inary battle, were defeated. This
decisive repulse of the Russian army in the field, left the allies more
at liberty to prosecute to perfection the works necessary to secure a
successful assault. Before that event occurred the British experienced
many serious losses; a surprising number of regimental officers fell in
conflict or died. The disgraceful state of the English transports caused
many deaths. The same inaptness and incompetency for general management
characterized the English chiefs as at the very beginning of the siege.
The British army experienced a serious injury in the retirement of
Lieutenant-general Sir Richard England. He had probably endured more
fatigue, and worked on with more patience, perseverance, and continuity
of action than any officer in the British army. One by one the English
chiefs had fallen away by death, or wounds, or sickness, General
England, with frame of iron and indomitable will, still bearing up,
although sharing cold, watchings, labours, and privations with his
soldiers in a way characteristic of his generous nature and military
temper. He was perhaps the least ostentatious soldier in either army. He
never put himself forward prominently, but was always ready to perform
the most arduous task committed to him with scrupulous precision, and
quiet and indomitable resolution. Had he not offended the agents of
the press by his resolution of not allowing any reporters within his
division--under the conviction, probably erroneous, that the reports
which found their way into the English papers, gave information to the
enemy injurious to the service--he would have had many a gallant deed,
and his stern uncompromising sense of duty, emblazoned to the world. His
health at last suffered so severely, that he was obliged to return home,
shortly before the grand conquest was achieved.

September opened with the immediate preliminaries of the grand struggle.
The final bombardment of the strong city began. The number of guns
with which the allies opened the bombardment was 803. On the old French
attack there were 332 pieces; on the French Inkerman attack, 267 pieces:
making a total in the two separate French attacks of 599 pieces of
ordnance.

The English had 204 pieces, consisting of 91 mortars, and 113 guns.

The bombardment began upon the 5th,--the heaviest ever known in the
history of sieges. Terrible mischief was effected by the constant
discharge of so many engines of destruction; and the a