The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-14 00:00:00

Enclosure 1.

Yenikale, May 25, 1855.
My dear Lord Raglan,—The expedition to this place so
far has proved entirely successful, and we have got pos-
session of all we proposed without striking a blow, and
almost without firing a shot. -•--
On leaving the anchorage off Sebastopol, on the 22d, the
night became so foggy that the fleet made but little
progress towards its destination, but the whole of
the ships and steamers reached the rendezvous, four
leagues off Cape Takli, soon after daylight on the morning
of the 24th, when it was speedily determined to run at
once in for the spot at which, as your lordship is aware, it
was originally proposed to disembark, and which is a fine
smooth bay, round a low point running out immediately
under the village of Kazatch Bouroun.
The water in the straits is so shallow that large ships
cannot ascend higher than about three miles from this
spot, but the steamers and vessels in which the whole of
the British infantry and artillery were embarked, could
get at least a mile nearer to it.
All the vessels got as high up as the depth of the water
would permit, and came to an anchor about eleven, when
the English and French troops began to get into the boats,
and small steamers, which were assigned to them, towed
them to the shore, and the gun-boats and small war-
steamers were stationed to scour the beach, and protect
the disembirkation.
Although we had observed some six or eight pieces of
light artillery.following us along the shore, no opposition
was made to the disembarkation, and the first of the

troops reached the shore at ten o'clock, which, as soon-as
they were formed, were pushed on to occupy the village
on the rising ground bordering the marshy plain, on
which they landed for the purpose of covering the re-
mainder of the disembarkation. As they were the most nu-
merous, and as your lordship had done so on a former oc-
casion, I placed the French on tit right, and the British
troops on the left, intending to hold the Turkish Contin-
gent in reserve.
Soon after the disembarkation bad commenced, several
lon I explosions were heard, and it was soon discovered
that the enemy had blown up the magazines of all his
batteries on Cape St. Paul, and was retiring by the
road leading to Theodosia or Kaffa. It therefore
became exceedingly desirable that I should advance
to occupy the ridge of which the cape is the continua-
tion ; but as only a few of the Turkish troops bad got
landed, and but little of the artillery, I contented myself
by requesting General Dantemarre to patrol to the cape
and towards Kertch, and took up the best position I could
find for the security of the troops, and the protection of
the disembarkation of all the . necessary materiel and
horses during the night, just before dark—which, in an
open steppe, where we were exposed to the attacks of
cavalry, was an operation of some difficulty.
In the course of the evening, several more loud explo-
sions were heard, and it was soon discovered that he had
also blown up and abandoned the whole of his works here,
and along the coast between Cis and Kertch, and spiked
all the guns. He had also set fire to and destroyed
some large corn magazines in Kertch, as well as two steam-
ers in the harbour ; and the Cossacks, as usual, burnt all
the forage and farm-houses in their way.
As soon as the batteries on Cape St. Paul were aban-
doned, or soon before, some of the smaller war steamers
were enabled to round Cape Ackbouroun, and enter the
Bay of Kertch, when they engaged and endeavoured
to cut off some of the enemy's steamers attempting to
escape into the Sea of Azoff. They succeeded, I believe,
in capturing a small one, but the other two managed to get
through.
The disembarkation of horses, guns, and materiel wer t
on during the whole night, under the zealous and active
superintendence of Rear-Admiral Houston Stewart and
Captain Sir Thomas Pasley ; but, with all this, there was
a good deal to be done at daylight this morning, and I was
ultimately compelled to proceed with only three of the
guns of the Turkish Contingent, and without any of their
officers' horses.
Under the circumstances, however, I considered it im•
perative to proceed, and the whole force marched off their
ground at six this morning—the French in coutignous
columns, followed by their artillery ; the British in
echelons of columns, covering their flank, and their
own artillery and baggage ; and the Turkish troops
in continuous columns of battalions, coveting the
rear of the whole, Until they approached the
precincts of Kertch, when the whole of the troops broke
into an ordinary column of route. The town of Kertch is
clean, and remarkably well built, and the troops passed
through it with the greatest regularity and without the
slightest disorder ; subsequently the day became exces-
sively hot, and the march being a long one, the men suf-
fered greatly from fatigue and want of water, which was
only to be found at occasional wells. We managed to get
in here, however, by 1 o'clock, where we were soon after
visited by the three Admirals, and found a large squa-
dron of small steamers and gun•boats, ready to proceed
into the Sea of Azoff, under the command of Capt.
Lyons, of the Miranda.
The result of these operations, besides the opening of the
passage into that sea, and the destruction of the enemy's
works, has been the capture of upwards of fifty of his
guns, many of them of the largest calibre and the best con-
struction ; and if the enterprise has from circumstances
not added greatly to the glory of her Majesty's arms, it
has, as already stated, so far been attended by complete I
success. - . .

That success, however, is mainly to be attributed to the
judicious arrangements of Admirals Bruat and Sir E.
Lyons, and to their indefatigable attention in carrying
them out, as well as to the able and willing assistance
they have received from the captains and other officers of
the French and British navy under their respective com-
a-rinds ; nor must I omit to mention the invariable and
willing assistance I have on all occasions received in the
course of this service from General Dantemarre, com-
manding the French Division, and from Reschid Pasha,
commanding the Sultan's troops.
I omitted to state that, in passing through Kertch this
morning, observing that an iron foundry there had been
employed in the manufacture of shot and shells, as well as
in casting Minis ballets, I caused it to be destroyed, with
all its new and expensive machinery.—Yours,

G. BROWN.

Field-Marshal Lord Raglan, G.C.8.,

&c., Sze., Sc.

Enclosure 2.

RETURN OF CASUALTIES FROM THE 25TH TO
THE 27TH OF MAY, INCLUSIVE.
3d Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
4th Foot-3 rank and file wounded.
14th Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
18th Foot-1 rank and file, killed.
34th Foot-1 officer, wounded.
38th Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
39th Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
41st Foot-1 rank and file, killed; 4 rank and file,
wounded.
47th Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
48th Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
49th Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
77th Foot-1 rank and file, killed.
88th Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
2d Battalion Rifle Brigade-1 rank and file, killed.
Royal Sappers and Miners-1 rank and file, wounded.
Total-4 rank and file, killed; 1 officer, 16 rank and
file wounded.

J. B. BUCKNALL ESTCOURT,
Adjutant-General.

Enclosure 3.

NOMINAL RETURN OF OFFICERS WHO HAVE
BEEN WOUNDED FROM THE 25TH TO THE
27TH MAY, 1855, INCLUSIVE.

WOUNDED.
MAY 25.
34th Foot—Cap lain James Maxwell, severely.
J. B. BUCKNALL ESTCOURT,
Adjutant-General.

Enclosure 4.
NOMINAL RETURN OF NON-COMMISSIONED
OFFICERS AND PRIVATES KILLED FROM
THE 25TH TO 27TH MAY, 1855, INCLUSIVE.

KILLED.
MAY 25.
77th Foot—Private Alfred Dodd.
2(1 Battalion Rifle Brigade—Corporal W. 0. Smith.
MAY 26.
18th Foot—Private John Lynch.
41st Foot—Corporal John Lee.
J. B. BUCKNALL ESTCOURT,
Adj u tant-General.