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    December 1, 1855.1 THE LEADER. 1143

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    The War. The Position Of General Vivian ...

    which is dize to the intimate alliance of the nations themselves . Our army will always preserve its high character in the field . The sobriety , the good conduct , and the discipline which it i 3 our duty to maintain are the best sureties of future success , and I trust to the efforts and assistance of all ranks in thus keeping the army to be an instrument of honour , of power , and of credit to England . " W . J . CODKINGTON , " General Commander of the Forces . " General Simpson ' s farewell appeared on the previous night , and was as follows : — " General Sir James Simpson announces to the army that the Queen ha 3 been graciously pleased to permit him to resign the command of this army , and to appoint General Sir William Codrington , K . C . B ., to be his successor .

    " On resigning his command , the General desires to express to the troops the high ( sense he entertains of the admirable conduct of the officers and men of this army during the time he has had the honour to serve with them . In taking leave of them , he tenders his best thanks to all ranks , and offers his earnest wishes for their success and honour in all the f uture operations of this noble army . " General Sir "William . Codrington will be pleased to assume the command of the army to-morrow , the 11 th inst . "By order , " H . W . Barnard , Chief of the Staff . "

    THE AMOOK . Intelligence from America states that , up to the latest date from the Pacific , the allied fleets were still hovering along the coast of the Russian possessions . On the 9 th of July , the Barracouta arrived off the port of Ayan and boarded all the vessels in the harbour . On the 10 th , the Pique and Amphitrite arrived , and the Russians deserted the place . There was at Ayan a small vessel on the stocks , which the Russians were building , and a small steamer that had been brought there the year before . She was intended as a tug-boat on the river Amoor . The Governor of Ayan had a hole dug in the beach , above high water mark , and with tackles and purchases

    hoisted the tug-boat into the hole , with the intention of burybg her . At the time the British steamer hove in sight , the Russians were engaged in putting merchandise in the tug-boat from the company ' s warehouses . The Barracouta had got so close to the shore before she was discovered that the Russians had not time to cover her up . On the 11 th , the boata from the man-of-war took possession of all the Russian store . 3 , and blew up the steam-tug . All the Russian towns in the sea , of Ochotsk -were deserted . The battery of Ayan had been destroyed by the Russians themselves , and the guns were all buried . All the available force that the Russians had in

    Kamtschatka and Siberia were concentrated at the river Amoor . The English frigates Sybil , Spartan , and Hornet , and the steam-frigate Constance were at Ayan in August . The British Admiral has issued a proclamation , informing the inhabitants that they might return to Ayan , provided they did not naolest any of the vessels touching there for provisions , & c . The Russians on the Amoor river had fortified the place strongly , and had a large number of gun-boats and cutters guarding botli passages of the river . The Russians had succeeded in getting their vessels through the passage into the river by lightening them . A portion of the allied fleet had attempted it , but without success .

    AVINTKit r-JlErARATIONS . The quantity of wood taken from Sebastopol it * very great , audit still furnishes our officers , who aro left to their own resources , with vast suppliesonly to bo got under fire , however—of wood , iron , bricks , and cut stono . It is a hard tug for horses and men to got them up from the city , and the enemy are s \ iro to lot fly a shot at them whenever they seo a party engaged in collecting wood or building material * . The army is busy hutting itself , and it will

    soon bo in a condition to . bid the weather defiance . The extomt of canvass , however , which yot meets the oyo would astonish a Htiungcr . Tho touts stand out distinctly amid tho din ^ y huts and wigvvamR , and aro apt to engage tho attention exclusively . Tho French are far behind us in their preparations for making thcmsolveH comfortable for tho winter . Their niivin road is not nearly completed , and tho Sardinians got on but slowly with tlioir branch to Kamara . —Times Correspondent .

    TliK " HKBUIUIEOTION-HEN ' Oil' THE TPRKIH 1 I CONTINUISNT . An Indian officer writes us follows to tho Overland Mail , dating Kortoh , November 7 , 1855 : — " The Anglo-Turkinh Contingent liavo boon increased at this place to nearly thoir full complement —sixteen regiments of infantry , closo on 1 , 000 man each . The Polish Logion , consisting of 1 , 000 Cobnaoks , and . ' 3 , 000 infantry ; and tho IJashi Bassoukn , 3 , 500 strong , also form part of tho foroo . But it in doubtful if those two luttor will join us till after winter . There arc some Hooundrols and inhuman brutoH amongst the meu recently handed over to tho

    Contingent . The world are already alive to the excesses , the fearful and horrible atrocities , committed by some of these on the ' sacking of Kertch . ' Though not to such an extent , these atrocities went on . Of course , when the men came under English rule , this was no longer to be tolerated . It is the custom of the Russians to bury then : dead with the rings they wore in life and other trinkets on them . The coffins of the rich are also richly worked with silver . This became known to the Turks , and resurrectionists in parties

    prowled like wolves into the still recesses of the dead . An order was issued to stop this . The desire of plunder , however , prevailed , and . they continued at night to turn up the Christian graves . Instructions were given to the night patrols to fire on all parties found disobeying orders ; and this was carried out about ten days since . A Turkish officer was shot dead in the act of separating the fingers of a corpse to procure the rings . Some days after thi 3 , an inhuman murder was committed on an old Russian woman . The murderers

    were apprehended , one of them being an officer . Some of the party concerned in the affair returned to rob the house of the deceased , perhaps to murder a sister who resided with her . The provost-marshal , having learned what was going on , proceeded to the spot , caught the thieves in the act , and flogged them . While doing so , a crowd collected , around him , and on failing to extricate the thief , proceeded to force . A soldier of the 71 st , and some of the provost-marshal ' s party were badly wounded , and he himself was severely hurt by stones thrown at him . Captain Guernsey resisted as long as he could without resorting to force ; at last , presenting his revolver at the assailants , he warned them to retire . An officer in this ease also was the ringleader ; he drew his sword on the provost-marshal . He was instantly knocked over , as were also three other ringleaders , and then

    the crowd dispersed . But the excitement was very great amongst the men . They declared loudly they would have vengeance . They said they were sold to the English by the Sultan , and they would take their muskets and get rid of all . This was very awkward —second Cabool massacre in prospect , for what were the English among 20 , 000 Turks ?—only one ship of war in the harbour , and a weak regiment of Highlanders . To make matters more complicated , the advanced posts of the Russians had approached to within six miles of us , 6 , 000 infantry , 4 , 000 Cossacks , and twenty to thirty guns . We all passed a restless night , as may be supposed . But next morning the Turks were handed over to our commisariat , their officers were separated from theui , andthey have become quiet and orderly They see that the guilty will be punished , and that they will be well taken care of . So all fear of an cmeute has passed . "

    THE CRIMEAN HOSPITAL . I have taken some pains to gain an accurate knowledge of the present state of the Crimean hospitals , and the result has been in the highest degree satisfactory . Without pretending to any more minute or accurate information as to their proper medical stores than can be gleaned in conversation with very courteous and communicative doctors , I may Bay that , as far as the eye can guide one in forming an opinion aa to their completeness in all points of space , furniture , cleanliness , creature-comforts , and attendance , there seems little that the most fastidious friend of the sick eoldier could desire to have altered or added . In the great majority of tho regimental hospitals , warm

    double-walled , and spacious huts have been substituted for marquees ; and , in those where the change has not yet taken place , it will bo made before winter finally Bets in . At the General Hospital , lialaklava , whore the patients aro inixod—sick civilians being taken in us well as military cases—tho arrangements and the method in which they are carried out Boom alike admirable ; and under the assiduous medical overnight of Dr . Jameson , and tho unwoarying attentions of Miss Weir , and hor auxiliary " bistort * of Charity , " tiio patients . seora must excellently cared for . At tho larger establishment of tho Oiistlo Hospital on the Genoese Heights , whore thoro aro at proHont about 400 patioiitH--ull wounded men—tho system , appears audits admi

    to bo equally complete in nil respects , - nistration , under Dr . Matthew * , if possible yot more efficient . This hospital conrtiHts of an aggregate of Homo fifteon or eighteen lar tf ° » doublo-wulJod and doublo-roofud huts , erected along tho summit of tho rocky height , at whoso bano tho unfortunate ship Prince was clashed to pieces in tho groat , November storm of last year ; and , though porohod on such an oniinence , it is tolerably nholtorud by still higher clillVi on all sides but that vhioli faces tho soa . To screen tho lnifcM in Homo dotfroo from tlio wind from thisln . sk quarter , curtains of earth-filled gabions have boon creeled eb . no behind tho soa-gabloH . — Daily Ncivh ( JurrcHiKindfiit . -

    THIS r . ATK OI'KHATIONH AT KUTATOHIA . Uuncral Co / lrington Iihh transmitted to Lord Panmure report h from Gonorul Pagot and Lieutenant Colonel Tottenham , with reference to tho recent operations at and from Kupatoria . ( Jenoral Pugof » tutos that ou tho morning of tho 27 th of October ho

    m & rched on tho small town of Sak m conjunction with General d'Allouville . He adds : " At the further extremity of the strand that divides the sea from the Lake of Sazik Gualoie ( by which route the column marched ) , the ground rises to the level of the steppe land that universally prevails . On reaching this point , the allied cavalry and . horse artillery made a rapid advance to the front , for about five miles , in an easterly direction , passing to the left of Sak . We there found the enemy in much the same position in which we had left them on the 23 rd of October , though they had , to a certain extent , entrenched themselves . General d'Allouville from

    this point opened a fire with much effect , which continued for nearly an hour , and which was warmly res |> onded to by the enemy . Captain Thomas ' s troop of horse artillery being supported by the 12 th Lancers ; the Carabineers ; 4 th and 13 th Light Dragoons being in second line , in reserve . The loss to the allies on this occasion was thirty killed and wounded ,- one English artilleryman having been slightly wounded , two horses killed , and three wounded . We then withdrew to the town of Sak , where we bivouacked for the night . At daybreak , on the 28 th of October , the cavalry and horse artillery

    made another advance in rather a inoro northerly direction ( to the south of the village of Temesh ) , in the endeavour to turn the right of the enemy , or to draw him into action , which , however , ho appeared to show no disposition to respond to , aud we consequently returned to our bivouack at Sak , in front of which the infantry had remained to secure our rear . On this second night there was a total want of water , iu consequence of the drain upon the wells the night before , and there was an absence of water for a circumference of many miles to our front . The column therefore returned to Eupatoria on the 29 th of

    October . " General Codrington has communicated a report from General Spencer giving the details of the Kinburn expedition . The chief facts , however , are already known .

    THE BATTLE ON THE INQOUn . November 8 th , 1855-The energy with which Omar Pasha has pushed forward operations has met with a glorious reward , in the utter defeat of the Russians and tho successful passage of the river Ingour yesterday evening , after a short but bloody battle . In the morning , the order came for the troops to get under arms immediately / and , at eleven o'clock a . m ., wo crossed ono branch of the river , about two hours lower down , without opposition . We now found ourselves upon an island live or six miles long and about two miles broad , across which the troops marched . Throe battalions of Rifles , under Colonel Ballard , were sent forward to lino the woods , through which wo advanced by a narrow path . About ono o ' clock we reached a large field of Indian corn , and heard the Rifles hotly engaged with tho enemy in a thick wood in our front . The Russians were soon driven from this across the

    river , and opened a tremendous fire from behind a battery upon the wood , of which tho Rifles had now taken possession . Meantime , as the leading columns of the Turkish army showed itself upon the plain , a battery consisting of five guns opened upon them , which was speedily replied to by our artillory . A psifch was formed under cover of a stoop bank , under which tho infantry advanced to tho Hupport of tho Rifles in tho wood , who had boon sustaining- and replying in tho most dotorrninod manner to the tremendous firo which tho enemy had been concentrating upon them . Sufficient credit cannot bo given to the gallantry of Colonel Ballard , whoso steadiness ami courage were infused into those under liis command , and contributed largely to the huoco . shI ' uI issue of tho affair . While thi . s was the position of affairs opposite tho battery , Omar Pacha detached Osmau Puuhu with six battalions to a ford which had been discovered about a mile and a half lower down the

    river . Hero they found themselves warmly rccoivod by tho enemy , drawn up in force upon tho opposite bank . Notwithstanding the velocity of tlio curront and tho depth of the wator , tho Turkish troops , after firing a volley , dallied across tlio river in tlio fiioo of a cruel fire , and in splendid style drove tho Russians into tho woods behind at the point of tho bayonet . At almost tho mime moment , Colonel Hiininoiic / s , a < . the head of two battalions of infantry iin . l fchroo companies of Rifles , crossed the rivor in ( nmt of the fort , and assaulted it under a imirdoroii . i / ii'o . Hero his aide-de-camp , Captain Dyniock , wan lullo'l whi o imllimtly charging at ( . he lion < l of his Ulluli . 'ii while » Russian ooluum which attacked thorn w Imuk wan promptly mot by tlio c-oJumn in « I « r UAunal himuonds at tho point of the bayonet an , complete y routed . Thin dooidu . l the , Uy . ~ Time * CWn ^ omkut .

    WAR MISCELLANEA . Coio . sri , M'Muwu " , wo regrot to state , hn < i boon vory Ul with fovor , His wife is attending on him , and it is IIioukM . that , uh mooij as ho xu strong enough to be removed , ho will return to Unhand . £ nTuk MainKoao from JCadikoi to tho cuutrul depot

    December 1, 1855.1 The Leader. 1143

    December 1 , 1855 . 1 THE LEADER . 1143

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 1, 1855, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_01121855/page/3/