d'Osmont, the French commandant, having learnt that
the Cossacks were collecting all the arabas in the
neighbourhood, invited the English cavalry to assist in
preventing them. This request was readily agreed to;
and two troops of the 10th Hussars, under Captain
Clarke and Captain Fitzclarence, were ordered by Colonel
Ready for the service. "The Cossacks were supposed,"
General Simpson writes, "to have assembled their
arabas at two villages, named Koss-Serai Min and Seit
Ali, equidistant from Kertch about fifteen miles, and
from one another six and a half. Captain Fitzclarence's
troop was ordered to the first village, and Captain
Clarke's to the latter. At each of these villages they
were to join a troop of the Chasseurs d'Afrique, who
had preceded them. On arriving at Koss-Serai Min,
Captain Fitzclarence found both troops of the French
Dragoons, and immediately sent off an order to Captain
Clarke to join him that night. The letter was unfortunately
not delivered until the following morning. In
complying with this order, Captain Clarke, whose troop
consisted only of 34 men, fell in with a body of about
50 Cossacks, which he immediately charged and pursued;
but as they were soon reinforced by upwards of 300, he
was forced to retire upon the village, with the loss of his
sergeant-major, farrier, and 13 men taken prisoners.
Captain Fitzclarence's troop, with the Chasseurs, the
whole under the command of the officer commanding
the French troops, having seen a large body of the
enemy, skirmished with them at some distance, and
moved in the direction of the village of Serai-Min;
where, after having joined Captain Clarke's troop, the
whole force commenced their march upon Kertch. At
about the distance of half a mile from the village, they
were attacked by a large body of Cossacks; who were,
however, beaten back by repeated charges. The loss of
the 10th Hussars consisted of—2 privates, supposed to
have been killed; 1 wounded; 1 troop sergeant-major,
1 farrier, 13 men, 15 horses missing. From information
that has since been received, the Cossacks were
supported, within a quarter of an hour's march, by eight
squadrons of Hussars and eight guns. Colonel Ready
informs me that nothing could exceed the coolness and
courage of the troops in the presence of such
overwhelming numbers of the enemy, who were only kept
at bay by their steady movements."
The intelligence from the Baltic Fleet is destitute of
interest. It is said that Sweaborg is now the scene of
great activity, for the damage received by the late
bombardment is being everywhere repaired, and new
works are being constructed in those parts which
experience has proved were most weakly defended. It is
generally expected that next year the Baltic will be the
principal scene of operations on the part of the Allies,
and everywhere steps are being taken to give them a
warm reception.
According to the latest accounts, the troops continue
remarkably healthy. Their duties are comparatively
light. Excepting the guards for the divisional staff
establishments, the usual regimental guards, and those
in the part of Sebastopol occupied by the British, they
are chiefly employed on fatigue duties; such as making
the military roads, collecting stones from the batteries,
building walls and enclosures for the commissariat stores,
or stabling for the animals belonging to the Land
Transport Corps, draining the camps, repairing the
water-tanks, collecting gabions from the trenches or
enemy's works—these being the only wood issued at
present for fuel—or other employments of a like nature.
There are, consequently, few night duties, and this is,
doubtless, one circumstance which is greatly conducive
to the present sanitary condition of the men. The
younger soldiers are being instructed in drill, and many
of the regimental parade grounds present the appearance
rather of what might be expected to be seen at an
encampment in England, than under the walls of Sebastopol.
Miss Nightingale had arrived from Scutari, with all
the nuns, or Sisters of Mercy, from Kululee Hospital,
on the Bosphorus. She was at the Sanatorium on the
heights.
^A tabular statement, prepared from official reports,
has been published, showing the number of Killed,
Wounded, and Missing in each Regiment of the British
Army from the date of the first landing in the Crimea
till the capture of Sebastopol, Sept. 8, 1855. From this
it appears that during the above period (with the
exception of the interval between the battle of the
Alma and the 13th of October, 1854, during which no
return was made) the casualties were as follows.
Killed: Officers, 195; sergeants, 153; drummers, 20;
privates, 2,104—total killed, 2,472. Wounded: Officers,
577; sergeants. 645; drummers, 71; privates, 10,084—
total wounded, 11,377. Missing: Officers, 13; sergeants,
23; drummers, 2: privates, 466—total missing, 504.
Grand total, 14,353. The following is a summary of the
casualties in the Black Sea Fleet, the Naval Brigade,
and the Marines, from the commencement of the war
to the capture of Sebastopol, namely,—17 officers,
18 petty officers, and 128 men killed; 50 officers, 58
petty officers, and 620 men wounded, and 1 man
missing.
The latest intelligence from the Crimea is from a
Russian source. A despatch received at St. Petersburgh
by electric telegraph states that, on the 22nd, about
40,000 of the allied forces advanced from Eupatoria
to Tulat, a place half-way between Eupatoria and
Simpheropol. The next day they reached the
heights at Schagadianin, but retreated beyond
Andatotschi on perceiving the Russian Lancers on
their left flank.
The German journals publish various letters from
St. Petersburgh, all making mention of immense
preparations on the part of the Russian government
for the continuation of the war. They even state
that it will not be long before the Emperor puts
himself at the head of the army. That which admits
of no doubt is the despatch of all the disposable troops,
and especially of the militia, of the empire, to the seat
of war.
The Moniteur has announced that the Empress of the
French has entered the fifth month of her pregnancy.
The municipal Council of Boulogne-sur-Mer have
unanimously resolved upon the erection of a monument
to commemorate the landing of her Majesty at Boulogne,
on her recent visit to the Emperor of the French, and
have voted a sum of 12,000 francs in aid of that object.
They have further called upon the neighbouring
districts to send in their contributions towards the expense
of the projected memorial. It is proposed that the
monument shall be erected as near as possible to the
spot at which she landed on the shores of France.
The present money pressure in France excites much
attention. The Bank of France has, by a circular
letter, summoned those who have deposited with it
Rentes and railway shares, either to give new securities,
or to reimburse a portion of their loans with cash.
Much is said about giving forced currency to bank-
notes; but the bank has not yet obtained the consent
of the emperor, who opposes the measure personally,
because he fears that it would produce a bad effect
abroad.
In consequence of the dearth of provisions, the
emperor has prohibited the exportation of corn, and
ordered that the prices of butcher's meat, &c. shall be
fixed by official authority. He has also placed at the
disposal of the Prefects of Departments a part of the
credit of 10 millions opened by the imperial decree
of the 22nd of September, to be applied, when necessary,
to the relief of the labouring classes.
Certain malefactors connected with a secret society,
who attempted to pillage Angers in August, but who
were defeated and captured, have been tried. Twelve
were acquitted. The three principal leaders, Secretain,
Attibert, and Pasquier, were sentenced to transportation
and confinement in a fortified enclosure out of the
territory of the empire; eleven were condemned to
simple transportation; thirteen to ten years' confinement,
entailing infamy; and the remainder to periods
of imprisonment varying from two to five years.
In consequence of a decision of the minister of state
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