July 13. Last night the Russians kept up a tremendous fire all along their line. It has been blowing a gale for the last twenty-four hours, and the wind bore the sound of the heavy guns towards us. The very ground shook. I am sorry to say that the battery which theFrenchhadconstructedbetweentheMamelonandtheMalakhoff has been knocked to pieces by the powerful fire of the latter fort. A colonel and about thirty officers and men were put Jiors de combat, and the siege works have received a decided check. In fact, as the Allies advance towards the actual defences of the place, they must expect to meet with more elaborate works, and obstacles heaped on one another with all the care which nine months of preparation admit.
Even now the enemy are continually occupied in strengthening the Malakhofi". It is not what it was on the 18th of June, and a fortnight hence it will not be what it is now. The French battery at the White Works, however, still goes on, and its effect will be proved iu a few days. CHAPTER III. The Feast of St. Smthin — Rain, wind and mud— Formidable wovlcs in and about tlie Miilakhoil" — Are there foiindiies and iiowder-mills in Sebustopol? — Preparations for the wur by the late Czar — New battery in course of erection by tlie French — Amusing letter from a Russian lady to lier sister — Omar Pasha's head-quarters — The Turks do not assist iix the siege-operations — Humours of an expedition to relieve Kars — Unfair treatment of the Naval Brigade in the matter of promotion — Satisfactory progress of the -.xorks — Stratagem by which the Russians succeeded in establishing rifle-pits in front of tlie French sap — The French construct a new battery — Idlers upon Cathcart's Hill — Omar Pasha, being anxious to distinguish himself, is annoyed at the inaction to which he is doomed in the Crimea.
Before Sebastopol, JliJii 15. High winds have prevailed during the last twenty-four hours, and du.sky clouds sweep along the sky, while the air has become damp and chilly even at noon-day. This is the Feast of St. Swithin, and the day has been duly marked by violent rain aitd loud peals of thunder, while the Russian position over the valley of the Tchernaya has been hidden by a dark blue veil of raincloud, and the smoke of the guns of»^ebastopol can scarcely penetrate the watery mist which overhangs the town. The canvas of the tents in the sodden camp Haps dismally, the huts are dank and dripping, and before the doors little pools of water are collected on the ground, which is trodden into a deep slimj' mud.
The temperature this evening outside is that of an English November, and as the wind whistles among the tents, one may fancy that the trees are being stripped of the last of their withered leaves, and that the frosts of winter have already arrived. But this will be over in a few days, and then the heats of August will parch the ground once more, wells and tanks will again yield onlj' a scanty supply, and summer almost outlive the month of September. To-day there has been heavy firing between the IMalakhoff and the advanced French batteries. Last night the Russians made a sortie from the Malakhoff on the IGth of the French Line, who were at work on the trenches and parallels, which our allies are pushing with all possible energy in advance of the Mamelon.
The affair took place about ten o'clock and lasted nearly an hour, ending, as usual, in the repulse of the Russians, and their retreat to their works, after having inflicted more or less damage upon those of the French. During the rain the flashes of the guns flickered indistinctly in the distance, while the wind brought the reports with more than usual distinctness to the ear. The loss of the French in the affair of last night is stated by them to be two officers and thirty men hors de combat, but from the duration and magnitude of the struggle one might have expected it to have been much greater. The French have pushed their Avorks almost to the abattis of the Malakhoff, and are so near that a man may throw a stone into the Russian position.
The abattis is described to be a truly formidable obstacle. It is formed of trunks of oak and beech from the woods of the Crimea, and is more than six feet in height. Attempts will no doubt be made to destroy it with shot and shell before a fresh assault is hazarded. The Russians may still be observed continually at work on this position, which is now recognised as the key of Sebastopol. They have also been engaged lately in repairing the Redan, which had suffered a great deal from the continual fii'e of the English batteries. Last night a sortie on a small scale took place upon the French left, but, although the fire was heavy while it lasted, the affair was soon over.