Mr. Large, Paymaster, Rifle Brigade, was slightly wounded by a sheU ii'om the north side, and his horse was killed at the same time. The French have erected a mortar battery behind Fort Nicholas, with which the}^ shell the Russian working parties. The latter ibrt affords excellent cover, though it is rather avoided, in consequence of a popular belief that it is extensively mined, and will go up some fine day with a crowd of distinguished visitors. Li spite of the flames it is intact, and does not in any way justify the assertions of those travellers who maintained that the Russian casemated forts would crumble to pieces, or would smother the gunners with smoke. The casemates are open, with fine airygalleries behind, and the whole building is most admirably and compactly built.
Fort Alexander is likewise comparatively speaking but little injured, although the mines underneath exploded with a tremendous crash. The walls of the fort are still erect. Fort Paul alone is in perfect ruins. There was an armistice for a few minutes on Tuesday to effect an interchange of letters for the benefit of the prisoners, and to make inquiries respecting missing officers on both sides. The Russian officer who conducted it, and who is supposed to have been the commander of the Vladimir, is said to have expressed the same opinion as the Russian Admiral did on Monday, the 10th inst. — " With this before us," pointing to the ruins of Sebastopol, "peace is foi-ther off' than ever." The Russians have very large parks of artillery on the north side of the harbour; and the piles of provisions, materiel, and coal which ai'e visible, show that they do not want the means of carrying on the war, as far as such things are concerned.
Many of the guns found here were cast at Carron; this fact is evident from the words on theii* trunnion heads and breeches Early tliis Aveek the army was agitated by the universal report and the consequent belief that some great expedition would be undertaken forthwith before the troops settled down in their winter quarters. The French made a great demonstration towards Raidar and Aitodor, which led to no result, with the exception of directing the attention of the enemy to the pass fi'om the latter place to the plateau of the Belbek. At length all hope of active operations being commenced against the Russian lines from Bakshiserai to Sebastopol before the winter sets in has been abandoned; but there is some reason to expect that the advantage offered by Eupatoria as a base for operations will no longer be neglected, and that the allies will act against the Russian rear from that point.
It is said that Simpheropol is quite open, and that no field-works or redoubts have been erected for its protection. Every one pays a visit to Sebastopol. The fear of mines has subsided. All day we walk about and watch the Russians. Now and then the soldiers blow themselves up impromptu in the magazines, but, generally speaking, few accidents have occuiTed. SEBASTOfOL IN RUINS. 191 It is not easy to destroy a city, and Titus must have had wonderful engineers if he really razed Jerusalem to the ground. Sebastopol, indeed, is in ruius; it has been shattered in many places to splinters, as it were, by the iron storm which for many long months has been driven by the fierce breath of gunpowder against it.
The retreating enemy have not spared it, and the agency of fire and the shocks of great explosions have been added by them to the devastating etl'ects of cannonade and bombardment, wliich smote down palaces, churches, storehouses, barracks, and stately buildings, as though they were built of cards. But a large portion of Sebastopol remains, in spite of these terrible visitations, and although there is scarcely one house in the place which is uninjured, or one square yard of ground which does not bear the traces of shot or shell, there is enough left to show that it really was a princely city, and that no pains had been spared to render it the queen city of the Euxine. In the course of a year the finest place in the world would look neglected and du-ty, if no steps were taken to keep the streets trim and orderly.