The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-27 00:00:00

troops on board of her, and whip them over to the
Crinieai n ten days."
While my companion was talking thus, we had de-
scended the ladders, and stood again beneath the shadow
of the vast bulk on the river's bank. "Do you know,"
I asked, "how she is to be got into the water—one can
hardly say launched ?"
" Oh, that will be managed well enough. The ground
she is standing on now is new ground. That will be dug
away again as close as possible to where she stands, the
river let in, and she forced into the water, broadside on,
by means f hydraulic engines."
" What sail will she carry 1"

"None—so it is said. There will be a pair of paddles
sixty feet in diameter, and a screw of still greater power;
and sails will not be wanted. Her crew will be nearly
all employed below, you see."
Our companion wished us good morning ; and then,
making the best of our way to the ferry, we caught the
Hungerford boat and were soon threading the pool on
our route back to the City, casting now and then a lin-
gering look on the great leviathan, till a veil of masts,
and spars, and rigging hid her from our eyes.

THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1828-9, AND 1154-5.

(Front tle Morning Post.)
The second year of the war, which has been forced
upon us so much against our will, is now drawing
to its close ; we shall probably hear nothing more
of operations in the open field, at all events in
Europe. If the Russians, in their. desperation,
should venture upon another Inkerman, it is not
likely to differ from the first, excepting in a more
speedy repulse, at less cost of blood to ourselves ; and
we may now fairly institute a comparison between the
campaigns of 1828-9 and 1854-5. The causes, broadly
considered, which led to both wars, seem to have been
pretty nearly the same : Nicholas invaded Turkey in
1828 for the same reason that he did in 1853, to check
the reorganisation of Turkey. At the former period,
the Janissaries destroyed the fleet, the prey of Navarino,
no longer existing, the Church dissatisfied, and the Em-
pire dismembered. Turkey was indeed helpless enough,
but Mahmoud had commenced the formation of a new
army upon a European model, as an instrument for
effecting civil and religious reforms, and the terrible
catastrophe of the Janissaries, in which twenty-five
thousand men disappeared, showed that Mahmoud would
not be thwarted. There was then danger of the sick
man rising into robust health, and, accordingly, on the
Bth of May, 1828, the Russians, with two corps anti part
of a third, amounting in all to one hundred and sixty
thousand men, entered the principalities, took Ibrailof,
Izaacza, and Hirshova. lily the end of June, they attacked
Varna with twelve thousand men, Silistria with forty
thousand, and Schumla with twenty-four thousand.
Varna fell after a siege of eighty-nine days, during 27 of
which there was a practicable breach, and even then was
only lost to the Turks through the treachery of Yussuf
Pacha. Silistria defended itself from the 21st of July to
the 22d of October, when the siege was raised, and the
Russians retired into winter quarters, with Varna and
Ibrailof in their possession, being besides an occupation
of Moldavia and Wallachia. It seems hardly credible,
but it is fact, that during that winter the Turks did not
avail themselves of the opportunity of destroying the
Russian trenches before Schurnla, and Silistria.
In 1829, however, Diebitsch was more fortunate. En-
joying the advantage of the Emperor's presence, yet stipu-
lating that he was not to be hampered with his counsels,
and taking advantage of the Grand Vizier's siege of Pra-
vadi, he planned and executed the passage of the Balkan.
Silistria, after 44 days of open trenches, fell for want
of powder to stand an assault ; and, after some skilful
manoeuvres, as well as hard fighting, and the victory of
Kewlewtscha, he made a feint of attacking Schumla,
then of retiring upon Yeni Bazaar, and then, suddenly
turning upon Devna and Kinpriksi, he crossed the
Balkan with forty thousand men, each carrying four
days' provisions, whilst the waggons carried enough for
six more. This movement was fatal to the Turks. On
the 18th of July his head-quarters were at Yeni Bazaar ;
on the 20th of August, at Adrianople • and the treaty
which, with great address, he extorted /row the timidity
and ignorance of the Turkish Government is matter of
history. In January, 1830, theite still remained in the
Turkish territory forty thousand Russians, of whom
about half were cantoned south of the Danube and Bal-
kan. The result might possibly have been different had
the Sultan been aware that the invader, who dictated
terms of peace to him in the very heart of his kingdom,
had not seventeen thousand bayonets wherewith to sup-
port his pretensions, and that even these were wasting
away with portentous rapidity under the effects of a
defective commissariat, and stilt worse medical depart-
ment. Thus triumphant alike in arms and diplomacy
stood Russia at the close of that war, and Europe in-
stinctly shuddered at the gaunt spectre that bas ever
since oppressed it. But the wheel of fortune rolls ever
under the hand of time.
How marked is the contrast now. On the 24 July,
1853, the Russians crossed the Pruth, and already in
November the voice of Oltenitza announced in unmis-
takeable accents that the ancient spirit of the Turks was
not dead, but sleeping ; and Karafet and Citate con-
firmed the sound of ill omen to Russia. At Sinope
Turkey lost six frigates ; Russia acquired the execration
of the world, nor did the felon victors long gloat over
their victory. On the 30th Nov. was perpetrated that
slaughter that roused the direst indignation throughout
Christendom. Henceforward Russia has borne a wolf's
head, but the avenger of blood wasat hand and swift to
smite. His steps could hardly be measured by days—.
hours were the fitter standard—for on 3d Dec. the Porte
having demanded that movement of the respective Am-
bessadors, the fleets of England and France entered the
Black Sea, and the Russian fleet sought an inglorious
shelter in the thrice-guarded waters of Sebasto-
pol, whence it returned no more. Its place on the
waters is empty. The ships lie rotting in a dishonoured
grave ; the crews have perished in the ramparts they
could not make good. Gloomier still was 1854 to the
common enemy. On the 17th of May the Russians in-
vested Silistria, whose defence has immortalised the
names of Butler and Nasmyth, only to retire baffled on
the 29th of June. But checked and defied as the ag-
gressor was en the Danube, there was worse yet to come
—a more sensitive spot to be roughly touched. The storm
that had been long darkly and heavily gathering burst
at last ; and on the 14th of September, fir the first time
since 1812, an enemy stood upon the soil of Russia,
where he stands now, an acknowledged conqueror,
Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman, Tractir speak for
themselves ; to comment upon them would be to
add water to wine ; the glare of a candle to the
splendour of the sun. The most frantic assaults, the
most reckless sacrifices, aided by the climate, hardship,
mismanagement, and disease, which sorely afil cted our
army, did not succeed in dislodging the Allies from their
position ; and Sebastopol, that mighty trunk, whose
upas branches were to overshadow the East and wither
the West with their lethal darkness, lies shattered and
rent, overthrown in the midst of her giant crime, the
modern type of Babylon and Nineveh. True, Gel tschakoff
holds out in the Sivernaia Fort, and probably may during
the winter ; but our journals daily report au ominous
embarkation of shot and shell—some of the latter of por-
tentous dimensions ; and in the spring we may look for-
ward to the day when the iron rain shall descend in such
a shower as shall not leave one stone upon another in
the doomed fortress. Mouravieff has, indeed, succeeded
in reducing Kars by famine, after a defence whose he-
roism may challenge Saragossa ; but his troops have not
returned yet, and probably when the necessity of keeping
up his communication with Russia begins to press upon
him he may find a lion in the path. Kutais is indeed
on the road to Kars, but it leads through Tiflis. The
Vladi Caucasus is probably by this time impassable from
snow ; a road from Tiflis leads to Bakow as well as to
Gumri ; and with so enterprising a commander as Omer
Pacha operating on his rear, General Mouravieff may
possibly some day see the trap close on its prey, and
none to help him. It would not be very difficult with a
sufficient reinforcement to cut off the Russian army of
Georgia altogether. The reduction of Derbend would
be ruin to it.
Not less in the Baltic has the star of Russia waned.
Ships fettered to their harbours—fortresses and arsenals
destroyed—Bomarsund, the Python that was to encom-
pass the Baltic, nipped in the egg—and the brand of
Hango, are all that the waters of the North have afforded
Russia. But important political results have appeared
against her. Sweden, at last thoroughly alive to her
danger, has entered into the treaty which binds her to
cede no territory to Russia, and us to allow Russia to
take none from her by force ; a treaty of vital import-
ance to Sweden, but of infinite value to Europe. It ex
tends the Western alliance for the defence of the threat-

coed continent along the whole seaboard of Europe,
and places us in the Baltic in as favourable a position as
our arms have conquered for us in the Black Sea. It
shows that alliance gradually, but steadily, accumulat-
ing power and weight to bear upon the great question
that convulses Europe, whilst it shows the dishonest
neutrals as steadily losing influence and position. In the
fulness of time it may lead to still more intimate rela-
tions ; and Swedes may once more think of the glories
of Narva to be emulated—of the disgrace of Pultawa to
be wiped out.
Thus let us bid 1855 good speed, for it has done us
good service. But fifteen months have elapsed since two
hosts stood face to face, and the tide of war surged in
blood and fire up to the bristling bank'of the Alma; yet
what a change has come over the scene. Nebuchadnezzar
dreamed dreams wherewith his spirit was troubled and
his sleep brake from him, and so did Europe. Now how
broken is that mighty image of gold and silver and brass
and iron and clay A tottering throne in Naples—a
shaky crown in Prussia—a doubtful friend in Austria—
are the only supports the Czar has abroad ; whilst at
home his resources are melting away like snow before
the sun. And yet, great as our progress has been
during the year that is departing, we have every ground
to trust that that on which we are about to enter will
present results of greater magnitude, of more conclusive-
ness—above all, of enduring permance.

The inhabitants of Carrickmacross have held a meet-
ing to devise the best means of paying a tribute of re-
spect to Brigadier Shirley, of the 88th, on his return
from the Crimea. The gallant officer was expected on Sa-
turday at Loughfca Castle, on a visit to his brother, Mr.
Evelyn John Shirley.
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