Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-09-22
foreign snteIIiasalt.
one Week Later from Europe.

THE PROGRESS OF THE SIEGE.
The news by this arrival, particularly from thu
Ieat of war, is not Of striking Importance, yet j
possesses many points of general interest W.
make up the following summary from our files
The War.
PROGRESS OF THE SIEGE OF sEBAsToPoL.
The bloody episode of the fight Of Trakt
seems likely to have little effect on the course o
events in the Crimea. The Russians have re-
tired up their narrow and well fortified passes to
the steep plateau, where, according TO Genera
Simpsons latest report, they are once more pre-
pared for offensive movements. Attention is
therefore, again turned TO the siege of Sebasto.
pol Little on which Judgment may be founded
can be learned, either from the dispatches of the
Generals or from the correspondence of letter
writers before the city
To our previous knowledge that the besiegers
sap had approached very near to the Russian de-
fences, we now learn that the foremost parallel
which was begun at the two ends, was completed
and united in the middle on the 18th of August
+ Since then fortnight has passed, without much
incident General Simpson mentions small
sorte in which the Russians succeeded in des-
troying some gabions. For the rest, the daily
life of the camp, its hardships and amusements,
the death or leave of individual officers, fill both
public and private letters. On the great prepare
tons Of the last ten weeks the hopes of the be-
siegers are fixed, and the fire that will open when
the time comes, will be unexampled in the his
tory of warfare. eh
isThe cannonade of October last,' says the
Times, ''was trifling to that of April. April was
surpassed by the two days which preceded the
capture of the Mamelon; but all will sink into
insignifcance with the iron tempest which will
shortly be poured on the besieged city. The
weight and range of the guns, the number and
size of the mortars, the new positions of the bat
teries won by the steady progress which has
marked the summer, will try the endurance of the
Russians to the utmost. The great scale on
which such bombardment is carried on, and
the preparations necessary for its executions rem
ders the delays which precede it matter Of little
surprise In April the Allies threw against Sc
bastopol, in nine days, $4,000 shot and shell.
The cost Of the British ammunition alone was
se3OO 900 sterling Yet April is now looked
back upon as a time when we undervalued the
enemy and did not know what Sebastopol was.
SEVEN on ordinary days the Russians often
throw 1000 shot in the "a hours, and 600 shells
into only one part of the British position. What
ever the resources Of thegarrison and the strength
of the works at which they labor night and day,
there can be no doubt that the approaching strug
gle will determine the fate of Sebastopol, for the
winter at least. No one can pretend to foretell
the issue all that is spoken of with certainty is,
that the line of batte-ships in the harbor will be
destroyed, or at least driven from their position,
so as to be made powerless against the assaultng
Malakoff--whether they can keep it--whether it
will lead to the immediate capture of the town,
or only to Interior success--are all matters of
doubt. Should victory not favor the besiegers'
arms they will probably be forced to wait in in
activity till another spring, when change of tao
tics may assure success. The besiegng generals
have set all on the hazard of doubtful struggle
at single point, and we must wait the result. "
The Russians, meantime, are actively engaged
in bridging the harbor, to remove their defense to
the north side should the south be taken.
The evils of divided command are more and
more felt. The line from Baidar to lnkermann,
a distance Of 12 miles, is occupied by French,
Sardinians, and Turks, with part of the English
cavalry-cach nationally under its own comman
der, and totally independent Of all the others.
Report speaks vaguely of plan to unite the COM
mands of all the troops on the Tchernaya in one
hand.
As six weeks or at most two months, are the
utmost limit that can be assured for active mill
tary operations, attention is turned to the means
of supplying the armies during the coming win
ter. Mr.. Beatty, civil engineer, has received or
ders to construct two new lines of railway; one
from the Col de Balaklava to kamesch, TO be
worked by horse power, and the other from Ka-
dekot to the Woronzoff road (near the Sandman
position over Tchergoun, } TO be worked by loco
motive. The labor of erecting these roads will
be supplied by the French and Sardnans. MIR.
Beatty believes that the original railway will last
during the winter, and 200 men of the army
works corps are now engaged in repairing. Stores
and sheds are being erected rapidly as possible,
and all other preparations for winter are going on
with energy.
DAMAGE TO sERAsToPoL.
General Gortschakoff writes from Sebastopol
that the Notifications had greatly suffered, and
that the garrison has experienced considerable
losses.
Writing on the 18th, the Prince notices the
new bombardment commenced on the 10th, and
adds, con our side, despite the violence of this
bombardment, the artillery of the town replied
with constant success, and with no less energy
than that of the enemy, and by its well-directed
fire, silenced some of their batteries and Destroyed
the embrasures of others. The serious damage
done to our Notifications was repaired by us as
well as possible although the incessant fire of the
besiegers at short range considerably delayed the
works" This extract is from the Inraiidc Russo,
August 30.
GREAT FIRE AT sEBAsToPoL.
The French Minister Of War has received
dispatch from General Pessier, dated the Cri-
mea, the 10th instant, at clock, a. m which
contains the following intelligence:
On the night of the 5th instant, great fire
took place. II was caused by the burning Of the
Russian two-decker Marina, which was anchored
in the bay of Sebastopol The fire originated in
attack. The brilliancy Of the flames arising from
the confagration, illuminated the whole Of the
allied camp.
The War I'm Asia,
Intelligence from Asia Minor is reported to be
more favorable to the Turks According to a
Turkish bulletin, the Russians advanced on the
the 4th of August against the intrenchment of
Kars and attacked battery An artillery fight
ensucd, which lasted two hours, and the Rus
slams retired, leaving 100 dead. Allowing for
exaggeration, it would seem that general at
tack had been attempted. Erzeroum is said to be
completely relieved. At Kerpi-Keni, village
on the road TO Kars, skirmish Of cavalry took
place. Afterwards the Russians broke up from
before Erzeroum, and retired on Kars, across the
Soghauli Of hills.
Letters say that Omer Pacha will not 90 to Kars,
but will move on TO Tefies, with the two-fold OBJ
iect Of menacing the communications of the Rus
slams with Georgia, and cutting off their retreat,
and also of presenting an opportunity TO the Cir
cassians and other mountain tribes TO join him.
Rumors of Negotiation.
The pro-Russian paper, lie Nord, Of Brussels,
says: "Ifwe may interpret in pacific sense
the returning activity Of dplomatists, all hope
of an arrangement is not lost. NJ. dc Bourqueney
I'LL, or he xxybo