CHAPTER VIII.

Departure of General della Marmora and the Sardinian Staff--General After Order--Inspection of the Siege-Works, offensive and defensive--Memorials to the Dead--Major Hammersley's Tour--Information obtained--What might have been effected by an Advance after the 8th of September--Aspect of the Country.

The departure of General della Marmora and the Sardinian Staff, which occurred on Monday, 19th May, was the signal for strong demonstrations of the regard and esteem in which they were held by our army. The ships in harbour hoisted the Sardinian flag, the _Leander_ manned yards, and the General set his foot on the deck of the vessel which was to bear him home amid enthusiastic cheers. The good feeling which existed between the Sardinians and the allies was never marred for one moment by untoward jealousies or rivalry; more especially were they ever on terms of friendship with the English, although their knowledge of French gave them greater facilities for communicating with our allies. The position at Fedukhine brought them into constant contact with French and Highland Brigades, and they left behind many kindly remembrances. In all my rambles I rarely, if ever, saw a drunken Sardinian; their behaviour in camp, in the canteens, at Kadikoi, and on the roads was exemplary.

The English Commander-in-Chief issued the following General After-Order:--

"HEAD-QUARTERS, SEBASTOPOL, _May 17th, 1856_.

"No. 1. The greater part of the Sardinian army has quitted the Crimea, and General della Marmora himself will soon embark.

"A guard of honour, with artillery, will be held in readiness for the departure of the Sardinian Commander-in-Chief.

"The Commander of the Forces trusts that General della Marmora will himself receive, and convey to those whom he has commanded in the Crimea, the good wishes of the English army for their future prosperity.

[Sidenote: THE EVACUATION.]

"With steadiness, with discipline, with resource, the Sardinian army has long maintained and efficiently guarded the advanced position entrusted to it; and it bore its honourable share with the troops of France in the battle of the Tchernaya.

"In our intercourse there has neither been difficulty nor difference, and this good feeling between all the armies of the Alliance has had a very important influence in determining the peace of Europe.

"By order. C. A. WINDHAM, Chief of the Staff."

As we were about to part, our anxiety to learn more of our late foes increased. The Russians surveyed our camps, we visited their hospitals, studied their commissariat, inquired into their military system, and inspected their positions; our engineers minutely examined the works of our allies, with which they were necessarily but slightly acquainted during the progress of the attack.

The approaches to the place afforded no opportunity to our English engineers of developing the use of mines. We were never sufficiently near to the Redan, and our works were not assailable by the same agency for the same reason. The French system of mines in front of the Bastion du Mât presented a most astonishing display of labour and skill. To the Russians, however, belonged the credit of performing the most extensive operations. The enemy's mines consisted of two series of galleries and magazines, the first being twenty-seven feet below the surface, the second being forty feet below the first. The workmen were supplied with air by means of force-pumps. In one magazine at the end of one of the galleries there was found 8,500 lbs. of powder, all tamped in and ready for firing by electric wires. This magazine would have formed an _étonnoir_ far in the rear of the French advance; and the explosion was intended to destroy not only the French parallels, but the works of the Bastion du Mât itself, so as to prevent the French turning the guns. The destruction of the docks was effected by a smaller quantity of gunpowder. The Russians intended to fire some of these mines in case of an assault on the Bastion being repulsed under circumstances which gave them a chance of occupying the enemy's advanced saps; others would only have been fired in case of a retreat from the city, in order to destroy as many of the enemy as possible and to check pursuit. There were two or three mines inside the Redan, and there were some extensive galleries and mines in front of the Malakoff, but it was at the Bastion du Mât, or Flagstaff Battery, that the French and Russians put forth their strength in mine and countermine. The galleries were pushed for fifty yards oftentimes through the solid rock. These labours were of the most stupendous character, and must have proved very exhausting to the garrison. Many of the shafts sprang out of the counterscarp, there were numerous chambers cut into the ditch of the bastion, which were used as bombproofs. It was also discovered that the Russians had cut a subterranean gallery from inside the parapet, under the ditch, to an advanced work which they used as a _place d'armes_ in making sorties, and the French, who had been puzzled to understand how the men used to collect in this work without being seen, now perceived the _modus operandi_.

The effect produced by the French mines could only be conceived by those who looked down the yawning craters of the _étonnoirs_, the wild chaos of rocks cast up all around by the explosion, as though Titans and Gods had met there in deadly combat. Some of these gulfs resembled the pits of volcanoes.

The British army, relieved from the pressure of military duties, and warned of their approaching departure, laboured, regiment by regiment, for many long weeks, to erect memorials to the comrades whose remains would be left behind. The works of this nature, which the hasty embarkation did not permit the army to complete, were undertaken by the few skilled soldier-labourers belonging to us. The Chersonese from Balaklava to the verge of the roadstead of Sebastopol was covered with isolated graves, with large burial-grounds, and detached cemeteries. Ravine and plain--hill and hollow--the roadside and secluded valley--for miles around, from the sea to the Tchernaya, presented those stark-white stones, singly or in groups, stuck upright in the arid soil, or just peering over the rank vegetation which sprang beneath.[36]

The French formed one large cemetery. The Sardinians erected a pedestal and obelisk of stone on the heights of Balaklava, close to their hospital, to the memory of General della Marmora and of their departed comrades; we erected similar monuments on the heights of Inkerman and on the plain of Balaklava to commemorate the 5th of November and the 25th of October.

A tour made by Major Hammersley, Captain Brooke, and Mr. St. Clair in the north of the Crimea demonstrated the enormous difficulties experienced by the Russians in maintaining their position. It satisfied every one, that if the Allies had advanced after the 8th of September, and followed the enemy, the Russian army of the South must have surrendered, and Cherson, Berislaff, Nicholaieff, and Odessa would have been seriously menaced. All the north side, its guns, its garrison, all the _matériel_, all the provisions and magazines of Bakshiserai and Simpheropol, must have fallen into our hands, and about 60,000 or 70,000 men. "But why so?" some one will ask. "Could they not have got away?" Most certainly not. There are but two outlets from the Crimea; the first is by the isthmus at Perekop, the second is by the bridge over the Putrid Sea at Tchongar. The approaches to these outlets lie over waterless, foodless plateaux, broken up by deep salt lakes. The wells, which yield a scanty supply of disagreeable water, are profound pits, of which the shallowest is 100 feet, and many are as deep as 150 to 250 feet. They are scattered over the country very sparsely, and they contain but little water. Under such circumstances, the Russians were obliged to send in their reinforcements by driblets, to carry water whenever they wanted to push on a single regiment. It would have been impossible for them to have marched a body of 5,000 or 6,000 men by either of those routes in dry weather. Imagine how helpless would have been the position of an army of 70,000 or 80,000 men of all arms, hemmed in by this salt prairie, and by the waters of the Sivash, under a burning sun, and pressed by a victorious enemy. They could not have marched, nor, if they had once got away, could we have pursued; but no General in his senses would have risked the entire destruction of his army by retreating under circumstances like those from the south of the Crimea; and the Russians confessed their position was hopeless had they been attacked and beaten at any point along the line.

[Sidenote: DEFENCES OF PEREKOP.]

When our travellers arrived at Perekop, they observed that the defences consisted of redoubts directed against an advance from Russia Proper, and not from the south of the Crimea; they made a similar discovery at Tchongar, where the _tête-de-pont_ was strongly fortified towards the north, and was open towards the south. These works were mostly thrown up at the time of the Kinburn expedition, which the Russians very naturally believed to be the precursor of an immediate operation against the Crimea, to which they looked with very great apprehension.

General Von Wrangel received them with much hospitality and kindness at Perekop. The old Tartar citadel and the remains of a wall and parapet were visible; but the defences of the place were very weak; water was very scarce, and very bad; but the climate is healthy, except when the wind blows across the Sivash. No less than 25,000 men died of sickness at and near Perekop. There were large hospitals and ambulances, but they were far too small for the demands upon them, and many convoys had to be sent on to Cherson, Berislaff and Nicholaieff. At Tchongar the tourists were refused permission to pass the bridge, and that refusal was confirmed by the General commanding at Genitchi, to whom they applied to rescind the decision of his subordinate. They examined the bridge, however, and found it was well and substantially built of wood. The waters of the Sivash are as clear as crystal, and are so intensely bitter that no fish frequent them except small flounders. The bottom consists of a stratum of fine shells, of two or three inches in thickness, just sufficient to bear a man treading lightly upon it, but if one presses with all his weight this crust breaks, and up rushes black mud and stinking gas, probably sulphuretted hydrogen.

The banks are high and steep, and all the way from Genitchi to the bridge of Tchongar, in the centre of the stream, there is a channel, about nine feet deep. This sea presents the curious phenomenon of a steady current running from Genitchi west to Perekop, where there is no outlet whatever, so that there must be an under current out again, or, as the natives believe, a prodigious evaporation on the shoals at the extremity of the sea. The salt lakes are very conspicuous features in the desolate scenery of Northern Crimea. They are surrounded by very high precipitous banks; and the waters seem black from their great depth. One of these, Lake Veliki, is connected with Perekop by the line of redoubts, seven in number, recently constructed. Wherever these abound, fresh water is rare, and the wells are deep. Each village has about two wells, and the supply is so small that it would take a day at any one station to water a regiment of cavalry. In the south there is abundance of fresh water, of blooming valleys, of fruit, corn, vines, and forest trees; but for the cultivation and growth of these Russia is mainly indebted to the industrious German colonists. Kronthal, Neusatz, Friedenthal, Rosenthal, Zurichthal, Heilbronn, and other villages founded by these industrious people, are patterns of neatness and frugal comfort. Most of the emigrants came from Wurtemburg, and they spoke fondly of "fatherland." The Russians gave them small ground for complaint. They are exempt from all military service for 100 years, and their only tribute to the State is a capitation-tax of twenty silver roubles, which they are in general well able to pay. Another interesting point visited was the Fortress of Arabat, which was bombarded for several hours by the Allied squadron. The fact is, however, that not only was little or no harm done to the fortress, but that the Russians claim it as a victory, and have promoted the officer who commanded for "beating off the Allied fleet." Such will always be the result of an attack by sea on any land-defences so long as the enemy retain one gun to fire when the attack has ceased.

The Spit of Arabat was very little used at any time, and a curious instance of the ignorance of chart-makers was discovered on referring to the sites of wells marked on the maps. There were no wells, for the simple reason that they were not required. The water of the Sea of Azoff close to the Spit is quite fresh, and can be drunk with safety by man or beast.

Vast as the population of Russia is in the aggregate, the extent of her territory is such that, in the state of her internal communication, it was difficult for her to concentrate troops, notwithstanding the conscription and compulsory levies. Towards the end of the war, Sebastopol swallowed up her armies by whole divisions, a battalion a day was engulfed in the yawning craters of our shells. The march of a regiment through a country such as has been described was as fatal as a battle, and it was customary to estimate the reduction in strength caused by moving from Odessa to Sebastopol at 35 per cent. During the worst days of its trials the Russian army in the Crimea lost 500 men a day! This did not include casualties caused in the siege. The attention of their medical men was directed to the enormous losses of their army, and to its extreme unhealthiness in campaigns; and a Board, consisting of a few of their most eminent men, made minute inquiries into the medical administration of the Allied armies. They were greatly impressed with what they saw at Balaklava, and one of them exclaimed, "We heard you were prepared for a three years' war; we find you are ready for twenty."

[Sidenote: THE EVACUATION.]

The uttermost efforts were made by the Allies to remove the stores and _matériel_ accumulated on the plateau, and to embark the troops for their different destinations, but so vast was the mass of warlike necessaries, and so large the force congregated in the Crimea, that it was not till July they had so far succeeded as to be able to name a day for the formal cession of the last position held by them on Russian soil. On the 12th of July the 50th Regiment furnished a rear-guard which was posted outside Balaklava to await the Russian officer who was to take over charge of the town. He came across the plain with 50 Cossacks, and the two parties saluted and then returned to the town, where the Russians posted their sentries, and the English troops embarked on board H.M.S. _Algiers_. The General in command of the British forces, Sir W. Codrington, and his staff left the Crimea at the same time.

During the expedition the English lost--killed in action and died of wounds, 3,500; died of cholera, 4,244; of other diseases nearly 16,000;--total (including 270 officers), 24,000; 2,873 officers and men were disabled. The French loss was estimated at 63,500 men, killed in action or died in camps. The loss of the Russians was estimated as high as 500,000. The war added to the National Debt £41,041,000.

FINIS.

CATHCART'S HILL

(1856.)

In times to come this Cathcart's Hill will be a chosen terminus of Saxon pilgrimage. Whether the traveller beholds from its humble parapet the fair aspect of the Imperial city, guarded by threefold mightier batteries than before, or sits upon the Cemetery wall to gaze upon the ruins of Sebastopol, he must, if he has any British blood in his veins, regard with emotion that little spot which encloses all that was mortal of some of the noblest soldiers that ever sprang from our warrior race. He will see the site of those tedious trenches where the strong man waxed weak day after day, and the sanguine became hopeless, and where the British soldier fought through a terrible winter with privation, cold, frost, snow, and rain, more terrible and deadly than the fire of the enemy. With the Redan, the Malakoff, the Quarries, the Mamelon, Gordon's Attack, Chapman's Attack, under his eyes, he will revive with the aspect of the places where they stood the memories of this great struggle, and in his mind the incidents of its history will be renewed.

[Sidenote: CATHCART'S HILL.]

The Cemetery is a parallelogram of about forty yards long by thirty broad, formed by the base of a ruined wall, which might in former days have marked the lines of a Tartar fort, or have been the first Russian redoubt to watch over the infancy of Sebastopol. Although many a humble tumulus indicated to the eye of affection the place where some beloved comrade rests till the last _reveillée_, the care and love of friends had left memorials in solid stone of most of those whose remains were buried in this spot. The first grave towards the front and west of the Cemetery consisted of a simple mound of earth. I know not whose remains lie below. The second was marked by a simple slab, with the following inscription:--"Sacred to the memory of Lieutenant H. Tryon, Rifle Brigade, killed in action on the 20th of November, 1854." He was a thorough soldier, brave, cool, and resolute, and in the terrible crisis of Inkerman he used a rifle with more deadly certainty and success than any of his men. In the struggle for the "Ovens" on the 20th of November, in which a small body of the Rifle Brigade dislodged a force of the enemy much greater than their own, he displayed such gallantry that General Canrobert paid him the rare honour of a special mention in the next "General Order of the Day" for the French army. Next to his reposed the remains of a lamented officer. The stone recorded his name, "Sacred to the memory of Brigadier-General Thomas Leigh Goldie, commanding the first Brigade of the 4th Division of the British army, Lieutenant-Colonel of the 57th Regiment, who fell at Inkerman, November 5, 1854." No. 4 was a rude cross of stone, without mark or name. The fifth grave was distinguished by a stone cross at the feet, and at the head was a slab with an ornamental top, beneath which was written, "Sacred to the memory of Brigadier-General Fox Strangways, killed in action November 5, 1854." A few lines in Russian asked the Christian forbearance of our enemies upon our departure for the bones of one whom they would have admired and loved had they known him. No. 6 was conspicuous by a large tombstone, with an ornamental cross at the top, and some simple efforts at the chisel at the sides and base. Come and read! "Here lieth the mortal remains of Captain Edward Stanley, 57th Regiment, killed at the battle of Inkerman, November 5, 1854, to whose memory this stone is erected by the men of his company--'Cast down but not destroyed,' 2 Corinthians, iv. 9." Who will not look with respect on the tombs of these poor soldiers, and who does not feel envy for the lot of men so honoured? There were fourteen other graves in the same row, of which only one could be identified.

Sir George Cathcart's resting-place was marked by a very fine monument, for which his widow expressed her thanks to those who raised it to the memory of their beloved commander. There was an inscription upon it commemorating the General's services, and the fact that he served with the Russian armies in one of their most memorable campaigns--the date of his untimely and glorious death, and an inscription in the Russian language stating who and what he was who reposed beneath. In the second row to the east there were two graves, without any inscription on the stones; the third was marked by a very handsome circular pillar of hewn stone, surmounted by a cross, and placed upon two horizontal slabs. On the pillar below the cross in front was this inscription: "To Lieutenant-Colonel C. F. Seymour, Scots Fusileer Guards, killed in action, November 5, 1854." Beneath these words were a cross sculptured in the stone, and the letters "I.H.S.;" and a Russian inscription on the back, requesting that the tomb might be saved from desecration. At the foot of the tomb there was an elaborately carved stone lozenge surmounting a slab, and on the lozenge was engraved the crest of the deceased, with some heraldic bird springing from the base of a coronet, with the legend "Foy pour devoir, C.F.S. Æt. 36." How many an absent friend would have mourned around this tomb! Close at hand was a handsome monument to Sir John Campbell, than whom no soldier was ever more regretted or more beloved by those serving under him; and not far apart in another row was a magnificent sarcophagus in black Devonshire marble, to the memory of Sir R. Newman, of the Grenadier Guards, who also fell at Inkerman. With all these memorials of death behind us, the front wall at Cathcart's Hill was ever a favourite spot for gossips and spectators, and sayers of jokes, and _raconteurs_ of _bons mots_ or such _jeux d'esprit_ as find favour in military circles.

APPENDIX.

DISPATCHES AND DOCUMENTS.

THE LANDING IN THE CRIMEA.

LORD RAGLAN TO THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.

(_Received September 30._)

CAMP ABOVE OLD FORT BAY, _September 18, 1854_.

MY LORD DUKE,--I do myself the honour to acquaint your Grace that the combined fleets and their convoys appeared in the Bay of Eupatoria on the 13th instant, and in the course of the following night proceeded some miles to the southward, where the Allied Armies commenced disembarking early in the morning of the 14th,--the French in the bay below Old Fort, the English in the next bay nearer to Eupatoria,--and before dark the whole of the British infantry and some artillery, and most of the French troops were on shore.

Shortly before dark, the weather unfortunately changed, and it became hazardous to attempt to continue landing either troops or guns.

The surf on the beach impeded the operation the following morning; and since, on more than one occasion; but thanks to the great exertions of the Navy, under the able and active superintendence of Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, who was charged with the whole arrangement, every obstacle has been overcome, and I am now enabled to report to your Grace that the disembarkations have been completed.

I should not do justice to my own feelings, or to those of the troops I have the honour to command, if I did not prominently bring to the knowledge of your Grace the deep sense entertained by all, of the invaluable services rendered by Her Majesty's Navy.

The spirit by which both officers and men were animated, made them regardless of danger, of fatigue, and indeed of every consideration but that of performing an arduous and important duty; and that duty they discharged to the admiration of all who had the good fortune to witness their unceasing efforts to land horses and carriages, with the utmost expedition and safety, under frequently the most trying circumstances.

I have, &c., (Signed) RAGLAN.

LORD RAGLAN'S DESPATCH AS TO THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA.

LORD RAGLAN TO THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.

(_Received October 8._)

HEAD-QUARTERS, KATSCHA RIVER, _September 23, 1854_.

MY LORD DUKE,--I have the honour to inform your Grace that the Allied Troops attacked the position occupied by the Russian Army, behind the Alma, on the 20th instant; and I have great satisfaction in adding that they succeeded, in less than three hours, in driving the enemy from every part of the ground which they had held in the morning, and in establishing themselves upon it.

The English and French Armies moved out of their first encampment in the Crimea on the 19th, and bivouacked for the night on the left bank of the Bulganac, the former having previously supported the advance of a part of the Earl of Cardigan's brigade of light cavalry, which had the effect of inducing the enemy to move up a large body of Dragoons and Cosaques, with artillery.

On this, the first occasion of the English encountering the Russian force, it was impossible for any troops to exhibit more steadiness than did this portion of Her Majesty's cavalry.

It fell back upon its supports with the most perfect regularity under the fire of the artillery, which was quickly silenced by that of the batteries I caused to be brought into action.

Our loss amounted to only four men wounded.

The day's march had been most wearisome, and under a burning sun the absence of water, until we reached the insignificant but welcome stream of the Bulganac, made it to be severely felt.

Both armies moved towards the Alma the following morning, and it was arranged that Marshal St. Arnaud should assail the enemy's left by crossing the river at its junction with the sea, and immediately above it, and that the remainder of the French divisions should move up the heights in their front, whilst the English Army should attack the right and centre of the enemy's position.

In order that the gallantry exhibited by Her Majesty's troops, and the difficulties they had to meet, may be fairly estimated, I deem it right, even at the risk of being considered tedious, to endeavour to make your Grace acquainted with the position the Russians had taken up.

It crossed the great road about two miles and a half from the sea, and is very strong by nature.

The bold and almost precipitous range of heights, of from 350 to 400 feet, that from the sea closely border the left bank of the river, here ceases and formed their left, and turning thence round a great amphitheatre or wide valley, terminates at a salient pinnacle where their right rested, and whence the descent to the plain was more gradual. The front was about two miles in extent.

Across the mouth of this great opening is a lower ridge at different heights, varying from 60 to 150 feet, parallel to the river, and at distances from it of from 600 to 800 yards.

The river itself is generally fordable for troops, but its banks are extremely rugged, and in most parts steep; the willows along it had been cut down, in order to prevent them from affording cover to the attacking party, and in fact everything had been done to deprive an assailant of any species of shelter.

In front of the position on the right bank, at about 200 yards from the Alma, is the village of Bouliouk, and near it a timber bridge, which had been partly destroyed by the enemy.

The high pinnacle and ridge before alluded to was the key of the position, and consequently, there the greatest preparations had been made for defence.

Half way down the height, and across its front, was a trench of the extent of some hundred yards, to afford cover against an advance up the even steep slope of the hill. On the right, and a little retired, was a powerful covered battery, armed with heavy guns, which flanked the whole of the right of the position.

Artillery, at the same time, was posted at the points that best commanded the passage of the river and its approaches generally.

On the slopes of these hills (forming a sort of table land) were placed dense masses of the enemy's infantry, whilst on the heights above was his great reserve, the whole amounting, it is supposed, to between 45,000 and 50,000 men.

The combined armies advanced on the same alignement, Her Majesty's troops in contiguous double columns, with the front of two divisions covered by light infantry and a troop of horse artillery; the 2nd Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir De Lacy Evans, forming the right, and touching the left of the 3rd Division of the French Army, under His Imperial Highness Prince Napoleon, and the Light Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown, the left; the first being supported by the 3rd Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England, and the last by the 1st Division, commanded by Lieutenant-General His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge.

The 4th Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Cathcart, and the cavalry under Major-General the Earl of Lucan, were held in reserve to protect the left flank and rear against large bodies of the enemy's cavalry, which had been seen in those directions.

On approaching to near the fire of the guns, which soon became extremely formidable, the two leading divisions deployed into line, and advanced to attack the front, and the supporting divisions followed the movement. Hardly had this taken place, when the village of Bouliouk, immediately opposite the centre, was fired by the enemy at all points, creating a continuous blaze for three hundred yards, obscuring their position, and rendering a passage through it impracticable. Two regiments of Brigadier-General Adams' brigade, part of Sir De Lacy Evans' division, had, in consequence, to pass the river at a deep and difficult ford to the right under a sharp fire, whilst his first brigade, under Major-General Pennefather, and the remaining regiment of Brigadier-General Adams, crossed to the left of the conflagration, opposed by the enemy's artillery from the heights above, and pressed on towards the left of their position with the utmost gallantry and steadiness.

In the meanwhile, the Light Division, under Sir George Brown, effected the passage of the Alma in his immediate front. The banks of the river itself were, from their rugged and broken nature, most serious obstacles, and the vineyards, through which the troops had to pass, and the trees which the enemy had felled, created additional impediments, rendering every species of formation, under a galling fire, nearly an impossibility. Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown advanced against the enemy under great disadvantages.

In this difficult operation he nevertheless persevered, and the 1st Brigade, under Major-General Codrington, succeeded in carrying a redoubt, materially aided by the judicious and steady manner in which Brigadier-General Buller moved on the left flank, and by the advance of four companies of the Rifle Brigade, under Major Norcott, who promises to be a distinguished officer of light troops.

The heavy fire of grape and musketry, however, to which the troops were exposed, and the losses consequently sustained by the 7th, 23rd, and 33rd Regiments, obliged this brigade partially to relinquish its hold.

By this time, however, the Duke of Cambridge had succeeded in crossing the river, and had moved up in support, and a brilliant advance of the brigade of Foot Guards, under Major-General Bentinck, drove the enemy back, and secured the final possession of the work.

The Highland Brigade, under Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, advanced in admirable order and steadiness up the high ground to the left, and in co-operation with the Guards; and Major-General Pennefather's brigade, which had been connected with the right of the Light Division, forced the enemy completely to abandon the position they had taken such pains to defend and secure.

The 95th Regiment, immediately on the right of the Royal Fusiliers in the advance, suffered equally with that corps an immense loss.

The aid of the Royal Artillery in all these operations was most effectual. The exertions of the Field Officers and the Captains of troops and batteries to get the guns into action were unceasing, and the precision of their fire materially contributed to the great results of the day.

Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England brought his division to the immediate support of the troops in advance, and Lieutenant-General the Honourable Sir George Cathcart was actively engaged in watching the left flank.

The nature of the ground did not admit of the employment of the cavalry under the Earl of Lucan; but they succeeded in taking some prisoners at the close of the battle.

In the details of these operations, which I have gone into as far as the space of a despatch would allow, your Grace will perceive that the services in which the General and other Officers of the Army were engaged, were of no ordinary character; and I have great pleasure in submitting them for your Grace's most favourable consideration.

The mode in which Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown conducted his division under the most trying circumstances demands the expression of my warmest approbation. The fire to which his division was subjected and the difficulties he had to contend against, afford no small proof that his best energies were applied to the successful discharge of his duty.

I must speak in corresponding terms of Lieutenant-General Sir De Lacy Evans, who likewise conducted his division to my perfect satisfaction, and exhibited equal coolness and judgment in carrying out a most difficult operation.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge brought his division into action in support of the Light Division with great ability, and had for the first time an opportunity of showing the enemy his devotion to Her Majesty, and to the profession of which he is so distinguished a member.

My best thanks are due to Lieutenant-General Sir R. England, Lieutenant-General the Honourable Sir George Cathcart, and Lieutenant-General the Earl of Lucan, for their cordial assistance wherever it could be afforded; and I feel it my duty especially to recommend to your Grace's notice the distinguished conduct of Major-General Bentinck, Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, Major-General Pennefather, Major-General Codrington, Brigadier-General Adams, and Brigadier-General Buller.

In the affair of the previous day, Major-General the Earl of Cardigan exhibited the utmost spirit and coolness, and kept his brigade under perfect command.

The manner in which Brigadier-General Strangways directed the artillery, and exerted himself to bring it forward, met my entire satisfaction.

Lieutenant-General Sir John Burgoyne was constantly by my side, and rendered me, by his counsel and advice, the most valuable assistance; and the Commanding Royal Engineer, Brigadier-General Tylden, was always at hand to carry out any service I might direct him to undertake.

I deeply regret to say that he has since fallen a victim to cholera, as has Major Wellesley, who was present in the affair of the previous day, notwithstanding that he was then suffering from serious illness. He had, during the illness of Major-General Lord de Ros, acted for him in the most efficient manner. I cannot speak too highly of Brigadier-General Estcourt, Adjutant-General, or of Brigadier-General Airey, who, in the short time he has conducted the duties of the Quartermaster-General, has displayed the greatest ability as well as aptitude for the office.

I am much indebted to my military secretary, Lieutenant-Colonel Steele, Major Lord Burghersh, and the officers of my personal staff, for the zeal, intelligence, and gallantry they all, without exception, displayed.

Lieutenant Derriman, R.N., the Commander of the _Caradoc_, accompanied me during the whole of the operation, and rendered me an essential service by a close observation of the enemy's movements, which his practised eye enabled him accurately to watch.

I lament to say that Lieutenant-Colonel Lagondie, who was attached to my head-quarters by the Emperor of the French, fell into the enemy's hands on the 19th, on his return from Prince Napoleon's division, where he had obligingly gone at my request, with a communication to his Imperial Highness.

This misfortune is deeply regretted, both by myself and the officers of my personal staff.

The other officer placed with me under similar circumstances, Major Vico, afforded me all the assistance in his power, sparing no exertion to be of use.

I cannot omit to make known to your Grace the cheerfulness with which the regimental officers of the Army have submitted to most unusual privations.

My anxiety to bring into the country every cavalry and infantry soldier who was available prevented me from embarking their baggage animals, and these officers have with them at this moment nothing but what they can carry, and they, equally with the men, are without tents or covering of any kind.

I have not heard a single murmur. All seem impressed with the necessity of the arrangement, and they feel, I trust, satisfied that I shall bring up their bât horses at the earliest moment.

The conduct of the troops has been admirable. When it is considered that they have suffered severely from sickness during the last two months; that since they landed in the Crimea they have been exposed to the extremes of wet, cold, and heat; that the daily toil to provide themselves with water has been excessive, and that they have been pursued by cholera to the very battle-field, I do not go beyond the truth in declaring that they merit the highest commendation.

In the ardour of attack they forgot all they had endured, and displayed that high courage, that gallant spirit for which the British soldier is ever distinguished and under the heaviest fire they maintained the same determination to conquer, as they had exhibited before they went into action. I should be wanting in my duty, my Lord Duke, if I did not express to your Grace, in the most earnest manner, my deep feeling of gratitude to the officers and men of the Royal Navy for the invaluable assistance they afforded the Army upon this as on every occasion where it could be brought to bear upon our operations.

They watched the progress of the day with the most intense anxiety; and as the best way of evincing their participation in our success, and their sympathy in the sufferings of the wounded, they never ceased, from the close of the battle till we left the ground this morning, to provide for the sick and wounded, and to carry them down to the beach; a labour in which some of the officers even volunteered to participate, an act which I shall never cease to recollect with the warmest thankfulness.

I mention no names, fearing I might omit some who ought to be spoken of; but none who were associated with us spared any exertion they could apply to so sacred a duty.

Sir Edmund Lyons, who had charge of the whole, was, as always, most prominent in rendering assistance and providing for emergencies.

I enclose the return of killed and wounded. It is, I lament to say, very large; but I hope, all circumstances considered, that it will be felt that no life was unnecessarily exposed, and that such an advantage could not be achieved without a considerable sacrifice.

I cannot venture to estimate the amount of the Russian loss. I believe it to have been great, and such is the report in the country.

The number of prisoners who are not hurt is small, but the wounded amount to 800 or 900. Two General officers, Major-Generals Karganoff and Shokanoff, fell into our hands. The former is very badly wounded.

I will not attempt to describe the movements of the French Army--that will be done by an abler hand; but it is due to them, to say that their operations were eminently successful, and that under the guidance of their distinguished commander, Marshal St. Arnaud, they manifested the utmost gallantry, the greatest ardour for the attack, and the high military qualities for which they are so famed.

This despatch will be delivered to your Grace by Major Lord Burghersh, who is capable of affording you the fullest information, and whom I beg to recommend to your especial notice.

I have, &c.,

RAGLAN.

MARSHAL DE ST. ARNAUD'S DESPATCH AS TO THE ALMA.

FIELD OF BATTLE OF ALMA, _September 21, 1854_.

SIRE,--The cannon of your Majesty has spoken; we have gained a complete victory. It is a glorious day, sire, to add to the military annals of France, and your Majesty will have one name more to add to the victories which adorn the flags of the French army.

The Russians had yesterday assembled all their forces, and collected all their means to oppose the passage of the Alma. Prince Menschikoff commanded in person. All the heights were crowned with redoubts and formidable batteries. The Russian army reckoned about 40,000 bayonets, from all points of the Crimea. In the morning there arrived from Theodosia 6,000 cavalry and 180 pieces of heavy and field artillery. From the heights which they occupied, the Russians could count our men man by man, from the 19th to the moment when we arrived on the Bulganak. On the 20th, from six o'clock in the morning, I carried into operation, with the division of General Bosquet, reinforced by eight Turkish battalions, a movement which turned the left of the Russians and some of their batteries. General Bosquet manoeuvred with as much intelligence as bravery. This movement decided the success of the day. I had arranged that the English should extend their left, in order at the same time to threaten the right of the Russians, while I should occupy them in the centre; but their troops did not arrive until half-past ten. They bravely made up for this delay. At half-past twelve the line of the Allied army, occupying an extent of more than a league, arrived on the Alma, and was received by a terrible fire from the tirailleurs.

In this movement the head of the column of General Bosquet appeared on the heights, and I gave the signal for a general attack. The Alma was crossed at double-quick time. Prince Napoleon, at the head of his division, took possession of the large village of Alma, under the fire of the Russian batteries. The Prince showed himself worthy of the great name he bears. We then arrived at the foot of the heights, under the fire of the Russian batteries. There, sire, commenced a battle in earnest, along all the line--a battle with its episodes of brilliant feats of valour. Your Majesty may be proud of your soldiers: they have not degenerated: they are the soldiers of Austerlitz and of Jena. At half-past four the French army was everywhere victorious. All the positions had been carried at the point of the bayonet, to the cry of "Vive l'Empereur!" which resounded throughout the day. Never was such enthusiasm seen; even the wounded rose from the ground to join in it. On our left the English met with large masses of the enemy, and with great difficulties, but everything was surmounted. The English attacked the Russian positions in admirable order, under the fire of their cannon, carried them, and drove off the Russians. The bravery of Lord Raglan rivals that of antiquity. In the midst of cannon and musket-shot, he displayed a calmness which never left him. The French lines formed on the heights, and the artillery opened its fire. Then it was no longer a retreat, but a rout; the Russians threw away their muskets and knapsacks in order to run the faster. If, sire, I had had cavalry, I should have obtained immense results, and Menschikoff would no longer have had an army; but it was late, our troops were harassed, and the ammunition of the artillery was exhausted. At six o'clock in the evening, we encamped on the very bivouac of the Russians. My tent is on the very spot where that of Prince Menschikoff stood in the morning, and who thought himself so sure of beating us that he left his carriage there. I have taken possession of it, with his pocket-book and correspondence, and shall take advantage of the valuable information it contains. The Russian army will probably be able to rally two leagues from this, and I shall find it to-morrow on the Katcha, but beaten and demoralized, while the Allied army is full of ardour and enthusiasm. I have been compelled to remain here in order to send our wounded and those of the Russians to Constantinople, and to procure ammunition and provisions from the fleet. The English have had 1,500 men put _hors de combat_. The Duke of Cambridge is well: his division, and that of Sir G. Brown, were superb. I have to regret about 1,200 men _hors de combat_, three officers killed, fifty four wounded, 253 sub-officers and soldiers killed, and 1,033 wounded. General Canrobert, to whom is due in part the honour of the day, was slightly wounded by the splinters of a shell, which struck him in the breast and hand, but he is doing very well. General Thomas, of the division of the Prince, is seriously wounded by a ball in the abdomen. The Russians have lost about 5,000 men. The field of battle is covered with their dead, and our field hospitals are full of their wounded. We have counted a proportion of seven Russian dead bodies for one French. The Russian artillery caused us loss, but ours is very superior to theirs. I shall all my life regret not having had with me my two regiments of African Chasseurs. The Zouaves were the admiration of both armies: they are the first soldiers in the world.

Accept, sire, the homage of my profound respect and of my entire devotedness.

MARSHAL R. DE ST. ARNAUD.

FRENCH ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST BOMBARDMENT OF SEBASTOPOL.

FROM GENERAL CANROBERT.

M. LE MARÉCHAL,--Yesterday, at sunrise, we opened our fire in concert with the English army. Matters were going on well, when the explosion of a battery powder magazine, unfortunately of considerable size, somewhat disturbed our attack. This explosion produced the greater effect from the number of the batteries in proximity to the spot where it occurred. The enemy took advantage of this incident to increase his fire, and the General in command of the artillery agreed with me, that we were under the necessity of suspending our fire in order to make our repairs, as well as to complete the system of attack towards our right by the construction of new batteries to approach those of the English army. This delay is certainly much to be regretted, but we are compelled to submit to it, and I am making every arrangement necessary for shortening it as much as possible.

Sebastopol has sustained the fire far better than was expected; the enclosed space, throughout its enormous development in a straight line, carrying all it can hold of heavy sea-guns, renders it capable of prolonging the contest. On the 17th, our troops took possession of the plateau that faces the point of attack, called the Bastion du Mât; they now occupy it. This evening we shall construct there the mask of a 12-gun battery, and, if possible, that of a second battery, on the extreme right, above the ravine. All our means of attack are concentrated on this bastion, and we shall, I trust, dismantle it rapidly, with the assistance of the English batteries that are battering its left front.

Yesterday, about ten in the morning, the Allied fleets attacked the outer batteries of the place, but I have not yet received information that will enable me to give you an account of the results of this attack.

The English batteries are in the best possible state: they have received nine new mortars, which will, it is supposed, produce great effect. Yesterday there was an immense explosion in the battery surrounding the tower situate to the left of the place. It must have injured the enemy a great deal. Since then this battery has fired but little, and this morning there were only two or three pieces able to fire.

I have no precise news of the Russian army. Nothing tends to show that it has changed the positions it held, and in which it expected its reinforcements. I have received almost the whole of the reinforcements I expected in infantry from Gallipoli and Varna. General Levaillant has just arrived with his staff, which raises to five divisions the effective force in infantry of the army that I have here under my orders. The sanitary state is highly satisfactory, the spirit of the troops excellent, and we are full of confidence.

CANROBERT.

LORD RAGLAN'S BALAKLAVA DESPATCH.

LORD RAGLAN TO THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.

(_Received November 12._)

BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _October 28, 1854_.

MY LORD DUKE,--I have the honour to acquaint your Grace that the enemy attacked the position in the front of Balaklava at an early hour on the morning of the 25th instant.

The low range of heights that runs across the plain at the bottom of which the town is placed, was protected by four small redoubts hastily constructed. Three of these had guns in them, and on a higher hill, in front of the village of Camara, in advance of our right flank, was established a work of somewhat more importance.

These several redoubts were garrisoned by Turkish troops, no other force being at my disposal for their occupation.

The 93rd Highlanders was the only British regiment in the plain, with the exception of a part of a battalion of detachments composed of weakly men, and a battery of artillery belonging to the Third Division; and on the heights behind our right were placed the Marines, obligingly landed from the fleet by Vice-Admiral Dundas. All these, including the Turkish troops, were under the immediate orders of Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, whom I had taken from the First Division with the 93rd.

As soon as I was apprised of this movement of the enemy, I felt compelled to withdraw from before Sebastopol the First and Fourth Divisions, commanded by Lieutenant-Generals His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and the Honourable Sir George Cathcart, and bring them down into the plain; and General Canrobert subsequently reinforced these troops with the First Division of French Infantry and the Chasseurs d'Afrique.

The enemy commenced their operation by attacking the work on our side of the village of Camara, and, after very little resistance, carried it.

They likewise got possession of the three others in contiguity to it, being opposed only in one, and that but for a very short space of time.

The farthest of the three they did not retain, but the immediate abandonment of the others enabled them to take possession of the guns in them, amounting in the whole to seven. Those in the three lesser forts were spiked by the one English artilleryman who was in each.

The Russian cavalry at once advanced, supported by artillery, in very great strength. One portion of them assailed the front and right flank of the 93rd, and were instantly driven back by the vigorous and steady fire of that distinguished regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ainslie.

The other and larger mass turned towards Her Majesty's heavy cavalry, and afforded Brigadier-General Scarlett, under the guidance of Lieutenant-General the Earl of Lucan, the opportunity of inflicting upon them a most signal defeat. The ground was very unfavourable for the attack of our Dragoons, but no obstacle was sufficient to check their advance, and they charged into the Russian column, which soon sought safety in flight, although far superior in numbers.

The charge of this brigade was one of the most successful I ever witnessed, was never for a moment doubtful, and is in the highest degree creditable to Brigadier-General Scarlett and the officers and men engaged in it.

As the enemy withdrew from the ground which they had momentarily occupied, I directed the cavalry, supported by the Fourth Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Cathcart, to move forward and take advantage of any opportunity to regain the heights; and not having been able to accomplish this immediately, and it appearing that an attempt was making to remove the captured guns, the Earl of Lucan was desired to advance rapidly, follow the enemy in their retreat, and try to prevent them from effecting their object.

In the meanwhile the Russians had time to re-form on their own ground, with artillery in front and upon their flanks.

From some misconception of the instruction to advance, the Lieutenant-General considered that he was bound to attack at all hazards, and he accordingly ordered Major-General the Earl of Cardigan to move forward with the Light Brigade.

This order was obeyed in the most spirited and gallant manner. Lord Cardigan charged with the utmost vigour; attacked a battery which was firing upon the advancing squadrons; and, having passed beyond it, engaged the Russian cavalry in its rear; but there his troops were assailed by artillery and infantry, as well as cavalry, and necessarily retired, after having committed much havoc upon the enemy.

They effected this movement without haste or confusion; but the loss they have sustained has, I deeply lament, been very severe in officers, men, and horses, only counterbalanced by the brilliancy of the attack, and the gallantry, order, and discipline which distinguished it, forming a striking contrast to the conduct of the enemy's cavalry, which had previously been engaged with the Heavy Brigade.

The Chasseurs d'Afrique advanced on our left, and gallantly charged a Russian battery, which checked its fire for a time, and thus rendered the British cavalry an essential service.

I have the honour to enclose copies of Sir Colin Campbell's and the Earl of Lucan's reports.

I beg to draw your Grace's attention to the terms in which Sir Colin Campbell speaks of Lieutenant-Colonel Ainslie, of the 93rd, and Captain Barker, of the Royal Artillery; and also to the praise bestowed by the Earl of Lucan on Major-General the Earl of Cardigan and Brigadier-General Scarlett, which they most fully deserve.

The Earl of Lucan not having sent me the names of the other officers who distinguished themselves, I propose to forward them by the next opportunity.

The enemy made no further movement in advance, and at the close of the day the brigade of Guards of the First Division, and the Fourth Division, returned to their original encampment, as did the French troops, with the exception of one brigade of the First Division, which General Canrobert was so good as to leave in support of Sir Colin Campbell.

The remaining regiments of the Highland Brigade also remained in the valley.

The Fourth Division had advanced close to the heights, and Sir George Cathcart caused one of the redoubts to be reoccupied by the Turks, affording them his support, and he availed himself of the opportunity to assist with his riflemen in silencing two of the enemy's guns.

The means of defending the extensive position which had been occupied by the Turkish troops in the morning having proved wholly inadequate, I deemed it necessary, in concurrence with General Canrobert, to withdraw from the lower range of heights, and to concentrate our force, which will be increased by a considerable body of seamen, to be landed from the ships under the authority of Admiral Dundas, immediately in front of the narrow valley leading into Balaklava, and upon the precipitous heights on our right, thus affording a narrower line of defence.

I have, &c.,

RAGLAN.

LORD RAGLAN AT INKERMAN, Nov. 5.

LORD RAGLAN TO THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.

(_Received November 22._)

BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _November 8, 1854_.

MY LORD DUKE,--I have the honour to report to your Grace that the army under my command, powerfully aided by the Corps of Observation of the French Army, under the command of that distinguished officer, General Bosquet, effectually repulsed and defeated a most vigorous and determined attack of the enemy on our position overlooking the ruins of Inkerman, on the morning of the 5th instant.

In my letter to your Grace of the 3rd, I informed you that the enemy had considerably increased their force in the valley of the Tchernaya. The following day this augmentation was still further apparent, and large masses of troops had evidently arrived from the northward, and on two several occasions persons of distinguished rank were observed to have joined the Russian camp.

I have subsequently learnt that the 4th corps d'armée, conveyed in carriages of the country, and in the lightest possible order, had been brought from Moldavia, and were to be immediately followed by the 3rd corps.

It was therefore to be expected that an extensive movement would not be long deferred.

Accordingly, shortly before daylight on the 5th, strong columns of the enemy came upon the advanced pickets covering the right of the position. These pickets behaved with admirable gallantry, defending the ground foot by foot against the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, until the 2nd Division, under Major-General Pennefather, with its field guns, which had immediately been got under arms, was placed in position.

The Light Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown, was also brought to the front without loss of time; the 1st Brigade, under Major-General Codrington, occupying the long slopes to the left towards Sebastopol, and protecting our right battery, and guarding against attack on that side, and the 2nd Brigade, under Brigadier-General Buller, forming on the left of the 2nd Division, with the 88th Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Jeffreys, thrown in advance.

The Brigade of Guards under His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and Major-General Bentinck, proceeded likewise to the front, and took up most important ground to the extreme right on the alignement of the 2nd Division, but separated from it by a deep and precipitous ravine, and posting its guns with those of the 2nd Division.

The 4th Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir George Cathcart, having been brought from their encampment, advanced to the front and right of the attack; the 1st Brigade, under Brigadier-General Goldie, proceeded to the left of the Inkerman road; the 2nd Brigade, under Brigadier-General Torrens, to the right of it, and on the ridge overhanging the valley of the Tchernaya.

The 3rd Division, under Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England, occupied in part the ground vacated by the 4th Division, and supported the Light Division by two regiments under Brigadier Sir John Campbell, while Brigadier-General Eyre held the command of the troops in the trenches.

The morning was extremely dark with a drizzling rain, rendering it almost impossible to discover anything beyond the flash and smoke of artillery and heavy musketry fire.

It, however, soon became evident that the enemy, under cover of a vast cloud of skirmishers, supported by dense columns of infantry, had advanced numerous batteries of large calibre to the high ground to the left and front of the 2nd Division, while powerful columns of infantry attacked with great vigour the Brigade of Guards.

Additional batteries of heavy artillery were also placed by the enemy on the slopes to our left; the guns in the field amounting in the whole to 90 pieces, independently, however, of the ship guns and those in the works of Sebastopol.

Protected by a tremendous fire of shot, shell, and grape, the Russian columns advanced in great force, requiring every effort of gallantry on the part of our troops to resist them.

At this time two battalions of French infantry, which had on the first notice been sent by General Bosquet, joined our right, and very materially contributed to the successful resistance to the attack, cheering with our men, and charging the enemy down the hill with great loss.

About the same time a determined assault was made on our extreme left, and for a moment the enemy possessed themselves of four of our guns, three of which were retaken by the 88th, while the fourth was speedily recaptured by the 77th Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Egerton.

In the opposite direction the Brigade of Guards, under His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, was engaged in a severe conflict.

The enemy, under the cover of thick brushwood, advanced in two heavy bodies, and assaulted with great determination a small redoubt which had been constructed for two guns but was not armed. The combat was most arduous, and the Brigade, after displaying the utmost steadiness and gallantry, was obliged to retire before very superior numbers, until supported by a wing of the 20th Regiment of the 4th Division, when they again advanced and retook the redoubt.

This ground was afterwards occupied in gallant style by French troops, and the Guards speedily re-formed in the rear of the right flank of the 2nd Division.

In the meanwhile, Lieutenant-General the Honourable Sir George Cathcart, with a few companies of the 68th Regiment, considering that he might make a strong impression by descending into the valley, and taking the enemy in flank, moved rapidly forward, but finding the heights above him in full occupation of the Russians, he suddenly discovered that he was entangled with a superior force, and while attempting to withdraw his men, he received a mortal wound, shortly previous to which Brigadier-General Torrens, when leading the 68th, was likewise severely wounded.

Subsequently to this, the battle continued with unabated vigour and with no positive result, the enemy bringing upon our line not only the fire of all their field batteries, but those in front of the works of the place, and the ship guns, till the afternoon, when the symptoms of giving way first became apparent; and shortly after, although the fire did not cease, the retreat became general, and heavy masses were observed retiring over the bridge of the Inkerman, and ascending the opposite heights, abandoning on the field of battle 5,000 or 6,000 dead or wounded, multitudes of the latter having already been carried off by them. I never before witnessed such a spectacle as the field presented, but upon this I will not dwell.

Having submitted to your Grace this imperfect description of this most severe battle, I have still two duties to discharge, the one most gratifying, and the last most painful to my feelings.

I have the greatest satisfaction in drawing your Grace's attention to the brilliant conduct of the Allied troops. French and English vied with each other in displaying their gallantry and manifesting their zealous devotion to duty, notwithstanding that they had to contend against an infinitely superior force, and were exposed for many hours to a most galling fire.

It should be borne in mind that they have daily for several weeks undergone the most constant labour, and that many of them passed the previous night in the trenches.

I will not attempt to enter into the details of the movements of the French troops, lest I should not state them correctly; but I am proud of the opportunity of bearing testimony to their valour and energetic services, and of paying a tribute of admiration to the distinguished conduct of their immediate Commander, General Bosquet, while it is in the highest degree pleasing to me to place upon record my deep sense of the valuable assistance I received from the Commander-in-Chief, General Canrobert, who was himself on the ground and in constant communication with me, and whose cordial co-operation on all occasions I cannot too highly extol.

Your Grace will recollect that he was wounded at the Alma. He was again wounded on the 5th, but I should hope that he will not long feel the effects of it.

I will in a subsequent despatch lay before your Grace the names of the officers whose services have been brought to my notice. I will not detain the mail for that purpose now, but I cannot delay to report the admirable behaviour of Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown, who was unfortunately shot through the arm, but is doing well; of Lieutenant-General His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, who particularly distinguished himself; and of Major-General Pennefather, in command of the Second Division, which received the first attack, and gallantly maintained itself under the greatest difficulties throughout this protracted conflict; of Major-General Bentinck, who is severely wounded; Major-General Codrington, Brigadier-General Adams, and Brigadier-General Torrens, who are severely wounded; and Brigadier-General Buller, who is also wounded, but not so seriously.

I must likewise express my obligations to Lieutenant-General Sir Richard England for the excellent disposition he made of his division, and the assistance he rendered to the left of the Light Division, where Brigadier-General Sir John Campbell was judiciously placed, and effectively supported Major-General Codrington; and I have great pleasure in stating that Brigadier-General Eyre was employed in the important duty of guarding the trenches from any assault from the town.

Lieutenant-General Sir De Lacy Evans, who had been obliged by severe indisposition to go on board ship a few days previously, left his bed as soon as he received intelligence of the attack, and was promptly at his post, and though he did not feel well enough to take the command of the division out of the hands of Major-General Pennefather, he did not fail to give him his best advice and assistance.

It is deeply distressing to me to have to submit to your Grace the list of the killed, wounded, and missing on this memorable occasion. It is, indeed, heavy; and very many valuable officers and men have been lost to Her Majesty's service.

Among the killed your Grace will find the names of Lieutenant-General the Honourable Sir G. Cathcart, Brigadier-General Strangways, and Brigadier-General Goldie.

Of the services of the first it is almost unnecessary to speak. They are known throughout the British empire, and have within a short space of time been brought conspicuously before the country by his achievements at the Cape of Good Hope, whence he had only just returned when he was ordered to this army.

By his death Her Majesty has been deprived of a most devoted servant, an officer of the highest merit, while I personally have to deplore the loss of an attached and faithful friend.

Brigadier-General Strangways was known to have distinguished himself in early life, and in mature age, throughout a long service, he maintained the same character.

The mode in which he had conducted the command of the artillery, since it was placed in his hands by the departure through illness of Major-General Cator, is entitled to my entire approbation, and was equally agreeable to those who were confided to his care.

Brigadier-General Goldie was an officer of considerable promise, and gave great satisfaction to all under whom he has served.

It is difficult to arrive at any positive conclusion as to the actual numbers brought into the field by the enemy. The configuration of the ground did not admit of any great development of their force, the attack consisting of a system of repeated assaults in heavy masses of columns; but judging from the numbers that were seen in the plains after they had withdrawn in retreat, I am led to suppose that they could not have been less than 60,000 men. Their loss was excessive, and it is calculated that they left on the field near 5,000 dead, and that their casualties amount in the whole, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, to not less than 15,000.

Your Grace will be surprised to learn that the number of British troops actually engaged little exceeded 8,000 men, while those of General Bosquet's division only amounted to 6,000, the remaining available French troops on the spot having been kept in reserve.

I ought to mention that while the enemy was attacking our right, they assailed the left of the French trenches, and actually got into two of their batteries; but they were quickly driven out in the most gallant manner with considerable loss, and hotly pursued to the very walls of Sebastopol.

I have, &c.,

RAGLAN.

THE BATTLE OF INKERMAN.

HEAD-QUARTERS BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _November 7, 1854_.

M. LE MARÉCHAL,--I have the honour to confirm my telegraphic despatch of the 6th of November, couched in these terms:--"The Russian army, increased by reinforcements from the Danube, and the reserves in the southern provinces, and animated by the presence of the Grand Dukes Michael and Nicholas, yesterday attacked the right of the English position before the place. The English army sustained the combat with the most remarkable solidity. I caused it to be supported by a portion of the Bosquet division, which fought with admirable vigour, and by the troops which were the most easily available. The enemy, more numerous than we were, beat a retreat with enormous losses, estimated at from 8,000 to 9,000 men. This obstinate struggle lasted the whole of the day. On my left General Forey had, at the same time, to repulse a sortie of the garrison. The troops, energetically led on by him, drove the enemy from the place, with the loss of 1,000 men. This brilliant day, which was not concluded without loss to the Allies, does the greatest honour to our arms."

The action, of which the above telegraphic despatch forms the summary, was most animated and warmly contested. At the first shot, the deserters who came to us revealed the real situation of the Russian army in regard to numbers, and enabled us to calculate the reinforcements it had successively received since the battle of the Alma. They are--1st contingent, from the coast of Asia, Kertsch, and Kaffa; 2nd, six battalions and detachments of marines from Nicolaieff; 3rd, four battalions of Cossacks from the Black Sea; 4th, a great portion of the Army of the Danube; and the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth divisions of infantry forming the fourth corps, commanded by General Dannenberg. These three divisions were transported by express, with their artillery, from Odessa to Simpheropol, in a few days. Afterwards arrived the Grand Dukes Michael and Nicholas, whose presence could not fail to produce great excitement among this army, which forms, with the garrison of Sebastopol, a total of at least 100,000 men.

It was under these circumstances that 45,000 men of this army attacked by surprise the heights of Inkerman, which the English army could not occupy with a sufficient force. Only 6,000 English took part in the action, the rest being engaged in the siege works. They valiantly sustained the attack until the moment when General Bosquet, arriving with a portion of his division, was able to render such assistance as to insure their success. One does not know which to praise the most--the energetic solidity with which our allies for a long time faced the storm, or the intelligent vigour which General Bosquet (who led a portion of the Brigades Bourbaki and D'Autemarre) displayed in attacking the enemy, who rushed upon their right.

The third regiment of Zouaves, under the chiefs of battalion, Montandon and Dubos, supported, in the most striking manner, the ancient reputation of that force. The Algerian riflemen (Colonel de Wimpfen), a battalion of the 7th light (Commander Vaissier), and the 6th of the line (Colonel de Camos), rivalled each other in ardour. Three charges were made with the bayonet, and it was only after the third charge that the enemy surrendered the ground, which was covered with his dead and wounded. The Russian field artillery and artillery of position was much superior in number, and occupied a commanding position. Two horse batteries, commanded by M. de la Boussinière, and a battery of the second division of infantry, commanded by M. Barval (the whole under the orders of Colonel Forgeot), sustained the struggle during the whole day, in conjunction with the English artillery.

The enemy decided upon beating a retreat, leaving more than 3,000 dead, a great number of wounded, a few hundred prisoners, and also several caissons of artillery, in the possession of the Allies. His losses, altogether, cannot be estimated at less than from 8,000 to 10,000 men. While these events were being accomplished on the right, about 5,000 men made a vigorous sortie against our attacks to the left, favoured by a thick fog and by ravines which facilitated their approach. The troops on duty in the trench, under the orders of General de la Motterouge, marched upon the enemy, who had already invaded two of our batteries, and repulsed him, killing more than 200 men within the batteries. The general of division, Forey, commanding the siege corps, by rapid and skilful arrangements, arrived with the troops of the fourth division to support the guards of the trenches, and marched himself at the head of the fifth battalion of foot chasseurs. The Russians, beaten along the whole of their line, were retreating precipitately upon the place with considerable losses, when General de Lourmel, seeing them fly before him, and urged by a chivalric courage, dashed in pursuit of them up to the walls of the place, where he fell severely wounded. General Forey had much difficulty in withdrawing him from the advanced position to which his brigade had been hurried by excess of bravery. The Brigade d'Aurelle, which had taken up an excellent position to the left, protected this retreat, which was effected under the fire of the place with considerable loss. Colonel Niol, of the 26th of the Line, who lost his two chiefs of battalion, took the command of the brigade, whose conduct was admirably energetic. The enemy, in this sortie, lost 1,000 men in killed, wounded, or prisoners, and he received a very considerable moral and material check.

The battle of Inkerman, and the combat sustained by the siege corps, were glorious for our arms, and have increased the moral power which the Allied armies have attained; but we have suffered losses to be deplored. They amount, for the English army, to 2,400 men killed or wounded, among whom are seven generals, three of whom were killed; and, for the French army, to 1,726 killed or wounded. We bitterly lament the loss of General de Lourmel, who died from his wound, and whose brilliant military qualities and conduct in private life seemed to promise future renown. I also have the regret to announce to you the death of Colonel de Camos, of the 6th of the Line, killed at the head of his troops at the moment when engaged with the enemy.

The vigour of the Allied troops, subjected to the double trials of a siege, the difficulties of which are without a precedent, and to actions of war which recall the greatest struggles of our military history, cannot be too highly eulogized. I enclose my order of the day to the army for the battle of the 5th.

Accept, &c., CANROBERT,

General-in-Chief.

ASSAULT ON REDAN, JUNE 18.

LORD RAGLAN TO LORD PANMURE.

(_Received July 2._)

BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _June 19, 1855_.

MY LORD,--I informed your Lordship on the 16th that new batteries had been completed, and that in consequence the Allies would be enabled to resume the offensive against Sebastopol with the utmost vigour.

Accordingly, on the 17th, at daylight, a very heavy fire was opened from all the batteries in the English and French trenches, and maintained throughout the day, and the effect produced appeared so satisfactory that it was determined that the French should attack the Malakoff works the next morning, and that the English should assail the Redan as soon after as I might consider it desirable.

It was at first proposed that the artillery fire should be resumed on the morning of the 18th, and should be kept up for about two hours, for the purpose of destroying any works the enemy might have thrown up in the night, and of opening passages through the abattis that covered the Redan; but on the evening of the 17th it was intimated to me by General Pelissier that he had determined, upon further consideration, that the attack by his troops should take place at three the following morning.

The French, therefore, commenced their operations as day broke, and, as their several columns came within range of the enemy's fire, they encountered the most serious opposition, both from musketry and the guns in the works, which had been silenced the previous evening; and observing this, I was induced at once to order our columns to move out of the trenches upon the Redan.

It had been arranged that detachments from the Light, 2nd, and 4th Divisions, which I placed for the occasion under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir G. Brown, should be formed into three columns; that the right one should attack the left face of the Redan between the flanking batteries; that the centre should advance upon the salient angle; and that the left should move upon the re-entering angle formed by the right face and flank of the work; the first and last preceding the centre column.

The flank columns at once obeyed the signal to advance, preceded by covering parties of the Rifle Brigade, and by sailors carrying ladders and soldiers carrying wool-bags; but they had no sooner shown themselves beyond the trenches than they were assailed by a most murderous fire of grape and musketry. Those in advance were either killed or wounded, and the remainder found it impossible to proceed. I never before witnessed such a continued and heavy fire of grape combined with musketry from the enemy's works, which appeared to be fully manned; and the long list of killed and wounded in the Light and 4th Divisions, and the seamen of the Naval Brigade, under Captain Peel, who was unfortunately wounded, though not severely, will show that a very large proportion of those that went forward fell. Major-General Sir John Campbell, who led the left attack, and Colonel Shadforth, of the 57th, who commanded the storming party under his direction, were both killed, as was also Colonel Yea, of the Royal Fusiliers, who led the right column.

I cannot say too much in praise of these officers. Major-General Sir J. Campbell had commanded the 4th Division from the period of the battle of Inkerman, till the arrival very recently of Lieutenant-General Bentinck. He had devoted himself to his duty without any intermission, and had acquired the confidence and respect of all; I most deeply lament his loss.

Colonel Shadforth had maintained the efficiency of his regiment by constant attention to all the details of his command, and Colonel Yea was not only distinguished for his gallantry, but had exercised his control of the Royal Fusiliers in such a manner as to win the affections of the soldiers under his orders, and to secure to them every comfort and accommodation which his personal exertions could procure for them.

I shall not be able to send your Lordship correct lists of the killed and wounded by this opportunity, but I will forward them by telegraph as soon as they are made out.

I have not any definite information upon the movements of the French columns, and the atmosphere became so obscured by the smoke from the guns and musketry, that it was not possible by personal observation to ascertain their progress, though I was particularly well situated for the purpose; but I understand that their left column, under General d'Autemarre, passed the advanced works of the enemy, and threatened the gorge of the Malakoff Tower; and that the two other columns, under Generals Mayran and Brunet, who both, I regret to say, were killed, met with obstacles equal to those we encountered, and were obliged in consequence to abandon the attack.

The superiority of our fire on the day we opened, led both General Pelissier and myself, and the officers of the Artillery and Engineers of the two services, and the Armies in general, to conclude that the Russian Artillery fire was, in a great measure, subdued, and that the operation we projected could be undertaken with every prospect of success. The result has shown that the resources of the enemy were not exhausted, and that they had still the power, either from their ships or their batteries, to bring an overwhelming fire upon their assailants.

Whilst the direct attack on the Redan was proceeding, Lieutenant-General Sir R. England was directed to send one of the brigades of the 3rd Division, under the command of Major-General Barnard, down the Woronzow Ravine, with a view to give support to the attacking columns on his right; and the other brigade, under Major-General Eyre, still further to the left, to threaten the works at the head of the Dockyard Creek.

I have not yet received their reports, and shall not be able to send them to your Lordship to-day; but General Eyre was very seriously engaged, and he himself wounded, though I am happy to say not severely, and he possessed himself of a churchyard, which the enemy had hitherto carefully watched, and some houses within the place; but as the town front was not attacked, it became necessary to withdraw his brigade at night.

I shall make a special report upon this by the next mail, and I shall avail myself of the same opportunity to name to you the officers who have been particularly mentioned to me.

I am concerned to have to inform you, that Lieutenant-Colonel Tylden, of the Royal Engineers, whose services I have had the greatest pleasure in bringing so frequently to your Lordship's notice, is very severely wounded. The account I received of him this morning is upon the whole satisfactory, and I entertain strong hopes that his valuable life will be preserved.

I feel greatly indebted to Sir G. Brown for the manner in which he conducted the duties I entrusted to him; and my warmest acknowledgments are due to Major-General Harry Jones, not only for his valuable assistance on the present occasion, but for the able, zealous, and energetic manner in which he has conducted the siege operations since he assumed the command of the Royal Engineers.

He received a wound from a grape-shot in the forehead yesterday, which I trust will not prove serious.

I brought up the 1st Division from the vicinity of Balaklava as a reserve, and I shall retain them on these heights.

The Sardinian troops, under General La Marmora, and the Turkish troops, under Omer Pasha, crossed the Tchernaya on the 17th instant, and occupy positions in front of Chorgouna. They have not come in contact with any large body of the enemy.

I have, &c.,

RAGLAN.

GENERAL PELISSIER'S DESPATCH.

HEAD-QUARTERS BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _June 22_.

MONSIEUR LE MARÉCHAL,--Since the capture of the external works on the 7th of June I had rapidly made every arrangement to make them the basis of our attack against the _enceinte_ itself of Karabelnaia. We armed them with powerful artillery; the Russian communications and _place d'armes_ were turned to our own use; the ground plan of attack studied in detail; the Allied armies had their respective tasks allotted to them. The English were to storm the Great Redan, and we were to carry the Malakoff Tower, the redan of the Careening Bay, and the intrenchments which cover that extremity of the faubourg. It is superfluous, M. le Maréchal, to point out to your Excellency what would have been the result of such an operation if it had succeeded. Since our last successes the attitude of the enemy and the enthusiasm of our troops promised victory. There was no time to be lost.

In concert with Lord Raglan, on the 17th we poured a crushing fire into Sebastopol, especially into the works we intended storming. At an early hour the enemy ceased replying from the Malakoff and from the Redan. It is probable they were economizing their batteries and fire, and that they did not suffer so much from the effects of our artillery as we were led to presume.

However that may be, the superiority of our guns confirmed us in our plan for making an assault on the 18th, and on the night before we made all the necessary arrangements for a general movement on the morrow.

Three divisions were to take part in the combat--the divisions of Mayran and Brunet, of the 2nd corps; the Division d'Autemarre of the 1st. The division of the Imperial Guard formed the reserve.

Mayran's division had the right attack, and was to carry the intrenchments which extend from the battery of the point to the redan of Careening Bay.

Brunet's division was to turn the Malakoff on the right.

D'Autemarre's division was to manoeuvre on the left to carry that important work.

General Mayran's task was a difficult one. His First Brigade, commanded by Colonel Saurin, of the 3rd Zouaves, was to advance from the ravine of Careening Bay as far as the aqueduct, to creep along the left hill side of the ravine, avoiding as much as possible the fire of the enemy's lines, and to turn the battery of the point by the gorge.

The Second Brigade, commanded by General de Failly, was to make an attempt on the right of the redan of Careening Bay. They were provided with everything necessary to scale the works.

The special reserve of this division consisted of two battalions of the 1st Regiment of the Voltigeurs of the Guard.

All these troops were ready at their post at an early hour. Brunet's division had one of its brigades in advance and to the right of the Brancion Redoubt (Mamelon), the other in the parallel in the rear and to the right of that redoubt.

A similar arrangement was made as regards D'Autemarre's division--Niol's brigade in advance and to the left of the Mamelon; Breton's brigade in the parallel in the rear.

Two batteries of artillery, which could be served _à la bricole_, were placed behind the Brancion Redoubt (Mamelon), ready to occupy the enemy's positions in case we succeeded in carrying them.

The division of the Imperial Guard, forming the general reserve of the three attacks, was drawn up in a body in the rear of the Victoria Redoubt.

I selected the Lancaster Battery for my post, from which I was to give the signal by star rockets for the general advance. Notwithstanding great difficulties of ground, notwithstanding the obstacles accumulated by the enemy, and although the Russians, evidently informed of our plans, were on their guard and ready to repel an attack, I am inclined to think that if the attack could have been general and instantaneous on the whole extent of the line--if there had been a simultaneous action and the efforts of our brave troops had been united--the object would have been achieved. Unhappily, it was not so, and an inconceivable fatality caused us to fail.

I was still more than 1,000 mètres from the place whence I was to give the signal, when a violent fire of musketry, intermixed with grape, apprised me that the combat had commenced seriously on the right. In fact, a little before 3 A.M., General Mayran fancied he recognized my signal in a shell with a blazing fuse sent up from the Brancion Redoubt. It was in vain that he was informed of his mistake.

This brave and unfortunate General gave the order for the attack. The Saurin and De Failly columns immediately rushed forward. The first rush was magnificent, but scarcely were these heads of columns in march when a shower of balls and grape was poured in upon them. This crushing fire came not only from the works which we wished to carry, but also from the enemy's steamers, which came up at full steam and manoeuvred with great skill and effect. We, however, caused them some damage. This prodigious fire stopped the efforts of our troops. It became impossible for our soldiers to advance, but not a man retired one step. It was at this moment that General Mayran, already hit in two places, was knocked down by a grapeshot, and was compelled to resign the command of his division.

All this was the work of a moment, and General Mayran was already carried off the field of battle when I sent up the signal from the Lancaster Battery. The other troops then advanced to support the premature movement of the Right Division. That valiant division, for a moment disconcerted by the loss of its General, promptly rallied at the voice of General de Failly. The troops engaged, supported by the second battalion of the 95th of the Line, and by a battalion of the Voltigeurs of the Guard, under the orders of the brave Colonel Boudville, hold a footing in the bend of the ground where the General places them, and boldly maintain their position there. Informed, however, of this position, which might become critical, I ordered General Regnault de St. Jean d'Angely to send four battalions of the Voltigeurs of the Guard, taken from the general reserve, to the support of that division. Generals Mellinet and Uhrich marched with that fine body of men, rallied the stragglers in the ravine of Careening Bay, and gave a solid support to General de Failly, by occupying the bottom of the ravine.

General Mellinet in person advanced to the right of General de Failly at the head of a battalion of Grenadiers, placed the evening before to defend the ravine, and was of great service to him by covering his right.

The attack on the centre had not a better fate. General Brunet had not yet completed all his arrangements when the signal-rockets were fired. The whole of the right was already prematurely engaged for more than twenty to twenty-five minutes. The troops, nevertheless, resolutely advanced, but their valour was of no avail against the well-sustained fire of the Russians and against unforeseen obstacles. At the very outset General Brunet fell mortally wounded by a ball in the chest. The flag of the 91st was cut in two by a ball, but it is needless to add that its fragments were brought back by that gallant regiment.

General Lafont de Villiers took the command of the division, and intrusted that of the troops engaged to Colonel Lorencez. The latter held firm while the remainder of the division occupied the trenches to provide against the eventualities of the combat.

To the left, General d'Autemarre could not go into action before Brunet's division, nor could he explain the hasty fusillade he heard in the direction of Careening Bay; but at the signal agreed upon for the attack he threw forward with impetuosity the 5th Chasseurs-à-Pied and the first battalion of the 19th of the Line, which, following the ridge of the Karabelnaia Ravine, arrived at the intrenchment which connects it with Malakoff Tower, scaled the intrenchment, and entered the _enceinte_ itself. The sappers of the Engineers were already placing the scaling-ladders for the remainder of the 19th and 26th Regiments, who were hurrying up by order of General d'Autemarre to follow his gallant column. For an instant we believed in success. Our eagles were planted on the Russian works. Unhappily, that hope was promptly dispelled. Our allies had met with such obstacles in their attack on the Grand Redan, they had been received with such a fearful shower of grape, that, despite their well-known tenacity, they had already been obliged to beat a retreat. Such was the spirit of our troops that, despite this circumstance, they would have pushed on and charged down upon the enemy, but the want of unity in the attack of our divisions permitted the Russians to fall upon us with their reserves and with the artillery of the Great Redan; and the enemy did not lose a moment in advancing all the other reserves of the Karabelnaia against our brave Chasseurs-à-Pied.

Before so imposing a force Commandant Garnier, of the 5th battalion, already struck by five balls, endeavoured, but in vain, to maintain the conquered ground. Compelled to give way to numbers he re-crossed the intrenchments. General Niol came up to support his brigade, reinforced by the 30th of the Line. A new offensive movement was attempted to assure the success of the new effort, and on a message from General d'Autemarre to the effect that his reserve was reduced to the 74th of the Line, I sent him the regiment of Zouaves of the Guard; but on the arrival of those hardy veterans of our African campaigns, as the movement had no longer any desirable _ensemble_ for so vigorous a blow, with a single division without support either on the right or on the left, and cut up by the artillery of the Redan, the attack upon which had been relinquished by our allies, I at once saw that all chance of success was over. Another effort would only have led to useless bloodshed. It was half-past eight o'clock, and I ordered a general retreat to the trenches. This movement was carried out proudly, with order and coolness, and without the enemy following us on any point. A portion of the Russian trenches remained even occupied by some of our men, who evacuated them gradually, without the enemy daring to turn their advantage to account against them.

Our losses have been great. We took care at the very commencement of the action to carry off most of our wounded. But a certain number of those glorious dead remained lying on the glacis or in the ditches of the place. The last duties were rendered to them the following day.

Besides General Brunet and General Mayran (who died during the night) we have to deplore the loss of an officer beloved and appreciated by the whole army, the young and brave Lieutenant-Colonel of Artillery De Laboursinière, killed while scaling the reverse of a trench obstructed by troops on his way from one of his batteries to the Brancion Redoubt. It is a great loss. In him were the germs of future promise. A number of brave superior officers have been wounded while showing the most noble example. The officers of the staff and of the troops worthily performed their duties, and the conduct of the men was admirable everywhere.

We had 37 officers killed, and 17 taken prisoners; 1,544 non-commissioned officers and privates killed or missing. On the evening of the 18th, 96 officers and 1,644 men went to the ambulances.

Many wounds, at first thought very serious, will ultimately prove not to be so. The bearers of these honourable scars will shortly rejoin their colours.

These losses have not shaken either the ardour or the confidence of these valiant divisions. They only ask to make the enemy pay dearly for this day's work. The hope and the will to conquer are in every heart, and all count upon it that in the next struggle fortune will not play false to valour.

PELISSIER, Commander-in-Chief.

THE BATTLE OF THE TCHERNAYA.

HEAD-QUARTERS, BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _August 18_.

MONSIEUR LE MARÉCHAL,--You will have learnt by my telegraphic despatches of yesterday and of the day before the general results of the battle of the Tchernaya; to-day I send your Excellency a detailed report of that battle, so glorious for our arms.

For some days, although the enemy abstained from any apparent movement, certain indications made us suppose he would attack our lines on the Tchernaya. You know those positions, which are excellent, and which are covered to the full extent by the Tchernaya itself, and by a canal, which forms a second obstacle. The Sardinian army occupies the whole of the right, opposite Tchorgoun; the French troops guard the centre and the left, which joins after a declivity our plateaux of Inkerman. Independently of a few fords, which are bad enough, there are two bridges across the Tchernaya and the canal. One, a little above Tchorgoun, is under the guns of the Piedmontese; the other, called Traktir Bridge, is below, and almost in the centre of the French positions. Looking straight before one towards the other bank of the Tchernaya, you behold to the right the heights of Tchouliou, which, after extending themselves in undulating plateaux, fall somewhat abruptly towards the Tchernaya below Tchorgoun, opposite the Piedmontese. These heights diminish opposite our centre, and starting from that point to the rocky sides of the Mackenzie Plateaux, there is a plain about three or four kilomètres in width. It is by that plain that the Mackenzie Road leads across the Tchernaya at Traktir Bridge, and, after passing through our pontoons, leads into the Balaklava plain.

A strict watch was kept all along our lines--the Turks, who occupy the hilly grounds of Balaklava, were on the alert, and watched Alsou; and General d'Allonville, also put on his guard, doubled his vigilance in the high valley of Baidar. My mind was quite at rest, moreover, as regards the extreme right; it is one of those mountainous regions where it is impossible to manoeuvre large bodies of men. The enemy could only make false demonstrations there--in fact, that is what occurred. In the night between the 15th and 16th of August, General d'Allonville notified that he had troops opposite him; but his attitude imposed upon the enemy, who attempted nothing on that side, and dared not attack him. During this time, the main body of the Russian troops, which had descended from the Mackenzie Heights with the intention of debouching near Ai Todor, advanced, favoured by night, on the Tchernaya; to the right, the 7th, 5th, and 12th Divisions crossed the plain; and to the left, the 17th Division; a portion of the 6th and the 4th followed the plateau of Tchouliou. A strong body of cavalry and 160 pieces of artillery supported the infantry.

A little before daybreak the advanced posts of the Sardinian army, placed as vedettes as far as the heights of Tchouliou, fell back, and announced that the enemy was advancing in considerable force. Shortly afterwards, in fact, the Russians lined the heights of the right bank of the Tchernaya with heavy guns (_pièces de position_), and opened fire on us.

General Herbillon, who commanded the French troops on this point, had made his arrangements for battle. To the right of the Traktir Road, Faucheux's division, with the 3rd battery of the 12th artillery; in the centre, his own division, with the 6th company of the 13th; to the left, Camou's division, with the 4th battery of the 13th. On his side, General Della Marmora had ranged his troops in order of battle. At the same time, General Morris's fine division of Chasseurs d'Afrique, speedily joined by General Scarlett's numerous and valiant English cavalry, took up a position behind the hills of Kamara and Traktir. This cavalry was to take the enemy in flank, in case he should succeed in forcing a passage by one of the three outlets of Tchorgoun or Traktir, or at the incline to the left of General Camou.

Colonel Forgeot, in command of the artillery of the Tchernaya lines, kept six batteries of horse artillery, two of which belonged to the Imperial Guard, ready to act as a reserve. Six Turkish battalions of Osman Pasha's army, led by Sefer Pasha, came to lend us their assistance. Finally, I ordered forward Levaillant's division of the 1st corps, Dulac's division of the 2nd corps, and the Imperial Guard, comprising reserves capable of remedying the most serious _contretemps_. The thick mist which covered the depths of the Tchernaya, and the smoke of the cannonade which had just commenced, prevented us distinguishing against which particular point the chief effort of the enemy would be directed; when, on our extreme left, the 7th Russian division came tilt against Camou's division. Received by the 50th of the Line, the 3rd Zouaves, who charged them with the bayonet, and by the 82nd, which took them in flank, the enemy's columns were compelled to make a demivolte to recross the canal, and could only escape the fire of our artillery by getting out of range to rally. That division did not appear again during the day.

In the centre, the struggle was longer and more desperate. The enemy had sent two divisions (the 12th supported by the 5th) against Traktir Bridge. Many of their columns rushed at once upon the bridge, and the temporary passages they constructed with ladders, pontoons, and madriers. They then crossed the Tchernaya, the trench of our lines, and advanced bravely on our positions. But, assailed by Generals Faucheux and De Failly, these columns were routed, and the men recrossed the bridge occupied by the 95th, and were pursued beyond it by the 2nd Zouaves, the 97th of the Line, and by a portion of the 19th battalion of Chasseurs-à-Pied.

However, while the artillery was roaring on both sides, the Russians re-formed their columns of attack, the mist had cleared, and their movements became distinctly visible. Their 5th division reinforced the 12th, which had just been engaged; and the 17th was preparing to descend the heights of Tchouliou to support these two first divisions.

General Herbillon then ordered General Faucheux to be reinforced by Cler's Brigade, and gave the 73rd as a reserve to General de Failly. Colonel Forgeot, moreover, placed four batteries of horse artillery in position, which gave him on this front a total of seven batteries to be brought to bear upon the assailing masses. The result was, that the second attempt of the Russians, in spite of its energetic character, proved of no avail against us; and they were compelled to retreat with great loss.

The 17th Russian Division, which had come down throwing out large bodies of riflemen as skirmishers, had no better success. Received with great resolution by General Cler's Brigade, and by a half battery of the Imperial Guard, harassed on the left by the troops of Tretti's Division, who pressed it closely, that division was compelled to recross the Tchernaya, and to fall back behind the batteries of position which lined the heights from which it had started.

From this moment, 9 A.M., the defeat of the enemy was inevitable. Their long columns withdrew as fast as they could, under the protection of a considerable body of cavalry and artillery.

For a moment I felt inclined to order a portion of the cavalry to charge and cut down the remnant of the 17th Russian Division, between the Tchouliou and Traktir Bridges. With this object in view, I had prepared some squadrons of Chasseurs d'Afrique, who were joined by some Sardinian squadrons, and by one of General Scarlett's regiments, the 12th Lancers (from India); but the retreat of the Russians was so prompt, that we could only have made a small number of prisoners, and this fine cavalry might have been reached by some of the enemy's batteries still in position; I deemed it preferable not to expose it for so small a result. General Della Marmora did not, moreover, stand in need of this support boldly to retake the advanced positions which his small posts occupied on the heights of Tchouliou.

At three o'clock the whole of the enemy's army had disappeared. The Division of the Guard and Dulac's Division relieved the divisions engaged, as they stood in need of some rest. I sent back the first corps of Devaillant's Division, and the cavalry returned to its usual bivouac. This splendid action does the greatest honour to the infantry, to the horse artillery of the Garde, to that of the reserve, and to the artillery of divisions. I will shortly ask your Excellency to place before the Emperor the names of those who have deserved rewards, and to submit to the approbation of his Majesty those which I may have awarded in his name. Our losses are doubtless to be regretted, but they are not in proportion to the results obtained, and to those we have inflicted upon the enemy. We have eight superior officers wounded, nine subaltern officers killed, and fifty-three wounded; 172 non-commissioned officers and soldiers killed, 146 missing, and 1,163 wounded. The Russians have left 400 prisoners in our hands. The number of their killed may be estimated at more than 3,000, and of their wounded at more than 5,000, of which number 1,626 men and thirty-eight officers have been taken to our ambulances. Among the slain found by us are the bodies of two generals, whose names I have not been able to ascertain.

The Sardinian army, which fought so valiantly at our side, has about 250 men _hors de combat_. It inflicted a much greater loss upon the enemy. One hundred prisoners, and about one hundred and fifty wounded, remain in its hands. I am sorry to announce to your Excellency that General Della Marmora has informed me that Count de Montevecchio, whose character and talents he greatly appreciated, was killed gloriously at the head of his brigade.

I must point out to your Excellency the rapidity with which General Scarlett's cavalry, placed at my disposal by General Simpson, came up. The martial appearance of these magnificent squadrons betrayed an impatience which the happy and prompt result of the battle did not allow me to gratify.

The English and Sardinian position batteries, and the Turkish battery which Osman Pasha had sent to Alsou, fired with great precision and success. I thanked Osman Pasha for the promptitude with which he sent me six Turkish battalions under Sefer Pasha (General Koscielzki), four of which during the day occupied the passage near Tchorgoun.

Nothing remarkable took place during the day on the Sebastopol side. Generals De Salles and Bosquet were, however, prepared to drive back with energy any attack of the besieged. I send your Excellency with this report the copy of the plan for the battle of the 16th, found upon the body of a Russian general, supposed to be General Read, who commanded the enemy's right, and was especially entrusted with the attack on Traktir Bridge.

I am, &c., &c.,

PELISSIER,

Commander-in-Chief.

* * * * *

As this battle really decided the fall of the place, inasmuch as it enabled the Allies to continue without fear of molestation the armament of those tremendous batteries which would have annihilated the whole forces of Russia inside the walls of Sebastopol, it may not be uninteresting to add the despatches of General Simpson, who was late on the field, and of General Della Marmora, who took an active part in directing the operations of the Sardinians on this memorable day. General Simpson wrote as follows:--

BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _August 18_.

MY LORD,--In my despatch of the 14th instant, I informed your Lordship that I had reason to believe that the Russians would attempt by a vigorous attack to force us to raise the siege! This they endeavoured to do on the morning of the 16th, but the result was most glorious to those of the Allied troops who had the good fortune to be engaged.

The action commenced before daylight, by a heavy column of Russians under the command of General Liprandi, and composed of the 6th and 17th Divisions, with the 4th and 7th Divisions in reserve, attacking the advanced posts of the Sardinians. The ground occupied by them is on commanding hills on the right of the position, on the left bank of the Souhaia river, where it forms its junction with the Tchernaya, with two advanced posts on the opposite side. These were held with very determined gallantry for a considerable time; but being separated from their supports by the river, and not having the protection of artillery, they were compelled to leave the most advanced one.

About the same time, the 5th and 12th Divisions, to which was added a portion of the 17th, advanced against the bridge of Traktir, held by one battalion of French infantry of the Line, who were for a short time obliged to yield and fall back upon the main supports; with these, however, they quickly retook the bridge at the point of the bayonet. Again the Russians attacked with persevering courage, and were enabled to follow up their advantage by gaining the heights which rise precipitously on each side of the road; their success was but momentary--they were driven back across the river, leaving the ground covered with dead and wounded.

The Russian General, in no way daunted by the failure of his two attempts, ordered a second column, of equal force to the first, to attack; they advanced with such impetuosity, covered by the fire of their numerous artillery, that a third time the bridge was carried, and the heights above it crowned, but they were again repulsed, and retired in great confusion into the plain, followed by the bayonets of our gallant allies. The General Officer who commanded the Russian column, and who is supposed to be General Read, was killed, and in his possession was found the orders for the battle, signed by Prince Gortschakoff, who commanded in person. From these it would appear that it was a most determined attempt to force us to raise the siege. Had they succeeded, Balaklava was to have been attacked by one portion of their army, whilst the heights on which we now are were to have been stormed with the other; at the same time a vigorous sortie was to have been made from the town on the French works on our extreme left from the Quarantine, and another on the works on our extreme right on Mount Sapoune.

The action which I have endeavoured to describe is most glorious to the arms of the French and Sardinian troops. To meet the force of the Russians, the former had but 12,000 infantry and four batteries of artillery engaged; the latter had 10,000 men in position, 4,500 actually engaged, and twenty-four pieces of cannon.

The Russian force consisted of from 50,000 to 60,000 men, with 160 pieces of artillery, and cavalry to the amount of 6,000. This disparity of numbers will readily explain to your Lordship the difficulty that would have been experienced had an attempt been made to follow up the advantage by a pursuit. The Russian retreat, moreover, was protected by the fire from the heavy guns in position on the Mackenzie Heights.

The loss sustained by the Russians is estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000 men, including 600 prisoners, whilst on the part of the Allies it does not amount to more than 1,000 men.

This brilliant affair has caused the greatest delight amongst the ranks of the Allied army; and while it adds fresh lustre to the gallant achievements of the French arms, it is with the utmost pleasure that I have to record the intrepid conduct and gallant bearing of the Sardinian troops, under General Della Marmora, who have for the first time met, conquered, and shed their blood against our common enemy, who is now disturbing the peace of Europe.

Captain Mowbray's battery of 32-pounder howitzers was placed in advance with the Sardinian troops, and did most excellent service in preventing the advance of the enemy's artillery.

Our cavalry, under Lieutenant-General Sir J. Scarlett, K.C.B., was placed in the plain of Balaklava, prepared to take advantage of any circumstance that might present itself, but the opportunity did not arise for calling upon their services.

I regret that I am unable to give a more detailed account of the part performed by the Sardinians, as up to this time I have not received General Della Marmora's report.

I have, &c.,

JAMES SIMPSON,

General Commanding.

_Lord Panmure, &c. &c. &c._

BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _August 21_.

MY LORD,--In my despatch of the 18th instant I was unable to give as detailed an account of the part taken by the Sardinian troops, in the battle of the Tchernaya, as I could have wished. I have since received General La Marmora's report, of which I have now the honour to send you a copy.

The killed and wounded of the Russian army exceed, if anything, the number I originally stated. An armistice was granted, to enable the enemy to bury the dead, and vast quantities were carried away.

The fire from the batteries of the Allies has been very effective, and the result attained has been sufficient to enable the works against the place to progress satisfactorily.

I beg to enclose the list of casualties to the 19th instant.

Major M'Gowan, 93rd Highlanders, who was reported by me as missing in my despatch of the 11th August, I have since ascertained was attacked whilst posting his sentries in advance of the trenches, wounded severely, and made prisoner.

I have, &c.,

JAMES SIMPSON,

General Commanding.

_The Lord Panmure, &c. &c. &c._

[_Translation._]

SARDINIAN ARMY.--HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES IN THE EAST, KADIKOI, _August 17_.

SIR,--The interest which you are so kind as to evince in everything relating to the Sardinian Expeditionary Army makes it imperative upon me to inform your Excellency of the share taken by the troops under my command in the engagement on the Tchernaya yesterday.

Upon receiving the report of Colonel Dessaint, attached to the French head-quarters, which you were good enough to communicate to me on the evening of the day before yesterday, and by which we were led to expect very shortly an attack on the line of the Tchernaya, I at once gave orders that my troops should be under arms yesterday morning at an earlier hour than usual.

At break of day our outposts stationed on the Mamelon, which commands Tchorgoun, were enveloped in a well-sustained fire of artillery, which proceeded from three batteries posted opposite to the breastworks by which our outposts were covered, and on the two Mamelons further to the right, which form the two banks of the Souliou. They were at the same time vigorously charged by three Russian columns, which came on with fixed bayonets, and attacked our breastworks in front and rear. The men composing these columns carried ladders with them to scale the parapets. The preconcerted signal of alarm was immediately given; and the troops took up the positions which had been assigned to them in anticipation of this attack.

I begged his Excellency Hosman Pasha to bring up the Turkish troops which were stationed furthest off; and I ordered the 4th battalion of Riflemen (bersaglieri) to the support of our outposts, which only consisted of three companies, in order that these latter might be enabled to hold their ground as long as possible, and thus give us time to complete our arrangements.

Attacked in the rear by the enemy's artillery, and charged by three columns of infantry, the outposts, after an hour's firing, fell back, the reinforcements I had sent to them greatly facilitating their retreat. At the same time I made every effort to silence the enemy's guns. In this endeavour I was assisted by the Turkish field-pieces from Alsou, and by the English battery, with which you were good enough to reinforce us. Several of the enemy's ammunition wagons exploded between seven and eight o'clock.

In the meantime the Russians had stationed fresh batteries near the centre of their position, and had opened a most effective fire of artillery on the tête-de-pont at Traktir, and on the French positions on our left. A column of infantry, under cover of this fire, attacked the Mamelon, which formed the extreme right of General d'Herbillon's Division. The first column had crossed the Tchernaya, and surmounted the steep ascent of the Mamelon in spite of the fire of the tirailleurs, when it was vigorously attacked by the French troops in support, and hurled back, broken and disordered, into the Tchernaya.

As I considered, from the subsequent dispositions of the enemy's forces, that he only intended to make a demonstration of artillery before our position, while he concentrated his infantry chiefly on the extreme right of the Third Division (Faucher's), on which point a second column was now advancing, I ordered a portion of my 5th Brigade, under the command of General Mallard, to march to the support of the right wing of the French, and I posted two of our batteries in a position from whence they could maintain an oblique fire upon the Russians. At the same time I requested the English cavalry to move down into the plain to be in readiness to charge. I had given similar orders to my own cavalry.

When the soldiers of my 5th Brigade arrived at the Mamelon, they found that the enemy's attack had been already repulsed; but the fire of the two batteries of the 2nd Division (Trotti's) appeared to do great execution on the 2nd Russian column, which, checked in front by the French troops, and harassed in the rear by the fire of our batteries and the musketry of our battalions, fell back in the greatest disorder. I then ordered some of our battalions to advance under cover of the Riflemen (bersaglieri), but I was requested to countermand this movement.

The enemy, repulsed at all points, commenced his retreat. One column, which appeared to me to consist of a division, retreated by the valley of the Souliou. Another division, the one which had attacked our outposts and the French right in the morning, fell back upon the zigzag Mamelon; while a third division followed the road which leads to Mackenzie's Farm.

I took advantage of this state of things to reoccupy with my troops the zigzag Mamelon; in which design I succeeded perfectly, in spite of the imposing force which the enemy still retained on that point. In the meantime, three battalions of Turkish troops advanced into the Valley of Tchorgoun, to replace the battalion of Cialdini's Brigade, which was occupying the heights of Karlooka.

Later in the day I crossed the Tchernaya with four squadrons, and marching in a parallel line with the zigzag Mamelon, came upon the old Russian redoubt, whence I could easily discern, at a little distance before us, a very fine array of regular cavalry, supported by horse artillery. It was distributed in twelve separate bodies, and must have been composed of at least fifty squadrons. This cavalry did not fall back on Mackenzie Road till the whole of the infantry and artillery had effected their retreat.

The losses sustained by our troops, a portion only of whom was engaged, were very inconsiderable. They amount to about two hundred men placed _hors de combat_; and I impute the fact of our not having lost more men mainly to the works with which we fortified our position, and to the batteries of heavy guns which you were so obliging as to lend us for their defence. It is, however, my painful duty to announce to your Excellency that Count Montevecchio, the General commanding the 4th Brigade, is mortally wounded; a ball passed through his chest.

Pray accept, General, the assurance of my high consideration.

The General Commanding-in-Chief the Sardinian Expeditionary Forces,

(Signed) LA MARMORA.

HANG _To his Excellency the General Commanding-in-Chief the English Army._

GENERAL SIMPSON'S DESPATCH.

GENERAL SIMPSON TO LORD PANMURE.

(_Received September 22._)

BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, _September 9, 1855_.

MY LORD,--I had the honour to apprise your Lordship in my despatch of the 4th instant, that the Engineer and Artillery Officers of the Allied Armies had laid before General Pelissier and myself a report recommending that the assault should be given on the 8th instant, after a heavy fire had been kept up for three days.

This arrangement I agreed to, and I have to congratulate your Lordship on the glorious results of the attack of yesterday, which has ended in the possession of the town, dockyards, and public buildings, and destruction of the last ships of the Russian Fleet in the Black Sea. Three steamers alone remain, and the speedy capture or sinking of these must speedily follow.

It was arranged that at twelve o'clock in the day the French columns of assault were to leave their trenches, and take possession of the Malakoff and adjacent works. After their success had been assured, and they were fairly established, the Redan was to be assaulted by the English; the Bastion, Central, and Quarantine Forts, on the left, were simultaneously to be attacked by the French.

At the hour appointed our Allies quitted their trenches, entered and carried the apparently impregnable defences of the Malakoff with that impetuous valour which characterizes the French attack; and, having once obtained possession, they were never dislodged.

The Tricolor planted on the parapet was the signal for our troops to advance.

The arrangements for the attack I entrusted to Lieutenant-General Sir William Codrington, who carried out the details in concert with Lieutenant-General Markham.

I determined that the second and light divisions should have the honour of the assault, from the circumstance of their having defended the batteries and approaches against the Redan for so many months, and from the intimate knowledge they possessed of the ground.

The fire of our artillery having made as much of a breach as possible in the salient of the Redan, I decided that the columns of assault should be directed against that part, as being less exposed to the heavy flanking fire by which this work is protected.

It was arranged between Sir W. Codrington and Lieutenant-General Markham that the assaulting column of 1,000 men should be formed by equal numbers of these two divisions, the column of the light division to lead, that of the 2nd to follow. They left the trenches at the preconcerted signal, and moved across the ground preceded by a covering party of 200 men, and a ladder party of 320. On arriving at the crest of the ditch, and the ladders placed, the men immediately stormed the parapet of the Redan, and penetrated into the salient angle. A most determined and bloody contest was here maintained for nearly an hour, and although supported to the utmost, and the greatest bravery displayed, it was found impossible to maintain the position.

Your Lordship will perceive, by the long and sad list of casualties, with what gallantry and self-devotion the officers so nobly placed themselves at the head of their men during this sanguinary conflict.

I feel myself unable to express in adequate terms the sense I entertain of the conduct and gallantry exhibited by the troops, though their devotion was not rewarded by the success which they so well merited; but to no one are my thanks more justly due than to Colonel Windham, who gallantly headed his column of attack, and was fortunate in entering, and remaining with the troops, during the contest.

The trenches were, subsequently to this attack, so crowded with troops that I was unable to organize a second assault, which I intended to make with the Highlanders under Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell, who had hitherto formed the reserve, to be supported by the third division under Major-General Sir William Eyre. I, therefore, sent for these officers, and arranged with them to renew the attack the following morning.

The Highland Brigade occupied the advanced trenches during the night. About eleven o'clock the enemy commenced exploding their magazines, and Sir Colin Campbell having ordered a small party to advance cautiously to examine the Redan, found the work abandoned; he did not, however, deem it necessary to occupy it until daylight.

The evacuation of the town by the enemy was made manifest during the night. Great tires appeared in every part, accompanied by large explosions, under the cover of which the enemy succeeded in withdrawing their troops to the north side by means of the raft-bridge recently constructed, and which they afterwards disconnected and conveyed to the other side.

Their men-of-war were all sunk during the night.

The boisterous weather rendered it altogether impossible for the Admirals to fulfil their intention of bringing the broadsides of the Allied Fleets to bear upon the Quarantine Batteries; but an excellent effect was produced by the animated and well-directed fire of their mortar vessels, those of Her Majesty being under the direction of Captain Wilcox, of the _Odin_, and Captain Digby, of the Royal Marine Artillery.

It now becomes my pleasing duty, my Lord, to place on record the high sense I entertain of the conduct of this Army since I have had the honour to command it. The hardships and privations endured by many of the regiments during a long winter campaign are too well known for me to comment upon. They were borne both by officers and men with a patience and unmurmuring endurance worthy of the highest praise, and which gained them the deserved applause and sympathy of their country.

The Naval Brigade, under the command of Captain the Honourable Henry Keppel, aided by Captain Moorsom, and many gallant officers and seamen who have served the guns from the commencement of the siege, merit my warmest thanks.

The prompt, hearty, and efficacious co-operation of Her Majesty's Navy, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, and ably seconded by Sir Houston Stewart, has contributed most materially to the success of our undertaking; and here, perhaps, I may be permitted to say that, if it had pleased God that the successful result of this memorable siege should have been reported by my ever to be lamented predecessor in this command, I am sure that it would have been one of his most pleasing duties to express the deep sense which I know he entertained of the invaluable assistance and counsel he received on all occasions from Sir Edmund Lyons. When at times affairs looked gloomy and success doubtful, he was at hand to cheer and encourage; and every assistance that could tend to advance the operations was given with the hearty goodwill which characterizes the British sailor.

Nothing has contributed more to the present undertaking than the cordial co-operation which has so happily existed from the first between the two services.

I cannot sufficiently express my approbation of the conduct of the Royal Engineers under Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Jones, who has conducted the siege operations from the beginning of this year. For some time past he has been suffering on a bed of sickness, but the eventful hour of the assault would not permit him to remain absent; he was conveyed on a litter into the trenches to witness the completion of his arduous undertakings.

My warmest thanks are due to the officers and soldiers of the Royal Artillery under the command of Major-General Sir R. Dacres, who, during the arduous operations of this protracted siege, have so mainly contributed to its ultimate success.

I must beg further to record my thanks for the cordial co-operation and assistance I have received in carrying out the details of the service from the Chief of the Staff, the Adjutant and Quartermaster-Generals, and General Staff, as well as Generals commanding Divisions and Brigades of this Army.

I must reserve to myself, for the subject of a future despatch, bringing before your Lordship the particular mention of officers of the various branches of this Army, whom I shall beg to recommend to your favourable notice.

I entrust this despatch to the care of Brevet-Major the Honourable Leicester Curzon, who has been Assistant Military Secretary to my noble predecessor and myself since the commencement of this war, and who will be able to give your Lordship more minute details than the limits of a despatch will allow.

I have, &c.,

JAMES SIMPSON,

General Commanding.

FINAL ASSAULT ON SEBASTOPOL.

MARSHAL PELISSIER'S REPORT.

HEAD-QUARTERS, SEBASTOPOL, _September 11, 1855_.

MONSIEUR LE MARÉCHAL,--I shall have the honour to send you by next courier a detailed report of the attack which has rendered us masters of Sebastopol. I can only give you to-day a rapid sketch of the principal features of this great military achievement.

Since the 16th of August, the day of the Battle of the Tchernaya, and despite the repeated notifications of a new and more formidable attack of the enemy on the positions which we occupy on that river, every preparation was being made for a decisive assault upon Sebastopol itself. The artillery of the Right Attack opened already on the 17th of August a better sustained fire against the Malakhoff and against the Redan and Careening Bay, the neighbouring defences, and the roadstead, so as to allow the engineers to establish lodgments near the place, where the troops could throw themselves promptly on the _enceinte_. The engineers, moreover, prepared their scaling ladders, and all our batteries of the left opened a very violent fire against the town on the 5th of September. On their side the English kept up a heavy and incessant fire at the Great Redan and its redoubts, which they had to attack.

Everything being ready, I resolved, in concert with General Simpson, to give the assault on the 8th of September, at noon.

M'Mahon's division was to storm the Malakhoff works; Dulac's division the Redan of Careening Bay; and in the centre the division of La Motterouge was to march against the Curtain which unites those two extreme points. In addition to these troops I have given General Bosquet General Mellinet's division of the Garde to support those three first divisions. So much for the right.

In the centre the English were to attack the Great Redan by scaling it at its salient.

On the left the first corps, to which General della Marmora added a Sardinian Brigade, having at its head Levaillant's division, was to penetrate by the Central Bastion into the interior of the town, and then turn the Flagstaff Bastion, to make a lodgment there. General de Salles' instructions were only to follow up his attack if circumstances allowed him.

Moreover, the fleets of Admiral Lyons and Bruat were to make a powerful diversion by attacking the Quarantine, the roadstead, and sea fronts of the fortress. But the state of the sea, owing to a strong wind from the N.E., was such that neither the line-of-battle ships nor frigates could leave their anchorage. The English and French mortar-boats were, however, enabled to open fire. They fired in a remarkable manner, and did us good service.

Precisely at noon M'Mahon, La Motterouge's, and Dulac's divisions, electrified by their leaders, threw themselves against the Malakhoff, the Curtain, and the Little Redan of Careening Bay. After surmounting unheard-of obstacles, and after a terrible hand-to-hand struggle, M'Mahon's division succeeded in making good a footing in the front part of the Malakhoff. The enemy kept up a hail of projectiles of every description upon our brave troops. The Redan of Careening Bay, exposed to a cross fire and to the fire of the steamers, was obliged to be evacuated after having been occupied; but La Motterouge's division held its ground on a portion of the Curtain, and M'Mahon's division gained ground in the Malakhoff, where General Bosquet poured in reserves, which I hastened up.

The other attacks were subordinate to that of the Malakhoff, the key of the defences of the whole place.

From the Brancion Redoubt, where I had placed myself, I saw that the Malakhoff was in our hands, and I gave the signal agreed upon with General Simpson.

The English at once advanced bravely against the salient of the Great Redan; they succeeded in lodging themselves there, and struggled for a long time to keep it; but, overwhelmed by the Russian reserves, which never ceased advancing, and by a violent fire of artillery, they were forced to fall back into their parallels.

At the same signal General de Salles attacked the Central Bastion. Levaillant's division had commenced establishing itself there, as also on the right lunette, when, after a sweeping fire of grape, such strong Russian reinforcements came up, that our troops, decimated by the fire, and their officers _hors de combat_, were compelled to return to the _places d'armes_ they had started from.

Convinced that the capture of the Malakhoff must decide the success, I prevented a renewal of the other attacks, which, by occupying the enemy on all the points of his vast _enceinte_, had already fulfilled their chief object, and I concentrated all my attention on the possession of the Malakhoff, now completely in the power of General M'Mahon. A critical moment was, however, at hand.

General Bosquet had just been struck by a large fragment of a shell, and I was obliged to give his command to General Dulac. A powder magazine in the Curtain near the Malakhoff blew up, and made me fear the most serious consequences.

The Russians, hoping to profit by this accident, advanced in dense masses, and in three columns attacked the centre, left, and right of the Malakhoff. But arrangements had already been made within the work. General M'Mahon had daring troops, who feared nothing, to oppose them, and after some desperate attempts the Russians were compelled to beat a retreat. From that moment they relinquished any offensive attack. The Malakhoff was ours, and could not be taken from us. It was half-past four. Measures were immediately taken to put us in a condition to repulse the enemy, should he attempt to attack us in the night. But our uncertainty was soon put an end to. At nightfall flames burst out on all sides, mines exploded, powder magazines blew up. The spectacle of Sebastopol in flames, witnessed by the whole army, was one of the most imposing and terrible sights ever presented in the history of wars. The enemy was evacuating the place. The retreat was effected during the night by means of the bridge established between the two sides of the roadstead, and under cover of the successive explosions, which prevented me from approaching to harass it. On the morning of the 9th the whole south side of the town was abandoned and in our hands.

I need not point out to your Excellency the importance of such a success; nor need I speak of that brave army whose warlike virtues and devotion are so well appreciated by our Emperor, and I shall have, though the number is great, to point out to you those who distinguished themselves among so many valorous soldiers. I cannot do so yet, but I shall fulfil that duty in an early despatch.

Accept, M. le Maréchal, the expression of my respectful devotion.

PELISSIER,

Commander-in-Chief.

* * * * *

On the 9th of September, when it became known that the city was abandoned, the following order was issued:--

"GENERAL AFTER-ORDER.

"HEAD-QUARTERS, _September 9_.

"The Commander of the Forces congratulates the army on the result of the attack of yesterday.

"The brilliant assault and occupation of the Malakoff by our gallant Allies obliged the enemy to abandon the works they have so long held with such bravery and determination.

"The Commander of the Forces returns his thanks to the general officers and officers and men of the Second and Light Divisions, who advanced and attacked with such gallantry the works of the Redan. He regrets, from the formidable nature of the flanking defences, that their devotion did not meet with that immediate success which it so well merited.

"He condoles and deeply sympathizes with the many brave officers, non-commissioned officers, and men who are now suffering from the wounds they received in the course of their noble exertions of yesterday.

"He deeply deplores the death of the many gallant officers and men who have fallen in the final struggle of this long and memorable siege.

"Their loss will be severely felt, and their names long remembered in this army and by the British nation.

"General Simpson avails himself of this opportunity to congratulate and convey his warmest thanks to the general officers, officers and soldiers of the several divisions, to the Royal Engineers and Artillery, for their cheerful endurance of almost unparalleled hardships and sufferings, and for the unflinching courage and determination which on so many trying occasions they have evinced.

"It is with equal satisfaction that the Commander of the Forces thanks the officers and men of the Naval Brigade for the long and uniform course of valuable service rendered by them from the commencement of the siege.

"By order,

H. W. BARNARD, Chief of the Staff."

STATE OF ARMY, MARCH, 1855.

+----------+---------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | | OFFICERS. | SERJEANTS. | | +---------------------+------------+-----------+----+-----+-----+ | | | Present. | Sick. | | | | | | +------------+-----------+ | | | | |Field Officers. | |Other-| |Com-|POWs | | | | |Captains. | |wise | |mand|and | | | | | |Subalterns.|Under|Emp- |Pre- |Ab- | |Miss-| | | | | | |Staff.|Arms.|loyed.|sent.|sent.| |ing. |Total| +----------+----+----+----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+ |Mounted | | | | | | | | | | | | | Staff | ..| 1| 2| .. | 2| .. | .. | .. | 1| .. | 3| |Cavalry | | | | | | | | | | | | | Division| 16| 29| 39| 46 | 125| 45 | 9 | 14 | 15| .. | 208| |Infantry | 85| 246| 391| 218 | 1293| 165 | 150 | 406 | 134| 2 | 2150| |Ambulance | 1| 1| 1| 1 | 6| .. | .. | 1 | 3| .. | 10| +----------+----+----+----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+ |ARTILLERY.| | | | | | | | | | | | |Staff | 7| 12| ..| 5 | 27 | .. | .. | 2 | ..| .. | 29| |Field | | | | | | | | | | | | | Batteries| ..| 16| 25| 10 | 52 | .. | .. | 5 | ..| .. | 57| |Siege | | | | | | | | | | | | | Train | ..| 28| 34| 4 | 66 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1| .. | 79| | +----+----+----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+ | Total | 7| 56| 59| 19 | 145 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 1| .. | 163| +----------+----+----+----+------+-----+------+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+ | Royal }| | | | | | | | | | | | |Engineers}| | | | | | | | | | | | |Sappers, }| | | | | | | | | | | | |and }| 4| 9| 15| 6 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 20| .. | 48| |Miners }| | | | | | | | | | | | +==========+====+====+====+======+=====+======+=====+=====+====+=====+=====+

+----------+------------------------------------------+ | | TRUMPETERS OR DRUMMERS. | | +------------+-----------+----------+------+ | | Present. | Sick. | | | | +-----+------+-----------+Command. | | | | |Other-| | |POWs | | | | |wise | | |and | | | |Under|Emp- |Pre- |Ab- | |Miss-| | | |Arms.|loyed.|sent.|sent.| |ing. |Total.| +----------+-----+------+-----+-----+----+-----+------+ |Mounted | | | | | | | | | Staff | ..| .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |Cavalry | | | | | | | | | Division| 28| .. | 1 | 2 | 2 | .. | 33 |Infantry | 488| 2 | 35 | 106 | 8 | .. | 638 | |Ambulance | ..| .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | +----------+-----+------+-----+-----+----+-----+------+ |ARTILLERY.| | | | | | | | |Staff | ..| .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |Field | | | | | | | | | Batteries| 11| .. | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | 13 | |Siege | | | | | | | | | Train | 26| .. | 1 | 2 | .. | .. | 29 | | +-----+------+-----+-----+----+-----+------+ | Total | 37| .. | 2 | 3 | .. | .. | 42 | +----------+-----+------+-----+-----+----+-----+------+ | Royal }| | | | | | | | |Engineers}| | | | | | | | |Sappers, }| | | | | | | | |and }| 12 | .. | .. | .. | 2 | .. | 14 | |Miners }| | | | | | | | +==========+=====+======+=====+=====+====+=====+======+

+-------------------------+-------------------------------------- | RANK AND FILE. | HORSES. +-------------+-----------+----+-----+------|-----+-----+-----+----- | Present. | Sick. | | | | | | | +------+------+-----------+ | | | | | | | |Other-| |Com-|POWs | | | | | | |wise | |mand|and | | | | | |Under |Emp- |Pre- |Ab- | |Miss-| |Pres-| |Com- | |Arms. |loyed.|sent.|sent.| |ing. |Total.| ent.|Sick.|mand.|Total. ----------+------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+------|-----+-----+-----+----- Mounted | | | | | | | | | | | Staff | 15| 1 | .. | 9 | 12| .. | 37| 18 | 6 | 31 | 55 Cavalry | | | | | | | | | | | Division| 989| 233 | 140 | 312 | 114| 1 | 1,789| 315 | 323 | 82 | 720 Infantry |15,920| 1854 |3394 |9476 |1713| 64 |32,421| .. | .. | .. | .. Ambulance | 85| .. | 4 | 66 | 41| .. | 196| .. | .. | .. | .. ----------+------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+------|-----+-----+-----+----- ARTILLERY.| | | | | | | | Native Horses. | | | | | | | +-----+-----+----------- Staff | ..| 68 | .. | .. | ..| .. | 68| 51 | 12 | .. Field | | | | | | | | | | Batteries| 1,196| .. | 175 | 307 | ..| 3 | 1,681| 749 | 290 | .. Siege | | | | | | | | | | Train | 1,608| 6 | 90 | 291 | ..| .. | 1,995| 17 | 73 | .. +------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+------|-----+-----+----------- Total | 2,804| 74 | 265 | 598 | ..| 3 | 3,744| 817 | 375 | .. ----------+------+------+-----+-----+----+-----+------|-----+-----+----------- Royal }| | | | | | | | | | Engineers}| | | | | | | | | | Sappers, }| | | | | | | | | | and }| 406| 43 | 37 | 76 | 106| .. | 668| .. | .. | .. Miners }| | | | | | | | | | ==========+======+======+=====+=====+====+=====+======+=====+=====+===========

ORDNANCE. -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- SIEGE GUNS. | FIELD GUNS. ------------------------------+------+------------------- 10-inch. | | |8-inch. | | | |68-pounders. | | | | |32-pounders. | | | | | |24-pounders. | | | | | | |9-pounder | |9-pounders. | | | | | Field guns. | | |24-pounder | | | | | |13-inch | | |Howitzers. | | | | | | Mortars. | | | |6-pounders. | | | | | | |10-inch | | | | |12-pounder | | | | | | | Mortars.| | | | |Howitzers. | | | | | | | |TOTAL.| | | | |TOTAL. --+--+--+--+--+--+--+---------+------+--+--+--+--+------- 2|15| 6|62|24| 2| 8| 14 | 135 |36|18| 4| 2| 60 --+--+--+--+--+--+--+---------+------+--+--+--+--+-------

+ GRAND TOTAL. | ----------------------------+----------------------+------------------+ Cavalry and Infantry. |Ordnance Corps. |Whole Army. | Officers 1,077 | Officers 175 | Men 43,318| Sergeants 2,371 | Sergeants 211 | Horses 1,967| Trumpeters, &c. 673 | Drummers 56 | Guns 195| Rank and File 34,443 | Rank and File 4,412 | | Horses 775 | Horses 1,192 | | ----------------------------+----------------------+------------------+

THE TREATY OF PARIS.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTICLES OF THE TREATY, SIGNED BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GREAT POWERS, AT THE END OF THE CRIMEAN WAR.

Art. VII. Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, His Majesty the Emperor of the French, His Majesty the King of Prussia, His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, and His Majesty the King of Sardinia, declare the Sublime Porte admitted to participate in the advantages of the public law and system (_concert_) of Europe. Their Majesties engage, each on his part, to respect the independence and the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire; guarantee in common the strict observance of that engagement, and will, in consequence, consider any act tending to its violation as a question of general interest.

Art. VIII. If there should arise between the Sublime Porte and one or more of the other signing Powers any misunderstanding which might endanger the maintenance of their relations, the Sublime Porte, and each of such Powers, before having recourse to the use of force, shall afford the other Contracting Parties the opportunity of preventing such an extremity by means of their mediation.

Art. IX. His Imperial Majesty the Sultan, having, in his constant solicitude for the welfare of his subjects, issued a firman which, while ameliorating their condition without distinction of religion or of race, records his generous intentions towards the Christian population of his empire, and wishing to give a further proof of his sentiments in that respect, has resolved to communicate to the Contracting Parties the said firman, emanating spontaneously from his sovereign will.

The Contracting Powers recognize the high value of this communication. It is clearly understood that it cannot, in any case, give to the said Powers the right to interfere, either collectively or separately, in the relations of His Majesty the Sultan with his subjects, nor in the internal administration of his empire.

Art. XI. The Black Sea is neutralized: its waters and its ports, thrown open to the mercantile marine of every nation, are formally and in perpetuity interdicted to the flag of war, either of the Powers possessing its coasts, or of any other Power, with the exceptions mentioned in Articles XIV. and XIX. of the present Treaty.

Art. XIII. The Black Sea being neutralized according to the terms of Article XI, the maintenance or establishment upon its coast of military-maritime arsenals becomes alike unnecessary and purposeless; in consequence, His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias and His Imperial Majesty the Sultan engage not to establish or to maintain upon that coast any military-maritime arsenal.

Art. XXII. The Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia shall continue to enjoy, under the suzerainty of the Porte, and under the guarantee of the Contracting Powers, the privileges and immunities of which they are in possession. No exclusive protection shall be exercised over them by any of the guaranteeing Powers. There shall be no separate right of interference in their internal affairs.

Art. XXVIII. The Principality of Servia shall continue to hold of the Sublime Porte, in conformity with the Imperial Hats which fix and determine its rights and immunities, placed henceforward under the collective guarantee of the Contracting Powers.

In consequence, the said Principality shall preserve its independent and national administration, as well as full liberty of worship, of legislation, of commerce, and of navigation.

Art. XXIX. The right of garrison of the Sublime Porte, as stipulated by anterior regulations, is maintained. No armed intervention can take place in Servia without previous agreement between the High Contracting Powers.

* * * * *

Hang TREATY BETWEEN HER MAJESTY, THE EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA, AND THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH, GUARANTEEING THE INDEPENDENCE AND INTEGRITY OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

_Signed at Paris, April 15, 1856._

_Ratifications exchanged at Paris, April 29, 1856._

Art. I. The High Contracting Parties guarantee, jointly and severally, the independence and the integrity of the Ottoman Empire, recorded in the Treaty concluded at Paris on the thirtieth of March, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.

Art. II. Any infraction of the stipulations of the said Treaty will be considered by the Powers signing the present Treaty as _casus belli_. They will come to an understanding with the Sublime Porte as to the measures which have become necessary, and will without delay determine among themselves as to the employment of their military and naval forces.

* * * * *

THE DENUNCIATION OF THE TREATY OF PARIS.

EARL GRANVILLE TO SIR A. BUCHANAN.

FOREIGN OFFICE, _Nov. 10, 1870_.

Sir,--Baron Brunnow made to me yesterday the communication respecting the Convention between the Emperor of Russia and the Sultan, limiting their naval forces in the Black Sea, signed at Paris on the 30th of March, 1856, to which you allude in your telegram of yesterday afternoon.

In my despatch of yesterday I gave you an account of what passed between us, and I now propose to observe upon Prince Gortschakoff's despatches of the 19th and 20th ult., communicated to me by the Russian Ambassador on that occasion.

Prince Gortschakoff declares, on the part of His Imperial Majesty, that the Treaty of 1856 has been infringed in various respects to the prejudice of Russia, and more especially in the case of the Principalities, against the explicit protest of his representative, and that, in consequence of these infractions, Russia is entitled to renounce those stipulations of the Treaty which directly touch her interests.

It is then announced that she will no longer be bound by the Treaties which restrict her rights of sovereignty in the Black Sea.

We have here an allegation that certain facts have occurred which, in the judgment of Russia, are at variance with certain stipulations of the Treaty, and the assumption is made that Russia, upon the strength of her own judgment as to the character of those facts, is entitled to release herself from certain other stipulations of that instrument.

This assumption is limited in its practical application to some of the provisions of the Treaty, but the assumption of a right to renounce any one of its terms involves the assumption of a right to renounce the whole.

This statement is wholly independent of the reasonableness or unreasonableness, on its own merits, of the desire of Russia to be released from the observation of the stipulations of the Treaty of 1856 respecting the Black Sea.

For the question is, in whose hand lies the power of releasing one or more of the parties from all or any of these stipulations?

It has always been held that that right belongs only to the Governments who have been parties to the original instrument.

The despatches of Prince Gortschakoff appear to assume that any one of the Powers who have signed the engagement may allege that occurrences have taken place which in its opinion are at variance with the provisions of the Treaty; and, although this view is not shared nor admitted by the co-signatory Powers, may found upon that allegation, not a request to those Governments for the consideration of the case, but an announcement to them that it has emancipated itself, or holds itself emancipated, from any stipulations of the Treaty which it thinks fit to disprove. Yet it is quite evident that the effect of such doctrine, and of any proceeding which, with or without avowal, is founded upon it, is to bring the entire authority and efficacy of Treaties under the discretionary control of each one of the Powers who may have signed them; the result of which would be the entire destruction of Treaties in their essence. For whereas their whole object is to bind Powers to one another, and for this purpose each one of the parties surrenders a portion of its free agency, by the doctrine and proceeding now in question one of the parties, in its separate and individual capacity, may bring back the entire subject into its own control, and remains bound only to itself.

Accordingly, Prince Gortschakoff has announced in these despatches the intention of Russia to continue to observe certain of the provisions of the Treaty. However satisfactory this might be in itself, it is obviously an expression of the free will of that Power, which it might at any time alter or withdraw; and in this it is thus open to the same objections as the other portions of the communications, because it implies the right of Russia to annul the Treaty on the ground of allegations of which she constitutes herself the only judge.

The question therefore arises, not whether any desire expressed by Russia ought to be carefully examined in a friendly spirit by the co-signatory Powers, but whether they are to accept from her the announcement that, by her own act, without any consent from them, she has released herself from a solemn covenant.

I need scarcely say that Her Majesty's Government have received this communication with deep regret, because it opens a discussion which might unsettle the cordial understanding it has been their earnest endeavour to maintain with the Russian Empire; and for the above-mentioned reasons it is impossible for Her Majesty's Government to give any sanction, on their part, to the course announced by Prince Gortschakoff.

If, instead of such a declaration, the Russian Government had addressed Her Majesty's Government and the other Powers who are parties to the Treaty of 1856, and had proposed for consideration with them, whether anything has occurred which could be held to amount to an infraction of the Treaty, or whether there is anything in the terms which, from altered circumstances, presses with undue severity upon Russia, or which, in the course of events, had become unnecessary for the due protection of Turkey, Her Majesty's Government would not have refused to examine the question in concert with the co-signatories to the Treaty. Whatever might have been the result of such communications, a risk of future complications and a very dangerous precedent as to the validity of international obligations would have been avoided.

I am, &c., (Signed) GRANVILLE.

P.S.--You will read and give a copy of this despatch to Prince Gortschakoff.

* * * * *

PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFF TO BARON BRUNNOW.

CZARSKOE SELO, _8 (20) November, 1870_.

M. le Baron,--The English Ambassador has read to and given me a copy of a despatch of Lord Granville relating to our communications of the 19th (31) of October.

I have hastened to place it before His Majesty the Emperor. It has pleased our August Master to notice, first, the earnest desire of the Cabinet of London to maintain a cordial understanding between England and Russia, and secondly, the assurance that it would not refuse to examine the modifications which circumstances have caused in the results of the Treaty of 1856. As regards the view of strict right laid down by Lord Granville we do not wish to enter into any discussion, recall any precedent, or cite any example, because such a debate would not conduce to the understanding that we desire.

Our August Master has had an imperative duty to fulfil towards his country, without wishing to wound or threaten any of the Governments who signed the Treaty of 1856. On the contrary, His Imperial Majesty appeals to their sentiments of justice, and to the consciousness of their own dignity.

We regret to see that Lord Granville dwells chiefly on the form of our communications. It was not done by our choice. Assuredly, we should have desired nothing better than to arrive at the result in harmony with the Powers who signed the Treaty of 1856. But Her Britannic Majesty's principal Secretary of State well knows that all the efforts repeatedly made to unite the Powers in a common deliberation, in order to do away with the causes of complication which trouble the general peace, have constantly failed. The prolongation of the actual crisis, and the absence of a regular Power in France, remove still further the possibility of such an union. Meanwhile, the position of Russia by this Treaty has become more and more intolerable. Lord Granville will allow that the Europe of to-day is very different from that which signed the Act of 1856. It was impossible that Russia should consent to remain indefinitely bound by a transaction which, already onerous when concluded, lost its guarantees from day to day.

Our August Master knows his duty towards his country too well to impose on it any longer an obligation against which the national feeling protests.

We cannot admit that the abrogation of a theoretical principle without immediate application, which only restores to Russia a right of which no other nation would be deprived, can be considered as a menace to peace, or that the annulment of one point in the Treaty implies the annulment of the whole.

Such has never been the intention of the Imperial Cabinet. On the contrary, our communications of the 19th (31st) of October declare in the most explicit manner that His Majesty the Emperor adheres entirely to the general principles of the Treaty of 1856, and that he is ready to come to an understanding with the Powers who signed that transaction, either by confirming the general stipulations, or by renewing them, or by substituting for them any other equitable arrangement which will be considered fitting to ensure tranquillity in the East, and the equilibrium of Europe. There seems to be no reason why the Cabinet of London, if agreeable to it, should not enter into explanations with those who signed the Treaty of 1856.

On our part, we are ready to join in any deliberation having for its object the general guarantees for consolidating the peace of the East.

We are sure that this peace would receive additional security if a permanent cause of irritation now existing between the two Powers most directly interested in it was removed and their mutual relations were resettled on a good and solid understanding.

You are requested, M. le Baron, to read and give a copy of this despatch to Lord Granville.

The principal Secretary of State of Her Britannic Majesty has expressed to you the regret he would experience if this discussion would alter the good understanding which the Government of Her Majesty the Queen has striven to maintain between the two countries. Will you inform his Excellency how much the Imperial Cabinet would share in this regret.

We think the good understanding of the two Governments essentially useful to the two countries, as well as to the peace of the world. It is with a lively satisfaction that we have seen it become during the last few years more and more intimate and cordial.

The parity of the circumstances in which we are placed seem of a kind to render this more desirable than ever.

Receive, &c.,

GORTSCHAKOFF.

* * * * *

EARL GRANVILLE TO SIR A. BUCHANAN.

FOREIGN OFFICE, _Nov. 28_.

Sir,--The Russian Ambassador has read and given to me a copy of a despatch of Prince Gortschakoff of the date of 8th (20th) November.

It is not necessary for Her Majesty's Government to recur to the important questions of international law raised by the circular of Prince Gortschakoff, as they have nothing to add to the declaration on the subject which they have already made.

His Excellency has been good enough to appeal to my knowledge of facts which His Excellency states prevented that consultation and agreement with other parties to this Treaty which Russia would have preferred.

I am aware that suggestions for Congresses to settle other European questions have been made and not adopted.

It has been also stated to me that intimations have been given to some of my predecessors, that in the case of certain contingencies, which however have never occurred, such as the possession of the Principalities by Austria, Russia would feel bound to call into question some of the provisions of the Treaty of 1856. But I am ignorant of any occasion on which Russia, the party most interested, has proposed in any way to this country that a relaxation of the Treaty should be taken into consideration.

I cannot therefore admit that the Imperial Government can justify this proceeding by the failure of efforts which have never been made.

The courteous language in which Prince Gortschakoff's despatch is written, his assurance of the manner in which he would have preferred to open this question, and his declaration of the strong desire for a confirmation of good relations between the two nations, particularly important at this time, encourage Her Majesty's Government in the belief that the obstacle to such relations will be removed.

They observe that His Excellency describes the declaration which has been made by Russia as an abrogation of a theoretical principle without immediate application. If these words are to be construed into an announcement that Russia has formed and stated her own opinion of her rights, but has no intention of acting in conformity with it without due concert with the other Powers, they go far to close the controversy in which the two Governments have been engaged.

Her Majesty's Government have no objection to accept the invitation which has been made by Prussia to a Conference, upon the understanding that it is assembled without any foregone conclusions as to its results. In such case Her Majesty's Government will be glad to consider with perfect fairness, and the respect due to a great and friendly Power, any proposals which Russia may have to make.

You will read and give a copy of this despatch to Prince Gortschakoff.

I am, &c., (Signed) GRANVILLE.

* * * * *

THE CONFERENCE OF 1871.

HANG THE RESULT OF THE DENUNCIATION OF THE TREATY OF PARIS BY RUSSIA WAS THAT A CONFERENCE, SUGGESTED BY PRINCE BISMARCK, WAS ARRANGED TO MEET AT LONDON.

PROTOCOL NO. 1.

_At the Sitting of January 17._

Earl Granville expressed himself as follows:--

Earl Granville--

"The Conference has been accepted by all the co-signatory Powers of the Treaty of 1856, for the purpose of examining, without any foregone conclusion, and of discussing with perfect freedom, the proposals which Russia desires to make to us with regard to the revision which she asks of the stipulations of the said Treaty relative to the neutralization of the Black Sea.

"This unanimity furnishes a striking proof that the Powers recognize that it is an essential principle of the law of nations that none of them can liberate itself from the engagements of a treaty, nor modify the stipulations thereof, unless with the consent of the contracting parties by means of an amicable understanding."

The Plenipotentiary of Russia requested the permission of the Conference to read a summary which he wished to be inserted in the Protocol:--

"He instanced specially the precedent of the Conferences held at different periods in Paris, and cited the decisions adopted by general agreement with the view of modifying the Government of the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, an alteration which received the sanction of the Sublime Porte, as well as the assent of the other Contracting Powers.

"He affirmed that these deviations from the Treaty have exercised no influence on the firm intention of the Emperor to maintain intact the general principles of the Treaty of 1856, which have defined the position of Turkey in the system of Europe.

"In fact, these stipulations, suggested at another period under the influence of conjunctures entirely different from the present situation are no longer in harmony with the relations of good neighbourhood which exist at this moment between the two Riverain Powers."

ANNEX.

The Plenipotentiaries of North Germany, of Austria-Hungary, of Great Britain, of Italy, of Russia, and of Turkey, assembled to-day in Conference, recognize that it is an essential principle of the law of nations that no Power can liberate itself from the engagements of a treaty, nor modify the stipulations thereof, unless with the consent Powers by means of an amicable arrangement.

In faith of which the said Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Protocol.

Done at London, the 17th January, 1871.

(Signed) BERNSTORFF. APPONYI. GRANVILLE. CADORNA. BRUNNOW. MUSURUS. BROGLIE.

March 13, 1871.

INDEX.

Adams, Brigadier-General, at Inkerman, 169

_Adelaide_, the, her arrival in Balaklava, 201

_Agamemnon_, the, her orders for sailing, 81; enters Balaklava, and attacks the fort, 137

Airey, General Sir R., his encampment, 42; superseded, 423

Aladyn, encampment at, 42, 46

Alexander, Colonel, 128

Alexander, Dr., 8

Allied armies, assembled at Varna, 50; military review of the, 51; their great losses in killed and wounded, 341; their preparation for winter quarters, 379; error of their campaign, 494, 495. See _French_, and _Soldiers_

Alma, the river, halt of the Allied forces at, and preparations for the battle of, 98; account of the battle, 102 _et seq._; position of the Russians on, 106; the Allies victorious, 120; retreat of the Russians from, _ib._; military conduct of the battle of, 121; state of the battle-field, 483; telegraph at, 486; position and attack at, 486, 487; bitter reflections on the battle, _ib._; graves at, 489; frightful losses at, 490; its entrenchments, _ib._; monument at, 491

Aloupka, visit to, 482; the Colonel of, _ib._; dinner at, _ib._

Aloushta, 476; visits to, 479

Ambalaki, capture of, 268

Ambulance corps, wretchedness of the, 199; disbanded, 378

Ambulances, their great utility, 363; superiority of the English ones, 439

Anderson, Captain, 42, 87

Araba drivers, their disappearance from Roumelia and Bulgaria, 201

Arabas, arrival of, with provisions, 97

Arabat, Spit of, 277, 496; unsuccessful attack on the fortress of, _ib._

Armies of the Russians and the Allies, condition of the, 303; their respective positions before Sebastopol, 305; general state of the, 469

Armistice, for the burial of the dead, and interchange of civilities during the, 228, 246, 267; sad scenes during the, 295; news of, from the respective governments, 457; mutual visits after the, 458 _et seq._; agreed to, 462; followed by peace, 467

Arms, a gallant feat of, 258, 259

Army, British, its distressed position at Varna, 62; its different divisions, and General Commander, 87; its improved condition, 238; its concentrated attack on Sebastopol, 351 _et seq._; its amount of armament in the bombardment of Sebastopol, 336 _et seq._; jealousies in the, 385, 386; preparations for its winter encampment, 420. See _Crimea_, and _Soldiers_

Artillery, duel of, 249; its powerful effects, 463

Athens, Gulf of, 12

Athos, Mount, 12

Autemarre, General d', the French Commander in the Sea of Azoff, 265.

Azoff, expedition to the Sea of, 265; capture of Yenikale, 268; operations in the, 270 _et seq._; destruction of the Russian shipping, &c., 280; complete success of the expedition, 281; purity of its water, 496

Baidar, miserable state of, 475

Bakschiserai, retreat of the Russians to, 131; visit to, 472; miserable state of, 474

Balaklava, march of the expedition to, 137; a poor village, _ib._; surrender of the town, _ib._; cholera at, 138; intended attack of the Russians on, 156; fortified earthworks thrown around, 166; hurricane at, 180 _et seq._; miserable condition of, 191, 192; dreadful scenes among the Turks in, 192; false alarm at, 193; improvements in, 235; general state of, 250; movements in front of, 325; its singular aspect, 375; discipline in the harbour of, 450; improvements in, _ib._

Baltschik, rendezvous of the expedition in, 70, 71

Barnard, General, appointed chief of the staff, 305; his meeting with the Russians, 458

Bashi-Bazouks, their military characteristics, 51; their encampment, 52; disbanded, 57

Batteries before Sebastopol, 214, 215; relative position and strength of the, 336 _et seq._

Bayonet, sanguinary charge with the, at Inkerman, 169, 170; contests with the, 255, 259; reluctance to charge with the, 347

Bazancourt's strictures on the Allied forces, 97-100

Beatty, the engineer, his death, 250

Belbek, the river, 132; scenery of the, _ib._; barrier of the, 133; arrival of the Allied troops at, _ib._; false alarm at, 135; deliberations at, 136; march from the, _ib._; heights of the, 484; cantonments on the, _ib._

Bell, Captain, his gallantry at Alma, 114

Bentinck, Major-General Sir H., lands at Eupatoria, 86; his orders relative to the services of the fourth division, 392

Berdiansk, attack on, 270

Birds, crowds of, on board ship, 9, 10; Crimean varieties, 233

Bizot, General, killed, 252

Black River, the, 133; gorge of the, 166

Black Sea, entrance of the expedition into the, 39

Blane, Major, 183

Bombardment of Sebastopol, 250 _et seq._; terrible effects of the, 335, 338 _et seq._ See _Sebastopol_

Bomb-shells of the Russians, 248, 343

Bonaparte, Emperor, his intended visit to the Crimea, 260

Bono Johnnies, 53, 54, 175

Bosphorus, arrival of the British troops in the, 23; scenery of the, 37, 38

Bosquet, General, commander of the second division of the French, 56; his command at the Alma, 98; his bravery, 102, 103; at the Tchernaya, 155; at Inkerman, 172

Bouljanæk, affair at, 94 _et seq._

Bouet Willaumez, the French Admiral, 487

Boussiniere, his bravery at Alma, 103

Boxer, Admiral, commander of Balaklava, 210; his improvements at Balaklava, 239

British soldiers, their devoted heroism, 2, 3

British troops, their disembarkation at Eupatoria, 84. See _Soldiers_

Brown, General Sir G., 8; visits Rustum Pasha, 15; his quarters, 16; cordiality of the French towards, 16; a strict disciplinarian, 23; proceeds to Varna, 36; his landing at Eupatoria, 85; his danger, _ib._; commands the light division, 87; his gallantry at the Alma, 113, 114; at Inkerman, 169; his operations, 242; commander of the expedition to the Sea of Azoff, 265

Bruat, Admiral, 27; death of, 447; high mass celebrated for the soul of, _ib._

Bucharest, captured by Omar Pasha, 55

Bug, river, expedition up the, 413; scenery on the banks of the, _ib._; conflict with the Russians, 414; its confluence with the Dnieper, 415; operations in the, 416, 417; raising of the blockade, 419; difficulties of ascending it, _ib._, _note_

Bulair, town of, 16, 21; military works at, 23; fortifications at, 27

Bulgaria, peasantry of, 43, 44; immense forces assembled in, 48, 49; the natives forsake their homes, 46

Buller, Brigadier-General, 42

Burgoyne, Sir John, proposes the flank march, 132, 134; his departure for England, 243

Burliouk, ruins of, 489, 491

Burrell, Dr., 8

Cafés at Gallipoli, 17, 18

Calvert, Mr., the consul at Gallipoli, 15; his active efforts, _ib._

Cambridge, Duke of, his arrival at Gallipoli, 30; dines with the Sultan, 33; lands at Eupatoria, 86; commands the first division, 87; his gallantry at Alma, 114; at Inkerman, 169

Camel, anecdote of one at Sebastopol, 439

Cameron, General, of the Highland division, 324

Camp-followers in the Crimea, 449, 450

Camp life, 48

Campbell, General Sir Colin, 25; his military experience, 114

Campbell, General Sir J., of the fourth division, 242; his military operations, _ib._; death of, 292

"Canards," hatching of, 215

Canrobert, General, 6; at Gallipoli, 15; arrives at Varna, 41; his bravery at Alma, 102; assumes the command of the French troops, 139; at Inkerman, 172; his order of the day after the battle of Inkerman, 190; his address to the troops, 260

Canteen-keepers, their rapacity, 445

Carbuccia, General, death of, 56

Cardigan, Lord, his difficult reconnaissance, 54; his early operations, 94; at the Tchernaya, 155; his desperate cavalry charge at Balaklava, 159

Careening Bay, Sebastopol, 143

Casualties, number of, 324, 432

Cathcart, Sir G., commands the fourth division, 87; at Balaklava, 139; slain at Inkerman, 170; his advice while living disregarded, 436

Cathcart's Hill, its position, 248, 249, 252; view of Sebastopol from, 334; present state of, 375

Cavalry brigade, British, criticisms on the, 152; its charge on the Russians, 157; relics of the, 257

Cemetery, struggle for the, 292; its capture, 294

"Chambers of horrors," 367

Chapman, Captain, at Sebastopol, 151

Charges at night, difficulties of describing, 261

Chasseurs, at Inkerman, 171; review of the, 261

Cherson, Cape, lighthouse of, 138

Cherson Bay, cruise up the, 413

Chersonese, Cape, 76; memorials of the brave at the, 494

Cholera, its violence in Bulgaria, 56; at Varna, 57, 58; horrors attending it, 58, 61, 62; its ravages at Balaklava, &c., 138, 139, 447

Christian subjects of Turkey, their right to protection, 2

Christmas of 1854, its dreariness in the Crimea, 196; of 1855, 447

Church, desolated interior of a, 257

Civilians, their criticisms on military matters, 447

Classical fictions, 10

Clifford, Hon. Mr., 115

Climate of the Dardanelles and surrounding country, 25, 26

Clothing, terrible deficiency of, 196, 197; supplied by the _Times'_ commissioner, 196; general supplies of, 202, 441

Codrington, General Sir W., his gallantry at Alma, 111, 112; at Inkerman, 169; his justification, 353; appointed commander-in-chief, 423; his various promotions, 424, 425; his career, 425; his general orders, 425; his grand review of the British troops, 454-456; his general orders respecting the departure of the Sardinians, 492

Coffee, wretched supply of, 204

Colborne, Major, 31

Cold, destructive effects of the, 205, 206; paralyzing effects of, 221

Colville, Captain, his bravery at Alma, 111

Comet, appearances of the, 9

Commissariat department, 8; its difficulties at Gallipoli, 20, 21; its pressure of business, 59; its supplies, 179; its deficiencies, 191; improvement in the supplies, 238; favourable changes in the, 437

Commission, mixed, at Sebastopol, for distributing the prize captures, 381-385

Cooking, want of apparatus for, 478

Cooking rations, receipts for, 219

Corn, destruction of, in the Sea of Azoff, 270; quantity of, issued to the English army, 375; great waste of, 444

Cossacks, appearance of the, 80, 84; first encounter with the, 94, 95; their indefatigability, 202; their cunning, 212; a brush with the, 258; their sly manoeuvres at Kinburn, 420; their appearance and habiliments, 459, 473, 480; their horses, 480, 481

Councils, divided, evils of the, 426

CRIMEA, causes of the expedition to the, 1; preparations for the campaign, 2 _et seq._; influence of the press on the, 2, 3; early difficulties, and imperfect arrangements for the war, 15, 17; orders for attacking the, 56; preparations for invading the, _ib._; Russian forces at the, _ib._; departure of the expedition, 70; its shores and anchorage, 73 _et seq._; landing at Eupatoria, 84-86; first encounters with the Russians, 89, 94, 95; amount of the invading force, 87; Tartar race of the, 88; march of the Allied army, 83 _et seq._; battle of the Alma, 97 _et seq._; advance from the Alma, 129; movements of the Russians, 133; advance on Belbek, 134; capture of Balaklava, 137; arrival at Sebastopol, 138; and its investment, 141 (see _Sebastopol_); battle of Inkerman, 169; hardships of the campaign, 179; attack on Eupatoria, 190; attack of the French on Sebastopol, and the progress of the siege, 200; great hardships, 203; climate, _ib._; the _Times'_ fund sent to the, 196; commencement of active operations in the spring, 231; railway in the, 232; birds and flowers in the, 233; sports of the camp, 234; march of improvement in, 235; severe fighting before Sebastopol, 244 _et seq._; Kertch expeditions, 263, 265; expedition to the Sea of Azoff, 265; severe fighting before Sebastopol, 284 _et seq._; death of Lord Raglan, 299; General Simpson appointed Commander-in-Chief, 301; battles of the Tchernaya, 155, 315; the Sardinian contingent, 310; capture of the Malakoff, 343; retreat of the Russians, 361; capture of Sebastopol, 362; review of the great struggle, 370 _et seq._; state of the two armies, 387; ruins of Sebastopol, 387-389; General Simpson's despatch respecting operations in, 390; mildness of the weather in November, 1855, 427, 429; disadvantageous position of the Allies in the, 427; winter of 1855, 440; mud of the, 444; Russian forces in the, 446; a second Christmas in the, 447; winter in the, _ib._; storm in the, 448; camp followers in the, 449; destruction of the Sebastopol docks, 451-453; the British forces in the, 454-456; armistice takes place, 462; peace proclaimed, 467; preparations for evacuation, 468; review of the great struggle, 468-471; excursion into the interior, 472; tour through the, and general aspect of the country, 473; departure of the Sardinian staff from, 492; memorials of the brave, 494; tour in the north of the, _ib._; its outlets, and the difficulties these presented to the Russians, _ib._; wells of the, _ib._; salt waters of the, 495; German villages of the, 496; reflections on the campaign, _ib._

Crimean Flora, 477

Croat labourers, their physical strength and endurance, 232

"Crow's Nest," battery so called, 338

Cuddy, Lieut.-Colonel, his bravery and ill-treatment, 466; his death, _ib._

Dardanelles, arrival of the British troops at the, 12; coasts of the, _ib._; climate and scenery of the, 25, 26

Dead, armistice for the burial of the, 228, 246, 287, 295

Death, the valley of, 64, 67

Demur Kapu, 476

Desaint, Colonel, 56

Deserters from the Allied forces, 204; from the Russians, 204, 234; their accounts from Sebastopol, 204; stories of the, 387; their miserable plight, _ib._

Devno, march to, 50; the Valley of Death, 64, 67

Diarrhoea among the troops at Varna, 46

Dickson, Colonel, 24; at Balaklava, 139; at Sebastopol, 146; at Inkerman, 170

Dinner, a Crimean one, 219

Discipline, relaxation of, 427

Divisions of the British forces, and their commanders, 87; their landing at Eupatoria, 85, 86; their order of march, 93

Djemel Pasha, commander of the Dardanelles, 19; his learning and intelligence, 19, 20

Dnieper, entry of the united squadron into the, 415; its blockade raised, 419; difficulties of ascending the, 419, _note_

Dobrudscha, campaign in the, and losses experienced thereby, 56

Docks, of Sebastopol, destroyed, 451-453

Dog-hunting in the Crimea, 235

Dogs and cats from Sebastopol, 439

Doyne, Mr., the head engineer, his vigorous labours at Sebastopol, 388, 421, 441

Dragoon Guards, their charge on the Russians, 157

Drainage, operations of, 442

Dress of the British soldiers, 18

Drummers of the Crimea, 450

Drunkenness, punishment of, 445

Dundas, Admiral, 41; his orders, 76

Egerton, Colonel, his bravery at the Alma, 116

Egyptian troops at Varna, 49

Elchingen, Duc d', death of, 56

Electric telegraph laid down, 236; its tendency to mischievous consequences, 443

Electricity, agencies of, 278

Eman, Colonel, killed, 353

_Emperor_, the guiding star of the fleet, 82

Engineering works, scarcity of men for, 243, 244

England, her commercial interests as regards Turkey, 1

England, Sir Richard, arrives at the Dardanelles, 25; commands the third division, 87

English. See _Soldiers_, and _Army_

Enniskilleners, their charge on the Russians, 157

Enos, town of, 15

Entrenchments, advance of the, 308

Espinasse, General, 56

Estcourt, General, 129; death of, 299

Etesian wind, 11

Etonnoirs of the French, 255, 494

Euboea, 12

Eupatoria, survey of the coast of, 59; coast of, 75, 76; town of, 80; selected for the landing-place, _ib._; inhabitants of, 82; landing of the French at, 82, 83; resolution to garrison it, 91; Russian attack on, 190

Evans, General Sir de Lacy, arrives at the Dardanelles, 25; commands the second division, 87; lands at Eupatoria, 86; his bravery at the Alma, 107, 115; his report of military operations at the Alma, 116; his despatch from the heights of the Tchernaya, 161-163; his illness, 165, 175

Expedition, Crimean, its departure, 70; its extent, 71; vastness of the armada conveying it, 73; its voyage from Varna to the Crimea, 73-75; its uncertainties, 75, 76; account of its disembarkation, 84-88; military force of the, 87; marches into the interior, _ib._; its order of march, 93; its halt at the Alma, 96; at the Katcha, 132; accession of forces at the, _ib._; makes a détour round the Belbek, 132 _et seq._; its march from the Belbek to Balaklava, 136, 137. See _Crimea_, and _Sebastopol_

Explosions, disastrous ones, 328, 361, 380, 429-433; causes, 433

Eyre, Brigadier, 25; appointed to the command of the third division, 311; his excursion in the interior of the Crimea, 479

Fatigue parties, severe duties of the, 197

Fatima Hanoum, the Kurdish chieftainess, 54

Ferguson, General, 7

Fidonisi, French rendezvous of, 71

Fighting, love of, an anecdote, 434

Filder, Commissary-General, 40; his office in Varna, 59; his instructions, 67

Fire, a disastrous one, 380

Flagstaff Battery, contentions for the, 191

Flank march of the Allies, 134

Fleet of the Russians, its submergement, 472, 473

Flowers of the Crimea, 233

Food, prices of, at Varna, 41

Forey, General, his bravery at the Alma, 103

Fort Constantine, in Sebastopol, 138

Forts of the north side of Sebastopol, 472

Fourth division, General Bentinck's testimony to their services, 392

France, her political interests as regards Turkey, 1

French camp, sickness in the, 218; their superiority in cooking, _ib._

French fleet, conveying the expedition, 73, 74

French Spahis effect a landing at Eupatoria, 83

French forces, their arrival at Malta, 6; their superior arrangements, 15, 16, 21, 47; their accommodations at Gallipoli, 17, 18; their police regulations, 18; their mode of making purchases, 17; number of, at Gallipoli, 16, 21; their cordiality to the English, 18, 48; their uniforms, _ib._; their methods of dealing with the Turks, 17; review of, at Gallipoli, 28; staff of the, 29; first land on the Crimea, 82, 83; their successful bravery at the Alma, 102; their landing at Kamiesch, 138; their siege and bombardment of Sebastopol, 140 _et seq._; their order of battle at Inkerman, 174, 175; road made by the, 198; important reinforcements received, 205; their sufferings, 209; their conflicts with the Russians, 239; their contests for the rifle-pits, 253-255; their gallantry, 259; their capture of the Mamelon, 284, 285; their unsuccessful attack on the Malakoff, 290, 291; great losses sustained thereby, 292-294; their second attack, and capture of the Malakoff, 343; engaged at the battle of the Tchernaya, 316, 319; amount of their ordnance on their last bombardment of Sebastopol, 336; their works for storming the Malakoff, 364; their operations after the fall of Sebastopol, 375 _et seq._; review of the, 422; their system of mines, 493

Frost-bites in the Crimea, 202, 205, 221

_Fury_, the, her reconnaissance of Sebastopol, 59

Fusileer Guards, their arrival at Malta, 5; their severe losses, 357

Gallipoli, departure of the English and French troops for, 8, 9; arrival at, 13; description of, 13, 14; wretchedness of, 14; population of, _ib._; its bad quarters, 15-17; difficulties of the commissariat at, 17, 21; high price of provisions, 22; police regulations at, 18; alarming fire at, 24; confusion arising therefrom, 24, 25; climate and scenery of, 25, 26; arrival of generals at 27, 30

Gambier, Lieut. Colonel, commander of the siege train at Sebastopol, 146; at Inkerman, 170

Generals of the army, deficiency of, 190

German colonists of the Crimea, 496

Genitchi, attack on, 270

Gibb, Captain, 9

_Golden Fleece_, the, 8, 9, 10, 12; her arrival at Gallipoli, 13

Golden Horn, the, 37

Goldie, Brigadier-General, at Inkerman, 169; slain, 170

Goodram, Samuel, blown up, 434; anecdotes of, _ib._

Gordon, Captain, 42; at Sebastopol, 142

Gortschakoff, Prince, 101; his operations, 437; his intended plan of operations, 441

Grant, Captain, of the ambulance corps, 199

Greece, localities of, 10, 11

Greek and Latin Churches, their quarrels in Turkey, 1

Greek hermit, 11

Greeks, their religion, 16; their apathy, 29

Greys, their charge on the Russians, 157

Guards, their departure from London, 3; their arrival at Malta, 4, 5; their difficulty of obtaining provisions, 6; their arrival at Varna, 47; leave Varna for the Crimea, 67; their gallantry at the Alma, 110, 114, 120; their heroism and severe losses at Inkerman, 171, 175; Queen Victoria's presents to the, 212; their magnificent appearance in line, 115, 116

Hall, Dr., his letter to Dr. Smith, 385

Hallewell, Captain, 15, 31

Hamelin, Admiral, 41

Hammersley, Major, his tour in the north of the Crimea, 494

Handcock, Colonel, killed, 346

Harbour discipline at Balaklava, 450

Highland Brigade, their condition, 64; leave Varna for the Crimea, 67; their gallantry at the Alma, 110, 120; steadiness of their movements in action, 115; their bravery at the Tchernaya, 156; their kilt, 202

Hill, Captain, shot, 247

_Himalaya_, the, her arrival at Malta, 5; at the Bosphorus, 23; her enormous cargo of horses and men, 90

Hoey, Colonel, his bravery at the Alma, 118

Horses, difficulty of getting them on shore, 90; great havoc among, 206

Hospital quarters at Gallipoli, 17

Hurricane at Balaklava, 180; its violence, 181-186; distress caused thereby, 184, 185; miserable state of Balaklava after the, 187

Hussars, arrival of the, 255

Hut of the author, 440; its situation, 441

Huts, decorations of the, 439, 448; robberies of the, 439; complaints against the, 448

Ida, Mount, 12

Inkerman, the British force taken by surprise at, 168; sanguinary battle of, 169-172; a series of sanguinary hand-to-hand fights, 170; review of the dreadful battle-field, 173; the frightful slaughter at, 174-176; ghastly relics of the battle, 257

Isarkaia, ruined chateau of, 478

Jack Tar at his tricks, 238; his playbill, 329

John Bull at a nonplus, 326-328

Jones, General Sir H., replaces Sir J. Burgoyne, 243, 305

Kadikoi, encampment at, 144; road made from, 198; its administrative government, 445

Kamara, village of, 166

Kamiesch, landing of the French at, 138; amusements at, 440

Kara-Bournou, destruction of the magazines, at, 267

Karaguel, town of, 67

Kariakoff, the Russian commander, 101

Kars, fall of, 447

Katcha, mouth of the, 59; valley of the, 129-132; river of the, 130; Russian vessels sunk in the harbour of the, 132; march from, 134

Keppel, Captain, commander of the naval brigade, 302

Kertch, expedition to, 263; return of the expedition, 264; second expedition, 265; town of, 268, 269; capture of, 268; plunder of, 269, 270, 279; its inhabitants, 272, 273; hospital at, 274; dreadful ravages in, 275, 276; peninsula of, 419, _note_

Kinburn, expedition to, 406; description of, _ib._; plan of the attack on, 407-409; bombarded by the Allied fleet, 410; surrender of, 411; fort described, 412; refortified by the Allies, 419; Cossacks in the neighbourhood of, _ib._

Koran, not adapted to the civil law of Turkey, 20

Kostendji, village of, laid waste, 57

Kurds, chieftainess of the, 54

Lancaster gun, destroyed by a shot, 252

Laspi, the French doctor, plundered by the Turks, 313

Lawrence, Colonel, 9, 111, 112

Leblanc, Mr., accidentally shot, 241

_Leander_, frigate, 12

Leslie, Lieutenant, wounded, 119

Letters from head-quarters, 31

Levinge, Major, death of, 60

Levinge, Captain, 42

Liège muskets, used by the Russians, 178

Light Cavalry Brigade, its desperate charge at Balaklava, 159; ordered to embark for Eupatoria, 393

Light division, its heroic gallantry, 109, 111, 112; its severe losses, 357; its casualties, 432; its attack at the Alma, 491

Lights, short supplies of, 440

"Looting" at Kertch, 272

Lucan, Lord, commander of the cavalry division, 33, 87; at the Tchernaya, 154; his desperate cavalry attack, 159; his recall, 220

Lüders, General, 457

Luggage of the English and French armies, 30

Lyons, Admiral, his opinions on the flank march of the expedition, 134; commands the expedition to the Sea of Azoff, 266; his operations in Cherson Bay, 413 _et seq._

Machines, for exploding, 278

Mackenzie's Farm, 133

Macnish, Lieutenant W. L., drowned, 34

Malakoff Tower, 207; French preparations for attacking, 215; unsuccessful attack on the, 290, 291; great losses sustained, 292-294; a second attack on the, left to the French, 303; the French advances towards, 308; assaulted and captured by the French, 343; contest in the rear of the, 350, 351; its capture causes the loss of Sebastopol, 365; strength of its works, _ib._; terrible scenes of the, _ib._; number of guns captured in the, 383

Malea, Cape, 10, 11

Malta, arrival of the Guards at, 4; busy scenes in, 5; cordial reception of the British troops at, 5, 6; arrival of the French troops at, 6, 8

Mamelon, attack on the, 243; contest for the, 244; firing from the, 249; capture of the, 284; continued struggles for the, 285; interior of the, 297

_Manilla_, her arrival at Malta, 5

Mansell, Captain, 24, 54

Markham, General, assumes the command of the second division, 305

Marmora, Sea of, 14, 16, 25, 37

Marmora, General della, the Sardinian commander, 264; his departure from the Crimea, 492; honours paid to, _ib._

Martimprey, General, 6

Matapan, Cape, 10

Maule, Colonel, death of, 60

May-day, in the Crimea, 262

Medals, distribution of, at Sebastopol, 372

Medicines, utter want of, in the Crimea, 208

Mediterranean, storm in the, 9

Mehemet Kiprisli Pasha, 34

Memorials of the brave in the Crimea, 494

Menschikoff, Prince, the Russian commander, at the battle of the Alma, 101; his military force, 123; his military genius, 436; satirical songs on, 470

Michael, Grand Duke, at the battle of Inkerman, 168; his reconnaissance of the Allied armies, 191

Middle Packet Ravine, 246, 296

Military spectacle, a grand one, 260

Military matters, criticisms of civilians on, 447

Mines, explosion of, 255; of the French and Russians, 493

Minié rifle, its destructive effects, 171, 172

Miskomia, valleys of, 448, 475

Mitylene, 12

Mixed commission for dividing the spoils of Sebastopol, 381-385

Monastir, town of, 64, 67

Monetary arrangements, intricacy of, 22

Money, waste of, 326

Money-changers, Jew and Armenian, 32

_Montezuma_, her arrival at Malta, 6

Monument at the Alma, 491

Morea, coast of the, 10; arrival of the troops at, 12

Mortar-battery, contest for the, 245

Mounted staff corps, disbanded, 378

Mud, of the Crimea, 444; of Balaklava, 445

Mule-litters of the French, 199

Muscovite character, type of the, 490

Muscovite infantry, a bad lot of, at Kinburn, 412

Music, military, influence of, 141

Musketry, affair of, between the Russians and the French, 210

Napoleon, Emperor, his Christmas presents to the Crimean army, 198

Napoleon, Prince, arrives at the Dardanelles, 27; reviews the troops, _ib._; his arrival in Bulgaria, 48

Naval brigade, their attack on the Redan, 291; their severe losses, 294; their admirable practice, 336

"Navvies," their rapid progress, 214; their industry, 232

Newbury, Mr., death of, 60

Newspaper correspondence in the Crimea, 188; its difficulties, 189

Newspapers, effect of their statements, 209, 210

Nicholaieff, its situation in the bay, 404; dockyards of, 418; its ship-building and arsenal, _ib._

Nicholas, the Czar of Russia, his menacing pretensions, 1; his ideas respecting the campaign, 65, 66; death of, 236

Nicholas, Grand Duke, at the battle of Inkerman, 168

Niel, General, the French engineer, 214

Night attacks, difficulty of describing, 261

Nightingale, Miss Florence, her devoted labours at Scutari, 24

Nixon, Lieutenant, his bravery at the Alma, 111

Nolan, Captain, killed at Balaklava, 160

Norcott, Colonel, 105; his bravery at the Alma, 109, 111, 114

November, anniversary of the month, 429; favourable change of circumstances in the, _ib._; its seasonable mildness, _ib._

Oczakoff, fort of, destroyed, 412

Odessa, threatened by the Allied fleets, 398; the alarm of the inhabitants, 399; reasons for not attacking, 401, 403; description of, 398, 402

Old Fort, selected for the landing-place for the expedition, 81

Omar Pasha, his military appearance, 50; his review of the troops, 51; at Varna, 33; his conference with Lord Raglan and Marshal St. Arnaud, 34; his proposed plans, _ib._; his arrival at Sebastopol, 197; his visit to the Crimea, 217; undertakes to send 20,000 Turks to Sebastopol, 239; is tired of his inactive position in the Crimea, 306; his expedition in Asia Minor, 447

Order of Merit, suggestion respecting, 296, 451

Osmanli, their military courage, 49; their want of discipline, _ib._; their military appearance, _ib._; their temperance and spare diet, 145; their kindness to the sick, 165

Out-posts, good-fellowship of the, 211

Ovens, combat for the, 191

Paget, Lord G., ordered to Eupatoria, 393

Pashas of Turkey, their adherence to ancient usages, 20

Paskiewitch, General, his bombardment of Silistria, 34

Patton, Captain, death of, 139

Paulet, Lord, W., his promotion, 420

Pavlovskaia, fort of, 268; occupation of, 277

Peace, rumours of, 325; proclamation of, 467

Pelissier, Marshal, succeeds General Canrobert, 264; created a marshal, 372; his review of the British troops, 454-456

Pennefather, Brigadier-General, 25, 169

Pera, district of, 38

Perekop, its defences, 495

Peroffsky, mined chateau of, 475

Phoros, visit to, 475; obstacles at, 476, 477

Pickets, affair of, 187

Piedmont, political situation of, 310; character of her army, 311

_Pluton_, the, 8

Polish deserters, 191, 234, 387

Post-house, imperial, in Sebastopol, 130

Potteries district, 252

Powell, Captain, 55, 166

Press, its faithfulness and ability, and its support of the ministry, 2, 3

Promotions of officers, 420

Provisions, prices of, at Gallipoli, 24; general depôt for, 201; dearness of, at Balaklava, 213; want of apparatus for cooking, 478

Purchase system, evils of the, 465-467

Quarantine battery, contentions for the, 191

Quarries, capture of the, 284; continued contests for the, 285; batteries of the, 338

Races in the Crimea, 234, 265

Rafts, Russian, capture of, 517

Raglan, Lord, the British Commander-in-Chief, his arrival at Gallipoli, 27; his conference with Omar Pasha at Varna, 34; visits the Turkish encampment, _ib._; his head-quarters at Scutari, 32; his review of the troops, 94; his want of communication with General Evans, 98; his strong political feelings and aristocratic prejudices, 104; an accomplished gentleman, but no general, 105; his operations against Sebastopol, 140 _et seq._; his orders at Balaklava, 158, 159, 161; his despatch after the battle of the Tchernaya, 163; his death, 299; his qualities, 300; succeeded by General Simpson, 301

Railway road, its formation in the Crimea, 213, _note_, 214; brought into use, 232

Railway train, accident with the, 249

Railway works, 441

Ranken, Major, death of, 458

Rations, ill supply of, 17; scarce supply of, 440

Reade, Mr., death of, 139

Reconnaissance, preparations for, 220; frustrated, 222

Red tape and routine business, 208, 212

Redan, defences of the, 253; unsuccessful attack on the, 291, 292; great losses sustained, 292-294; final attack on the, 346 _et seq._; plan of assault, 344, 345; description of the interior, 349 _et seq._; failure of the English attack, 350; detailed account of the conflict 351 _et seq._; causes of the repulse, 356; tremendous losses sustained thereby, 354, 355, 357-359; ruin and desolation of the, 367; number of guns captured in the, 383; melancholy accident in the, 433

Redschid Pasha, the Turkish commander in the Sea of Azoff, 265

Reid, Sir W., 7

Rifle-pits, position of the, 241; attacks on, and severe contests for the, 242, 243, 244, 253-255, 259

Riza Pacha, 34

Road-making, 375, 421; difficulties of, 388

Roads, 198; round Sebastopol, 441; one from Balaklava to Kadikoi, 442

Rocket practice, its effects, 258

Ros, Lord de, quartermaster-general, 27; his interview with Omar Pasha, 33

Rose, Brig-Gen., commissioner for the British army, 88

Round Tower of Sebastopol, defences of the, 253; desperate contests for the, 285

Russia, causes of the war with, 1; her spirit of aggression, 1, 2; her armies on the Danube, 33; and their siege of Silistria, 48; death of the Emperor of, 236

Russian forces in the Crimea, 60; their encampment bombarded by the Allied fleet, 89; first encounter with the, 94, 95; their determined bravery at the battle of the Alma, 103, 107-109; their position, 106, 123; their defeat, 113, 114, 125; their retreat towards Simpheropol, 120; their numbers, 123; their loss in the battle, 126; their defences on the north of Sebastopol, 133; their movements _ib._; their defence of Sebastopol, 149 _et seq._; their manoeuvring, 155, 159, 193; their attack from the Tchernaya, 151, 193; their cavalry defeated, 155; their retreat from Balaklava, 160; their fortified position, 166; surprise the British at Inkerman, 168; their desperate attack, 171; defeated, 172; formation of the army, 177; their uniform and weapons, 177, 178; their general appearance, 177, 178; their devotion to their officers, _ib._; their barbarity to our men, _ib._; their furious conflicts, 214, 216, 227, 239, 242 _et seq._; receive reinforcements from Sebastopol, 243; their great losses, 246; their contests for the rifle-pits, 253, 254; their movements towards the Tchernaya, 263; their furious attack, and defeat, 263-265; destruction of their ports, corn, and shipping, in the Sea of Azoff, 270; continue to receive supplies of men and food, 306; defeated at the battle of Tchernaya, 318; the divisions engaged in the battle at Tchernaya, _ib._; concentration of the, 330; their distressed condition, 339; lose the Malakoff, and retreat to the north side of Sebastopol, 343; their retreat after the capture of the Malakoff, 360, 361; ability of their engineers, 362; their operations after the fall of Sebastopol, 372, 373; their defences and activity on the north side of Sebastopol, 376; their firing, 380; their miserable state after the capture of Sebastopol, 387; their continued firing, 388; capture of their immense rafts in the Dnieper, 417; apprehensions of their renewed attacks, 435; their threatening movements, 443, 446; their attempt to surprise, 446; their continued firing, 451; their military music, 471; their fleet submerged, 472, 473; their mutual intercourse with the Allies, 465; their mines, 493; their immense losses in the Crimea, 496, 497

Russian New Year, opening of the, 200

Russian officer discovered at Eupatoria, 84

Russian song on the war, 470

Rustum, Pasha of Adrianople, 15

Sailor, his comparative comforts, 72

Sailors, British, their good-natured assistance to the troops, 86, 87

Sailors' batteries, their activity, 247, 249

Sailors' brigade, their severe losses, 253

St. Arnaud, Marshal, his arrival at Gallipoli, 30; dines with the Sultan, 33; his conference with Omar Pasha, at Varna, 34; his vigour and coolness, 61; his declaration to the army, on embarking for the Crimea, 66; seized with illness, 74; reviews the troops, 94; explains his plan of battle, 97; death, 139

St. Laurent, M., death of, 248

Salt lakes of the Crimea, 266, 495

Saltmarshe, Lieutenant, death of, 65

Sanatorium at Balaklava, 240

Sappers and Miners at Varna, 43

Sardinians, their arrival at the Crimea, 264; their soldierlike equipments, _ib._; their character as soldiers, 311, 492; their skill and bravery at the battle of the Tchernaya, 316-318; their departure from the Crimea, 492; general orders respecting, _ib._

Saros, Gulf of, 16

Scarlett, Brigadier-General, 52; at Balaklava, 157

Schapan, on the coast of the Crimea, 79

Scutari, arrival of troops at, 23; the Alied forces at, 31, 32; departure from, 36

Sea, life at, 72

Sea-passage, the, 9 _et seq._

SEBASTOPOL, orders for besieging, 56; report respecting, 59; reconnoitring of, 76; forces of, 89; its northern defences, 133; south of, occupied by the Allies, 138; investment of, and commencement of the siege, 140; operations against, 141; first sortie, 143; the line of operations, 143, 144; difficulties of the ground, 146; the Russian defence, _ib._; the first bombardment, _ib._; effects of the fire upon, 146, 147; the Russian manoeuvres, 151; its continued defence, 186; its great strength, 211; the tales of the siege, 193 _et seq._; during the winter, 195 _et seq._; reconnaissance of, 206; Russian defences of, 206, 207; furious contests before, 214; a good view of, 224; its general appearance, 225; cannonading of, 227; ships sunk in the harbour of, 228; active operations against, 229, 231; Russian reinforcements, 243; furious struggles for, 244; a number of officers killed and wounded, 244, 245; its general defences, 248, 249; desultory contests, 249; continued bombardment of, 250 _et seq._; the various batteries brought against, 252; its ruinous condition, 253; renewed operations against, 282; preparations for the general attack, _ib._; capture of the Mamelon and Quarries, 284; and further struggles, 285 _et seq._; positions of the contending parties, 303 _et seq._; principal events of the siege, 304-306; the writer's opinions as to its capture, 308; letter of a Russian lady respecting, 309; ominous preparations for the final assault, 312, 313; crisis of the siege, 330; commencement of the sixth and last bombardment, 334; aspect of the city from Cathcart's Hill, _ib._; tremendous bombardment of, 335, 339; frightful state of the town, 339, 348; in flames, 341; the Russians retreat to the north side on the capture of the Malakoff, 343, 360, 361; visit to the city after its capture, 362; plunder taken from, 363; hospital of, 364; general review of the great struggle, 370; the Russian defences on the north side of, 376; the mixed commission appointed for adjudicating the spoils of, 381-385; materials and build of the forts of, 388; ruins of, 387-389; Russian account of its capture, 389; state of affairs in, 420; want of proper system and organization, 421; proceedings of the mixed commission on the division of the spoils, 381-385; how the city might have been taken, 436; spoils of, contribute to the comfort of the army, 438; sales of the different articles, _ib._; destruction of the docks, 451-453; the city a mass of ruins, 454; reflections on the siege, 468 _et seq._; northern forts of, 472

Seymour, Lieut.-Colonel, slain, 170

Shipping of the Russians, sunk in the harbour of Sebastopol, 228; on fire, 340; sunk and destroyed, 341

Ships of war engaged in the Crimean expedition, 67

Shumla, Turkish forces at, 34

Sick, comforts for the, 378

Sickness of the British troops, 196, 209, 217; in the French camp, 198, 209, 218

Siege works, formidable progress of the, 236, 308, 322

Sievernaya, the, 133, 309; defence of the, 133

Silistria, bombardment by the Russians, 34; siege of, raised, 48

Simeis, Tartar village of, 481

_Simoom_, her arrival at Malta, 5

Simpheropol, typhus-haunted streets of, 473

Simpson, General, succeeds Lord Raglan as Commander-in-Chief, 300; not suited for the position of Commander-in-Chief, _ib._; his order of the day announcing his appointment to the command, 301; his personal staff, _ib._; receives the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, 372; his despatch respecting the operations on the 8th of September, 390; his failure as a commander, 424; suspended, _ib._; his farewell address, _ib._

Sinope, slaughter of, avenged, 370

Sivash, waters of the, 495

Snow-storm, effects of one, 221-223

Social vultures, 445

Soldier, his hardships, 72

Soldiers, British, their devoted heroism, 2; their departure for Gallipoli, 9; their voyage, 9 _et seq._; their arrival at the Dardanelles, 12; quartered at Gallipoli, 15; deficiency of accommodation for the, 16; their difficulties at Gallipoli, 17; their arrival in the Bosphorus, 23; their uniforms, 18; their complaints 46; their disposition, 33; their games and amusements, 35; their sufferings at Varna, 62; their landing at Eupatoria, 84; want of accommodation for, 89; sickness among, 91; their operations and bravery at the battle of the Alma, 107 _et seq._; enter Balaklava, 137; their siege and bombardment of Sebastopol, 140 _et seq._; surprised at Inkerman, 168; their want of clothing, 179; their distressing position, 180 _et seq._; their heroism, 199; continual drain of, 209, 210; effect of the author's statements, _ib._; their armament, 305; their severe losses, 354, 355, 357-359; not equal to the French as labourers, 389; their increased comforts, 437, 441; grand review of the, 454; their splendid appearance, 455, 456

Soyer, M., at the Crimea, 328; his system of cookery, _ib._

Spahis, their capture of cattle, 91, 92

Spencer, Hon. General A., commander of the expedition to Eupatoria, 394

Spirit vendors, their abominable articles, 445; expelled the Crimea, _ib._

Sports of the camp, 234

Spring, sports of the, 234; its genial influence, 239

Spy, Russian, in the trenches, 210; his information trustworthy, 216

Squadrons, English and French, their formidable array before Odessa, 399, 400; their plan of operations in the expedition to the Bay of Cherson, 406-409; their attack on Kinburn, 407 _et seq._; compel its surrender, 411; their departure from the Bay of Cherson, 417, 419

Strangways, General Fox, slain at Inkerman, 171

Staff of General Simpson, 301

Stanislaff, threatened attack on, 417

Star fort, in Sebastopol, 138, 309

Steamers, Russian, sunk at Sebastopol, 370

Stewart, Admiral Houston, 7; his operations in Cherson Bay, 413, 414

Storms, in the Mediterranean, 9; in the Dardanelles, 26; their fatal effects, 33, 34, 180-186; in the Crimea, 449

Sullivan, Colonel, 15

Supplies received by the Russians, 306

Surgeons of the Crimean army, official neglect of, 385

Suttlers, their rapacity, 445

Surgery of the English, its skill, 439

Taganrog, attack on, 270

Taioutine regiment, 133

Takli Bournou, Cape of, 266

Taman, coast of, 266

Tarkan Cape, promontory of, 73, 77

Tartar race of the Crimea, 88, 475; their friendliness, 92; their ruined villages, 478, 479

Tartars of Kertch, 272

Tchernaya, the river, 133; occupied by the Russian infantry, 152; the adjoining country, 153; the Russians advance from the, 154, 155; despatch of General Evans after the battle, 161-163; attack on the, 315; position of the, _ib._; battle of the, 316 _et seq._; the Russians defeated at, 318; a review of the battle-field, struggle between the French and the Russians, 319; fire of the English battery, 320; last effort of the Russians, _ib._; their retreat, _ib._; memorials of the fight, 322; excursion to the, after the armistice, 483

Tchongar, its defences, 495

Telegraph, information by, 421; at Alma, 486

Tenedos, Mount, 12

Thaw, effects of a, 199, 200

Theatre, play-bill of the, 329; acting in the, 329, 330

Therapia, number of wounded officers at, 311

Thomas, General, at the Alma, 102

Thompson, Dr., 129; death of, 139

Tice, Dr., 42

_Times_, commissioner, various articles sent by the, 196; his valuable supplies to the troops, _ib._

Timoyoieff, General, his negotiations respecting the armistice, 459; characteristics of, 461

Tornado, its violence, 368

Torrens, Brig.-General, at Inkerman, 169

Traktir, hamlet of, 137

Traktir bridge, novel scene at the, 458 _et seq._; armistice signed at the, 462

Transport, want of, at Varna, 46

Transports to the Crimea, 70

Trenches, terrible state of the, 197; conversations in the, 261; service in the, 331

Troad, the, 12

Trochu, Colonel, 56

Truce, flags of, 389; See _Armistice_

Tryon, Lieut., death of, 190

Turco-Egyptian troops at Varna, 49

Turkey, her independence menaced, 1; protection of her Christian subjects, 2; her need of reform, 20

Turkish commission, its difficulties, 19

Turkish forces, strength of the, 34

TURKS, their opinion of the English and the French, 18; their apathy, 29, 35; at Sebastopol, 145; their redoubts, 153; their flight from the Russian attack, 154; employed in the trenches, 165; their inefficiency, 165, 166; their dreadful state in Balaklava, 192; their removal from Balaklava, 235; 15,000 infantry join the besiegers before Sebastopol, 254; their dress and appearance, _ib._; reconnaissance by the, 256; their position in Asia Minor, 306; their plundering disposition, 313, 314

Turner, Commissary-General, 15

Tylden, Brigadier-General, of the Engineers, death of, 128

Unett, Colonel, killed, 346

Uniforms of the French and English, 18

Upton, Mr., capture of, 138

Valetta, arrival of the British troops at, 5; of the French troops, 6, 8

_Valetta_, the transport, 8

Varna, conferences at, between Omar Pasha and the Allied generals, 34; departure of the troops at, 36; arrival at, _ib._; town of, described, 40, 41; march from, 41; improvements at, 43; surrounding country of, _ib._; animals of, _ib._; natives of, _ib._; inconveniences at, 45; further arrival of troops at, 48, 49; council of war at, 55; cholera at, 57; great fire at, 61; council of war at, 63; determine on invading the Crimea, _ib._; the army embarks from, 70

Varnutka, valley of, 475

Vatika Bay, landing at, 11

Vegetables and fruits, mismanagement in their supply, 217

Veliki, Lake of, 495

Vicars, Captain, killed, 245

Victor, Colonel, 9

Victoria, Queen, celebration of her birthday in Turkey, 35

Vivandière, the, 21

Wallachia occupied by Omar Pasha, 54

Walpole, Mr., leader of the Indian Osmanli, 55

Walsham, Lieutenant, 119

War, its false economy, 36, 45; dreadful picture of the horrors of, 97 _et seq._; havoc of, 360 _et seq._

Warren, Colonel, his bravery at the Alma, 118

Weare, Captain, 119

Weather, improvements in the, 214; state of the, 217; returning mildness of the, 235; effects of the, 251

Wellington, Duke of, his circular to commanding officers in 1812, 390-392

Wells of the Crimea, 484, 494

Welsh Fusileers, monument to their officers slain at the Alma, 491

Wetherall, Colonel, 185

"Whistling Dick," 165

White buildings of Sebastopol, destruction of the, 457

Whitmore, Captain, 15

Wild-fowl shooting in the Crimea, 203, 234

Wild-fowl of the Crimea, 233

Windham, Colonel, bravery of, 346, 349, 350; goes for assistance, 349; his promotion, 420

Winter of 1855, four months of, 440; its severity, 445

Winter encampments round Sebastopol, 193 _et seq._; requisitions, &c., evil system of, 194, 208

Winter quarters, preparations for, 166, 438

Wolff, Admiral, 270

Woronzoff, Colonel, palace of, 483

Woronzoff Road, 144, 310, 340, 342, 343

Wrangel, General Von, his hospitality, 495

Yalta, visit to, 476

Yea, Colonel, 118

Yellon, Deputy-Assistant-Commissary, killed, 432

Yenikale, capture of, 267; town of, 270; destruction and plunder at, 267-269

Yursakova, town of, 67

Yusuf, General, 51, 57

Zouaves, their dress and appearance, 22; their martial bearing and equipments, 27, 28; their pillaging propensities, 91, 195, 223; their bravery at the Alma, 102; at the Tchernaya, 155; at Inkerman, 171; our gay and gallant friends, 195; their activity and bravery, 242; review of the, 260; their capture of the Mamelon, 284

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The letter which appeared in the _Times_ giving an account of the Battle of the Alma was written at a plank which Captain Montagu's sappers put on two barrels to form a table.

[2] The districts which were the scenes of such brutal excesses in the suppression of a conspiracy are not in Bulgaria.

[3] The 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards, and 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. The 1st Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards embarked on February 28th.

[4] This was a timely warning--almost a prophetic warning--sounded long ere a British soldier set foot in the East.

[5] It is a fact that at one time the Turks were busily engaged strengthening the batteries at the entrance of the Dardanelles, in order to prevent the entrance of the Allied fleets without their consent.

[6] It did happen that a Russian man-of-war very nearly captured one of our screw transports off the mouth of the Bosphorus as she was running up to Varna with the commissariat chest full of gold on board.

[7] The French aver that it was our tardiness.

[8] Now Lord Strathnairn.

[9] It seems to have been a sort of passion with the French to be "the first" to do everything--or was it a passion with our generals to be second? Our allies were the first at Gallipoli, first at Varna, first in the Crimea--all our attacks depended on them. They attacked first at the Alma, and when they turned the Russian right our attack was to take place. They also attacked first in the two great assaults, and our assaults were made to depend on the success of their demonstrations.

[10] No. 1 company of the 22nd Royal Welsh Fusileers now claim the honour, and Colonel Lysons, who was in the boat along with Lieutenant Drew, asserts that he was the first man to spring on shore.

[11] Lord Raglan and staff, and several officers of rank, remained on board ship that night. His lordship did not take up his quarters on shore till the next day.

[12] They were thrown out of the commissariat araba, in which they had been placed by order of the Commissariat-General, and were abandoned to the Cossacks, so I never saw them again. It was found necessary to make room for some of the reserve ammunition which had been stowed in arabas that broke down on the march.

[13] He must mean a few sotnias of Cossacks. The cavalry were on the right flank.

[14] As an instance of the difficulty of obtaining accurate information respecting the incidents of a general action, I may state that Captain Henry, an officer promoted from the ranks for his distinguished bravery, and who has received the Order of Victoria, told me that the guns were taken over a bridge, and not over a ford--that he was with the first gun, that no wheeler was killed, and that he fired _only_ on Russian _infantry_, and never directed a _round_ against the Russian _guns_. In most of these statements it is probable the gallant officer was mistaken, although actually present.

[15] Since this was written, it appears that the Crimea is to be blessed with a Russian railroad to Theodosia; but it is doubtful whether it will be used for other and better objects than that for which the rail was first laid down on its soil.

[16] This was written on the 22nd of February, 1855. On the 9th of September the enemy retired to the north side, where they remained when we left the Crimea.

[17] Mr. Gould, the ornithologist, informs me that the Crimea is not, to his knowledge, among the habitats of the "summer duck."

[18] This suggestion was acted on, and sanitary commissioners were sent out later in the year.

[19] Mr. Beatty, the able, kind, and deserving gentleman who was in charge of the line, received injuries which laid the foundation of a disease that afterwards proved fatal.

[20] Sir Stephen Lushington, in his Report, seems to have been under the impression that the ladders were properly placed. He laboured under a grave delusion.

[21] The creation of an Order of Merit and Valour, which I took every occasion of recommending, and for which I suggested the name "Victoria" in one of my letters, as the most expressive and appropriate, has since been carried out.

[22] It was, as I have since heard, caused by a barrel of tar at the top of the shears, which was placed there in order to light up the dockyards, where the Russians were embarking their wounded and stores for the north side.

[23] On the 18th June, Lord Raglan and Staff were stationed in the parallel of the Right Attack, close behind the Quarries, where they were exposed to heavy fire, but were close to the scene of the assault. The position in which General Simpson was placed by the Engineers was far from the Redan, and was separated from the trenches by the Woronzoff Ravine.

[24] A private named O'Brien led them, or at least was the first to leap out of the trench, and was shot through the back as he was crossing the ditch by a Russian above him.

[25] Very unfavourable comments have been made upon Major-General (then Colonel and acting Brigadier) Windham's conduct in leaving the Redan at such a moment, and some French officers did not hesitate to speak of his "desertion" of his men, as they called it, in the severest terms. I have therefore thought it advisable to give the lengthened statement, which was furnished to me on the best authority the very day after the assault, of the motives which led General Windham to quit the Redan, and of the circumstances which preceded and followed that proceeding. I offer no opinion on the merits of the controversy. I merely state what were presented to me--I believe correctly--as facts by one who ought to have been conversant with them.--W. H. RUSSELL.

[26] Sir W. Codrington, who acted with great gallantry at the Alma, and who proved himself a most careful and excellent Brigadier and a zealous General of Division, denied at the time, in a letter which came under my notice, that he was at all discomposed by the untoward events of the 8th of September. But a man, under such circumstances, is not the best judge of his own acts; and though I have the highest admiration for General Codrington's bravery, honesty, simplicity of mind, and character, and soldierly qualities, I think it right to retain the statement which I made on the faith of officers who had opportunities of observing him on that day, when he was indeed charged with enormous responsibility, and subjected to the severest test by which a general can be tried.

[27] Joined the squadron at Odessa.

[28] "Je suis radicalement opposé."

[29] "Do not attack Odessa unless you are certain of succeeding."

[30] The ascent of the Bug or the Dnieper is only to be attempted by vessels with shot-proof screens and proof decks, inasmuch as every man could be picked off the decks by Minié riflemen, unless the banks of the river were cleared by troops in numbers sufficient to beat back the enemy as they advanced. In spite of our operations in the Sea of Azoff, let it be remembered that we did not reduce Arabat or Genitchi, and that the Russians had free use of the Spit. The water of the sea is frozen in winter to the distance of several miles, so that no boat can approach to prevent the passage of troops or convoys. Had Arabat fallen, and an expedition landed at Kaffa or Theodosia, we should have been masters of the Peninsula of Kertch.

The want of wisdom and foresight of most of our military operations in burning, laying waste, and blowing up, was never better exemplified than at Kertch. There was a very fine barrack near the quarantine station, on the Bay of Kertch, recently built, provided with every comfort, and well supplied with water from a deep well, and with capacious tanks. In the ordinary exercise of reason these buildings should have been preserved, inasmuch as it had been determined to keep a British force at Kertch; but, before Sir George Brown left, they were burnt and reduced to a heap of blackened ruins. During the following winter, with infinite labour and trouble, and at prodigious expense, we were obliged to _send the materials for huts_ to Kertch, and drag them up close to the site of the barracks, where they formed a very poor protection against the weather in comparison with the substantial buildings which we destroyed. As the tanks were ruined and the well spoiled, the men were compelled to drag water a distance of three miles to their new residence.

[31] I do not allude to the advice given by Sir de Lacy Evans, who was so strongly impressed with the falseness and insecurity of our position in a military sense, that he recommended Lord Raglan to retire from it, as much as to the opinions of those generals who maintained that we had no business in the Crimea at all.

[32] Notwithstanding a reckless assertion in Major Calthorpe's letters, I have the best authority for reiterating the statement that Lord Lyons looked with disfavour on the flank march.

[33] The Russians, it will be said, were on the north side, and yet they could not drive us out of the south side. But the Russians had no fleet. Even as it was, we never were in strong military force on the south side, and our boats never ventured on the waters of the harbour.

[34] Every officer of the Crimean army will readily concur with me in saying that a kindlier, more zealous, or more able public servant than Mr. Beatty never existed. We all deeply regretted his death.

[35] Major-General Barnard.

[36] A very accurate and interesting memorial has been written by Captain Brine, R.E., illustrated with admirable sketches by Major the Hon. E. Colborne, and published by Ackerman, Regent Street.

* * * * *

Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:

Je suis radicalement oppose=> Je suis radicalement opposé {pg 401}

Light Divison=> Light Division {pg 49}

appeared to be be kept=> appeared to be kept {pg 49}

opportuity=> opportunity {pg 111}

crosssd=> crossed {pg 124}

Divison=> Division {pg 134}

Lancastar=> Lancaster {pg 146}

havresacks=> haversacks {pg 148}

of of => of {pg 163}

Quarantime Fort=> Quarantine Fort {pg 164}

earthworth of quadrilateral form=> earthwork of quadrilateral form {pg 166}

halycon=> halcyon {pg 184}

prepared againts=> prepared against {pg 188}

enciente=> enceinte {pg 191}

suggested by by=> suggested by {pg 192}

could not not describe=> could not describe {pg 192}

dysentry=> dysentery {pg 198}

beame=> became {pg 201}

maison bruleé=> maison brulée {pg 206}

parrallels=> parallels {pg 206}

the managment=> the management {pg 215}

The Navvy's Barrow=> The Navy's Barrow {pg 211}

Scarely=> Scarcely {pg 222}

seriously disabled=> seriously disable {pg 237}

twiced blessed=> twice blessed {pg 240}

Chasseurs Indigenes=> Chasseurs Indigènes {pg 260}

bear the whole brunt=> bears the whole brunt {pg 261}

between=> beween {pg 264}

these was sometimes=> there was sometimes {pg 273}

The Austrian Consul was found to have a large store of corn, which he concealed in magazines painted and decorated to pass as part of his dwelling-house. It was all destroyed. Amid the necessary destruction, private plunderers found facility for their work. Along the quay there was a long line of walls, which once were the fronts of store-houses, magazines, mansions, and palaces. They soon became empty shells, hollow and roofless, with fire burning luridly within them by night, and streaks and clouds of parti-coloured smoke arising from them by day. The white walls were barred with black bands where the fire had rushed out of the window-frames. These store-houses belonged to Russians, and were full of corn--these magazines were the enemy's--these mansions belonged to their nobles and governors--and these palaces were the residences of their princes and rulers; and so far we carried on war with all the privileges of war, and used all the consequences of conquest. In the whole lengthened front facing the sea, and the wide quay which borders it, there was not an edifice untouched but one. This was a fine mansion, with a grand semicircular front, ornamented with rich entablatures and a few Grecian pillars. The windows permitted one to see massive mirrors and the framework of pictures and the glitter of brasswork. Inside the open door an old man in an arm-chair received everybody. How deferential he was! how he bowed! how graceful, deprecatory, and soothing the modulation of his trunk and arms! But these were nothing to his smile. His face seemed a kind of laughing-clock, wound up to act for so many hours. When the machinery was feeble, towards evening, the laugh degenerated into a grin, but he managed with nods, and cheeks wreathed in smiles, and a little bad German and French, to inform all comers that this house was specially under English and French protection, to save it from plunder and pillage. The house belonged, _on dit_, to Prince Woronzoff, and the guardian angel was an aged servitor of the Prince. Being paralytic, he was left behind; and did good service in his arm-chair.

The silence and desolation of places which a few days before were full of people, were exceedingly painful and distressing. They were found in every street, almost in every house, except when the noise of gentlemen playing on pianos with their boot-heels or breaking up furniture was heard within the houses or the flames crackled within the walls. In some instances the people had hoisted the French or Sardinian flag to protect their houses. That poor device was soon detected and frustrated. It was astonishing to find that the humblest dwellings had not escaped. They must have been invaded for the mere purpose of outrage and from the love of mischief, for the most miserable of men could have but little hope of discovering within them booty worthy of his notice.=> Repeat of Page 276 removed {pg 279-280}

Kertch and Yenikalè=> Kertch and Yenikale {pg 281 x 2}

Bastion du Mat=> Bastion du Mât {pg 305, 508}

confiedently affirmed=> confidently affirmed {pg 329}

Divisoin=> Division {pg 346}

her novel birth=> her novel berth {pg 369}

RESOURCES THE OF RUSSIANS=> RESOURCES OF THE RUSSIANS {pg 373}

on the 13th it marked 20° Fahrenheit=> on the 15th it marked 20° Fahrenheit {pg 448}

teh bugle=> the bugle {pg 450}

Tchnernaya=> Tchernaya {pg 457}

why the deuce doesn't go it off=> why the deuce doesn't it go off {pg 457}

them came a big puff=> then came a big puff {pg 458}

widely-spead rumour=> widely-spread rumour {pg 467}

neigbourhood=> neighbourhood {pg 475}

gaud jays=> gaudy jays {pg 475}

Petersburgh=> Petersburg {pg 488}

house of fine fine=> house of fine {pg 489}

have surrenderad=> have surrendered {pg 494}

CATCHCART'S HILL=> CATHCART'S HILL {pg 499}

I must point out out=> I must point out {pg 525}

consesequence=> consequence {pg 537}

with the ocnsent=> with the consent {pg 544}