Inside this line was a strong boom, which would have brought up any vessels that had succeeded in bursting through the sunken ships. This outer line and the boom itself were so much damaged, however, by the gale of the 14th of November as to be of little use. The second boom, consisting of chain cables floated by timber, extended from Fort Kicholas on the south to the west of St. Michael's Fort on the north. Inside this boom were sunk, commencing from the north side, a sixty-gun ship, an eighty-four, an one-hundred-and-twenty, an eighty-four, and a sixty-gun frigate. Then come the bridge of boats from Fort Nicholas to St. Michael's. Inside that, in two lines, lie the rest of the Russian fleet. The first is formed of three eighty-fours, an one-hundred-and-twenty, and one hundi'edand-ten-gun line-of-battle-ship; the second consists of a sevengun steamer, a six-gun ditto, a thirteen-gun ditto, and an eighty-four, close to the ruins of Fort Paul.
Nearer to Inkermann, in the creeks and bays on the north side, are several sunken steamers and five brigs of war and corvettes, and a schooner yacht, sunk or aground. The boats of the men-of-war are safe in one of the creeks which our iruns could not reach. The Russians do not willingly permit any approach to the vessels on the north side, and shouted at us lustily as we were engaged in examining the timhers. Although the teredo has not yet attacked the wood, it is covered with harnacles and slime, and from what we hear of the ships, it is not likely they will ever be raised as men-of-war again. The famous " Twelve Apostles," the " Three Godheads," the " Tchesrae," the " Wratislaw," and the "Empress Maria," are said to have been unseaworthy before they were sunk, and the only ship for which the Russians express any sorrow is the " Grand Duke Constantine," onehundred-and-twenty, the finest ship in their navy.
She seems quite content with her berth on the bottom, and it will be some time before a timber of her floats again. The Russians are very frank, apparently, in talking over all that relates to the siege. They profess to be rather puzzled to understand why we are taking such trouble to remove all their shot and shell, seeing that they do not quite suit our calibres. At all events, they cannot want them for their own use. To-day some sailoi's belonging to the steamer " Glasgow," came on shore for an excursion into Sebastopol. In one of the ravines they came upon a thirteen-iuch shell, " all alive O," and of course began to plajwith the delicate monster. They rolled him about, and perceiving that the powder tumbled out of the fuse hole, they collected a quantity of it, and proceeded to make a "devil" in the immediate vicinity of the shell.
They did not seem to appreciate the alacrity with which powder seizes on favourable opportunities for exploding, nor did they much care that close to the neighbourhood of their " devil" was a train of that lively article leading right away to the fuse of the half-charged shell. And so they lighted their " devil," whicih fizzed awaj^ most diabolically for a second or two, when a train of fire rau to the shell, which burst with its usual strength and ferocity, sending its huge splinters all around. One of these tore off one of the poor fellows' right leg, wounded him in the other, and cut his temple open. Another of the men was contused and cut by splinters of the shell, and was wounded in the face.
The first was taken on board the " Gladiator," and the surgeon amputated his leg — his comrade is in no danger. I trust that steps will be taken to drown all shells before they are placed on board ships for conveyance from the Crimea. I regret to have to record another, but not so serious an accident, to-day. At one of our endless races, Mr. Kuox, a young lieutenant in the Scots Fusilier Guards, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Brownlow Knox, M.P., was ridden against with such violence as he was riding on one of the ponies, that not only did his own horse fall, but the rider and horse that came against him. He was stunned for the time, but he soon recovered consciousness, and I am glad to say that the poor boy is exhibiting marks of improvement, and there is every reason to hope for his speedy recovery.