The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-05-24

BEFORE Se6astopot, Friday Morning, May
4.-On the night of Wednesday last, May 2,
the French, under General Pelissier, having
taken up position before the Quarantine Bas-
ton, advanced briskly upon the bastion No. 4,
attacked the advanced works which the Rus
slams had raised to protect that bastion, and
carried them at the point of the bayonet.
In this attack, the French took twelve NOR
tars from the enemy. The engineers immedi-
on flying sap. AT day-break, they had sue
ceeded in establishing themselves in the con-
quered works. -
Last night, Thursday the Russians made a
general sortie, with the object of retaking the
lost ground. After sanguinary combat, they
were driven back into the place.
Our losses have been great, but bear no pro-
portion to those of the enemy, nor to the ad-
vantages gained.
This friday morning, MAY ~ the Rus
slams have neither man nor gun outside the
regular enclosure of the place.
1t is stated that the Russians were receiving
provisions daily, and were constructing immense
works to the north and east. Two Polish de-
serters announced that there were 100000 Rus
slams in the vicinity of Sebastopol, and 10000
had arrived from SiInpheropol.
paris MAY 81 Correspondence of the London Chronicle
A military convention, signed between France
and Austria, is talked of as the great fact of
to-day. 1t is said that Austria is daily identify
ing herself more closely with us, and, according
to the best authority, we may expect her to
take the field about the beginning of June.
While the Austrian army under General de
Hess will operate on the Pruth and the Polish
frontier, French army, supported by the Sar-
diniah contingent,.i it is asserted, will land in
Bessarabia, under the orders of Marshal Vail
liant.
The war will then be waged on four different
points-in the Crimea, in Bessarabia, in Rus
sian Poland, and in the Baltic. 1t is also re-
ported, and it appears the statement is well
founded, that an expedition to Yalta is intend
ed by the French forces now in the Crimea
The object of this movement is, to take the
Russian defences round Tchorgoum in the rear
This appears to be more than probable, as Ia.
king them from the front is said to be out of the
question. Something like this must be under
taken, to free Us from the chain of earthworks
by which all our movements at Balaklava are
hampered
Lord Clarendon made the following statement
in the House of Lords on the Sd instant:
Ny Lords, as proof of the spirit in which
the negotiations at Vienna were carried on, ant
of the desire of the representatives of Francs
and England to do nothing which could offend
the honor and dignity of Russia-as mention
ed the other evening, in answer to question
put to me by my noble friend-the Russian
plenipotentiaries were invited themselves Il
take the initiative, and to propose some methot
by which they thought they could carry out tn
principle to which they had assented.
| The Russian plenipotentiaries acknowledg
| ed-as, indeed, they could not help acknowl
edging-the spirit in which that proposal wa
made; but somewhat to the surprise of thei
colleagues, announced that they were withou
any instructions upon that important subject
and that it was necessary for them to refer t,
st. Petersburgh. The time necessary for tina
purpose was G ven to them, but In the meal
time the representatives of England and o
France declined to alter the order in which tn
four points stood, or to take any discussion upoi
the fourth point until some settlement had beer
arrived at with regard to that most importan
subject, the means of attaching Turkeyto tn
| European system.
| When the conference was again called to re
ceive the answer which had come from st. Pc
tersburgh, the Russian plenipotentiaries sail
that they had no proposals to make. The Alliet
| plenipotentiaries then submitted to them
scheme which they thought that Russia nigh
have consented to without any hurt to her dig
nifty, and in manner highly honorable to he
as a frst-class European Power, if she had beer
inclined to prove to the world that her polio,
was as pacific as she had always declared it t
| be- or to remove the uneasiness of Europe b,
giving guarantees against future acts of aggres
| sion which she declared she did not contem
plate.
The Russian plenipotentiaries asked for forty
eight hours to consider the proposals whicl
were made to them, and at the end of that tim
absolutely rejected them, as well as anothe
proposal brought forward by the French am
bassador, and agreed to by us-to exclude al
vessels of war from the Black Sea, and to rende
it sea for commercial purposes alone. Thu
conference was then suspended, not actual,
broken off. My noble friend, Lord j. Russell
left Vienna on the 23d of last month, and NJ
Drouyn de rHuys remained behind for few
days, and that plenipotentiary and the Earl o
| Westmoreland toere inUited on the part Of Rus
sia to attend another conference, ia nrder TO re
ceive some propositions and M. Drouyn d.
PHuys and the Earl of Westmoreland agreed
to attend.
| We are in possession of those propositions
| but not of the discussion which took place upoI
them; but the representatives of the Allies unan
imously agreed that the proposals made icer,
not likely to promote the object ,ohich zoe haze
! at heart. My Lords, this is the present state o
! things and although we are prepared to con
slider any distinct proposal on the part of Rus
sia still it is not considered desirable that these
negotiations should be continued without the
probability of their leading to any satisfactory
result. Your Lordships will find in the proto
I coils to be laid upon the table, not simply the
record of conclusion which has been arrived
at, but report of the discussions that tool
place, and of the feelings that were expressed
! by the representatives of each Power. Hear
hear.
| think your Lordships may not consider the
/ statement / have had the honor to make to DC
either satisfactory or neutrality-suspicious.
mean, as to what has actually taken place
unless / am able to inform you of the course
which Austria intends to take hereafter, hear
hear and it is on this particular point that
hope that that prudence may be observed
(which, / think, the circumstances of the case
J really demand. My reason for saying this Is
that at the conclusion of the conferences, Oh
when they were suspended, Count BuoI express
| ly stated that he considered that the means .1o'
obtaining peace scere not acholly exhausted
and that IL anOuId be the special duty Of aus
trta to eadeqnor 10 discerer some ,aoe Of GttGta
t,sg shat end consistently with the engagements
into sDhicA she had entered soith the othe'
PoUers.
Ny Lords, whether any proposal that may be
/ thus framed will be likely to be satisfactory tc
der Majesty's Government, l am sure cannot
venture to say; but on question of SUCH mag
aitude, as whether it may De possible to con
alude q safe and honorable peace, am per
suaded that your Bordships viii feel that any
proposition that may be made to US should re-
seive patient and unprecedented consideration
from her Majesty's Government hear, hear i