The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-29 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1854.

The accounts just received per the Thabor
steamer, which, according to our anticipations,
arrived at Marseilles yesterday, completely con-
firm the view we took on Monday last respecting
the apparently conflicting, but really consistent,
accounts previously published as to the landing of
the Allied Forces in. the Crimea. Most of our con-
temporaries regarded the despatch of the 16th
instant from Lord RAGLAN to the Duke of IsrEw _

CASTLE as conclusive evidence of thelincorrectness
of the semi-official account contained in the .3loni-
teur of Saturday as to the landing of certain regi-
ments at Eupatoria on the 13th, the day previous
to the geLeral disembarkation at Old Fort on, the
14th, and following clays. These doubts S, ere
founded on the absence of any allusion to the
landing of any party at Eupatoria, in the de-
spatch of the English General. A careful exami-
nation of the different statements, however, in-
duced us to believe that they might "be reccAn-1
ciled, the one relating exclusively to the proceed- 1
ings of the 13th ; the other to those of the 14th,
15th, and 16th." Under this impression, we
added, " Both accounts, then, may, and we are
strongly disposed to think, will on investigation,
be found strictly accurate, and should be read
together as parts of the same communication."
Reasoning on this assumption, we proceeded as
follows—" According to this view of the case, the
first landing would have been of three regiments
at Eupatoria on the 13th inst. No opposition
being offered, and the town being surrendered
without a blow, the Commanders of the Allied
Forces saw. the possibility of being enabled to land
the remainder of tho troops, the heavy stores,
artillery, and baggage, at a nearer place, where,
although not so favourable in many respects as the
spot originally selected, it might be effected with '
the assistance of those previously on terra firma.
The great advantages to be derived from this
course were clearly perceptible. Valuable time
would be economised, while the troops would be
enabled to enter into action comparatively fresh,
the toil of a march of twenty miles through a
hostile country being avoided. We have, there-
fore, every reason to applaud the skill and
energy of those who adopted a plan so judi-
cious. That this is the correct interpretation of
the apparently conflicting despatches is corrobo-
rated by the fact, that the Moniteur's. account
stated that " the landing of the whole army
would take place on the following day" (i. e., the
14th) at twenty miles south of the town (of
Eupatoria.) This was the very locus in quo ac-
cording to the more recent despatch from Lord
RAGLAN, so that, in place of being contradictory,
they really lend mutual confirmation the one to
the other. The place is not far from Loukoul,
the position whereof has been already explained
in The Sun of the 22d instant, and it is but
seven miles from the military road from Khoslov
to Simpheropol.

The authentic accounts now received show how
we were justified i
completely n the opinions then
formed. Indeed the whole article of the 25th
inst. may be compared with the intelligence now
come to hand, and will not be found to
vary in
the slightest particular. We do do not, however,
' lay claim to any extraordinary powers of vatieina.
tion. The only secret was the strict and search_
ing examination of known facts, and the reason_
able deductions therefrom of what was most likely
to have occurred, although we were not furnished
with the necessary details.
We now find by the accounts which reached
Constantinople, per the Ajaccio steamer on the
19th, and were thence transmitted by the
Thab r, on the 20th, " that " the Allied Forces
were actually marching against the Russians.
That the force of the enemy before Sebastopol,
did not amount to more than 25,000 men ; but

that they expected a reinforcement of 15,000,
a-id that a battle was expected cu the 20th before
:the Russian reinfercements came up ! The wea-
ther too was ini the highest degree propitious fcr
our operations."

The intelligence from Vienna also states that
the Russians retreated as the Allies -advanced.'
As we recently stated " their aim was rather to
harass and delay the invading army, than to risk

a serious encounter, until they could do so
behind stone-walls, protected by the redoubts and
batteries erected during the period of inaction,
while full information was given of our ultimate
intentions." The chosen men of France and
England, and the gallant. Turks, with whom they
are associated, may, however, render this rather a
dangerous course to pursue. The "retreat" may
possibly degenerate into a flight, and many of the
Russians cut off from the main body, so as to be
incapable of rendering any assistance to the defence
of Sebastopol. The decisive conflict must,
as we have already repeatedly intimated,
take place on the heights above the Russian
Arsenal. If the redoubts and batteries
there erected should come into the possession
of the Allies, the fate of Sebastopol is sealed. It
may be protracted for a short time, but it is as
certain as that of Bomarsund—and the only alter-
! native for the Russian fleet is whether it will sur-
render without a blow, or rush into a hopeless
conflict with the Allied Fleet, the only result
whereof will be a very needless sacrifice of human
life, for " humanly speaking " there can be no
possible doubt as to the result.
We should not feel greatly surprised if even be-
fore the close of this very day we received some
very cheering intelligence from the scene of
warfare. If the anticipated battle should have
taken place on the 20th, we may be enabled to
communicate the pleasing tidings of the total rout
of the Russian troops. It would be a strange
coincidence if at Michaelmas, the anniversary of
the day on which Queen ELIZABETH received an
account of the total destruction of the "Armada,"
and the decisive humiliation of the pride of the
Spanish MONARCH, we should receive equally im-
portant accounts of the overthrow of the power
and of the arrogant pretensions of the AUTOCRAT.
Should this be the case, it would, indeed,
be an auspicious omen. The Leviathan
power of the sixteenth century never re-
covered the first great blow it received. A
similar fate may possibly await the Muscovite, and
Europe may henceforward have as little to fear
from the pride and power of Russia as it has from
that of Spain.
The first blow must, however, be followed with
unflinching energy. We believe that OMER
PASHA will advance on Bessarabia, and that the
whole of Southern Russia will be relieved from
the tyranny and oppression under which it has so
long groaned. That important province
should at all events be restored to its an-
cient allegiance. Coupled with the complete
independence of Georgia, Circassia, and all the
Caucasian districts, as well as of the Crimea,
the designs of Russia would be effectually coun-
teracted. However great its cupidity, we should
have nothing to fear from either for a century, if
not centuries yet to come.

A very painful feeling has been excited in con-
sequence of the publication of the proceedings at
Portsmouth before the Coroner and Jury, touch-
ing the death of a young woman named MATILDA
itANE LODGE, which it was alleged had been occa-
sioned, and which the jury declared to have been
" mainly accelerated, by ill-treatment" which she
had received in the wardroom on board of the
hulk of her MAJESTY'S ship Dauntless, lying in
Portsmouth harbour. In law, the " acceleration"
of death, even by a single hour, is equivalent to
causing death. The above verdict is, therefore,
tantamount to one either of murder or man-
slaughter, and it is to be regretted that the Co-
roner did not endeavour to induce the Jury to
arrive at a more precise conclusion; and to men-
tion the parties implicated in a transaction in
every respect so deplorable, and reflecting so much
discredit on some of the Officers and Gentlemen (i)
of her MAJESTY'S service. A more searching in-
quiry will, however, be instituted before the
magistrates or the district, and if it should indeed
appear that the unfortunate young woman came
by her death unfairly, or that it was in any de-
gree accelerated by the violence of any person or
persons whatsoever, we may be certain that
the offenders will be brought to account be-
fore a fair
.and impartial tribunal, in which
the public may be assured the scales will be evenly
held between the Crown and the accused. Such
a matter could not be disposed of by any naval
or military court. The accused should be
handed over to the civil power, to be dealt with
as the merits of the case demanded.

We shall not, therefore, at present express any
opinion, as to the death of the unfortunate
woman. From the medical testimony it
would seem to have chiefly arisen from an old
disease. The whole question then will be, whether
she received any, and what injury, that could have
produced the crisis or hastened the fatal result
that would speedily have arisen from natural
causes, and we have every assurance that will be
strictly scrutinised, and everything done that
justice may require.
But there is a point on which we cannot re-
main silent—which rests with the Admiralty and
not with the Magistrates. Is it, we ask, right or
proper that such evil example should be afforded
private soldiers and sailors, that they should see
their officers—men whom they ought to
look up to with respect and esteem--engaged in
the grossest acts of immorality, and bringing per-
sons who may with too much truth be styled
" unfortunate women," under the eyes of their
brother officers, and those over whom they are
placed in authority? It may be impossible to in-
sist on a high standard of morality in either ser-
vice. But " the pleasant vices" of men holding
leer MAJESTY'S Commissions should not be so
ostentatiously paraded. They should not be al-
lowed to demoralise their companions and follow-
ers by such disgusting exhibitions of profli-
gacy. If officers will not altogether refrain from
such abandoned courses, they may be required
to pursue them elsewhere than in their barracks
or ships ; they may be expected, at least, to pay
the trifling tribute of concealment to virtue.

At present there is too much reason to fear that
the very publicity has its charm, and that the
youths who refuse to participate in such disgrace-
ful orgies are despised and ill-treated by their
more profligate fellows. The moral taint is thus
spread about. The degradation—with few and
rare exceptions—becomes general, and all that
the well disposed can venture to do is to with-
draw from the disgusting exhibitions. If, as
we believe to be the case, the practice has
hitherto been, if not openly sanctioned, at least
connived at, by the authorities, we don't re-
quire any scapegoat on which to cast the sins of
the general body. But public opinion demands
that adequate means should be adopted to prevent
the repetition of such indefensible conduct, and
that her MAJESTY'S ships or barracks should not
henceforward be transformed into brothels by the
junior officers.

A Court of Inquiry has been constituted to in-
vestigate all the particulars of the transaction, so
far as the parties implicated may have violated
' any of
ahnadve
gentlemen,
ffi
the rules of the service. If they
transgressed the rules which, as ocers
...-1
heey were bound to ob-
serve, let them
we'tnradequately punished. If
such practices pernevt iou
sly t
new and more stringent g
regulationsoleratbeed,
pi.o-
milet
magnitude of the emer-
y, te
anddiente h
t tte
oprevent any repetition of
geinlega suitablesnffic
such demorali6iug transactions. Any ill-treat-
ment of the unfortunate young woman whose
death was the rmust
her itl. lb- oe In
disposede:i cd vi soift
byto one
e
coifirlir
arutojrEitsielYs: shtip ofs
It does not fall within the juris-
diction of a Naval Court-martial.

HALF-DAY HoLTDAS. —The solicitors of Nottinrrham
have agreed to &low their clerks a half-day hold.,y .;„ry:
week. The offices are to be in fiture closed at one
o'clock on Thursday. The bankers of the town, it is
said, will shortly follow the example.

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 29, 18b 4,