Intelligence of a great victory, gained by the French
and Sardinians, was received in London on the 17th
instant, the battle having taken place the day before.
The news was contained in telegraphic despatches from
General Pelissier and General La Marmora.—General
Pelissier wrote:—"Traktir Bridge, Aug. 16, 10 a.m.—
For some days rumours of a premeditated attack on the
part of the Russians had aroused our attention, and
they carried out their project this morning at daybreak
against our lines on the Tchernaya; but, despite the
concentration of imposing masses collected during the
night, the enemy was repulsed with great vigour by the
divisions of Generals Herbillon, Camou, Faucheux, and
Morris. The Sardinians, placed on our right, fought
valiantly. The principal effort of the enemy was
directed against Traktir Bridge. The Russians left a
great number of dead there, and we made a great many
prisoners. They were in full retreat on Mackenzie's
Farm when our reserves were coming up, and those of
our brave allies, especially the English cavalry. The
enemy has received a severe check. Our losses, which
are much less than those of the Russians, have not yet
been accurately ascertained."

General La Marmora said:—"Kadikoi, Aug. 16.—
This morning the Russians, to the number of 50,000,
attacked the lines on the Tchernaya. Our watchward
was 'King and country.' The French despatches will
say whether the Piedmontese were worthy to fight
beside the French and English. They were very brave.
General Montevecchio is dying. We have 200 men put
hors de combat. The loss of the Russians is considerable."

At the same time the following was received from
General Simpson: "Aug. 16.—General Pelissier and I
have decided on opening fire from the English and
French batteries at dawn to-morrow morning."

General Pelissier, in a despatch to the Minister of
War, dated August 17, gives the following particulars:
—"In the attack of yesterday the enemy came forward
with five divisions, 6,000 horse and 20 batteries,
determined to occupy the Tediouchine mountains. After
passing the river at several points, they had brought up
an immense accumulation of sapping tools, planks,
madriers, fascines, and ladders, all which they
abandoned in their flight. According to its usual custom,
our artillery fought bravely and with great success. An
English battery position, on the Piedmontese hill,
afforded very efficient assistance. The Russians left on
the field at least 2,500 dead. Thirty-five of their officers
and 1,620 soldiers are in our ambulances. Three
Russian generals were killed. We have made besides 400
prisoners. Our loss consists of 181 dead and 810
wounded. Tixier, Darbois. Alpy, and Saint Remy are
severely wounded; De Polhes and Barthe less severely,
and Gagneur has only received a slight wound."

In a further despatch, dated the evening of the 18th,
General Pelissier says; "Prince Gortchakoff has asked
of me an armistice to bury the dead left on this side of the
Tchernaya. I have granted this. The losses of the enemy
are greater than I at first thought. Lieut.-General
Read has been killed. Protected by the continued fire
of our artillery, the engineers' works are no longer
annoyed by the enemy, and have gained camp ground."

In another despatch dated the 19th inst., General
Pelissier says: "It was necessary to continue the
armistice demanded yesterday by the Russians from 5
a.m. to 2 p.m. to-day, for them to carry away their
dead. The nearest return we could make gives the
following results:—Russians buried by the French
2,129, by the Russians, 1,200—total 3.329."

Prince Gortchakoff, in a despatch dated the evening of
the 10th, gives the following version of this affair:—
"To-day, part of our troops crossed the Tchernaya, and
attacked the heights called Tediouchine. Having
encountered very considerable forces, we withdrew to the
right bank, after an obstinate fight, and there awaited
the advance of the enemy for four hours. As they did
not move forward, we returned to our former position.
The loss on both sides is considerable."

The Russian General Read, whose death is reported,
was a very distinguished officer, and a year ago was
discharging the duties of imperial lieutenant of the
Caucasian provinces, in the absence of Prince Woronzoff,
and before General Muravieff had been nominated his
successor. The father of General Read, born at Montrose,
was a civil engineer, who entered the service of the
Emperor Alexander in early life, and settled in Russia,
where his son, afterwards General Read, was born.

"Last night," General Pelissier writes, dating 24th
August, "we carried an ambuscade on the glacis of the
Malakhoff; 500 Russians made a sortie to retake it, but
were brilliantly repulsed with a loss of about 300 men.
The work has been turned, and remains definitively
ours." The possession of this out-work will greatly
facilitate the capture of the Malakhoff itself—the key of
the position.

The accounts from the Baltic contain intelligence of
the bombardment of Sweaborg by the allied squadrons,
and the destruction of the arsenal with its magazines
and storehouses. This fortress is in the Gulf of Finland,
distant 163 miles from St. Petersburg. It is composed
of seven rocky islands, and is situated about three miles
and a half from Helsingfors. The works are stupendous.
The walls are chiefly of hewn granite, covered with
earth, rising in some places to a height of forty-eight
feet. The batteries, which commence on a level with
the water, and rise in tiers one above another, are
mounted, it is alleged, with nearly a thousand guns. In
Wolf's Island, the principal of the group, there is a dry
dock, capable of containing eleven or twelve frigates,
which has been completely hollowed out of solid rock,
the length being 300 feet, breadth 200, and depth 14
feet. At one extremity of this dock is a basin 200 feet
square, closed at each end with sluice gates, which
serves for the entrance and exit of frigates, and for
repairing and building ships. The stores and ammunition
for the batteries are deposited in magazines, on
the edge of the water. The harbour can contain seven
ships of the line and a few frigates. The population of
Helsingfors, which is the capital of the district, is
10,000, and of Sweaborg about 4000, the greater part of
whom are tradesmen and merchants, who depend on
supplying the garrison and fleet.

The particulars of this important achievement are
minutely detailed in the despatches of the English and
French admirals; but we shall extract the more condensed
and graphic account given by the correspondent
of the Times. "On the 7th of August, at 9.30 a.m.,
the fleet, consisting of 9 British line-of-battle ships, 13
steam-frigates and sloops, 16 mortar vessels, and an
equal number of gunboats, sailed from Nargen, and
after a run of five hours anchored at a distance of about
5000 yards from the fortress of Sweaborg. The same
evening the French fleet joined, and immediately
commenced throwing up a mortar battery on the island
of Langörn, situated some 2000 yards to the north of the
cluster of five islands which form the principal part of
the fortress of Sweaborg. During the 8th both fleets
were busily employed preparing for action; the mortar-
vessels were towed into position, about 3700 yards from
the fortress, with 400 fathoms each of cable to 'haul
and veer on,' as circumstances might require. The
line-of-battle ships remained in the same order they had
at first anchored in. The steamers Magicienne, Vulture,
and Euryalus took up a position in rear of the mortar-
vessels, for the purpose of being ready to give them and
the gunboats any assistance they might require. The
Lightning and Locust were ordered to hold themselves
in readiness to tow out any gun or mortar vessels that
might be injured, or otherwise rendered incapable of
remaining longer under fire; in fact, every possible
arrangement having been made which prudence and
foresight could suggest, the signal was made from the
flag-ship, at 7.15 in the morning of the 9th, 'Gun and
mortar vessels open fire with shell.' At 7.30 a.m. the
first mortar was fired, and taken up along the whole
line, the gunboats running in to within 3000 yards, and
getting their range. The enemy returned our fire very
briskly with red-hot shot and shell, but, although their
range was good, the damage inflicted was comparatively
trifling, owing, principally, to the excellent handling of the
gunboats and mortar-vessels, the former being continually
on the move, and the latter hauling or veering on their 400
fathom cable, as soon as they found the Russian shot
falling too close to be pleasant. At 10·20 the first