The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-06 00:00:00

LATEST NEWS.

THE CRIMEA.

(From Special Correspondent of the Morning Herald.)
BALAKLAVA, SATURDAY MORNING,
Nov. 24.
Passing by our Post-office, I have found the fol-
lowing frowning notice ou its " outward wall," and
bearing the recent date of Wednesday, the 21st
inst., which, by the bye, was the anniversary of
the birthday of the Princess Royal, born in 1840,
and, as such, honoured with all due libations in
camp. Many of the camp followers, however, who
then made unholy profits from the villanous liquors
vended sub rosy to oar soldiery, must soon, under
this notice, have a stop p 4 to their too lucrative
vocation. This " Notice to Mariners," for so it is
headed, includes all classes. It runs thus :

" PASSPORT REGULATIONS.

" Balaklava being a military port in the hostile
occupation of the allied forces, masters of all ships
and vessels are hereby informed that they are held
responsible for every person they may bring to it
who does not belong to the naval or military ser-
vices of the allies. Any person objected to by the
naval authorities, or passport officer, is to be pro-
vided with an immediate passage from the Cri-
mea, at the expense of the master bringing him,
and such master and vessel are liable to be ex-
pelled the port. No master of any ship or vessel
arriving at this port will allow any private per-
son to be landed until he has duly delivered a list
of such passengers, and permission has been given
by the passport officer to their disembarking
to receive from him a Permis de Sejour,'
without the production of which, again, at the
Passport Office, they cannot re-embark to leave the
Crimea. No master of any ship whatever is to
receive on board any person for a passage without
the regulated passport, bearing date of not more
than three days antecedent. Masters infringing
these regulations render themselves liable to mar-
tial law.

(Signed) " CHAS. H. FREMANTLE,
Rear-Admiral H.M.S. Leander, Balaklava."
Major-General C. A. Windham, now chief of the
staff (of whose appointment I informed you by the
last post), has, in reference to the preceding notice,
issued another from head- quarters, which acquaints
the public, that—

"No stranger or camp follower will be permitted
to reside in, or visit the British camp, without
having previously obtained a ticket of residence
(Permis do Sejour) from the Passport Office at
Balaklava. All strangers and camp followers, not
in the Government service, now (Nov. 21) living
in the British camps, are directed to present them-
selves at the Passport Office, without delay, for the
purpose of receiving the regulated ticket of resi-
dence. Any stranger, or camp follower, who after
the sth of December shall be found in any part of
the British camp without a ticket of residence, or
Permis de Sejour, will be arrested."
In regard to the above long-threatened regula-
tions, passports and tickets of residence were for
the first time issued yesterday at the Passport
Office, situate near the main guard and Post Office,
and the delivery of passports will be there con-
tinued daily, from ten a.m. till three p.m., until
further notice.

hile on the subject of port regula, ions relative
to Balaklava, I may as well subjoin at once a para-
graph explanatory of the supplemental " signals
established for the guidance of vessels approaching
the port," and state that such signals are made from
Castle Point. This is the situation of the old
Genoese castle which protects the narrow entrance
to the port. The flags now used, in addition to
Marryat's Code, are four—namely, the union jack
and blue peter, a pendant quartered red and white,
and a swallow-tail flag, white before blue, that is,
white to the mast and blue in the fly.
The union jack indicates that the " Harbour is
clear, and vessels, having obtained permission, may
enter, half an hour after each other."

The swallow tail (white before blue) means
" Harbour is foul. Vessels not to enter." No
♦essel should enter the harbour without having a
kedge anchor ready astern, boats lowered down,
hawsers prepared for each bow and quarter, yards
topped, or ready to be topped, and anchors
a-cock-bill. When Marryatt's rendezvous flag is
hoisted above a ship's number, that vessel is to
come in or to get ready to be brought in. (Steam-
tugs are, in most cases, employed).
The red and white pendant, quartered, indicates
that "a vessel is coming in ; tug not to proceed
with vessel in tow." When the swallow-tail, white
before blue, is hoisted under this pendant, it
signifies, " Entrance clear. Proceed."
When vessels are cleared of cargo they must
hoist their ensign and keep it at the fore till ready
for sea, and then replace it by the blue peter.
The harbour master of Balaklava resides on
board her Majesty's ship Leander.
The port is not so full of merchantmen as it has
been recently. The arrivals and departures of
transports will be given below. Among the craft
remaining, perhaps the most useful, as well as the
most interesting, are the Abundance and Bruiser,
the latter being a floating flour mill and the for-
mer 'a floating commissariat bakery. I west over
the Abundance yesterday. She is commanded by
Captain Johnson, and his chief officer is Mr. G.V.
Gideon; Mr. J. W. Don is the clerk in charge. While
going round the ship I learnt from these officers that
the Abundance makes no less than 6,000 three-
pound loaves a day; and, though the base of the loaf
must not be enlarged from its present size, could,
by increasing the height of the loaf, much increase
this quantity of bread ; but three.pound loaves are
said to be the most exact and convenient size for
ration bread. The staff for " the staff of life "
consists on board the Abundance of one master
baker, two foremen, and 24 working men, who are
now divided into three watches of eight hours each,
instead of twelve hours, as originally. One poor
fellow was struck down by a fit while I was on
li board. The heat below was necessarily great, and
he succumbed, but by the instant assistance of his
comrades, was removed into a more airy quarter,
and soon recovered. The bread made is excellent, but
we are still obliged every now and then (notwith-
standing the milling perseverance of Capt. Comyn,
of the Bruiser) to purchase flour from the French.
The loaves when made, and the steam apparatus for
the several necessary operations is most ine:enious,
and through the high order maintained in the ship
most easily to be examined and understood. The
loaves, I may repeat, are rapidly delivered over
the side to the Land Transport Corps, by means of
a floating stage connecting the ship with the shore,
which stage is the happy invention of Capt. John-
son. It is prudently removed, or at least discon-
nected, every night, but by day it often renders a
service to the flower of our army, as well as to the
flour of the commissariat ; for our wounded or in-
valided men can and do, through this stage, dis-
pense with boats, and walk across it into or
from the steam-tug in which they are to be
embarked when proceeding to the large trans-
ports bound to Scutari or England. And, of
course, reinforcements or returning convalescents
can also avail themselves of the accommodation. A
curious question has arisen as to whether the offi-
cers of the Abundance and Bruiser are to obtain
Crimean medals.

Assistant storekeepers (non-militants) have, it is
said, already received such medals, and, if so, the
officers in question seem to have a sound and per-
fectly equal claim for the distinction they desire.
Men whose exertions turn out about 40,000 loaves
a week for the good of the army ought not to re-
ceive the cold shoulder in any quarter. If you want
our red-coats to fight you must feed them, and
may therefore well reward those who insure them
that food with punctuality, and good faith as to
weight and quality.
Miss Nightingale has left Balaklava this week for
Scutari, where the cholera has unfortunately broken
out, and, among others, carried off Dr. Macgregor.
This lady left by the Indiana.

(From th,e Correspondent of the Morning Post.)
An English sailor was murdered at Kazatch on
the 17th inst. His body was completely ripped
open.

POSTSCRIPT.—The winter clothing has been
issued, but is to be returned into store. Is this
peace ?

- Nothing has to-day happened out of our usual
course. I saw the Alliance locomotive running this
morning at a pace far exceeding the limit that was
assigned to it by the constructors of the line, and
astonishing the natives not a little; and as the work
of enclosing the rails seems to be discontinued, I
shall not be surprised to hear of an accident, as it is
quite possible that an apathetic Turk might stand
in its way, and expect, were he capable of antici-
pating anything, that it would turn aside instead
of smashing over him.
Nov. 21.—The thermometer, in a very comfort-
able tent, has been this morning as low as 38 deg.
I was glad, however, on arising, to find that
symptoms of rain bad disappeared, and although
the hills have remained all day white with snow,
it has been fine, although cold.

Nov. 22.—1 t has been somewhat amusing, to-
day, to see the men walking► about in their winter
clothing ; that the first symptoms of cold induced
the general order for its being taken into use.
Every man has been served out with a very nice
light tweed jacket, lined with rabbit skin, and a
far cap of portentous dimensions ; alid as for re-
cognising the British soldier, no one accustomed to
a barrack-square from the days of infancy would,
of his own natural sagacity, be so far induced. At
this moment a stranger, or rather a person unac-
quainted, ,with Crimean life, might take a soldier
for a -South Sea Islander. There is a generally

received opinion this day that the Russians aro
evacuating the notheru forts ; what are the posi-
tive indications 1 have not been able to ascertain.
A rumour of a defeat that they have had at Eupa-
toria is supposed to be one reason for it ; but I
sometime ago gave it as a conviction, forced by
♦arious circumstances, that the Russians would not
remain in this part of the Crimea during the
winter.

Nov. 23.—Most magnificent weather appears
again to have settled after the threatened change.
All available transport is at present employed in
conveying huts to the front; and I think that ere
long few officers and men, if the fine weather con-
tinues, will be left under canvass.

FRANCE.
Our letter from Paris, dated yesterday, had not
arrived when we went to press.