The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-02 00:00:00

I 1 SEPTEMBER 2, 1854. sion. Guns in all attitudes peeped out of the dark and smouldering heap. Some looked with outstretched necks, endeavouring, as it were, to breathe, some like so many tortoises were holding on by their forefeet, while others seemed to be thrown helplessly on their backs, and some lay in ruins on the rocks below." The amount of ammunition taken is very great. Shot and shell are very abundant. Muskets and rifles to the number of nearly 4,0(X) have been found. The Russian officers stated that the forts had only just been provided with three years' stores of every kind, and ammunition for a longer period. It appears that, before the forts surrendered, to each man was given his allotment of clothes and money, and the officers compelled the men to put on the new suits. OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTH. The latest news from Turkey contains nothing defi nite respecting the long-talked-of expedition to the Crimea. Indeed, the event seems more uncertain than ever. Although the preparations appear to have been completed upon a most enormous scale, there are no sign:, of movement perceptible. On the contrary, the last telegraphic despatches from Con.. stantinople, dated the 24th ult., report that Marshal de St. Arnaud intended to hold a council of war at Varna, to decide upon the " expediency of the great expedition, considering the state of health of the troops." Thursday's Moniteur publishes a statement, re ceived from Bucharest, that a division of the English army was expected at Obileschti, in Wallachia. The cholera was declining in the allied camps, but had occasioned severe mortality. The Guards, up to the 19th of August, had lost 122 men, the Light Division more than 150. The troops under Sir De Lacy Evans lost over 100; as had the cavalry under Sir R. England. In addition there bad been many sick who recovered. The French troops suffered still more severely, having buried 200 men a day for three weeks. Among the Greek and Turkish popu lation of Varna the mortality had been heavy, about 800 having died out of 13,000. The civil European residents, 400 in number, had had only four deaths from cholera. The epidemic appeared also on board the fleet in the Black Sea. The ships were at once sent on a cruise, and returned with the men in much better health. The Britannia (flag-ship) had, however, lost 91 men, and the Albion 95. Here also the French suffered most, the deaths on board the Ville de Paris being 208, and in the Montebello 150. Many of the officers have been attacked by various shapes of illness. The Duke of Cambridge has gone to Constantinople invalided with gout and diarrhoea. Lord De Roe is laid up at Buyukdere. Captain Smith, of the Si meon*' died of cholera on the 19th ult. The pre vious day he dined on board the Agamemnon with Sir Edmund Lyons. He was attacked with diarrhoea and vomiting next morning, and died in a few hours. The Times correspondent gives a melancholy de scription of the state to which sickness and dis appointment have reduced the finest troops in the English army : " So completely exhausted was the brigade of Guards, these 3,000 of the flower of England, that they had to make two marches in order to get over the distance from Aladyn to Varna, which is not more than (not so much, many people say, as) ten miles. But that is not all. Their peeks were carried for them. Just think of this, good people of England, who are sitting anxiously in your homes, day after .;ity, expecting every morning to gladden your eyes with the sight of the announcement in large type of 'Fall of Sebastopol,' your Guards, your carps debit, the pride of your hearts, the delight of your eyes, these Ana aim, whose stature, strength, and massive bulk you exhibit to kingly viNitors as no inapt symbols of your nation, have been so reduced by sickness, disease, and a depressing climate, that it was judged inexpedient to allow them to carry their own packs, or to permit them to march more than five miles a day, even though these packs were ear ned for them! Think of this, and then judge whether these men are fit in their present state to go to Sebastopol, or to attempt any great operation of war. The Highland brigade is in better condition, but even the three noble regiments which compose it are far from being in good health or in the spirits in which they set out for Varna. "General Vuasuf has been compelled to disband the Bashi-Bazouks placed under his orders, in consequence of a mutiny. They rushed on the paymaster aid plundered him of the cash with which he was about to pay the troops. The general commanded a squadron of lancers to charge and disperse the mutineers, which was executed." THE FIRE AT VARNA. Details of this catastrophe, of which we gave the telegra phic announcement in our last paper, have since arrived. The fire broke out in the afternoon of the lOth of August, and before it could be checked destroyed several hundred houses, composing nearly half the town, and a large quan tity of Stores belonging to the British and French armies. It was almost miraculous that the gunpowder-magazines belonging to the British, French, and Turks did not fall a prey to the flames. They were providentially saved. Had it been otherwise it is impossible to conjecture what might have been the consequences. II iw the fire originated is not precisely known. It is, however, attributed to incentliarism ; and it is said that several Greeks and others against whom there were circum stancea of suspicion which they could not explain have been put to death as the authors of the calamity. THE PRESS. The fire broke out about seven o'clock in the evening in a spirit-store. This building was nothing more than a woodeu hovel, and the flames soon spread along the ad joining fabrics, all of the same construction, till they ap proached very near the English powder-magazine. The wind blew right in the direction of the magazine, and for some time it was in much danger. But the French troops had turned out, followed bysome English companies: sen tries were stationed round the magazine, water was pro cured, and intervening houses were pulled down to arrest the progress of the flames. No impression, however, was made upon the advancing conflagration, which embraced both sides of the street, till a body of 400 French sappers came up, bringing with them eight or ten fire engines, which some of them plied moat vigorously, while others, with pickaxes and crowbars, demolished everything round about of a nature to feed the flames. Parties of sailors from the ships in the harbour rendered similar assistance. But all would probably have been in vain if the wind, which had hitherto been blowing directly upon the inaga sine, had not suddenly changed and begun to blow in the opposite direction. This circumstance probably saved the magazine. The flames, being thus turned back, passed with incon ceivable rapidity along both sides of the torso, as the main street is now called, till they reached the depilt where the commissariat stores were kept. They spread with such swiftness that it was impossible for the united efforts of more than 4,000 military to stop them, by pulling down houses, throwing water, or any other measures. These stores and a large portion of their contents were destroyed. Much, however, was saved. Thence the fire spread, from three points at once, into the Turkish quarter, where a mosque and many houses fell a prey to it ; and then the united mass of flame passed rapidly on, full in the direc tion of the powder-magazines of the Turks and the French. It is impossible to describe the anxiety which prevailed at this moment, increased as it was 1,3 the explosion of some spirit-casks from time to time. At one moment there was a complete panic, for a row of burning houses just oppo site the magazines fell in with a horrid crash, scattering flakes of fire in every direction. But the falling materials happily crushed the flames beneath their own weight., and advantage was taken of the circumstance to pour upon them enormous volumes of water from the engines brought up from the sea. As in the case of the British magazine, the wind happily changed, and the " poudriere" was thus saved by three o'clock in the morning. The tire, however, raged the whole night in the Turkish quarter, and during the two following days there were numerous heaps of smouldering materials, which occasionally threatened a renewal of the conflagration. One half of Varna has thus been left desolate and in ruins. Between 400 and 1300 houses were destroyed, and two mosques. During the night the French soldiers shot six Greeks : one was cap tured in the act of setting fire to a lumber-room in the general hospital, and killed upon the spot ; and five, it is said, were taken into custody. The British forces by this catastrophe lost a vast quan tity of oats and flour, and nearly all the boots and shoes stored for the use of the men. The French losses were still greater. Many of their officers have lost all their bag gage. The effect of the fire was immediately to raise the prices of provisions and of lodgings to a very high rate, and to reduce many of the native inhabitants to a state of perfect misery—homeless and ruined. The English and French commissariat stores have suf fered considerably, but the loss, which, according to the general estimate, is upwards of LOO,OOOl. sterling, falls chiefly upon storekeepers, canteen-owners, and spirit and wine venders. The Turks have lost 30,000' gallons of oil and a very large quantity of soap. The following extraordinary Russian order of the day was read to the garrison of Odessa on the 13th : _ _ " His Majesty the Czar has ordered, in his high wisdom, that the troops who had entered Wallachia and Moldavia shall withdraw from those provinces, and march to the point where there is the greatest danger. To protect the principalities against an invasion by the Turks, the ancient ally of his Majesty the Czar (Austria) has undertaken to occupy them in the meantime. Here you will have to combat a new enemy, who has the culpable intention of attacking you in your own country. This enemy has been already frequently beaten and vanquished by our valorous fathers. His Majesty the Czar expects the same from you. You will vanquish and destroy the enemy by your bravery and your discipline. This new enemy is more skilful, and more courageous, and better commanded than the Turks ; but your courage and strength can also van• quish this enemy, as your fathers have proved several times. Call to mind, in fighting against the French, the glorious year of 1812, when the Heavenly Father also sent His hosts against these impious and criminal men, and buried them all under the ice." A letter from Trebizond of the 4th ult. states that the Furious and Firebrand had arrived there, having unsuccessfully searched all the ports on the coast of Asia for the Russian steamer which had burnt two trading vessels off Heraclea. The Russians are every day adding to the fortifications of Amapa and Soudjouk-Kaleh, where they have a corps of 20,000 men. THE PRINCIPALITIES. Omer Pacha entered Bucharest on the 22nd ult. with 25,000 troops and 30 guns, and was received by the population with general enthusiasm. He has required 93,000 rations of bread per diem to be de livered at Bucharest, Obileschti, and Ursitzein respectively. A second bridge of boats is in course of construction from Turtukai to the opposite shore of the Danube. 821 The Moniteur states that more than seventy thou sand Turkish soldiers have now passed over to the left bank of the Danube. The Vienna Presse announces that the Russian heaa quarters were at Berlad on the 25th ult., and will be in Jassy on the 2nd of September. The Moldavian militia, having received orders to join the Russian army, intend to rise in a body. The Russian hos pitals and magazines are being removed to Bessarabia, but the troops are stationary. Galatz is still oceu pied by a Muscovite force. The Russians are fortifying the line of the Pruth in every possible way, and a Cossack cordon has been established all the way from Galatz-Beni up to Czer novitz. On the left bank of the Pruth great num• hers of clay huts are being constructed, which are to serve as winter quarters for the troops. Omer Pacha is, however, likely during the present campaign to undertake offensive operations against the Russians at Tutshkow and Ismail. Indeed, it is said that as soon as the Austrians are in Bucharest the Turkish head-quarters will be removed from ltust4•huk to Baba Dagh, in the Dobrudscha. The Journal de St. Petersboure has an article on the Eastern question, from which we extract the following passage : " The imperial Government had a right to hope that the moderation of its acts, as well as the good faith of its in tentions, would have been appreciated by the Cabinet of Vienna. It is on this persuasion that it has acted since the commencement of the present crisis. The attitude lately assumed by Austria ini rendering untenable for our armies a strategic position which they had taken up with confidence has obliged them to a movement of concen tration, which they have just executed." ANNMlNimmim THE ARMY IN ASIA. Authentic details have arrived of the engagement at Kars on the sth ult., which the Russians at first claimed as a complete victory, boasting to have an nihilated the Turkish army, and taken many thou sand prisoners. According to our law advices from more trustworthy sources it appears that the battle was fought at Injidere, situated between Kuruk and Vely Kuey, and at ten miles distance from Kars. The Turks attacked the Russian entrenchments, and expected to encounter 10,000 or 12,000 men, whereas the enemy had contentrated a force double that number. The victory is disputed by both parties, but, in reality, the Turks have been beaten, having abandoned fifteen dismounted guns, which were carried away in the night of the oth by two sotniaa of Cossacks. The official loss of the Turks is 2,440 killed, and 1,009 wounded; that of the Russians is 5,000 hors de combat. Lieut.. General Vely Pacha, Major-lieneral Hassan, and Mustapha Pacha were killed. The Turkish cavalry did not take part in the engagement. This act of cowardice is attributed to Kerim Pacha. The force arrayed on both sides is thus enumerated : " Telma—Twenty thousand infantry, four regiments of cavalry (of little use), four thousand five hundred irregular and (bad) horsemen, one thousand artillery, and fifty-two guns. In reserve at Kars—Five battalions of infantry and twenty-four guns. " Reasisss.—Twenty-five battalions of infantry, two regiments of Don Cossacks, two regiments of Circassians, two regiments of dragoons, two regiments of irregulars, sixty fieldpieces, and two thousand artillery." On the Bth the Turkish army at Kars was ready to take the field again in an hour's notice, if ne cessary. Afitecond and more modest Russian account of the battle is given in a despatch from Prince liebutoff, published by the Invalide Busse. After describing very minutely the preliminaries and incidents of the encounter, he adds : " The trophies of the brilliant victory consist of 15 guns with 10 ammunition chests, 2 flags, 3 standards, 20 pen nons, a considerable quantity of arms, musical instru ments, and of 2,018 prisoners, amongst whom are 2 superior officers, 84 subaltern officers, and 1,9:12 privates, all of the regular infantry ( Nizam ). The loss of the enemy is not yet known with certainty, but he left more than 2,000 dead upon the field. " So sanguinary a battle, in which 140 pieces of cannon were thundering on both sides for four hours, could not fail occasioning us also sensible losses, by so much the more that the Turks displiqed a resistance that our oldest soldiers had never yet met from them. We have had 4 superior officers, 17 subaltern officers, and 508 men slain ; 1 general. 4 superior officers, 70 subaltern officers, and 1.881 men wounded ; 1 general, 9 superior officers, 99 subaltern officers, and 444 men hurt with contusions; the militia has had 10 killed and 61 wounded or contused." He admits also that the Turks returned to their entrenched camp, where he did not think it expedient to attack them : " The extreme fatigue of our troops, who had been up all night and gained a victory over a numerona enemy, and the indispensable care that had to be bestowed in succouring the wounded, collecting the dead, and in bringing together the guns captured from the enemy, did not permit me to continue the pursuit, by so much the more, that the battle, which had commenced at five in the morning, on ground destitute of water, while the heat was excessive, had lasted till one in the afternoon. Moreover, the enemy, beaten in the open plain, could still oppose a strong resistance be hind the natural and artificial defences of his entrenched *amp. In consequence, after allowing half an hour's re- N i