The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-20 00:00:00

DESPATCH FROM MUSSA PACHA.

"I have already had the honour of informing you that
on the 25th the Russians vigorously attacked the re-
doubts of Bilanh and Arab Tabiasi, and that they were
obliged to retire with loss from the fire of these redoubts.
A few hours later, about. 9 in the evening of the same
day, they again made a most vigorous assault on these
redoubts ; but they were received with so much intrepi-
dity and bravery, and the combined fire of the other re-
doubts coming to the help of the attacked points was so
well directed that the enemy could not resist it, and,
thanks be to the Almighty, he was forced to retreat after
suffering great loss.

"About one in the morning of May 29, the Russians,
in considerable force, attempted an assault with much
vigour on the redoubts of Bilanli and Arab Tabiasi.
They were received by the troops forming the garrisons
of them with rare intrepidity. The fortress and the other
redoubts, Aiding the redoubts attacked, opened so terrible
a fire of grape and shell, that if the enemy had been
made of iron, it would in truth have been impossible to
stand against it ; he was therefore obliged to fall back
and retreat. But almost immediately, without inter-
rupting the fire, he deployed all his forces, and brought
back his columns to the assault with so much vigour,
that the Russian troops reached the embrasures of the
redoubts, through which they tried to enter. But by
the Divine assistance, after three hours' fighting in the
most desperate manner, during which the moat was
literally piled and the plain covered with the enemy's
corpses, the remainder was compelled to retire and fly
in disorder.

" In this attack the imperial troops had 50 men killed,
and nearly the same number wounded ; but the Russians
lost at least 1,500 men killed, and doubtless a far greater
number of wounded. We made six prisoners, and we
gathered a considerale quantity of arms and military
equipments. A great number of these objects remained
still on the field of battle, too far off from our batteries
to enable us to collect them."

RUSSIAN VERSION OF THE ATTACK ON
THE 29TH.
The Invalide Russe publishes the following bul-
letin of the assault that was made on Silistria on
the 29th of May :
" It results from the diary of the military operations
on the Danube from the 15th to the 19th of 0 ay, trans-
mitted by the Marshal Prince of Warsaw. Count Paskie-
witsch of Erivan, that the enemy, who had already
made several sorties since the opening of our siege
works before Silistria, has made a fresh attempt of this
Sevastopol. Drawn by W. Telbin. Published by kind in the night between the 16th and 17th of May
Colnaghi and Co. against the left flank of these works—an attempt, how-
A lithographic plate of peculiar interest has re- ever,
~At
Ire tr wthaes
frtefruurles eodf in
tas bs roirl
tl ifae n tt
hme aen n enr.
attacked
cently been issued from the establishment of Messrs. in the same night our right flank.' neLieutenant-General
Paul and Dominic Colnaghi—drawn on stone by Selvane, charged with the command of the troops in
J. Brandard, from a faithful sketch by W. Telbin, the trenches, considering, from the nature of this at-
taken from the original panoramic outline made by tack, that the advanced fortification facing our left flank
Lieutenant Montague O'Reilly, R.N., on the occa- had been left by the Turks with a very weak garrison,
sion of the memorable visit paid to the fortress of resolved, though in nowise authorised, to profit by this
Sebastopol on the 6th of January, 1854, by H.M.S. circumstance that appeared favourable to him for getting
Retribution. The impression forms an admirable possession of this fort.
companion to the view of " Kronstadt"already given " With this view, having given orders to Major-Gene-
ral Popoff, commanding the 2d brigade of the
to the public by the same firm, and already men- Bth divi-
tioned in terms of deserved eulogium by ourselves. sion of infantry, to come and reinforce him with four
Among the numerous engravings of a somewhat
battalions, Lieut.-General Selvage led to the assault
three companies of the 3d battalion of the Poltava foot
similar character intended to afford the current his-
tory of the war with Russia the advantage a ponu- C h se Regiment,ur athued 3thdeblastttablaiottnooff thef
tAlexopolhezno
srk.efti,em on t oft
lar illustration, these plates of " Kronstadt' and of Chess:Um, which happenaedontoobe at haLd. Regiment
"Sevastopol" Sevastopol" published by the -Messrs. Colnaghi "In the twinkling of an eye the troops made a dash
possess the eminent merit of authenticity. It has at the fort, passed quickly the moat, and even partly
before now been remarked in these columns in re- climbed the rampart, but they were not able to finish
gard to the former engraving—the delineation of this bold undertaking by reason of the steepness of the
Cronstadt—that it was accurately copied by the latter. Then Lieut.-General Selvane gave orders to beat
lithographer from the original drawing produced
a retreat, and was mortally hit with several shots. The
by Mr. Dolby, the artist sent into the Baltic with men who mounted to the assault being slow in falling
the fleet under Admiral Napier to sketch from back, Major-General Vet ss-elitz.ii, who, in the capacity pacity of
nature whatever localities and incidents may appear
taodjhunvcet
,thweaaretnreaart Linbeaten Generalagain, Selvage, w
and having obligedrallied the
to him deserving of pictorial commemoration.
Engravings taken from these original drawings " troops
In the
brought them back within the trenches.
interval Major-General Popoff, who had ar-
produced by the hand of Mr. Dolby, and sent home rived
with his column, had desired Major-General Prince
for the purpose of publication by the Messrs. Paul Ouroussoff, of his Majesty's the Emperors's suite, to lead
and Dominic Colnaghi, appear before the world to the assault the Ist battalion of the Alexopol Regi-
when they are issued from the press under the espe- ment of Chasseurs. A. few men of this battalion, with
dal patronage:of the Admiralty. As among these Prince Ouroussoff at their head, had
sketches the artist had supplied the publishinggot on the ram-
art through an embrasure, but, in the impossibility
firm P
of advancing further, had been compelled to retire with
with reliable materials for the production of a litho-
ie the ardour of the troops and the exemplary
_ .generals and officers, this coup de
graphic plate portraying the fortifications of Cron-
stadt, it was deemed advisable that a companion plate
prelsicuted in the middle of the night, without pro-
of the
without sanction, could not
should follow it representing the no less redoubtable mstehale,fi:ndoE:etleneisexia
it has nfortue'tniaertelyseenf:
fortifications of Sebastopol. Fortunately, more-
bliemeinraorwynaerdrawngftehmsennetesesasn,dand*
over, an original drawing taken on the spot, that
is to say; within full view of that wonderful fortress tailed sensible losses. Besides Lieutenuant.G
supplied tempt, the battalions making the assault have lost 1
on the coast of the Crimea, by a gallant artist vane, who atoned with his life for his imprudent at-
gifted with a keen eye and a skilful pencil,
the publisher and the lithographer with no less, or subaltern officer and 269 rank and file killed ; Igene-
rather
officers,nd fiAlme owwroligtuhnt
hdle2e wounded
wounded
eeindeeiaraarrlee,
dlm9b;yisi superior and
Ps
oupboa
ffl subaltern
r inn
with still more authentic materials for the nil, 10 superior and subaltern officers, and 421 rank
portraiture of the general aspect of Sebastopol.
That original drawing we ourselves had a few days
of the second brigade of the Bth division of in-
since the gratification of examining—it were need- Among
,;v
II Colonel
less to say with very considerable interest—at the command
of the first to scale the rampart ;
Messrs. Colmaghi and Company's establishment. It !
peter, who
ICoo sv.t.aans done
o
1 and Lieut.-Colonel Gf indyesillioresoefeanrlatinlldeirtylo.ofthtehelegtuabradt,-
represents the appearance of the great fortified city i
at the very moment when its harbour was daringly i
talion of the Zamosk regiment of Chasseuars (dead of his
entered by H.M.S. Retribution. The circum-
stances of that memorable visit cannot easily be i wounds).
forgotten. They require no detail here in the way I " The sortie, directed by the enemy against the right
)f explanatory comment to recall them to popular flank of our trench, that is placed under the command of
:7.3membrance. As a memento of that deed of Colonel Count Oppermann, was completely repulsed.
daring, as a souvenir of the outbreak of the general " During the days of the 17th and 18th our siege
-,ar of 18 labours have been continued with entire success."
aspect the plate here depicting the general
avpect of Sebastopol, will be found by many, we !
eonimture, not undeserving of particular remark,
and by not a few worthy even of lengthered pre-
servatLm.

CONSTANTINOPLE.
A despatch from the Turkish capital, of June
10th, says Prince Napoleon is expected here to-