The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-03-22
sebastopol and the British Graves.


At about 2 l.. NJ wo passed the sccuo Of
tho famous baltic u Alma, and at about
Z. NJ ,wo were making tho detonr necessary
for entrance into the harbor of Sebastopol.
A sSeno of moro utter des olation and ruin
can scarcely be pictured to tho imagination
than that which here met tho oyu. Tho
stones of tho forts on tho right hand side.
which had been blown up, seemed pulverizod
by tho force of tho explosion while. on
the loft hand, Forts Constantine and Michael
still looked proud defiance, us whom thoy
laughed to scoru the efforts of tho allied
tlret. Not oven tho marks Of the shots re.
main, and nothing now attests their having
boon attacked but tho smoke, which, driven
back from their own heavy guns, discOlored
one part Of tho walls.
In passing up tho harbor hore and there
projecting portions of tho sunkon vessels
aro still visible. portion of the mainmast
of tho Twolvo Apostles being particularly
conspicuous. Several vessels have. how over,
been raised by the American engineers, who
are still successfully at work Thoir plan
of procedure is quito simple. Divers are
FIRST sent down to pass chains foro aud aft
,:nd," tho vessel. These aro attached to
dry q. cks, or largo square boxes, divided
by partition into two chambers. The
chambers next the suc, c,kcn vessel arc thcn
emptiod of tho water whiuh pressed them
down into other chambers remU..a from tho
vessel, and thus as tho chamber n>-t tho
suuken ship arc buoyod up, the Ia,.ct "a
raised little, when she is tugged by o
steamer into shallower water. the opera.
tion is then again repeated until tho vessel
is rendered completely accessible.
The aspect of the town. after landing, is
exceedingly dismal roofoss houses in all
directions meet the eye. Somo walls are
shattered bv cannon balls, and others of
stronger build retaining tho balls still firmly
embodied 10 the stonework In tho streets
which have not been inhabited since the
siege, all is ono mass of debris. Pillars which,
ouco formed tho porticos OF noble mansions,
lie broken in the dust, while the nrcades
they supported lean in ovory sort of gro
tesque malformation. Tho scene above tho
Admiralty (the only place the government
has rcbuilD is particularly striking, for hero,
at ono glance, We learn something OF tho
ravages of war. Tho great military hospital
is torn and split in every direction; no
longer acting as blessing for those in dis
trcss, il stands witbered and blasted
monument to the fierco passions of men,
In tho front are tho carth-wo-ks which OBJ.
rooted heaps of worthless soil.
Standing on the still existing fragment of
masonry in the Malakotf. ono soos to tho
left, far over in the landscape, new Greek
church being built. Ii commentaries the
thousands of Russian soldiers who lilo in.
terrod around. Moro to the front stands
the o5elisk which ks the fight Of IEkcr-
man, not uudisturbed by the rude hand Of
To tho oh ia ha ;ntn nj
bio network of trenches, where the little
sign.post tells US SO many French soldiers
sleep. Their stations for attack now form
their tombs. Far up on the right is Cath
carts Hill, on the bleak top of which lie
somo of the bravcst and noblcst of our land.
Around their lowiy resting place the wall,
which had fallen into decay. has boen lately
repaired by Colonel Gowen. but, as the
stones arc put together without mortar,
they may at any time fall again. Inside il
looks neglected and uncared for, as If they
who slept boneath had served our turn, and
were to be though; of no more.
Further on, toward Inkorman we have
another graveyard; its walls, built up of
loose stones, are low, aud form an utterly
insufficient protection to the mounds within
Its monuments aud tombstoues, made of
friable sandstone, arc becoming worn with
the weather. 1t is thus especially with tho
headstone of Captain Hedley Wears the
little side e.stones, too, of this grave are
Knocked about. aud the flowers all removed
except one wall flower. From other tombs
the crosses are broken, aud tho general mp
pearance OF the whole is that of gross neg-
lect. On tho road to Balaklaya there are
several littlo English backgrounds in diff
ferent states of preservation, but at the bend
of tho road, in the center of the famous
valley, there is one, and it's wall is entirely
broken down.
Out of il, as tho story goes, we're dug tho
bones among which was found the purse
with rs sovoregns; hence the reason for
other graves being also opened and riled. !
Whether among the scores of tuns of bones
which lie ready for shipment at Sebastopol,
there may be- human bones, ii seems i'm
possible to decide some persons Of inform.
alton affirming it, while others deny it
NoE will the question be finally set at rest
till some one of competent knowledge DO
sent to mako searching investigation.
To take charge of the burial ground, Capt.
Mante, Russian officer, has been already
appointed by our Government, at salary
of f4O0 per annum. He has now been in
Office some time but either from indiffor-
ence or dislike of his Eew post, no effort
seems to have beon made by him toward
remedyiug the existing evils. Il would be
we'll to associate with him some EngIishman
who would take an interest in the matter
or, what would be much better. to replace
him by q respectable English sexton.
-----~~~~-~->~~~
SELF FORMATIONS is time in ev-
cry mans education when he arrives at the
conviction that envy is ignorance, that i'm
itation is suicide; that bo must tako himself
for better. for worse, as his portion; that,
though the wide universe 10 full of good, no
kernel-of nourishing corn can como to him
but through his toll bestowed on that plot
of ground which is given him TO till. The
power which resides in him is now in nature,
and mono but he knows what that is which
he can do. nor does he know until no has
81 Not 20 noshfn. nhar