New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-27

tUr q
l. could not be embarked with raPiiiy; the
months employed in preparation were sufficient
/ 70 put the Russians on their guard; ami If the
presence of the Agstrians guaranteed the Prlac-
paitie. and Bulgaria from Russian attacks, 1t also
guaranteed Bessassbis and Odesss from any ser-
Gus danger; Tor, the position Of the Aussrans be-
ing on the flank and rear Of either line Corporations
neither army could have marched forward without
being at their mercy. Thus. the Rgssnns must have
been certain that al these preparations were
| directed against Sevsstopo; beside which, the
ports Of Cherson and Ncola.eF, the dock-ysris Of
,Ae Russian feet, were the only points in any way
| seriously menAced. Russian preparatioa IN the
Crines was therefore. cure to follow, step by
step the preparations of the allies. And so they
did, until, at last the conteH plated corp de main
was converted into irregular campaign, conducted,
hOwever-ss was clear from the way il was COM
menced-inthe most irregular manner.
When, at the Alma, the allies had to allow the
Russians TO withdraw 10 perfect order from the
field of battle, although attacked by far superior
numbers, tire fret glimpse of the truth burst
upon them; the original plan was upset, the
coup had failed, new set of eventulities had to
be provided for Vscation followed; days were
lost; the march to Balaklava was at Last resolved
upon, and the advantages OF a strong defensive
position overrued the chance OF soon obtaining
possession Of the north side of Sevastopol which
commanded the town, aud was, therefore, the
decisive point. At the same time Menchikoh
made similar mistakes by bis hssty march to Sc
yastopol. and bic equally hasty counter-narch to
Bakshiserai. Then followed the siege. Nine
teen days elapsed before the batteries of the first
paralle could open their fire, and then the ad-
yantages remained pretty equally divided. The
siege went on with enormous slOwness, but
not very surely for all that. Hard work IN the
trenches, arduous outpost duty acting upon men
weakened by a climate to which they were not
bred and by fearful epidemlcde, thnned the
ranks of the allies wonderfully. Their command
ers had scarcely reckOned upon the common wear
and tear OF a campsign-they were taken quite
unawaIes by such extraordinary losses Andth
medical and commissarat departments, especially
with the British, were totally out of order. With
in sight lay the rich valley Of Badar, full
not venture into it They had no hopes of early
reeDforctments; yet the Russians were coming
up from all sides. Then came the affair of the
25th Oct. The Russians gained the advantage,
and third of the allied cavalry was snninilsted.
Next followed the battle Of the 9TH Nov, where
the Russians suffered repulse but at loss to
the allies which they could not for second time
~ l.sI tIa
army and the allied be-iegers have been quiet.
The siege of SeyastOpol, ii carried on at all, is
carried on pro foymd. Nobody will pretend that
the lazy, desultory FIRE which the allies have kept
up since the 9th of Nov. can do any harm to the
defenses Of the place, or even prevent the Rus
slams from repairing the damage done up ID that
time. There is nodoubt that the siege, if taken up
again, will have 10 be done over airesh, with .as
only difference teat perhaps, the attacking Bat
ttres are brought some hundred yards nrarer the
place than they a. the first beginning, unless
the fire rom the town, supported by continuous
attacks from Inkermsnn, should prove superior
to that Of the allies and destroy the more ad-
vauced batteries.
Here then, are the allies, 10 the beginning of
December, in d country with cold winters badly
provided with clothing and other materials to
enable them to get through the bai season in
passsble msnner; weak in spite of all reinforce.
meDts, arrived or on the way; having lost vast
number of men; entaDgled ia the pursuit of OBJ
ec!s and Ia modes of action which they never
intended nor prepared for, and having gained
nothing, absolutely nothing, but conscious.
ness of their individual and tactical superiority
over their opponents. Twenty thousand men,
chiefly French, must by this time have Reinforced
them, and more are expected; but if We recollect
the difficulties and delays which ~ ,ompanied the
FIRST allied expedition 70 Turkey-il We recollect
moreover, that almost all the transports used
for carrying the first army have been kept back
and that new ships must be found for the d.
visions now under orders for the East, we must
conclude that the army of the Crimes will remain
without material increase of strength, for some
time after the arrival Of the 20, 900 men above
alluded to- Thus their strength may now be
something Ike 50, goo to $1,000 men, one-third
of whom come fresh from comfortable garrison
life, and will have 70 suffer heavily before being
Injured to the hardsbps of winter byouac under
q Crimean sky In truth, these very reinforce
ments msy prove an ineumbrsnce, instead of an
increase of strength, after the disasters encoun-
tered by the French and English transports, in
the furious tempest OF Nov. -. These disasters
however, cannot be said to belong to that order
OF fatal and overwhelming accidents, which the
best contriyed plans are unable TO foresee or pre-
vent. The storm of Nov. 18th Was seasonable
storm, and reasonable were the disasters that be-
fell fhs allied faats Tho rarv I.- On ,,h;oh -