of September, his remains arriving at Constantinople on the following morning, whence they were conveyed to Paris, and honoured with a public funeral.

While thanks were being offered on Sunday, the 30th. of September, 1854, for the plenteous harvest, in every church and chapel of the land, a telegraphic address announced the news of the glorious victory of the Alma, and rumour with her thousand tongues volunteered the intelligence that Sebastopol was taken. It does not appear that the false report was the result of premeditation, and although the crowning event of the war was not to take place so speedily, there was a glorious commencement of the drama, notwithstanding that the fifth act had yet to be played out. Her Majesty's gracious approbation of the gallant conduct of the army at the battle of the Alma, was notified to the troops on the 27th. of October following, and Lord Raglan particularly adverted to that portion in which the Queen's sympathy is expressed for the fallen, the wounded, and their sorrowing relatives.

Ultimately the allies proceeded to attack the south side of Sebastopol, and the combined forces quitted the Belbec (where they had arrived on the 24th.) on the 25th. of September, leaving a small force to threaten the northern side of the fortress, in order to cover the celebrated flank march of the combined armies, suggested by Lieutenant-General Burgoyne. Whilst on the march through the "Bush," by McKenzie's farm, to the valley of the Tchernaya, the cavalry and artillery fell in with the rear of a Russian division, which was on its march from Sebastopol to Simferopol; they captured all its baggage and a great quantity of small-arm ammunition. The light division was in support of the cavalry and artillery on this occasion, and the 23rd. Royal Welsh Fusiliers were leading the column; the second battalion of the Rifle Brigade went on in advance with the guns, and were in immediate contact with the enemy. On that evening, and the morning of the 26th., the troops arrived at the plain of Balaklava, having passed through a tract of country densely wooded, and without regular roads. The small garrison of Balaklava, consisting of about sixty men, surrendered at the first approach of the light division, after firing a few shot from some mortars, when

this little town was forthwith entered and placed by the British in a posture of defence.

SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.*

ON the 28th. of September, the British Siege Train, consisting of eight companies of Royal Artillery, commenced disembarking, and notwithstanding the smallness of the harbour of Balaklava, and the want of suitable facilities for the reception of the guns, shot, and shell, the whole matériel was landed in five days, the sailors of the Royal Navy rendering good. service on this and other occasions.

The basis of operations, in connection with the fleets, being now attained, the main body of the British army moved forward towards Sebastopol, and occupied ground on the western side of the plateau, near the "Maison d'Eau," General Bosquet's division taking up a position beyond Cathcart's Hill, on the extreme right. The celebrated Redan and Flagstaff batteries occupied the centre of the position, and ships of war were moored in the dockyard and careening creeks, and at the head of the harbour, in order that their broadsides might be brought to bear on any lines of approach attempted by the storming parties of the allied troops. Batteries were at once commenced, to be established in order to reduce the fire of the enemy's artillery, and an alteration was made in the relative

It cannot be too generally known that there is an excellent model of the Siege of Sebastopol deposited in the Museum of the United Service Institution, Whitehall Yard, which forms a worthy companion to that of the Battle of Waterloo, by Captain Siborne, also to be seen there. The Sebastopol model owes its origin to the following circumstances:-While the war in the Crimea was still being carried on, His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, as a mark of the continued interest he has always taken in the above Institution, presented to its Museum, in November, 1855, a model of the Siege of Sebastopol, based upon the best information that could at that time be procured in England. His Royal Highness, on presenting it, made a stipu lation that the council would take steps to mark (in colour or otherwise), the exact position of the attacks of the allies, and of the Russian defences at the time of the capture of the place.

The council lost no time in inviting some officers who had lately returned from the Crimea, to undertake the completion of the model, according to His Royal Highness's wishes; difficulties, however, presented themselves in endeavouring to carry this out in a satis

positions of the French and English forces, with a view of bringing the former nearer their base of operations at Kamiesh. To effect this, the British were ordered to carry on the attacks on the left of the enemy, for which purpose they moved to the right until their right was beyond the west of the ridge on which the Russians had a large advanced white tower, afterwards the famed Malakoff.

It was a busy time for the assailants; guns and siege matériel had to be brought to the front; ammunition, military stores, and provisions were conveyed with great labour for seven miles, that being the distance from the port of Balaklava. Obstacles only nerved the soldiers to increased exertion, and day by day some new earthwork was completed, some guns placed, or heaps of ammunition accumulated for thé destruction of the place. Determined efforts at the same time were made by the Russians to frustrate the efforts of the besieging troops, and their sharpshooters had frequent skirmishes with the outlying pickets.

FIRST BOMBARDMENT

OF SEBASTOPOL.

EVERY heart beat high with expectation on the 16th. of October, for on the morrow was to commence the first bombardment of Sebastopol, and at half-past six o'clock on the morning of that day one hundred and twenty-six pieces of ordnance from the French and British batteries opened their

factory manner, which it was found impossible to overcome. In the meantime, at the expiration of the war in 1856, the officers of the Royal Engineers and of the Quartermaster-General's department had completed their official surveys of the country, and, with His Royal Highness's concurrence, it was resolved to construct a new model, based upon the latest and most accurate information. Colonel F. W. Hamilton, C.B., of the Grenadier Guards, who was wounded at the Battle of Inkermann, undertook the execution, the officers of the Army and Navy being invited to subscribe to a fund for defraying the necessary expenses, the Prince Consort heading the list with a donation of £50. The model is constructed to a horizontal scale of eleven inches to one mile, or one inch to four hundred and eighty feet. A succinct but valuable description of the model by Colonel Hamilton has been printed, from which the above particulars have been extracted.

fire on the fortress. The tower of the Malakoff by ten o'clock had become untenable, and all its guns had been either damaged or dismounted, whilst the earthen battery round it had slackened its fire. Five hours afterwards the Redan was so considerably injured by an explosion in its rear, that only three guns remained standing; during the afternoon several explosions occurred in the lines of the army.

It was not until one o'clock that the allied fleets commenced their share in the fray. At this period the French batteries had ceased firing, two of their magazines having exploded, which completely disabled two of their batteries. Thus the Russians directed their whole attention to the British lines, and such of their guns, relieved from the French bombardment, as could be turned against the British batteries were brought to bear thereon, but the latter did not suspend their fire until evening. A determined sortie was made by the Russians against the extreme left of the French, between four and five o'clock in the afternoon, but, after displaying great gallantry, they were compelled to retire.

The ammunition expended from the mortars and guns during the bombardment of the 17th. of October, amounted to twentyone thousand eight hundred and eighty-one rounds, of which two thousand seven hundred and forty-five were from mortars. Each of the shells from the Lancaster guns cost about £25, and three hundred and seventy were fired on this occasion, which alone made it a costly proceeding.

Shortly after day-break on the 18th. of October the British batteries re-opened their fire, and continued it during the day. This was replied to by a formidable fire from the Russians, who had repaired the works and re-mounted the guns in the famous Redan. The French were employed in repairing their batteries, and were therefore not in a position to assist, so that the British stood alone in this day's cannonade. On the following morning, the French having succeeded in that respect, the whole of the Anglo- French lines renewed the bombardment. It however became evident that Sebastopol could not be assaulted so early as was at first anticipated, and consequently many changes in the works of attack had to be made; the fire of the Russians continued such as to prevent

the principal alterations being effected otherwise than during the night.

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A naval brigade of over a thousand men, with fifty heavy guns, had been landed from the fleet, and took part in the bombardment In the attack by the fleet it was arranged that the English should take the north side of the harbour, the French the south, the Turkish ships being in the centre. The English sailing ships were placed in their proper positions by steamers lashed alongside ; the Albion by the "Firebrand," the "London" by the "Niger," "Britannia" by "Furious," "Queen" by "Vesuvius," "Trafalgar" by "Retribution," "Vengeance" by "Highflyer," "Rodney" by "Spitfire," "Bellerophon" by "Cyclops," and "Arethusa by the Triton The "Terrible," "Tribune," "Samson," "Sphinx," "Spitfire." and "Lynx" took up independent positions, and engaged principally the forts and earthworks on the cliff to the north of Fort Constantine. The French ships were first engaged; and about two p.m. the "Agamemnon," Admiral Sir E. Lyons, piloted by the steam tender " Circassian," Master E. Bale, who had volunteered for the service, anchored, amidst a storm of shot and shell, about 750 yards from Fort Constantine, in five fathoms water, and opened her fire. A few minutes afterwards, the "Sanspareil" (Captain Dacres), and the "London" (Captain Eden), anchored astern, followed soon after by the "Albion" (Captain Lushington), and most ably supported Sir Edmund, who from his position was exposed to a cross-fire from the forts. The action became general, but after an hour's furious cannonading the Albion and London, much shattered, hauled off to a greater distance, and the Russians concentrated their fire on the Agamemnon, but the greater part of their shot (the ship lying so close to the forts), fortunately struck her rigging instead of her hull. As it was, she was almost reduced to a wreck, every spar being more or less damaged, her rigging hanging in shreds, and her main top. and hammock nettings on fire. The "Queen," "Rodney," and "Bellerophon," by signal, bore down to support her, but the Queen being set on fire by a shell was towed out again, and the Rodney ran aground under Fort Constantine, but was got off by the exertions of her own crew, and Com