The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-12 00:00:00

ARRIVAL OF THE SAMPSON

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPE.)

PORTSMOUTH, FIUDAY, 11 A.m.
Her Majesty's steamer Sampson, with sick and
wounded from the Black Sea, has arrived.

LORD JOHN RUSSELL IN PARIS.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs gave yesterday
a grand dinner, at which Lord John Russell, Sir
William Temple, Marshal Nugent, Baron Htibner,
M. de Persigny, &c., assisted.

ARRIVAL OF THE AVON FROM THE
BLAGX SBA.

SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY.
The Royal mail steamship Avon, Captain Ellison, has
arrived off this port from the Black Sea, Constantinople,
Malta, and Gibraltar, bringing about 200 invalids and
wounded soldiers and officers from the British army in
the East.

The Avon brings no news of importance. She has
been employed for the past eight months in the transport
service, but, having sustained severe damage in the
great gale of the 14th of December at Balaklava, has
been sent home for repair.
It is expected the Avon will be at once ordered to
Portsmouth to disembark her melancholy freight. She
therefore has not entered the docks, but awaiti instruc-
tions from the Admiralty.

THE VACANCIES IN COMMAND AT

THE CRIMEA.

The following is a list of the officers exercising com-
mand above that of a regiment who have become non-
effective and who have not been re-placed :
Licut.-General Sir George Brown, at Scutari or
Malta ; Lieut.-General Sir Do Lacy Evans, home ;
Lieut.-General Duke of Cambridge, coming home ;
Lieut.-General Sir G. Cathcart, dead.
Thus, of the lieutenant-generals commanding divisions
originally there is but one left—viz., Sir Richard Eng-
land. We now come to the brigadier or major-generals.
Major-General Bentinck, home ; Major-General Tor-
rens, home ; Major-General Lord de Ros, home ; Ma-
jor-General Earl of Cardigan, home ; Major-General
Pennefather, reported to be coming home; Major-General
Adams, dead ; Major-General Goldie, dead ; Major.
General Tylden, R.E., dead ; Major-General Strang-
ways, R.A., dead. Therefore, of the 16 officers of the
second, or major-zeneral, rank, nine have become non-
effective—seven ecly being now left at their duty. Con-
sequently, 13 officers must have been taken from the
command of regintents to take the places of the non-
effective divisional and brigade commanders.

THE FLOATING BATTERIES NOW
BuraDiNG AT CHERBouitG.

' The following, says the Courrier du Havre, is a
correct description of Dna of the coating batteries, called
the Devastation, new in course of construction at
Cherbourg.
AA the object is tc make it capable of resisting the
most furious fire, no attempt has been made to gain
beauty at the expense of solidity, and the consequence
is that in appearance it is very like the huge barges
which ply on the Seine between Havre and Rouen.
It is entirely flat )ottoaled, so as to draw but little
water, even after receiving heavy artillery. It is 51
yards long, and 14 wide and will be armed with 16 guns
of 50. Its sides are o' the extraordinary thickness of
nearly 13 inches, and they are to be covered with sheets
of iron nearly 4 inches thick. The ribs are from 132 to
152 inches thick, and xi.e placed very close together.
The battery will be supplied with a screw of 150•borse
power, and will be covered over. Its powers of destruc-
tion will be very formidable; it will, in fact, be a
floating fort.
The Devastation will, it is expected, not be terminated
before the end of February.