The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-10-17 00:00:00

ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.

In the action of the Alma, the colours of the Scotch
Fusilier Guards had 26 bullets through them. The staff
of the colours was broken ; but Mr. Lindsay held fast
as cool as a cucumber, and escaped without a wound.
It appears that a certain class of visitors made a pro-
fitable day's work by visiting the field of battle ; almost
every one found" something. One boasted that he had
picked up nine revolvers and fifty sovereigns ; and one, a
Maltese, is reported to have realised upwards of £l5O
in gold.
A large plan was found in the house Lord Raglan slept
in at Katcha, and in Menschikoff's carriage were found
the full particulars of the English army, their strength,
&e., showing how well the spies in the English camp
must have done their treacherous work. In this de-
spatch Prince Menschikoff assures the Emperor, that he
could make good the defences of the Alma for three weeks
against 100,000 men.
The Russians had evidently been some weeks on the
ground, and the remains of their camp prove it to have
been very commodious. There were long rows of skil-
fully constructed ovens and mess-tables formed of fiat
stones. _ _

A corporal of the 23d found himself alone in the
enemy's battery, and actually bayoneted three men before
assistance came to him ; he was at once promoted to be
sergeant, .

One officer lay dead, with a little dog sitting between
his legs, a position from which no persuasion could move
the dog. He bad been mortally wounded, and given
his gold watch to a soldier who kindly gave him a draught
of water. Another, quite a boy, lay with his hands
clasped in the attitude of prayer ; near him lay one only
wounded, who spoke French, and there nestled in his
bosom a little kitten, which seemed unwilling to leave him.
Sub-Lieutenant Poitevin, colour bearer of the 39th
Regiment (French), went and planted the colours on a
fort which the Russians had not had time to finish, and
there he stood superb in the midst of hosts of Russian
sharpshooters. A moment afterwards he fell, pierced by a
dozen balls. All those brave soldiers whom the cholera
had for a moment thrown into consternation, were radiant
before the battle. After the victory they were seen
bestowing the most touching care on the wounded
Russians.

An officer says :—" A letter I took from the pocket of
a Russian officer I sent to the admiral, thinking it might
contain some useful information ; but the interpreter has
discovered it was only a love-letter from the mistress of
one of the officers, wishing him a speedy victory over the

enemy, and a quick return to her arms. This dream,
however, will not be realised : he was shot. through the
heart."

There have been some extraordinary wou:-.13. A
private in the Guards had a button of his coat strut: in
the centre by a Minie rifle ball ; the button, partially
entering, caused a severe contusion of the rib, but saved
his life. One was struck by a cannon ball at the moment
of raising his hand ; the ball drove the hand and arm
right through the body.
A Russian general was captured after the battle under
rather singular circumstances. He had heard the firing,
and, confident that the action must have resulted in
our repulse, came with a single attendant to the heights
to congratulate, as he believed, Prince Meuschikoff,
upon his victory. To his intense surprise he was made
prisoner. _ . .

Another general officer was captured in the redoubt.
He was stretched on the ground beside his fallen horse,
apparently dead. An artilleryman, who had taken a
violent fancy to his coat, was about to divest the sup-
posed corpse of it, when the body began to move and
nearly frightened the man off. It was soon discovered
that no harm had come to the general, and, on his coat
being opened, two stars announced his rank. The gene-
ral's object was evidently to lie quietly until night, and
then make off.
Loss ox THE ALMA.—The actual loss at the battle of
the Alma, on the side of the allies, was 606 killed, and
2699 wounded. There were engaged in the battle
not less than 100,000 French, English, Turkish, and
Russian troops. One regiment, the 23d, had 200 put
hors de combat. How many the Russians lost it is im-
possible to say. No doubt it is a heavy list of killed and
wounded, but the public will be' greatly misled if it
believes that such a loss equals the average of great
battles. When the English met the French on the
plains and mountains of the Peninsula we lost a much
greater proportion by their impetuous bravery. The
Russians prove less destructive to us than the French
did in the great war ; and considering the position of the
enemy, it must be allowed that the loss on the side of the
allies was proportionately small. Take a few facts :
At the combat on the Col de Maya, in July, 1813, when
the total number engaged did not emceed 45,000 men, the
grand total of killed and wounded was 2900 men ; while
of the 92d Regiment two-thirds went to the ground. In
the first battle of Sauroren, where the whole force en-
gaged did not equal the number engaged on the Alma,
the total of killed and wounded on the side of the English
alone was 2600. In the five days' fighting on the Nive
the loss in killed and wounded on both sides was upwards
of 10,000.
The following is an interesting letter from, an officer in
the Crimea, to his wife who is residing in Exeter :
" Kalamita Bay, Crimea, 20th Sept.

"On the 17th we were to land, 'and I had prepared
everything to go on shore, when I was suddenly ordered
to proceed to the town of Eupatoria by a man-of-war (the
Retribution.) The reason of my being sent etas to make
a report upon the resources of the town and district, and
to form a depOt, as the place was to be occupied by Eng-
lish and French. I felt at first rather sorry at being
ordered away from head quarters, fearing I might be
absent from the taking of Sebastopol, which I should not
like to miss, having gone through so much already, but
my fears were premature, as you will hereafter perceive.
After a very pleasant voyage of only two hours we arrived,
and remained on shore all day inspecting the town, &c.,
and in the evening I made • a report to the Commissary-
General. We found Eupatoria the most civilised place we
have visited in these partS. All the Russians had de-
camped, but some respectable Poles and Germans remained.
These, with the Tartars, received us very kindly, and to go
there you could hardly believe yourself in an enemy's
country. A governor is-appointed, who rules and draws
up laws. There are several very nice houses there, more
in the English style thanthose hitherto seen in the East..
One house that belonged to a Russian family was beauti-
fully furnished. The family had fled with the valuables,
leaving most of the furniture -behind. We found glasses,
pictures, grand piano, beautiful velvet-covered chairs, beds-,
sofas, tables, books, china, &c.,- -Sze. They must have left
in great haste, as in a lady's boudoir I found gold fish still'
swimming in the vase; they- had even left cold meat in the
larder, a cow in the yard, and carriage in coach-house, &c. •
It was quite melancholy to see such a state of things, albeit
in the case of an enemy. In Eupatora you can get a fine
sheep for 55., bread 4d. the 51b.- loaf, eggs 40. per dozen,
fruit and vegetables without limit and cheap. It is the
greatplace from which the people at Sebastopol receive
their flour. We captured 70 waggons laden with flour on'
their way to Sebastopol ; this morning we had bread made
of it and it was very good.

" 2.1 g, off Alma 'Riven—About. half an hour after writ-
ing the above we came in sight of the army and fleet, and
just in time to witness a battlefought by the English and
French• against the Russians. The latter, about 40,000
with 100 cannon, posted themselves on the heights on the
banks of the Alma River, and we had to force the passage.
Our troops had to get the brunt ofit and did their work
nobly, and after four hours hard. fighting the Russians
were defeated and driven back. The loss on our side was
96 officers,- 25 of them killed, the rest wounded ; 116 nen.
commissioned officers, 26 drummers,. and 1,820 soldiers,
36 horses: The loss of the French was 600 killed and
wounded.

"Alma River, 22nd.—Having a few minutes to spare;
I will give you a more minute account of the battle of the
20th. On the 19th the troops- encamped about three-
miles from the Alma River, and the next morning when
they advanced found the ussia:is on the opposite side -of
the river on the heights, a position-naturally stronger than
many a -fortress. I enclose a little sketch • the hills are
as steep as walls, in many places -about 500 or 600sfeet-
high, and in front, a river very deep. in some places. On
the hills the Russians were posted, about 30,000 with 100
guns,. some of them 34-pounders; our largest were
9-pounders. The place was taken, and all our troops-on.
the heights in four hours ; the French on the right, ours
on the left. The battery marked No. 1, was a very strong
fortress position, and taken by the Guards, the 015th,
23rd, and. 7th. The hard fighting was all on our, own side,
and awful at this spot. The Russians expected to detain. us
three weeks ; they stopped us only two days, as we move
on to-morrow. None but English troops could have stood
the fire which ours did, and the loss is not great, consi-
dering the position. This has-- been one of the most bril-
liant things ever done by our trooce."

Amongst the many exploits of the British troops, few-sur-
pass. in cool daring the conduct of Lieuts. Lindsey and
Thistlethwaite, of the Scots Fusilier Guards, the Queen's
colour being carried by the former and the regimental
colour by the latter gentleman. At the moment before. the
heights were gained, and when the deadly struggle• raged
so fiercely as to make it almost impossible to tell friend
from foe, the two lieutenants became separated from their
battalion, and found themselves, with the four sergeants
whose duty it was to support them, attacked by a body of
Russians, whose commanding officer had led them against
the colours. A desperate conflict ensued ; the four ser-
geants quickly fell under a shower of balls. The Queen's
colour, carried by Mr. Lindsey, was torn into stripes, being
pierced by a cloud of bullets. The shaft was shot in two,
still the gallant officers persevered, and succeeded in cutting
their way through the enemy which surrounded them.
They were ably assisted, and at the right moment, by
Captain Drummond, the adjutant of the regiment, whose
horse was shot under him. Captain Lindsey, seeing the
danger to which the colours were exposed, rushed to the
relief, and with a revolver pistol shot three of the assail-
ants. The successful bearers of the • standard escaped
almost miraculously, and succeeded in planting their
colours or the heights, which had been then just won from
the Russians, Mr. Lindsey having• climbed the steep face
of the hill with the aid of the broken staff, while he exult-
ingly waved what remained of it with Her Majesty's
colours over his head • neither this.gallant gentleman nor
his companion, Mr. Thistlethwaite, received any hurt.
Colonel Haygarth's escape was also a singular instance
of the chances of the battle-field. He received his first
wound almost at the same moment when the incident we
have just stated occurred, and, he was in such close quar-
ters with the enemy that his shoulder, which was shot
through, was burned by the discharge of the Russian muse
ket. While lying on the field, close to the river's bank,
which he had but just ascended, and in an unconscious
state, another shot fractured his leg, and, in the struggle
produced by this concussion, he rolled over and down the
bank into the stream of the Alma. The sudden shock
and the coldness of the water staunched the blood, which
was flowing from the arteries of the shoulder, and so saved
his life, although, in- scrambling out of the water, he
received another wound from a ball, which grazed his head.
The following officers are under orders to proceed forth-
with to the Crimea:—The Hon. Ashley Ponsouby, M.P.,
Grenadier Guards ; Lieut.-Colonel De Bathe, Lieut.-Colo-
nel Fordyce, Capt. P. Paget, Capt. Lord Adolphus Vane
Tempest, Lieut. Gregory, and Lieut. Farquharson, Scots
Fusilier Guards, with drafts of those regiments. In addi-
tion to the drafts of the Guards, the following detachments
will embark next week in the Robert Lowe) for the Crimea :
—7th Fusiliers, 2 sergeants and 80 men; 19th Regiment,
2 sergeants and 80 men ; 23d Fusiliers, 2 sergeants and 100
men ; 33d Regiment, 2 sergeants and 100 men ; 88th,
Ensigns Kenny and Preston, and about 80 men ; 95th,
Lieut. Probart, 2 sergeants, and 80 men. Major-General
Hay, who succeeds Lieut.-General Sutherland at the
Mauritius, is to sail on the 22d inst. Viscount Melville
having accepted the command of the forces in North Bri-
tain, Major-General Allen Maclean, an old Waterloo officer,
succeeds to his lordship's command in India. A circular
has just been issued to commanding officers from the
Horse-guards, to the effect that the General Commanding-
in-Chief has decided that the distribution into service and
depot troops, when employed in the field abroad, shall be•
as follows : namely, 4 Service Troops, 26 sergeants, 4 trum-
peters,4 farriers, 16 corporals, 299 privates, and 300 horses ;
2 Depot Troops, 8 sergeants, 3 trumpeters, 2 farriers, 7
corporals, 128 privates, and 72 horses ; total, 34 sergeants,
7 trumpeters, 6 farriers, 23 corporals, 427 privates, and
372 horses. In the list of deaths from cholera in the
army in the Crimea, is the name of Lieut.-Colonel Beck-
with, of the Ist battalion Rifle Brigade.
PRINCE MENSCIIIKOFF'S CARRIACE.—A letter from an
officer serving in the Crimea, dated Camp, Balaklava,
Sep. 28, 1854, states:—`" Poor Menschikoff, who com-
manded, left behind him his carriage and horses, the
former being full of boxes, containing most magnificent
Hussar uniforms, and also portmanteaus of valuable
articles. These were quickly ransacked. Watches and
jewellery,arms,and fine clothing of everykind were found,
which soon exchanged possessors in the persons of our
men. The officers came in but for a small portion, though
I deemed myself lucky in appropriating to my special
keeping a very compact and useful portmanteau, manu-
factured from the most esteemed Russia leather. Among
the various articles found was a pair of white satin slip-
pers, which made us suspect that the gallant chief was
most agreeably attended in his campaign sojourning."
- . ,

FIRST NIGHT IN THE CRI3IEA.—The following (says
the Devizes Gazette) is an extract from a letter from a
brave noble youth (son of an ancient Wiltshire family), to
his parents :—" As soon as our division (the Ist) was
formed on landing, and the light division had marched off,
we started, and marched five miles over a large flat plain,
with a ridge of high rugged-looking hills facing us, and
encamped at half-past four, p.m., in a large ploughed field,
with a quantity of bushy weeds on it, which luckily made
very good bedding when pulled up and heaped together, so
a general rush took place as soon as we had piled arms,
and not a weed was left in half an hour ! So we had our
chip of cold pork and biscuit and go-down of whiskey, put
our cloaks over us, ard, with our bear-skin caps for a
pillow, laid down on our 'bed of mile g,' and slept like a top,
though it rained a good 1 art of the eight sharpish.
Nov I will tell you a receipt for S. OAR M ler any cir

cumstances Have all the excitement of landing on an
enemy's shore, mixed with about as many haversacks,
cloaks, cold pork, pistols, telescopes, hatchets, &c., as you
can carry, and a bear-skin cap and epaulettes on top of all.
Lay down with your conscience at ease from a sense of
doing your duty, and put the cape of your coat bang over
all your head, so that you can't feel the rain or dew fall,
or be dazzled by the moon or stars, and then commend
yourself to Gud.' If you don't sleep then there must be
something wrong in the inside."

FOREIGN

EVT_ELLIG ENCE.

FRl:cm—The Berthollet, which left Constantinople on
the 4th with the remains of the late Marshal St. Arnaud
on board, arrived on Wednesday morning at Marseilles.
The body will be buried in the Hotel des Invalides this
day (Tuesday), and the expense of the funeral will be
defrayed out of the public treasury. There is a rumour in
Parisian circles, that the Emperor has resolved to confer
the Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour an Lord Rag-
lan. If Marshal de St. Arnaud had lived, the British
Government would probably have recommended the Queen
to confer upon him some high mark of her distinction.
PRussrA.—The following is from Berlin, dated the 9th
instant :—The Correspondence states that the Austrian
Note compelled the Prussian government to declare its
intentions as to the maintenance of the offensive- and de-
fensive alliance with Austria. The propositions of M. von
Manteuffel, intended to preserve a good understanding,
not having been favourably received, he tendered his
resignation, and left town on Friday last. He was re-
called, and returned yesterday evening. The King arrived
this morning, and presided at a council. All that has'
transpired respecting the deliberations is, that M. von
Manteuffel withdrew his resignation; that conciliatory
declarations are to be addressed to the Cabinet of Vienna;
and that eventually Prussia is to adopt a policy perfectly
in accordance with that of Austria. It is said that the
Mince of Prussia is to arrive here forthwith, and their
Majesties are expected this evening after a temporary
absence.
RUSSlA.—Private letters have been received in Paris
from St. Petersburg, which state that a continued system
of deception as to the progress of the allied army is prac-
tised in that capital. Even the battle of the Alma has
been represented as a victory, and St. Petersburg was
actually illuminated in honour of it. It was admitted
that the Russians had lost 1,000 men in the battle, but
the allies were said to have lost 10;000 men, and to be
completely disorganised. The retreat of the Russians
after the victory was accounted for as a'" strategic move-
ment," in the hope of inducing the allied army to push
forward tev the neighbourhood of Sebastopol, "where
their utter destruction was a matter of certainty, and the
surrender of the whole army exceedingly probable. A
Vienna despatch of Friday says :—" The movement of the
Russian Imperial Guard upon Poland still continues.
The Gazette des Posies states that the arrival of the
equipages of the Emperor Nicholas at Warsaw is daily
looked for. The report of the arrival of 15,1)00- Russians
in the Crimea remains without confirmation.

GREECE.—By accounts from Thessaly, we . learn that
after the late insurrection in that and the neighbouring
province of Albania had been subdued, some of the insur-
rectionary bands-distributed themselves over the moun-
tains, occupying very strong natural positions; from which
the Turks have been unable to dispossess them. by force.
The chief of these.mountain bands took up his-position in
the range of Mount Pelion, the fastnesses of which. are so
strong that 100 armed men could keep possession in spite
of twenty times that number of regular troops, . A large
body of troops had been marched into the districts with
the view of dislodging the mountain band, whiCh is com-
manded by Captain:Antonio, whose depredations have
lately become unbearable, and who, in short, has degene-
rated into a simple captain of banditti, plundering the
peaceable people of the country, and committed many acts
of oppression and tyranny. Hussein Paella left Larissa
at the head of about 1000 regular troops and 500 Alba-
nians, and after a wearisome march between Mount Ossa
and Mount Pelion, through rugged and difficult passes, he
arrived at Zagora on the-third day, and sent to Antonio
requiring an immediate surrender. In two days• after a
message arrived fronhthe mountain bands that they would
surrender to the EngliShmen upon the condition that they,
the mountaineers, should receive a free pardon fer -what
was past, and that they should be embodied in the moun-
tain police. This was- agreed to, and the province: of
Thessaly may now be said to be tranquillised.

AMERICA.

ARRIVAL _OF THE ARABIA

By the British and North American Royal Mail_ steam-
ship Arabia, Commodore Judkins, we have intelligence
from New York to the 4th instant. She brought 101. pa-
ssengers, and $069,436 and £2,680 in specie.
The Arabia left at 1, 56; p.m., on the sth instant; on
the following day, at 8 30, a.m., spoke the Canada hence
for New York, and. arrived in the river at 6 30, p.m., on
Saturday. The passage occupied less than ten days.-
Up to the time of the Arabia's departure nothing:was
known of the catastrophe to the Arctic, but the papers-were
expressing uneasiness at her non-arrival.
The new steam-frigates were being actively proceeded
with, under the supervision of Mr. George Steers. One
of these vessels, the Niagara, is to have a speed of 17
miles an hour under-sail alone. She is to be a propeLler,
and to carry guns of• eleven-inch bore, the largest calibre
used in our navy- The extreme length of the Niagara
will be 315 feet, depth of hold 31 feet, breadth of beam
55 feet, draught when loaded 22 feet 9 inches. The five
remaining frigates are all to be much smaller than the
Niagara, having a displacement of only about 3,5'00 tons.
Between twenty and thirty persons are supposed to have
lost their lives by: the sinking of the steamer Malta on.the
Ohio River. The first Council of Romanist Bishops, ever
held in the Province of New York, assembled on,the Ist
instant, in that city.
There had been two failures at Boston, one that of a
large clothing house, and the other a firm larply engaged
in the Australian business..

The Tribune correspondent at St. Thomas,, reports the
rumour that the United States provisional agent had suc-
ceeded in securing the Bay of Samana for a naval station.
It is also stated that President Santana is inclined. to
accept the friendship of the United States, hoping to find
in it a permanent barrier for Dominica against the ambi-
tion of his neighbour the Emperor of all the lia.ytiens.
The New York Journal of Commerce notices the re-
action which is-exhibiting itself in the emigration traffic.
It says, "We have noticed of late frequent departures of
large companies of emigrants from this port, on their
return to the .old world. These occurrences seem to indi-
cate that a reaction to the excessive emigration of past
years has commence&

A Boston paper mentions that the trade between New
England and Canada was rapidly increasing under the
influence of the new treaty.
Indian depredations on the American. side of the Rio
Grande were very numerous. Captain Llewellen Jones,
with a party of ten riflemen, pursued and defeated a party
of fifteen Indians, killing one, wounding three, and taking
seven homes and other plunder. Jones's loss amounted
to one corporal killed, two privates wounded, and four
horses wounded.

A very extraordinary occurrence -had taken place on
the railway near Providence, originating from a dispute
between an old man, through whose property this line
passed, and the railway company, the former complaining
that his land had been assessed, at too low a price. On
the 3d,he placed a small house, erected by himself, upon
both tracks, in which he put several kegs, which he said
contained powder, and then fastened, himself inside, by
nailing up every entrance to it. The Boston and Provi-
dence train, and the Providence and Worcester train were,,
as they came along, brought-to a standstill by the ob-
struction, and detained for nearly two hours. The old
fellow swore that if they attempted to run the engine
through the house that he • would fire the powder and
blow everything around him to atoms. After a long
delay, through which the. crowd increased to over a
thousand people, the North Providence and the Providence
police arrived, when they fell to work, and with well-
directed blows soon sineshed the doors of the house in,
and seized the old man. It was with difficulty at first
that the crowd could be kept from injuring him., He
was hurried away to gaol. The crowd then attacked the
house and soon made a, complete wreck of it. About half
a keg of powder only was found.
According to the. New York Tribune the cabinet had
determined on de-cided measures with regard to the Central
American question.. It says, " The right of Nicaragua to
the port of Greytown, is to be asserted, and the, Mosquito
Protectorate treated with marks of contempt.. For this
purpose the razee Independence is to go there, accompanied
by a war-steamer and perhaps other vessels. It was
originally the plan to put the steamer in charge of Captain
Hollins, but that is said to have been abandoned as having
rather too provocative an appearance. The Nicaraguan
flag is to be saluted by the squadron when it arrives at
San Juan ; and we are informed that the flag is now being
prepared at the Brooklyn Navy-yard for that purpose.
Whether anything more will be attempted by the squadron
than this formal recognition of Nicaraguan severeignty
we are not able to say, but any such ulterior measures
will encounter serious difficulties. In the first place the
British are now in actual possession there, and the muni-
cipal authorities of Greytown are again organised under
their protection. If Hollins had occupied the locality
after his bombardment, the return of the British and the
restoration of the town could only have been accomplished
by offensive acts on their part. The war must then have
been commenced by them ; but the contrary is now the
case, and the attack must come from us. Against such
an attack the English government has made ample pre-
parations, for, as is reported from Jamaica, the Boscawen,
70, with a frigate or two, probably, beside the brig
Espiegle, and one or two smaller vessels, are to be there
about the same time. Thus, Commodore Mervin will find
himself as inferior in force, when he reaches the scene of
action, as was Lieut. Jolly, on a former memorable occa-
sion, and a new attempt at the forcible dispossession of
the authorities of Greytown will be impracticable. To
salute the flag of Nicaragua will then probably be the
extent of the campaign."
Advices from Venezuela to the 3d ult. announce that
the revolution in Barquesameto had ended. General
Rodisquez, the chief of the patriot army, was being taken
by an escort to Caracas, but his guard murdered him on
the road. An abundant coffee crop was nearly ready for
collecting.
The revolutionists in Northern Mexico were making
considerable progress, having obtained possession of several
towns, including Monterey. The government troops were
unable to check them. Linares, Monte Morelas, and
Cadayta had also been taken. The government troops
that captured Victoria, it is said, burnt a number of
, houses, and committed great excesses. The insurgents
were very sanguine of success, and had divided into par-
ties and commenced a system of guerilla warfare. Another
, account contradicts these statements, and says that the
revolution was at an end.

The accounts of the damage by the recent storm at
Gaveston and Matagorda are awful. A large number of
lives were lost on the coast, and also in the cities, by the
blowing down of houses. The captain and crew of the
steamboat Kate Ward and schooner Tom Payne perished.

CANADA,

The Canadian cabinet has decided to insert in the Clergy
Reserves Secularisation Bill a clause giving to the ministers
of the Churches of England and Scotland, who are in
receipt of stipends from these reserves, the option of corn.