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1058 THE LEADER. [Saturday,
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THE WAR. TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCHES. St. Pet...
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The hazy intelligence of last week has a...
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INCIDENTS. The Caurrier cle la Gironde t...
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Coolness of the Biue Jackets under Fire....
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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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1058 The Leader. [Saturday,
1058 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
The War. Telegraphic Despatches. St. Pet...
THE WAR . TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCHES . St . Petersburg , Thursday . Prince Menschikoff reports that up to the 3 rd of November , in the evening , the siege operations of the Ulies continued without any visible result . Paris , Thursday , Kov . 9 . The St . Petersburg Courier of the 2 nd inst ., brings he official bulletin of < the affair at Balaklava , on the ! 5 th October . The Hussian bulletin acknowledges that the Husiian loss exceeds 550 men and 6 officers killed , and 1 jeneraL and 190 officers -wounded . The Globe says : —" It is said that at the council of war held by the commanders and admirals of the Allies on the 27 th October , it was resolv ed that the allied fleets should not be allowed again to participate in . tlie bombardment of Sebastopol from the seaside , it having been found that the ships are thereby sxposed to severe injury , without being able to render a proportionally effective service . ' Berlin , Wednesday Evening . Prince Menschukoffj in . his last report to the Emperor , announces that 60 English prisoners have been taken . On . the 25 th four redoubts -were taken by General I . iprandi , two of which were destroyed , and two were retained and fortified . The loss of the English cavalry was supposed by the Russians to amount to 500 . There are preliminary indications of what the Russian answer to the Prussian note will be . If . Prussia -will obtain an undertaking from the Western Powers and Austria that they will not go in their- demands beyond the four points , Russia will be willing to negotiate on that basis . Vienna , Thursday . According to a Turkish bulletin , which requires confirmation , there have been disturbances in Sebastopol on the part of the people , who wished to surrender . In Asia , the Turks in Kars and the Russians in Tiflis has gone into winter quarters .
The Hazy Intelligence Of Last Week Has A...
The hazy intelligence of last week has assumed a more definite shape ; although the system of communication is stilLvery lax , and powerful journals complain that their despatches have ' miscarried . Lord Raglan ' s despatch ; dated October 23 , refers to another despatch , dated October 18 , but the latter has not come to hand . In the one which we have he appears to resume a narrative of the events of the 17 th and 18 th , the opening days of the bornbardmen-fc . The French guns , silenced "by the explosion of a magazine , had re-opened on the 19 tli , with additional batteries , and these had not been again silenced . Lord Raglan , however , adds , that " the defences of the place are far from being subdued either is serious
n a diminution of their fire perceivable . " The enemy repaired the damage to their ¦ works as fast as it was sustained , and replaced many of the guns which had been destroyed . This facility of repairing and re-arming the defences rendered the progress of the assailants slower than could be wished ; and Lord Baglan regretted that he had not the power to state , " with anything like certainty , when it may be expected that ulterior measures may be undertaken . " Lord Raglan is of opinion that Prince Menschikoff is not in Sebastopcl . The two first days of the bombardment ( the 17 th and , 18 th ) seemed to have disappointed the expectations of the allied generals ; both express surprise at
the Russian resources then developed . The fire begran from our lines at half-past six in tho morning , at a preconcerted signal . The fire of the allied batteries was from 126 pieces , 53 French , and 73 English . The town replied by 250 guns . Ab . halfj » ast nine the powder magazine of No . 4 French battery blew up , killing and wounding some fifty men . Three quarters of an hour afterwards a chost of cartridges burst in No . 1 battery , and it was then deemed advisable to silonco tho French butteries . Tho English continued without ( so says tho French report ) any marked advantage or loss . About three in tho afternoon a shot from a Lancaster gun blow up the magazine of tho groat Russian battery called
the Redan , and caused groat loss , siloncing that battery . At one o'clock tho fleet entered into action , attacking the outer forts , and tho French division leading off . Admiral Dumdas took us hia position north of tho French . Tho fire opened at 2 O 0 O yards ; but tho Agamemnon ,. Sanspariol , nnd London , tooV •»? J CSitiuri witmfl wnn . yfttua of Fort Constantino * ( Nothing could bo more noblo than tho gallant way jn which tho Agnmomnon and Snnspaviel steamed in amid a perfect hail of cannon balls and shells . Ifjroni two o ' clock till dark tho cannonade raged furiouely . The fleet experienced great inconvenience Jrottt { ho absence of so many men , who wore working batteries on shore .
It appears doubtful whether tho Bon wttnok was pirwlucWG of much damago to tho RusflinriB . It was intended to divert the flro of tho outor forts from tho Jftpd attack , and certainly had th « fc oflbefc . Tho loss i .
to the English fleet was 44 killed and 266 wounded . The Albion was so much injured that it has been sent back to Constantinople , and will probably have to come home . Sir Edmund Lyon ' s brave vessel , the Agamemnon , also sustained damage . Next day the redoubts were wrested from the enemy , who was repulsed -with loss . On the same day another sortie was attempted from Sebastopol , but this also failed . It is said that our cavalry sustained a loss of 400 . The town of Sebastopol is said to be in flames , and the Russians make no effort to extinguish them . Deserters report that 60 O 0 persons have been killed since the commencement of the siege , and that they lay unburied in the streets , infecting the air with pestilence , for want of time to get rid of them . It is said that Menschikoff asked for three hours to bury his dead ; but was refused , on tlie ground that the Allies had no dead to bury , and that there would be no reciprocity .
A private letter states that the troops are confident of being able to carry Sebastopol , as they took the Alma , at the point of the bayonet ; but that it would be at great expense of life . It is to avoid that expense that the siege is proceeding with regularity . Canrobert ' s last despatch is dated October 22 , and encloses a , journal of the siege up to that date . The total loss of the French was 4 officers and 54 men killed , and 14 officers and 451 sub-officers and soldiers wounded . He represents the difficulties to be contended with as of two kinds : — " Those which
arise froni the nature of the soil , the bed of earth , already insufficient , gradually diminishing in depth as we get nearer , and those which result from the number and calibre of the pieces of artillery which the enemy opposes to U 3 on a front which is nearly in a right line and of very small extent . In this respect tlie resources which he draws from his vessels iii port are , both in respect of men and material , almost inexhaustible ; while ours , although augmented by aids from the two fleets , are necessarily limited . Sixty-eight-pounders , howitzers throwing 80-pounders , and 12 inch mortars , are almost the only descriptions of artillery to which we have to reply . " This state of things renders the siege one of the most laborious operations which have for a long : time been met with . Canrobert reports the sanitary state of the Trench army as satisfactory .
French intelligence asserts that the fire of the besieged slackened on the 25 th , and their aim became more uncertain . This was supposed to arise from the employment of troops of the line instead of artillerymen . On the U 7 th the French , were to enter a trench only 400 metres from the walls . In the night of the 28 th the Russians attacked some French batteries , and failed in an attempt to spike them . They were repulsed with loss . Up to the 2 nd of November no general attack had been made upon Sebastopol . From 18 , 000 to 20 , 000 balls had been fired into the city every day . Up to the date of the last despatches the English had lost 400 men .
Incidents. The Caurrier Cle La Gironde T...
INCIDENTS . The Caurrier cle la Gironde tells the following pretty story : — " An old soldier feeling his end approaching , and wishing to die like a good Christian , sent for a clergyman to administer to him tho rites of tho church . After having attentively listened to the exhortations of hia confessor , and received extreme unction , ho asked him with a feeble voice , ' Can you tell me , reverend father , if Sebustopol is taken ? ' The clergyman , astonished at such a question from a dying man , answered that as yet there was no positive account of its fall . The sick man continued , ' Tho reason I ask tho question is , as I am about to depart for tho other world , it would have given mo great satisfaction to bo able to announce the good news to Marshal St . Arnaud . ' At those -words Ma head fell back on his pillow , and after half an hour ' s suffering tho poor soldier breathed Ids last . " A Constantinople letter says of Sebaatopol : — " Women and children are said to ho lying unburiod in the streets ; overything is noglectcd in order to keep up tho defence . Our artillerymen , are being much worn out by incessant toil . They are twelve hours out of tho twonty-four in trenches , instead of the usual eight . Tho losfl of eflectivo strength from sickness and wounds amounts , in tho British force , to about eighty a day . " A letter from Constantinople , in tho Salut Public of Lyons , gives tho following details from Sobuatopol ;—
" The porsons in the town hnvo suffered greatly from Wflnt of water . Tho stone aqueduct which uuppUed tho inhabitants wn « cut by our hoIiUcth at tho commencement of tho slogo . A certuin number of women nnd phlldran cnm « Hovoral timon outsklo tl » o walls to got water « t tho neighbouring spring . Our soldiora allowed da much humanity an bravery , aa tHoy often wont themselves to ( ill tho voswela brought by thcno unfortunates Tho gononil-in-clriof , on learning those facts , guvo ordorw to nllow tho women to advanco ovory morning to the springs nt eortnin lionta appointed , Genoral Canrobort
also informed the . Governor of Sebastopol that he wuld leave a free , passage to such women and children as might wish to leave the town . Measures , however , were taken to prevent the women from transmitting any intelligence outside . These precautions were not uncalled for , as on one of them who was going to the south -was found a letter concealed , addressed to the Greeks of Balaklava , in which orders were given to bum the town and to destroy the stores of the allied army . That woman was set at liberty after having been interrogated . " The following extract from the Paris correspondent of the Belgian Independence , suggests that the re is some bad blood between the Allies in the Crimea .
" It is painful to say so , but tlie French vessels only suffered so mu « h because the English ships were very much behindhand in coming into line . Our allies were unfortunately , open to the reproach of having shown a > similar tardiness on the occasion of the landing , wfcich was , on account of their delay , postponed for three days —an irreparable loss of time , seeing that the object was to take the Russians by surprise . It was the same thing at the battle of the Alma . No one can for a moment doubt the courage of the English soldiers and sailors . The valour of tlie former was , moreover , heroically displayed at the battle of the Alma . The slowness of -their
movements is only to be attributed to their methodical habits , of whi « h they cannot divest themselves even under tae pressure of the exigencies of an active campaign . Unfortunately it is not said that the delay on the 17 th was susceptible of being so completely made up for as it was at Alma . "
Coolness Of The Biue Jackets Under Fire....
Coolness of the Biue Jackets under Fire . —The blue jackets showed all their ancient valour . Eight or nine men were swept away at a forecastle gun on board the Sanspareil by the explosion of a shell . The two remaining men coolly went on loading with their sponge and ramrod as though nothing had happened . Gallant Conduct op ' * The Queen . " —The order was to keep 1 , 200 yards of the forts , but the disengaged steamers , and at their head the splendid Agamemnon , approached . much nearer , and poured in their shot and shell with unceasing activity , this example was followed by the Queen , which was obliged to leave her place because two steamerscameinto her way , but ran down along the line and joined tlie detached steamers — a movement which the Agamemnon answered by a " Well-done * , Queen !"
" A Coffin or Promotion-. "—The SanspareiL . owing to her unwieldiness and the defects in her propelling foice , which fails always when most necessary , would liave had a hard fate , had not the Shark , a tinylittle steam-tug , which attends the Sanspareil as a planet does its sun , or the jackal its lion , gone in and tovred her out . The skill and courage displayed by the commander of this little craft , Mr . Balls , second mate , excited general admiration . It -was a striking practical illustration of the lion and the mouse , to see the little Shark help out the colossal Sanspo-reil , but at the same time it was a most gallant feat of seamanship . It is reported that Admiral Lyons sent in the commander of the Shark with the words" Go in ; you will find there a coffin or your promotion . "
Captain MrrcnEix , and the TunKisn Admirai .. —" While I am relating to you tho deeds done on the day of tho bombardment , I cannot refrain from telling you also a happy mot spoken the day after tlie action . The Turkish admiral sent his excuses to Captain Mitchell , of the Queen , for having gone between his ship and the forts . The answer of Captain Mitchell wa . 8 , ' that he considered him to do his duty best who was nearest to the enemy . '" Xoni ) DcNHEiiMN . —Lord Dunhellin was taken prisoner on the night of October 21 . Ho was out with an escort with ammunition and lost his way . Seeing a body of men , ho went up to them to ask his way . Tlie escort warned him that they wore Russians , but ho ¦ would irot beliovQ them . Tho escort was Tight , and ho was taken .
The Death op Colonkx Hoon . —On the morning of tho 18 th , Colonel Hood went on duty in command of tho Grenadier Guards in tlie trenches . As he moved from a battery into tho trench , which was at that placo only two foot high , a round shot killed him . Pkincw Edward of Saxe WminiAn had been slightly wounded on the 19 th . Lord Raglan states that ho insisted upon remaining in tho trenches until tho detachment to which lie was attached -was relieved at tlie usual hour . Tho wound was , however ,
not so ecvero as to prevent him from resuming hia duty shortly nftorwards . Russian Cant . ' —About noon to-day ( says u letter dated tho 22 nd ) , tho redoubt and White Tower batteries are completely silenced , hut the lluseians opened from fresh butteries in tho roar of those works . They alBO > oponcd fire from a building which had long boon spared by our guns , because it had on ita front an inscription which marked it us a " Oonowl Hospital . " That building had all along been » battery , -which they saved from destruction by n
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 11, 1854, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_11111854/page/2/
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