The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-28 00:00:00

SEBASTOPOL.

The following letter, from the interior of Sebas-
topol, appears in the Vienna papers :
" SEBASTOPOL, AUGUST 5.
" As I write a heavy torrent of rain is sweeping
past my door, for you are aware my mud habita-
tion has no windows ; the reverberating thunder
keeps me on the qui, vive ; I keep on fancying that
messieurs les besiegers have something in the wind,
but it is only the illusion of fancy ; the wrath of
God evidently displeases them, for not a shot is to
'be heard ! To-day they have, relatively speaking,
sent but a few bombs into the town ; this compa-
rative stillness seems strange to us all, for the ear
had got used to the eternal booming of a thousand
guns, and no one feels at ease during this repose,
momentarily interrupted by the thunder and the
rain. Spies and deserters bring us word that the
enemy is preparing a bombardment, and that the
French " Sayarofr means after that to hazard a
fresh storming attack. We have been long expecting

this, and are ready at au hour's notice Co meet the
army with the sign of our holy cross. I saw the
other day two French prisoners in Catherine Har-
bour, and they were being conveyed to the north
side. One of them was a non-commissioned officer,
the other a private, but bosh of them were gay
young fellows. This never-failing cheerfulness of
the French is a remarkable feature in their charac-
ter, and it looks as if they liked being prisoners.
On the non-commissioned officer being asked
whether he should not feel home-sick in Russia, he
answered, ' Why should I ? In Russia I shall learn
Russian, and when the war is over shall carry back
this language to my countrymen.' On the other
hand the English prisoners are, for the most part,
very gruff and monosyllabic. An English deserter
was asked what induced him to desert, and he
moodily answered, Fancy !' Another answered
the same question, I got dull, and if I had
not done so should have blown my brains
out !' A copy of a London newspaper was
handed in the hospital to an Englishman, not
severely wounded by-the-by, and after he had
read it with deep attention, he turned suddenly
round to the physician that happened to be stand-
ing near, and said in a low voice to him Can't
you give me some medicine that will finish me out
of hand ?' The enemy's fleet continues in Kamiesh
and Arrow Bays ; only a few liners and steamers
are off the ,roads at a distance equal to twice the
range of our fort guns. The ships are often exer-
cised at firing. Perhaps the enemy is again pre-
paring for some heroic feat, which it will not be so
easy to accomplish against Sebastopol, girt with
artillery. Since the second bombardment there is
not a spot in this town that is not strewed with
bombs and balls. It would be hard to find in the
whole town a single house that has not suffered
more or less. The glorious public library—l allude
to the edifice—has likewise been extensively da-
maged, but the books, prints, maps, and book-
shelves aro removed to a safe place. The news-
room, however, is crowded as usual, especially on a
post-day, with officers of all arms, who being relieved
for a few hours from bastion duty, go there to read
the newspapers lying on the table. It often happens
; that while they are reading some very interesting