EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 322, 1 December 1855, Page 7

EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

Progress ov the Sikgb.— (Fromthe European Time*' correspondent's letter.) — July, 10. It will be teniembered that our allies, soon after their own and our defeat on the 18th,commenced a sap from the Mamelon to its vis-a-*-is Malakoff. As this work has been prosecuted with more or less success every ni»hi, it has at present penetrated above half the distance between the two redoubts, and its fuvther extremity is within some 350 yards of the Russian embrasures. To stop its further advance, therefore, the enemy made a strong sortie on Sunday night,

but after a sharp fight were driven back into their own works with considerable loss, the attempt was repealed soon after, but was again repulsed after another determined struggle. During this second struggle occurred another grand illustration of what an untravelled Milesian would call that" most beautiful system of blundering,'' in which there.(teems to bean understood rivalry between our allies --nd ourselves. After the affair of the 18th, I may remark, our artillerymen in the 21 gun and other neighbouring batteries had received orders to train their guns at night on the approaches lo the Quarries on the one hand, and on the space between the Mamelon and MalakhofY on the other; in this case without the smallest arrangement for signals with the French. Accordingly, on Sunday night, when a strong free of the French deployed out of the Mamelon to support those who were already engaged in repelling the enemy, our twenty-one gun b -very opened fire on tbein, and kept it up most effectively til) a breathless mp-S'-iiger arrived to give notice of the murderous mistake. The 'welltimed blunder, I learn, afforded the enemy most valuable aid, and had it been much longer continued, would have resulted in the repulse of our allies, and the destruction of their hard worked sap. That such an error could arise is about equally tbe fault of ourselves and the sufferers, for the arrangement of some system of signals to distinguish a friendly from a hostile party on ground on which it was mutually understood that our guns should be preparer! lo play at night, seems so much a matter of course ihat the rawest recruit that ever was connected with a matching reftiment would have thought of it as a first step in the plan of operations. With such generalship what armies could succeed. July 16.— Heavy firing last night and this morning. Never since the beginning of..the siege we*e both parties so thoroughly in earnest as at present. The exchange of shot and shell is almost incessant. The French of course can be suoplied with these munitions of war to any extent, but to tbe means of their adversaries there must be, one would think, some limit. Tbe French are very sanguine of their ahility to reach the shipping from the new battery they are erecting at the White Works. That the Russians have also some doubt on the subject is evident from the assiduity from which they fire into the newly constructed work. Tbe l»ng 58-pounders which are being mounted seem sufficient to do the work even at that distanc ba as yet the ships give no sign ol moving, an remain motionless in their double line across t..e harbour, while ihe boats flit along on all sides of them in ceaseless activity. Our battery near the Quarries i« almost ready, aud in less than a week the matter will be decided Our casualties of late have not been many No officer ha« fallen since tbe d> ath of Lieute nant Mansell, of the 39th. There is li'-ttle s?-k ness, when it is considered that a force of 150,000 is concentrated in front of Sebastopol. Complaints are again being made of the waul of ma masses for the wounded in camp. The following letter fell into my bauds a day or two since on a visit to a deserted village about two miles from Baiakluta. It is in a female hand, and is dated the very day of the capture of the Mamelon Veif, from a village to i the nnrihj-f Sebastopol. Omitting the domestic details, I cannot forbear giving you the pol*t:._ul and military contents, which may be considered public property : — May 26, (June 7.) —You are not, my dear si«ter, in a very safe poviiion, according* to my judgment. The enemy is only a few steps from sou at Foross. The Baidar road is hroKen un. We have already sent pioneers to ihe coast lo break up the roads in the case of the arrival of the enemy. They have taken a sufficient qutintitv of rwiwder. In your letter of tbe l"2lh of May." [*24th] you said all was quiet about you, but it cannot !>e so now. Kertch is taken ; at Arab.it there **as a battle, in which we were victorious. They even say that a Russian armyis marching on Paris, ill) to to-day nil was quiet in Sebastopol. To-day the enemy bombarded beavilv, hut did nothio-r but bombard, and will do nothing; ihev can do nothing at all against us. Mother who has just come from there, says it i- impossible to recognise the io'«m, it is so much changed by the fortifications continually ad.led to'it. Al the Sevt-ruaya, you enter as through ;a gate, wilh enormous batteries ou each side. Mother was there a day when it was quite qoiel: she even slept in tbe town that night. At ten o'clock a sheii lull

into a gallery near the window *, happily it.did not fall into tbe room, or she might have been hurt. * * They say that ihe seat ot war will soon be transferred to the Danube. It is lime that these gentlemen should leave us and let us have v Utile rest. As soon as ihey go tbe town of Sebastopol will be built where the Chersonese was, and what is now Sebastopol will be entirely a fortress. How curious it will be until one gets accustomed to it," &c. The writer goes on to speak of ber yellow dress being ready, and that she was going in it to Sebastopol to have ber portrait taken. It vould appear that the Russians are taking the thing very coolly, or rather were doing so six weeks ago. But within a few boms after the foregoing letter was written the Mamelon was attacked, and tbe most brilliant operation of the siege carried out. The bombardment, which the fair writer aud her military friends treated with such contempt, was no doubt expected by them to resemble the operations of October and April, and to be followed up by no attack. It would seem that for once we found the Russians unprepared, and by using that opportunity gained the most signal success which has attendended the siege operations, a success which, if it had been followed up, would no doubt have led to more glorious results. The Severnaya alluded to in the letter is what we call the Star Fort, or is more probably applied as a name for tbe whole northern faubourg. The Russians are busily at work, strengthening this part of the place, as well as their positions o:s the Katcha and Belhek, in anticipation of operations at some future period ifor the entire possession of Sebastopol and ihe Crimea. Omar Pacha is at his head-quarters near Kainara. It is difficult to imagine a spot more romantic than the one which the Ottoman General has chosen, ft is situated "on a slope which looks down to the sea, and is in the shadow of Cape Aia, which rises pemendicularlf from the Euxine to tbe height of 700 feet. In the hollow, near the Pacha's head-quarters, a Tartar Bey has pi'chel his tent. He fled with his family either from the severity or the threats of the Russians, and made his submission to the Turkish General. His conduct is perhaps not wise, as he will lose bis whole properly, which will be seized by the R ssian Government, while the Turks will ieave him in a ditch directly he has ceased lo be useful to them. It is a singular thing, that while the French and British troops consider thsir most harassing work to be the duty in the trenches, the Turks, who are equally interested in the event of the war, and will be most benefiued by its success, do not take any share in actual siege operations, and are now amusing themselves with the playful work of foraging, or sitting in actual indolence for hours together, following the shadows of their Items as they move from west to east, smoking stolidly or grinning at the antics of some mouutebank comrade. Onier Pacha moves here and there wiibout object, merely that his army may seem to be employed; but its actual services'are of little .importance. The rumour spread within tue last lew days that Omar Pacha is to go to Kars in order to relieve the place and oppose the advance of the Russians in Asia. But this, if seriously contemplated, cannot be intended^ but as a measure of preparation for the next' year's campaign, and the object will be rather to save Erzeroum than Kars. Should the transportation of the Turkish army to Trebizonde be determined upon, it will jnot'take less than two months, with the help of all the British marine io convey n across, H longer term having been required for Hie transport from Varna to J-upatona, which is a less distance. Allowii.oa month for the march from Trebizonde to Kar° v aouUI be November before the army would i»e assembled m its new position; and" at that season the lofty table land of Armenia is deep in snow, and all military operations are at a sta_.d -st-jj tiutil the ensuing spring. But it is more ttian probable dial the report of the movement lias no other foundation than a belief that the affairs of Asia have been grievously-neglected, that the present year lias not bettered the position of the 'lurks, and that there is danger lest the Russians actually succeed in wresting away an important province, as well as consolMatinotheir reputation a ,„_ng Uie inhabitants of CeZtralAsia Jo-day Omar P.,e1,., paid a visit to General Simpson s headquarters. nu/'i-i '£ ? °'c,? ct-~ A -"-*»»er from the Mnlakhoff last night during a nouring rain It iaste.l mittuti. quarter of an hour. H„_ vv firim»ll nurlu. Fins in miing th«- French a repaid to Ue advancing rapidly witli their works. They

talk of being ready for another assault in about a fortnight. July 20. —To-day there has been a veritable July sun ; not a breath of air has been stirring. Over the Black Sea hangs ihe mist which always appears when tbe sun pours down his rays with more than usual power. The firing was slack ihis morning, but towards afternoon il increased considerably, and at the present moment there is a sharp cannonade kept up from the Malakoff, and now and then a volley of musketry announces that the skirmishers are at work. We have constructed another battery of two Lancaster guns to the left, and in advance of the 21 •gun battery. Somewhat more to the left a battery of six guns has been raised to fire on the shipping, Imt it having been found that the position was too low for the purpose, mortars have been substituted, and the battery will, no doubt, open in a few days. The Laucasters have not yet been mounted", but will probably be in position tomorrow. Omar Pacha has not yet returned from Constantinople. He.is heartily tired of his position in the Crimea, and wishes for a field where he can gain some distinction, or at least keep up the reputation he gained on the hanks of the Danube. When he was directed or invited to repair to Eupatoria, it was expected by him that some operations in the field would quickly follow. Perhaps such a course was impossible, on account of a deficiency of transport, but there is reason to believe thai, had it been adopted, the Russian army would be in greater danger than at present, and Sebastopol nearer its fall. A hostile force a cheval on the roads from Perekop would have compelled the Russians to fight al a disadvantage to keep open their communications, all their provisions being brought by this route. Now that the plan of attack on Sebastopol has been persisted in, the Moshil* finds that bis occupation is gone, and, although a transference to Asia would leave the more honourable command on the Danube in the hands of his rival, Ismail Pasha, he is nevertheless said to be desirous of having com man d at Kars. July 21.—Amid the returning heat which has followed the stormy weather of last week the operations of the siege are being pressed forward by tbe French on our right with indefatigable industry. There is nothing in what goes forward which can strike a stranger; stagnation seems to reign in camp and trenches ; even the heavy firing of a few days since has for the most part died away ; yet every day an advance is made, and every day sees the allies nearer the crest of ibegMalakhoff, which it wil! now require all the courage and tenacity of the Russians to hold. The Malakhoff and Mamelon stand on an elevated plateau, while the ridge that joins them is higlu-r than (he land around. It is alongside this ridge that the French sap extends in a zitrzag to within 170 yards of the bill which the Russians hold. As the incline is somewhat steep, the French working parties are already out of the reach of the Russian guns, which cannot be sufficiently depressed to be used against them. They therefore can work on without danger, except from the riflemen, who hold every spot of vantage, and use their best endeavours to pick off every enemy who shows a part of his cap within iheir range; but, as these can be replied to by French marksmen, whilst the guns of the Mamelon are hourly thundering against the Russian stronghold, the advantage is clearly on the side of the French. The latter have also thrown up a small battery for field-pieces at the extremity of their sap, which have hitherto prevented the egress and formation of Russian troops for a sortie against them. These guns entirely command the points on which the Russians are in the habit of leaving their works, and they consequently have been reduced to reply to all the advances of their enemy hy merely the fire of musketry from the embrasures. The day before yesterday, however, a few Russians straggled out here and there, making their way by dodging behind clumps of earth and bushes, until they had reached about 80 yards from the parapet, when they threw themselves on their faces and began digging up earth for cover. The French seemingly did not observe the movement, and our people, not catching sight of the venturesome Muscovites until they were actually fixed in the position they wished to attain, fancied them to be French. By this means the Russians have established rifle pits in front of the French sap, where they will do ihe usual amount of damage, unless ihey be speedily driven out.

On tho 19th the French, observing signs of activity among the Russians on their left, opened a furious fire from all iheir batteries towards that part of the town. The fire, which was as heavy as in any of the bombardments, continued for about half an hour, and, having apparently effected its object, ceased. On the side of the Malakoff the French have discovered the way by which the Russian re,««erves are moved into tbe works. It appears that two deep trenches lead to the Malakhoff, one on the side of the Redan, tbe other on the side of the Little Redan, towards Careening Bay. To interrupt at least, the latter means of communication, the French have esiablished a small battery, which is as y„t unmasked. It will play on the covered way on ihe side of tbe Little Redan, and to a great extent slop the Russian reserves coming up while the French are assaulting the works themselves. The health of the men is still excellent, and their spirits do not in ihe least suffer by the wearisomeness of the siege. The summer is cool, and as the Russians of late make very few sorties, the nights are passed without "much hardships in the trenches. When formed in marching order to descend the oft-trodden ravines which lead to the batteries, there is""" neither despondency nor unwillingness; the laugh and the joke accompany iheir steps, their air is brisk and alert; how different from their appearance in the gloomy seasou of last December! The noise of skittles is to be heard on every side, and the regimental bands, with sadly diminished numbers indeed, but still effective for amusement, give the various popular airs to which we are accustomed at home. Cathcarl's Mill is every evening the lounge of hundreds of idlers, who stretched at length on the dried grass, or sitting on the piles of stones which enclose many an honoured grave, look down to the beleagured city, and watch the flashes which burst iorth from Mamelon, Malakhoff, or Redan, with a lazy indifference.