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416 THE LEADER. [Saturday,
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WAR MISCELLANEA. The "Rat.ak-t.ava Teleg...
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ARMY REFORM MEETINGS. SHEFFIELD. ' The c...
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THE LATE MILITARY Fit AC AS AT CANTKHIiU...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The War. Ttle Bombakdmekt Ttas Been Susp...
Several hundreds of the Russian cavalry and a small body of Cossacks appeared on the low range of heights in front of Balaklava this morning , and remained about an hour when they retired , the greater portion by the bridge of Tractea . The object of this movement was probably a reconnaissance . I have , & c ., The Lord Panmurej & c . Raglan . ENCiiOStJKK . —Killed : 2 officers , 3 sergeants , 13 rank and file . " Wounded : 4 officers , 3 sergeants , 76 rank and file . Naval Brigade : Killed , 6 ; wounded , 16 ;
contused , 7 . BLOCKADE OF RUSSIAN PORTS IN THE NORTH . ( From the London Gazette . " ) " Foreign Office , April 27 , 1855 . " It is hereby notified that her Majesty ' s government has received information from Captain " Watson , R . N ., commanding a squadron of her Majesty ' s ships in the Baltic , dated , « Her Majesty ' s ship Imperieuse , off Libau , April 19 , 1855 , ' to the effect that on and from the 17 th day of April , 1855 , and in the name of her Majesty and of her ally , his Majesty Napoleon III ., Emperor of the French , the Russian port of Libau , on the coast of Courlandwas placed in a strict state of blockade by a
com-, petent force of her Majesty ' s ships and vessels , and that on and from the 19 th of April , 1855 , all Russian ports , roads , havens , and creeks , from latitude 55 54 N ., longitude 21 5 E-, to the Filsand Lighthouse , in latitude 58 25 N ., longitude 21 50 E . ( including especially the ports of Sackenbaun , Windau , and the entrance to the Gulf of Riga ) , were also placed in a state of strict blockade by a competent force ; and it is hereby notified that all the measures authorised by the laws of nations , and the respective treaties between her- Majesty and her allies with the different neutral powers , will be adopted and executed with respect to all vessels which may attempt to violate the said blockade . "
416 The Leader. [Saturday,
416 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
War Miscellanea. The "Rat.Ak-T.Ava Teleg...
WAR MISCELLANEA . The "Rat . ak-t . ava Telegraph . —A letter from "Varna , of the 18 th , in the Afoniteur , says : — " The telegraphic wire will not start precisely from Varna , as was at first intended . Experience has shown that vessels anchoring in the roadstead might get foul of it and damage the line ; and a decision has ^ in consequence been come to , that it shall be carried to Cape Kalagria , about thirtyfiye miles to the northward of Varna . From that place a submarine wire will run along the coast to a place called the Monastery , close to this town , and be united by a line on shore to the wire from Varna to Bucharest . " Russian Meutaet Movements in the North . —A letter from St . Petersburg , in the Pays , says : — " The
inhabitants of the majority of the islands qf the Baltic , particularly those of Oesel and Dago , the trade of which is very considerable , have come to the resolution to abandon their homes in about three weeks , and take refuge with their wives and children on the terra firma of Esthonia . Nargen is already abandoned , the forests which furnished the inhabitants with fuel having been destroyed last year by fire during the sojourn there of the English . The fortifications of Riga continue to be extended , and a number of men are employed in strengthening the defensive works of Dunamonde . The
concentration of the troops destined to defend the country will be completed by the 15 th of May . They will be about 115 , 000 strong , and their head-quarters will be near Duna . General Sieivers , who commands them , resides at present in a fortified camp in the interior of Courland . He has not , up to the present time , at his disposal more than two divisions of infantry , three batteries of field artillery , and three regiments of heavy cavalry . The plan of campaign for the Baltic was drawn up by the Emperor Nicholas before his death , in concert with Prince Paskiewitch . "
French Reinforcements from Rome . — Letters from Rome of the 20 th mention the departure of the 21 st French Regiment of Light Infantry from that city , and its embarkation from Civita Vecchia two days before , to join the army of the East . A company of the waggon train and a battery of artillery had also left for the same destination . It was expected that another of the regiments which now constitute the garrison of Rome would follow in a short time , when the total French force remaining in the papal capital would be only two regiments and two or three batteries of artillery , forming an effective strength of about 3600 men .
Russian Obstruction of the Lower Danube . — A . letter in the Afoniteur , dated April 10 , from Bucharest , Bays : — " Some forty merchant vessels , under various flags , have arrived nt Ibraila . All of them arc in ballast , except one , which lias a cargo of colonial provisions . At Ismail , the Russian authorities detained them for several days , and it was not without difficulty ; hat they obtained leave to ascend the river as far as [ braila . Fearful of being seized on their return to [ email , they abstain from taking in cargo . There are ilso at Galatz more than a hundred merchantmen in the mmo predicament . "
British Recruiting , in the United Statics . —Of the six Individuals arrested in Philadelphia charged with recruiting men for the British Bervico , two have been Siacharged , two more hold to bail , and two remained to be disposed of by the United States Commission . The
Halifax Journal of the 9 th insfc . reported the arrival of sixty men from Boston for the Foreign Legion , who had been induced to go there under the supposition that they were wanted to work on the railroads . Finding out the mistake , all the m en refused to enlist ; and finally , arrangements were made to give them work . Osten ^ -Sacken , who from his eccentric habits is considered by the soldiers as a sorcerer , has transferred the command of th e fortress of Sebastopol to Admiral Nachimoff . The Sick and Wounded in Sbbastopol . — lne Councillor Mansaroff , who k had been despatched to the Crimea to inspect the treatment of the wounded , has published his reportdated March 25 . At the end of
, February there were 1720 sick , of whom 247 were wounded , in the barracks on the north side of Sebastopol ; they are accommodated in eight houses of one story high , divided into 38 wards , so that infectious diseases , such as typhus and gangrene , could be kept separate . The rooms are described as amply capacious and well ventilated , although frequently three men had to sleep on the inclined boards ( used also in Prussia , and calledpritscke ' ) , that were meant only for two ; only a portion of the sick had bedsteads . This comparatively satisfactory state of things had been produced by draughting off
invalids in great numbers to Nicolaieff , and would be liable to be altered on occasion of any engagement taking place . In addition to the above , there were a great many sick in the forts and houses of Sebastopol , whose numbers could not be given . The medical men were so exhausted by their labours , that every case of their falling ill assumed at once a malignant form . In Fort St . Michael , the ophthalmic patients were accommodated , and a medical man of eminence from the surgery at Kiew had been procured to attend on them . — Times .
Miss Elizabeth Anne Smythe , who went out with Miss Nightingale , has died at Kululee of an attack of fever which lasted eight days . Honour to her memory ! She sacrificed herself for the good of others . The Floating : Batteries . —A writer in the United Service Gazette says that these , batteries , though the five already built will cost the nation half a million , are worthless . He describes them as enormous washingtubs , and says they will be nearly swamped by their weight . Mortifying , if True . —In a pamphlet published at Berlin , and pretending to semi-official origin , it is said that after the battle of the Alma and the march of Prince Menschikoff to Bakstchi Serai , the whole garrison of Sebastopol consisted of only four battalions and the body of seamen . At that time , also , none of the present outworks existed , with the exception of the wall of the town .
A Query . —" What has become of the submarine explosive concern which was to clear away the sunk ships in the mouth of Sebastopol roads , and thus give admittance to our fleets ? It is some months since the vessel containing the apparatus was reported to have left our shores , and we still hear nothing of its arrival . —Sheffield Examiner . The Army of Hesse Darmstadt . —In the Second Chamber of Hesse Darmstadt , on the 25 th , a credit of 400 , 000 florins was voted to the Government for placing the troops on a war footing ; a further sum of 240 , 000 florins for maintaining an extra body of troops during six months if necessary , and another of 1 , 000 , 000 f lorins for the expense of a mobilisation , in the event of that being resolved on .
Sanitary Condition of the Army . —The Report of Dr . Hall , Inspector-General of Hospitals at the camp , inclosed in Lord Raglan ' s last despatch , says that the health of the army " continues gradually to improve , and the mortality from disease to diminish . Fevers and bowel complaints continue to be the prevailing diseases ;" but , of these , speaking generally , there appears to be a decrease . In the 79 th Regiment , however , there was an excess of nineteen fever cases over the preceding week .
with an increase , in the deaths , of two . " There has been a decrease , " adds Dr . Hall , " in all the ordinary forms of bowel complaints ; but I regret to have to notice two fatal cases of cholera , one in the Artillery , and the other in the 7 th Fusiliers . These were both brought up from the trenches , both died after a few houra' illness . No other cases have occurred , and , from the general diminution of bowel affections , I trust they will prove accidental . "
The Barrack . Hospital at Scutari . —On Easter Monday , M . Soyer opened his large kitchen in this establishment . Russian Defences in the North Seas . —The Moniteur of Tuesday says : — " The French Consul at Stettin announces that a decree of the Russian Government , dated the 3 rd of April , orders the servico of the lighthouses , which had been re-established in the Gulfs of Finland , Bothnia , and Riga , after the departure of the allied fleets and the raising of the blockade , to be again suspended . The booms and buoys in the Wiborg Straits will also be removed . " The Russian Account oh > the Russian Losses . —
A despatch from General Gortschakoff nays that " the loss suffered by the garrison from March the 80 th to April tho flrtl ( 11 th to 16 th April ) consists of 7 subalterns and 480 men killed ; G superior officers , 1 M suba 1 4 j-i *« r » fv ^ Yi s % Stltr * Y % # 1 1 U (\ C \ vw « av * tata * •«* wh * 1 *» J \ TV
Army Reform Meetings. Sheffield. ' The C...
ARMY REFORM MEETINGS . SHEFFIELD . ' The country appears to be rousing itself to the crying necessity for military reform . A meeting with this object was held on Monday at Sheffield ( Alderman Carr in the chair ) , at which the following resolutions were unanimously and enthusiastically carried : " That the fearful disclosures which have been made before Mr . Roebuck ' s Committee as to the cause of the awful destruction of British soldiers before Sebastopol have proved the imperative necessity of a thorough reform being made in the . constitution and discipline of the army .
" That our recent terrible battles strikingl y exhibit the military advantage of intelligence and personal energy in the soldier , and testify that our soldiers are largely capable of self-direction , and that many of them must be amply competent to lead others into action ; that the experience of the French proves the advantage to the army itself of permitting men to rise from the ranks . " That , from several causes , the bodily wants of the soldiers are insufficiently cared for ; that the Home Government sends out supplies , but they do not duly reach the soldiers , or not till too late ; that discipline forbids the soldiers to complain ; that the army surgeons have no independent authority , and cannot take proper measures for the cleanliness , warmth , and general health of the soldiers , or for the necessary tending of the sick or wounded .
" That as the constitutional armed force of England has ever been a militia , composed of the free men of every county , and as a militia was the only , but most effective , defence of England for more than twelve centuries , it is desirable that the militia should be reconstituted in its original integrity , in order that the country may be in a better state of defence . " That it is indispensably necessary for the Training Prevention Act to be forthwith repealed , in order that Englishmen may no longer be prevented from acquiring a knowledge of the mode by which their country may be defended , so as to be ready for actual service when occasion requires . " That officers of the Indian army may be allowed to be promoted into the British army ; that the militia may be reconstituted on the principles of its original integrity ; that the Drilling Act may be forthwith repealed .
" That this meeting rejoices to learn that a movement is making in London to establish an association to promote administrative reform in all departments of the State ; and that it is indispensable that a similar association be at once formed in Sheffield . " That this association be called The Sheffield Administrative Reform Association . '" It was also agreed that these resolutions should be embodied in a petition , and presented to both Houses of Parliament .
DERBY . A meeting , with a similar design to the foregoing , was convened at Derby for Thursday . We have not yet received any report of the transactions ; but the requisition calling lor the meeting thus sets forth its objects : — " To protest against the scandalous waste of public money which has taken place , and is still continuing , in connexion with the transport service of our army in the Crimea ; to protest against the continued employment of Admiral Boxer , who , as has been proved , has been directly guilty of the rrtost heinous mismanagement , to protest against the simple dismissal of Captain Christie , to whose of
obstinacy the awful loss of human life and destruction public property in the great storm off Balaklava were mainly due ; to protest against the rejection , without any inquiry , of Lord Dundonuld ' s plans for the destruction of the Russian strongholds ; to protest against the appointment of untried men to the command of the proposed Turkish contingent , and the rejection of men whose military skill has been shown to be of tho highest order ; and generally to take such measures an to the meeting shull seem good to avert the further disasters which the continued perverse disregard on the part oi our rulers of the dictates of common sense and the instincts of the people cannot fail to inflict . "
The Late Military Fit Ac As At Cantkhiiu...
THE LATE MILITARY Fit AC AS AT CANTKHIiURY . Deputy - Amutant-General Foster arrived at Canterbury last Saturday , for tho purpose of opening an inquiry into the recent affair with two olllccrs oi the Inniskilling Dragoons . An application by tno resident reporter of the press to be allowed to vl present was refused ; tho adjutant not even deigning to send a direct answer . As far as can be ascertained , these are the particulars of tho proceedings . —Tho officers having been examined , Sergeant ijtodio was brought in custody from his room . « "j evidence was the same as that previously given ; anu at the conclusion ho inquired if lie was to oonsiutr himself still a prisoner . Adjutant-General Foster who , like ono of JShakspeaio ' s characters , seems to " profess not answering "—did not reply to this ; aiw tho sergeant vras romoved to his room , bnorsiy
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), May 5, 1855, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_05051855/page/8/
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