Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-12-16
NEW YoRK coaaEsPoNDENcE.

| European -News- hing for the edtrcation
of the readers of tie Sentinel about Sebas-
topol and the opposing a,mies- Condition.
| Qf The money market The Car scorks against
as-A plan for peace M
New York, December IL, 1854.
Story said the corporal, bless your soul,
have none to tell you.n With anxiety al
most painful we have been waiting since Sun
day, the arrival Of the Pacific, with seven days
later news from Europe; and now that she
has come, she brings us no news at all except
the REPETITION and elaboration Of the old news
Decline in cotton, consols down little, bread
stuffs and provisions no material changes
Nothing from Sebastopol. Such is the drum
ming up Of the seven days latter news from
Europe.
] You may have heard of the bakers wife in
one of the interior towns of the country, said
to have been very benevolent person, by the
way, and decidedly handsome, who was sub
scriber to the weekly paper Of the village.
When the carrier called round with tia clever
and hopeful youth as we happen to know
the good woman always received him with q
smile. DWELL, Gengy, any murders in the
paper this week ~ If the answer was in the
negative, she would merely say, = Then jist lay
the paper on the counter. A whole week and
no murders. Very strange" But if the lad
replied. Yes, madam, mine got, three horrid
murders this week, and one awful suicide" the
ladys face frightened, as she reached out her
hand, exclaiming, Let me have it. What is
the world coming to? And there is ginger
cake for you; you are a good little fellow, and
do love to read about murders" Honest con-
fession that, and frankly avowed. So with
i regard to the murderons luck at Sebastopol.
4 Had we received the news of the storming OF
the city by the allies, and that they, with the
city, had been blown up into the air-that the
inhabitants flying to their boats upon the water,
had been destroyed by the bombshells Of the
invaders; that the Russian feet with all on
board had been burnt and that on all sides an
aggregate of twenty-five thousand men, women,
and children had been killed or wounded, no
doubt of it, from the same innate passion for
blood and carnage, common to fallen humanity,
your readers, Mr.. Sentinel, would have been
as intensely interested as our village heroine,
with the occasional details of the cutting of a
throat or two.
Analyze this apparently morbid craving for
the awful and the horrible, and it may possibly
be reduced to the excess of some good quality
misdirected, rather than to a savage love OF
slaughter The example of the bakers wife
has left the impression fixed upon my mind,
that there are many apparent Inconsistencies
perfectly reconcilable with all the elements
of a beautiful, generous, andloveable character.
Enough of that. At the expiration of another
week we may, perhaps, receive the advices
from Sebastopol above foreshadowed, or some
thing like them. The plan Of the allies is first
to make several openings with their heavy
shot and Shells on the wall which surrounds
the town. To this end they must bring thiei
batteries sufficiently near to do the work
Against the shot and shell of the enemy thii
can only be done by gradual approaches, in
what are known as first, second. and third par
allels. At the last accounts, the allies were
about TO proceed to their third parallel, which
would bring them point blank range, face Y
face, with the wall and Russian batteries
Then would follow the storming through thu
first practicable breach or two, and a hand t.
hand fight in the town. In view of this, it il
: rumored that the Russians have not only bar
ricaded every street and fortified it, SO as Il
rake it fore and aft with grape and canister
but that they have undermined the town, ant
made arrangements to blow it up, and for thei
own retreat at the same time TO the fortified
/ tons and their headquarters on the field, OF
Q the heights on the northern side Of the harbor
/ We shall not, therefore, be surprised, If within
y the next eight or ten days intelligence is re
}, ceived from Sebastopol which win cause tn
y stoutest old soldier to shudder as he reads it.
It Georgetown, District Of Columbia, will affor
Q. you some idea Of the situation Of Sebastopo
n Imagine a strongly fortified wall aroun
o Georgetown, a line of tremendous fortresses o
y both sides of the river, in front and below, an
s. the entrance blocked up by line Of sunke
d ships across the river, at the foot of Mason
a Island. Imagine forty thousand Russians
N the town, large feet of theirs before the tow
b and sixty thousand of their men on the opp
y site side Of the river in fortified camp, an
imagine the river to end in small brook
mile above, and you have the situation Of II
Russians at Sebastopol, heights and all.
ID the other hand, suppose the shore Of the Blac
IN sea to sweep round from the foot Of Mason
IS Island to the Capitol, and from the Capt.
ID around to Rock Creek, at the old paper mi
IL near Bomford's. Suppose the site Of that o.
ID paper mill to be Balaklava, small sea por
N and you have the depot Of the allies. Imagir
their forces to be posted over all the neighbo
he ing hills, and their Entertainments all arour
h. the heights Of Georgetown, and their fleets q
30 around the shore, and you have the dispo'
Is, tons Of the allies. The Russians have all Il
4 back country, and the allies have absolu
g. command Of the water. Look over the O