Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-12-02

ARRANGEMENTS r.
pose appear to have been abandoned and those who
hurt in the trenches slowed away houses near the
water side The Crcassians said the oyer-crowding
them and the want Of adequate medical attendance had
occasioned fearful mortality When the sheds round
the dockyard set fire yesterday magazine con-
tanning 1000 sacks of and -four entirely de-
stroyed.
NOVEMBER 1.-The same duh cannonade has been
going all through to-day without any marked results
either sde The French in working at their mine this
morning discovered strong Russian mine within few
feet Of the parapet OF their preaching battery 1t
nearly twelve feet below the surface Of the EARTH in the
form of the letter and about l8 cw ofpowder
OF course the instant the discovery made the French
made counter mine and removed the powder. This
mine has made our allies cautious in their ap-|
proacaes for it is evident the enemy is the alert and
the formidable to which the preaching battery
about to be put As yet have not the least
suppose that they suspect the existence of the French
mine or these matters kept pos
sibe but from all hear there little doubt but
that the assault win take place at daybreak Sunday
the 9th, or at the same time on the following dag at
latest The next mail viii certainly convey decisive
shot from our Crown Battery this evening exploded
wagon load of powder which entering the enemys
redoubt, the redan wall 1t must have done much
mischief, crowd Of soldiers standing close by it,
and who seemed to have been blown into the air. The
Russians have by means other discovered the
time at which the relies for covering parties and
pcques enter the trenches and their fire ct such periods
is redoubled.
at little after three this morning when the terrific
cannonade from every trench and battery led to
pect an immediate sorte, never, since the 18th, when
the combined attack made by and land, heard
such tremendous Of artillery the Russians kept
up for about twenty minutes After that their fire gra
duay sackened and by four A. M they were all quiet
again. The only Of accounting for this terrific dis
turbarce is the supposition that the enemy heard the
marching Of the reefs to picques and covering
ties and apprehending assault their works. opened
fire. when Of course the drums and trumpets which
freely used TO turn out the Allies must for time have
confirmed their suspicious. The enemy this time fred
grape and shrapne which unfortunately did some
ton among Our picquets, killing ten or twelve and
wounding between twenty and thirty OF course, the
cannonaae became serious the whole camp turned out
the got under and remained on the bleak hills
shiyerng with the cold and blinking with the flash Of
guns until the Russians chose to firing and allowed
US to return to the Indifferent shelter Of canvass
lodgings
These night attacks, alarms, surprises mat
ters of They have long ceased to be surprises
we should be surprised il they did not In
fact they have ceased be any thing except fertile
source Of blasphemies against enemies in general and
Russians in particular They are beyond all doubt the
most disagreeable and harasslng incidents of siege.
For instance, after laborious and exciting day day
OF such fatigue renders rest in tent acceptable
you retire ia all the great coats you possess to lie upon
the ground. An hour gets you the feeling of
extreme numbness, which first leads you to suppose
you have laid down in brook by mistake, and then you
gradually drop OH not to Sleep but in hazy state of
existence conscious Of cold and conscious Of wanting
slumber; in fact, in that peculiar condition Of vitality
which in England ustifes the immediate intervention Of
the Royal Humane Society. In this ambiguous state |
four five hours pass away, mean in literal time, for
you estimated the time by your feelings you would
expect to wake gray and decrepd It past O'clock
" the witching time Of night" in the Crmea, when sud-
denly you feel slight concussion in the EARTH followed
few seconds after by the deep boom of gum and
there the Of shell, screaming through the
air nearer nearer nearer, until it falls with heavy
dump outside the line Of tents Here it fortunately re-
aipoa and offa
blowing off explodes with loud bang and the pieces 60
humming through the air; them with prophetic SIGH
you guess what is to follow. Eight ten shells
drop about the place, too far off to hit you, but
much too to leave you perfectly unconcerued, and
then FIVE Elk guns begin to 60 off at and make
q roar. Still the camp IS quiet, and the guardsman
says, " Alls well" Us if he was at Kensington. The
cannonade continues, and after two temporary
ulls breaks out into regular storm Shell pour over
the hill, and fall with dab" into the wet SOIL and
you begin to dimy the flashes Of their explosions
through the canvass Of your dwelling, which at that
mcnt you would willingly exchange for lodgings even
in 1sngton. Still the Allies make no sign of turning
out, though the cannonade gets hotter every moment
In another minute and you plainly hear the sharp
quick report of musket followed quickly by another
end another Then the cannonade ceases and the crack
Of MINES spreads along line Of outposts Still the
Allies unaccountably quiet, and you begin to won
der whether Lord Raglan intends them be massacred
in their tents and just getting peevish and public
spirited about it, when the roll of drums in the distance
tells you that the French beating to arms. At the
same time the signal " Guard turn OUT is passed along
QUE lines, all the bugles begin to blow the assemble -
there is moment Of confusion, in which oaths prevail
most distinctly, and then rattle and hoarse
muir, and you know that TO- 600 under and
falling into their ranks But all this while your Especial
has not moved, but feeling for his re-
vover in his tent is emphaticaly blessing both Turks
and Russians and hoping against hope that there will be
no occasion for him to turn out During all this time
the fire of musketry has been increasing and coming
Our picques evidently retiring and you be-
gin think it is really sortie after ALL In the dark
you hear the word forward roared to the diff
ferent brgades, and peculiar jingle and clatter show
that the artillery sading and preparing for action.
With sigh, you feel that you must 60 after all and
issue forth into the damp Dir and thick wet grass
which vets you efectualy if you forded a river.
The cracking Of muskey and little flashes the hills
over Sebastcpol tell which way to take; without
such guides you would assuredly lose your way You
pass the batteries of artillery at which officer is
ing vaguely about loss of time and cutting the
camp ascend the hills just you hear the guns be-
gin to rumble after Our brgades marching forward
fast up the hill, in ine with supports in open column
No is very urbane though all yawn and shiver
ngy These you feel the appropriate compliments
Of the season, about the many returns of which, if
things go in that STYLE you have serious doubts Ar
rived upon the h the state Of affairs is at glance
The Russians have fred try u.s. and their skrmishers
advanced to If were the alert. If we were not
they would have spiked guns; finding are, they
retire content with having turned and harassed
as for nothing As they fall back their batteries again
take up the fire at the brow Of the hill, and every
" dteks' invountariy the balls 60 whstling his
head through the darkness As the cannonade increases
the regiments draw under the h and in the course of
half hour SO the Russians cease firing Then the
troops-by this time thoroughly numbed with cold and
with dew-return within cantonmonts having been
under about hour. Within minute after they