“The 15th of August, 1854, was the date first fixed for the sailing of the allied forces from Varna to the Crimea.  It was postponed until the 20th, then till the 22d, then the 26th,—­then successively to the 1st, 2d, and 7th of September; that is, the French fleet left Varna on the 5th, and the English sailed from the neighboring port of Baltschik on the 7th.”  It is admitted that “these delays hazarded not only the success, but even the practicability of the whole design, as between the 15th and 25th of September the great equinoctial gales sweep over the Black Sea, and lash it into tempests of the most destructive nature.”

The voyage, however, was accomplished in safety, and on the 14th of September the Allies arrived at the Crimea, off a place called the “Old Fort,” only about thirty miles north of Sebastopol.  The whole army was composed of 27,000 English, 24,000 French, and 8,000 Turks.  The landing occupied the 14th, 15th, and 16th of September.  At nine o’clock, A.M., of September 19th, the army began the advance, and on the evening of the same day rested for the night within sight of the Russian forces, strongly intrenched on the banks of the Alma, about twelve miles distant from the “Old Fort.”  Early in the afternoon of the following day the Allies attacked the stronghold of the enemy, and in less than three hours the Russian intrenchments were successfully stormed, and the Russian army was in full retreat.  The English and French troops fought with determined and distinguished bravery, and their victory was complete.  But what was decided by this bloody struggle?  Bad generalship on the part of the Russians, certainly; but what else?  Mr. Russell says,—­“This great battle was not decisive, so far as the fate of Sebastopol was concerned, merely because we lacked either the means or the military genius to make it so.”  The victory was not followed up, the retreating foe were not pursued, ample time was given to the enemy to reorganize and retrieve their losses, and the evening of the eventful 20th of September found the allied forces no nearer the capture of Sebastopol than they were before the battle.

Did “the Alma” crown the allied generals with fresh and well-earned laurels?  We appeal once more to Mr. Russell:—­“I may inquire, Was there any generalship shown by any of the allied generals at the Alma?  We have Lord Raglan painted by one of his staff, trotting in front of his army, amid a shower of balls, ‘just as if he were riding down Rotten Row,’ with a kind nod for every one, and leaving his generals to fight it out as best they could; riding across the stream through the French Riflemen, not knowing where he was going to, or where the enemy were, till fate led him to a little knoll, from which he saw some of the Russian guns on his flank; whereupon he sent an order to Turner’s battery for guns, and seemed surprised that they could not be dragged across a stream and up a hill which presented some difficulties to an unencumbered horseman;