The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-22 00:00:00

THE FALL OP SEBASTOPOL.

The Pays, referring to the intelligence conveyed
in General Pelissier's last telegraphic despatches,
makes the following brief observations :--
"The preservation of Fort Nicholas and of the Qua-
rantine Fort renders the batteries of Fort Constantine
of no effect, and adds much to the obstacles which the
Russians would have to meet with in establishing them-
selves in the Northern Fort, Besides, the rumour was
generally accredited at Vienna that on the 17th Prince
Gortschakoff had been informed of the retreat of the
Russian corps encamped at Bakshi-Serai and Simphero-
pol. It is . not, however, impossible that, in place of
proceeding towards Perekop, the road of which could
be intercepted by. the Turkish army at Eupatoria, the
Russians, might endeavour to reach New Russia by
the lagoons of the Putrid Sea, where the allied army
could not pursue them, Whatever may be the exacti-
tude of that intelligence, we still think that the Russian
army bas not any other reasonable course to adopt, as
Sebastopol was its only point.d'appui in the Crimea. A
,stay of a longer or shorter continuance at Baksbi-Serai
or near the fortS on the north exposes it to complete
destruction when the allies resume the offensive. Besides;
Sebastopol. being lost, and Eupatoria, Kamiesh, Bala-
klava, Kedah, Jeni-Kale, and the Black Sea occupied
by the allies, what advantage could' the Russians hope
to derive from a longer delay hi the mountains of the •
Crimea." •

Spener's Gazette of Berlin, of the 17th, makes the
following remarks on the fall of Sebastopol
" Had Sebastopol been taken a year ago, the Russian
fleet of the Black Sea and the establishments of the Bus.
sian navy would no doubt have been destroyed as they
are now, but the taking of Sebastopol would have been but
a lucky stroke, and would have produced no greater effect
than lucky strokes generally do. But now this great
maritime fortress has fallen by one of the most remark-
able sieges of modern times. Its fall has cost a struggle
which has lasted nearly a year, and in which both Rus-
sia and the Western Powers have put forth all their
strength. To obtain a decisive result, three battles and
three great assaults have been required ; and as this re-
sult has turned to the disadvantage of Russia on her
own soil, we may conclude that even on land Russia is
no match for the Western Powers, and that the con-
tinuation of the war would but entail new disasters
upon her. - This explains why the news of. the fall of
Sebastopol has produced so deep an impression through-
out Europe, and will not produce an inferior one in
Asia."

A private letter from Stockholm adds some details to
the accounts already given of the joy manifested in that
city by the news of taking of Sebastopol. The principal
citizens at oncelassembled to decide on a place for a gene-
ral illumination, which took place, and an immense
crowd paraded the streets, hailing with their bravos
those houses which were the most strikingly decorated.
One house alone was plunged in deep obscurity. "It
need not," says the writer, " be mentioned that this was
the Russian legation, and in passing by this divelling
the crowd hastened their steps, as if to leave an accursed
spot."

The Frankfort Post Gazette, of Sept. 18, has the
following respecting the fortifications on the north
side of Sebastopol :

"The fortifications bordering the roadstead of Sebas-
topol on the north form two distinct sections ; some
being situated to the west and directed against an attack
made from the Black Sea, while the others lie to the
south and converge their fire on Sebastopol and the
roadstead. The space separating the two sections of
intrenchments is defended by Fort Constantine, the
guns of which command both' the roadstoad and the
sea. On the western coast we fir,t meet with the Wasp
battery and that of the Telegraph ; then, turning near
Fort Constantine, we find ourselves before Fort Cathe-
rine, armed with 120 guns, and two other batteries " ra-
santes " on the border of the bay. The rocky ground,
so cut up with ravines, of the Southern table-land,
rises from the level of the sea by an abrupt ascent;
The table-land was before the Invasion crowned tkith
several batteries, partly cut into the living rock, but
since then the whole shore of the bay, as far as the
Inkerznan light-house, has been covered with earthen
entrenchments. Further in the back-ground, in the
centre of these works, the summit of the table-land,
bears the star-shaped fort named Severnaya, bat also
called the Citadel.' Of the fortifications on the
line of the Belbek we have no details whatever.
All we know is that when in 1854 the allied army, after
the battle .of tbe Alma, marched on Sebastopol, it
found the north side unassailable, and was obliged to
make the flank march recorded at the time, for the pur-
pose of turning Sebastopol and reaching the south side
of the town, which was known to be weakly fortified.
This proves that even at that date North Sebastopol was
in rather a formidable condition. Since that period they
have certainly extended and strengthened the defences
of this position ; while prolonging them as far as Upper
Belbek, they have formed an intrenched camp for the
Russian army of reserve. At the mouth of the Belbek
the Allies found even last year a regular fort. The forts
on the north side are capable of containing a garrison of
25,000 men.