The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-31 00:00:00

RUSSIA.

La Presse of yesterday evening has a letter from
St. Petersburg in which we find the following pas-
sages :

ST. PETERSBURG, Oct. 10.—Things are going on
badly ; the political atmosphere is desperately
heavy, and we may say now more than ever that
there is " something in the air." We no longer
refrain from speaking of events, and looking at
them in their gloomiest aspect. Notwithstanding
the presence of the court, which did not accom-
pany the Emperor on his excursion, we dread no
longer the eyes of the Galakhoff company, or the
ears of the Dobbelts and the Orloffs.
The scandalous affair about the Baron of Rosen
and Prince Dadian opened the late Czar's eyes to
theimmense administrative and military depreda-
tions, which surpassed all that the imagination can
conceive in the way of scandalous extortion, and
that, too, in a country where these traditional
vices are inherent in the habits of public life.
The Emperor inflicted a blow on the guilty, who
committed the error of allowing themselves to be
caught in the act, and of going too far. But abuses
of this sort have not been extirpated on that ac-
count. On the contrary, the following is an in-
stance that induces every one to believe that they
have never ceased to prevail.
In the returns of the Russian army there had
always figured the equipment, pay, munitions, and
supplies for a force of 18,000 men, a so-called divi-
sion of reserve, which ought to consist of one or
two companies from each regiment serving in the
Great Caucasus. This division was employed in
keeping the outposts among the mountains. They
made a great fuss about the little forts built or
building for it, and which were garrisoned by small
detachments from the main body inconformity with
the regulations. One day General Woronzoff, the
Emperor's Viceroy in the Caucasus, set out with a
princely suite for the purpose of inspecting these
18,000 men.
He reached a village and commanded a superior
officer to order the detachments of the division to
assemble for the purpose of being reviewed. He
was told in reply that all the forts were situated
in the mountains at consideralele distances in spots
difficult of access, and that three weeks would at
least be requisite for collecting these troops.
General Woronzoff could get no accommodation at
all in the village where he had stopped, and, not
wishing to inflict on himself a prolonged fast, he
retraced hi's steps without pressing the point any
further.

Whelk the campaign in Asia was ordered by the
Emperor Nicholas, General Mouravieff, seeing this
contingent of 18,000 men figure on the army list,
took it also into his head to go and ascertain the
state of these troops. He accordingly set out for
tho mountains, but he took very good care not to
have a whole court in his train, as his predecessor
had ; only one aide-de-camp went wilds. him.
Having come to a village, General Mouravieff sent
for the colonel, and mentioned to him his wish to in-
spect the division. The latter declared to him that,
considering the difficulties of the ground, it would
take a good month before he could inspect any-
thing. " What does that matter," replied the
general, " I will wait."
Now, from the inspection that he made with his
accustomed activity, the Commander-in-Chief of
the army in Asia arrived at the conclusion that the
forts had never been built, and that the m6ll only
existed on paper ! Consequently for the 25 or 30
years that war had been waged in the Caucasus,
the Russian Government had been paying enor-
mous sums for the pay and keep of an imaginary
division for the construction of chimerical forts,
true castles in the air.

Judge by this one fact of the millions squan-
dered away, and of the military power of this great
empire, which for so long a time had believed in
the existence of regular armies, well trained and
inured to war, but which vanish upon closer in-
spection.
You already know the fate of Kinbourn. They
are in serious alarm here about Kherson and Nico-
laieff. The Emperor has confided the defence of
the latter place to General Todleben. Although
he has been killed already several times by either
the newspaper press or the telegraph, the young
general of engineers is in excellent health, and his
wounds are completely healed. They depend
greatly on the skill of which he gave such proofs
during the siege of Sebastopol.
A correspondent of the Constitutionnel sends,
from Odessa, as an extract from the journal of that
city, the order of the day which General Luders
addressed on the 9th instant to the army of the
south, respecting the incorporation of the drus-
chines. It is as follows :

Considering the present conditions of the war, it has
pleased the Emperor to ordain : .

•
The druschines of the mobile defence of the empire,
belonging to the first levy, will serve to reinforce our
armies and will be attached to the regiments, so that they
will strengthen the third and fourth battalions (of each
regiment).
In virtue of this arrangement, 23 druschines (23,000
men), from Smolensk and Moscow, have already arrived
being for the most part under my command.
These new troops, called by the sacred will of the Em-
peror to the defence of their country, have hastened sin-
cerely to accomplish their sovereign's will, and at the
same time to satisfy those feelings that animate all loyal
subjects, by joining the ranks of warriors armed in de-
fence of the faith, the Czar, and their country. .

We must admit that the druschines who ha've reached
us are but little adapted for the profession of arms, if
we compare them with our old regiments. But it is for
us to finish the work begun, and we will accomplish it
with zeal and patience.
Twenty druschines (20,000 men) have come to com-
plete the regiment of the 15th division of infantry, of
the 11th division of reserve, and of the 9th
I am convinced that all, from the general to the ail,
dier, will receive these young soldiers as brothers, com-
rades, and fellow-countrymen.
Let no gibe nor humiliating word be addressed t)
them ; on the contrary, let the warriors who have aban-
doned their peaceful labours and their families, in order
to.respond to the call of the Czar, obtain deep and en-
tire consideration.
I order the chiefs of division, of brigade, and the com-
manders of regiments, t? direct the instruction of the
militia in a manner not to disgust by useless drillings
men to whom military discipline is a novelty. We must
make the service agreeable to the militia. There is no
occasion for their learning the theory in perfection. It
is enough for them to know to handle their arms, and to
go through the exercises of the chasseurs and riflemen,
and especially to shoot at a mark. The rest will come
in good time, when we shall be more at leisure.
The officers of the militia will devote themselves more
closely to the service. They have nearly all of them
served, and many of them have been under fire. They
will consequently have no difficulty in remembering the
past. _

This order will be read in front of the assembled com-
panies, squadrons, batteries, and druschines.
I am persuaded that every man in my army corps
shares the sentiments which animate me, and that he
will endeavour to co-operate in the common work.
The Commander of the Army of the South,
A.D.C. General MDEris.