The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-24 00:00:00

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OTCHAKOFF, KHERSON, dND
NICHOLAIEFF.

Otchakoff, which forms the key to ;Nicolaieff, i 4
thus described by the Assemblee Nationale :---
"Otchakoff, but for its strategical position, would be
considered at this day as an unimportant village. Kin-
bourn, the Kilburun of the Tartars, is not even a village.
These two points, previous to the present war, 'were
scarcely fortified, and. the most recent =Counts only
mention the existence of one battery at Otchakoff ; but
since the bombardment of Odessa the Russians compre-
hended the necessity of defending that passage, and the
siege of Sebastopol has taught as the promptitude with
which the enemy can raise fortifications, and make up
in that respect for lost time. The forts of Kinbourn fell
into the hands of the allies on the 17th. If Otchakoff,
as it appears probable, be attacked in its turn, the
,de-
fence it can offer will not. be of any length. The cap
ture of these two fortresses will open the-passage of the
mouth of the Dnieper to the Anglo-French squadrons,
and in consequence the road to Nioolaieff and Khereon.
The occupation of . Otchakoff would, moregver, permit
the despatch of a land expedition against the first named
town. Nicolaieff forms the point of a triangle, having
the mouth of the Dnieper for basis, and of which the
citadel of Otchakoff and the town of Kherson occupy
the other extremities.. The roads which conduct to them
do not' appear to offer any serious' obstacles."
Our contemporary thus describes Kherson
" Kherson, the capital of the government of the same
name, was for many years' the central point of the naval
and commercial resources of Russia in the Black Sea.
There were to be found at the same time arsenals and
dockyards. Sebastopol and Nicolaieff sucbessively de-
prived it of its importance as a military establishment.
Later it was abandoned by commerce iu favour of Odessa,
' and its population, which once oomprised from 15,000 to
18,000 souls, fell to 6,000 or 8,000 Kherson has no
other importance than that of being situated on the high
road which leads from the centre of the empire to Pere-
kop." • .
The Pays expresses itself on the same sat in
the, following terms :
"The telegraph leads us to believe that the allied fleets
are at this moment at anchor in the depthinf the mouth
of the Dnieper. The distance from that point to Kber-
son is but 15 leagues. Is it the intention of the allied
admirals to press on. towards that town ? We are un-
able to reply, but the mouths of the Dnieper offer two or
three'principal branches, of which the medium depth is
from 22 to 25 English feet. At Kherson theriver is one
mile broad and 50 feet in depth, and it would be no small
triumph to destroy the creation of Potemkin, which would
disperse its 12,000 inhabitants, and would transform into
ruins its dockyards, arsenals, barracks, and magazines.
It must not be overlooked that the capture of Otchakoff
by the allies would open the road by land to Nicolaieff,
and the former town is, in the opinion of the hioniteur,
unable to offer any serious resistance. The first success
at Kinbourn facilitated every other enterprise in that
direction, and will keep in check all. the Russian forces
scattered over the country from Odessa to Perekop."
A letter from St. Petersburg, in the Hamburg
News, says :

" The last news from Nicolaieff, to the 6th, announces
that the Emperor will not proceed to Odessa as be in-
tended, but will remain at Nicolaieff until the move-
ments and ultimate objects of the allied fleets in the
Black Sea are positively known. On the 3d the Empe-
ror inspected two battalions of the militia of Orel ; and
on the sth his Majesty went out to meet the crews of
the fleet, Nos. 37, 38, and 39, who were arriving from
Sebastopol (Nos. 34, 35, and 36 having previously come
in). Batteries and bastions have been built at Nicolaieff,
under the directions of the Czar and the Grand Duke
Constantine. These batteries are specially prepared for
throwing incendiary shells of a new description, and
which are said to carry three English miles. It is said
that if only one of these shells falls on a vessel it must
set her on fire."

ELEOTION FOR HUNTINGDONSHIRE.

HUNTINGDON, Oct. 23.—The election of a member of
Parliament to supply the vacancy in the representation
caused by the elevation of Lord Mandeville, the late
member, to the dukedom of Manchester, took place this
day at Huntingdon ; but the proceedings were almost of
a routine character.

The county has for a period of 18 years been in the
hands of the Conservatives, but lately the Liberal party
has been gaining strength, and on the demise of the late
Duke of Manchester an organisation was attempted, and
resulted in a semi-consent from John Moyer Heathcote,
Esq., of Conington House, to stand at the next vacancy ;
but eventually that gentleman declined to contest the
county on the present occasion, and the consequence has
been that Mr. James Rust, of Alconbury House, enters
Parliament without opposition. There was a total ab-
sence of all the demonstrations usual at foregone elections
fur Huntingdonshire. The friends of Mr. Rust met at
the Fountain,. and proceeded thence to the place of
election, at. the Town-hall ; Mr. Hcathcote and his
frien is met at the Georo.e, and also attei.ded the hall. •
R. Hussey Hussey, esq., proposed, and the Rev. Jas.
Linton' of Hetninglord, seconded, the nomination of Mr.
James Rust, and each passed a high eulogium upon Mr.
Rust's private character and business habits, the latter
being evinced by his discharge of his duties as chairman
of the Quarter Sessions, and other public offices.
No other candidate being proposed, Mr, Rust was de-
clared duly elected. In making his acknowledgments he
said that he should, in taking his seat in Parliament,
rank himself amongst those who recognise the Earl of
Derby as their leader; but in so far declaring himself a
party man, he wished it to be understood that he claimed
for himself the privilege of most careful examination of
all measures brought before Parliament, and he could
assure theta that ail that were likely.to be beneficial
should have his support.
A vote of thanks to the sheriff concluded the pro-
ceedings, and the meeting dispersed.