The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-13 00:00:00

2D BATTALION RIFLE BRIGADE

Killed—Corporal W. Campbell, Privates John Bishop
and John Carlow

Wounded—Bugler Daniel M 'earthy ; Privates Wil-
liam Began, George Cann,, Alfred Green, Joseph Crevy,
James Berry, Charles Taylor, Thomas Pinfold.

THE FOLLOWING IS ALSO THE NOMINAL RE-
TURN OF THE CASUALTIES IN TI-IE ROYAL
ARTILLERY SINCE THE 13TH INST.
lIEAD QUARTERS BEFORE SEBASTOPOL,
OCT. 18, 1854.
Killed—Pocock, acting bombardier ; name not re
ported, gunner and driver.

Wounded.—H. Webber, acting bombardier, slightly ;
John Orr, gunner and driver, slightly ; Robert Garland,
surgeon, severely ; J. Walker, corporal, severely ; E.
Solomon, aoting bombardier, severely ; J. Wilson, gun-
ner and driver, severely; R. Bake, acting bombardier,
severely ; J. Carson, gunner and driver, severely ;
J. Hughes, gunner and driver severely ; J. Orran,
gunner and driver, severely ; J. McKaffery, gun-
ner and driver, severely ; J. Welsh, gunner and
driver, severely ; R. Mallet, gunner and driver, slightly ;
D. McCawley, gnnner and driver, severely ; C. Haw-
kins, gunner and driver, severely ; Samuel Nicolls, gun-
ner and driver, dangerously ; John Crofts, gunner and
driver, severely ; James Murphy, gunner and driver,
slightly ; James McFaddyen, bombardier, slightly ; T.
Haggett, gunner and driver, slightly ; Patrick Devlin,
gunner and driver, severely ; J. Gummis, gunner and
driver, slightly.

Four other men were wounded ; their names not yet
reported.

J. B. BUCKNALL ESTCOURT,
Adjutant-General.

THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.

The Constitationnel says:—
" We receive the most favourable news horn the
Crimea. The siege of Sebastopol is going on with the
same activity, and the situation of the besieging army,
as well as of the divisions charged to protect the works
against the attacks of the Russian army, is as satisfac-
tory as can be desired. Official reports, private letters,
and the testimony of persons who quitted the allied
camps on 27th ult. are all unanimous on this point, and
though the resistance made is vigorous, the energy and
constancy of the attack will not permit any doubt to be
entertained as to the successful issue of the struggle. In
France, unfortunately, our nature is to takealarm hastily;
we pass with equal rapidity from an excess of confidence to
discouragement, and while our brave soldiers nobly sac-
rifice their lives for the glory of the country, we who
are beyond the reach of danger almost accuse them of
tardiness. If newspaper writers were obliged to put
their hands to the work, and to dig in the trenches,
pickaxe in hand, in the midst of a shower of 08-pound
shot and bursting shells, they would perhaps be snore
just, and show less impatience, and at the same time,
while seeing the wonderful gaiety with which our sol-
diers support both danger and fatigue, they would
acquire courage, instead of allowing themselves to be
led away by opinions of culpable levity. What in fact
are the motives for such deep discouragement ? Once
more we repeat the siege advances step by step, as is
aiways the case before a place well fortified and
courageously defended ; but every day and every hour
we make fresh progress, and there is no human power
that can now prevent the town of Sebastopol, and
the immense maritime resources it contains from
being lost to the Emperor of Russia. The positions
of attack and defence of our army are equally for-
midable. To the extreme left of our lines, and in the
rear of the first parallel, the 4th and sth divisions are
s
bivouacked, and on their right the 3d division connects
the French army with the English lines. These divisionsa
furnish workmen and guards for the trenches—in
word, constitute the attack on the place.f
riflemen
who
ranks that are formed those companiesAt
picked men, render such important services.
feet from the place are posted those
night ; with' their
con-
cealed in holes prepared duringtheir
ranks
himself at the em-
brasureth3 Russian artilleryman who
showsinstantly struck by a ball.
eye on the sight, and their hand then
h2Oiotdrilsgtaolewoofesot
of the batttery ; he
eu n d one
sangfroid b y
andon e
The immense resources
thoselt i s thus
braveth that were
Finland pickedartillerymen, offsa t owmhaorss
their
which
good may b
of a naval arsenal enable .
the Russians to replace their
courage we cannot butadmit.
rendered unserviceable, u
damaged gua-carriages
gunsbantdthteheirossof
andour batte • •
uncertain,
artil-
lerymen is irreparable.. The fire from Sebastopol be-
comes more
marked superiority. Artillerymen are wanting to the
Russians, and their guns are served by the infantry.
The flag-staff bastion is destroyed, and the large tower
is falling into ruins. As to the positions of defence of
our army they are excellent. In the rear and on the
left of the English lines, in the direction of Sinapheropol,
General Dosquet, with the let and 2.4 divisions, is
strongly establashecl on the heichts, the steep sides of
which are equal to a fortress. Redoubts command the
passes, and an army of 100,000 men could not force
them. The only thing our troops complain of is
being inactive. The troops of attack and those
of defence are all inspired with equal ardour—the
same firmness in privation and the same cheerful-
ness in danger. If there is anything to be feared
it is the not being able to restrain their impetuosity

_if, WS PAPER
-

tr.c.
os,

"'!,a '• - when the moment comes Mrarstegf-the paint of le
' bayonet. In a word, the '-sadi4's of the army of
e
East are in the hands of tgeir:.=,nhiefj they know 'what
their generals are worth, and -their,[ .genet Is kitekrv'what
they can obtain from the courai-R.:andldievotQlness of
such men. A mutual confidence unites them and triples
their force. Is it this that should cause discouragement
in Paris ? But whatever may be the value of a man, if
his health be weakened by suffering or by the want of
food be soon succumbs, l'hontnie ne fait pas son ventre,
mai., lc ventre fait l'homme, is a proverb among our old
troopers. Let the alarmists tranquillise themselves on
this subject, for our troops want nothing on this bead.
Provisions are abundant, and should the wind become
contrary for our four hundred and fifty sailing vessels, we
have one hundred steamers always ready to supply
120,000 men assembled in that narrow space. The sea
even in winter is a more easy and certain resource for
our supplies than the land conveyance for Prince Men-
schikoff. What is there, we again ask, so alarming in
this state of things ? Are we to consider all as lost be-
cause the German journals and the lying despatches of
the private telegraph incessantly speak of reinforce-
ments of 50,000 and 60,000 Russians reaching the
Crimea ? Certainly not ; and the reason is because the
German journals are eitherthe dupes or the accomplices
of Russian policy. Reinforcements have certainly
arrived, but they are far from being considerable.
There is an absolute reason, which cannot be contra.
dicted, which shows this. The nature of the country
from Odessa to Simpheropol (150 leagues) prevents
more than from 800 to 1,000 men marching together
and bivouacking on the same spot. They would
he in want of water ; wells are scarce, and would be in-
sufficient to supply a greater number of men. Calculate
therefore all the delays and the twenty-six days' march
of the first detachment, which left Odessa, and it will
be seen that Prince Menschikoff could not receive
more than 1,000 men per day at the most, which,
from the date of the landing of the Allies to the pre-
-1 sent time, would only make 27,000 men, allowing
every circumstance to be in favour of the enemy.
General Gortschakoff, besides, cannot spare too many
of his troops, and the state of the steppes will be such
as to prevent their passage. The season, in fact,
becomes our most useful auxiliary. 'While the moun-
tains of the Tauric chain check the rains and the icy
winds which come from the north of Russia ; while
we are established on the southern slopes
.under a
climate so serene that the Russian aristocracy select it
for building handsome country houses where they seek
an asylum against the cold of the north, the rains have
deluged the roads by which the Russian columns have to
march, and the steppe is transformed into a lake of rand.
The date of the last accounts which reached St. Peters-
burg from the Crimea prove this fact ; even the rapid
Feldjager himself took forty-eight hours longer to
perform the distance from Sebastopol to Roursk.
Can it, therefore, be supposed that provisions, am.
munition, and bodies of troops can make more
rapid progress ? Thus, therefore, we see that either
a want of water does not allow an army to ad-
vance except by detachment, or the rain plunges it in
the mud. It pursues its march with difficulty, deci-
mated by fever, and arrives with the half of its original
effective strength. Is there in all this anything to cause
discouragement, or can it be found in the fact that the
most cordial good understanding between the generals of
the allied armies and the soldiers of the two nations,
who feel no other rivalry than that of well performing
their duty, or • that the officers who have the direction
of the siege works enjoy the highest reputation in
Europe ? Dispel, therefore, these vain alarms, and
when the loyal servants of France display such cou-
rageous abnegation, let not their brave hearts be sad-
dened by inconsiderate complaints."

INCIDENTS OF THE SIEGE.

THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH SHIPS.

The English ships cannonaded the right, and the
French battered the forte on the left. Twenty line-of-

battle ships and steamers fired their broadsides-like sol-
diers firing in platoon practice throughout the day. The
continual roar of these engines of destruction might be
assimilated as nearly as possible to the constant rolling
of a drum close to your ears. Soon after the first few
broadsides the belligerents, as well as their ships and
forts, became enveloped in a cloud of smoke, and in this
state they all took up their position, and pounded each
other like gluttons, until night put an end to both their
operations and their anger.

THE ARETEMBA.
The combined fleets attacked Sebastopol at about one
o'clock p.m. yesterday, and continued at it until dark.
It was the most terrific cannonade, I think, that was ever
.kaioasn, thousands of cannoVring at one time. Several
of the Russian forte were blown up, and others, as fast
as we cleared them, were manned again by fresh men.
It was impossible for men to fight better. One of the
forts that we engaged was cleared five times of every man
in it ; and as fast as they could, other men were sent to
take the places of those slain. I cannot describe how nobly
each ship fought, but will content myself by stating what
little I know of my own. You must at first under.
stand that we are very poorly manned, for we have 60
mariners from our ship in charge of a small Russian
fort, and on the 16th we sent 100 men and two guns,
throwing 63-pound shot, to assist the army, leaving us
with only 300 men and boys to work and fight the ship.
I did the duty of second captain of a 68-pouader, wigh-
ing 65 cwt. Our ship has been knocked about by shot
and shell a great deal. We have been struck a great
many times under water, au that the ship leaks like a
sieve. We caught fire once by one of their shells
bursting, but it was soon put out. We have had
four poor fellows killed and 13 wounded. We are now
busy repairing the ship and clearing the wreak. The
admiral gave us great credit, and so also did our cap-
tain, and I think we have earned it. After the aotion
each man in the ship had a half-pint of grog given him.
THE BELLEROPHON.
The night before the action we did not know we were
going in until 11 o'clock, when the night signal was
made for a lieutenant, and the Captain of the Fleet told
them that we were to be all ready for action by 8 o'clock
the next morning. Accordingly, the next morning we
got all ready, and about half-past 11 the Cyclops took
us in tow on our port side. The French and Turks
engaged the south forts, and the English the north
forts. We were the last ship to be engaged, as our
station was last in the line. Some time before we
got in the shot were going over us, and one cut
away the foot rope of our maintopsail-yard. About
three o'clock we anchored by the head and' stern,
and concentrated our broadside for the angle
of Fort Constantine. Then the flag-lieutenant of Sir E.
Lyons came on board and ordered us to go and take the
fire off him ; so we weighed again, and stood in further,
to engage some earth batteries on the top of the cliffs.
We stood in to eight hundred yards from the cliffs,
but we had to elevate the guns for 1,600 yards. Shortly
after we engaged the Sanspareil hauled out on fire, and
after that the Agamemnon, with only one Moortom
shell on board, so that the batteries gave us all the shot.
We sauteed the fire of those batteries for about an hour
and a half. We had our wheel shot away by a shell, and
shortly after a shell came under the poop and killed poor
little Forster, but he did not die till the 18th, at 8.30 p.m.
The only ships that were within 800 yards were the
Agamemnon, Sanspareil, Albion, Arethusa, and our-
selves. Admiral Lyons made the signal " Well done,
Bellerophon," which is another laurel for the old Billy.
Lord Raglan is greatly pleased with the way in which

-
the bluejackets ashore behave ; they go so coolly to work
about it. I thought that when I went into action I should
feel very queer at first, but I felt just as cool as if we
wero going to general quarters. I think that the
bursting of shell over your head is the most peculiar
noise I ever heard ; they sound like a whip being
cracked. They were not content with firing hot
shot and shell at us, but also rockets and bar shot.
They are still (Oct. 24) keeping it up on shore. All the
men and officers iu the fleet want the Admiral to order a
volunteer party to land down the coast and storm the
earthworks on the cliffs and spike the guns. I believe
Captain Eden, of the London, volunteered to do so with
500 men, but I do not know whether it is true.