The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-21 00:00:00

THE CRIMEA.

STATE OF AFFAIRS AT SEBASTOPOL.
The Invalid. Russe gives the following account cf
the state of affairs before Sebastopol :
" Aide-de-Camp General Prince Menschikoff an-
nounces, under date of the Ist of December, that since
the 27th of November no particular change had taken
place in our position or in that of the enemy. The fire
of the siege batteries is still very weak, as heretofore,
and occasions us scarcely any loss. The enemy con-
tinues to fortify the defences of his position.'

OPERATIONS AGAINST SIMPHEBOPOL.
The Soldiers' Friend of Vienna, of the 16th,
says :—" Several letters from Odessa inform us
that the Russians keep themselves strictly on
the defensive at Sebastopol, and that they feel
great uneasiness . at the operations which may
be directed from Eupatoria. It is said that Prince
Menschikoff has pointed out to tile Government-, of
St. Petersburg the dangers which threaten his
army and the fortress from this point, and that he
has declared that he was not in a state to resist
any considerable offensive operation directed from
Eupatoria against Simpheropol. General Osten-
Sacker' was, in consequence, charged to fix his
head-quarters at Perekop, and to defend the
isthmus with the troops under his command. The
Allies continue their preparations for an expedi-
tion to some other point ; at Odessa it is expected
that it will be directed against that place, and at
Varna it was thought that a considerable corps
will be landed at Eupatoria."

THE WAR ON THE DANUBE.

-
A letter from Bucharest, 6th inst., in the Wan-
derer of Vienna, says :—" It is said that the Princes
Ghika and Stirbey have resolved to form a Moldo-
Wallachian corps, which will be placed at the dis-
posal of the Sultan. It will be composed princi-
pally of cavalry, and will provisionally be 20,000
strong. The princes have themselves furnished
the greater part of the funds necessary for the
organisation of this corps, so that the public trea-
sury of the provinces will only have to bear the
remainder. The expense of keeping up this corps
will be during the war taken from the funds which
form the tribute due to the Porte."

The Press of Vienna, of the 16th, says :—" A.
telegraphic despatchfrom Galatz,throughßucharest,
states that the Russians are fortifying the posi-
tions of Reni, and the other positions of the Pruth.
Prince Gortschakoff was on the 9th at Ismail, and
on the 10th continued his journey to Odessa. The
works of fortification of the Turks, near Tultcha
and Jaktchi, are not as yet terminated. Omer
Pacha arrived on the 12th at Schumla, where he
remained some hours, and then took his departure
for -Varna."

On the 11th inst. an extraordinary supplement
of the Invalide Russe was published at St. Peters-
burg, for the purpose of giving currency to the fol-
lowing intelligence transmitted from the Crimea
by Prince Menschikoff :
" According to a report received this day from
Prince Menschikoff nothing fresh occurred before
Sebastopol between the Ist and sth of December.
The fire of the enemy's batteries is in general very
weak, and the losses on our side are nil. Our works
of defence are being successfully carried on, notwith-
standing the heavy rains that fall every day.
During the nights detachments of volunteers have
been sent out to annoy the enemy. These partial
sorties were made with considerable success. Thus,
for example, on the 2d of December, before day-
break, the Sub-Lieutenant Polevoi, of the in-
fantry regiment of Volhynia, with five non-com-
missioned officers, and 66 privates scaled the
heights facing the southern bay, charged the ene-
my's trench with the bayonet, killed in it a number
of English, took three prisoners, and possessed
themselves of 14 rifles. In the following (be-
tween the 2d and 3d) Lieutenant Vassilieff, of the
same regiment, with volunteers taken from dif-
ferent regiments, fell upon one of the French bat-
teries, where he slew as many as 30 of the enemy.
During the same night 60 volunteers of the Tomsk
Regiment of Chasseurs, together with four sailors,
under the command of Lieut. Jarinoff, wound their
Ilay as
far
tnoc h
flight occupied
the
h ysuddesome English
n appear-
ance of our chasseurs, leaving 11 dead upon the
riflemen, whoa s took atre
spot, and one prisoner, with four rifles in our hands.
All these bold sorties have been made nearly with-
out loss on our side. According to information
received from Eupatoria the enemy has not suc-
ceeded in getting afloat again a single vessel
stranded near that town during the tempest of
Nov. 14."
A letter from Odessa, of the 4th inst., states
that, from the 12th to the 30th of November last,
the army of Prince Menschikoff had been rein-
forced by two divisions, consisting of from 28,000
to 30,000 men.