o'clock.

"We are the more affected by his death, as during the preceding 24 hours his health seemed to have considerably improved."

When the news of the death of Lord Raglan reached England, General Simpson, who had been recently sent to the Crimea as Chief of the Staff, was appointed to succeed him as Commander-inChief of the British army there.

On the 16th of August, the covering army of the Russians, under the command of General Liprandi, made another desperate effort to raise the siege. Since the failure of their attack at Inkermann on the 5th of November, last year, they had remained inactive, and it may well be supposed that the fatal result of that attempt had not made them inclined to repeat the experiment. Then the brunt of the battle fell upon the English; but on this occasion the French and Sardinians had to receive and repel the advancing columns. Our Allies occupied in strong force the line of the Tchernaya, which ran along the right of our position, and for some days previously there had been rumours that an attack was intended, so that the Russians did not find their opponents unprepared, as was the case at Inkermann, where the assault took us completely by surprise.

The French and Sardinian lines were covered along their whole length by the river Tchernaya, and also by a canal, or aqueduct. The Sardinian army, under General La Marmora, occupied the extreme right opposite to Tchorgoun, and the French troops guarded the centre and the left, which was connected with the elevated plateau

bridges across the Tchernaya and the canal; one a little above Tchorgoun, commanded by the Sardinian guns; and the other, called Traktir Bridge, below, and almost in the centre of the French position. The road from Mackenzie Farm crossed the Tchernaya at Traktir Bridge, and then ran south, in the direction of the plain at Balaklava.

During the night, between the 15th and 16th of August, the main body of the Russian army descended from the Mackenzie heights on the right bank of the Tchernaya, supported by a strong body of cavalry and a park of artillery. The advanced posts of the Sardinians fell back shortly before daybreak, and announced that the enemy were advancing in considerable force, while the Russians rapidly lined the heights on the right bank of the Tehernaya, and opened their fire from heavy guns upon the position of the French, opposite to them. Both the French and Sardinian troops were drawn up in order of battle, and a division of the Chasseurs d'Afrique and General Scarlett's brigade of heavy cavalry were posted behind the hills of Kamara and Traktir, for the purpose of taking the Russians in flank, in case they should succeed in forcing a passage by Tchorgoun or Traktir, or to the left, where General Camou's division was placed. In his despatch, giving an account of the engagement which followed, General Pelissier says:

"The thick mist which covered the depths of the Tchernaya, and the smoke of the cannonade which had just commenced, prevented us distinguishing against which particular point the chief effort of the enemy would be directed, when on

our extreme left the 7th Russian division came tilt against Camou's division. Received by the 50th of the line, the 3rd Zouaves, who charged them with the bayonet, and by the 82nd, which took them in flank, the enemy's columns were compelled to make a demi-volte, to re-cross the canal, and could only escape the fire of our artillery by getting out of range to rally. That division did not appear again during the day.

In the centre the struggle was more long and desperate. The enemy had sent two divisions (the 12th, supported by the 5th) against Traktir Bridge. Many of their columns threw themselves at once upon the bridge, and the temporary passages they constructed with ladders, pontoons, and madriers; they cross the Tchernaya, the trench of the lines, and advance bravely on our positions. But assailed by an offensive movement by Generals Faucheux and de Failly, these columns are routed, re-cross the bridge occupied by the 95th, and are pursued beyond it by the 2nd. Zouaves, the 97th of the Line, and by a portion of the 19th battalion of Chasseurs-à-pied.

"However, while the artillery was roaring on both sides the Russians reformed their columns of attack; the mist had cleared, and their movements became distinctly visible. Their 5th division reinforced the 12th, which had just been engaged, and the 17th was preparing to descend the heights of Tchouliou to support these two first divisions.

"General Herbillon then ordered General Faucheux to be reinforced by Cler's brigade, and gave the 73rd as a reserve to General de Failly. Colonel Forgeot, moreover, placed four batteries of horse artillery in position, which

gave him on this front a total of seven batteries to be brought to bear upon the assailing masses. The result was, that the second effort of the Russians, energetic as it was, proved of no avail against us, and they were compelled to retreat with great loss.

"The 17th Russian division, which had come down throwing out large bodies of riflemen as skirmishers, had no better success. Received with great resolution by General Cler's Brigade, and by a half-battery of the Imperial Guard, harassed on the left by the troops of Trotti's Division, who pressed it closely, that division was compelled to re-cross the Tchernaya, and to fall back behind the batteries of position which lined the heights from which it had started.

"From this moment, 9 A.M., the retreat of the enemy became plainly visible. Their long columns withdrew as fast as they could, under the protection of a considerable body of cavalry and artillery."

The principal part taken by the Sardinian troops in the battle consisted of the fire of their artillery, which was admirably served, and did immense execution upon the crowded columns of the Russians, especially as they climbed up the embankment of the aqueduct. The latter at first carried some rising ground occupied by the Sardinians, which was, however, quickly retaken; and afterwards the Russians did not again actually assault the Sardinian position, but contented themselves with cannonading it, so that General La Marmora was able to detach a portion of his army and send it to the support of the French right, which was hotly engaged. The whole loss of the Sardinians throughout the action did not exceed 200 men placed hors

de combat; but this included the death of General Count Montevecchio, who was mortally wounded by a ball. Later in the day, General La Marmora crossed the Tchernaya with four squadrons of cavalry, and, from the top of a hillock which had been formerly occupied as a Russian redoubt, observed at a short distance in front a large body of the enemy's cavalry, which did not fall back upon the Mackenzie road until the whole of their infantry and artillery had effected their retreat.

It should be mentioned that a Turkish battery did good service during the day; and six Turkish battalions were marched up to the support of the French, four of which occupied the passes near Tchorgoun.

The loss of the French consisted of 8 superior officers wounded, 9 subaltern officers killed, and 53 wounded; 172 soldiers killed, 1,163 wounded, and 146 missing. That of the Russians was estimated at more than 3,000 killed, and 5,000 wounded, and 400 prisoners were taken.

Amongst the Russian officers killed were two generals, and upon the body of one of them, General Read, was found a paper containing the plan of the contemplated attack, so far as it was to be under the direction of General Read, who commanded the corps d'armée of the Russian right wing. Amongst the instructions were the following:

"Having occupied the hills to the left and centre, General Read will form in order of battle there, with his front turned partially towards Mount Sapoune, partially towards the enemy, covering himself in both directions by his guns in position. As regards the hills on the right, having driven back

the enemy, he will occupy them with troops of the first line.

"One of the principal cares of General Read will be to see that the irrigations of the Tchernaya are let out by the sappers, and that the bridges are thrown over as speedily as possible to carry over with every possible speed the artillery and cavalry to the other side.

"After taking the heights of Fediouchine (the position occupied by the French and Sardinians), General Read will remain there and await special orders from the Commander-in-Chief, in case an attack on the south side of Mount Gasforte should be thought absolutely necessary.

After the battle, General Read will take measures to fortify the Fediouchine heights."

The French lines of approach had now been advanced within a few yards of the Malakhoff, and the loss of life in the trenches was daily increasing to such an extent that it had become necessary either to take the work or retire to a greater distance.

It was therefore determined that the assault should be made on the 8th of September, and at midday; for there was good reason to believe that the Russians, at that hour, were in the habit of retiring under shelter, and taking their repast; so that they might be attacked at disadvantage, and the event fully justified the expectation.

The French were to storm the

Malakhoff, which was undoubtedly the key of the whole position, and when they were once masters of that formidable work, the English were to rush upon the Redan, and take it by assault. To do this before the Malakhoff was in possession of our Allies would have been an act of insanity, for the