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    Mat 5,, 1855.1 THE Ij E A P E R. 40i5

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    The War. Ttle Bombakdmekt Ttas Been Susp...

    exposed ttf-fira . Ail the Poles'who hare deserted are sent to Varna to join Zamoiski ' s Polish Legion . About 500 Russian cavalry , escorting a large staff , are now making a reconnaissance of our . position in the Valley of Efalaklava . —Idem , EXPENDITURE OP SHOT , 3 HEt . L , AND POWDER . Up-to this evening ( April : 15 , th ) the English trenches aloae have fired away between 16 * 000 and 17 , 000 32 and € 8 rpouader shot and shell , 7800 13-inch shell , and 4600 10-incb shell , making in all about 2200 tons ' of shot- , and 500 tons of powder already expended . The English trenches mount 15 A guns and mortars , the French 238 ditto ditto ; so that between English and French there has been used during this week ' s bombardmeat-about 6000 tons of shot and shell , and some 1500 -or 1600 tons of powder . —Morning-Herald Correspondent .

    THE ! FBENX 3 H AT THE FLAGSTAFF BATTERY . Last night ( April 17 th ) our allie 3 made another attempt to establish themselves at the Flagstaff Battery , and this time with complete success . Owing to the veryheavy fire which was kept up yesterday upon the battery , the Russians were unable to effect anything towards the destruction of the breastwork which the French had partially made . About eight o'clock , a small picked party of French sappers crept cautiously into the breastwork , and , under cover of a skirmishing fire from behind , succeeded in repairing the little damage which the enemy had inflicted upon the gabions . The covering party and the fire of mortars completely protected their movements until near ten o ' clock , when a

    sudden rush was juade by 250 men , carrying gabions , partly filled . These were immediately placed and filled with loose earth , and , thus sheltered , a fire was opened on the Russian soldiers in the Redan , who , after aoMe resistance , retired to another part of the battery , sCttd left the French in complete possession of their lodgment . Of course , during the rest of the night , the French mortars direeted their fire so as to protect this party , who occupied the interval in strengthening their position in such a mariner as to shelter them during the daylight . This morning , accordingly , they are able to hold their post . It is on the left side of the Flagstaff , and distant only about 12 feet from where , before the bombardment , the Russian cannon ' and embrasures stood . It is facing the part which was so much injured by the great mine ;

    and here the enemy are unable to bring any cannon against them . The French have made some fifty or sixty loopholes in the breastwork , and through them they keep up an incessant fire on all who show in the battery . Its peculiar angular position protects them much from the effects of this fire ; but still suflicient annoyance and injury is inflicted to gall the Russians to the utmost . If the French extend this breastwork , as it is said they intend doing , the Flagstaff will either become untenable , or so perfectly commanded as to be stormed without loss ; but , before such a # extension can ba made , the Russians are certain to make desperate attempts to oust our allies . If their attempts are successful , the French lose little , and merely begin de novo ; if they are unsuccessful , and we retain the position , the strongest of the enemy ' s advanced batteries fall into our hands . —Idem .

    A RECONNOISSANCE . On April 19 th , Lord Raglan , General ' Canrobert , and Omar Pacha , accompanied by their respective staffs , made a strong reconnoissance of the position of the enemy before Balaklava . The whole force proceeded at about . ten in the morning from the right of our position fn the direction of Kamara . Here were stationed a few © aasack pickets , who beat a precipitate retreat as the Allies advanced . Nothing was found in the village beyond the ruins of some huts and three or four small atables , which the Cossacks had converted into picket Houses for themselves . These were pulled down and their materials scattered about . The church , the only edifice left untouched , in the centre of the village , was not interfered with .

    After passing Kamara , the troops , preceded by the cavalry and artillery , advanced in the direction of the hills on the Woroiwsow road overlooking the Tchernaya , in the direction of Tchourgoum . On those hills between 160 or 200 Cossacks were collected . They fell back as wo advanced , carefully keeping out of range , and retiring on the road to Tchourgoum ., On the hills from which they hud started a number of mud huts had been erected , capable of accommodating nearly a thousand men . These , with some enclosures containing forage , wore set fire . to . Half the infantry , with two French Hold batteries , remained on those hills , while tho cavalry , homo artillery , and tho remainder of tho infantry , with the rocket battery , moved down tho road towards Tchour-t gaum . On tho hills over Tchourgoum , tho pickets , which had increased to uomo BOO or 400 infantry and

    cavalry , made a stand , and watched our movements . Our cavalry advanced to tho villago , which seemed deserted and almost in ruins . Thoro appeared no traces of inhabitants , or indeed , of ita having boon recently occupied at all , except by soldiers . A number of dogs were about it , which bayod and snarled n * our men daw near ; but those wore tho only tokens of life or animation , lioyoiid tho hill and on all tho available

    coverings on the- other side of the Tchernaya , appeared earthworks and heavy batteries . In a kind of basin , formed behind the hills , a Russian camp _ was no doubt assembled , as Cossacks came and went in that direetion repeatedly . There was , hdwever , no means of ascertaining either the number or strength of the enemy without bringing on an engagement , and perhaps a severe one . Behind the works of the heights , which were fortified , were Russian troops ; and in the wood leading towards Mackenzie ' s Farm , commanding redoubts seemed to have been . thrown up in different places . In this manner the Allies quietly retired towards Balaklava , having ascertained , beyond all doubt , that n « force about which we need be at all apprehensive , remained in the vicinity .

    On the Turkish redoubts which we passed , still lay the body of a Turkish soldier , as he fell on the memorable 25 th of October . On other parts of the battle-field , which the Allies have not entered since , except on occasions of reconnoissances of this nature , lay m-any artillery and cavalry horses , just as they fell , and with all their equipments still attached to their decaying careases , which the vultures , dogs , and foxes have almost entirely stripped to the bone . Pieces of uniform , broken swords , bayonets , lance staves , and quantities of shot and shell lay all over the plain , which was green and radiant with wild flowers-of every hue , and fragrant with the perfumes of violets and thyme . As the troops returned across the plains a hare was started f and the chase of that timid animal formed an appropriate conclusion to the day ' s reconnoissance . —Idem .

    LIFE ATTO DEATH ET THE TRENCHES . The following interesting passages are contained in a letter from a captain in the Royal Engineers , dated the 9 th of April . The officer in question is one of the three superior engineer officers upon -whom it will devolve to take a leading part in the assault upon Sebastopol . He says : — " My principal duty here is to be in the trenches . There are four captains to take . command of the works , each of whom remains twenty-four hours down there , so tha t my turn comes one day in four . We have a subaltern under us , who only stays twelve hours , so that I remain through two reliefs of subalterns . The working parties are . relieved every eight hours . Now , as our

    advanced works are within seven hundred yards of the main batteries of the place , and they keep up a constant fire on our working parties , you can imagine how harassing this work sometimes is . No man , be he ever so brave , can stand under fire for so long a time , inactive so far as fighting is concerned , without finding it a great wear and tear to his nerves . The first hour is . the worst , as after that one gets more used to it . The Russians treat us to a pleasing variety in the way of projectiles . First come the round shot of all sizes , which rush past you with a shriek something like a railway whistle badly blown . Next come the grape , which fly slower aad round , like a covey of strong birds , flying very swiftly . Then comes a gunshell , which approaches like

    a round shot , but has the pleasing trick of bursting when it reaches you ; so that you have to run a double risk —first of the shot itself , and then of the pieces . Next comes the mortar-shell , which , though really the worst of the large projectiles , I somehow dread the least ; it remains in the air for nearly half a minute , and in the night you can see it quite plainly , owing to its bearing the fuse . It glances along very gracefully , rising to a great height , and making a gentle whistle every now and then like a peewit or plover , which becomes louder and louder till it drops . Although you can see it all the way , it is a most difficult thing to tell where it will fall ; and none but the oldest hands ( men of whom it is aaid that they have got so inured to fire that a cannon ball would hop off the pit of their stomachs ) can really make a good guess as to where they will drop . What makes

    it worse than a gun shell is that the former flying so low retains its impetus , so that if it ia once past you before it burat all the pieces will continue to fly forward , and you arc safe ; whereas , as the mortar shell is pitched as high as it will go into tho air , and then drops , the pieces have no other impetus that what the bursting charge gives them to fly in every direction for a radius of upwaTds " ~ bf 200 yards , and sometimes considerably more . lint my greatest horror of all , and the deadliest foe we hnve , is tho Russian rifle bullet . It is not so perfect as ours , but , as Morcutio says , * It will do well enough , ' I give you a sketch of it , the size of life . ( Here ia given an admirable pen-and-ink sketch of the bullet , which is , like tho English , conical . ) This little gentleman gives you no warning , but flies about all day ' long , and ranges twelve hundred yards . At a quarter of that distance , it will go through two men . "

    TIIK NAVAL DIVISION AT 8 KHA 8 TOFOL . A . letter from Kamiesch , of tho 14 th , in tho Moniteur de hi Flotte , gives tho following account of tho flying uttack made by an English and French frigato on the fortifications of Sebastopol , nearest to the harbour : — " At about nine o ' clock lust night , tho Valorous , English Bteani-frigato , boldly steered in towards tho Russian forts , and every oyo was directed towards her movomout » . On arriving within proper range , she suddenly oponoil hor fire , and wo could clearly distioguitih a complete volley of shells full in tho town . Tho Itua & iuua did

    not at all expect this attaek ; and it was , therefore several minutes before . Fort . ConsfcantineTetornedia shot As to ' Fort Alexander and the Quarantine batteries they did not fire until a second broadside had been' delivered by . the frigate , which , after following it up / bj two others , returned to her anchorage outside withoui having sustained any damage . At about one o ' clock ii the morning , the French steatn-irigate Caffarelli gol under weigh , and performed the same manoeuvre as the Valorous . The Russians were , however , on this second occasion more on the alert , as the gunners were all at their posts , and the two rows of casemates of Fort ;

    Constantine were lighted up , which produced a very singular effect . The Caffarelli fired four broadsides" in rapid succession , and then steamed back to her anchorage . The Russians returned the fire pretty actively ; but the vessel was only struck by one shell , and suffered no material injury . The diversion caused by this last attack was very opportune , as at the very moment when it took place a very sharp fire of musketry was going on between a battalion of 23 rd Light Infantry and the Russians , who were obstinately defending some rifle-pits which the French soldiers had received orders to take . "

    CA & IP ANECDOTES AND SCRAPS . In The French camp , the most fabulous reports about General Canrobert are in circulation . It is affirmed that before leaving Paris he consulted a pupil of the celebrated soothsayer , Mdlle . Lenormand , who set his horoscope , and prophesied that he would attain the supreme command of the army , but that—like Nelson—he would fall in the moment of victory . The nocturnal combats that now take place almost every night have not yet lost any of their murderous' characteristics . Whichever party commences these bloody feuds , whether French or Russians , they always end in a hand-to-hand combat of life and death . Prisoners are never made , nor do they ask for or give any quarter . The " Greek banditti , " as

    the French term the Albanians , who are formed into a corps of irregulars , under the command of some Greek nobles settled in the Crimea , have adopted the Albanian costume , and the corps is further reinforced by the Greeks of the former Crimean militia , and are used by the Russians for the same duty as that of the Zouaves and the bashi-bazouks , namely , to be in the ; most advanced and dangerous positions , without obtaining much glory . The Russians have learned the necessity of economising the lives of their regular troops , and these irregulars are therefore placed in the van of' the infantry about the Malakhoff position , performing the duty of

    tirailleurs . They evince a supreme disregard of life , and generally throw away their muskets after the first discharge or two , and then , drawing their yataghans , rush in and close with their antagonists . It is generally asserted that before these ceinbats they are regularly primed with " opium , which would account for their frantic yells and maniac deportments It is further state d that they are instigated to seekV-ertain death by their priests , who assure them that the souls of all those who volunteer immediately assume a fresh human appearance , and that they are born again as counts and princes . —Daily News .

    DESPATCH FROM LORD KAGLAN . Before Sebastopol , April 17 . My Lord , —The fire of both the French and English armies has been continued upon Sebastopol since I addressed your Lordship on the 14 th iust ., and , though superior to that of the enemy , it has not produced that permanent effect which might have been anticipated from its constancy , power , and accuracy . The guns of the Russians have been turned upon some of our advanced works in vast numbers , and in one particular instance tho injury sustained by a battery was ao great , that tho unremitting exertions of Captains Henry and Walcot , and the gallantry and determination of the artillerymen under their orders , alone enabled them to keep up tho fire , and to maintain themselves in it .

    In another battery yesterday , a shell burst close to the magazine , which in consequence exploded , killing , I am much concerned to say , one man , wounding two most severely , and seven in a leas degree . Both the batteries I have mentioned have been repaired and restored to their original condition . I enclose the list of casualties that have arisen between tho 13 th and 16 th inst . I have to lament the Ions of two young and promising officers , who had only lttte » y joined the army—Lieutenant . Preston , of the 88 th l < egimont , and Lieutenant Mitchell , of tho Artillery ; and I regret to add that two others have been severely wounded—Captain Green , of tho Kast India Company a Service , who has been employed throughout the siege as an assistant-engineer , with great credit to himself and every advantage to the service , and Captain Donovan , of the 88 rd , who lias most zealously served from the commencement of tho campaign .

    _ Tho French blow up several amnll mines m front of tho Bastion da Mat after sunset on Sunday evening , with , a view to establish a parallel on tho spot . This operation greatly alarmed the enemy , who at once commenced a heavy flro of cannon and musketry in ov « ry direction from that part of- the town , which they kept up for a considerable time . It occasioned no harm on our left attack , upon which a part of it was directed , and I hopo did little injury to our allies .

    Mat 5,, 1855.1 The Ij E A P E R. 40i5

    Mat 5 ,, 1855 . 1 THE Ij E A P E R . 40 i 5

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), May 5, 1855, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_05051855/page/7/