The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-12 00:00:00

THE ALLIES IN THE CRIMEA.

( From the Special Correspondent of the Morning Herald.)
HEIGHTS OF BALAKLAVA, OCT. 30.

Monday next will be the anniversary of the glo-
rious battle of Inkerman ! Should the Russians
again attack us as they did on the sth of last No-
vember they will at least not take us by surprise,
and will most assuredly be beaten as thoroughly as
before. Our men are burning to have another
brush with them. Strange to say, several English
soldiers who fought at Inkerman, and some of
whom, it is said, were officially reported as killed,
have this week returned to th© Crimea in M.H.S.
Agamemnon, which vessel, with many of our
gun-boats, is still at anchor at Kamiesh. At pre-
sent these poor fellows are detained as close prison-
ers in camp till courts-martial can sit on them,
according to the rules of the service. One of
these men is Private Alexander Mackenzie, of
Perth, a private in the 42d Royal Highlanders,
who was taken in the plain of Balaklava on the
29th of December last, when returning to his own
regiment, after visiting his brother, who was sta-
tioned in the front before Sebastopol. It was night,
and missing his road, he unfortunately fell into the
hands of three Cossacks, who unexpectedly pounced
upon him, and on his running away, being un-
armed, knocked him over the head with a lance,
stunned, and took him prisoner, and so he re-
mained till a week ago. On his capture he was
placed in a hut for the night near Tchorgoun,
and next day taken to head-quarters. Altoge-
ther, he says, he was treated well enough,
especially at impheropol, where he got some
white loaves ; and at and after leaving Vronish,
and during a journey of some 1,300 miles he
had little to complain of, receiving plenty of ,
black bread (2 lb. a-day), and soup twice
a-day, as well as 20 kopecs a-day in money.
Good white bread was purchaseable at 2 kopecs the
lb., 10 to 15 eggs for 3 kopecs, and good meat 2i
kopeca .per lb. The Russians would not allow
Mackenzie to write any letters, excusing them-
selves by saying that pens, ink, and paper were
very dear.
At one place he met a Scotch gentleman, called
Christopherson, and some English in Kerekoff,
among whom were a Mr. Eldred and a lady, of
whose kindness he speaks highly. He reports that
Odessa is strongly fortified, with plenty of "mud
batteries," bui neither there nor elsewhere did he
observe much drilling going on.
There is very little news in camp.
I am going into Sebastopol to-day to see the new
French batteries, which have been erected for the
especial purpose of showering iron compliments
upon Fort Constantine. The firing during the
week on both sides has been heavy, except upon
one brief occasion. For hours we seldom hear a
shot. This is the case to-day.
The Highlanders are erecting their huts rapidly,
and in about a fortnight may occupy them, owing
to the energy of Sir Colin Campbell, who, to expe-
dite business, pressed native arabas and other con-
veyances into the service with an energy worthy
of a Scottish chief " of the good old time on the
borders." _ _ _

Some of our sporting men are.divided upon the
question whether Sebastopol is yet taken or not.
This is the subject of many bets ; some arguing
that as we have the city itself, the place is taken ;
while others contend that as the enemy occupies
the northern forts, Sebastopol is not yet captured.
The harbour of Balaklava is very full of ship-
ping ; many vessels are still in the roads, and un-
able to find a berth inside in the tiers, while seve-
ral have prudently (for November gales are at
hand) weighed and departed for Kamiesh and
Kazatch.

The Scots Greys gave a dinner in camp at Kadi-
Kenny, on Thursday last, Oct. 25, the first anni-
versary of the Battle of Balaklava. The banquet
was given by the non-commissioned officers of the
Greys to the non-commissioned officers of the In-
niskilliugs.
COL DE BALAXLAVA.
P.S. After riding over to head-quarters to post
my first despatch I accidentally fell in with an
antiquary of the first water, and in a state of in-
tense excitement, owing to the news that has just
reached him of a curious discovery in this part of
the new military road from Balaklava towards
Sebastopol. While excavating, several " crocks,"
the height of a tent, have been suddenly discovered,
and a cave. Not only human bones are turning
up, but interesting gold and silver articles of various
descriptions. The rumour is true, and I despatch
these few lines to say you shall soon hear more from
me on the matter. Nearly a whole regiment will
to-day be engaged in further excavations.
Let me add, as my pen is in my hand, that the
docks of Sebastopol are now mined, the parts num-
bered off, and in a day or two we are to be treated
to " a blow up" that will somewhat astonish the
Russians on the north side.

General Crauford arrived in the Crimea yester-
day. The quidnuncs say he is to succeed General
Simpson as Commander-in-Chief.

FRANCE.

The following paragraph occupies the first place
in yesterday's Moniteur :
" When measures of general utility are adopted
by the Government, they who are in anywise in-
convenienced by them give vent to recriminations,
and often with a view to their own interest, and
in a spirit of malevolence, circulate rumours of a
change in the ministry. It is in this way that
rumours of this description have within the last
few days been spread abroad. In censuring these
devices with the severity they deserve, we declare
that the rumours of ministerial changes are wholly
devoid of foundation."
A decree in the Moniteur of Saturday makes the
following. diplomatic appointments :—Baron Bre-
mer, Councillor of State, to be Minister Plenipo-
tentiary at Naples, vice M. Delacour, named Coun-
cillor of State ; M. Lefebvre, Councillor of State,
to succeed Baron Brenier as director of the funds
and accounts of the Department of Foreign Affairs;
M. Benedetti to be Director of Political Affairs,
at the Department of Foreign Affairs,. vice
Lefebvre ; Count de Monttessuy, Minister
Plenipotentiary at Florence, to the same post to
the Germanic Confederation, vice the Marquis do
Tallenay, who retires on a pension ; the Prince de
Latour d'Auvergne, Minister Plenipotentiary at
Weimar, to succeed the Count de Monttessuy at
Florence ; and the Viscount des Meleizes Fresnoy
to succeed the Prince de Latour d'Auvergne.
A grand banquet will be given by the city of
Paris, at the Hotel de Ville, on the 17th, to Prince
Napoleon and the Imperial Commission of the
Universal Exhibition. After the banquet there
will be a reception'in the salons of the Hotel de
Ville.

The Commandant-in-Chief of the French naval
forces in the Black Sea, in concert with the Eng-
lish Admiral, has fixed the 20th insta:it, as the
period when all neutral vessels must return from
the Sea of Azoff if they desire to escape being
caught in the ice and detained there all the winter.