The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-06 00:00:00

1864.

- -
all :the phases of the attack, and in reference to
the part, more or less active, which each ship
took in it.

" ' At the commencement of the affair Nhe en-
thusiasm was extreme. During the combat the
tenacity of every one was not less so. Before com-
mencing theifire I signalled to the squadron 'France
, 'tiers her eyes upon you,' a signal which was received.
u -ith cries of Vive l'Empereur !
" ' I am, with deep respect, Monsieur le Minis-
tr( i, your Excellency's very obedient servant, the
Vi. ee-Admiral Commander-in-chief of th.e squadron
of 1 the Mediterranean,

" ' HAMELIN.' "

.E
,LAND ATTACK.
CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL,
O. 17, P.M.
On the night of the 16th CT
it was determined- that
our fire should be opened on the Russian _lines the
folio wing morning, as it was evident the enemy was
intr enclu rig himself with much activity, and great!Y
strengthening his position. In spite of the effertts
of our engineers, our works were not quite com-
pleted, and most of the mortars could not be
mot-Lilted in the batteries. Firing commenced,
however, from the French and English batteries by
signal at 6.30 .a.m. on the 17th, but for 30 minutes
previous the Russians fired furiously on all the
batteries. The cannonade on both sides was most
violent for nearly two hours.
Our left attack consisted of four batteries and 36
guns ; our right attack, of 20 guns, in battery.
There were also two Lancaster batteries and v. 4-gun
battery of 68-pounders on our right. The Frech
had about 46 guns. In all we were supposed to
have L 1.7 guns to subdue about 130 guns of the
Ritsin:T is.
At 8 *o'clock- it was apparent that the French
hatteriem in their extreme right attack, overpowered
by the fire and enfiladed by the guns of the Rus-
sians, were very much weakened ; their fire slack-
ened minute after minute.
At 8 30 the fire slackened on both sides for a few
minutes, but recommenced with immense energy,
the whole town and the line of works enveloped in
smoke.
At 8 40 the French magazine in the extreme
right battery of 12 guns blew up with a tremen-
dous explosion, killing and wounding 100 men.
The Russians cheered; fired with renewed vigour,
and crushed the French fire completely, so that
they were not able to lire more than a gun now
and then at intervals, and at 10 o'clock they were
nearly silenced on that side.
A t 10 30 the fire slackened on both sides, but the
Allies and Russians re-opened vigorously at 10 45.
Our practice was splendid, but our works were cut
up by fire from the redan and from the works round
a circular martello tower on our extreme right.
At 12 45 the French line-of-battle ships ran up in
most magnificent style and engaged the batteries
on the nea side. The scene was indescribablet the
Russians replying vigorously to the attacks by sea
and land, though suffering greatly.
At 125 another magazine in the French batteries
blew up. The cannonade was tremendous. Our
guns demolished the Round Tower, but could not
silence the works around it.
At 1 40 a great explosion took place in the centre
of Sebastopol amid much cheering from our men,
but the fire was not abated. The Lancaster guns
made bad practice, and one burst. At 2.55 a ter-
rific explosion of a powder magazine took place in
the Russian redan fort. The Russians, however,
returned to their guns, and still fired from the re-
entering angle of their works. The cannonade was
continuous from the ships and from our batteries,
but the smoke did not permit us to see if the British
fleet was engaged.
At 3 30 a loose powder store inside our naval
battery was blown up by a Russian shell, but did
no damage. Tho enemy's earthworks were much
injured by our fire, the redan nearly silenced,
and the fire of the Round Tower intrenchments di-
minished, though the inner works were still
vigorous.
At 3.35 the magazine inside the works of the
Round Fort was blown up by our shot.
At 4 the ships outside were ripping up the forts
and stoneworks and town by tremendous broad-
sides. Only the French flag was visible, the Eng-
lish fleet being on the opposite side of the harbour.
Orders were given to spare the town and buildings
as much as possible.
From 4 to 5.30 the cannonade from our bat-
teries was very warm, the Russians replying,
though our fire had evidently established its supe-
riority over theirs, the ships pouring in broadside
after broadside on Forts Nicholas and Constantine
at close ranges. Towards dusk the fire slackened
greatly, and at night it ceased altogether, the Rus-
sians for the first time being silent. Up to this
hour (10 p.m.) they have barely fired a gun.
They are busy repairing damages, and we are
doing the same, and are also mounting new guns
and mortars for to-morrow.
The French have lost about 200 men, princi-
pally by the explosions ; our loss is very small
—under 100 killed and wounded since the siege
began.
Captain Rowley, of the Guards, was killed yes-
terday ; O'Leary, of the 68th Regiment, killed to-
day ,- Ruthven, Lieutenant, R.N.,., wounded.
We have gained greatly on the works to-day,
and but for the melancholy disaster which befel
our allies, should have crushed much of the Russian
batteries. The French fleet avenged these misfor-
tunes most amply.
The Grand Duke Constantine is supposed to have
entered Sebastopol.
Much of the sea side of the town is in ruins.
We reopen fire at daybreak.

OCTOBER 18, 3 P.M.
The fire was resumed this morning soon after
daybreak. The French were still unable to support
us. Their extreme left is still silenced. They will
not be ready till the 19th or 20th, so damaged are
they by the Russian fire.

During the night the Russians remounted their
guns and brought up fresh ones, and established a
great superiority of fire and weight of metal.
At 10 a.m. the alarm was given that the Russians
were marching to attack our rear on the Balaklava
road. Lord Raglan and staff, with large bodies of
French troops, at once moved there, and found the
Russian cavalry and two battalions of infantry,
with one gun, endeavouring to creep up in a fog to
the outposts. The Turks opened a fire from the
redoubts, and the Russians retired.
At this moment (3 p.m.) the Russians are press-
ing us very hard, returning three shots for our
two. Colonel Hood, of the Guards, was killed in
the trenches to-day. Ruthven, of the Albion, is
better. Lieutenant Chase, of the Albion, is killed:
Another lieutenant and 100 men were killed and
wounded in our fleet yesterday while attacking
Fort Constantine.

The attack IW the fleets is to be renewed to-
morrow.

Of the siege train there are two killed, 15 seyerely
wounded, and eight slightly wounded. This was
up to yesterday.
Our loss up till to-day is 96.
The redan and flagstaff fort are as troublesome
as ever.

The Retribution and London had their main-
masts shot away, and were on fire yesterday. They
had to be hauled off.
The Agamemnon has suffered severely.
Lord J. Murray and Ellison, with 150 men of
the 88th, 130 artillerymen, and six surgeons arrived
last night per Tonning.
The sickness has much abated.
The redan fort, flagstaff fort, and Round Tower
works are firing very warmly just now.
We can scarcely get ammunition up to our guns.

THE SEA ATTACK.
OFF THE KATCHA, CRIMEA, Oct. 18.—Yester-
day morning, about daybreak, the English and
French opened fire from their batteries on the
south side of Sebastopol. Late on the preceding
night it had been agreed by the combined Admirals
and Generals that the fleets should on the same
day make a grand attack on the forts at the mouth
of the harbour. During the night topgallantmasts
were lowered, spare spars and boats handed over to
her Majesty's ship Vulcan, and early in the morn-
ing steam was up. The paddle-wheel and screw-
frigates lashed themselves alongside the sailing
line-of-battle ships, and all was got ready for the
fight. The French were to occupy the right as
you enter the harbour—that is, the southern side,
and the English the left, or northern side, in one
line—about 1,500 yards off.
The French first got into their places, about
half-past 12 o'clock, and immediately commenced
a heavy fire, which was vigorously returned from
the batteries. The distance, however, was certainly
greater than originally contemplated, and, as far as
I can ascertain, it was over 2,000 yards. By de-
grees the English ships successively took up their
stations, passing in rear of the French and anchor-
ing to the left. The Agamemnon, Sanspareil, and
London (lathed to the Niger), hZehvinerg,
couldtool abne
inside station in advance,—perhaps about 1,000
yards from Fort Constantine.
ijeals, preceded by
,l commanded by
a
more noble than the gallant way in which the
Agamemnon and Sanspareil steamed in amid a
per-
fect hail of cannon balls andre saslsi
little tug-steamer the C
Mr. Ball. This little bit of a cockleshell, which
looked as if she might have been
fowling-piece, deliberately felt arrested by a
large ships till her servicethe way for the
services were no longer required.
The firing soon became terrific. At the distance
of six miles the sustained sound resembled that of
at
a furious locomotive full speed, but, of course,
.
the roar was infinitely
deed calm, BO thA Bum? e t the k The day was a
hung heavily about

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
FROM THE FLEET OFF THE KATCHA RIVER.
On Sunday last the AqameOmcnT
bution, /Spiteful, and Spit-fireßt
oe trrei
oonßr
ipnretclei
ededt
Caradoc.liem. AdmiralTe
Ag
turn from Balaklava to the fleet, whither the High-
got theNoigrderer
flyer, Sanspareil, and sevet-al other steamers had
Lyons honimwseelnftemobuatrktehde
same morning, but the others received orders to
waitO n Ao
Outside
ln day h tillt theeewere
r next.still °illy rumours afloat,
but no orders given for the vext day, when it
was supposed that something was going to be done.
At last, at 10 o'clock at night, a sloatdevrafsorfitrhede from the Britannia, and 'the signal
made
fi
to copyrst lieutenaa
general onts to reparder.ir oflag-ship,n board the flag-ship,
and
The general order was, " ready for action at
8 o'cloc in the morning."
You may easily imagine Ivhat bustle was the con-
sequence of such a sudden order.
At 6 o'clock yesterday morning the discharge of
heavy batteries announced that at last the long-
expected moment had arrived, and the Allies had
begun firing. Every report—and they succeeded
each other with marvellous rapidity--was only a
signal for greater exertion among the ;sailors to get
ready for action.
Soon after the prisoners, who had been on board
the different vessels since Alma and. Balaklava,
were sent off to the Simoom, and the captains and
masters summoned to come on board the flag-ship
to receive their last instructions.
At the same time the signal was made "Prepare
to receive a steamer on the port side."
About 9 o'clock everything assumed more and
more the aspect of activity. The steamers got
their steam up and weighed anchor. The liners
struck their topgallantmasts, signals chased sig-
nals on toard the flag-ship, and several of the
large screws—for instance, the Sanspareil and a
French screw went first.
The steamers came up gradually, and began to
pair off with the liners to which they were to be
lashed in the following order :
Queen, lashed alongside the Vesuvius.
Vengeance,
ft „ Highflyer.
Albion
„ Firebrand.
Britannia, PP „ Furious.
London, „
Niger.
Arethusa P ft „Triton.
Bellerophon
If „ Cyclops.
Rodney,
ff „ Spiteful.
Trafalgar,
~ Retribution.
The steamers approached all on the port side, and
were lashed fore and aft by cables fastened on the
lower deck, and passing through the fourth port.
hole from bow and stern.
The Agamemnon, Sanspareil, Terrible, Sampson,
and the newly-arrived gun-boat Sphinx, were left
on detached service.
It was nearly noon before all these preparations
had been made and the ships had weighed anchor.
The French led, the Turks followed, and last came
the English. As it would have been impossible
to approach the forts on the north side without
having to suffer from the south forts under great
disadvantages, it was determined that the French
ships and Turkish ships, which were the first,
should engage the south forts, while the English
men-of-war should have to do with the north forts.
The Napoleon led the way, and approached un-
der a heavy fire, followed by the Henry IV.,
lashed to a steamer. At one o'clock the firing was
opened, and soon afterthe detached English steamers,
which had to engage the northernmost forts,
among others the Wasp battery, so called because
she sent some heavy shots into the Wasp, ap-
proached their destination and joined in the firing.
Unfortunately the wind was from the land, and
the smoke so dense that very few vessels succeeded
in getting into the position which was assigned to
them. I suppose it must be attributed to this
that the French and Turkish vessels went so far to
the left as to prevent several of the English vessels
from approaching. So it happened, for instance,
to the Queen, which, as I told you, led the Eng-
lish squadron, and bad consequently to occupy the
extreme right of the English position, but which
was obliged to get up her anchor and change her
place because the Napoleon and the Turkish
Admiral's ship Mahmudieh went right in her way.
The order was to keep 1,200 yards off the forts,
but the disengaged steamers, and at their head the
splendid Agamemnon, approached much nearer,
and poured in their shot and shell with un-
ceasing activity. This example was followed
by the Queen, which was obliged, as I mentioned
before, to leave her place because two steamers
came in her way, but ran down along the line
and joined the detached steamers—a movement
which the Agamemnon answered by a " Well done,
Queen !" Soon after her the Rodney made the
same movement, and ran down towards the fort on
Cape Constantine, keeping up a brave file until
dark.

Several of the vessels have been badly arranged ' -
) the Arethusa suffered very much, and it is said
must go into dock ; the Retribution lost her main-
mast, the Firebrand her jib-boom, &a.
OCT. 18, 11 o'Clock.
The post has been delayed for a few hours, and
I take advantage of this delay to re-open my letter
in order to give you some further particulars about
the first bombardment of Sebastopol.
The lashing of the steamers alongside of the
line-of-battle
wella n
d;
theth e y
steamersanswer thear are
shipsha
than
did
if very
towed,
helmfarhettet
exposed to less danger, b • eing comparatively pro-
tected by their huge comp • anions. Of course, they
could not escape entirely, butwith the exception
lost
of the Firebrand, which ll' el* j• ibboom and suf-
fered severely besides, none of the steamers were
one w
disabled, and every
charge back again.
The vessels, after being lashed, filed off in three
lines—the Queen at the head of the right, the Bri-
tannia at the head of the middle, the detached
steamers forming the extreme left. They steamed
down as far as Quarantine Point before they bore in.
They were to have taken up. their position, and
have anchored at the places assigned to them ; but,
owing to the smoke, I suppose, which was perfectly
blinding, or to some misunderstanding, the French
and Turks approached too far north, and conse-
quently the intended line could not be kept.
The most prominent feature was the smoke and
the detached steam squadron, composed of the
gamemnon, Sanspareil, Terrible, and Sampson,
which lay in close enough. The Qeen, which
took up for a time her place among is
obliged to retire, a red-hot shot having them, was
set fire to
her; but the Rodney, which arrived th
towards dark, remained without con ere more
s iderable in-
jury to the last. It is owing to thin
bourhood that the Agamemnon s close neigh-
so many men. and Sanspareil lost
A great disadvantage w
ap-
proached only one after as that the vessels theother
.
vi.ncing rather in a line, , commence firing
ad-
about the same time. so as to commence firing
the ships which w y approaching so gradually
scarcely get a momentary went later into action could
they had to fire, entary look at the fort at which
the distance . much less obtain an estimate of
which they
More-
hover, the gradual approach
off from it. More-
other afforded the a_ach of one vessel after thetr
trating the fire Russians the facility of
oftheirconcen-
batteries on one vessel.
The sight of the approaching squadrons was one
of the i
most
witness. mposing which one could possibly
Some of the liners observed from the
starboard side, hid • '
their tiny propellers so com-
pletely that
the huge masses seemed to move by
themselves. If this was the most imposing sight,
the most exciting was that when the first shot was
fired from the fort. It was as if an electric spark
was running through the crows. There was a per-
fect fury for firing, and the grbatest difficulty was
to make the men cease, as it was at times necessary
when one or another of the vessels was in the way.
A great inconvenience in working the guns was
experienced from the absence of so many men at
the naval brigade, especially iu the ships from
which some of the superior officers had gone to the
camp. Several of the liners could not work their
upper deck guns in consequence.
To-day is a day of rest.