Written in Sebastopol on the Evening of the Battle of
INKERMANN, BY A RUSSIAN SOLDIER:
"We are still alive although the English and French use every
means for our destruction; but we know not how long this may
last. _The carnage is terrible! all our efforts against the
enemy are vain, and without result._ Although we have a
superiority in numbers, we _cannot conquer the enemy in the
open Country_! The terrible coolness of the English, their
_frightful Artillery_, which _destroying entire lines of our
Troops_, disturbed their retreat, and the Balls and Shells
committed the greatest ravages. The Riflemen picked off _all
our Officers_. Our Soldiers are obedient, and execute all the
orders like machines, but they want address, intelligence,
presence of mind, and enthusiasm."
"The cool steadiness of the English, and the vigour of the
attack of the French equally alarmed them."--See _Guardian_
Newspaper, pages 919, 920, for Nov. 29, 1854.
_The Vicarage, Dudley, Nov. 30th, 1854._
Died January 26th, 1855. Mr. Edward Dixon, Sen., formerly banker in
Dudley. The disasters and stoppage of Messrs. Dixon, Dalton & Co's.
Bank in this town a few years before is a matter of commercial history,
indelibly fixed in the recollections of many eminent firms in this
locality. Mr. Dixon never took a very active part in the bank, but
his urbanity, generosity, and kindly feeling to every one, won the
universal respect of all orders of men in the town and district; his
prompt honesty, and genuine honour and integrity in his commercial
transactions, were the means of saving many respectable people from
utter ruin, and at his death it was deemed desirable that a public
funeral should mark the wide-spread sense of sorrow and deep regret at
the loss of so good a friend and honourable a townsman. Aged 68 years.
February 16th, 1855. Mr. William Masefield's candle manufactory,
situate between High Street and King Street, was this night burnt down.
Damages £650.
Died February 26th, 1855, at Hastings, John Benbow, Esq., M.P. for
this town, aged 87 years. Mr. Benbow was a decided Tory in politics,
and a churchman in religion; his school of thought was narrow and
contracted, and he looked upon all reforms and progressions with alarm
and distrust. He was well known to be the nominee of the young Lord
Ward and his Trustees; he secured and maintained his seat as M.P. for
Dudley entirely on the sufferance of the Castle power and influence;
for the electors of Dudley would never have returned him had it not
been for quarrelling with their own bread and living. The old gentleman
never spoke in the House of Commons; he seldom favoured Dudley with his
presence; he represented us (or rather never represented us at all) for
about eleven years, and it was always keenly felt that he was of no use
to this enterprising and increasing Borough.
Died March 2nd, 1855, Nicholas, the tyrannical and ambitious Emperor
of all the Russias, aged 59 years. This wicked man caused the invasion
of Turkey, and the war in the Crimea, by which so many of our brave
countrymen fell in defence of the Turkish Empire, and the cause of
humanity.