The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-14 00:00:00

THE SORTIE OF THE GARRISON.

Oct. 26.—Last night, when our guns were taken into
Sebastopol, there Ras great joy throughout the city,

and it was announced that the Russians had gained a
great victory. A salvo of artillery was fired, and at
9 o'clock p.m. a tremendous cannonade was opened
against all our lines by the enemy. It did no injury.
At 1 p.m. to-day about 4,000 men made an attack on
our right flank, but were repulsed by Sir D. L. Evans's
Division with the lees of 500 men killed and wounded.
Captain Conolly, in command of a picket, behaved in
the most gallant way ;he was severely wounded. We
have taken about 100 prisoners, among them two
officers, one of whom is the officer to whom Lerd Dun-
kellin surrendered. We have had 70 men killed and
wounded, four officers wounded, none killed, and nine
men killed, and 58 men wounded. The Russians were
utterly routed, and fled in confusion, harassed by
our artillery and one Lancaster, which mowed them
down by 20 at every discharge. Our lines are pushed
up much nearer. The French magazine again blew up
to-day inside their right attack. It was fired by a Rus-
sian shell. They fire 13-inch shells into our batteries,
and yesterday they silenced nine guns in our 21-gun
battery by this means alone. We cannot touch the ship
which fires these mortars. The Russians very nearly
surprised us. The Fourth, Third, Second, and First
Divisions were turned out, but Sir De L. Evans had the
honour of driving them bank with his division. 1,000
French cavalry landed to-day. The work in the trenches
goes on as usual. We make very little way, and it is
evident this cannot last. The men are worn out. The
Russians made a demonstration towards Balaklava to-
day, but did nothing. The French are fortifying the
heights near the town. We learn fresh reinforcements
have been received by the Russians. The French lost
about 20 men to-day in their trenches—only one by the
explosion ; we scarcely any.

THE PROGRESS OF THE SIEGE.
October 27.—Nothing was done to-day. Admiral
Lyons, Sir George Brown, and General Cathcart visited
Lord Raglan in the course of the day. The fire on bath
sides is very feeble. It is decided that we keep Bala-
klava, and the Sanspareil has come into the harbour, and
is moored with her broadside towards the road to the
valley. The Russians are still in force in the gorge, and
their vedettes are not far distant from ours. This force
seems to have its head-quarters at the village of Xamis-
koi, and keeps its communication with Sebastopol open
by the other side of the Tchernaya. The body
of troops which attacked us on the 26th came out
of Sebastopol. In order to make my remark about
the retention of Balaklava clear, it may be as well to
state that after the affair of the 25th it was resolved
to abandon the position, and to retire to the hills over-
looking the town. In that case our depot would have
been established at Arrow Bay or at Cherson. Sir E.
Lyons is said to have advised Lord Raglan to change
his determination, and we are now making every prepa-
ration, in conjunction with the French, to defend the
approaches to the town, and to secure our communica-
tion. Three battalions of French troops are encamped
over the north-west side of the town. 200 sailors of the
Agamemnon, and about 200 sailors and marines from
other vessels, have been landed to strengthen Sir Colin
Campbell's hands. A very formidable battery has been
erected by the sailors on the heights in front of the French.
We have 90 prisoners in Balaklava, and as a measure of
precaution the bulk of them will be sent off to-day. The
officer who captured Lord Dunkellin told me that he
took his lordship to Prince Menschikoff, and that his
reception was of the kindest possible description. He
will be bin, soigno by his Excellency. An attempt to
exchange Russian prisoners for his lordship is said to
have been made and to have failed. Our guns are be-
coming very shaky from repeated firing. We must have
mere men, and that speedily. The weather is lovely,
the days being as warm as ours in best July time.
OCT. 28.--The mail leaves at 9 a.m., and I have
barely time to say a word. Last night the Russians
gave us their usual salvo. They showed in some force
in front of the French, but were repulsed by musketry
from the covering parties. To pay them off for their
audacity, the Allies have sent strong parties of sharp-
shooters to-day, and between the lull of the eternal can-
nonade, which keeps up monotonously, morning, noon,
and night, till the ear is frenzied and worn out, one can
now hear the pop I pop 1 pop ! of the rifles at the embra-
sures.

Late last night there was an " alert" in our rear.
Our vedettes fell back. The French opened with guns
and rifles, and our Jacks were quite delighted to wake
up the echoes with a few rounds of their big guns.
Just as we were roused into wakefulness the noise
ceased, but we heard a cheer which is yet unaccounted
for.

Towards morning there was some musketry beard
flora the French lines, and, to our wonderment, an
inexplicable apparition of riderless horses took place in
cur camp. They turned out to be fully equipped and
accoutred—saddled, bridled, and all, and were recog-
nised as belonging to Russian dragoons. How they
turned up no one knows, it is supposed that their
owners got into a panic, and " bolted" 'ere they
could get into the saddle. Already 193 have been
ought.

. .
The firing at this moment on our front lines has
nearly slackened altogether.

There have been several fires at night in the town
lately. It is suspected that the Russians make them to
entice us to fire on the place, and to divert us from
other spots more vulnerable. The noxious steamer has
paddled off under cover. _ _ _

In our cavalry fight to-day we had 13 officers killed
or missing, 156 men killed or missing, total 169 ; 21
officers wounded, 197 men wounded, total 218 ; total
killed, wounded, and missing, 387. Horses killed or
missing, 394 ; horses wounded, 126 ; total 520. Nearly
200 men were not present with the cavalry, as they were
sick or had not turned out, being engaged in the camp.

Extract from a journal of the siege from the
Light Division camp near Sebastopol :

A SMART AFFAIR.

October 23.—A well-managed, though slight, affair,
which occurred yesterday deserves mention. Lieutenant
Edward H. Webb, 88th Regiment, who was in command
of a small party of 30 sharpshooters, had occasion, while
pointing out a certain position to an officer ofengineers, to
expose himself and some of his men to the enemy's observa
tion. He was at the time a little in advance of theravine,
which extends from near the first brigade of the Light Div i-
sion to an irregular valley near the foot of the Round To wer-
hill. Not long afterwards a body of the enemy, about
150 strong, were observed to be advancing in a .direction
toward the sharpshooters. Lieutenant Webb detached
at once a part of his little force, and ordered them to
cenceal themselves among the brushwood to the left of
the ravine, so that, should the Russians make the at-
tack, they might thus be exposed to a flanking fire.
The Russians came forward, and appeared certain of
securing the English officer and few sharpshooters who
were with him ; but as soon as they were within con-
venient range, the party towards whom they were ad-
vancing fired into them. This fire they returned, lout
almost immediately afterwards the remainder of Lieute-
nant Webb's party, who had been concealed, discharged
their Minids among them with well-aimed effect. The
Russians were seized with a panic, many of them threw
down their arms, and all fled in disorder. Their leader
alone showed courage. When his men commenced to
waver he seized one of their muskets, and, waving it in
the air, tried to rally them. While holding it in this
position he received a ball in the elbow, and at once
took the weapon in the other hand. He was thus
vainly trying to restore courage to his men and urge
them forward, when two of the :sharpshooters took aim
at him. One of the balls wounded him severely in
the neck and face, breaking his lower jaw. He then
tried to retreat, but was made prisoner, and brought,
together with one of his men, into camp. He was
a powerful man, and scarcely distinguished in dress
from the soldiers he was leading—the lace, instead of
the cloth, shoulder straps, and the superior gilding of
the buttons, which showed him to belong to the 33d
Regiment, alone marked the distinction, and could only
be noticed when standing near. Five of the Russians
who had been killed were buried on the ground by the
sharpshooters. Several wounded escaped back to their
lines. One man of the 77th Regiment, killed, was the
only casualty in Lieut. Webb's party. The Russians
appeared to be volunteers from various corps, as by their
uniform it was seen that they belonged to several dif-
ferent regiments.