The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-11-20


the pl.. Of great fortified plaos to CON nsaA tho
mmense expense, and the double and sfip,o stories
Of their casemated batteries give them suos
formidable aspect thai they have befn eveh con,
pared TO the fort ications OF Malta The roa s'ed
and port are, in fact, almost unartacksbc by sea.
but the town itself was never fortified; al tlas
was done being 10 draw round II y weak wal,
merely iniendtd TO protect Is against coup oe
ma,s. TIE Russian CAbnet could never nave
imagined then that an Angl0French army OF
100 900 men would one day land Ia the CriineA 70
lay siege 10 Sebastopol. At present, as thas OK
ttso.dinary Is is being realized in the most serious
usDper IL has been necessary to think Of fortifyins
the town on the land SIDE and that ia what the
Russans have been doing for the last three mouths
The Quarantine Bay on the west (the extreme left
Of the stack is defended by the double battery OF
the same name. Near that spot Ia Fort Alexander,
and by the side Of that fort q battery called the
Ba terry Of Sebsstop0l, because it forms paul OF the
town itself. From this battery runs crenellated
wall for musketry, about five eighths Of an English
mile In kngih which runs up the steep hill to the
platform. and surrounded below By battery, the
rampant OF which Is twenty feet high. The wall and
the bassi0n have ditch in front, but there Is neither
covered way nor gacis In hont OF this ditch: Tee
French, being charged with the attack on the left,
will probably have 70 lombard the fort, after which
they viii command the bay as well as the QusrAn-
time Battery and even the whole Of the Western side
Of the town. But they win have other obstacles to
Of the round fort II situated large fortified barrack,
which has been lately hanked BY several strong
works. From that barrack runs wall entirely
surrounding The town, tho port, ana the arsenal, to
hey ond the ening basin towards the Tchernaya
at tho extremity Of the roadstead, which gives Q
development of from 81 to s English miles,
including the sinuositses. This wall Is three
ieet thick, il creneated, and has in front ditcu,
The earth Of which has been thrown in front to form
9 glacis covering the mAsonwork in many places.
This wall ID not terraced-that Ia, docs not form
rampant above on which artillery can be placed.
But on the points whele in regular fortif cation,
there would be bastions, tie Russians have raised
batteries in the form Of cavaliers, firing above the
wall. The diserming Of their line OF battle ships
has furnished them with tho means of providing al!
their works with artillery Of large cabrs, and they
bave without doubt, plenty Of men to serve them,
more or less expert. This imperfect system of for
tcation cannot have any value, except by tbs tenE
city Of the besieged, BY their great number and By
il defended by the fort Of Akhtiar raised on high
point at the top of the town. At little distance
nom this fort commence three ravines, descending
the Quarantine Bay; another, in the centre cuts the
town into two unequal parts; and thel third,
ON the east, descends right to the north to
form the port, which La the prolongstion
cpAlly at the lower opening Of this ravine, aud
the western side of the port, that are accumulated
the defences, for (even should the ships OF the line
be burnt by the Rnssians it is still important for
that Of the faubourg Of Kerber aia on the Eastern
side. If the besiegers on the right, the English,
seize on this faubourg while the French have made
themselves masters Of the round fort, the town
whelmed with bombs balls and shells, that no gar
rison could remain there But is to be noted that
this garrison cannot be forced to captuate, not bo
ing bockaded. and that the Russians, when at the
epd Of their efforts in the town, will always be at
liberty to cross the roadstead and take refuge in the
forts on the northern side.
Among the works destined to defend the ravine Of
tie port two great batteries in the form Of towers
built Of stone and brick. From want of time to raise
third tower at the bottom Of the fort the Russians
have placed line of pattle ship to perform the duty
Of battery against the mouth Of the ravine. Be-
without interruption. Onehalf of the garrison is oc-
cupied with them and all the able bodied
obliged to take part in them Sebastopol is COM
manded almost on every eide by hills rising ono over
the other to great height, as already stated. But
the nearest hills have been long time back levelled
by works which lasted twelve years; and the earth
taken from theAl was removed to the side Of the
Quarantine OF to certain hollows which might faci
tate the approaches There is not, couse quently,
any height now commanding the town within 500
or GOO yards OF the place. But beyond that radius
TIE Russians occupied With strong re doubts several
elevated positions. which have forced the besiegers
to open the trenches at unusual distance, 500
10 800 metres from the place. II Ia said. Although
tiese positions were only fortified by earth works,
where Q sudden assault might be attempted, the al
lied generals have rrafarrAa- one-atvssitmsss xnu
bravery viii be required ct later period for deci ve
blows. The redon5ts Of which we are speaking
were TO have been battered in breach ard taken, we
car not say at what date. The bessie ging army will
then be pushed forvafd on that ground to make it's
trenches against the place itself. However outside
the wall round the town, it will be necessary to bat
ter down and destroy some works projecting it on
the weakest points. In fine, all these works and
constructions raised in haste cannot have the sta.
blty and resistance of q real permanent fortifca.
tion. Although the Russians are provided with
large cannon, such pieces not sufficient without
good ramparts. It is besides, proved by the expe-
rience OF all sieges that the fire of the beseging
party has always advantage over that Of the very
strongest place, because the Are Of the attack Is
always convergeIt, whereas that Of the defence is,
on the contrary, divergent.