The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-07 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAX, NOVEMBER 7, 1854.

Further despatches from the Crimea ! Lord
RAGLAN has at length spoken. Nothing has been
received from his Lordship since the 28::11 Septem-
ber, or, if received, it had not been communicated
to the public. It appears, however, that this had
mot been altogether his Lordship's fault, inasmuch
as in that of the 23d ult., just come to hand, and
a copy whereof will be found in another part of
this day's impression, ho alludes to a prior de-
spatch of the 18th ult., which has not come to
hand. It certainly appeared very strange that,
when communications had been received from
the French General and Admiral and the English
Admiral, detailing the important operations which
had been carried forward during the two first
days of the bombardment by their respective
forces, the English General should have main-
tained a total and unbroken silence ! And now
that it is
exempted certain that the Noble Lord is
from the imputation of negligence,
it seems no less
strange that a communication of
such importance
der-in-Chief of the
as a despatch from the Comman-
English troops to the Secretary
for War should be lost or mislaid, while others
transmitted by the same conveyances arrived in
perfect safety. It is manifest that great blame
is to be attributed to some
essential that it should be plquarter, and it is
aced on
shoulders, so that the part the right
y really
responsible
should bear the well-merited censure.

In addition to the despatch of Lord RAGLAN to
the 23d ult., and which contains the 1 m
e.anehoiy
catalogue of the killed and wounded up to the
22d (the six first days of the siege), we have
also one from Vice-Admiral DuNDA.s to the same
day, recording the casualties that had occurred to
the Naval Brigade, whose zealous and energetic
exertions attracted the admiration of the entire
army with whom they had so efficiently co-operated
from the very day of their landing. This list is car-

ried on to the 22d, the G th dayof the bombardment.
t recoil the names of 12 officers and men killed,
1214 53 wouiled, some of whom have since died)
-444. a'.*0,33; *eat tho galla,ut aJacl light-hearted

~~~

'3` !t,

lYCI:

CAVENDISH BRA.DSTREET RUTIIVEN, the youngest
son of the Baroness RITTIIVEN, the representative
of a name long distinguished in Scottish history.
Lieutenant RUTHVEN was not the first of his
family who had freely shed his blood in the ser-
vice of his country. His brother WALTER had
previously perished at Ferozeshah, in the military
service of the Hon. East India Company. The
present inheritors of the name thus prove them-
selves well entitled to their ancient motto, "Deeds
show." They have been no degenerate descend-
ants of the brave and noble of " auld lang sync."
Lieutenant GREATHED, of the Britannia, also fell.
These promising young officers were universally
regretted. Their frank and generous natures
endeared them to all who had the pleasure of
their acquaintance. Captain MoonsoM, Lieuten-
ants NORMAN, MITCHELL, and M`DowELL, and
Messrs. SANCTUARY, BULLOCK, and LYON, R.N.,
were among the wounded. Mr. BULLOCK, of the
Trafalgar, had been wounded on the 17th, but
could not be induced to retire from his post. We
regret to say that he was again very severely in-
jured on the 21st.

Among the land forces we find Colonel the
Honourable F. G. HOOD, of the Grenadier Guards,
killed. This gallant officer was brother to the
late and uncle to the present Viscount HooD, and
grandson of the celebrated Admiral HooD, who
won his peerage in the well-known battle against
Count DE GRASSE. Along with Colonel HooD
there had been during the four first days, two
serjeants, one drummer, and eighteen rank and
file killed, and ten officers (including Prince ED-
WARD of Saxe Weimar), six serjeants, one drum-
mer, and ninety-five rank and file wounded. We
fear that many more of our brave fellows must
shed their blood e'er the British flag waves o'er
the walls of Sebastopol, and the pride of the
CZAR has been so far humbled.

These despatches enable us, with the other
information we had obtained from less trust-
worthy sources, to clearly understand the true
state of affairs, by land and water, up to the 23d
instant. In our impression of yesterday we
pointed out the occurrences of the two first
days. On the 18th, our Allies being engaged in
repairing the damage sustained on the preceding
day, the English alone maintained the fire,
and sustained the whole of the cannonade
from the town. On the 19th, however,
General CANROBERT again participated in
the attack with increased power, not only from
the old batteries, which had been reinstated, but
from new ones constructed on the 18th. That
fire had been continued with terrific effect up to
the 23d, and there was but little prospect of its
being slackened while the defence• of Sebastopol
continued. He had, Lord RAGLAN tells, been
enabled "to push his approaches forward, and,
like the English, materially to damage the defences
of the places." These were not, however, by any
means subdued, " nor was a serious .liminution
of the fire perceptible." We believe, however,
that a few days effected a very material alteration
in this respect.

Lord RAGLAN bears strong testimony to the
zeal and energy displayed by the defenders in re-
pairing the damage to their redoubts and guns
occasioned by the fire of the Allies. They had
vast resources of every kind, both of men and
guns, and they were very efficiently availing
themselves thereof, so that the opposing General
could not specify a time " with anything like
certainty for taking ulterior measures." We
cannot, however, complain. The very difficulties
that impede our progress will add to the glory
that will attend the subsequent triumph which
will doubtless attend the Allied arms.

From the despatch of Admiral DIINDAS it does
not appear that the fleet took any active part in
the bombardment between the 17th and 23d.
The damage had been repaired in all the vessels
save the Albion and Arethusa, which had been
sent to Constantinople to refit, and they were
on the 23d ready for service. The Lynx, Sphinx,
Stromboli; and Viper had also arrived. It ap-
peared that the enemy had been actively engaged
since the 17th in constructing new works on the
north side of the harbour, commanding the ap
preaches by sea and land. No mention is, how •
ever, made of any steps having been taken to
retard or interfere with these operations.
It also appears that Captain BROCK had main-
tained his position at Enpatoria, supported by the
Leander and Megmra, although threatened and
attacked by heavy bodies of cavalry, with guns.
The retention of that position was valuable in
consequence of the supplies hitherto obtained
therefrom, but which v, ill probably be cut off for
the future. We are glad to find, too, that a
steam division, both of French and English ves-
sels, continued in the Bay of Odessa, " actively
employed in cutting off the communica-
tions with the Crimea." On the whole, al-
though we have met with a more stub-
born and formidable resistance than had pre-
viously been anticipated, we have no reason to
feel discouraged, or to suppose that we shall not.
succeed in accomplishing the fall of Sebastopol,
the great object of the autumn campaign in the
Crimea.

In another column we explain the events in
the Crimea, which rest on unexceptionable autho-
rity, and which show the progress of the siege
up to the 23rd October. We have nothing later,
except the despatch of Lord STRATFORD DE RED-
CLIFFE, which appeared in The Sun of Saturday,
and which detailed the events of the 25th and
26th 2i/time, and which merely professed to have
been " gathered from persons who were eye-
witnesses of what took place." This information,
collected by the Captain of an English steam-
boat from so many diflerent sources, could scarcely
be regarded as infallible. It, however, so far
.corroborates the Russian statements, as to prove
that a very serious encounter had taken place—
that the Russians had gained a temporary advan-
tage—and that even at the end of the first
day they remained masters of two of the
five redoubts which had been constructed
for the purpose of protecting and maintain-
ing our communications with Balaklava. It also
afford. 3 much reason to fear that the Eng-
lish light cavalry had suffered very severely
during the conflict. It is, indeed, but justice to
say that the Russian accounts hitherto proved to
have rested on better foundations than, judgiur,
from previous experience, could have been antici-
pated.
We are, therefore, bound to giro some de-
gree
f credit at least to the general substratum,
while we still look for a little " embellishment "
as to the details.
It plain that, in the first instance
at least, seems
the
was a complete surprise, and
the danger having
very
matter
yet we know that the very position had previously
been threatened--nay, more,
previously had commented t
been perceptible, even to non-combatantslereon. h
longt
le
Turks, however, exhibited the same cool deter-
mination, of which their Lretliren under Ommt
es,
matter
maffisrohrdtednostoimlaavneyprsotrvieLdinlg,eryinssteariloc:
atnhde
oth;ofi assailantsuflicting Nytild
not have been enabled
to boast even of a temporary triumph,
thehlowgu;
nasn;il,
They gave way,
althoughmuch
it
tain as s
however, awtgaiete
t hod tlonu tt hs et
rAitkhl
aT
"spiked rsoi
nogp se.
it seems that salutaryipartecauytion must
have been altogether neglected, for we read lin-
wediately afterwards that " the guns were turned
against themselves," and also that "three regi-
vaento 9f English light cavalry, ClPC'fied t 9 the

cross fire of the Russian batteries, suffered im-
mensely." This " cross fire" must at least, in
part, if not altogether, have proceeded from the
captured redoubts, which would have been silenced
if the operation of " spiking" had been effectively
performed. The gallant Highlanders (we believe
the 93d), however, stood firm. Shoulder to
shoulder, as in the days of old, they maintained
their position, and by their unflinching bravery
they prevented the disaster from becoming as
serious as it must have been had less determined
men occupied the post. This vigorous defence
not only prevented the enemy from achieving
their main object, but enabled the Allies to regain
much of what had been lost through the panic of
the Ottoman troops. The French and English
quartered in the vicinity hastened up and won
back 3 of the 5 redoubts that had been captured
in the first instance. The great body of the assail-
ants, however, appear to have been repulsed with
considerable loss, and we have little doubt that the
two redoubts were won back the following day,
and that the communications with Balaklava,
which had for the time being been intercepted,
were re-opened. On the 26th a formidable sortie
wag' made from the town, which was, however,
fully and completely repulsed, as well as the
onslaught from the country, by which it was at-
tempted to place our men between two fires. That
a decisivevictory was gained may be gathered even
from the Russian despatches, which state that
" General LIPRANDI had retired to the head-quar-
ters at Bakshi-Serai." This is partially a confession
that he had not been able to maintain the advantage
gained during his well-planned and gallant attack ;
that he had, in fact, been completely beaten back
by the Allied Forces.
' Further advices (Russian) to the 29th ultimo
state " that the enemy (the Allies) had completed
their second parallel, and advanced their bat-
teries" nearer to the city. This is certainly an
important change of position, proving, beyond
the possibility of doubt, the progress of the be-
siegers. Had there been anything whatsoever

that could have been put forward as an equiva-
lent it would indubitably have been not only re-
ferred to, but strongly dwelt on ; and from the
omiuous silence observed, we may fairly calculate
that the fate of Sebastopol was sealed, and that
the day of its final overthrow was rapidly ap-
proaching.

It is satisfactory to find that the Western war-
riors lost none of the prestige they had acquired
at the Alma, and that, albeit a stubborn resistance
has been opposed, they are gradually, but surely,
accomplishing the object in which they were
engaged. A few days must bring the official ac-
counts of the contest of the 25th, which, thanks
to the Duke of NEWCASTLE, we may calculate on
being communicated to the public without further
delay. We must, therefore, patiently and hope-
fully await their arrival.

Our able weekly contemporary, the Economist,
supports by
an appeal to figures which admit of
no "cooking " some of the facts respecting the
corn trade and present prices, which we presented
only in a general form last week. The Gazette
returas of wheat sold during August, September,
and October fully bear out the impressions we
had received from the weekly market reports.
They show that in those three months the sales of
corn were less this year than in either of the two
preceding years. The amount sold in 1852 was
1,259,582 qrs. ; last year it was 1,177,349 qrs. ;
and this year only 1,155,862 qrs. It is obvious,
therefore, that our supplies of home-grown corn
have been even less out of this year's superabun-
dant harvest than they were out of the two pre-
ceding and very inferior harvests. We have,
therefore, got in hand, and must soon begin to
receive, the large stock which is by this time is
good condition for the market, and which the
farmers will now have leisure to thresh.

The amount of imports for the three months is,
on the other hand, also very small compared with
that of last year. In 1853 we imported in the
months ending August sth, Sept. sth, and October
10th, 1,707,132 tits. of wheat, and 1,244,400
cwts. of flour ; but in: the same three months of
1854 not above a third of that quantity-570,355
qrs. of wheat, and 568,505 cwts. of flour. There
was, therefore, in reality, a very deficient supply
in our markets during those months, for we had,
rather less of our home-grown corn than usual,
and about one million and a quarter, of quarters
of wheat, and more than half a million cwts. of
flour less of foreign supply than iu the previous
year. This alone is sufficient to account for the
rapid rise in prices. It was suddenly found that
wheat and flour were not to be had. There was,
in fact, a scramble for it. The case has, there-
fore, we are persuaded passed its worst. Present
prices must have caused considerable orders to go
out, while they will tempt farmers at home to
thresh ; and if we shall not have a very cheap
loaf we shall at least have a reasonable one.
Monday's advance can hardly be more than a
temporary oscillation.