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Leader (1850-1860), 15th September 1855, Edition 2 of 2, Page 1, IN the brief interval since our last pub...

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      <^{£0ftmm#M0m/ , M%<M#»D , A Political A...

      <^{ £ 0 ftmM # m 0 m / , M % < m # » d , A POLITICAL AM ) LITERARY REYIEW .

      "The One Idea Which. History Exhibits As...

      "The one Idea which . History exhibits as evermore developing itself into greater distinctness ia the Idea of Humanity—the noble endeavour to throw down allthe barriers erected between men by prejudice and one-sided views ; and by setting aside tne distinctions of Religion , Country , and Colour , to treat the whole Human race as one brotherhood , having one great object—the free development of our spixitualnature . "—Humboldt's Cosmos .

      Contents.

      Contents .

      News Of The Week— Page Miscellaneous 884...

      NEWS OF THE WEEK— page Miscellaneous 884 OPEN COUNCIL- English : Past and Present 896 The War 878 Postscript .. 884 Sunday Observance 890 A Batch of Books 896 The Fall of Sebastopoi !!! . ' . ' . " !!!! . ' . " . ' . '" . " 878 public AFFAIRS- Italy for the Italians 890 THE ARTS _ l ^^ I ^ T ™* ^^* ° Whatnext ? 835 L . TEKATURE- Sadler's Wells Theatre 897 the French Emperor 880 The Fall of Sebastopol 886 Summary 891 Continental Notes 881 Noblesse Oblige 886 The Phasis of Matter 891 . The Queen ' s Visit to Scotland 881 The Campaign in the Crimea ... 837 Michelet on the Reformation ... 892 Births , Mamagcs , and Deaths ... 898 The Irish in America 881 The Suez Canal 888 General Klapka on the War ...... 893 COMMERCIAL AFFAIRSRailway Accident at Reading 882 Fishing for the Irish Seas 889 Dr . Arnott on Warming and „ ° ™ , , , , ., Our Civilisation 882 Muratism in Naples S 89 Ventilation 894 City Intelligence , Markets , Ad-Naval and Military News 883 Examination Tests 890 Translations and Reprints 895 vertisements , & c S 98-900

      Vo:L. Vi. No. 286.] Saturday, September ...

      VO : L . VI . No . 286 . ] SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 15 , 1855 . Price {? £ ^; : £$ g ^ St

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      In The Brief Interval Since Our Last Pub...

      IN the brief interval since our last publication , we Lave learned that France might have lost its Emperor , and that Kussia has lost the half of Sebastopol and the key of the Crimea : while the great question of peace or war appears to present itself in the new form—Shall the conflict continue with a chance of disturbing the settlements that Russia and Austria have maintained , or shall it be arrested now , and compromise with Russia accepted , in order to avoid opening an opportunity which Russia may rue , and the nationalities may use ?

      Before last 'week Avas out we knew that the bombardment had recommenced . It is evident that the Russian General supposed it likely to resemble the last in being pretermit ted , and ultimately abandoned if he could but bear the storm long enough . But it was not pretermitted . The faults of the last attack had been repaired , and an ample supply of materiel enabled the Allied Generals to continue the bombardment without ceasing , day and night . It was already known that the Russians wei'e prepared to evacuate the south

      side , by the bridge which they had constructed , but to obstruct the advances of the Allies as long as possible with new works . They were not allowed time to make their preparations . The bombardment appears to have crumbled their walls faster than they calculated ; at all events , it crumbled down their resolution , and Gortschakoff gave way . The grand assault took place on the 8 th , at several points simultaneously . The English were repulsed from the Great Redan , but they were prevented from holding it by the deadly storm

      of grape which swept its surface . The French , on the other hand , equally changed the result on the Malakhoff , which they now succeeded in hblding ; while some of the French forces sustained a repulse at the L . ittle Redan and central bastion . The MalakhoiT , however , was the key to the whole place , the possession of which rendered nil the rest untenable by the enemy . It is probablo , also , that the Russian soldiery proved far loss tractable than they had before , since Gtoktsghakojff evidently precipitated his retreat . He reports to the Czaic that he left to the enemy

      nothing but " blood-stained ruins : " whereas Goaoral Pjqussibb found heaps of supplies , " both of oflonco and mouth , " which it will take weeks to

      inspect . There is , therefore , a decided downfall in the ability of Gortschakoff , in comparing this precipitate retreat with the previous obstinate maintenance of the place ; unless we presume that he gave way before an internal as well as an external enemy . The north side presents no means of holding out long . The citadel is no doubt capable of sustaining itself against assaults ; but there are not the means of maintaining an army on that side of the lown , or of holding an extensive post , and it appears to be anticipated on both sides that the conflict will now be transferred to the

      plateau beyond the Tchernaya , and above the Mackenzie ridge ; for the Russians no doubt will still pursue their policy of retreating , and endeavour to harass the Allies as they advance . The advantage has not been gained without paying the price for it . The loss appears to be heavy , and the first accounts represented it as something horrible . It does not prove , however ,

      to be in reality so severe as might have been expected , considering the magnitude of the operation . This , again , is the necessary consequence of Gortschakoff ' s precipitate retreat . He certainly did not hold the walls so long as he might , and did not make the English pay the admission fee to so heavy an amount as he could have exacted . He inflicted a loss of two thousand

      on the English in the endeavour to take the Redan , and he might have levied a yet larger number before wo took possession of the town if all his boasted plans had been carried out . Something behind , then , drew him back . The French loss is stated at 0000 , and the carnage amongst the officers has been unusually sovere , espcciully amongst the French - where there wns more handto-hand lighting than the turn of the combat permitted to the English at their groat point of attack .

      The news reached this country just ia time . A few more daya and the Allies would hnvo completed their twelvemonth in the Crimea , and twelve months without accomplishing the reduction of Sebastopoi would have causod groat dissatisfaction in the country . Even now it is not quite finished ; still we know that virtually the possession of the place is settled . The victory has done its work well at home , and the most has been made of it . It hns all the flavour of novelty , and victory is always sufliciontl y intoxicating in itself . The public has rushed into boll-ringing , into bonfires , where that was practicable , and into all

      conceivable forms of proclaiming the great event to ourselves . Tradesmen hung out the Union Jack and the Tricolor ; poetical chandlers adorned the flag with laurel crowns ; cannons fired from time to time ; people shouted ; and the universal gladness told how much of dissatisfaction those who have the conduct of the war had escaped , by just avoiding the completion of their twelve months ' sojourn in the Crimea without results .

      In France , too , it was a godsend for the Government . Our neighbours have that appetite for " glory" which makes a victory an unfailing bait with them ; and whether they ought to rejoice or not , the fact appears to be that they do rejoice . None the less because their commander gained the chief success , their countrymen took the MalakhofF while the English failed at the Great Redan , and their leader * is made a Marshal . Besides , the brilliant news came with all the force of contrast . It was but just before that Napoleon had once more been forced to confront

      the conditions on Avhich he holds his throne—the condition that any man who has the hardihood to stand out and discharge a pistol , can challenge his occupation of the throne , and remove him . lie cannot take his place with other spectators at a theatre , but he runs that risk , as he did on the night of Friday . It was known that ho intended to visit the Theatre Italien ; and as the suite drew up at the door , a young man standing at the entrance fired two pistols . lie missed , not only his aim , but the very object of attack : he fired under

      a carriago wherein there were none but ladies of the Empress ' s suite . But the more feeble the unhappy man may be , the more insignificant bis position nml character , tliG " more signal does the fact show with what , facility the meanest in the land can raise the weapon of death against the highest in station . Napoleon's friends , or some of them , will probably say that ho ought to abstain from incurring these risks , and should keep about him that guard which in fact does watch , and docs surround him , to a greater extent than appears to a casual observer . But ho knows bettor ; ho

      knows that if ho were to maintain the nppenrance of timidity which has been marked in him , "o would encourage attacks that , at all events , he minimizes by broving ; for tlio ^^^ JL gSj & i fr- " * natural sympathy with a bold j ttSJB ?^*^ JX not lift a finger against LAMAn ^^&^ JJS ^? ^ r \/\ them down with Jin nimwv j ^ p i ^ t >^^^ y ^^ \ \ though thoy would oxtoiiJiiina / A ^^^ W ^ KW ^^ j ^ 1 check turns pah . It was thoU ^ t ^^ j ^^ f ^ £ L f

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 15, 1855, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_15091855/page/1/