The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-16 00:00:00

THE ALLIED ARMIES.

(From a 'Correspondent of the Times.)
•
CAMP* OF THE ALIAD ARMIES ON
THE-TOHEANATA, Oct. 2.
In the, absenc, icf ,stirljng7e.Teptc-on this side, the
news from tipatoria has rivetted the whole attention
for the . c::
On Saturday last the French and- Turkish cavalry
meat' t !train ;EurititOiii-ni- rbail to Perelicip: After-
having crossed the stone bridge which leads over the
creek running inland from Sasik they fortneirin.three'
columns, with th. 3 French cavalry in the centre and the
Turkish. cavalry on both wings, and pushed forward.
The Russian outpOsts fell slowly back, drawing up by
degrees their reserves on all sides, and bringing up their
horse artillery. They had, however, with a Turkish
commander, no more to do, and a succession of well-
directei manoeuvres for Ced them to stand, when the
French cavalry charged in the most brilliant manner,
broke them, and took six guns and 200 prisoners. The
French and Turks followed them up nearly 14 miles
inland, and then returned with their trophies to Eupw
toria.

It is stated that General d'Allonville, the French
commander of this expedition, has pledged himself to
cut off all communication with Pertkop if they send him
a division of French or English infantry, or some more
cavalry. This statement is not so surprising as the fact
that nearly four weeks after the fail of Sebastopol no
measures have been taken to effect this object., which
must be always of the utmost importance, whether one
is of opinion that the Russians intend to evacuate the
Crimea before the winter or not. In the first place, a
large cavalry force oil the flank would be much more
efficiect in hatening a retreat than large columns of
irt-
fantry, or even cavalry, in the r ar ; and, in the s.cond, a
consuterable force in Eupatoria, principally of cavalry, at
the present moment, when the harvests north of tl e isthmus
of Perekop afford the heat epportueity of filling the Rub-
sian magazines in the Crimea, nod when the state of the
toads facilitates the convoy of provisions—would farce
the Russians to send an army with every convoy, or
else convince them better than anything else of the im-
possibility of remaining in the Crimea during another
winter. The force which is now. at Eupatoria may in-
flict lessee on the Russians in the immediate neighbour-
hood of Eupatoria, but it is scarcely sufficient to injure
serioudy and permanently even the coinieunicittion by
the isthmus of Perekop. Now, it must not be forgetteu
that this isthmus is not the only line of communication
of the Russians with the north. Without taking into
consideration the spit or isthmus of Arabat, which, from
its precarious character, can scarcely be reckoned as a
permanent line of communication, the Russians con-
structed in the course of last year a military road across
the peninsular of Tchongar, to the east of Perekop,
which leads down directly to Simpheropal, running
nearly parallel, but not uniting with that cowing from
Perekop to Simpheropon
Hai-measures, therefore, cannot greatly hinder the
Russians in their communications. Such encounters as
that on Saturday last will doubtless inspire the Russians
with considerable respect for the cavalry of the allied
armies, or rather for the French cavalry, for there is. not
a man of our splendid cavalry in Eupatoria. They will,
unless they have an immense advantage in numbers,
most studiously avoid them, but as soon as they retire
the Russian cavalry will come back. In fact, it is the
best and easiest way of securing the safety of their line
of communication to amuse the forces at Eupatoria,
which are not strong enough to venture to send flying
columns into the interior, by the will-o'-the-wisp sya.
tem of mauceuvring, even at the risk of being, like lost
time, caught occasionally, and of losing a few hundred'
men and some guns.
But even these partial efforts of the French are better
than the complete inactivity in which our cavalry
passes its days in Kara nyi. A look at the map, or a
ride about the Baidar valley, which at least nine-teethe
of our officers have made, must convince everybody that,
although there are spots in which cavaory charges might
be effected, yet that this part of the country is not fit to
act with cavalry on a grand scale ; be-sides, as it could
neither be expected that they should distinguish them-
selves in the trenches, nor scale the heights of Mackenzie
or Aitodar, it seems certainly strange that such e large
force of cavalry should have remained without e uploY•
merit, when there was scope enough for it in another
place, and when every one was burning with the desire
to show that the charge of Ba'akiava has not at all shaken
the confidence of the men and officers, unless one sup-
poses that the anxiety of avoiding one fault makes us
fall into another. Last year the results of the battle of
the Alma were certainly crippled from want of cavalry,
and might have created a cohtsctiou that it is very un-
desirable to deprive an advancing army of a PT"r-
tiormate forge of cavalry, but this year we have, together
with our allies, cavalry enough for both purposes ; amid
ceromiely Government cannot oe accused of shortcousings
in this respect.
There were alreaoly several days ago runours of an
aff sir between the detachment of the 10th Hussars at
Kertch and the Russians, which, as they were rather
vague, I did cot ineniion in my last letter.' They are
now a fact, the details of which are, I learn, as. follows
--The detachments of Chasseurs d'Afrique asti of the
10O) 'Hussars went out for a reconnaissance, the former
as first column, the seoond in support. The Chasseurs
d'Afrique, being as much as 10 or 12 modes ahead, fell `"
with a body of Russian cavalry numbering nigh 600
me-, and, not being able to encounter them WIL" such
odds, being (slily a troop of sea. cely more than 100 men,
they gent hack to the place where the Hussars as re sta-
tnred to get reit& ircements. Time commanderof the latter,
unwilling to leave the position which was to insure a
safe retreat unprotected, left one troop there, and ad-
vanced with the other ; but as the distance was consi
derable, and it was essential not to fatigue the horses, '
he could only arrive at nightfall at the appointed spot.
The French Chasseurs, in the meantime, had found
means of retiring, and when the morning
broke the
troop of Hussars found itself alone, and its retreat cut
off by the Russian cavalry, which in following the
French had come into their rear. So nothing remained
but to break a way through the enemy's squadrons, and
this was done most gallantly, with the loss of only 16
men,--a now proof that Russian cavalry has not the
least chance, even with such great odds in its favour, in
encountering English cavalry, whether Dragoons or
Hussars, light or heavy ; but it is likewise a slight me-
mento of the often-experienced, one might say, stale
truth, that divided command is just as bad, if not worse,
for cavalry than for infantry, and that it does not an-
ewer better in field than in siege operations.
Nothing new on the Tchernaya. The time passes in
drilling, and rifle and band practice, enlivened occa-
sionally by a shot from one of the Russian cliff batteries
on Mackenzie's ridge. They greet us every morning at
daybreak, as if to refute the idea of an intention of the
Russians to retreat.
The Piedmonteee are busy witb the railway and with
butting. If one sees the huts gradually rising, and
seemingly without trouble, one cannot help making
melancholy reflections, remembering the difference from
last year, when trenches, and want of tools and mate-
rials, made: the construction of the most wretched hovel
appear a work of gigantic efforts. But the difference
suggests, on the other hand, an agreeable prospect for
the winter ; plenty of wood and leisure enough for 'the
construction of a town. The Sardinians have evidently
followed in the construction of their huts the system of
Tartar sheds—sticks planted in the ground, and inter-
woven with branches, the whole plastered over with
mud, and then the roof covered with earth, or if possible,
with tiles collected from the ruined houses in the neigh-
bourhood.
The French have now nearly completed the road
across the valley which connects the Feduikhine heights
on the bank of the Tchernaya with their main road
from Kamiesh, which hitherto did not go further than
the Col de Balakiava.
The Turks alone have not yet made any arrangements
for the winter, exceiA serving out the short sheepskin
coats to the men. The cause of this is that their fate
seems not yet to be decided, whether they will remain
here or be sent to Asia ; the latter alternative is, how-
ever, the more generally assumed. and hopes are enter-
tained that by the end of this month the last fez-capped
soldier will have left this part of the Crimea. In the
meantime only the Chasseurs have gone.
At Baidar the French still occupy their position on
the heights commanding the two roads to the north,
making occasional descents into Koukoulossa and Mar-
koul on one side, and Ozembash on the other. They
are still occupied in making the roads across the valley
as well as up the heights practicable for an army. The
main road used by the Tartars from Baidar to Bakshi-
Serai is that which leads by Ourkusta to-Ozembash, and
thence across the Tchouliou and up by Aitodor to the
plateau ; but even this is wretched, or at least was so
before the French laid hands on it. The other, which
leads up between the two points called btothe Tartars
Yaila Bashi (" Head of the Yaila"), and Tekui-bair
(from its shape resembling an inverted washing tub), is'
even worse ; and, as it is only used occasionally as a
cart road, needs even mere reparation than the former.
The Russians have entirely retired from Markoul and
Koukouloussa, and have, with the exception of their

Outposts, retired to Fot-Sala, at the 'confluence of seve-
ral mountain streams with the Belbek. Theyhave thrown
up batteries to command the defile of the river and the
two roads branching out from that point, one along the
banks of the Belbek to Alband• and Kutschuk Sioren
and thence to Bakshi-Serai ; the other towards Airgoul,
leading int the road between Bakshi-Sergi and Simphe-
ropol.• Besides the fort at Fot-Sala :the RusSians hive
likewise fortified the passage near Airgoul and Kerment-
shik, on the one side, and near Alban( and Kutachuk
Sioren on the other. The disadvantage for an attacking
party on this side will always be the want of space for
forming an attack, and thus bringing up at once a suffi-
cient number of men to carry a point.
But, if report be true, the Russians are not about to
be satisfied with the defence of their strong positions ;
they intend pushing back the French divisions from the
threatening position which they have assumed on the
heights above the•valley of Baidar. They have sent for
this purpoie abotit 2,000 Greek volunteers on the moun-
tain of Yaila, that they may, in case of a successful
Russian attack in front, fall on the flank of the retreat-
ing French. This movement may, however, be only to
insure complete security from an attsok on that side ;
for, although there are no other than footpaths over these
mountains, yet, where shepherds and cattle can climb
up, there is no reason to suppose that an active Chas.
6eur-3•Pied or an enterprising Zouave could not climb up
too.

Nothing can exceed the willingness of the Tartars to
help us by giving information, as well as what is• left
them of provisions. It would be only desirable that a
greater strictness prevailed about payment, for the
people in the villages, although rich enough before the
war, have been exposed to the exactions of Russian
troopers.

Yesterday, in riding over the position there, I was
told a tragic story of one of the Tartars employed by us,
which seemed to have produced a great sensation among
the people, although, as you will see, he, and not fate,
was ip fault. He was a native of the village of Baza,
and wdeengaged to some Tartar beauty at Markoul.
When the French occupied the heights and the roads,
and when the Russians were no mere seen in Markoul
itself, his desire to see his bride was greater than would
be warranted by prudence, which is, under ordinary cir-
cumstances, the prevalent featureof the Tartar character,
and a natural consequence of 70 years of Russian rule ;
so he went down. He was seen by some prowling Cos-
sacks, who shot at bins, wounded him in the shoulder,
and then carried him off.