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Leader (1850-1860), 2nd June 1855, Edition 1 of 2, Page 506, Untitled Article

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    • THE WAR.
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      Untitled Article

      barrier to stop the migration—as well try to stop the path of a troop of Hamster rats . There is something that Americans will attend to more than politics , and that is material enterprise . To cultivate land and to push trade , are the first of all objects in America ; atod -wee derive ho small portion of the benefit in tBe » e vast crops from the Republic as well as fromtt&e British colonies , which supply our markets , ami ; help to render us independent of Russia . is

      The state of firiwhce in I ^ ttrope rathereurious . Our own Funds are up 4 or 5 per cent , since the depression in April . Amongst the Fundff that have decidedly improved have been those of Portugal and Sardinia ^ the Portuguese slightly rising from a very low state , those of Sardinia standing decidedly at a rather high figure . Austrian finance

      has been not in a hopeless state only since her union with the Western policy . On the other hand , as we have already seen , Russian credit fails , notwithstanding the reported wealth of the Czar and the gold mines within his dominions ; while the Cortes of anarchic Spain were lately sitting in darkness , because the faithful Commons of that uncomfortable country could not pay their

      gas bill . The Administrative Reform movement continues ; we have meetings in Lambeth , Marylebone , Southwark , Rochdale , Oxford , Merthyr , and Exeter . At most of these places the corruption and decay of aristocratic government , and the necessity for further Parliamentary Reform , are alluded to ; but , indeed , the same kind of movement against constituted Redtapery is extending itself in a variety of directions . The Times announces that Government are about to

      effect a grand concentration of the public offices around Downing-street as a centre ; the offices now being scattered over a zigzag line of more than four miles in length . The appointment of Mr . PmNN , the barrister and friend of Poland , to be permanent secretary for the Admiralty , has opened Bath to be canvassed by an Administrative Reformer , which Mr . Phinn probably would have been , if he had not now retired from all political action .

      The most curious kind of reform , however , is that pointed out by Archdeacon Sinclair , in an address to the clergy of Middlesex , which has created unfeigned astonishment—not for its statements , which » are true enougtr , but for its naivete , and candour . The Archdeacon lectures the clergy on their deficiencies of language , study , and knowledge , to which he ascribes their failure to influence their congregations . Is there , then , to be a self-reform of the State Church ? or is the Archdeacon only the Cassandra pointing to the cause of its decline and fall ?

      The correspondence between Lord Aberdeen and Lord John Russell respecting the removal of the Duke of Newcastle from the office of Minister of War has been published for the gratification of a scandalous world . It does not throw much new light on the subject . Lord John takes false ground , standing on the sham plea that the War Minister ought to be in the House of Commons , instead of saying that he thought the Duke

      incompetent and Lord Palmerston competentthe ground which ho took after his secession . Why this dodging and shuffling ? Can it have boon that Lord John had originally promoted the appointment of the Duko , from jealousy of his old rival Palmekston , and that afterwards something transferred his jealousy to the Duke ? In this case ho would be naturally driven to the fulae plea . There is something more to come out ye % before all ia accounted for .

      Untitled Article

      The newsefrom the Crimea this week is of the most important ! kind . Since the receipt of the intelli gence announcing that the Allies had landed , and hod driven back the Russians from th » heights of the Alma , we have had no such exciting and at the same time gasatify ing intimation . ^ Bala- * - klava and 3 » kerman ^\« "Bre merely negative in their results , and 1 were saddfened by = the frightful stfcog hter of our CQHWtrymen . But the recent event * at the seat * ofe Hostilities wi& be of the greatest and most positive 1 service , and are unchequered as yet ty a single casualty .

      A second expedition to Kertch haying been sent out with greater promptitude than mi ght have t e e n expected , the troops landed on th e Q u een ' s birthday , and the Russians , seized with a panic , fl e d with ou t striking a blow , destroyed three of their steamers , together with about thirty transports and trading vessels , and blew up their fortifications on both sides of the Straits . They also burned their magazines , containing , according to the report of the French Admiral , 160 , 000 sacks of oats , 360 , 000 sacks of corn , and 100 , 000 sacks of flour . In the evening , the

      allied fleets entered the Sea of Azof , of which , we are now masters . Some vessels and about fifty guns fell into our hands . Our success was complete ; and , moreove r , it was bloodless . Sir George Brown was the commander of this expedition ; and on the 24 th ult . he destroyed a foundry near Kertch , where shot , shell , and TVtiuie balls were manufactured . At 1 p . m . on the 25 th , he reached Yeni-Kaleh , the batteries of which are now in our possession . In the advance , S ir G eorge B rown p laced the French on the rig ht , the English on the left , and the Turks in reserve .

      Later intelli g e nce , r e c e iv e d on T hursday by the Admiralty , states that on the 22 nd of May ( which is manifestly an error , sinc e the e arlier despatches make no mention of any operations before the 24 th ) , the Russians , on the appearance of the allied squadron before Bordiansk , burnt four war steamers and considerable stores of corn ; and that on the 23 rd ( probably the 28 th ) , the forts of Arabat were bombarded and the powder magazines blown up . One hundred and six merchant vessels , it is add e d , were destroyed , and only one small R ussian steamer r e mained in the

      Sea of Azof . Arabat is some way to the westward of Ke rtch after you hav e ent e red th e S ea of A z of , so that o ur supr e macy in those waters is plainly something more than merely at the outskirts . In addition to the foregoing , a c ir c ular from Lord P anmure states that int e lligen ce has been rec e ived from Lord Raglan , wh o ann o unces that , a cc ording to a r e port of Sir George Brown , dated the 28 th , the troops continu e h e alth y ; that five vessels laden with corn , which had run into Kertch , ign o rant of th e pla c e having changed hands , hav e be en capt u red ; a nd that the number of guns taken by the Allies exceeds one

      hundred . But this is not all . On the 25 th of May , the French occupied the line of the Tchernaya ; when the Russians , who were but scanty in numbers , made a very feeble re s istance , and rapidl y retreated to the hills . According to the latest accounts , the enemy have not made any demonstration against this new French line of operations . The Tchernaya may therefore be considered as fully in our possession . It must be confessed that the Allies have admirably redeemed their wretched blunder on the occasion of the first expedition to Kertch ; though wo may think ourselves lucky that the Russians did not exhibit their usual quickness and energy in profiting by the notice we had g iv e n t h em , and , by fresh forces

      erecting new works and moving up , render Kertch a small Sebastopol . Such remissness on their part was by no means to be expected , nor , wo must add , was there much reason , from past experien c e , to believe that the Allies would act with such promptitude . The two opponents have , indeed , changed their characteristics for once ; and rumour attributes the transformation to the " rough and r ead y" disposition of the new French Commanderin-chief . Be this as it may , we have boon agreeably surprised . The most dubious must admit that our chances of taking Sebastopol are now greatly increased . With Kertch in our hands , one of th e chief Russian sources of supply , both of ammunition and of food , is cut off "; a moans of communication with tho main land has been taken from them : and an

      approach is made towards blockading tho oncniy in their own peninsula , threatening their base of operations in tho rear , and reducing them by tho double a c tion of tho sword , nnd of famine . Tho occupation of tho Tchernaya monaeos them in another direction ; and if , as somo antici p a te , Om a r Pa cha s hould advance from Eupatorin , thoy will bo still further dlstrnctod , nnd called upon to copo with clangors upon ovcry side . And , indeed , it is evident that they aro already greatly disheartened . Wo read that th ' oir attack s ha v e r ecen t l y been niado with an unusiml langu o r , and that the mon oneo oven refused to renow an assault which was evidently hopeless ; « ccounts which aro confirmed by the spiritless way in which thoy retired from Kertch and tho Tchonmyu .

      Even this , however , does not sum up the whole of oar wcent successes ; for the French have seized some : impfoitfBHt works in front of the Flagstaff Bat tery . TEMs-briUiant achievement is thus described in two despatches from General Pelissier . The fw ( dated the 23 rd ) says : — m " The-enemy Bad formed between the Central Bastio and the sea a large place d ' armes , where they intended assembling considerable forces , in order to make im _ portant sorties against us . On the night of the 22 nd we attacked , these works , which were defended b y al m os t < a £ i ) tifte garrison . The combat was very severe , and lasted almost ffoe wholfe * night . We have taken and occup ied the half of the works , and I hope to be able to announce to you to-morrow that the remainder were taken the night before . "

      Iil the other despatch , dated ten o ' clock at night of the 24 th , General ^ Pelissier says : — " We have happily comp le t ed l as t ni ght the capture of the works attacked the previous day , and we occupy them . The enemy , who in the first attack suffered enormous losses , yielded more easily . Ours , though severe , have been less than theirs . The anniversary of the birthday of her Majesty Queen Victoria was cordiall y celebrated to-day with our allies . " A later despatch informs us that our allies have

      definit e l y established themselves in the works thus taken . The losses of the Russians in these affairs is believed to have been 5000 or 6000 killed and wounded . General Gortschakoff confesses to 2500 in connexi o n with th e st r ugg le on the 22 nd alone . It would also seem * that , on the night of the 23 rd , th e R us s ians dir ec ted a sortie agains t the Fr e nch lines , probably in the hope of regaining their lost position . Recent accounts state that they appear to be retiring from the plain .

      The cholera has made its appearance in the camp ; and complaints are m a d e of a defi c i e ncy of water , while that which is obtainable is bad . But at present the health of the troops is better than it has been yet ; their spirits are admirable ; and our recent succ e ss e s will add doubl e z est t o thei r w o r k and trebl e strength to their arms . THE FRENCH ATTACK OP THE 2 2 ND . In the D € bats , Colonel St . Ange thus writes of the attack on the Russian works so successfully made b y ou r allies on the nights of the 22 nd and 23 rd : —

      " The works in question had been dug and constructed between the Central Bastion and the Quarantine Bay . It w ill be eas y to e xp lain the locality , if the reader has seen one of t hose p lans of Sebastopol now so common in shop windows . The general enclosure of Sebastopol is divided by the great ravine of the military harbour . We have only to consider here the part comprehended between this ravine on the eas t , and the sea on . the west . On the extreme rig ht rises t he g reat F la g s t aff B astion , a culminating point ; then to the left , i n g oing t o w ards t he sea , we come to the Central Bastion , so called b y the besiegers because it faces nearly the centre of the line that we are considering ; further on lie tho bastion and the batteries that command the Quarantine Bay .

      " On this side , our troops alread y occupy the external part of the Flagstaff Bastion , tho cemetery near the Quarantine , and lastly , but quite recently , the counterapproaches that lie between this latter point ami the Central Bastion ; that is to say , we appear to be now in possession of all the chief external parts on the extreme left of tho siege works . Wo ought to explain how they proceed at these attacks to establish themselves in tho conquered work . Tho attack is tho affair of the battalions previously assembled in the trench ; there is not much firing , everything is carried at the point of tho bayonot by a sudden charge Behind tho attacking troops march detachments of workmen armed with spades and pickaxes , and having muskets slung at their backs ;

      these aro accompanied by sappers and minors of the eng ineer corps , commanded by their officers . As kooii as tho attacking troops have dislodged tho enemy , they proceed to make good their own lodgement then . This the workmen and the sappers work indefatigably to effect while tho battalions keep tho repulsed enemy in check . The object to bo now effected is to turn the work against tho besieged , that is to say , to give it tho form or the direction of a siege tronch while preserving every part of tho enemy ' s work conducive to that end . Tho workmen here aro entitled to quite as much merit an tho

      attacking battalions , for they find tliomsolvos equally exposed to a fire of grape and musketry ; and that , too , without tho powerful distraction of excitement which men fool when under firo and charging with tuu bayonet . Tho officers of Engineers on those occasions arc to lie admired for their cool courage , as thoy point out tho work to bo done , and trace out tho direction to bo In ken , in order that tho mon may sufior least from th < i li » ° J tho onomy ' s firo . ' Thoy aro active . ) and couratfcoiiH , 1 ml thoy aro also as passionloHH uh if thoy avcto working on tho P ol ygon . . " General Polissior has inaugurated his advent <« « ' « uhicf command by a vigorous demonstration , ii » itmtf [ irudonco with boldness . Wo soo that tho sicgo of rt « bii « - topol is being carried on with enorgotic oonHlHtoiioy ; its * ucconHivc > progress ohjtM to proyo to Kuropo Hint tho powm-H allied in arms beforo tho Avails of Sobastopol \ yi » not lot go their hold , and that thoy will end by achieving

      The War.

      THE WAR .

      Untitled Article

      John Bkoomio , this Puo-imht , haa committed suicide . Tho cause of tho act is not known . Ho cut his throat at a betting-house , in Broad-court , Drury-lano . Jkbsy Ligwakn , one of tho heroines of Uurns ' s pootry , died , at Dumfries , on Saturday last , nearly eig ht y y ears old . She was tho widow of a Mr . Thomson , whom she married , some yenra after tho poet ' s douth .

      Untitled Article

      5 G 6 ^^ THE LEADER . ^ [ Saturday ,

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), June 2, 1855, page 506, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2093/page/2/