The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-04 00:00:00

SIR DE LACY E

,ORD RAGLAN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—ln your journal of yesterday's date you did
me the honour to copy from another paper a letter
of mine to Lord Raglan. Some one, with kind
and friendly intentions towards me, I have no
doubt, but without my previous knowledge, must
have sent this letter originally for publication. A
paragraph, or sentence, however, of my letter ap-
pears to have been omitted, from what cause I
know not. I rather think it may be a duty on my
part to correct this mistake. I take the liberty,
therefore, of enclosing herewith a copy of this
omitted paragraph for insertion, should you deem
it worthy of a place in your columns.

I have the honour to be faithfully yours,
Di LACY EVANS.

Folkestone, Jan. 2.

The omitted paragraph referred to followed the
words "30th of October," and was as follows :

"The post I was charged with during that long period
was, I believe, deemed of the utmost importance to the
safety of the French and English armies. Frequently
but few troops remained to me for its defence, against
sometimes tenfold our numbers of the enemy, within a
short distance from our front. I had the honour of fre-
quently submitting my opinion of the weakness and
precariousness of the position of the Second Division to
your Lordship, and, indeed, also to General Canrobert,
and of the small means at my disposal to place it in more
security. Its liability to be suddenly attacked at all
times it was also my duty to represent. But the various
exigencies to be provided for on other points at that
time scarcely left it possible, I believe, to afford us any
material reinforcement, or means fur the construction of
defences. I have ventured into these details to account
for the harassing nature of the duty alluded to, and of
the anxious and almost sleepless nights and days it occa-
sioned me."

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, JAN. 3.

The dinner party yesterday included her Royal High-
ness the Duchess of Kent, their Royal Highnesses the
Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary, Lady
Fanny Howard, Lady Suffield, Baroness de Speth,
Earl and Countess Granville, Viscount Hardinge, Lord
and Lady Cowley, the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert,
Lieutenant-General Sir G. Bowles, Major-General
Jones, Major Purees, and Mr .Gibbs.
The band of the Royal Bucks Militia played during
dinner, and her Majesty's private band afterwards.
Mr. Patrick Park has had the honour to submit to
her Majesty the Queen and his Royal Highness the
Prince the bust of his Imperial Majesty the Emperor
of the French, which he has executed for his Grace the
Duke of Hamilton.
The Queen, accompanied by the Duchess and Princess
Mary of Cambridge, walked in the Home park this
morning. Afterwards their Royal Highnesses took leave
of her Majesty, and left the castle to pay a visit to the
Duchess of Kent at Frognaore-house, and in the after-
noon took their departure from Windsor for Kew.
His Royal Highness the Prince went out shooting,
accompanied by Earl Granville, Lord Cewiey, the Right
Hon. Sidney Herbert, and Lieutenant• General Sir G.
Bowles.

His Royal Highness Prince Alfred rode on horseback.
Viscount Hardinge, Lord and Lady Cowley, and the
Right Hon. Sidney Herbert left the Castle to-day.
Major-General Jones arrived last evening, and left
by an early train this morning.

The Earl of Aberdeen left town yesterday afternoon
for Windsor Castle, on a visit to her Mijesty.
Viscount Palmerston returned to his seat, Broadly nds,
Hants, after the Cabinet Council, on Tuesday after-
noon.

[IMPORTANT CHANGES AT ST.

PETERSBURG.

A letter from Paris this morning contains the follow-
, ing :—"A private letter from St. Petersburg, dated the
26th, mentions that some important changes have taken
place, and more were expected, among the higher offi-
cers of the army. The one looked upon as the most seri-
ous is the nomination of General de Berg, who distin-
guished himself at Revel by the measures he adopted for
the defence of the place against the Allied fleets. He
has been appointed Commandant-in-Chief of Finland,
i❑ the place of General Rokossowski, who commanded
there when Bomarsund was attacked by the Allies.
This nomination is considered all the more significant
that Finland is fully expected to become the theatre,
or rather one of the theatre4, of war next spring.
Po i i2al persona at St. Petersburg fully believe that the
King of Swelen is determined to abandon all idea of
neutra'ity, and whenever hostilities recommence in the
north to take an active part with the Allies. A similar
resolve is expected from the King of Denmark, pa.rticu-
larlyrsitce the fall of the Oerstedt C tbiaet, which was
favourable to the Russians. The Commandant of the
cons of Grenadiers had left for Warsaw. Two divisions
of the corps now occupy the banks of the Bug. The
letter adds that the Grand Dukes who had left Sebasto-'
pot on the 15th, arrived at Gatschi;►a on the 23d. Ac-
counts received from Sebastopol at St. Petersburg men-
tions that 7,000 of the inhabitants of the former place
had quitted it in order to take refuge at Simplieropol,
and that it resembled some vast barracks in ruin rather
than a city."