The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-28 00:00:00

SIR CHARLES NAPIER.

THE TIMES OF AUG. 1.

THE TIMES OF SEPT. 21.

" In the Baltic our aqua- "Sir Charles Napier seems
drons already blockade all to have had as little notion
the ports of the enemy, me- of systematic operations as
nace his capital, and coin- the First Lord of the Ad-
'nand the waters of the Gulfs miralty. In particular no
up to the very mouths of his serious attempt was made to
guns. Looking broadly at bring the Russian fortresses
the question, however, we in the Baltic to the test of a
must needs confess our belief severe cannonade. At S wea-
that the most influential borg, we believe, the bat-
strokes of the war must be terries are principally hewn
delivered elsewhere. Russia in the solid rock, and aro
has no vital part in trie north. therefore Unassailable in
Even the capture o! St. Pe- front ; but at Cronstadt or
tersburg would hardly terrify Hango the experiment should
a Government which survived have been tried. The attack
a capture of Moscow; where- on Copenhagen succeeded
as whatever deEtruetion because Nelson refused to
might be accomplished there see the signal of his superior
would be accomplished for officer ordering him to re-
no purposes but those of treat, and it is in that daunt-
terror. There is no object less spirit that tho trophies
of the war to be answered of the British navy have been
by the mere demolition of won. At Sebastopol we may
St. Petersburg itself. No- destroy the influence of Bus-
body is damaged by the ex- sits over the East; but un-
isteuce of the Russian capi- less that blow should reduce
tal on that spot, or even by the Emperor Nicholas to ask
the fortifications which de- for terms, it is only by open-
fend the approaches to it, ing the road toSt.Petersburg
nor is it in the least degree that we can reckon on dictat-
likely that the terms of a ing a sure and honourable
peace would forbid the re- peace. Cronstadt once taken
construction of the Cron- and destroyed, the capital of
each batteries, supposing the northern empire is for
them to have lateen de- the future without defence
stroyed." against the maritime powers,
and the fear of such a catas-
trophe is more likely than
any other means to secure
our triumph."

TEE REGISTRATIONS.

LATEST NEWS.

THE WAR.

DESPATCH FROM THE
CRIMEA.

VIENNA, WEDNESDAY EVENING.
The Russian Embassy has received a despatch
of the 22d from the Crimea.
All that is known is, that it contains news un-
favourable to the Russians.
HERMANNSTADT, WEDNESDAY.

The Turks are advancing to the Pruth. Lord
Raglan has called for a diversion in Bessarabia.
The advance guard is already on the march. Omer
Pacha sets out to-morrow.

PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVENING.

The Spanish Government has removed the
French refugees into the interior of the country,
beyond the Ebro. They will not be allowed to
reside in Arragon, Catalonia, the Basque Pro-
vinces, or in Madrid.

KIEL, SEPT. 24;
The French imperial steam yacht La Reine
Hortense arrived here yesterday to coal.

The French war steamer Cocyte is also lying at
the jetty, taking in coals.
The depot of this fuel belonging to the French
Government is by no means exhausted yet, and
will in all probability be replenished in time to be
made use of in the next year's naval campaign in
the Baltic.

THE ARMY IN THE CRIMEA
The Debats has a long article on the last ac
counts received of the expedition in the Crimea
We extract as follows :—" What the army appears
to have intended was to go and occupy, as near
Sebastopol as possible, a position, cape, or tongue
of laud, favourable for the establishment of an
entrenched place d'armes, in which will be
placed the hospitals, stores, provisions, and
ammunition, where the heavy siege artillery
will be landed, and from which place com-
munications may be daily kept up with the
fleet for a continued supply of food for the army.
This is indispensable ; and, in addition, the posi-
tion must he so situated as to serve as a base for
the operations of the siege, which will naturally be
necessary against the forts situated on the northern
side of the harbour, and in front of which extend
' the town and port of Sebastopol on the opposite
side. The country which the army has to pass
through in skirting the coast is a dry and stony
soil, intersected here and there by sandy patches
and rising grounds of no great elevation. There
are several roads parallel to the sea, which the
Tartars pass over every day with carts drawn by
two dromedaries, which are the camels of the
country, as they are in Algeria, where, however,
it is not the custom to harness them. During the
dry season in the Crimea vehicles can follow every
kind of path, or even go across the fields. It is
known that field artillery passes everywhere, and
that if auy obstacles present themselves, the pick-
axe and the shovel soon make a practicable pas-
sage. The army will find on its road _four small
rivers, the Bulganak, having the village of Zamrido
where it disembogues itself; the Alma, on which
Prince Menschikoff is said to have concentrated his
troops ; the .Kalcha, where it was first intended to
effect the landing, and the Belbek or Kabarta, a
league and a-half from Sebastopol. The valleys of
these rivers are wooded, and furnished with some
Tartar villages. Perhaps but little water will be
found there iu the present season. As to the re-
ception of the Tartars, it is seen that it was fa-
vourable on the first day, and that the inhabitants
were anxious to favour as much as possible the
march of the allied troops, where the presence of
the Turks could not fail to excite their sympathy.
In fine, this great and perilous operation of land-
ing 60,000 men in an enemy's country has been
accomplished with wonderful rapidity and ability
—an operation unequalled in military annals, and
which the strategists of our last great continental
wars, Jemini at their head, looked on as almost
impossible on such vast proportions. In fact, the
enterprise was as difficult as it was stupendous ;
and who could foresee that not one of the Russian
masses of troops, of which so much was said, would
be found on the shore to dispute our landing, or
to make us pay dearly for taking possession of the
beach ? Great was the anxiety felt here for some
days, and the news of the happy landing has pro-
duced on every mind the effect of a victory."
The Allgemeine Zeitung says :—" Will Sebastopol
fall ? will it hold out ?" So much is certain, that
our calmest and most clear-sighted military men
predict its fall. According to the communications
made by competent judges, who have lately seen
the fortress, it does not seem to be remarkably strong.
By sea it is almost impregnable. Sebastopol, by its
singular site, is not very accessible from the land
side. Russia herself always sends troops, provisions,
and ammunition to it by sea. It is au isolated post,
which, should it once fall into the enemy's hands,
Russia herself cannot menace further, save with
vain demonstrations. Moreover, it appears that
the corps now stationed in the fortress consists of
mere recruits, in whom no great confidence is felt.
Under these circumstances the chief speculation of
political persons is for its fall.
The Vienna Lloyd asks :—" Why have the
troops of the allies encountered no resistance at
their landing on the Crimea?" The Soldaten Freund
thinks it can answer the question in the fol-
lowing manner :—"This lies in the system of
the defence. Excepting Sebastopol, not one
single Russian object situated on the Taurie coast
could seriously oppose a landing covered by float-
ing batteries consisting of 3,000 guns. The ad-
miral and adjutant-general, Prince Menschikoff,
offers no impediment therefore to the allied troops
on any point of the coast whatever. Then there
aro neither artificial nor natural objects of defence
on the uniform plan, from Eupatoria to Simphero-
pol, the seat of the governor-general of the Crimea.
But not far from Siinpheropol the Russian cavalry
corps is encamped, while three divisions of infantry
occupy the heights towards Bashi-Serai and Se-
bastopol. Among these heights, by-the-bye, there
are three water-ridges. This tract is a regular
theatre for war ; it may be compared with that of
Castiglione dells stiviere, where in every war
hitherto waged the contest has been fought out in
Upper Italy. .Above Bashi Sera]: the Russians
have erected fortifications on detached eminences,
and these will have to be stormed by the allies.