71st Regiment to get ready to strike tents and march
to Balaklava at daybreak, which will be rather hard on
some of the men at least, for they will not be up from
their turn in the trenches till Bor half-past 8 o'clock
this evening. From the circumstance of a large detach-
ment of the Land Transport going, as well as from
the intimation given to the Commissary officers, it is
believed that apart of the expedition is intended to march
across from Kaffa to Arabat. The whole of the com-
munications between the Crimea and the Sea of Azoff to
the eastward, the supplies from Taganrog, and the rein-
forcements from the Caucasian army, &c., would then be
completely cut off by the roads to Simpheropol, Karasn-
Bazar, or Bakshi Serai.
MAY 22.—With daylight this morning the em-
barkation of troops commenced; the smaller ships
of war are at anchor in the bay, and steam-tags
take the men out into the bay to them. The brave
Highlanders are now nearly all on board. The
French are busy in like manner at Yamiesh Bay
and to-morrow all, are expected to meet, when they will
sail away and act in conjunction. Great confidence is
expressed that something will now be accomplished, all
seem in high glee, the light step and cheerful smile of the
gallant Highlander, as he steps upon the plank, well
betoken'the gay spirit and light heart with which he
enters upon this duty. *Up to the moment of the mail's
leaving all has progressed satisfactorily, and with great
promptitude.