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

His chances of doing so,

great at any time, were much reduced by th
unquestionably decisive defeat he sustained in being d

from his entrenched

amp on the Alma. This great battle

it appears, was fot
coast

ght at so short a distance from the s

as enabled the steamers b,

their shot, in a greal

degree, to protect the right wing of the assailing army.
In compliance with the arrangements of the Allies, the
right wing was occupied by the French, the left by the

Turkish forces, and the centre by the English contingent-
The brunt of the battle was sustained by the centre, the
English being gallantly supported by their French and
The Russians were posted on the opposite
ep ravine, on the upper edge of a steep and
re, protected by the whole of their
artillery, they presented a formidable front. This ad-
vantageous position was attacked and stormed in front,
and after three hours of desperate conflict the • English
army and the left wing of the Allies carried the position
at the point of the bayonet. Every military man is fully
acquainted with the dreadful nature of such a contest,
and from what little is as yet known of the storming of
the heights of Alma, sufficient has transpired to show
that it was an achievement in all respects worthy to be
enrolled among the most glorious and daring of our
martial exploits. On all hands it seems agreed that the
English suffered more than either of the wings, a circum-
stance partly arising from the more arduous nature of the
duty they had to perform, and partly from 4-

Turkish allies

side of a &

difficult bank, whi

le fact that

the French were greatly aided and protected by the steam
flotilla. Notwithstanding this partial protection, the
French army lost in killed and wounded 1,200 men, while
Britain has to lament nearly 2,000 of her dauntless and
intrepid sons among the wounded and the slain. The
Turkish loss has not been stated. The Russian casualties
are unknown, but may be guessed at from the fact that
Prince MENscaucopr had 50,000 men under his com-
mand in 'the entrenched camp for covering the Alma,
from which he was drivin, and that he had only 20,000
when he halted at the Baktchi Serai, from which there is
every reason to believe he has long ere this time been dis-
lodged. An unofficial despatch, dated from Odessa, on
the 29th, describes the 25th, 26th, and 27th, as days of
fighting, and of victory for the Allies, which partly ex-
plains what is otherwise slightly inexplicable, their pos-
session of Balaclava, a port about seven miles to the south
by east of Sebastopol. By securing this the fleet has been

able to land the siege artillery and stores ; and thus
approached from the south and from the north, with a
perfectly clear seaboard for the fleet, Sebastopol is com-
pletely invested, and as all military authorities concur in
telling us, that " a place invested is a place taken ;" the
fate of that fortress cannot long remain a problem.
Gratifying although the intelligence undoubtedly is, the

full melody of the triumphant strain in which it I
notified has been broken, and its harmony imps

the note of wailing which must needs accompany it in
many a lordly hall, and by many a cottage hearth,

Singing glory to the Souls
Of the brave t

That e

eat importance is attached to the operations in

the Crimea by the Russians is obvi

not less by the

means they have taken for the defence of Sebastopol than
by the trouble they have taken to exhibit the great
preparations they pretend to have made for its

security, and the feasibilities by which they have before-
hand endeavoured to account for anticipated defeat. In a
paper published under Russian influence in Vienna, called
Arai du Soldat, is the following apologetic explanation of
the permitted disembarkation of the Allies :—" It is not
without interest to be able to appreciate rightly how it
has happened that the allied armies have been allowed to
disembark without resistance. The fact is explained by
the system of defence adopted by the Russians. With

the exception of Sebastopol, no Russian fort on the coast
of the Crimea could seriously :oppose a disembarkation
effected under cover of 3,000 guns. Admiral Prince
3lnNscnixoTr has, therefore, given up all points on the
coast to the allied armies. The plain which extends from
Eupatoria to Simperopol is equally destitute of all means
of defence, whether natural or artificial. But at no great
distance from Simperopol the camp of the division of
Russian cavalry presents itself, whilst the three divisions
of infantry occupy the heights of Baktchi-Serai, and
Sebastopol, the real theatre of war. **** **. The
Russians have fortified many elevations at the north of
Baktchi-Serai, and their entrenchments must be carried
by assault. Prince MENSCRIKOVP has, moreover, but 13
guns, and these he has disposed along the heights which
lie between the convent of St. Krim and Sebastopol. It
is evident that this artillery is insufficient, and the more
so as not more than eight guns can be brou,ght to bear
upon any one point. The Russian army will, therefore,
remain on the defensive, and constitute Sebastopol their
point d'appui. The instructions given to Admirals
NACIIIMOFB and KORNILEFF were no less important.
In case of Sebastopol being besieged, the Russian fleet
will find itself on the verge of a catastrophe. It will be
destroyed, either by the Russians themselves or by the
allies ; for it is not probable that Admiral NAcnimorg
will surrender. On the contrary, the firm conviction is
that he will accept the combat ; and this conviction
greatly adds to the interest of the gigantic drama being
enacted in the Black Sea." The length of the
preceding extract would be inexcusable, were it not that
it explains in some 'degree the combats of three days
subsequent to the storming of the heights of Alma, and
throws some glimmering light on the possession of
Balaclava as the result of these combats. As to the
rhodomontade about the Russian fleet accepting the

spicuous

combat, nous verrons.

Sebastopol is invested, and now lies within grasp of the
allied army. The ultimate event of the struggle was de-
cided by the route of the Russian army at the Alma, and
has been expedited by the subsequent three days' fighting,
and securing safe landing-places to the south as well as to
the north of that fortress. Each blow of swift destruction
which has fallen upon Russia has tended more and more
to open the eyes of Europe in relation to the gigantic
" bug-a-boo" of which, under the name of Russian power,
the nations stood in awe.
But yesterday the word of Russia might
Have stood against the world ; now lies she there,

And none so poor to do her reverence.
A few brief months ago, Russia was described in the House
of Lords by a British minister as "the mightiest empire
in the world.' The prestige of this opinion was con-
siderably abated by the spritedly-applied castigation
the Scythian iaarauder received from the Turks on the
banks of the " dark-rolling Danube ;" but still Cronstadt
was declared cf solid granite and impregnable, and Sebas-
topol was said to be strong enough to " shock the world
in arms." At Bomersund, the granite fable was speedily
exploded ; and ere this time the assumed prowess of Se-
bastopol will also have been blown into thin air. At an
extravagant cost of money, and an appalling waste of
huinan life, the Autocrat has endeavoured to vindicate the
extraordinary sham of a mighty empire, and has been
successful in gaining no brighter glory than can be de-
rived from a dastardly outrage at Sinope, and one fruitless
victory in Asia. Single-handed the Turks defeated him
in battle at K4afat, and drove his best armies before them
from Silistria. The allies have sealed up his fleets in the
Baltic and Black Seas, have battered down one of his
strongholds in the north-west, and in the south-east have
dispelled the Russian dream of centuries, that of trans-
ferring their seat of empire to the Bosphorous

Russia

the " mightiest empire in the world" indeed! Her repu-
tation has been built on falsehood—her impregnable
fortresses crumble before the attack of fifth-class artillery
—her troops are automatons, without heart in their pro-
fession, whose

-bauldest thought 's a hankering wither
To stan' or rin.

The literary rumours of the coming season inform us that,
among other novelties, we may expect a third volume of
Lord Jogs RUSSELL'S magnum opus, " The Memorials
and Correspondence of CHARLES JAMES Fox," and Mr.
3LioAtuar's long procrastinated fruit of promise, some one
or other of his endless volumes of romantic history. The
author of " B. DISRAELI; a biography," likewise threatens
a book, entitled, " Thirty Years of Foreign Policy ;" and the
pepperiness of the last " devilled merry thought," from the
pen of this dealer in literary condiments, has excited some
I, by I curiosity as to the promised rifacciamento. A tale, by

CHARLES LEVER, is also announced; and we are further
promised a new work, under the title of " Romany Rye,"
by Mr. GEORGE BORROW. While peacefully cogitating
on these promised luxuries, the attention of the literary
world is somewhat sternly demanded to note the phases of
that remarkable phenomenon, "a storm in a tea-pot." It

ars that, two and twenty years ago, Mr. ROBT. CHAM-
BERS, of Edinburgh, was employed by Messrs. BLACKIE,
of Glasgow, to edit for them a " Biographical Dictionary of
Eminent Scotsmen," which he did; but whether he in-
serted the proper designation of the English King who
lost the battle of Bannockburn or not does not appear.
These publishers have found it convenient, or desirable, to
publish an altered edition of this biographical work with-
out consulting him, and Mr. C. is not only inconsolable
but indignant on the sublect, and invokes the sympathy
and commiseration of the world of letters to sustain him
under the dire affliction. Surely he should have the
sympathy he seeks and justly merits.
The houses, as the theatres are technically called, are
beginning, one by one, to unlock their portals for the
season. At Drury-lane, Mr. BROOKE has, for the last few
nights, been performing a round of favourite characters,
and this evening, comet-like, he shoots from our theatrical
hemisphere, to re-appear at the Antipodes, at least so it is
said. It would probably be no easy matter to find a more
fitting arena for the display of his theatric skill than at
the Antipodes, and there, it is to be hoped, he will be
entirely successful. Old Drury has been crowded nightly,
and those who have had courage to brave the first piece
out, have been repaid by the delightful and natural acting
of WRIGHT, in "Deaf as a Post," "The Spitalfields
Weaver," and other pieces, in which he has borne a con-
part. The St. James's Theatre, under the
management of Mrs. SEYMOUR, has undergone con-
siderable interior modifications, particularly in the audi-
ence department, which has been brought more into
harmony with English notions, by the withdrawal of the

curtains from most of the dress-boxes. As her opening
bait, Mrs. SEYMOUR has produced, what on the whole

must be lookedon as a successful play, from the joint pens

MUSIC AND THE DRAMA

AT THE THEATRE-ROYAL, during the past week, Miss
Cushman has appeared twice as Meg Merrilies, in the
favourite drama of " Guy Mannering," which, aided by
an efficient chorus, has been well performed, the music
being rendered in such a manner as to reflect much credit
on the skill and assiduity of Mr. Allwood, the able leader
of the orchestra. Of the Meg Merrilies of Miss Cush-
man we have already spoken at length on different occa-
sions, and see no reason to change the opinions then
expressed. In her hands the character is a great and
startling melo-dramatic creation; much too dependant on
external aid, and too little the result of intellectual means.
No particular remark is called for, as to the manner in
which the other characters in the play was sustained.
Or THE GRAND OPERAS, in course of production at the
same theatre, the only performance since our last has been
Bellini's " I Puritani," which took place on Fridey even-
ing, to a house respectably filled, though not by any means
overcrowded. The part of Elvira was to have been sus-
tained by Mad'lle Agnes Bury; but that lady having un-
expectedly become "indisposed," the character was put
into the hands of Madame Rudersdorff, who did both the
acting and the singing great justice. Never having wit-
nessed the powers of Miss Bury in opera, we are hardly in
a condition to appreciate the amount of loss we sustained
on the occasion through her "indisposition," but are very
willing to bear our humble testimony to the delight
afforded by the fair vocalist who kindly took her place.
Madame Rudersdorff is possessed of a voice of great com-
pass, much sweetness, and capable of deep expression,
which she managed with consummate skill. Her out-
bursts of emotion went thrilling to the heart ; and, in
securing the breathless and silent attention of a delighted
audience, she achieved the highest triumph attainable by
artistic skill. Her deportment was ladylike—her deli-
neation of affection tender and pure—if it lacked conven-
tionalism and novelty of effect, it was replete with the
higher attributes of truthfulness and delicacy. Her style
as a singer is easy and natural, and the reiterated plaudits
of an admiring auditory were the most conclusive evidence
of her deserved success. The Artuso of Herr Reichart
was in most respects admirable. He sang with much
grace and no small extent of appropriate animation. His
voice, naturally a good one, and evidently well cultivated,
would not be less pleasing or less generally appreciated, if
he would keep more within its natural compass, and be
less liberal with his falsetto notes. As Georgio, Herr
Carl Formes was all that his great and noble voice could
make him. In the duets, quartets, and other concerted
pieces, his large full tones swelled the harmony, and gave
general grandeur to the music. His solos were scarcely
so attractive. To a certain harshness of tone and manner,
he not unfrequently added the disadvantage of being inex-
pressive, or at all events inappropriate in his expression.
The other characters were in general well sustained. In
addition to the leading parts being well filled, the chorus
and orchestra were likewise very efficient, and the per-
formance as a whole afforded a high musical treat. Last
night, the same composer's admirable opera, "La Son-
nambula," was performed ; but, from the late hour at
which the piece terminated, it is impossible to offer any
remarks upon the style of its performance.
AT THE ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE, Mr. Barry Sullivan,
aided by the members of the resident company, has been
performing a round of his favourite characters to a host
of warm admirers. On Wednesday evening, Miss
Baker took her benefit, on which occasion the friends of
this talented and rising actress rallied round her.
She was well received, and the style of her acting was
such as still farther to justify the partiality of the public,
and to enhance the reputation with which her unassuming
talent has invested her. At this theatre, Mr. Buckstone
commenced an engagement last night. It is to extend
over twelve nights ; and, as is usual with this favourite
actor, he was well received by a large and applauding
audience. The play was " The Knights of the Round
Table," which is to be performed every evening during
the week. The character of Tom Titter was sustained
with his usual ability, and was highly effective.

LIVERPOOL ACADEMY EXHIBITION,

THIRD NOTICE

No. L " Traveller Attacked by Wolves," by Mr. R.
Ansdell, is a picture exhibiting many of the peculiar merits
of the artist's style. The drawing is minute and pains-
taking, the colouring truthful, and the expression of vul-
pine ferocity well marked and characteristic. The inci-
dent, however, is not of such general importance as to de-
mand so large an amount of canvass for its delineation,
much less to justify the occupation of so great an extent
of the Exhibition-room wall ; more especially when we
find not a few pictures of considerable merit placed in situ-
ations which render an examination of their details im-
possible, and form an almost insuperable difficulty in
obtaining even a general idea of their characteristics.
Where there is "room enough for all," such an objection
as that stated could not, with any appearance of propriety,
be urged against Mr. Ansdell's picture, although from the
numerous variety of small and really beautiful works
emanating from the studio of that artist, and comparing
them with the one before us, every spectator must be
struck with the fact that in his case, at least, magnitude is

not synonymous with power, nor large dimensions an

equivalent for greatness.
No. 135. " The Monarch Oak," by Mr. Mark Antony,
is a subject ten times more open to the objections urged
against the picture last alluded to. It is much larger, and
possesses so few claims to consideration as a work of art, as
to lead to the serious questioning of how or why it was
admitted at all. In harshness of outline, unrelieved flat-
ness of surface, and obtrusive ugliness of colour and detail,
it may challenge competition with the worst specimens of
tapestry, the manufacture of which beguiled the tedious
hours of our great-great-grandmothers. Industry mis-
directed, if not absolutely "run to seed," is manifest over
all the "mighty canvass ;" but throughout its vast ex-
panse we look in vain for any trace of that intellect which
forms the line of demarcation between the labour of the
mechanic and the emanation of artistic genius.
No. 28. "Shoeing," by Sir E. Landseer, ILA., is
cellent specimen of the artist's earlier and more common
style. The picture is a well-known and favourite one, and
from an ably-executed engraving is familiar to all classes of
amateurs. Its principal subject is a bright bay cob of
great power ; as a foil to the graceful form and brilliant
colour of the horse, a donkey occupies a conspicuous por-
tion of the picture ; the linear and chromatic composition
are sustained by a half-recumbent dog and the burly figure
of the blacksmith. The thorough unconcern of every
thing but the business on hand, evinced in the head of the
stalwart son of Vulcan, is exceedingly characteristic and
clever ; but the artist has evidently entered most fully
into the delineation of the animal, the shoeing of which
constitutes the subject of the picture. The "points" of
this fine equine specimen are given with great fidelity and
charming sweetness of colour and form; the sleek plump-
ness and elastic softness of the limbs and form are ad-
mirably rendered; and, in manipulation and colour the pic-
ture is entitled to be looked on as a gem of its class.
No. 57. " The Penny Wedding," by the late Sir David
Wilkie, R.A., is one of the happiest specimens of the
artist's early, and by many considered his best style. It is
from the private collection of Her Majesty at Bucking-
ham Palace, and is in all respects worthy of a Royal gallery.
The artist's forte was faithful delineation of character,
and a rich warmth of colour—striking truthfulness of
incident and a rare combination of humour, and all of these
peculiarities are beautifully displayed in this picture. In
addition to these characteristics, we have here also the care-
ful drawing and elaborate rather than correct composition,
and the powerful as well as just light and shadow for
which Wilkie's pictures have long been held remarkable,
and so highly esteemed. The principal interest in this
picture is concentrated in the rustic dancing-party, the
individuality of expresssion and demeanour of whose
members are truthful and interesting ; but no small share
of the artistic skill which prevades the whole, is to be
found, as is usual in Wilkie's pictures of this period, in
the collateral incidents and by-play which animate the
secondary groups. The heads of the musicians are careful
studies, and full of nature, a similar degree of praise
being equally due to the " auld gude wife," sitting, with
prim demureness and self-satisfied sagacity, a loquacious
spectator of the revels. The whole subject, and every-
figure, incident, and accessory introduced into the scene,
are intensely Scottish, and the picture is justly entitled to
hold a first rank in the school to which it belongs, and of
which it is a distinguished ornament.

No. 216. " Garagaldi at Rome," 1849 ; from a sketch
taken during the siege, by Mr. G. H. Thomas, is a picture
evincing much delineative skill, a correct eye, and great
mastery of pencil. The figures introduced, and they are
numerous, are drawn with boldness and power. The
respective groups are well studied, and the individual parts
are cleverly treated. To decision of handling the artist
has added correctness and variety of expression, and each
actor in the busy scene seems properly, as well as actively,
employed ; still, as a whole, the picture is deficient in that
unity of design, and concentration of interest, which are
essential to working out a great effect in art. It abounds
in beautiful portions and cleverly-treated groups, but it
lacks a leading sentiment. In short, it is a clever, rather
than a great work, yet it manifests the artist to be pos-
sessed of many of the best attributes of his profession,
and is calculated to induce lively, as well as favourable
anticipations of his future progress.
N 0.214. "Comma Waiting for Salgar," b 7 Mr. W. Crabb, is
a picture illustrative of one of the quiet incidents so beau-
tifully detailed in the poems of Ossian. In treating it
Mr. Crabb has exhibited, what he very generally does, a
fine appreciation of his 'author. The figure of Colma is
correctly drawn, and well disposed ; the flesh tints are
beautifully true and rich, and the general sentiment is in
fine harmony with the subject. As a piece of mellow
colouring, tasteful composition, and powerful chiaro-scuro,
this picture reminds us forcibly of the Venetian school,
from which the style of its treatment has obviously been
studied; yet this fineproduction has been placed on the floor,
and in so disadvantageous a position as regards light that
its numerous merits are greatly obscured, and its general
effect in a great degree marred.

Ma RUSSIAN AND FINNISH PRISONSRS.—SO strong
is the hostility between the Finns and Russians, that
there is every fear that some fracas will take place unless
they are separated. They appear to have a mutual con-
tempt for each other ; and, when under the influence of
drink, abuse each other in very unparliamentary language.
We understand that arrangements are being made for
separating them.

FATACLANDSLIP.--A few days ago about a quarter of
an acre of land fell in upon three men who were working
in a quarry near Kingsbridge, in the south of Devon. A
blacksmith's shop, which was erected near, also fell in,
and, although the utmost exertions have been made to
rescue the unfotunate men, all attempts have failed to dis-
cover them. Every day since the accident occurred large
numbers of people have visited the spot, and last Sunday
there were upwards of 1,000 persons present. Two of the
men were single, but the other has left a wife a several
children. It appears that on one side of the quarry there
were chambers cut, where the men used to retire when
they were blasting the rocks. It was thought likely that
the poor fellows had gone into one of these, but that hope
has now been dissipated, inasmuch as a shaft has been
dug, by which 'an entrance was made into one of these
places, but the men were not there.