The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-09 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1854.

Further advices have been received from Rus-
sian sources touching the state of affairs at
Sebastopol and in the Crimea. They have in the
present instance arrived via Odessa at Vienna,
and are to the al inst. They are entirely of a
negative character, giving no direct or pasitive
information, but consisting merely of the stereo-
typed sentence, that up to the 2d nothing deci-
sive had occurred before Sebastopol. We are
DOW, however, able from' experience to decipher
the true meaning of this apparently simple sen-
tence. It, in fact, clearly and unequivocally
proves that, although the final assault had not
taken place, and the Russian Flag still waved over
its crumbling walls and fortifications, yet there
had been nothing done to arrest the progress Of
the besiegers, and that the terrific bombardment
still continued with unabated vigour and energy
from the French and English lines. "Unabated"
did we say ; it is more probable that the iron
shower should tell with still more deadly effect,
as the trenches were drawing closer round the
beleaguered city, and the distance from the
bristling cannon, to the marks against which
they were directed, was gradually, but certainly,
diminishing. Any person having the most super-
ficial acquaintaxce with the nature of " projec-
tiles" will readily perceive how much more
formidable must be their effect when operating at
less than one half the distance from whence they
had previously been discharged, and also when
the stability of the opposing structures had been
When the first trifling
materially deteriorated by the incessant battering
of many preceding days.
breach is effected, and the solidity of the
masonry
in any degree disturbed, its very weight Which
previously constituted its chief strength, becomes
one of the chief elements conducing to its
destruction.

We must, likewise, remember, that in siege ope-
rations conducted Sidon les regles, in strict keeping
with well-established regulations, every day in which
S U N " nothing decisive occurs," must be regarded as
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t. ' ''' :3 --- It dt:oing largely to the chances of ultimate success.
..., ie is no problem the solution of which can be
Pi " ' ' : : '-'• 7119F0 accurately determined by competent en-
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gineers th an to find the time within which
a fortress ,of certain strength can be reduced by a
besieging force of adequate power. It can be as-
certained, not merely to days, but almost to
hours,
when the data are sufficiently precise.
Practically there is no such thing as an impreg-
nable fortress. If sufficient time and power be
afforded, without extraneous assistance, the
strongest ever yet constructed must necessarily

yield, and its prospects of relief must entirely de-
pend on extraneous assistance. Can its defenders
maintain their position until the enemy is com-
pelled to raise the siege through the attacks of an
adverse force in the open country or the failure

of their own resources ? These are the only

questions to be answered ; and, fortunately, the

Russian tidings that nothing decisive has occurred
enable us to approximate very closely to the

necessary responses.

For it shows, in the first instance, that nothing
had been effected by the troops under General
LIPRANDI subsequently to the time when his gal-
lant and energetic attempt to cut off the commu-
nications with Balaklava, and to place the be-
siegers between two fires, having failed, he had
" retired to head-quarters at Bakshi-Serai." A
week has thus elapsed without his being enabled
to recruit his men sufficiently to hazard
another attempt; and with such an adversary—
to whom we are desirous of rendering ample jus-
tice—that simple fact speaks " trumpet-tongued',
as to the decisive character of the repulse he had
sustained, and his heavy losses during the sanguinary
encounters of the 25th, 26th, and possibly the
27th, of October. It also shows that the commu-
nications with Balaklava, the base of our opera-
tions, remained undisturbed, and therefore there
was no possible chances of cutting off our supplies,
or the failure of the resources essential to the per-
tinacious and vigorous maintenance of the siege.
There has, therefore, been nothing from the 26th
to the 2d of November to disturb our proceedings.
If ever there was a subject in which the old adage
that " no news is good news" is well founded, it
is a siege such as that now or recently carrying on
against Sebastopol. But here we have something
stronger than " no news"—we have positive in-
formation that nothing has been done to retard
the proceedings or diminish the power of the
assailants, and therefore we have additional rea-
son to show them our belief that the Russians
played their last trump card on the 25th and 26th,
and have lost their final chance of delivering Se-
bastopol, and that we may look forward confidently
to speedily receiving a satisfactory account of its
surrender, or capture, and the destruction of the
Russian stronghold and arsenal, as well as its
fleet on the Euxine ; and that, consequently, it
will no longer be enabled to threaten the Bos-
phorus, throw in auxiliary forces to threaten the
Caucasian districts and the Asiatic shores of the
Black Sea, or to control the navigation of the
Danube by all its mouths. Russia may still
bluster as to its determination to maintain its
supremacy and its policy in the East ; but the
day that witnesses the transfer of Sebastopol, and
the domination of the Crimea, must necessarily
overthrow the former, and completely alter the
latter. On that day will the evil effected at
Navarino be completely remedied, and the wear-
ing disease that affected the constitution of "the
sick man," that reduced him to death's door, and
caused covetous eyes to be directed towards the
succession to his ample possessions, be entirely
eradicated. Thenceforward he will flourish in
vigorous health, uninjured by chronic or acuto
affections. The would-be heir has, by indecent
haste, saved him whom he was anxious to oonsign
to his final resting-place.

Of the many societies supported by voluntary
contributions we have always considered the
"Central Association in Aid of the Wives and
Families, Widows, and Orphans of soldiers ordered
to the East," as one of the most meritorious. It
was ono essentially in aid of the efforts of the
Government to afford much-required assistance to
persons dependent on those who were fighting our
battles, and freely shedding their blood for the
honour and safety of their country. Many of
these persons could not, unfortunately, be recog-
nised by the State, inasmuch as their husbands,
in marrying, had violated certain rules, estab-
lished after due consideration, for the re-
gulation of the military service. A cer-
tain number of private soldiers, generally
only ten in each company, could obtain permission
to marry. This permission was held out as a
boon to the well-conducted men, and when con-
ceded certain privileges necessarily followed. The
wife being recognised, was allowed to live with her
children in barracks, where she was enabled to
earn a little money, and thus to contribute her
quota to the general fund for the maintenance of
the family, to which her husband's pay was also
applicable, without being subjected to certain de-
ductions for mess, &c., whicbl, the single man had
to defray. They were thus enabled to live while
together, if without superfluity, at least with a
moderate sufficiency—if without the comforts,
with the necessaries of existence.

The moment of separation, however, inflicted
a formidable blow on the parties. The exigencies
of the service required that by far the greater
portion of the husband's pay should be applicable
to his own support while living as a single man.
He could, therefore, spare but a very few pence,
or rather halfpence, in the day towards that of his
wife and children, while the resources of the
female were completely cut off, and she had to
look out de novo for the means of earning her
daily bread, and that of her helpless children,
who, for the time being, were but little better
than orphans. They were, therefore, objects for
unadulterated sympathy and commiseration. The
Government supplying pay to the husband,
could, while he was living, scarcely be ex-
pected to give more than to the single man,
whose services, qua soldier, were as valua-
ble. The widow and. orphans might have
a claim for a pension, but not the separated wife
and abandoned children. The officer's widow and
children obtained pensions, but no assistance was
given in case of what might be but a temporary
separation. We are not defending the rule, but
merely stating the fact of such a regulation.
But there was another clas's not recognised in
the different regiments. The . natural law fre-
quently triumphed over the artificial regulation,
and men married without the assent of the com-
manding officer. The punishment, however, for
this breach of discipline fell on the less guilty
party. The wife was not allowed to live in bar-
racks. A large proportion of Eiher husband's pay
was applied to provide comfortable and sufficient
meals for himself, while his wife and children
might be starving outside the walls. His was
merely moral suffering, at seeing the destitution
of those he loved; but hers was physical misery,
enduring all the privations of the most biting
penury. But the hand of charity was not on that
account to be withheld, or the unfortunate female,
and her innocent children, suffered to starve be-
cause she had been guilty of an act of imprudence,
which, under the most favourable circumstances,
she had sufficiently expiated, and it constituted
one of the strongest claims of the Central Associa-
tion that it proposed to step in to supply the wants

of this numerous and deeply afflicted class, and
to succour and comfort the abandoned wife and
children where the marriage had been solemnised
without leave.

From a recent correspondence, we fear that
this duty is not performed as we are sure the
liberal contributors to the fund would desire, that
the managers are looking with too critical an eye
upon each claim advanced against their ample re-
sources. We believe, however, that this is an
error of judgment rather than of feeling, that it
is a fault of the head rather than of the heart,
and that they are influenced by a conscientious,
though mistaken, desire to act in strict accordance
with the wishes of the subscribers. In this con-
viction we shall not at present consider it neces-
sary to do more than direct attention to a matter
which will, we trust, be speedily and effectually
remedied, assuring them, that an over-rigorous
interpretation of the rules may materially affect
the supplies for the support of their valuable insti-
tution. They are the almoners, entrusted
with the distribution of national charity, and when
they find a suffering object should not too
strictly scrutinise the claim. The exigencies of
the claimant furnish the strongest argument in
her favour, and should not be disregarded in con-
sequence of any heartlesness towards her of her
absent or deceased husband. If she was his
lawful wife, and that ho was discharged, or died
while discharging his duty to his country, that
would constitute an irresistible obligation to re-
lieve her. We trust, then, that the Managers
will reconsider their decisions, and that there may
no longer be complaints similar to some that
have recently been put forward.