The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-11 00:00:00

heights on our Tight we must have been driven
across the Alma, as --they would have been swept
into the valley • had we failed in carrying our
batteries. Their energetic movements, their
rapid ilame-like spread from crag to crag,
their ceaseless fusillade of the deadly rifle,
were all astonishing, and paralysed the enemy com-
pletely. We, perhaps, could. never have made such
a rapid advance, or have got over so much ground
in the same time.

The general remark of our men was_that the
Russiabs were very "clean soldiers ;" and certainly
the men on the field bad white fair skins to justify
the expression. Each man had a loaf of dark
brown bread, of a sour taste and disagreeable odour,
in his knapsack," and a linen roll, containing a
quantity of brown coarse stuff broken up into
lumps. and large grains, which is crushed biscuit or
hard granulatad bread prepared with oil. This, we
were told by the prisoners, was the sole food of the
men. They eat the bread with onions and oil ; the
powder is " reserve" ration ; and if they march they
may •be for days without food, and remain hungry
till they can get fresh loaves and more " bread stuff."
It is perfectly astounding to think they can keep
together on such diet—and yet they are strong,
muscular men enough. The surgeons remarked
that their tenacity of life was very remarkable.
Many of them lived with wounds calculated to
destroy two or three ordinary men. I saw one of
the 32d Regiment on the field just after the fight.
He was shot right through the head, and the brain
protruded in large masses at the back of the head
and from the front of the skull. I-saw with my
own eyes the wounded man raise his, hand, wipe
the horrible mass from his brow, and proceed to
struggle clown the hills, towards the water ! Many
of the Russians were shot in three-or four places ;
few of them had only one wound. They seemed to
have a general idea that they would be murdered :
possibly they had been told Vthat no quarter would
be given, and several deplorable events took place in
consequence. As our men were passing by two or
three of them were shot or stabbed by men lying
on the ground, and the cry was raised that " the
wounded Russians" were firing on our men.
It was a terrible and sickening sight to go over
the battle-field. Till deprived of my horse by a
chance shot, I rode about to ascertain, as far as
possible, the loss of our friends, and in doing so I
was often brought to a standstill by the difficulty of
getting through the piles of wounded Russians,
mingled too often with our own poor soldiers. The
hills of Greenwich•park in fair time are not more
densely covered with human beings than were the
heights. of the Alma with dead and dying. On
these bloody mounds fell 2,196 English officers and
men, and upwards of 3,000 Russians, while their
western extremity was covered with the bodies of
1,400 gallant Frenchman and of more than 3,000
of their foes.

The attitudes of some of the dead were awful.
One man might be seen resting On one knee, with
the arms extended.in the foim of taking aim, the
brow compressed, the lips clenched—the very ex-
pression of firing at an enemy stamped on the face
and fixed there •by death ; a ball had struck this
man in the neck. Physiologists or anatomists
must settle the rest. Another was lying on his
back with the same expression, and his arms raised
in a similar attitude, the Minie musket still grasped
in his hands undischarged. Another lay in a per-
fect arch, his :head resting on one part of the
ground and his feet on the other, but the back
raised high above it. Many men without legs or
arms were trying to crawl down to the waterside.
Some of the dead lay with a calm, placid smile on
the face, as though they were in some delicious
dream.

SCUTARI, Sept. 28.—We have got to Scutari at
last, but I thought we should not have brought
any men at all, as the men kept during the voyage
quickly dying of their wounds ; there were only
three surgeons on board to dress and look after
600 men. My dear fellow, England has a great
deal to answer for, in not having sufficient medical
men to attend the wounded soldiers who risked
their lives and bled for their country's honour. I
never had my arm looked at by a doctor from the
day I received the wound till yesterday ; but,
thank God, from previous experience, I was able
to look after it myself, and the wounds of others
is°. During our stay on board the ship many a
Wight man lost his life through want of medical
attendance ; we threw about 80 or 100 overboard
coming down the Black Sea, but it is just as bad at
Scutari. We disembarked on the 26th, and we
have had. neither tea, rations, nor anything except
Vb. of bread.
There was a draft of 300 men to have sailed to-
day for the Crimea, but it was countermanded. I
hear there are no more troops wanted in the
Crimea, as Sebastopol is all but down, but I cannot
vouch for the truth of it.

We lost about 168 in our regiment, and the Bri-
tish army about 1,200 or 1,300 altogether. Give
my love to all, and God bless you. Good bye.

THE NEW STAMP ACT.-TO-DAY.

We would remind our readers that the new Stamp
Duties on Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes
come into operation to-day, the 11th October. Among
other points of importance the distinction of duties on
bills and notes not exceeding two months and those for
longer dates is abolished, and all bills and notes,
whether for long or short dates, are charged at ono
uniform rate of duty. The following is the new scale :-
2 £ 2 s. d.
Not exceeding 5
5 and not exceeding 10
' 10
25
50
75
100
200 . 3OO
830
400
500
750
1,030
1,500
2,000
3,000
4,030 and upwards ... • 2 5 0

Exceeding

co TEES, ISLE OF WIGHT.—Oct. 10.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

BAST COWES CASTLE.—Mr. Tudor, of Portman.
square, has purchased this beautiful marine residence.
It was built by the late John Nash, Esq. After his
death it was purchased by the late Earl of Shannon for
20,0001. The present earl sold it to Mr. Barwell, who
very soon afterwards sold it to the late owner, Mr.
Sawyer.
BUILDING SPEOULLTIONS.--The National Freehold
Land Society offered a second part of their estate at
Mill-hill to their members on the 27th ult. There were
between' forty and fifty lots, for which there were in one
week more than sixty applicants. The frontages were
from 18 feet to 50 ' • the prices varying from .301. to 751.
Altogether about 150 plots have been taken by the
members. •

THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA.—We have seen two let-
ters from privates in the 42d, describing their passage of
the Alma and carrying the Russian entrenchments—
bloody details truly ; but every man seems to have been
struggling to be the first on the heights. As for any
idea of being driven back or being beaten, nothing of the
kind ever appears to have been thought of. French
and English vied with each other, to the dummy and
terror of the common foe.

1,0001., and
NEW CHURCHES AT PADDINGTON.— Three new churches
are to be forthwith erected in Paddington. The Bishop
of London has contributed the sum of 1,0001. towards
that object.
sat;eleTtioN. aajr el
et yt
, hag
subscribedN E i NEW CHURCH
5001., the
14/no.n—dr/one
—The Bishop
Viscount Sidney 1001., towards the erection of a new
church for the parish of St. James, Westminster. The
church will be built in Coventry-street, be-
tweenlia—
TEz
of London has intimated to his clergy that
he intends
Rupert-streetßrso r os. Laontrnd Po
LONDON i'lls cV
si
holding a general visitation of the clergy, of hisdiocese,
at S. Paul's Cathedral, on Nov,Tuesday,
Nov.t 4 ; Monday, Nov, 6 ; and Tuer, 2 ; Saturday,
Di-
vine service commencing each day 'lan Nov. 7; at half-past eleven
o'clock.
The commercial advices from
describe a tendency to improvement in the general course
of business. Much anxiety, however, was still prevalent
the standing of
houses, and this feeling many of the importing
weeks. The stoppageof was likely to continue for several
li one of these firms—namely,
that of Moulton andPlimpton—had just been announced,
with liabilities for 60
,0001.
credit. ,000/. A. year ago they enjoyed
GRAND DINNER
, _ AT THE MANSION-HOUSE.—Yesterday
t,le Lord Mayor gave a splendid entertainment to the
members of the corporations of Norwich, Halifax, Brad-
ford, and Banbury. There were 270 guests present,
amongst whom we observed the Mayor of Norwich, the
Mayor of Bradford, the Mayor of Halifax, the Mayor o.
Banbury, his Highness Meerjahur Alee Khan, Bhadoor
of Surat, Merza Alee Abdar Khan, the Mayor of Don-
caster, the Mayor of Wakefield, the Master Cutler of
Sheffield, the Rev. Canon Dale, Mr. E. Sickle, the Hon.
Mr. Thompson, the Lord Mayor elect, Mr. Edward
Moon, Mr. Sheriff Muggeridge, Mr. Sheriff Crosley,
Mr. .John Masterman, M.P., Sir James Duke, Bart.,
M.P., Mr. H. W. Wickham, M.P., Mr. J. Lawrence,
Captain Lange, Mr. Samuel Salley, Mr. James Holme,
Mr. Mappen, Mr. Prendergast, Q.C., recorder of Nor-
wich ; Mr. H. Aken, Mr. E. Cadman, Mr. Joseph
Fielding, Mr. Alderman Wire, Mr. J. ator, Mr. J.
, Betts, Mr. J. Barwell, Mr. T. L. Coleman, Major Ed.
wards. Rev. G. Croly, Sir James Tyler, and most of the
1 aldermen and town councillors of the respective corpo.

rations.
Mr. E. O'FLAEERTT._The Galway Express states, oa
the authority of the mate of a vessel lately arrrived in
that port, that Air. Edmund O'Flaherty has arrived in
New York.