The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-05 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

Her Majesty's yachts Fairy, Master Commander
Welch, and Elfin, Master Commander Balliston, went
out of Portsmouth harbour yesterday to try their effi-
ciency for attendance-upon the Queen this day on her
Majesty's visit to 03borne.
The Lucifer steam-tug is loading at the jetty of Ports-
mouth dockyard with jurymasts and gear, to take to
Pembroke for rigging the Queen's new steam-yacht Vic-
toria and Albert, which is to be navigated at Portsmouth
to be equipped for her Majesty's service.
A notice was posted at the dockyard-gate at Sheer-
ness yesterday that the Princess Royal would leave
Devonport on the 6th inst., with mails for the Black
Sea.

LETTERS FROM THE CRIMEA.

(FROM AN OFFICER OF THE GUARDS.)
Camp beforrt,BelAastopol, Dec. 13.

Our Brigade are all very much annoyed at Lord Rag-
lan's despatch of Inkerman ; independently of his say-
ing so little about the Guards, the despatch was not
at all correct. He mentions that the 20th and
other regiments of the Second Division supported ; they
ought to have done so, but never did. The fact was,
General Pennefather, who commands the Second Di-
vision, wrote the whole of the despatch sent to Eng-
land, and, of course, only mentioned his own divi-
sion. Lord Raglan knew nothing about the fight at
all, and, unfortunately, the three senior officers of
the Brigade of Guards were wounded, and consequently
no despatch came in from us. The Duke of Cambridge
quarrelled with Lord Raglan, so he said nothing
to him about it ; but there is a great deal of talk
about the whole thing here, and much displeasure.
Lord Raglan is getting fast into bad odour with the
whole army from his total carelessness of every-
thing ; there will be a great outcry against him be-
fore long. The weather has mended, and we are able
to get up the fresh guns from Balaklava ; the French
got theirs up two days ago, and ours will all be up by
to-morrow ; we shall then have 10 days more to get up
the ammunition ; the shells are so heavy, the largest
weighing 2001 b. This will be a fortnight from now,
when, I suppose, we shall open fire again in earnest.
They say we shall not fire for more than two days and
nights, as we cannot do very much with the big guns,
and then we shall go in. The Russians have been for a
long time hard at work in the town, throwing up bar-
ricades, &c., and me an to fight it out. There is a
great deal of firing going on every day and night,
but not much done, except, now and then, some
smart fighting from sorties. There was a very
severe one last night, but as I write this on outlying
picket, and came on before daybreak, I don't know the
particulars. The firing for two hours was as great as in
an action. Most of the divisions were under arms, but
we were not turned out, and, though less than three-
quarters of a mile off, I slept through it. I heard the
first parr, and it was very heavy—volleys of musketry
and cannon. 1,300 sick went off to Scutari from here,
and there have been 60 or 70 in the English army buried
daily—all Lord Raglan's fault, in not seeing that cloth-
ing and shelter were provided for them, which was in his
means ; but he does not care.

The following letter is from an English prisoner
:20th Regiment) in the hospital inside Sebastopol:
" Sebastopol, Nov. 23.

" I have got the opportunity of writing to let you
know where I am. I was taken prisoner on the morn-
ing of the sth: I was close to that battery on the hill.
.When the Russians advanced up to the battery I was
bit by a musket ball on the right ear ; at the same time
a stone or a piece of shell hit me on the body and
knocked me down. Before I could get up again I had
my firelock taken from me, and was hit on the head,
which left me insensible for a time. After they drove
our men down the hill, seven or eight of them pricked me
with their bayonets, and hit me with the butts of their
&clocks ; one was going to fire at me, but the others
would not let him. They dragged my belt off, and
took me over the bridge, where their wounded were,
while (till) night. Then they took us close to the har-
bour on the right of the town into an hospital. lam
getting quite well now. The °facers are very kind to
us. We have llb of bread, some soup, with a little piece
of meat in it, and a glass of tea per day. They say they
shall shift all that is able to go in a few days, but I do
not know where. I saw John Hawkins the first night,
but I have not seen him since. I think he must have
died. Mullings, of No. 1, is dead. There is me and
Murray of No. 1. Will you let my friends know where
I am