THE BATTLE OF BALAKLAVA, AND THE CHARGE OF THE SIX HUNDRED.

WHILE the allied army was engaged in establishing itself on the heigths around Sebastopol, the Russians once more gathered courage, and stole back to the celebrated stronghold. As they had not been attacked, since the day of the fierce onslaught which drove them in headlong confusion from the ridges of the Alma, they breathed with greater freedom, and ventured once more to aspire to victory. Moreover, their commanders had received considerable reinforcements; for the Emperor Nicholas had the sagacity to perceive that everything depended upon striking a blow quickly and inflicting some terrible disaster upon the allied troops before they had time to establish themselves in the Crimea. Thus, when the first bombardment of Sebastopol commenced, on the morning of the 17th of October, the Russians appeared in great force, and were not only able to man the batteries and to defend the city, but could send a large army into the field to assume the offensive, whenever the chance of doing this with advantage might present itself.

At half-past seven in the morning of the 25th of October, an orderly galloped up to the English head-quarters, with the intelligence that a strong corps of the Russian horse, supported by artillery and several battalions of infantry, were marching into the valley towards the Turks, with the probable intention of cutting off our line of communication, and separating us from our stores and material of war, at Balaklava. In a moment the camp was in action, and everyone prepared to take his part in the defence of the position. It soon appeared that the Turkish redoubts had been attacked by overwhelming forces, and their occupants compelled to retire. The situation of these outworks was perilous in the extreme. About 3,000 yards in front of the heights occupied by the British army, on the plain facing towards the valley of the Tchernaya, appears a range of