no. .

HASZARD’S GAZETTE, FEBRUARY 24.

IBWI BY ‘IE3 EIGLIIE HAIL.

THE SIEGB OI? SIBASTOPOL. H siuurs or Suns-roroi., Jan. 20. The enemy's garrison in Sebsstopol has. du- ring tho last two or three days, lioen showing forth in the lines in very considerable strength. Along the whole eastern and southern side of the delences, near the Round '|‘ewer, the ltedan I-‘ort, ltedan Wall, Btrrack Wall. Cemetery, and the open s ace near the Quarantine llattery, large bodieso tron s were assembled during the greater part oft to 17th and 18th. its being considered the prelude to a sortie upon the whole ofthc allied position,and measures were accordingly taken to render it. like past attempts ofa similar nature, utterly abortive and unsuccessful. The eneiiiy, lioiv- ever. iihoived no disposition to quit their lines, and al'ter remaining about the works I have mentioned some two or three hours. grailuiilly dispersed into the town. On betli tlie'lTtli and 18th. their dispersal was much accelerated by the tire l'roiii the Frencli iiiortars, which iiiuna- god to drop :0-incli and 13-inch shell wlicrevcr the enemy were thickest. o reason can be assigned for such an unu- sual tlflrlcllllllllgc of the garrison. On the l.‘4tli inst. not less than ‘_‘0.000 men could have been drawn a i. and at that time the whole line of tliu llussian defences was fully in:inncd.so that at the lowest coiiipiitatioii, there are at least 3-'i,(ltlll ell‘.-ctive men still in the llUSL'l;.:~'ll ton-ii. ‘or days past, there have In-on riiiimum oi‘ |,i. pr indi having received I'l'lllli)l'Ct‘lli"lIl8 to the iiuiiiber ol'd0.Il0il men, and the sudden parade of the Sobastopol g.ii'rii-ion certniiil tends to corroborate a report which is firmly iii-lien-d in ‘- well-iiifoi'iiicd " circles, but to which obliged to adinitl can give no credence. pt-aiidi may have have I'L'L't'l\'('tl some 5,000 or 0.000 fresh troops; but40.00l) is simply absurd. The iiianner in which this einforeeiiieiit is said to have arrived (in snow sledgcs) is. think. conclusive as to the dependence which niiiy be placed upon the rumour. It would puzzle iill the Ilussians to provide snow slcdgcs for the transit of-ttl,0l)0iiieii ivitli iill their artillery. horses, liaggage. and iiiiiniunition, while it would be quite possible to forward two or even three rcgiiucnts, by such a convc_vancc. espe- cially it no guns were taken. It is far iiinru probable that the unusual force iioiv in Sebas- topel is owing to the return of the two or three corps under Liprandi, which quittcd the l‘clier- naya soiiiu eight or ten ta_vs ago. Nothing is more likely than that this force, prevented bv the severity of the weather from proceeding towards Hiip:itoriai, should have retraced their steps and gone into quiirters in Schastopol. not less for the purpose of securing the, town t inn housing the troops against the terrible incl».- mency of the ‘vezitlicr. The French have considerably iilackencd in their lire upon the town since the date of my last letter. The reason nllegcd for this is, that such a eoiiiparativcly trifling lire from l0 iiior- t.'.rs, without producing any very important results, only leads the enemy to take measures to counteract the etfeets oi it future boiubard- ment. 'l‘ho English, it is said, iire now in it positiin to support the fire of our allies, and only wait f. r lavouralilo weather to eoiiiiuence the linal attack. How far this may be true, l cannot venture to say, beyond that from many things wlslch have conic to my newlcdive as to the state ofourforces, l think it is. to say the very least. iinprob:tb|e. 'l‘h:it at ;;<:iici‘:tl assault may he atttciiipteil much earlier than any one here expects is quite possible, but if so, it will only be done because the allied generals see they are losing iiien uiucli faster from exposure and cold than ever they would do from an action with the enemy. At resent, and I think for soiuc weeks to come, we shall just remain as we are. 5n.ceths last post and until the lflth, there has been an intense frost, which, while it lasted. surpassed t'or its severity lIlI_VllIll|i[ we have yet felt. During the day the therinonicter seldom ruse above 18 dcg., but with the night s lieu-ii win swept over itie snowy wiisie \\l|lCl| froze the very blood ofthose expoi.-ed to it. No terms can use, were I to write tor ever, won!d give your readers even a faint idea of what the sulTer- iniis of our two is have been sud still sic. Hundreds are frost-hiiirn in the hsnds. fret, end face; the cholera is still among them, and scurvy and dysentery spread flltifl‘ and more esch day. The men have no tires, the miserable stock of roots and slirnbs which used to enable them to not a warm in re now nine uliansieii. Iml no inaiteritils for lines ofaiiv kind are to be found

.-2 T’:

in t-:iiiip. I aim ioloiiiie l, that for two whole days lllrmlslioiit the great mass of our lines not s fiic WI" bl. llIttiIl‘.’lI the ineicnry then stood at iieailv 2'l deg, below fl'€l"lllI

On t!It‘ll of ll|t'!It'. of their sulfi.-rings. the raw ciilfce ln-. ins \\t‘.fl' ."»'|’| l il in i in that IIIPII as usual. Nu rziltmis ol flit-no-nil itfl.‘ siirvilil, til’ Lilluus -ii tiib.o i--i_ «I i--Ii ilio iimii wmilil like almost Is wcll. tin ilnr lrl-lo zi --ii-i Ill! and Iniigiir

"IV were sent i: or». up .'1iIak:av:t. vii-It an Ippllrrltliiii In .li<- 59' 'lI|I$i'Iv'r| ii.--no for ‘2_tlil0 lli. hfrliitrrtiiii for in.‘ 1: I l)I~'I:l'l’l‘ ho-'h wits entirely with -iit the III a of in ll\ on 't uh‘. cvi-ii for the sick in the n-giiin-iital liosp;t.il tents. 'l'lie this

hsdset in during the night of the diiy on which this party sisrteil. so thst after ltllllnfl tlirnunh nind Ind water a to their nets. sud reseliing Hsllklsvs in the iiiiddle of the tiny. they were ctmlly informed that there wss not I single iund Hf chlrctlll In be had, or timber any ltind. So the party returned as they ceme- liuinued. wet, sud iniseishle, to lay down in wet clothes in the triad of their tents. Ind irrohalily so on piquet, or into the trenches for the niiilit. I’:-Jlisps it may modify the inveterate hostility with which the Englisli public so unjustly pursue the uullaint -tllth.to lean that, so a rent- ment, it has almost ceased to exist. At the b-«‘itinning1il'Noveiuber last it landed at lltlsklavs with so elfeeiive strength of |,l0ll bziyoiicts. now rnusters ll7 serviceable men. sud ss things are going on it is not very improbable that at the end ofsincnih even this small remnant viill be reduced to the lt‘Vl.‘l of some of our other ri-giinenis here. For instance, there is it rt-giincnt WlIll'l| lignres in the Army List as the 63d, but ii iii only in the Army List Ilml it cnii he found, as noiliimt reniaiiis of it out here. The last time it was ordered lor ditty in the trenches only six men, I am iiiforiiieil. paraded fr service. and 0| this sinall nninlicr were uiialile to proceed even as far as the tent of the llriundicr-Gciicral. ’l'lie wlinlc six it ere, therefore. ordered in return eir quarters, and tie force is now disre- L'lllleltlt'(l; iiicliialiiiu other-r.~. st-ijeaiils. :ind olliecrs' rt-'|'Vfllll8, the entire t-o.np!t-ineiit oltilld is said to be under 40 men. If the iiiiauiiiinns voice of thi- i-amp is to be hi-lieveil, this di-plorahle result, is 4 IHl't' to tho iiiiprntleni-c and iiiisiii.'iii.i2ein9iiI ofifoloiiel l).i|zell than even to short. ralioiis. liaril iviirli. :iiul exposure. l'ivcrV one who speaks til the bllil Cl|lICllilli‘S witha fervent wish that the iii and iiiievainplcd mortality wliirh has prevailed in the rcuiiiiv-iii iii.1i' not be i|SSI'tl ova-r uiiiioiici-il by the aiiilioritics. but that some iiiqiiiry will be made to ascertain if :iiiv undue sr-verity ext-reisetl liy the coinintiizdiiig oiliccr has ciiiiduivcll. with other causes, to the (lt'5|l'll(!llIIl| of wb:t|, two inoiiths a-_-,o, was one of the finest It‘L'l.’II('lIls to the Criinr-a. -‘itch an iiiqiiirv is due not less totlieiiieiiioiy nfthe iiiiforiiniatc iiiizi, tli:iii to the repntziiioii of(‘oloiicl llalz-ll. who.-c impru- tlmn-e is spolto-ii of here in the Ii-ii.-liesi terms. Major .\lacdon:ild. of the 89th, l uni informed. was frozen to dentli in the trenches on the night of the ltitli, and another gallant olfit-or who lell into a deep snow drift. iiiost narrowly escaped the same fate. Both in the nights of the lfith l'i't|i, and 18th, many of the men on sentry and on fatigue parties were numbed by the cold in such it iiiniiiier as to expire in few linurs afterwards. On the 17th, 14 men of the 4l'>tli were buried, the iiiaijiirity of the deaths being caused the severity of the weather, and on‘ tho ltilth. 10 more were interred from the same cause. On the latter occasion the tlinw liiid i-oiiiincnced. and the bodies of4 ot the 10 were discovered auiong the tents, by the fact of their of their boots stickiiig out o ‘ the snow. l be- lieve they were men who had been employed in fatigue parties, itiid ivlio, cconiiiig nuiubed and exhausted. sat down to rest on reaching their t-itntoninents, and so perished miserable. lluring the coiitiiiuencc of this severe frost, all the then not actually on duty used to crowd into the tents. and by Iiuddling together iiian- nge to keep tbeiiiselvcs from actual frost bites. Of course the warmth of their bodies thawed the ground on which they sat into a mere pu - dle. 'l'lie unfortunate men get saturated, and when on duty their clothes froze to tln-ir llcsh in such a manner that on rciiioving the stocking- of seine the llcsh was stripped oil" the feet in large pieces. Yet in spite of these sulll-rings of the men of si-urv_v, dysciitcry, fever. cholera, ii! wet. by day and frost by night, ol' hard work. short rations, an want of shelter. all the iuinisterial journals in Eiigland are fi'led with nauseous complaints on the conduct of the war and on the admirable manner in which the troops are noiv Iiouscd, fed and clothed. Than such statements nothing can be more utterly without foundation. At. the time I write-—and the reinnrlts will stand good, I fear, fora month ence—the troops are not housed, are e in- didiircntly fed. and iuiserably clothed. 'l‘lie huts which have been diseiubarked st Blaltlava are being erected for hospital purposes around the village. lain informed that only one and part of another have gone a to the l‘liird Division in the part wliieh is the nearest to the place of diseinbnrkation. When others are likely to come a no one can even surmise. but I think I shall not be found far wrongin suiting that the great iiinjority will never rcaeli the heights of Subnstopol at itll, and that until the severe weather is over our poor fellows will remain under canvas. 'l'lie men are on rations: lint. in spite of the presence and spread of scurvy on salt ratioiis, which they would boul- uiost better without. out one-l'oiirth of the troops have their ivariii grert-coats; the rest are clad uretty much as they landed. This is the actii.i state of ntfiirs on the 20th of Janu- nry. and to this llI|t’t.'l'-tlllc picture I in.‘.y add that two-tliirds of the reginieiital liospititls are iiisuliicieiitly supplied with medicines, and none that l iuii aware of have any medical comforts, even of the simplest ltiiid. I learn that on the ltlth a message was sent in from the 77th ltegi-l uicnt, to the grintlcinen at lialak ova entrusted

with t'ie distrlboiion of the Peel Fund for the'

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without even the most trifling stores. I know, also that for two or three days past. the medi- cine chest ofthe navsl brigade has been almost entirely empty, though there sre 80 patients among the seamen. Applications for medical “W93 l|flVe. lain told, been sent in to Balskliiva, and the answer returned was, there were none there. With such management and such ex- posure, the sickness amon our troops augments each day. At the coiuinencement of this week, 1.950 sick were sent in two days for passage to ri. On the following day, ' l‘ollo'ived. and have been laced on board the Nubia, and on the 18th ctween 300 and 400 more came in. making it total of 3,000 men in- volided in the course of eight days. Besides this frightful amount of sickness, the regimen- iospital tents at camp are crowded; the hospital at lialnclava is crowded ; and some 10 or 12 hots, which are being run u on the slope oftlie hill over the liarbeiir, iirc filled as fast as they are tinislied. It is not enough to say that we are unfortunate in the mortality which prevails. Such it term is far too weak to stig- niatize the cruel waste of life \\‘llli‘lI takes place here every day. Our men are literiilly inur- dt~rcd—iii-.irdcred by iieglect, by incap:it-ity. by the etiquette of military ruutitie, and b ' every way in which our eiidlcss form of mist iiianagcnieiit e:iii reach both ofliecrs uinl ri- \'.itcs, 0 :iii ‘tiling. Kai" and military olllccrs e.vcl.iiiii pt-rpciu.illy, “Oh, if we had only at coroner with an liiiglisli jury here for one day, to inquire how an iv iat neglect ouriiiciidic." This is :in c.vpi'cssioii irliicli, if lliave heard once, l liaic heard {ill times during the last two or thre days. All set-in appalled at the iiiisiiiaiiiigt-iiicnt and its deplo- rable result.-', liutai deny the rcspoiisiliility, and shift the blame from one d-.-pai'tii:eiit to another. .\t'C(Jl'( ing to one, it in tlic iiicdical stall wlioarc in fault. aiiotlii-r lays it on the (_")lllllll.~'.\':ll'lill, another the engineers in not iiiziking proper roaus, while all agree that to the want of the gr-ii!-ral si/rt'1i.’lu/ire of Lord l{.i-glaii over all, iiiiicli, very iiii-cli, is attribu- table. The two latter aceiisatioiis are not wide of the truth, though, until lately, it has been a licri.-cly disputed point, whether the making ol roads has in the department of the Quartci'iiiaster-',c...... or that of the Eligi- iiecrs. and ash natural result of the ceiitrovci sv, the roads were not iiiadc iit all. 'l'lie road . some tiuic ago the French r-oinplcii-d for us coiiijoiiitly with the 'l'iirks, was begun too late. 'l‘lic earth was so soddcd with rain and cut up by lllt:L'(~'H:|lll.|l':1lll'.' tliattlic stones llil‘t)\\'ll over the track have settled iiiio rats and holes, and the path is now almost worse than tvi-r.

lt is over this ragged route that the sick are traiu~portcd on l-‘rciich iiiules to li’al.iltl.i\'a. Until our allies can spare the animals, our lil- valids—no matter how urgent tlicir ea.~es— liai'e to endure all the miseries of caiiip. Wln-n the iiiulcs are borrowed, no matter \\ lint the state of the weatlier—rain, hail, or snow—tlie sick are iiiouiitcd on tliciii.and sent in. i\laii_v, very uiaiiy of the men die on the road during this paiiifiil transit. Our ambulances are oi

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5 P’.

ll|0I'0 IIIOW

forts of any description. ss the hospital vrsslonly delayed s few initiates at his old rssideitcl

near the cliure . The Russian piequets round llslsklsvs lisvo ared unusually busy during the last few days. and the force on the left of the Tclisrnsyo has been strengthened by the addition of some 3.000 or 4,000 men. These facts, coupled with the rumours of Liprandi's reinforcements. sad the two visits of Lord Ru Ian, lead the nersl public here to iiiiagine t tat something of ita- rtsnce is on the Iapii. There is, however, at one answer to these con‘ while t

tiring 3 thaw ground is it niere marsh, and evolutions hecoiiis iuoro impossible than ever snow.

'l'lie sanitary condition of llalsltlsvs is begin- ning to excite serious apprehension. The film of the town is now sntnt-thine beyond all description. ()ll'.il. dirt. waste stores. stagnant water, the refuse from En-_-liali and " I is hospitals, and some liundri-ds of he t’-deeoiiiposetl Iiorscs, dons, sheep, zimloxen lie more or less in every little slley. 'iItl‘lI house is over-cmivdctl. and Ii-nine are cellars. in vthieli Iliiiiilics are lltI'-‘-Oil away. evil of all arises from the iiiiineiise itiiitibernf llllt!I’iIlPllItl which have lately lulu-ti place.

are now i_-ivtiiu rations in -l ll‘ 0 '|'nrlrs: two iiiriillus :i-_vo we were rationing l-l.0lltl.8.0tl0 of the iiiissin-_v lil.t:(ltl are dead and " liiiiied"iiii ilic ttliipr ofilic hill, over the lniilioiir. lltllllgll l 'liinl.' even it iiiciropnliian iicsioii iwnhl hardly li:ivi- the liaidibood to call the l.i-t icsiiiii; plaice of ii Turk here a " prove." II is iiieri-ly it little trough. :i‘.mnt lti iiii-In-s deep. in \|lil"lI the In-dii-s .lll' l-Illlllll the bore melt‘, and the low liaiidlnls ol o-.irili which have l)t‘l'II rciiin st'.'ittt-red uVL'I'Jltl‘ corpse. 'hou :

itios interred. The late rains in iii:ioy iiisi:im-es have iuishcd the earth fioiii the-so fl|’3IVt'S. leaving the bnilirs In every stage of cu-iiiipiioii l'XpiIM(l to the me and piit.~'tiiiiii-_' the air lur IIIllt'S an-tiiitl. I lIt'lII'\’t' it \\ as t-iilirrly 0\\'lll|_' lo the l.o.~pii:il for lti.&si:iii woiioilrd lit tug: silinitcvl close at the foot olizoii-col these pl; -uc spois, that iinforiiiiixitc l\losi-ovilvss to-4-overed oftlicir itiiiiiids wliicli :iliiiost \\llllt|Ill. a singlet --.\‘c«-prion llt'L':IlI to iimrtitv ziiitl g:iiigtt:t.e s< tilt alter the, tIit:Ii entered the place.

'llio llt‘(?Is5ll_V of talaiisiz ii::mi~ali:iie sanitary ,'iri-cziitiiuiis has now bet-ii liircril on the ttiiilioriticl ilii: roan liy il.c oniliu-tilt iii a \‘iIy virulent .‘es riptioo of leii-r at ll:ilaLl:n:i, and wliicli is lit'I_'llIlliI,! to r-ptrtttl. (in the l7ili ii lilllll of enun- -°il was lt(‘lll in liulaltlaui. titer ulitcli Sir Colin lfzimplo-ll plt'£ltlt'll. and piouiis ll that the work of 4-lcanaiiigz the iovin and its l|O‘l;{lIl‘|-|l|’lttItiIl should L'I|ll|lIIPlil'I‘ that Vt ry day. ’l'lo-ogli this was veiy pn-pi-ilv the tlrcisioii oltlie rontn-il. I llrllt:I'B the opinion nl'in:in_v was, that the evil had gone too llir, and that with the it-tutti of -t \\ t-tithe! I'IIll.lIl!! sliiiit til aliaiuloiiiitg the limit and c:iinp- my on the siiiiiiiiiis of the bills would be loniitl - lrt‘1'llti|l. I have no doubt, your readers will remillrct how rt-pi :iitd'y l have called aiieiition io iliis iniporiniii l~IIliji‘i:l in my past letters, and poinii-it out Ilwllllltlltcls ot the course we were pursuing, while in in part efthe world, vihirli is. utitl lot um-s past has llt‘t'lI, the hoini-. of tho

no use, because we have no horses; and, ii" there were horses, we have not enough uinbii- lances to convey more than one-tenth of our present niiiubci- of sic These are plain truths, wltlioiit colouring or cxiiggeraitii-ii. They are truths to which every man out herr- mil at the heat of a depiirmicnt will t-ci-tily. l was iiiforiiicd to-ila ' of the condition of a captain in the ‘Jiltli li";_'lllIl'lIh (I lll.‘ll(‘\'t‘), wire‘ is still.-i-iiw from l'rost-bit:-, aguc. uiid lllill'l'l::I‘Il. When this illness w.-is siilliciciitly St'Vt.‘l'l‘., appli- cation was made for iiiualidiiig to lialaklava, and leave of absence was granted luv u. luri- niglit. ’l‘eii days of that loi-tniglit have now elapsed, the ollicer is in the last stage ofexlinus- tioii, lint still in his tent. 'l‘lic matter. lniii told, has long since been represented in the proper quarters. but the answer was, that there was no means of carrying the olliccr into liabi- klava. and that until the French mules could be obtained, lie uiiist remain and take his chance with the rest. 'l‘he regimental surgeons cal the cases " iiiurder," nnd there are few in En- gland who have lost relatives in the same inan- iicr but wil agree with them. As another instance ol' our ‘-system," no inan.sent' to hospital ever brings his “kit.” with him, though tlieo, above all other times, he uiost requires it change efclenn clothes ; and u_n_inan ever yet entered liespital without the niilitaryf iiutlioritics forwarding with him 60 rounds pl" ball cartridge and his Minic rillc. the latter in, nine cases out often loaded. This rule, which; seems nliiiost too absurd to be true, l.as been: persevered in_ in spite of its n'Ilill'ltlll8 evils,‘ lor‘, the l.-ist three iiioiitbs. and only iiow._wlicn it is becoming uiieiidurahl-9.at the lioiq-iia_l, l.i_ir Raglan issues it general order. by which luck ".9" “re to lie in.-tit in with 'lit:ll‘ clothes and their wt-;ipoiis It-ft bi-liind. and taken care ti ', until their o.\‘iicrs are able to iis-- tln-iii. l.ord liaglaii agiin took the llalakl ivi ins by siirl-i~i.~c,’ by entering the village on tho ltl:li_ .Vitu-bci'- |c,, \\-.,n, [no jokes and cniiiiiiciits in the town

on this iiuolileii \i'4l|-lllitll; and iniicli troiiieal anxiety was expressed. lest his lor.|s iip should stiller iron the cxeiteiiieiit ol lcnviiig his coni- fortnblu quarters twice within 20 days. His

relief of the soldiers, iuiploriog medical eeui- lordship ul(.l"‘l_V rode through ttie town. MIN‘ INC" 511°‘! “'“l' "'° '‘’''''° '”l'“""bl°

plil_i_'llt'. 'l lie snlje-4-i has now eitciird attention, llIl|U,|_'l| nnl hiiiil .1 lever has lrolveii out, as I iiatiiral coiisiqnreiicu of its previous iii-elect. lf any man i it-mi-ily the evil it ' Colin

'l'linmi_ibnnt the whole rniiipaigii be lizisrliowit liiiii.1elfilii- sic-ziilnest and ti.oi.-I ieiier«_-eliu ofoiir 2t'lIl‘fi|lS. and since ihv- ll('4Ill of (‘atlieart ziml the tll‘|l.'IllIllt‘ of Sr De l.:iry l".v.ns and I’.-iim-lailie-r. is innsi certainly the onl_v LN-'l|('l2ll in \\"|"IlI the whole fires 1 l.ii-i-s i-ntiie (3IIl|lli't!ll('e.

The most \ h ' "J afl.i;tt in ll:il:il;‘.a\-.t; atone time a piece has lit-eii concluded, iit another the l-Iinprr-urol' lins- sia is dead. at another the l‘lIlgll8ll are to aban- don their treiielies and retire on lialiiklava in consequence of the ii.wl'ul sull'ci~ings and uior- talit_v among the troo il in the front. The lat- ter rumour was circa ated everyivliere, and be- lieved by iniiny for two whole iiys.

’l‘liero is no iin rnvemcnt to notice in the genenil conduct of nllliirs at Balaklnvii, nnd to expect any now seems opeless Guaids hsve been mounted on the powder ships since the fire which lately occurred on heard one, but the vessels themselves still remain indiscriuiately mixed with otlicrc. During the time the snow lay tliick upon the ground, it was determined to make snow sledgcs for the conveyance of the provision to caui . The ships‘ carpenters were drawn from the vessels in harbour, IIIO first sent to one authority to get the necessary stores, but the authority was not to be found. when they were sent to another, who was to be found, but who had no stores. The carpen- ters then, having wasted lialfa day, were sen back ,' and I believe, at one time, I oiisly intended to sen to En /and for en slcdgcs. which could be iiiitde here in a d So the idea wits lor it inoiiicnt abandoned, u' a rapid iliuiv set in, when everything turned into mod, the iiiiportanco olsu means of transit was at once admitted; now. with every prospect of lieiivy rains slcdgcs are rapidly adiancizig towur s c