The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-04 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF THE BOMBARDMENT.

( From the Special Correspondent of the Morning Herald.)
ENGLISH CAMP, HEIGHTS OF
SEBASTOPOL, Arnim 17.
The mines which the French sprung under the Flag-
staff Battery (Bastion de Mars), the particulars of which
I mentioned in my last letter, were made, not only with
a view of injuring the work, but also for the purpose of
throwing up sufficient loose earth to enable' them to rush
in with their gabions and endeavour to effect a lodgment
close to the battery. This latter attempt, on the night
of the 156, was only very partially successful. They,
' succeeded in filling several of the gabions, and throw-
ing up a kind of breastwork, but the musketry fire
from the Flagstaff was too hot to enable them to
remain there and complete it. Yesterday night they
renewed the attempt, and nearly completed a strong
breastwork breastwork before they were discovered b
enemy, when they again retired. To-night thte.y ho
Ifptebetyo
be successful, and be able to retain this p
le sns to ts nßeaasrsl yi a
no
sn. e hnadl
the the
eFr I
ha
ag
Is; ai
tff
isboetsocobmee
hoped
will soon become equally so.

APBIL 18.
Last night our allies made another attempt to estab-
lish the'nselves at the Flagstaff Battery. and this time
with complete RUCCe 4H. Owing to the very heavy fire
which was kept 'P yesterday upon the battery, the Rus-
ehind sac
shins were unable to effect anything tovva”ds the de-
struction of the breastwork which tehwe
hFierhenthcethitiad, par-.
fiat's, made. About eight o'clock a small picked part
party, and the
of French sappers crept cautiously into the breastwork,Y
and. undercover of a skirmishing fire from 1.1
wov movements
cetcle I in repaving the little datnag
inflicted upon the gabions. . The covtringti iny had
fill Partly filled.
until near ten o'clock, when a sudden ;
fire of mortars completely protected
utrstini
by 2.50, men, carrying gabions, ass made
were immediately placed and ed These
and, thus sheltered, a fire w with loost, earth,
soldiers in the Redan, who, ai opened on the Russian
tired to another part of th after some resistances re-
in complete posses • e battery
possession of their an leftthe '
, French
1 lodgment.

EIII, .
The firing- was slack last 'night, in conse querAP Ice ofl9 the
supply
' . f bombs being still 'further restricted by Lord
Raglans orders. Nbo attempt was made to. dislodge
the French from the Flagstaff Battery, wifwil "01"

isd leeks IA if the PeresVai
for a sweeping attack on their position. -
This evening the Leopard steam-frigate arrived from
Corfu with 600 of the 48th Regiment on board.
APRIL 20, ,
The English:lml sharp--figisting in the trenches last.
pinight; and succeeded in capturing the first of the. rifl
-
wais. the pit. to, Which- I have already so fre-
quently alluded, as-having caused such annoyance and.
loss to the -working parties in our new advanced trench.
Orders were sent down for 250 of the covering party en
the right attack (composed entirety of Regiments from
the Light Division) to advance and capture the pit. The
men accordingly moved down quietly to where the ad-
vanced work terminated, close tai the first trench. Col.
?Graham Egerton, field officer in 'charge ofthe trenches,
'led the party.
At a given signal our gallant fellows dashed from the'
'breastwork, and, with a smothered cheer, ran straight
.upon the trench. The enemy appeared completely sur-
nd rehdi
escattered i
Captain
oAI edvi.ey Onen
porfi
etrhee,seefshots
ricunfortunatelyed' a
177th, on the.spot, as he was in the act of cheering on
;the men.- Tue instant the volley was fired, the Russians
L Prrastslstoauntceo,f
were shot as they ran, but the majority escaped.
atnide threegnacnh ,fl
eh oiunt
allany
reef a rt
itahnear a ttsee mrnpet..
The trench was immediately occupied by such of our_
troops as it would contain (about 50), while the others
eriaeaiiiiiied-to reverse the sand-bags, so as to cover themen from the Russian side, in case of an attempt to re-
take it. Whi!e engaged in this manner, a column of
ftunsisitahne es,iaieibtt
ofl
thei„Ooo s;raolnagkeff
.hwa, andsobserved advancing
Egerton time to dispose his men ic sucl; a
best to contend against
the overpowering. force, when
the enemy rushed up and tried to close with the trench.
They were received with a heavy volley, before which
those who survived it recoiled in terror, and stood for
hardly
had
manner Col.
a fe E
a moment as if unceit'iinisi 'irresolute how to act.
They were not, however, left long to deliberate, for
again tried to
nckldoasagena.
as fast as our men could lcad they fired into their
hesitating assailants, who, as if to save themselves,
nn,hTswht This
al timete:n
:thhttehi
tarotweahkit
atadc attack
place.p wruansgTmhi
into
adne(tiehrmurilneedd
that closed with our trones were met with the bayonet
thethe pmitidsvatereef kthilnledenonntetehte,
iCnhsetearning and animating the
Cb
u° •1
et
yv Egerton
hieh was
kil
Lilted
de
soldiers, when he was struck with
m
him in the course of a few
minutes, though not before
the enemy were again driven hack. After the second re-
pulse, the 'Russians contented themselves with skirmish-
ing behind stones and hillocks at a safer distance, and,
after 'collecting their wounded, retired "to their
without an attempt to renew the struggle. Our troworks
ops
remained in possession of the trench unmolested for a
short time after the enemy had retired. The batteries
then opened, and knowing doubtless the precise range;
we suffered severely from some of the shells, and the
round shot also injured the new work, but not to any seri-
ous extent. After the cannonade had continued about half
an hour a few skirmishers, again approached the trench, no
doubt in the expectation of finding it evacusted ; but, on
discovering that we still maintained our posts, they beat
a Precipitate retreat, and the men were no further inter-
fered with for the rest of the night.
The total loss to the English in this affair was sixteen
men killed, and 29 wounded.
While this struggle was going forward on the right a
strong and sudden attack was made upon the lodgment
which the French had effected in the Flagstaff Battery
on the extreme left. Our allies appear
,to have been
slightly taken by surprise, as, after a brief resistance,
they Were compelled to abandon their lodgment, and fall
back upon the first breastwork, which they threw up
immediately after the mine was sorting. They have
thus, for the present at least, teat 80 feet of most im-
portant ground, _ but theyspeale eonfidently.of being able
to regain it,to-night, and of this I. believe there is little
doubt.

The, fire during to-say has been very slack on both
sides, and it is rumoui el that each gun of the allies is to
he still further cut down from 30 to 10 rounds per day.
The Russians ruled very few guns from their south
works to-day, but the north tide, on the contrary, fired
heavily.

Ar 21.
The attack on the rifle-pits on the night ofm the 19th
was more severe in its rents than was at first supposed ;
2 officers and 21 men were killed, and 5 officers and 30
men, it is said, are wounded.
Last night another attack was made upon the second
rifle pit. At the first symptom of our advance the Rus-
sians fled with precipitation, and abandoned their post to
our men, who instantlyoccup'ed it. Later in the night a
considerable number of the enemy's skirmishers came
down, and between them and our men in.the pits some
hot volleys were exchanged. A desultory skirmishing
fight was maintained in this manner for three or four
hours, when the Russians, having sustained considerable
loss, again withdrew. In this affair our casualties were
heavy, but by no mears equal.to the loss of the night
before. AR yet I have heard of no officer being either
killed or wounded.

Last night orders were sent down to measure the
steamers in Balaklava, to ascertain the stowage for
troops. It is rumoured that an expedition to Yalta is
intended, so as to take the Russian defences round
Tchourgoum in the rear.

THE TURKISH ARMY IN THE CRIMEA:

-______..._ •
, TURKISH CAMP, HEIGHTS ABOVE BALAKLAVA, April
20th.—Yesterday the Turkish corps gave the first signs
of its existence here by taking part in a reconnaissance,
which was undertaken towards the valley of the
Tchernaya. •
They took- one day's provi-ions with them, and they
marched down in silence towards Balaklara. When ar-
rived there they halted fnna moment„.and thin began to
ascend the steep mountain road which le ids up to the
heights on the east of Balaklava.
After having passed Vie list sentinel on the road the
avant-garde, formed of the Chasseurs and a battalion of
the 6th Regiment, under the command of Colonel Ogil-
vie, advanced carefully, exploring the country and on-
copying the heights on both sides of the road, whiht
the rest of the infantry, the mountain guns, and half a
rocket battery which had been lent by the French, fol-
lowed in a long line.
The avant garde halted on the slope on which the
rop.d divides, and Omer Pasha, with his staff, came up,
in company with General Estcourt. The road to the
right was explored, but no trace of the enemy seen any-
where. ,
At the village of Samara, near the church, a squadron
of Cossacks--the first trace of the enemy—were seen
lounging about in careless security, from which they
were awakened by the sound of a few rockets which
were sent down among them, and which induced them
to retreat towards a, solitary mamelon, situated behind
Samara, towards the river bed of the Tchernaya. The
Chasseurs were sent down and occupied the church and
the wall around it. Their tirailleurs took up a position
along the Woronzow-road, which runs close behind the
•rillage. At the name time our cavalry was seen to ap-
proach from Balaklava in two columns. The English
cavalry, with the 10th Hussars in front farming the right,
and the French and Turkish cavalry forming the left.
The Russians did not wait for them, but slowly re.
tired over the Tohernaya and occupied the road leading
up behind the village of Tchorgoum. The Chasseurs
followed them down to the river, where the Comeau,
who, contrary to their habits, had scarcely fired a shot,
gave a harmless volley.
As there 3emed to have been no intention to push
for xard the reconnaissance the order for retreating was
given, and the troops marched back through the plain,
bringing with them three lances, one of which was
pointless, which had hem left behind, besides a quantity
of salad which was found in the church of Damara. The
Chasseurs d'Afr'que, with their usual carefulness, took
likewise wood with them from the hovels of the Cossacks.
It is rumoured to-day, in the Turkish camp, that the
Cossacks have been more successcul, as they caught an
English commissariat . fficer, who, with two companions,
had remained• after the withdrawal of the troops. I
cannot tell you how far this may be true.

APRIL 21.

Last night the watch-fires 'of the Russians shone much
brighter than they for some time have der e, and appre-
hemioris seem to h've been enter d of an a'fack, so
the Turkish am kg went out at dawn and exchanged
a few shots with the Cossack; but did not see any trace
of an army.
The firing is diminishing very much. only "°w and
then a report is heard ; at night the musketry becomesre
very brisk, else one would scarcely observe any (Pile os
between the old times of preparation sad now.

---------
HANOVER-WARS CONCERT ROOME.---Yesterday even-
ing a performance of anthems and organ music trok
place in these rooms, under the able direction of Mr. G.
Cooper, organist of St. Sepulchre's, who direct the
new and powerful ore-an recently erected by
..Messrs.
selections from Sporb,
Gray and Davison. The vocal performers consisted of
choristers and gentlemen from the Chapel Royal, St.
Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and other 60 re,
i"i•redc:ced their rate of discount
and
he entire performance appeared to give much satisfac-
TMheendseelvsseerhaln,poiecuesselyi,ncainur Vurcell, went well off,
aud
REDucTroN IN ME RATE OP DISCOUNT. ---'hg Bank
of nEtnog
England,
rid,
from 44 per cent., at which it had stood s•
numerous
yesterday,
last month, to 4 per cent. An advancesince .the sth of
in
having been caused by the anticipation the funds
no further alteration bas resulted. of the measure,
It is regarded with
general satisfaction, since
it
will
which is greatly needed impart confidence,
value of money, which , while its influence on the actual
was already bele
adopted, will be too
slight to bare, w the rate now
degree, an unfavourable
Probably 4 per cent. will
action on the foreign exchanges.
The contingencies of a remain the rate for a long time.
!i extended war and of the next
harvest are those which might operate in an adverse
direction, and on the
that the steady influx other hand there is the certainty
by arrivals from of specie must soon be increased
weeks by Australia, which have been delayed for
the war are. easterly winds. Even the contingencies of
not all of a character to lessen the . .I.
ties of an eas possibi '-
their eontiy
money
neo market, since with each day of
nua
a further contraction of business is
observable, will e-by far the largest proportion of direct
expenditure incurred is for home materials and labour.
Russia, meanwhile, is obliged to import immense sup-
plies, and to submit, in consequence, to a drain of gold
which has for many months assisted in producing that
favourable state of our money relations with the coal-
nent which is still maintained and is likely to continue.
Under these circumstances, the harvest is the most im-
portant subject of consideration, and, although no opi-
nion can yet be formed on its prospects, the fact is ob-
vious that the lowering of the rate of interest can have
no bearing on it, except such as 1 radence would dictate"
since, as far as it has any effect., increase it can only the
facilities for importations of grain at the present moment,
and to that extent lessen the possible evils ' -
of a failure.
i , --limes' City Article.

ELTRE ROI AL I! AY M LKKET

tr.der the management of Mr. Backache.
THIS EVF,NISG,

Will be performed a new Play, entitled :HE ACTRESS 01
IADUA.

A/ter which, a new Extravaganza. called TIM NEW RAN
211ARIEET SPRING MEETING, 1855,
To conclude with MAKE YOUR WILLS.

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET.
Under the Management of Mr. Cs.auris SEAR.
THIS EVENLNG.

Will be performed the original adaptation of Casimir Delavigne
Historical Play, entitled LOUIS THE ELEVENTLI. Principe
character by Mr. C. Kean.
To, conclude with (18th time) a Romance, in two acts, entitle(
THE MULETEER OF roLLDo; or, King, Queen. aol Knave'