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Leader (1850-1860), 28th October 1854, Edition Country of 2, Page 3, THE PATRIOTIC FUND. Whike everyone is an...

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      Tho Fxonch Public Has Been More Fortunat...

      sappers and miners missed their way , and got in advance towards the lines of the enemy . They -were perceived by an advanced post , which seems to have been the van of a sortie . The Russians opened fire on them at short distances with rifles , and , wonderful to relate , missed them all . The flashes , however , showed our men that strong battalions of Russian infantry were moving silently on towards our works , and the . alarm Was given to the division in the rear . At 1 . 25 a furious cannonade was opened by the enemy on onr lines , as they had then ascertained that we had discovered their approach . The second and light divisions turned out , and bur field guns attached to them opened fire on the enemy , who were advancing under the fire of our

      batteries . Owing to some misunderstanding , the covering parties received orders to retire , and fell back on their lines—all but one company of riflemen , who maintained the ground with tenacity , and fired into the columns of the enemy with effect . The Russians pushed on field-pieces to support their assault . The batteries behind them were livid with incessant flashes , and the roar of shot and shell filled the air , mingled with the constant ping-pinging of rifle and musket-balls . All the camps were up . The French on the left got under arms , and the rattle of drums and our shrill Wast of trumpets were heard amid the roll ' of cannon and small-arms . For nearly half an hour this

      din lasted , till all of a sudden a ringing cheer was audible on our right , rising through all the turmoil . It was the cheer of the 88 th , as they were ordered to charge down the hill on their unseen enemy . It had its effect ; for the Russians , already pounded by our guns , and shaken by the fire of bur infantry , as well as "by the aspect of the whole hill-side lined with our battalions , turned and fled under the shelter of their guns . Their loss is not known ; ours was very trifling . The sortie "Was completely foiled , and not an inch of our lines was injured , while the four-gun battery ( the main object of their attack ) was never closely approached at all . The alarm over , every one returned quietly to tent or bivouac .

      October 28, 1854] The Leader. 1011

      October 28 , 1854 ] THE LEADER . 1011

      The Latest Accounts Are Not More Satisfa...

      The latest accounts are not more satisfactory than those previously received . Constantinople , Oct . 19 . No news has yet been received that the bombardment began on the 17 th , as was proposed . Lord Raglan was requested to spare one part of the town where the women and children would be sent . He replied that could not be , but that they might leave the town unhurt . The British now occupy part of the northern sliore of the bay , and their guns command the harbour .

      Paris , Friday Morning . A telegraph from Prince Menschikpff has been received at St . Petersburg , and transmitted thence through " Vienna . It is dated from Sebastopol , the 21 st of October . He says the Russian fire has successfully answered the : fire of ¦ the allies . , The damage done to the fortifications was but trifling . The flre from the fleets had not continued : A part of the reserve had arrived . The rest was expected immediately . The Morning Post s ays : — We have received our usual despatches from our correspondents in the Crimea . We have dates down to the 13 th inst ., on the night of which the trenches were finally completed .

      A Russian war-steamer has been captured by the fleet . The sortie alleged by the Russian accounts to have Tbecn made upon the forces of the allies has been absurdly exaggerated . It originated thus : —A party of sappers and miners employed in the trenches on the night of the 11 th advanced towards Sebastopol reconnoitering , and , having mistaken their route in returning to the British camp , an overwhelming force of Russians gave chase to them . Tho whole party gained tlio British lines in safety .

      Sir Georgo Brown had n miraculous escape on the night of the 7 th inst . Sir Georgo had beou out visiting Ins advanced picquots in front of the enemy , and was returning by another route into the linos , accompanied by liis aidc-do-camp , when n party of KiHos , on duty nenr tho spot , opened fire . Sir ( Seorgo wan untouched , but a ball passed through tho cool , of hi . s aido-do-cnnip . Mr . Upton linn nfl ' ordud vnluablo information touching tho fortifications of Subnstopol , and no doubt in ontortainod that tho fortress imi . st full vory nhortly after tho nttackis opened . Captain Cumoron , Groimdior Guards ; Lieutenant , W . Knollyn , Scots Fusilier ( Juard i *; Capt . (' onolly , HOth Rcgimont ; dipt . UnincH , l > 5 lh Koglmont ; and Lieut . S . R . Chapman , 20 th Regiment , lmvo voluntonrcd to act na engineers , and thoir Borviroa hnvo boon accepted by Sir John Burgoyno .

      'I ho weather lias bacomo piercing cold , and the horses are dying rupidl y . Our correspondent nnmmncoH ono lamentnblo factthat out of SOOOofl ' octivolmyonotH in | 11 () < Junrdn brigado on Uio 20 th of July , only 17-10 uro ikisv available . And out of nearly forty ofllooi-H them attached to each battalion , only fourteen remain on the ellcctivo list .

      At Constantinople , the wounded are represented as rapidly recovering . On the 11 th , 500 English and French soldiers were declared to have recovered from the wounds which they had received at the battle of the Alma , and had taken their departure for the Crimea . Dr . Levy and three other surgeons , accompanied by 40 assistant-surgeons , were to embark on the 15 th for Sebastopol , to establish there a large hospital as soon as the town was taken .

      The Baltic. Sir Charles Napier Was At Ki...

      THE BALTIC . Sir Charles Napier was at Kiel by the last advices , and of course slowly on his way home .

      Asia. In A Despatch From Mossoul, Dated ...

      ASIA . In a despatch from Mossoul , dated the 25 th , TVIuchir de " Van announces that the Ottoman army of Kars has taken signal revenge on the Russians . The Turkish troops attacked a corps which was covering Gumri , and completely dispersed it , capturing tents , baggage , and thirty pieces of cannon . A Russian general was killed . The Turks then commenced the siege of the citadel . The Russian army , which had been victorious before at Abagazid , having , on the receipt of this news , set out for Rivan to deliver Gumri , was completely repulsed , and shut up in a defile , where it suffered considerable loss .

      The Patriotic Fund. Whike Everyone Is An...

      THE PATRIOTIC FUND . Whike everyone is anxious and ready to contribute to the Patriotic IFund which has been established by royal commission , a number of inquiries have sprung up with regard to the existence or non-existence of the Patriotic Fund of 1803 ; and if it has an existence , what of its whereabouts and condition ? A report of the committee of the Fund of 1803 supplies at least a clue to its origin and history . The movement was commenced under the auspices of tlie far-famed shipping corporation known as " Lloyd's , " tlie members of which were convened in general meeting , with the view of affording relief to such of their countrymen as fell , or were wounded , in the crreat

      European war . A vote was passed for the appropriation of 20 , 000 ? . to this purpose , and with that splendid and unparalleled donation the contribution list was circulated throughout the country . In looking over the resolutions passed , by that assembly , we find a curious specimen of the state of public feeling at that period . ' The preliminary proposition begins thus— " That in a conjuncture ¦ when the vital interests of bur country are involved in the issue of the present contest—when we are menaced by an enemy whose haughty presumption is grounded only on the present unfortunate , position of the Continental Powers , and when we seem to be placed as the last barrier against the total subjugation of JEurope by the overbearing influence of France , it behoves us to

      meet our situation as men , as free men , but above all as Britons . On this alone , with Divine aid , depends our exemption from the yoke of Gallic despotism— . whether our nation shall become an obsequious tributary , an enslaved , a plundered , and degraded department of a foreign empire . Therefore , it behoves us , as patriots , to hold out every encouragement to such of our fellow-subjects as may be in any way instrumental in repelling or annoying our implacable foe ; and to prove to them that wo are ready to drain both our purses and our veins in this great cause . Resolved accordingly—That to animate the efforts of our defenders , it is expedient to raise by the patriotism of tho community at large a suitable fund for their comfort and relief—for

      the purpose of assunging the anguish of their wounds , or palliating in some degree the more weighty misfortune of the loss of limbs—of alleviating the distresses of tlie widow and orphan—of soothing the brow of sorrow for the full of dearest relatives , and of granting pecuniary rewards or honourable budget ! of distinction for ( successful exertions of valour or merit . " This resolution was followed l > y another for the appropriation of 20 , 0001 . for the purposes named , all of which were carried by acclamation . What a strange contrast betwixt tho oxprosnions just quoted , and thoao to which utterance has been given in latter years ! Happily , these nntion . nl foea , n « they were termed , nro now linked with us in the closest tionds of amity , and Heaven grant that the golden cord

      may never iignin Lo broken . But to return to the fund , ' Within a few months—scarcely more than 1 ml f » yearthe 20 , 000 / . of Lloyd ' s Corporation wa « iueroaHed nearly tunfohl , and that sum wart invested for tho bonoflt ol ' pttimilosH and distniHHod warriors , both those of tho land and tho sou . Having made an analynirt of than sploiulul national offering , wo nnd that nmong the donntionn wan ono of 20 , 000 / ., two of fiOOO ? ., one of 2600 / ., two of -MlOOL , Jit of 1000 / ., AD of 500 / ., 28 of U 00 / ., 68 of tfOO ? ., 20 K of 1 ()()/ . , and 312 of r > 0 ? . Ah a tfuido to tlumo who limy propone anni * tii > tf in thin noblo <> . l )\> rt T wo have < ixtract « d a number of itomn from tho md > . ieri |> lioii lint of lHOJt , and hit um hopo that tho living will Mtrivo to ornulato tliono who hav « gonu before

      binst , then , wo begin with our merchant , prhiocm and irnmt . mcrcaiitilu corporations At n imuaiiur ol" tho uu-( U'rwriturH connected witli Lloyd ' n , tho huiidHonui donation of 20 , 000 / . worth of HtoeU wan voted—niui of the most , inugniflwnt tflft * on record . Tho Hank of Kiiffland ami th « Knat India Company Hubwcritud GOOO / .

      each , the Corporation of London gav « 2500 ? ., the Sun Fire Office and the London Assurance Corporation each presented cheques for 2000 ? . Among the donors of 1000 / . were the Bishop of Durham , the Duke of Queen ' sbury , Sir F . Baring , M . P ., Messrs . Hoare and Co ., B . Goldschmid , Esq ., Messrs . Denison and Co ., and the Goldsmiths ' , Grocers' , Tailors' , Skinners' , and Fishmongers' Corporations . Some other donations of 1000 ? . were also sent in from individuals whose names are now forgotten . There were also nearly fifty contributors of 500 ? . each , among whom may be mentioned the Archbishop of Canterbury , the Earl of Bridgewater , Lord

      Eardly , Messrs Coutts and Co ., Truman , Hanbury , and Co ., Child and Co ., and Foster and Co . Besides these were the Right Hon . H . Addington , Chancellor of the Exchequer , 300 guineas ; Sir B . Peel ( grandfather of the present baronet ) , 300 ? . ; the Chelsea Waterworks Company , 300 ? . ; the Clothworkers' Company , 300 ? . ; Messrs . Masterman and Co ., 300 guineas ; the Speaker of the House of Commons , 100 guineas ; and the Company of Apothecaries , 100 ? . The above are but a few of the splendid contributions placed on record ; to multiply them would be trespassing too much upon our space .

      But another interesting feature in this display of patriotism was the sympathy evinced by the militia and other branches of the service . Thus we find the Worcester Militia giving a day ' s pay , thereby realising nearly 60 ? . ; then one of the regiments of the line—the 1 st Dragoons — gave Mro days' pay , by which 115 ? . 16 s . 6 d . was raised ; the South Devon Militia gave a week ' s pay , amounting to 178 ?; Lord Grey ' s Cheshire regiment contributed the handsome sum of 252 ?< ; and the Foot Guards , who served in Egypt , sent 202 / . We also find the name of one John Gooke , a private in the Warwickshire Militia , who sent a donation of < 5 l 5 s . Many other similar instances might "be quoted , but this will suffice to show the prevalent spirit of the time .

      We must now make some allusion to individual efforts ; for , after all , the 200 , 000 ? . was not wholly contributed by the opulent—the people themselves were large donors . An appeal was made to the national heart , and out of its fulness and its depths a mighty response was sent forth , foremost among the offerings of that day were those poured in from the women of our island , a band of fair contributors , who realised nearly 800 ? . Let us hope that this mission of mercy may not be neglected by the ladies of" our own generation , for to them more peculiarly belongs the task before us—that of administering the cordial of relief . Another splendid instance of private bounty and activity was exhibited by a Suffolk gentleman—a Mr . J . Swales— -who first

      contributed a handsome donation himself , and then traversed various parts of the country for the purpose of collecting the subscriptions of his neighbours . His labours were rewarded by the realisation of 688 ? . 11 s . 6 d ., which we find entered in the report as an honourable testimony of his zeal . A third specimen of public sympathy is recorded of Ealing , in Middlesex , the parishioners of which subscribed nearly 1250 ? . Nottingham nnd some other towns also occupied the foreground in thi 3 laudable work , examples ' which we hope to see imitated . But so far we have only mentioned some of tho more luminous facts in connexion with this grand exhibition of sympathy , therefore wo must now quote a few of the lesser contributions—less only in amount—though not less in importance . Here we find that one " John Morris , and seventeen hop-gatlierers , " gave 8 fl . Cd . ; then a

      certain " Maid Servant" contributed 2 b . Cd . ; " A Briton " sent 40 h ., and " Thirteon farmers'labourers and a boy " raised 2 / . 17 n . fid . ; the " Firemen of tlio Sun Fire-office " collected' 21 ? . ; the " Everlasting Society of Eccentrics " voted 21 / . ; and the " ltov . Dr . Valpy and eleven of his children" gave 03 / . Now , all tho above items aro extracted from a published report , and we have been at the pains of quoting them , for the purpose * of showing that something may be clone by every m-cmbci * of the community—that the subscription must l > o a universal one . There if * the ottering of the father of tho family and the domestic , the mite of the labourer , tho donation of tho club , as well an tho contribution of the general workman and patriot . Thus for every class and grade of society there in a Iohhou ; lot u » boo that it it ) not pu » Bed by unheeded .

      Hitherto wo have omiLtod to mention tho theatres , but wo liavo not overlooked them . Tlio lessee of Drurylano gave a benefit , which realised biittl . Oh . ; Oovcntgarden , 278 ? . 11 h . 1 . 0 ( 1 . ; Haymarlcot , 201 / . 11 h . ; tho Koynl Circus , 110 ? . 10 m . ; tlio . Liverpool Theatre , f { 17 ? . 1 h . Od , ; Yarmouth Theatre ) , 207 . 7 « . Cn \ . ; and Hridgnorth Thcat . ro , 22 ? . 1 5 h . ; lJraluini , tho great Hingcr , nlno gave 21 ? . Among tho donations from Hiriniiigliain and tlio district , wo find ono of J ) 0 <)/ . from Kir Kwbtirt J ' oul , ! 05 KuinoiiH from Lord llammby , 100 / . IVoiu Mr . Mattfiow Uoulton , of Sohii ; 200 / " . from Manure . JJoulton and Watt , & , c , & v . Ho far iih to tho history of tlio 1 ' atriotio Fund of formyr yours . Its prefuuit . portion lias also been oxplainod , A communication wan nnido to tlio chairman of tlio institution I > J illC ! micrutarios of the new TV ami , which olioitod tlio following twiswor : — " Patriotic Fund , LloydV , " Off ] w , Run-eliiimber . H , < l 1 , TlinmdiH'iidlo-Ht .., Oct . 18 . " Ounllomuii , — with ruforonco tu tho interview yostor-

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 28, 1854, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_28101854/page/3/