attempted to cross the river Alma had one of the wheels of 
the gun-carriage completely destroyed by the shot from the 
Russian guns, while the officers and men were up to their 
middles in the water. Nothing daunted by their position, and 
the heavy fire kept upon them, they promptly set to work, and 
in an incredibly short space of time attached another wheel 
to the gun-carriage, and marched forward to the scene of 
action almost as soon as the others. One of the officers of 
the Royal Artillery killed in action was serving the gun as 
No. 3 gunner at the time he was killed. 
All accounts agree in describing the Russian position, 
and especially that portion of it to which the English were 
opposed, as being almost impregnable. Sir G. Brown, a good 
judge, declares that in the Peninsular struggle the English 
had encountered no such position. Prince Menschikofl's 
confident opinion of it is known from his intercepted des- 
patches, in which he promises to hold it against 100,000 
until the cold weather set in, when he would assume the 
offensive and drivo us into the sea. One account says the 
despatch was somewhat to this effect : — “ Although the 
English are invincible at sea, they are not to be feared on 
land ; but the French will cause a heavy struggle. The 
Allied armies are not, however, to be feared, as the fortified 
camp can withstand any attacking force three weeks, and 
certainly half as long as Sebastopol itself.” 
Prince Mensghikoff’s carriage and coachman were 
taken, and have been sent to Constantinople ; the former is 
publicly exposed at Tophanfc. In the carriage were found 
the full particulars of the English army, their strength, &c., 
showing how well the spies in the English camp must have 
done their treacherous work. The scene after the battle is 
described as most harrowing. The Russian dead and 
wounded far outnumbered ours, but no difference was made 
between friends and enemies by those who had the dis- 
agreeable duty of burying the dead and removing the 
wounded. Men who went through the Peninsular campaign 
say that they never saw more dead in so small a space, except 
on the night after Talavera. 
Our men behaved with great humanity to the Russian 
wounded, furnishing them with water from their own can- 
teens. This conduct, it is said, met with the basest ingrati- 
tude. One man deliberately fired at and wounded an artil- 
leryman, who had just given him some water to quench his 
burning thirst. An indignant guardsman instantly clubbed 
the scoundrel. An eye-witness mentions an instance of a 
Russian officer who was being assisted from the field, where 
he had lain for two days severely wounded, by two marines. 
He solicited some water to think, and after he had been 
lifted down and had drunk enough, as one of the marines 
was in the act of turning round to pick him up again, the 
ungrateful villain shot him dead. His comrade amply 
resented the cowardly act ; for, seizing a small spar that the 
cot was strung to, he beat out the rascally Russian’s brains. 
Several of the wounded Russians fired at our wounded who 
were lying disabled near them. Iu consequence of acts of 
this sort, all the muskets of the prisoners and wounded were 
broken off at the stock, and their cartridges taken from 
them. The Russians who crowded the field iu all the con- 
tortions of the last agony were principally soldiers of the 
lGth and 32nd Regiments. One officer, says an eye-witness, 
lay dead, with a little dog sitting between his legs, a posi- 
tion from which no persuasion could move him. He had 
been mortally wounded, and had given his gold watch to a 
soldier who kindly gave him a draught of water. Another, 
quite a boy, lay with his hands clasped iu the attitude of 
prayer. Beyond the battery was a scene of utter Muscovite 
rout, very few English having fallen after its destruction ; 
the ground was covered with dead, dying, and wounded, 
arms and knapsacks lying about in the wildest confusion. 
The Russians were buried outside the mounds ; the English 
and French inside. Many of our dead were buried within 
the fieldwork by the Rev. H. P. Wright, principal chaplain 
to the expedition. 
Our gunners got hold of the baggage of some general 
officer and his staff, for they were soon laden with embroi- 
dered Hussar jackets, pelisses, and garments of various kinds, 
They also got a quantity of jewellery and watches ; and some 
more lucky than the rest, got hold of the general's luncheon 
basket, and feasted on wold boar, washed down with cham- 
pagne. 
The following is an extract from a letter from Dr. M*Der 
mott, staff-surgeon, which has been received by Captain 
Latham, of the 48th Foot, quartered iu Carlisle Castle. The 
letter is dated from the Bivouac of the Allied Army, near 
Alma, September 22 : — “ Our guns were about a hundred 
yards in advance of me, but the smoke prevented my seeing 
anything, and in a few minutes a man of the 11th Hussars 
wa3 carried to the real 1 wounded, his left foot being blown 
off by a cannon shot. This was the first gunshot wound I 
saw. Three of the 13th Light Dragoons were wounded, 
oddly enough, each iu the foot. The enemy retreated, aud 
so the affair ended.” Another surgeon says : — "I have 
seen some curious wounds from the course taken by 
the balls. One man, who fell by my side, roared out, 
* Oh, Doctor, I am killed,’ but ou tearing open his clothes, 
I found the ball had not gone deeper than the skin. A 
cannon ball passed close to me, and over the head of a man 
who was lying on the ground ; you could see the round 
shot passing you like swift bowling at cricket. I took a 
Russiau prisoner, aud gave him up. I also found a Russian 
aide-de-camp dead, and relieved him of his despatches. We 
are sleeping in the open air in our cloaks. I saw seven 
officers of one regiment lying dead together. The Russians 
had an ugly trick of lying ou the ground pretending to be 
wounded, aud firing at us as soon as we passed, so our men 
massacred them right and le£t. The nights are bitterly cold 
at present, with heavy dews, while the sun during the day is 
very hot, and we have no shelter. How I enjoyed a drink 
of water and mud out of a hole made by a horse’s hoof on 
the march the other day ! Many of the Russiau prisoners 
are splendid men, and kiss our hands when we give them 
water. They all seem to wear charms round their necks. 
I have preserved a number of relics, which I hope to take 
home. I semi you a letter which fell from the pockets of ft 
Russian, killed near me.” 
Boarding the Kangaroo. — “ It is impossible to des- 
cribe by letter the dreadful scene I witnessed on reaching 
her, and I trust I may never see the like again. As I aud 
the chief officer of the Tynemouth pulled alongside in the 
dusk of the evening, a body which was being thrown over, 
was within an inch of str ikin g him on the head. Had it done 
so it would undoubtedly have seriously injured him; but, 
as it happened, he only got a ducking. On board wo found 
from 1,200 to 1,400 sick soldiers, and about 50 wounded. 
The sight was truly appalling. The decks were strewed with 
the dying and the dead." 
Russian Generalship ! — A great many rifies of superior 
THE FIELD. 
workmanship were picked up. Their maker is Malherbes, of 
Li<5ge. Many of the Russians shammed wounded. In one 
redoubt a general officer was captured. He was stretched 
on the ground beside his fallen horse, apparently dead. An 
artilleryman, who had takeu a violent fancy to his coat, was 
about to divest the supposed corpse of it, when the body 
began to move, and nearly frightened the man off. It was 
soon discovered that no harm had come to the general, for 
ou his coat being opened, two stars announced his rank. 
The general’s object was evidently to lie quietly until night, 
and then make off. This ruse completely failed. 
983 
OUR FRENCH ALLIES. 
DESPATCHES FROM MARSHAL DE ST. ARNAUD. 
The lamented death of Marshal de St. Arnaud renders his 
last despatch, more touching than it would have proved 
under other circumstances. It does credit to his head and 
his heart; France has lost an able aud a gallant chieftain, 
and England a valuable coadjutor iu her campaign. No one 
can read the despatch without praising the manner in which 
the French commander speaks of the conduct of Lord Raglan 
aud the English troops, nor could a greater compliment bo 
paid our gallant countrymen than that contained iu the 
short but emphatic older of the day, addressed by the 
French commander-in-chief to his troops, iu which he 
tells them that they rivalled iu courage their brave allies the 
English. 
The Monitcur of Saturday last gives the despatch as 
follows : — 
“ The Emperor has received from Marshal St. Arnaud 
the following report of the battle of the Alma. No one 
can read without emotion this simple recital of a great 
victory, where the general-in-chief speaks of every one except 
himself. Nevertheless the Government appreciates, as it 
merits, the energy aud ability displayed by the marshal 
under these circumstances. The Emperor has decided 
that a salute of twenty-one guns shall be fired to celebrate 
this victory : — 
“ ‘ Field of Battle, A luia, Sept. 21. 
“ ‘ Sire, — The cannon of your Majesty has spoken — we 
have gained a complete victory. It is a fine day, Sire, to 
add to the military annals of France, and your Majesty will 
have one uame more to add to the victories which adorn the 
flags of the French army. 
“ ‘ The Russians had yesterday assembled all their forces 
and all their means, in order to oppose the passage of the 
Alma. Prince Meuscliikoff commanded in person. All the 
heights were crowned with redoubts and formidable bat- 
teries. The Russiau army reckoned 40,000 bayonets come 
from all the points of the Crimea. In the morning there 
ai-rived from Theodosia 6,000 cavalry, ami 180 pieces of 
heavy and field artillery. From the heights which they 
occupied the Russians could count our men man by man, 
from the 19th to the moment wheu we arrived ou the Bub- 
banach. Ou the 20th, from six o'clock in the morning, I 
carried into operation, with the division of General Bosquet, 
reinforced by eight Turkish battalions, a movement which 
turned the left of the Russians and some of their batteries. 
General Bosquet manoeuvred with as much intelligence os 
bravery. This movement decided the success of the day. 
I had arranged that the English should extend their left in 
order at the same time to threaten the right of the Russians, 
whilst I should occupy them iu the centre, but their troops 
did not arrive iu lme until half-past [ten. They bravely 
made up for tliis delay. 
“ ‘At half-past twelve the liue of the allied army occupied 
an extent of more than a league, arrived ou the Alma, and 
were received by a terrible fire from the tirailleurs. 
“ ‘ Iu this movement the head of the column of General 
Bosquet appeared ou the heights, aud I gave the signal for 
a general attack. The Alma was crossed at double quick 
time. Prince Napoleon, at the head of his division, took 
possession of the large village of Alma, under the fire of the 
Russian batteries. The Prince showed himself worthy of 
the great name he bears. We then arrived at the foot of 
the heights, under the fire of the Russian batteries. There, 
Sire, commenced a real battle along all the line — a battle 
with its episodes of brilliant feats of valour. Your Majesty 
may be proud of your soldiers — they have uot degenerated 
— they are the soldiers of Austerlitz and of Jena. At half- 
past four the French army was everywhere victorious. All 
the positions had been carried at the point of the bayonet, 
to the cry of “ Vive l’Empereur,” which resounded through- 
out the day. Never was such enthusiasm Been ; even the 
wounded rose from the ground to join in it. Ou our left the 
English met with large masses of the enemy, and met with 
great difficulties, but everything was surmounted. The 
English attacked the Russiau positions iu admirable order 
under the fire of their cannon, carried them, and drove oft’ 
the Russians. The bravery of Lord Raglan rivals that of 
antiquity. In the midst of cannon aud musket shot he dis- 
played a calmness which never abandoned him. The French 
lines formed on the heights aud the artillery opened its fire. 
Then it was no longer a retreat, but a rout ; the Russians 
threw away their muskets aud knapsacks, in order to run the 
fluster. If, Sire, I had had cavalry I should have obtained 
immense results, and Meuscliikoff would no longer have had 
uu army ; but it was late, our troops were harassed, and the 
ammunition of the artillery was exhausted. At six o’clock 
in the evening we eueamped on the very bivouac of the 
Russians. My tent is ou the very spot where that of Prince 
Menschikoff stood in the morning, and who thought himself 
bo sure of beating us that he left his carriage there. I have 
taken possession of it, with his pocket-book and correspond- 
ence, and shall take advantage of the valuable information it 
contained. The Russian army will probably be able to rally 
two leagues from this, aud I shall find it to-morrow on the 
lvatscha, but beaten and demoralised, while the allied army 
is full of ardour and enthusiasm. I have been compelled to 
remain hero in order to send our wounded, and those of the 
Russians, to Constantinople, and to procure ammunition ami 
provisions from the fleet. The English have had 1,500 men 
put hors de combat. The Duke of Cambridge is well ; his 
division, and that of Sir G. Brown, were superb. I luive to 
regret about 1,200 men hors de combat, 3 officers killed, 54 
wounded, 253 sub-officers aud soldiers killed, and 1,033 
African Chasseurs. The Zouaves were the admiration of 
both armies ; they are the first soldiers in the world. 
“ ‘ Accept, Sire, the homage of ray profound respect, 'and of 
my entire devoteducsB. 
“ ‘ Marshal A. de Saint Arnaud.' ” 
After tho battle, the following order of tho day was pub- 
lished : — 
” ORDER OF TUB DAY OF MARSHAL DE SAINT ARNAUD. 
“ Soldiers, — France and the Emperor will be satisfied 
with you. At Alma you have proved to the Russians that 
you are tho worthy descendants of the conquerors of Eylau 
and of tho Moskowa. You have rivalled iu courage your 
allies tho English, and your bayonets have carried formida- 
ble aud well-defended positions. Soldiers, you will again 
meet tho Russians ou your road, aud you will conquer them, 
os you have done to-day, to the cry of ‘ Fire l' Bmp mo,' and 
you will only stop at Sebastopol. It is there you will enjoy 
the repose which you will have well deserved. 
“ Field of battle of Alma, Sept. 20.” 
THE LATE MARSHAL DF. ST. ARNAUD. 
M. do Saint Arnaud was bom at Paris, in 1801, of a family 
uot distinguished by fortune. Ho was young wheu he en- 
tered the army, and, like most of those youths who em- 
braced the military profession during the tranquil reign of 
Louis XVIII., he gave full play to the love of pleasure and 
dissipation. During the reign of Charles X. ho was for a 
short time in the body-guard of that monarch ; but he 
shortly after resigned his situation, and came to England, 
whore ho resided some time. Soon after tho Revolution of 
1830 he returned to France, and once more entered tho 
army. It was at this time, while the regiment to which he 
belonged was on duty at Fort do blaze, where the Duchease 
do Bern was imprisoned, that ho obtained the favourable 
notice of Marshal Uugoaud, commaudimt of the citadol, by 
his intelligence and activity. 
In 1837, ns captain, ho went to Algiers in the Foreign 
Legion, which was chiefly composed of political refugees who 
had sought employment iu tho armies of France. In that 
corps M. do Saint Arnaud, distinguished alike by his intre- 
pidity and his military skill, contributed powerfully to the 
success of many important enterprises. In loss than ten 
years he rose through tho various grades, from that of chief 
of the battalion to tho dignity of Marshal of Franco. Among 
tho exploits iu which he distinguished himself, tho most im- 
portant wore the expedition ho directed, in 1842, against the 
unsubdued tribe of Beni-Bondonon, in tho west of Milianah; 
tho attack of tho Bani-Ferruh tribe in tho follow ing year ; 
tho defeat of tho Flizza-el-Bahr ; aud the submission of tho 
Cherif Bou Muza, who had provoked an insurrection iu tho 
Dobra. 
Having been appointed to tho command of the province of 
Constantino in 1849, ho rapidly ovurran that immuuso terri- 
tory, which had been disorganised by tho revolt of the 
numerous tribes inhabiting it, re-established pence, and 
gainad tho good-mil and attachment of many chiefs whom 
no one had previously beou able to subdue. Tho expedi- 
tion which M. do Saint Arnaud undertook iu 1851 against 
the Kabyles was one of the most glorious campaigns ever 
gained by the French army in Algeria. At tho head of an 
army of little more than 6,000 men ho overran the whole of 
that savage mountainous region, in spito of the resistance 
made by its warlike tribes. 
Iu 1851 M. de Saint Arnaud returned to France, with the 
rank of lieutenant-general. His energetic and determined 
character recommended him to tho notice of Louis Napoleon, 
then President of the Republic, as one of tho firmest sup- 
porters of his views ; aud iu the month of October, 1851, 
the future Emperor confided to him the confidential post of 
Minister of War. In 1852 he was raised to the dignity of 
Marshal of Franco, and soon after to that of Senator, which 
was followed by his appointment to tho post of Grand 
Ecuyer to the Emperor. 
M. do St. Arnaud has been twice married. By his first 
marriage he had one daughter (married to M. de Preysigur) 
nml a son, who became a soldier, aud was killed in one of 
those campaigns in Algeria whore his father won bo much 
renown. 
ARRIVAL OF THE REMAINS OF MARSHAL ST. ARNAUD 
AT MARSEILLES. 
The Moniteur of Wednesday states that the Government 
of her Britannic Majesty has charged his Excellency Lord 
Cowley to transmit to tho Government of tho Emperor its 
condolences on the occasion of tho death of Marxhul de St. 
Arnaud. Tho following is tho translation of the letter 
addressed by Lord Cowley to tho Minister of Foreign 
Affairs : — 
“ Paris, 0>'(. 10. 
“ M. le Ministuk, — T ho Principal Secretary of State for 
Foreign Affairs of her Majesty lias requested mo to convey to 
the Emperor as promptly as possible tho expression of the 
deep regret with which the Queen’s Government received 
the news of the death of Marshal de St. Arnaud. The Go- 
vernment of her Majesty is desirous to offer to Ins Imperial 
Majesty and the French nation its condolences upon the 
lamentable event which has deprived the Emperor and 
Franco -f tho services of so bravo and so eminent a general. 
If anything can soften the bitterness of tho regret which the 
Government and the people of Franco must fool tor such a 
loss, and which England shores, it is tho reflection, although 
painful iu itself, that a lustre was shed upon the last 
momenta of the Marshal by the iclat of a victory w hich will 
be for over glorious in tho military annuls of the two coun- 
tries. 
“ In bogging your Excellency to make yourself the inter- 
preter of these sentiments to tho Emperor, I am confident 
that you will allow me to add tho expression of my personal 
regret. To know Marshal do St. Arnaud was to love him. 
for tho courteous affability of his private life w as uot le>s 
remarkable than his intrepid firmness upon tho field of 
battle. — l profit by this occasion, &c., -‘Cowley. 
The Moniteur contains also the following article 
“Marshal do St. Arnaud, before ho succumbed to tho 
malady tho mortal germ of which ho hud borne so long, 
was desirous to fulfil most devotedly tho mission which 
wounded, 203 suu-omcera ana amuers f . ,, hv 
wounded. General Canrobcrt, to whom is due, in part, tho . ho had accepted from tho Emperor and fron ' ’ > 
honours of the day, was slightly wounded by the splinter of claiming the glorious privilege of commands in 
„ and hand, but he is armv of the East, fliu close witnesses ol in. ui. 
a shell, which struck him in the breast and hand, but lie is 
doing well. General Thomas, of the division of tho Prince, 
is seriously wounded by a ball iu the abdomen. The Rus- 
sians have lost about 5,000 men. The field of battle is co- 
vered with their dead, and our field hospitals are full of their 
wounded. We huve counted a proportion of seven Russian 
dead bodies for one French. The Russiau artillery caused 
ua loss ; but ours is very superior to theirs. I shall all my 
life regret not having hud with me my two regiments of 
army of the East. Tho close -- - . . . 
mgs can only estimate tho moral force which he required to 
combat and subdue them, without ceasing for an instant to 
maintain his difficult command, for he never concealed 
from himself the gravity of tho disorder. He was more 
aware of it than anybody else, and when his 
him, and tho fatal moment had arrived, he cncovmtered, 
with serenity of mind strongly endued with religious sen- 
timents, the termination of a struggle which was almost 
