The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-06-07
From the London Times Correspondent.
The BOmbardment of SebastOPOl-HOW
it Commenced.

ces of the army chaplains in the English camp
were most numerously attended. In the French
camp, also, the duties of religion were attended
to in the morning, after which, with both
French and English labors of a beseiging force
went forward, as on other days. An immense
quantity of shot and shell was sent up, with
one 3-inch mortar and one 84-pounder, both
for the batteries on the right attack. !
In the forenoon message was sent down to
the Sailors camp to tell Of the men to their
guns and have everything in readiness to be-
gin the final attack at day break. 1t is rep
resented that one of the Sailors batteries still
wanted three or four guns, but, in return to
this statement, Lord Raglan replied that it
was of no consequence, and that the batteries
must all be ready to open the next morning
At late hour the troops detached to guard
the trenches were ordered to take their rations
cooked with them, to save the exposure which
would otherwise be incurred by men carrying
them in the daytime. The ambulance cars
were also ordered to wait for wounded i'll the
several ravines, and all order was sent down to
Balaklava for 600 stretchers for wounded,
which, with 200 tents for emergencies, were
forwarded per rail.
Throughout the night there was very little
firing on either side Beyond an occasional
gun to keep up the appearance Of war; and
take away the slight sense of security which
sometimes exists in the trenches, all was quiet.
All in the Allied camps knew the lombard
ment would commence at day-break, and so all
were full of regrets and forebodings over the
change in the weather. 1t had, indeed, chang
ed in a manner sufficiently severe to excite
anxiety, if not mistrust, as to the result of the
first days operation. The wind blew a regu-
lar gale the night was at once dark and
misty-while the rain fell in such floods as
| almost to suppress every sound. Towards
morning, it was if possible, still more unfavor-
able, and, in spite of the rain, the wind was
sufficiently strong to leave in all but faint
hopes that the fleet woull be able to share in
the struggle of the day At 4 o'clock A. NJ,
all the officers who al leave were on the
alert, looking up waterproofs and forgotten
mufilers before setting out for Cathcarts Hill,
to see our opening fire. At this hour, nearly
all except the sentries were asleep, nor was
there anything whatever to denote that one of
the most bloody struggles that ever disturbed
the world, or defaced the annals of civilization,
was about to commence.
A heavy mist hung over the sea- and partly
over Sebastopol, while both were obscured
every now and then by the clouds of rain which
were driven before the wind. The north side
was almost completely invisible, though the
mouth of the harbOr was clear, and heavy
sea running in, broke in wild line Of break
ers over the sunken ships. In Sebastopol
itself, everything was quiet and calm as usual.
Where the head of the harbor could be seen,
two or three large boats seemed crossing it
near the land, but no other signs of activity
were visible either in the water or the town.
1t was now 5 o'clock; none of the clocks in
Sebastopol could be heard to strike, as the
wind was very strong, and blowing up the
harbor and across the town. Each moment
the Weather became thicker and more wet, SO
that in few minutes hardly any of the town
was visible. The grim line of batteries, how
ever, remained well in view, though they also
seemed as quiet rs inside the walls. In the
Malakoff IA few soldiers could occasionally be
distinguished in the embrasures, and then be-
tween it and the Mamelon, but this was all.
Suddenly. at quarter past 3 o'clock A. NJ,
q pune was fred from o IT right attack. In q
second afterwards, running up and down the
line-from the little mounds and hillOcks near
Inkerman-- from the broad commanding posi-
ton of Green Hill and Gordons Batteries
from quiet picturesque ravines, where no one
dreamt of guns lurking-high from the rear on
steep and lofty ridges, and away down to the
left, where the French works stretch Out-Over
low marsh and to kamiesch-from every point
of our lines came hundred streaks of flame
and masses of smoke. For a minute after
there was silence, and then the great concus-
sion came rumbling on, slowly mastering both
wind and rain, and swelling into a roar that
seemed to shake both heaven and earth. The
shells and bullets of the first discharge made
of themselves nerfect uproar, as they fell as
an iron hail full upon the enemy's batteries
Some shot were short and went bounding to-
wards the works, scattering the earth like
water Some were too high, and passed clear
over everything into the town; but the great
mass were we'll aimed and true, and passed full
into the embrasurcs, clearing all before them.
The shells burst every where about like
crackers, and the stunning explosion OF the
great mortars made themselves conspicuous
over every other noise, as the huge bombs
screamed through the air, carrying death and
destruction into the Mamelon and MalakOh.
After this first Tremendous volley each gun
worked as it could, and a regular file fire of
mortars and heavy guns COMMENCED upon the
place. The enemy appeared completely sur
prised With the first awful salvo general
confusion was observed in their batteries for
three or four minuses not gun replied-then
the Mamelon fred three or tour guns at once,
and the Redan and MalakOff also began slow
irregular cannonade The Flagstaff Battery
was also quick in sending two or three shells,
but the great mass Of the guns in all the Rus
sian works were silent Gradually, after
lapse of five or ten minutes, their fire extended
but before half their ordinance was manned,
ours had fired dozen rounds, by that time
the enemys guns were struck before they fired
q shot, and past all manning. 1t was nearly
O'Clock before all their works were in full play
and then each battery, pelting against its as
saiant, fell to business in earnest.
A LIVE YANKEE IN THE NovA-ScoTIA PAR
LIAMENT.-The telegraph from Halifax an
nounccd the election Of our esteemed friend,