Washington telegraph., 1855-01-03

SS>, dSdtuss WHICH tuc OSSieScFS dutaLCc-
They aEeencamped to the south of the town
il very< long entertainments, which are
lfzpcd. a Lord Raglan's dispatch observes,
fk d apparently unlimited number of
- amply provided with gunners
s6 amznhnitionss They have raised bate
ries rgainst our batteries. and earthworks
against our earthworks they return shot
for shot, and so far were we from establish
ing an advantage in this respect. that on the
second day of the cannonade their fire was
superior to our own Their front of defence
instead Of representing confined space.
exposed to all the concentrated fire of the
attack, is actually. as Lord Raglan describes
it, more extended than our own, ana they,
the hesieged force, are thus in the possession
of the advantages ordinarily enjoyed by the
besiegers.
In point of fact there would really be lit
tie exaggeration in saying that ore of the
armies in the Crimea is as efectually be-
sieged as the other Both have their CON-
munication open. the Russians by land and
the allies by sea ; both have their strong
positions, the Russians before Sevastopol,
the allies On the heights of Balaklava and.
so far as operations have hitherto proceeded
it would be hard to say which party seem
TO be the assailants and which the defend
ers. We are battering the works of the
Russians, but they are also battering ours,
and whereas we have not yet regularly as
saulted their line, they have attacked ours
in such force as to occasion most sanguinary
anYAiotc Tha cborf nt
siege. but campaign. We have effected
lodgmens on Russian territory. and we are
encountering the armies which the Russians
bring successfully against us. One army,
representing the garrison Of Sevastopol, is
encamped under its walls behind breast
works like cur own, and is stronger than we
are in artillery /; another is posted On our
flank or rear, and has made at least one at
tempt on our position.
Fortunately, although we want many of
the advantages of besiegers We are not with
ont some of the advantages Of the opposite
kind for such is the strength of our oppo-
sition inShis angle of the Russian territory
that we are enabled to repulse the attacks of
an enemy numerically superior to ourselves.
So far, therefore. although the actual siege
of Sevastopol may have advanced but slow
", the events of the campaign are favorable
to US. As besiegers we have been retarded
in our progress BY the non-investment of the
town. by the entertainments thrown up be-
fore its walls, by the constant reinforcements
received by the garrison. and by the pre-
sence Of strong relieving army in the field.
But We have maintained our footing on
Russian ground; we have beaten the Rus
slams thoroughly whenever they have attack
ed us, we have already half ruined the
fleets and arsenals which gave Sevastopol its
importance and we have fairly established
cur superiority in all respects but that of
numbers What remains therefore, but to
approximate as we can do, to an equality
with our antagonists in this respect also. and
to dispatch those reipforcements which our
victorious though overtasked army requires?
This done, the advantages as we'll as the hon.
o-s of the campaign will belong. We may
confidently hope. to the allied powers.
London Correspondence Of the National
Intelhgencer.
LONDON, Nov. II. 1854.
The position of Prussia is the subject,
next to the siege of Sevastopol, which is
now exciting the most interest. At the
of hostilities between the
Western Powers and Russia, it was undoubt-
edly the true policy os Prussia to maintain
u Strict neutrality She, in reality, had
nothing to care about in respect to either
the Bosphorus or the Crmea. So long as
the dispute was purely Oriental. Prussia
joined in the diplomacy. merely for form
sake. certainly with leaning toward Rus
sia, and with an intent to serve the Gar. so
far as could be done without compromising
her neutrality Prussia wished also to neu-
tralize Austria. to paralize the war. and 10
keep her place in the great councils Of Eu-
rope But now the position of Prussia is
altogether changed. The question is no
longer the Russian occupation of CONSTANT
nople: there is now large Russian army
on the borders of Gallicia. and orders have
been issued from the highest quarters to
raise to the war strength all the Austrian
army corps that yet remain on a peace foot
ing. The fulfilment Of these orders will
raise each company, which now consists of
130 men. TO 2l8. Prussia may we'll ask
herself, "what does this mean? Is the war
about to be moved from the Bosphorus to
the Vistula?" IF so. Prussia cannot be
either Indifferent or neutral in the business.
The monarch has summoned his brother and
successor the Prince of Prussia. to his
counsels. ard it is said that be advises the
alliance of the West to be frankly accepted,
in order not merely y to destroy Russian su-
premacy in the Levan., but to destroy Rus
sian influence in Germany.
The Diet of the German Confederation
met at Frankfort-o Maine yesterday.
and would immediately occupy itself with
the war question The Austrian instruc-