The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-11-14 00:00:00

Calmly picking up his own Minie, our friend returned
towards the camp and joined his regiment. This little
episode was witnessed by a sergeant and several other
skirmishers. Another anecdote, somewhat cruel, is related
of a skirmisher, who, having picked off his man, took the
body to a covered spot and laid it down. He issued forth,
shot a second and a third Russian skirmisher, and quietly
deposited their bodies in a row with the first. Then, see-
ing a Highlander approach, he led him by the arm to the
spot, and said, " That's not such a bad afternoon's bag,
Willie !" A report was in circulation that afternoon of
our ammunition being nearly exhausted. Some vessels
have since arrived bringine, ample supplies. The Blue-
jacket battery most certainly manifested no signs of want
of power and shot, as the condition of the redan amply tes-
tified. Captain Peel gave one of his many proofs of deter-
mination and sangfroid. A shell fell into the battery, upon
which he instantly seized it in his arms, and hurled it
over the parapet, where it exploded harmlessly. In the
course of the night two 68-pounders were added to his
battery. The monotonous roar of artillery awoke every-
body, as usual, at daybreak of the 20th instant. Nothing
occurred of interest until twenty minutes past ten, when a
small explosion took place within the French lines. From
the position of the French, it had been hoped they might
sap towards the town, but the rocky nature of the ground
proves decidedly antagonistic to any engineering under-
taking. We occupy either heights or ravines where any
such atfempts is, of course, out of question. In the course
of the day one of our Lancaster shells, which had not burst,
was politely returned from a Russian gun. Our furnaces
were at work in the afternoon, and several hot shot were
hurled into the town. At four o'clock p.m., an edifice,
near the dock yard was in flames, but the absence of the
slightest breeze prevented the conflagration from spread-
ing, and before night the flames were extinguished. To-
wards midnight some severe musketry fire was heard in
the direction of Balaklava, and the alarm was speedily
sounded in the French camp. At the same time the rear
towards Balaklava was menaced, a Russian column had
made a sortie, and had succeeded in entering one of the
advanced batteries, but were speedily driven out, with the
loss of several prisoners. Brigadier-General Goldie was
despatched with 850 men of the 4th division, and 60
Rifles, to the rear. His instructions were to proceed
towards the telegraph post, on the road to Balaklava, and
to await there further orders. At daybreak he was direc-
ted on Balaklava, and on the road his division was passed
by three 'columns of French infantry and three of Turkish.
All the heights were occupied by Turkish troops, prepared
to give any advancing force a warm reception. The Rus-
sians, who appeared on the heights far to the rear, declined
to give battle, and retired. Onr cavalry was out all night,
and have been lately much harassed by these night alarms.
The deserters from Sebastopol unite in stating that large
reinforcements are expected to arrive in that town be-
fore the 28th. This is probably one of Menschikoff's
little artifices, to encourage the gunners and garrison to
resistance. On the 21st the firing commenced as usual. At
three o'clock in the afternoon an explosion occurred in 'the
Russian redoubt by the white tower. The explosion was
not very violent, and proceeded evidently from an expense
magazine. Late in the afternoon a fire broke out in the
town, but, as usual, was soon extinguished. All the public
edifices, and most of the private houses of Sebastopol, are
constructed of white freestone, and very little wood has
purposely been employed in the buildings. Some of the
houses within range of the French batteries have been un-
roofed, in order to prevent, as far as possible, shells or
rockets taking effect. On some of the barracks layers of
sand-bags have been formed, and, in a word, every precau-
tion has been taken to preserve the town from the flames.
The practice of the Lancaster one-gun battery has been
much more effective since the opening day. Owing to the
construction of the battery, a small portion of the Twelve
Apostles alone presented herself as a range. and that at
too great a distance to be satisfactory. Since then the
"Lancaster" has been pointed on the town, and the exe-
cution committed by it is certainly immense. A shell
was seen to fall on a house, which literally appeared to be
rent asunder. I believe, however, it is running short of
proper umunition. This gun was dismounted that even-
ing, and conducted, under the superintendence of Captain
Baddeley, to the Frenchman's Hill Battery,
Where its destructive powers will have wider range. The
engineers were not prepared for the reception of this "Lan-
caster," and it was not till last night that it was placed in
position. Our casualties were very small on that day, and
never in the annals of a siege has a besieging force
suffered so little as we have in the presentinstance. During
'the 26 days the British army has been before Sebastopol,
not 200 men have been placed hors de combat from the
actual fire of the enemy. In the Frenchman's Hill Bat-
tery two guns were disabled in the course of the day. One
had been struck in the muzzle and severely damaged; but
the gunners worked it nevertheless. A second ball, how-
ever, completely disabled it. Fortunately our reserve of
guns would permit us to remount all the batteries over
and over again. The cannonade opened very briskly on
the morning of the 22nd. The French batteries were
worked with great vigour, and apparently with consider-
able success. One of our guns in Green-hill Battery burst
towards the afternoon, killing two men and wounding
five. A breeze sprang up which would have favoured a
conflagration in the town had a fire been kindled. None,
however, declared itself. Two prisoners, one an officer,
were brought in by the skirmishers of the light division.
The officer was badly wounded, and 'has since expired.
According to the private's account, the loss sustained by
the Russians was very large, and the streets were filled
with killed and wounded. Such like statements must he
received with great caution. A more probable report is
current, viz., that the inhabitants are suffering from want
of water. In fact, large water parties may be seen leaVing
and entering the town daily. At night the cannonade
ceased, and thus terminated the sixth day's siege of Se-
bastopol. To-day (Oct. 23) the batteries opened at the
usual time, but up to this hour (twelve o'clodo nothing
of interest has occurred. In the course Oflast night two
new batteries were traced out, and the trenches com-
menced. Both these batteries (5-gun -ones) will be
established slightly in advance of Frenchman's Hill Bat-
tery, and will command the dockyard. The Russians are,
it is said, constructing a battery of heavy guns near the
ruins of Inkermann, directed on the encampment of our
extreme right (the second division). Most certainly they
have been seen at work in that direction for'the last five
days, without being disturbed by our authorities.
A correspondent of the Morning Post, under date of
October 23, ten a.m., says am sorry 'to say that at 'last
we have had the misfortune to lose one of our officers—
not by ball or sword, but by deficiency of vision. Lord
Dunkellin, who is exceedingly near-sighted, started during
the night of Saturday with a party of the Guards for one
of the batteries, missed his road, and -walked 'into the
hands of the Russian outlying picquet. He must have
been well in advance; for his men, when 'they discovered
their error, rushed at once from the danger and escaped.
Being unarmed, and few in number, all asiistance -tether
officer was out of the question ; moreover, 'it was quite
dark. Lord Raglan has directed that, for the future, all
parties shall be guided to their respective posts by staff
officers thoroughly qualified for the service. During the
night of the 21st, the French, who have now a mortar
battery, advanced 360 yards, shelled the extreme right of
Sebastopol, but no musketry troubled them or us. While
passing, early in the morning, near head-quarters, I saw
two Poles under the charge of a sergeant and two pri-
vates; they proved to be two deserters who had come over
to our picquet a few hours before. They gave a most 'pro-
mising account to us—the besiegers—confirming many of
the reports already received. The streets are said to' e
filled with wounded and dead men, women, horses, camels,
dogs, &c., and disease is devouring the survivors. Large
numbers have been destroyed by our guns, which, occu-
pying a commanding position, and now that the hest
artillerymen are dead, the garrison is in the lowest pos-
sible spirits. I grieve to say a large hospital was 'burnt
by the fire of which I have already written. Our casual-
ties, now that the French are at full work, do not exceed,
daily, eight killed and wounded. This morning (Monday)
the town was seen in a blaze, caused by the regular shel-
ling of the French, who night and day deliver their de-
structive missiles.