The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-02 00:00:00

The storm of war which has long hung lowering over
the southern coast of Russia has now burst in all its fury
upon the empire. The affrighted craft which had sought
refuge within the straits of Yenikale, and the steamers-
of-war employed by the enemy in maintaining his 'com-
munications with the opposite coast, have within four
days of the seizure of Kertch perished by the hands of
the Russians, or fallen a prize to the allied fleets. . Im-
mense stores of grain, of cattle, and 100 guns have been
taken or destroyed. About 24 vessels of the allied fleet
are of sufficiently small draught to navigate these water?,
and this flotilla has instantly swept all resistance before
it. The fort of Arabat, commanding the southern ex-
tremity of the tongue of land along which one 'of the
post roads passes into the peninsula, has been shelled
and blown up, The town of Berdiansk, one of the best
ports on the north coast of the Sea of Azoff, burned its
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sion of these waters, forming an integral portion of the
Russian territories, during the continuance of the war.
The possession of the north eastern coast of the Crimea
enables the allies to cut off the supplies, and even to
menace the retreat of the enemy, while the increased
force of the allied armies enables them to assume a more
threatening attitude in his front. On the same day
that the forces occupied Kertch a French corps d'armee
crossed the Tchernaya and encamped at Tchorgouni,
on the right bank of that stream, and there is rea-
son to believe that the Turkish army at Eupatoria has
received reinforcements, which will speedily enable Omer
Pasha to advance. The general plan of operations is
still disguised in secrecy, and as our observations are
transmitted daily to St. Petersburg in four or five hours,
we shall not attempt to fathom it. But it is no secret
that the Allied commanders are now in possession of
forces which must be greatly superior to those of the
enemy, and of a position which enables them to use those
`forces with the utmost facility. These preparations were
made while Prince Gortschakoff was exhausting the
Conference of Vienna by the prolixity of his speeches
and the subtlety of his objections, and the diplomatic
scruples of that Envoy will cost his Sovereign and his
country millions of treasure and thousands of lives.
Such we believe to be at this time the prospects of the
War. A career of success seems opening before us,
which we trust our officers, both by sea and land, will
energetically pursue to its furthest consequences, with-
out fear of being impeded by any further negotiations
during the course of the campaign. Any attempt of the
German Powers to renew these discussions at the pre-
sent
time deserves only to be regarded as an attempt to
mike a diversion in favour of the enemy. The basis on
which the negotiations were opened in April is no longer
applicable to the present state of affairs. Russia has
had numerous and ample opportunities of averting the
calamities and reverses which seem destined to befall
her, but she has deliberately rejected them, because, in
the ignorance and presumption which have marked her
conduct throughout this quarrel, she had miscalculated
the power really arrayed against her. Austria and
Prussia have had similar opportunities of arresting
the effusion of blood, but they have failed as me-
diators because they had failed as Allies, and they
have seen nothing in this broad European ques-
tion but their own petty advantage. War, by its
stern reality, reduces these illusions and artifices to
their proper value. The principle of military honour,
which is 'in the eyes of Mr. Gladstone of such small
account, is in reality the ultimate test to which these
contests of mankind must be submitted, for the battles
of the world are its lessons, its judgments, and the sanc-
tion of its laws. Every success of our arms is a step to
the restoration of order and of peace, on condition that
we never recede, but advance fearlessly to the end of our
efforts and the triumph of our cause.—Times.