The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-24 00:00:00

emblems of their rank by putting on the cloaks
belonging to some of their men. The enemy recog-
nised them, without doubt, by their not carrying
muskets, Nothing is to be done with cannon against
barricades—they were to be carried by the bayonet.
The Georg an companies and the militia of the Caucasus
did'not exhibit much courage ; it was found necessary
to replace them by other battalions. As soon as one of
our men fell, the enemy carried off his arms and his
cartridges. As to our dead, they left them ; but they
concealed their own dead in the forest. The natural
and artificial barricades which opposed the march of our
army, the wild shrubs which covered the soil of these
virgin forests, and the narrow and steep roads did more
harm than the obstinate resistance of the enemy. Not-
withstanding their impetuous courage, our battalions
could only advance slowly, at the rate of one werst and
a half per hour. Our avant- guard, however, reached
Dargo before night. This Aul is situated on the
slope of a mountain, at the edge of a gorge, and
was composed of sixty to seventy small houses
built of stone, and a few other more solid buildings,
which appeartd to be of very ancient date. Schamyl,
seeing that the Russian troops were advancing
notwithstanding the vigorous resistance of his own
soldiers, set fire to every point. Before the setting of
the sun the chasseurs of Lithuania occupied the aban-
doned villages. It was already night when the staff
arrived at Dargo and had the tents pitched. The fire of
the buildings served for those of the bivouac of our head •
quarters. On the 19th of July there was a murderous
battle. Schamyl occupied, with an army of 5,000
Tschetschenzes, on the nearest point to Dargo, a high
mountain which commanded our position. Ho even
threw some balls into our camp, and, although the shots
did not generally go true, it happened, however, that a
ball fell near the tents of the staff.. It was a six-pounder,
coming probably from one of the cannons which Schamyl
had obtained possession of after the taking of Unzula.
According to the report of the natives, these pieces are
served by Russian deserters. However, the enemy
rarely uses them, either through fear of losing them, or
in order to save powder. The Commander-in-Chief
ordered General Labinzoff, with five battalions of in-
fantry and a large body of cavalry, to drive the
enemy from their position and seize on the guns.
Our sharp-shooters climbed up the mountains, but
were forced to give way, for the mountaineers
defended themselves vigorously. However, the heights
were at last taken at the bayonet's point ; but the guns
bad been removed into the forest. Our columns being
furnished with provisions for only five days, it was found
necessary to order up a convoy. Six battalions were
detached, under the command of General Pluke de Pluge-
neau, to serve as the escort to it. This column, ou its
march, was surrounded by numerous bodies of moun-
taineers ; but the real attack took place on the return to
Dargo. The convoy was half a league in length, and
Schamyl directed in person to attack at the head of his
determined Murides. Two Russian generals, Wicktoroff
and Pasek, were killed in the combat, by a discharge of
balls, like General Fox, a few days before, but by the
edge of the sword. Seeing the impossibility of defend-
ing the convoy, General Pluke had renounced covering
the whole line. The enemy had seized on some Russian
trumpeters, whom they forced to sound in the forest,
in order to deceive the Russians, and draw them into
a snare. Some Russian sharpshooters, led astray by its
sound, followed a false direction, and the unfortunate
column reached Dargo in the most deplorable state, af-
ter having left 1,300 men dead in the forests. The enemy
loaded several waggons with the spoil, and upwards of
300 mules and horses laden with baggage fell into their
hands. On the 25th July we marched on the valley of
Axai, and as soon as the troops got into the forests the
combat began afresh. Continual reinforcements were
found necessary to prevent the chasseurs from perishing.
General Freytag, who had received dispatches, suc-
ceeded in forcing his way through the enemy with 6,000
infantry and 300 Cossacks. He arrived at last at the
bivouac of the army, and the two corps, thus united,
proceeded towards Irselaul. The more the forests were
left behind, the greater weakness and irresolution the
enemy showed. On the Ist August the fortress was
reached. Numerous bands of the enemy are still within
two days' march of the valley of Ances. Schamyl has
retired with his cavalry to the interior of Tsches-
tehnaya."
The Constitutionnel, after quoting this account of
affairs in Circassia, says, " It is easy, from the details
which reach us successively relative to the last expedi-
tion of the Russians in the Caucasus, to form an idea of
the new plan of operations which the Russian Govern-
ment has adopted to reduce the mountaineers to obedi-
ence. The Russians are fond of comparing the war of
the Caucasus to that of Algeria. This comparison
pleases the Emperor. He would have cause to congra-
tulate himself; in fact, if it were exact, and if the success
of his army in the Caucasus were as positive as that of
ours in Algeria. The expedition of General de Woron-
zow, was, therefore, traced out after our razzias in
Algeria. In the impossibility of seizing these roving
mountaineers, he aimed at reaching them through their
property ; he thought he should find collected in the
village of 1 largo all the gunpowder, muskets, and stores
of the army of the mountaineers, but this was quite an
erroneous cal culation. A heavy blow could be inflicted on
Abd-el-Kade.• by seizing his stores, for the Emir had an
army to pay ; but the mountaineers of the Caucasus com-
bat for their independence at their own expense, and expect
nothing from 'their chief beyond the order to precipitate
themselves on the enemy ; they carry their powder
about with them, and never lay aside their arms, which,
in fact, constitute their whole riches. There are flocks
in the Caucasus as there are in Kabylia, but in time of
war they are so well guarded that the Russians can never
reach they.). Dargo was burnt down by Schamyl him-
self, and the Russians did not find there a single gun or
barrel of powder. Still more, it was on the Russian
army itself ithat the razzia was made, for the consider-
able convoy which General Pluke was bringing up
passed entirely into the possession of the mountaineers,
and thus the pleasure of booty was added to the love of
independence. The loss of Dargo was thus more than
compensated for. In fine, this campaign renders the
situation of the Russians worse than ever. It cannot
fail to encou:rage the mountaineers, and augment the
discouragem.mt which is spread through the Russian
army. The symptoms of this feeling are above all
manifested amongst the native auxiliary troops, who had
previously been distinguished for their spirit against the
mountaineers, us the latter are very disagreeable neigh-
bours. The Rt issian Government will probably abandon
its new system of razzias, as it has abandoned twenty
others. Mean while it has obtained for Count de
Woronzow the title of Prince. A few years before a
similar attempt drew disgrace and dismissal on General
Grabbe."

PROTECTION TO BRITISH PROPERTY ON VIE
FRENCH COX rr.—A letter from Lloyd's agent at Boulogne
mentions that some Frenchmen had been fined and impri-
soned for pluiftdering the British vessel Trinidad, Brown,
from Manilla to London, wrecked on the coast there, and that
the tribunal ha. 1 directed the restoration of the stolen goods.
As some reports injurious to the French character were afloat
at the time of the destruction of the Conqueror on that
coast, the above instance of French justice deserves mention.
HARBOURS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.—Mr. Fiume
moved in the last sessions for a return (which has been is-
sued within the last few days), showing the receipt of every
harbour in the United Kingdom, for each of the last three.
years, setting forth the several heads of income and expendi-
ture. The return extends to 91 pages, and contains a mass
of info' mation. The total income of the harbours in the
United Kingdom amounted, in the following years respec-
tively, to the sums mentioned:-1841-2, the sum of 783,782/,
14s. 40. ;1842-3, the sum of 805,4181. lls. sid ; and 1843-4,
the sum of 830,3231. 9s. si-d; of which sums the harbours in
England and Wales, and islands in the British seas, produced
respectively in the years 524,724/. 10s. Oid., 547,1231.45. 114 d.,
and 554,645/. 10s. 11d. ; whilst those in Scotland, in the same
period, realised 168,626/. ls. 104 d., 163,879/. 18s. lid., and
177,123/. 16s. 9}d; and those in Ireland, 90,432/. 2s. 54d.,
94,415/. 7s. 6id., and 98,554/. ls. 9d. The harbour dues are
collected under Acts of Parliament. It appears, midst the
immense array of figures presented by the lengthened return,
that the income of the port of London in 1841-2, was 13,1821.
4s. 11d. ; 18-12- 3, 13,385/. Is. 4d ; and in 1843-4 it was
13,207/. 18s. 7d- The expenditure waR, in the years respec-
tively, 8,1414 95., 8,310/. 17s. 11d., and 10,623/. 17s. sd. The
excess of income is annually invested in Govermnent securi-
ties towards forming a fund to provide for the reduction or
ultimate extinction of the duties, and the fund now amounts
to 39,568/.
THE ROYAL EXCHANGE.—The frequenters of this
noble ornament of the City have been much interested lately
by the proceedings of the workmen in fixing the permanent
gates at the north entrance, facing Bartholomew-lane. It
will be recollected, that at the time of the opening of the
new Royal Exchange by her Majesty the Queen, last October,
all the gates were temporary, and of wood, it having been
found impossible by the architect to get those very ela-
borate specimens of ironwork in such a state as to justify the
fixing of them on that occasion. The merchants acknow-
ledge that the delay was most judicious, and there seems to
be but one opinion entertained as to the perfection of the
workmanship in the gates now being fixed. The gates them-
selves hate a highly ornamented and enriched frame. They
are made oi`' wrought iron, the decorations being in cast iron.
In the centres of the gates, on either side, are the arms of the
City of London, and of the Mercers' Company, with the
cypher of Sir Thomas Gresham, T. G., very ingeniously in-
troduced. In the ornamental heads of the gates the rose,
thistle, and sh amrock appear entwined. Though of enormous
weight, the gates are so well poised as to be capable of being
moved with the least impulse. On the gates are the names
of Grissell and Co., who, we are informed, are the founders.
The Exchange having four entrances, there will, of courr,
be four pair of gates. Those to the east and south, will,
we are given to understand. be similar to those which the
workmen are employed in fixing. Those to the great western
entrance will be much larger, and will be even more deco-
rated than the others, and will contain, besides the arms
before referred to, the arms of all the twelve great com-
panies. It is understood that the Gresham Committee are
making arrangements for erecting the pedestal and the
statue of the Queen, by Lough, in the merchants area, and
that as the merchants complain that the asphalte in the
open part is found to be cold from its non-absorbant character,
they have resolved to lay down the old Turkey stone-pave-
ment which has been preserved, adopting some ornamental
devices in stone of richer colour.
WEST RIDING REVISION.—IMPORTANT DECISION
Ix FAVOUR OF THE FREE-TRADE JOINT-VOTERS.—TIIC revision of the
lists of Parliamentary voters for the West Riding commenced at
Sheffield on Wednesday. The Tories made it their great point to
strike off the new votes created by the free-trade party, to the whole
of which they had objected. Mr. Baxter opposed the votes, as ren-
dered illegal by the Splitting Act, and the case was gone into at
great length. The Revising Barristers, however, unanimously de-
cided that the votes were good ; and Mr. Blanchard, the senior bar-
rister, said distinctly, that "it was rather meritorious that any
person should desire the privilege of a vote, and should purchase
property to secure it ; it could not be made an objection to him,
that that was his primary object in the acquisition of the property."
This decision will, we believe, take away the only ground on which
fram 1,500 to 2,000 of the Tory objections rested ; and it, therefore,
most materially affects the relative strength of parties in the West
Riding. At Sheffield the balance on the revision was 173 in favour
of the Orange or Liberal party ; at Barnsley it was 100 in their
favour, and at Rotherham 56. At Doncaster the Tories had an ad-
vantage, but the balance on those four districts is 333 to favour of
the 1414vra5.—Leati Mercury.