The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-26 00:00:00

- '11WW8).

EIIPATORIA, MARCH 4.
Today Omer Pasha, Colonel Simmons, cod some
other officers are gone on board the Valorous, for the
purpose of making a reconnaissance along the
coast. Count Roecheleki has arrived from Con.
stantinople -with- the rack of paella, and thus
adds another really good officer to the
Turkish army ; but it strikes me there are
too many cavalry !mhos. There is more than
one 'for every 800 men. The future is still veiled is
uncertainty. Where, in what direction, we go out
of this, if we go out at all, no one knows except the

very higheatitervonages-fir the place ; but, neverthe-
lees, many are looking forward to Simpheropol and
Baktchi-Sergi with gusto; the latter, above all,
which contains one of the most curious and interesting
remains of Tartar greatness in existence, in the shape
I of the ancient palace of the Khans, which lies in ass
of the sweetest valleys of the peninsula. A great
many things may happen before we get there, how-
er.

MAWR 5.

There has been another reconnaissance to-day,
under the orders of Zaffir Pacha (Count Rao
chelski), which promised very well in the begin-
ning, but turned out as resultless in point a advan-
tage.as the others, owing solely to the want of pluck
and judgment on the part of the Turkish regimental
ellisers. Four squadrons went out with a hundred
Tartan, and about thirty bashi-bazotthe. The morn-
ing was delicious, mild and sunny, and the ground in
capital condition. • One squadron was sent down
towards the lake on the right, to hold in check the
Russians who are posted on the bridge in that direc-
tion, and the others pushed on in the centre and to
the lett, upon the Cossacks, of whom there is generally
a squadron or two in the front of the town. On
coming up, the bashi-bazouks and Tartars were
pushed on in front as skirmiehers. Mender
Bey put himself at their head, and they
all charged manfully. About fifteen or twenty
of the enemy were knocked over, or had their
horses killed, at the very outset, and were
fairly prisoners, when the Russian cavalry on
the tight, hearing the firing, came up at a trot, and
the Turkish squadron which was sent to watch them
allowed them to go off without making the least
move. Upon seeing them advance a panic seized the
Tartar., who fled us fast as their gallant Steens could
carry them. The baahi-bazooka, finding themselves
unsupported, likewise turned tail, leaving four of
their number dismounted in front of the enemy. Poor
Iskender Bey, either scorning to fly, or in ignorance
'of the flight of his men, still dashed onward, and
found himself in a few seconds single-handed against
about 30 men. In the twinkling of an eye he had
received two lance wounds and a musket bail in his
body, and had a sabre cat on the hand. Happily his
bores was unhurt, and bore him away in gallant
style, to the great delight of everyone, as, had he
been made prisoner, the Russians have so many old
sores against him,_ there would have been no doubt
about his tate. Re came back drenched with blood,
and scarcely recognisable, iu great excitement about
the escape of the prisoners, aod, notwithstand-
ing the entreaties of his (Heade, obstinately re-
fused to• quit the field. A collection of
handkerchiefs was made, his wounds were
hastily bound up, and at last his horse was led
off by force, he himself sitting bolt upright in the
saddle, pale as death, and as grim and gory as blood
and suffering could make him. The four dismounted
bashi-bazooka were massacred on the spot ; two or
three Tartars are also missing, and about as many
of • squadron of redif, who bolted from the fray with
all the caution peculiar to middle-aged married men
torn from their villages, wives, and buffaloes at the
very laziest and most timid period of their lives.
After several rounds of carbine firing between the
Cossacks and Tartars, the cavalry on both sides re-
tired and the affair ended. Clusters of Cossacks
watched us into the town from the top of the second
line of mounds which stud the plain, no doubt chuck-
ling in the belief that we had the worst of it; and I
confess it looked very like it. The bashi-bizouks are
furious against the Tartars, but certainly without
good reason, as they are neither mounted nor armed
in such a way as to warrant them in charging home.
The incident most to be regretted is certainly the
temporary loss of Iskender Bev, who, with all his
faults—faults that many people here labour to mag-
nify—is a good soldier and a generous, dashing
fellow. There are few Englishmen who visited the
seat of war towards the commencement of the struggle
who did sot experience unremitting kindness and
civility at his hands—none more than myself ; and
there can hardly, I think, be a better time to maks
this acknowledgment than when he is stretched on a
bed of suffering.
Miriam 7.
Since the affair described above, an attempt is
being made here to give it • favourable colouring
—by grave announcements that the redif "retired"
in obedience to orders, and by no manner of
means ran away; this retrograde movement being
made in consequence of the presence of seven Russian
squadrons. lire real importance of the whole matter
is certainly very small, and I shall not occupy any
greater portion of your space in further alluding
to it than is necessary to repeat that these
wretched old " babas," who have been dragged
from their homer, their earpete; their wives
and their ooffee-houses, and had a lance, which •
they have forgotten how to use, stuck into their
hinds, and mounted on ponies which for all the pur-
poses at war bear the exact value of so mauy jack-
asses, have come here with the fixed intention to take
every means In their power to ensure their safe re-
turn to their chimney-corners, and view the efforts
their commanders to rouse hem into martial en-
thusiasm with a mature of amassment and ow.

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