The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-14 00:00:00

SATURbAY.

Lieul

an, of the Caradoe,

spaniel the

. ,
staff of General Lord Raglan during the action, and I also
sent Lieutenant Glynn, of this ship, to convey any message
to me from his lordship.
All the medical officers of the fleet (excepting one in
each ship), UUU seamen and marines, and all the boats have
been assisting the wounded, and conveying them to the
transports that will sail for the Bosphorus as soon as
possible.
I believe it is the intention of the allied forces to move
to-morrow, and the Sampson, which I detached last night
with the Terrible off Sebastopol, has signalised that the
Russians were retreating on Sebastopol, and that they have
burnt the villages on the Katscha.
(Signed)

J. W. D. Dunes.

MOVEMENTS OF THE FLEETS AND ARMIES.

Off the Katscha, Sept. 23, 1654.
Since my letter of the 21st the men and boats of the
fleet have been employed in bringing from the field (about
four miles distant), and carrying on board the transports,
the English and Russian officers and men wounded in the
battle of the Alma, as well as the sick of the army.
2. All the medical officers of the different ships have
been zealously and usefully occupied in attending them,
and I have been obliged to send several assistant-surgeons
in the vessels with the wounded to Constantinople.
3. The Vulcan and Andes, with fith) wounded and sick,
sailed for Constantinople yesterday, and to-day the Orinoco
and Colombo, with 900, including some sixty or seventy
Russians, will follow. Another vessel (by the request of
Lord Raglan ), with about 500 wounded Russians, will
also proceed, =der chargb of the Fury, to land them at
Odessa.
4. On the night of the 21st instant the Russians made a
very great alteration in the position of their fleet In Sebes-
topol. I enclose a report made by Captain Jones, of the
Sampson ; and I propose attacking the outer line the first
favourable opportunity. .
5. Captain Jones also reports that great exertions appear
to be making to strengthen the land defences, as well as
those by sea.
New batteries on both sides of the port have been erected,
defending the entrances and line of coast. One, to the
north, has heavy guns, of a range of 4,000 yards, two shots
having passed over the Sampson when nearly at that dis-
tance.
6. Provisions for the army have been landed, and the
forces move on to-day towards Sebastopol, accompanied by
the fleets, which have anchoted off the hatscha. I have, &c.,
J. W. D. DuNnss, Vice-Admiral.
RUSSIAN SHIPS SUNK AT SEBASTOPOL.
Off the Katscha, Sept. 24.
Sir,—lu my letter of yesterday I reported the extraordi-
nary change that had taken place in the position hitherto
maintained by the enemy's fleet in the harbour of Sebasto-
pol, and I now beg yon will acquaint the Lords Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty that the same afternoon, on the
appearance of the allied fleets in sight of Sebastopol, the
whole of the vessels mooted across the harbour were sunk
by the Russians, leaving their meats more or less above
water; and I went last evening to the mouth of the bar-
hour to assure myself of this singular event.
Captain Drummond has examined the harbour this
morning, and reports that the lower mastheads of the ships
are generally above water; that the passage is closed, ex-
cept perhaps a small space near the shoal off the north
battery, and the double booms inside are thus rendered
more secure.
Eight sail-of-the-line are moored east and west, inside of
the booms, and three of the ships are heeled over to give
their guns more elevation to sweep over the land to the
northward.
2. An intelligent seaman, a deserter, who escaped from
Sebastopol on the 22nd, had partly prepared me for some
extraordinary movement. He had informed me that the
crews of the ships moored across the harbour (to one of
which he had been attached) had been landed, with the
exception of a very few in each ship; that the vessels were
plugged ready for sinking; that the guns and stores were
all on hoard ; and that the other ships were moored under
the south side, to defend the harbour from attack from the
northward. He reported that the battle of Alma ht.d
greatly dispirited the Russians ; that the troops had re-
treated on Sebastopol without a halt ; that he believes the
whole Russian force not to exceed 40,000. The man's
statements were clear, and on points that came under his
own observation were mostly corroborated, and I consider
reliance may be placed on his information generally, con-
sidering the means his station in life afforded of enabling
him to obtain it. At the request of Lord Raglan, I have
sent him on shore to act as a guide to the army on their
approach to the environs of Sebastopol.
3. The allied armies moved this afternoon to take up a
position to the south of the port of Sebastopol, and the
fleet will move so as to meet their arrival there.
J. Dmvms.
DISPOSAL OF THE RUSSIAN WOUNDED.
This letter was addressed to the Russian General
Annenkoff, at Odessa :
Off the Katscha, September 26.
have the honour to inform your excellency that
in consequence of the advance on Serastopol of the allied
armies after the battle of the Alma, on the '2oth instant, a
number of wounded Russian officers and soldiers were left
in the rear, in the small villages near the places where
they had fallen, and by the est of his Excellency
General Lord Raglan I have collectd as many as I could
(about 340).
gallant
In order to shorten the sufferings of these
soldiers, which a long seavoyage most necessarily increase,
I have sent them to Odessa, rather than to Constantinople,
the distance to the former being so much less.
Commander Rogers, of the Royal Navy, has charge of
them, under a flag of truce ; and I trust your excellency
will, in the same feeling of humanity, receive and consider
them as non-combatants until regularly eichanged, grant-