New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-11
sEvASTOpOI THE LATE BONIBARDMEyT


careful examination of the English, German
and Belgian journals received by the Asia has
put Us in possession of some more precise inior-
nation respecting the second useless lombard
ment of seyastOpol, which may perhaps prove Of
interest TO such Of our readers as are disposed
carefully to follow the course Of this vast mill
tary fasco. We accordingly proceed to explain
the facts Of the case in some detail. In 50 doing
we shall assume that the reader is in possession
Of some one of the numerous diagrams of the
place and of the besegers' positions, which
have been published since the beginning Of the
siege.
The Notifications on the south side Of Sc
yastopol are divided into two large fronts
by the inner harbor creek which separates
the city from the part called Karabelnaya or
the shipping suburb. The western front
runs from Quarantine Bay to the head of the
inner barbor in a southeastern direction; its
three prominent points are the Quarantine Fort
the round tower encircled by an earthwork bas-
ton, and the southern or Flagstaff bastion,
(Bastion du Mdt Of the French). These three
projecting works have each and all been at
tackled by the French, according to the system
condemned by all previous engineers but
adopted by the besieger of Sevastopol; not
combining the attack TO one portion Of the lines
but extending il to the whole. The Round
Tower, forming the center Of this front, was
partly demolished during the first lombard
ment, but the earthworks surrounding it re-
NAMED unimpaired. They have again been sub.
jected TO fire, but with this improvement, that
the attack against them this time appears to be
simulated and merely destined either to draw of
the attention of the Russians from the really men,
sced points, or to support the main attacks.
OF these the first is directed against the Quar-
antine Fort; but as the front, TANKS, and rear
OF this position are secured by the Bay and the
continuation of the Russian lines, the French fire
can have no other object than to demOlish the
front on the Quarantine Bay and to ST.
lence by eniilading fire the front which
looks toward the great harbor The real
and serious attack, therefore, is that directed
sgainst the Flagstaff Baston, the southernmost
work Of the Russian lines. Here the French
had already completed three successive par
although the third and last parallel was still
some 400 or 500 yards distant from the Russian
ditch. This very respectful distance is suf-
ieient to prove the activity Of the defense and
TIE extremely magnificent progress made in
the siege during the last six months The
French must have concentrated on this point
the fire Of at least 40 or GO guns; but still they
l.. - al 70. . l., 81 L.
soon as the fire was opened on the 9th OF
April the French engineers broke out from the
trenches with fresh ssps, in order to complete
new approaches under the protection Of their
artillery. But il appears the Russians were
not to be frightened by this terrific cannonade.
They were not to be led astrsy so far as TO d.
rect their fire upon the French artillery but
very properly let them fire away and directed
their guns on the new ssps, and with such effect
that all attempts to approach nearer to the
place under cover proved completely abor-
tive. This fact contains in itself the
measure of the relative strength of situation of
tie two parties; for where the artillery of the
attack is not so superior as TO draw on itself the
whole OF the fire of the defense and thereby
give the saPper chance of working his ap-
proaches-there the very first condition of
successful attack is wanting. Accordingly the
French were driven to take step which is re-
sorted to in cases of the utmost necessity only.
They sbandoned-at the distance Of 400 or 500
yards-the attempt to work by the full or even
the double sap, and constructed mine leading
10 some 50 or perhaps 50 yards in front Of their