the war. 
n •; , r SIEGE 0F SEBASTOPOL. 
The Daily News correspondent, writintr from 
the 3rd says : The 
extreme right hut in the present etate of the read" j ?" 
difficult, if not impossible, to bring up the mortrn The 
season is unfavourable to the transport of the malMcl for . 
5u^ b r2gTh“ k «~ The but 
to the 3rd of December no were lo e ^ “"jf 
the newly-constructed batteries, thf weather betag °o bad 
and the mire so deep. The Turks harl -J* i * 
Balaklava, and it was found very difficult to Drovide f ni 
them The Russian army ha7 quitted the^^fe^for tt 
fire of artillery on the Freuch position, and makes forties* 
winch are always repulsed with loss. During the day the 
enemy s fire is slack The soldiers are constructing 
huts. In the morning of the 2nd the Russians attacked J 
advanced guard of the 50th Regiment, which retired . Th! 
Rifles advanced to its assistance, drove back the Russians 
and forced them to quit their positions. The cholera has 
reappeared among the Turks.” m naa 
Additional letters from Constantinople 0 f the 5th, with 
news from the Crimea, state that General Canrobe rt had 
addressed an order of the day to the army, announcing that 
so soon as the weather permitted, the bombardment of 
Sebastopol would be resumed, aud the assault commenced. 
20,000 Russians, utterly exhausted by privations, had 
marched to Simferopol to escape extinction by the sickness 
Letters received in Paris on Tuesday, from the French 
«amp before Sebastopol, speak of the assault of that place as 
an event that may be soon expected. The second line of 
fortifications is described as very strong. “ The Russians have 
SI??? ?/ T 1J P^nt where resistance can be 
offeied. The difficulty, however, is not so much to take 
bebastopol as to keep it, for we shall be unquestionably ex- 
posed to severe fire from the heights and fortresses on the 
north side. Sebastopol mil probably be a complete ruin 
before we can get m, but, ruin as it may be, there is no 
alternative • and the opinion is that it must be stormed and 
captured to satisfy the amour propre of the army, aud pro- 
duce a moral effect throughout Europe. The Russians seem 
to have foreseen and provided for such a contingency : and 
they have made every preparation for retreat to the north 
side of the harbour, aud have taken measures to place everv 
impediment to our advance.” 
According to a despatch from St. Petersburg, dated the 
20th nothing of importance had occurred before Sebastopol 
up to the 13th of December. Some small sorties had been 
made with success In one of them the Russians captured 
m the trenches of the allies some small mortars, and spiked 
some others of larger dimensions. The fire of the allies was 
teeble, and the Russian loss very slight. 
_ movements of the belligerents 
The Toricish Army.-Ou the departure of Omar Pasha’s 
army for the Crimea, the command of the Turkish troops , 
p U . the £ anube has been given provisionally to Ismail 
i ftsba. The Ottoman general will, it is expected, land his 1 
troops at Eupatoria, aud occupy the country between the coast 
aud the mam road from Perekop to Simferopol, by which 
. Russian contingents, munitions of war, and provisions 
arrive. Sebastopol, which supplies food for the Russian 
army, must be pretty well exhausted by this. Almost all 
veceut accounts concur in describing the situation of the 
Russians as deplorable. The difficulty of the comraunica- 
tions has already reduced them to very great straits ; and if 
'mar Pasha's soldiers prove themselves not to have dene- 
generated since Oltenitza and Silistria, we may judge of the 
fCt of an army of 3(1,000 men interrupting the convoys 
CsclSoff 0rth ' ftnd menacin S the reinforcements of Prince 
Russian Preparations for the next Campaign.— The 
correspondent from St. Petersburg says — *• The 
extensive preparations now making in the imperial arsenals 
putting the Baltic fleet in a condition not only to carry 
• u a defensive war, but even to assume the offensive, are of 
p,. C j V j •Magnitude that they ought not to be overlooked in 
niPia? 11 ’ ° r th° u fihfc lightly of. The most important of these 
com ^ * 18 the ,mmediate formation of twenty-six reserve 
mipanics of sailors or ships’ crews to replace those that 
•ay be swept off by the British and French cannon-balls 
Hoi ? u ® n ? e 1 r - According to the Russian system, the Baltic 
tlir fi 8 * ivided •uf° three divisions ; the head-quarters of 
Swp k a “ m econd beiQ g at Cr °ustadt, and the third at 
of +k ° r ® - •, Tbe uew com l j anies or crews are to be formed 
se „„; 036 bailors now on furlough and those whose time of i 
rvico « - — — - •• The buildiug> 
,, . 4 jfrt“ t £40 Z <ie *“ U " tl0 " vonld be paid, with a 
at the hlulnfVk Pr ann . um - “d ‘bey would bo placed 
T * n f the workmen iQ the regiment. 
thJt »a'(W?^ Tl i. 8 Vienna Prt33e of the 15th states 
presence of detachment has crossed the Pruth ; and, in 
presence of the Austrian troops, destroyed the supplies of 
£££*&$* “ been “ **• SSta 
On T1 M0 ^ E L0SSES IN THE black SEA 
HdSed S‘V communication was received by Captain 
Sbe had on board 3 5 rank and file of Ottoman 
tLn P h ^ C '}T eS ’ aDd about 300 caa es of ammuni- 
tion. The crew and the troops, who were all saved are now 
prisoners on board the Russian ship Vladimir, at SebaltonoT 
Another loss in the Black Sea was made known in the 
CwHn°Ok he day ~ff a i ° f the French transport Constance 
Whl $ wrecked on the wme night 
the Culloden, near Eupatoria ; the crew succeeded iu 
escaping from the vessel just before a troop of Cossacks 
reached the wreck and fired into her. The ship was after- 
wards burnt to the water's edge. 1 
REINFORCEMENTS AND STORES-THE CAMP 
AND THE HOSPITAL. 
Iron Batteries for the Baltic— Some weeks since it 
was announced that our Government contemplated, through 
of fl 8U f? est {°“ the French Government, ordering a number 
of floating batteries, to be constructed of woodfand cosed 
the BaTtbi P TW aUxUiai ? f ° rce to the allied fleets in 
he re., ; T m battenes are t0 be ^rty iu number, and are to 
r b n ., ®j5 m Marcb uext They will be flat-bottomed, with 
W Vfi f U f aU< - , oT; c Ud ° earl y 2 - 000 tons burden, 180 feet 
ImrfAe^onn k l 6 ’ 2 ° feeb dee P- and Propelled by horizontal 
Cli ;h 7 P°Tv Tbe stron 6 e3t materials are to 
be employed m the building of these formidable engines of 
W * v m the ‘ r co^truction the resources of Liverpool 
mnv^t r Q ov ®V Iooked - T be Mersey Steel and Iron Com- 
pany, at the south end of the town, have received a large 
Older for the manufacture of the casing-plates, and the work- 
men are now engaged upon them night aud day. A consider- 
able portion of the plates have already been completed, and 
sent per rail to London. Each of the plates is 12 feet long 
4i 1 f < l heS tb lP k ; aud eat ’b battery will require 
1 00 tons of those plates. These new flat-bottomed gunboats 
SLb . tW6 i Ve , of the ,ar 8 e3fc Lancaster guns. 
Each boat will have two decks, the upper being bomb-proof 
eight indies thick and the lower will bethe fighting deck. 
A number of these boats are already in a forward state, and 
the whole, uo doubt, will be ready by the time required. 
Ammunition - -The screw steam-frigate Malacca left Ports- 
mouth on Sunday for the Crimea. She has on board a large 
quantity of shot, shell, and ammunition, with Cant. Child’s 
company of Royal Artillery. The Esk is also loading with 
shot, &c., and will shortly sail. 
13? 3"* dispatched „,-e to 
.h^L?So r A K T i *f rr liu °“(- b » w ? 
out de!aj. The officers sneak m the highest terms of her 
performances. She is a splendid vessel. 
Warm Clothing Lost on Board the Prince— A return 
just issued shows that 35,700 woollen nooks, 53,000 woollen 
frocks 1/, 000 flannel drawers, 2,500 watch-eoats. 10,100 
blankets, and 3,700 rugs, wore lost on board the Prince. 
One hundred men and three sergeants of the 2nd bat* 
tnlion of the Rifle Brigade, on Wednesday, embarked from 
Portsmouth dockyard on board the paddle-wheel steam-sloop 
Gorgon, for passage to the Crimea. 
The Aonks Blaket, freight-ship, is now at the Iloyal 
Arsena!, Woolwich, taking on board 180 tons of shot aud 
250 tons of coko for convoyauce to the Crimea. 
Necessaries and Comforts. — On Thursday a merchant 
ship, engaged by the committee of the Crimean Fund, loft 
Irougate-wharl lor the Crimea, heavily laden with provisions, 
clothing, Ac., for the troops. The cargo consisted of several 
chests of tea, a largo quantity of boxes of cocoa, preserved 
vegetables, meat, aud milk, coloured blankets, a supply of 
warm clothing, Sic. In a few days the yacht of the Earl of 
Ell esm ere, which is placed at the disposal of the committee 
by bis lordship, will start with a similar description of 
cargo. 
Pr° vi, ion F°R W^TER— °u Thursday a large quantity 
of stoves for the Crimea were brought to the Tower, to be 
forwarded w a few days to their destination. Several 
hundred tin pipes were also brought, which will be fixed in 
tbe stoves when they are placed iu the various touts. 
Hoshtal at Soctari. — Messrs. Haytou and Howell, of 
Mark-lane, are shipping off a largo number of free gifts for 
this hospital. They say the applications and contributions 
are beyond all power of reply, but all packages either have 
been, or will speedily be sent off to their destination. 
Miss Nightingale's Nurses at Scutari— At the monthly 
(December) meeting of the Society for Promoting Christian 
Knowledge, Mr. T. B. Murray read a letter he had received 
from Mr. C. Ii. Brucebridg c, who reached Scutari 
towards the close of lost mouth. Ho says, “ They (tho 
nurses) are well lodged in an angle of this groat building, 
(Scutari Hospital), one of two noble barracks, a quarter of 
a mile apart, on a fine eminence at tho end of the Scutari 
suburb. The soldiers, by the united testimony of doctors, 
chaplain, commandants, and from what I could sec myself 
iu tho ward, want for nothing. The water, bread aud meat, 
and air, are excellent. 1,400 are here, and from 1,000 to 
1,100 in the other hospital.” 
Reinforcements from France— The steam naviga- 
tion companies of the Rhone have undertaken to 
convey, iu ten days, to tho Crimea, 100,000 tons of 
utensils, camp apparatus, and huts for the army. The 
greatest activity prevails iu all the military ports of 
France. A levy of 000 carpenters lma taken place 
iu maritime districts of Cherbourg, to forward tho coil- 
atruction of ships on the stocks. The screw-transport La 
Meuse, and the gunboats Eclair and Etincelle, are t<> ho 
ready for sea next spring. The screw floating battery 
Devastation, mounting sixteen 50-pounders, is nearly 
finished. Independently of these ships, thoro are oil tho 
stocks at Cherbourg, the steam-ship Ville do Nantes, the 
steam-frigate Impdtueuse, and tho screw vessels Roden r and 
PrAiaoni* Tf. ia : i c 
be followed up by tl 1 * uispaicuea are to 
supply will be furnished as speedilvas possible^ Th^nl^l ateamfi ' i g at T e Impdtueuse, and tho screw vessels Rodeur and 
Victoria transport has been engaged this week in shinnfng Gr01 f eur - Ifc 13 W 1 *),' tbat ' l g“ rti,,n of n th, -\ L.-gi.nent of 
ninety officers’ aud privates’ huts. There is but little ! Gu| d es > commanded by Colonel Fleury, will jom the ar iny in 
difference in them, so far as warmth aud actual comfort arc I the . lbe l3 , t , and 2nd Begimeuts of Carabineers, in 
concerned The Sumroo, 1,000 tons, the Swiftsure, 1,800. 
and several other ships of large tonnage, are engaged for the 
SflmA iMirnnQA TK.a xi. . . i i.° . 
nt 
same purpose. The vessels, for the sake of dispatch, are to 
be towed across the Bay of Biscay by Freuch war steamers. 
Huts for the French Army— A letter from Constanti- 
nople of the 5th, says that 100,000 planks for huts, to shelter 
tlie trench troops, have just been sent to the Crimea. The 
health of the army was generally good, and their spirits 
excellent. * 
Stores— The Lady Franklin, sailing transport, has been 
loading, during the week, at Clarence Yard, with beef, pork 
rum, hay, and biscuit, for the Crimea, to the extent of about 
500 tons. 
The Balaklava Railway— On Saturday last about 150 
. _ ^.Avum.iy mat anouc 10U . f r 
navvies m the employ of Messrs. Peto and Co., engaged for contribution of 
the construction of the railway from Balaklava ti„. performance of the “ Dame Blanche,” to M. Paulin, th 
trenches in front of Sebastonol. left, town „ LL :..i ed Bor of the III 
garrison at Versailles, are to form part of the army 
Lyons. 
French Sympathy and Help. — The Emperors objection 
to subscriptions for wounded soldiers, as an interference 
with his prerogative, does not extend to subscriptions for tho 
comforts of the army generally. Several of these are now on fo. >t . 
At Bourdeaux 15,000f. have been subscribed for tobacco and 
pipes. At Toulouse a committee has been formed for col- 
lecting a sufficient sum to send out 100,000 pairs of stockings. 
Iu the seventh arrondissement of Paris several of the inhabi- 
tants have determined to lay out a part of the money usually 
Hpent in Christmas-boxes iu the purchase of wine aud brandy 
for the troops. Several tobacco subscription lists arc opened. 
M. Roger, the director of the Hamburg Theatre, has sent a 
contribution of l,500f., the clear proceeds of one night’ 
trenches in front of bebastopol, left town by a special train 
for North .shields, whence they are to be conveyed to the 
Austrian territory. The men are to have five shillings per 
day, and their lodgings, food, and clothes found them. 3 The 
total number to be seut out will exceed 2,000. 
Railway Sleepers for the Crimea. — During last week 
the workmen of Messrs. Reed aud Co., of the creosote works 
at the North Dock, Monkweurmouth, have been employed 
night aud day preparing sleepers for the new railway iu the 
Crimea. About 20,000 of these are now ready, and will be 
conveyed by the North Eastern Railway to tile Tyne, where 
they will be loaded on board several large screw steamers, 
chartered by the Government, and sail direct for the Crimea! 
E? expires on tho 13th January next." The 
^Rr ’ tUld l e fl^ing of ships, is going on briskly in Russia.^ 
Bern , Eecruiti ‘ vg Switzerland— Accounts from 
state that a letter had been received by the master 
the n 161 of Zurioh * M. de Collette, the Secretary of 
•'irrnoire^ rU < leUt r, at . Petersburg, inviting workmen and 1 
cis nom Switzerland to join the Russian regiments. , 
Illustration, who was one of the first to open a 
subscription for tobacco. 
French Troops.— Tho Cambria, Ripon, Thame s, Niugara, 
and other English steamers, arrived iu the Bosphorus ou the 
9th, with 5,000 French troops for the Crimea. 
French Sympathy with the Wounded - Several inha- 
bitants of Orleans having applied to the Prefect to sanction 
a public subscription iu behalf of the wounded of the army 
of the East, the demand was forwarded to tho Minister of 
the Interior. M. Billault replied that he had communicated 
this patriotic request to tho Emperor, who highly com- 
mended the sentiments that had dictated it, but said he 
oonsidered it a duty, and reserved to himself, the exclusive 
nrivile»a r,c OV er the welfare of the wounded, 
'ants, aud recompensing, iu the 
— , — ov. ..wvs rendered to the country. All 
private subscriptions, iu M. Billault’s opinion, became useless 
1TI nnllflCOUtMlCti of nf tli.* Yvmtww.w* 
Crimea, with a pair c. 
The Rifle Brigade. — About 1,000 men of various regi- corps on the field, to bo augmented successively by 
meats embarked from Portsmouth during the week. The soldiers taken from the army under General Canrobert, and 
Gorgon, 6, paddle-sloop, took 100 men, 3 sergeants, and who have most distinguished themselves during tho present 
2 officers of the 2nd battalion of the Rifle Brigade. ; operations. It will be commanded by a geueral officer. 
