The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-02 00:00:00

TEL ALMA REVISITED.

(Prom the Special Correspon,clent of tke Times.)

I have now gone twice to-the Alma, and have exa-
sniped the ground of the battle with the ignorance of a
civilian and the interest of a Great Briton. The road
from the plateau on which for one long year the hopes
and fears and anxieties of civilised Europa were concen-
trated leads down from the ridge on which the battle of
Inkerman was mainly fought to the deep ravine out of
which the materials for the mansions, quays, harbours,
docks, and forts of Sebastopol have been hewed. It pre-
sents a wild and desolate aspect. The slabs of oolite
tower perpendicularly for several hundred feet on the
right hand and left to the verge of the elevated plateau,
and rise, like great white walls of masonry, aloft from a
base of huge blocks and disintegrated masses of the same
substance. This ravine, deepening as it descends, falls at
right angles to the valley through which the Tcher-
naya eats its way to the head of the Roads of Sebas-
topol. At the lower end of the ravine the aqueduct
spans it, and then is carried on a light and handsome
bridge of masonry, supported on some 10 or 12 arches
right across, and disappears in a tunnel through the
solid rock on the left hand side. Passing underneath
through one ofthe arches, you find yourself-by the banks
of the slngeish Tehereayit, and a ride of 50) yards or so
past the perpendicular chtfs, perforated with caves, which
bound the margin of the valley, leads you to the cause-
way across the marsh towards Inkerman. An excellent
wooden bridge built by our engineers stretches across
the river ; and the marsh beyond is crossed by a high
causeway. Arrived at the end of the causeway, the
cliffs of northern Inkerman are above you, and the
road winds up to a ravine which leads you to their
recesses,. A curious chapel and monkery in the
caves is visible in the face of the cliff. Embrasures
are above, before, and on each side of you on
entering these fastnesses. The black pupils cf
these dull eyes have been removed, hut there is
enough of the works left to show bow hot and fre•
quent they could have flashed on you in their anger.
There are five batteries on various points of this ravine,
• and the slopes of the plateau atfird many fine sites for
field artillery or guns of position. The road is good. On
the right, about a mile from the entrance of the ravine,
are numerous deep shafts in the clay, from which the
Russians draw their supply of water. The road winds
gradually upwards till it leads you to the level of the
north plateau of Inkerman, juet ae this Quarries road took
you down from the south plateau to the level of the val-
. ley of the Tchernaya, from which you are now ascending
Hereis the Russian camp, at which we have so often gaz-ti
from the heights on the right of our position. It is now
very much altered in appearance. The huts have been
abandoned, and the linen are living in every pretty, clean,
and well-kept camp of canvas, but the purlieus are very
dirty, and 'nave the usual disagreeable smell of Russian
quarters. The tents are square in shape, and at
the top, which tapers to a point frau the side of the
wall, there is a knob, gilt or painted, which gives
them an air of finish. The paths or streets of the camp
are bordered with wild flowers and fir branches. The
regiments stationed here bel-ng to the Seventh Division,
which forms the First Division of the third corps d'arlnee,
and are as well as I could ascertain the 13th (Smolentke)
and 14th (Politech), and number about 6,000 men.
There is a brigade of bald artillery—two batteries—
close to this camp, and the piece; ere very weli kept and
in excellent condition. The canteemente extend as far
as the heights over the valley of the Belbek on the left
band side, and could have contained about 18,000 mere
which considerably exceeds the streneth of the whole of
the Seventh D. vision. A steep road descending from the
verge of the piawetu at the point where the Russiaa ha
Mir is established leads to the Bib k, which -is crossed
by two bridges. Oae of these is a fir, well-built new
structure of wood ; the other is that by which the army
crossed in the flank march, and the post-house near
which Sir George Cathcart took up his quarters still
remains intact. The Fourth Division bivouacked here
the night before we entered Belaltleva, when Lord Rag.
len slept at Traktir, on the Tchernaya, and Sir George
was eery unettty on account cf his isolated position,
separated, as be was, from the rest of the army, are]
believing that a body of Russiaes intervened between
them. It was from thie that General Windham rode with
despatches to the Katcher, antieipeting Commander
Maxse's arrival from the Tchernaya by wore than ba:f
an heur, and from this neighbouriseod the army turned
towards Mackenzie. Lerd Raglan reconnoitred Saba,-
topol from a lii:iock cited, to the road on the right, a
short time before we fell in with the rear guard and bag•
gage of the enemy. Devarkoi, or Belbek, is greatly
changed since then,—the trees have been cut down, and
the valley, once so beautiful, blooms nn more. The
vilate have been used as betonale, and there are many
Russian gravte, marked with black wooden crosses,
in the neighbouriog ravines. From this valley you
ascend another steep hill to the tip of the plates u
which lies between it and the valley of the liatcha.
The gnat ed is covered with d earl: tre -s and thick brush-
wood, full of lie:all eiedl shell birde which are perse-
cuted by numerous falcons and hawks. There are
patches of naked ground and ashes scattered over the
plateau, which show where parties of the enemy were
encamped ; hut the country is not suited for large bodies
of mete as water is not to be had, except at the rivers.
The plateau is intersected be numerous woody ravines,
and the tricks followed by the allied armies are plainly
visible. They have been much used by the Russians.
A ride of three quarters of an hour takes us to the
valley of the lively), will beautiful and rich with
verdure, for ibis part of it is too far from the immes
diate operations of war, and too much out oft the
track from Bekshi-Serai, to have suffered much. The
p lace which we approach was once the village of
Dike' ; it is now in ruins. The Ttrtar houses are
pulled down oe unto 'fed, the population have fled,
and the Russian houses are just as they were left by
the C)asacks on our epee:melt after the Alma. The
church gleams brightly through the dense branches of the
fruit trees, which are covered with blossoms, but the
large tracts of vineyards which welcomed us nearly three
years ago are now uncultivated. The Doctor's house is
in a sad plight, one of the first we entered after the
Alma, suet is still the picture of neglect and ruin. Lord
Steen's oomfortable residence is in the custody of an
old Tarter, who shows the broken furniture, the sofas
ripped open, the chairs smashed, and the beds cut up,
with great pride, and lea-la one to inter pretty plainly
that Ruakie did all the mischief. It was at this village
that the Russians halted to reciver breath after their
headlong flight from the Alms, and from it they lied the
same night in panic on the cry being raised that the
!lie' were coming. The Ketclia t-; a deep nerro
stream with rotten banks, and scone people think it
would have afferded a better position than the Alma ;
hut, in fast, it is too near Sehatteeel. We found a
few Russian soldier; in the houses ; and on the first
occasion it happened to be the Greek }tester bunciav,
and we were meet hespitably entertained by a poor Rus-
sian family who insieted on oeir tetrad:Mg of paints -I
eggs, of salt pork ateeped in vinegar, and cabbage, of
brown bread, batter, vodka, or white home-made brandy
and Crim tobacco, and then on embracing us because we
were Christians—a severe punishment, which, if often
repeated, might lead to recantation. Crossing the
- Katcha by the brielge over which our army filed into
Ake!, we find ourselves on the steppe—the dry barren
plain etuddel with tumuli, which exten•ls in wavy folds
right away to Perekop. At this season of the year it in
glorious, with large beds of wild ft were (tweet pea, roses,
mignionette, thyme, orchids of all kinds, sweet william,
and many other varieties, whose tame and developed
species are the oreaments of our gardens at house ; it it
musical, too, with the sing of birds singlne t ;their
mates in the nett ; but in Saptember it is an n aril
soorched waste, covered with c uric hey' sod, 4as i.
is devoid of water, it is unfit for pasturage. The
erde to the Alma from the Kee:the- is not 'were than
fight miles, but it seems twice tie distance. Tee white
telegraph station, over the river, w eased on the
Russian left, den be seen for many nester on a Clear day,
ra
but on the steppe mirage is very cem add the
hori-
zon is rarely well defined. it is oft-n lost in a faetadie
margin resembling the sent line of an agitated ocean.
Bustard, on the qui 1406 about their your Dues,
in
soar slowly before use and eagles, vultures, and mty
opeciee of falcens are visibly in pursuit, of their prey,
which must consist for the most part of hares, which
are very large and numerous. dlorno of these taree have
been found to weigh 10:b. or 12iie, and I heave heard of a
monster who turned the scale at 14 h. In one of tiic
hallows in the steppe, about three miles fr nn the Alma,
teere is a timall hamlet, but, with, this exception, net
• habitation is vieible over the whets of this vast ex-
Pan" of tend 5". It is famous ter ,urei for a loncr
canter, or as much of a. genet) as your horse nil;
stand ; so with the help of an occasional scurry after a
'
bare the distance melts away, and a-i
crushing
through the sweet flowers the telegraph rises higher and
clearer till we pull up at the foot of the mound on which
it stands. This was the scene of a fierce etruegle, end i.
was hero the French had some very hard fighting' before
they forced the enemy to fly: The telegraphs id :quadri-
hitethtl figure o white stone, and it has never been
tentOted„ , It, corcred with names; and on one side is
engraved ".La B stable d'Alrnit, A Septeinbre." The
French bad pat the right tin,te, the fhOtte but the Itus-

aianll obliter4t7cf it an! alte-ced it to their own style.
There are 15 septil;hral D'./2 13 ancuad the tu'e.