The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-14 00:00:00

1 fled in turning into ridicule the boastful bulletins'of
Osten-Sacken, end which he has not imitated. You can
scarce have an idea in France of the delight of our
troopers when they put on their furs. They are as happy
as children in their first gala dress, as sailors when tlie
first put on boot. The poor fellows were previously ob-
liged to shelter themselves from the rain in the trenches
by wearing their blankets knotted atout the neck in the
form of an inconvenient cloak, and, when entering their
tents, to sleep with the same covering, saturated as it was
with water. Nov, at least, their beds will always be elry,
With the object of preventing any fresh surprise on the
part of the enemy, the shrubs and brushwood of the
sides of the valley have been cut away. Some days ago
some of our soldiers charged with that duty descended
to the bottom of the precipice, and heard groaning in
the fields inundated by the Teliernaya. They informed
the officer that wounded men demanded succour. The
Captain immediately sent out a section of his company
on the search, in order to avoid any surprise on the
part of the enemy, whose videttes were guarding the
banks of the river. Shocking to relate, they found hid
among the grass, and half submerged, three wounded
Russians still living, and who had been abandoned by
their offieere 13 days previously ;—they were bleeding,
manned, and without any reeeuree. One of then. who
was separated from the other, lied eaten the grass within
his reach, after having coneernecl ail the black bread he
I had in his haversack. The two others, more fortunate,
lasi succeeded in dragging diteuselvee near five or six of
their dead comrades, whose provisions they made use of.
But, that supply 'exhausted, they also had begun to
eat the grass. With the most }brutal obstinacy the Cos-
, sacks, who were stationed on guard for a week before
near them, within reach of their voices, had refused to
succour them. As maimed soldiers they were no longer
in the eyes of their 'nesters but as useless serfs, and only
fit to be left, ie :he, as ',cases no longer able to work.
' Our soldiers took up these poor creatures and carried
them off. They gave them a little soup with a small
quantity of eau-de-vie. They then covered them up in
warm blankets and placed them near the fire, when they
recovered the use of their limbs. In the course of an
hour these half corpses, whose wounds had already be-
gun to. petrify, recovered their colour and a little of their
strength. Completely re-assured on the point of the
pagan barbarity which they were told was our charac-
teristic, they kissed the hands of our men. A Pole, be-
longing to the Foreign Legion, who happened to be pre-
sent, asked some questions of the poor men. They in-
formed him that their popes and their officers had as-
sured them that the pagan enemies of the Holy Church
of the Autocrat caused the Russian prisoners to be put
to the most frightful torture, and that such of the
children of the Czar as died in the sacred war would
mount straight to Paradise, unless they were in a state
of sin, and in which case they would be again born in
their own country."

CONSTANTINOPLE, Nov. 30.—Within the last few
days the hopes of the British in this city have revived,
and there is a disposition to believe that the present
year will see the successful termination of the great
enterprise which in difficulty and danger has transcended
all the expectations of the most experienced military
judges. That which has reassured us more than anything
is the news that large reinforcements are not only ordered
to the seat of war, but that they are actually on their
way, and that the next fortnight will probably see an
addition of 30,000 men to the forces of the Allies. It is
a great thing that the two nations are at last roused to a
sense of the magnitude of the war in which they are
engaged, and that the overweening self-confidence of the
London and Parisian publics have given way to a juster
estimate of the enemy's powers, both for aggression and
defence. For several months the people of England and
France had been accustomed to regard the Russian
troops as men who would not stand a conflict with any
enemy more powerful than Circassians and Tartars, and
it was believed that their officers were as much
wanting in skill as the men in courage. Although it is
true that the superior energy and bodily strength of the
British has on every occasion proved too much for the
enemy in the open field, there can be no doubt that the
Russians are endowed with an obstinacy and defensive
courage which equal those of any other army in Europe.
It seems that no idea is entertained of any serious attack
until the place is entirely invested, for, according to all
accounts, Sebastopol proper will be untenable unless
the forts on the northern side are also in the hands of
the Allies. That the place will fall before the end of the
year is hardly pi obable, but that the steady perseverance
of the Allies will be crowned with success is certain, if
the two nations only put forth their strength. We shall
no doubt have to fight some more battles, on a larger
sc tie than either Alma or Inkerman, for the whole force
of the Russian empire will no doubt be directed against
us, and the fine army which has been concentrated In
Poland will probably he in the Crimea in another six
weeks. Est with 120,000 men the allies will be able to re-
pulse all attacks, and to early on the siege with regu-
larity and, final assurance of success. The enterprise is
a greet one, and it is a matter not only of honour, but
of safety for France and England, to carry it on to a
prosperous conclusion. It is a kind of duel between the
Western Powers and their adversary ; the world
is looking on in silence and expectation, and now
that we are fairly engaged all counsels as to the raising
the siege and resting an the laurels of the Alum ought
to be discarded at once.
A letter has been addressed to the Ministers of the
Porte by Omer Pasha, complaining of the manner in
which his troops are neglected. It appears that the
army in the provinces, which has done so much for
Turkey, which defended the line of the Danube for
half a year against the whole power of Russia, and which
has been brought to a great state of efficiency by the
genius of its commander, is now destitute of the com-
monest necessaries. That the soldiers have net re-
ceived their pay is comparatively a small matter, for to
that they are accustomed, and no soldiers will more
easily forego the little luxuries which are requisite to
keep soldiers in good humour. The Turkish force in
Thessaly, during the past spring, was for weeks fed on
biscuit alone. Water was their only drink ; coffee and
tobacco they never saw, and yet they did well, and went
through the campaign without complaint. But the
army in the provinces is not only deprived of the com-
forts which ought to be provided for troops who have
borne such hardships, or for the purchase of which their
pay should be regularly given, but they are destitute of
necessaries which are required to support existence during
the present winter. Their clothes and shoes are worn
out, and no pains have been taken to supply them with
others. The' provisions are bad in quality, and the
supply is •smali. No small mortality appears
to be taking place. The letter of Omer Pasha
is said to be a circular addressed to all the Minis-
ters, and it is to be hoped that immediate
attention will be paid to it. The army which has
faced the Russians in this war can hardly be re.
placed, and if it be ;allowed to suffer a diminution of
numbers the time may speedily come when the enemy
will be encouraged to resume offensive warfare. How
muck this well-drilled force is superior to the common
run of Turkish troops may be learned from the differ-
ence between the conduct of the Ottoman forces at
Silistria, and Balaklava. The present neglect is the
more censurable since the Turkish Government has
raised its loan, which ought to be applied•in the first
place to the payment of its troops, and the preparation
for the winter, which is likely to set in with great
severity. The defence of the northern provinces from
future aggression may be considered as a duty to be
fulfilled by the Turkish army, for although Austria is
no doubt indisposed to the extension of Russian power
in Europe, we do not know how long the' present feel-
ings will continue to inspire her Government. The con-
scription also has much exhausted the Mussulman po-
pulation, which is in a state of great distress, and no
very great reinforcements can be expected to supply any
loss occasioned.

The Duke of Cambridge arrived here on Monday, by
the Trent, from the Crimea. His Royal Highness is
somewhat better, but is still far from having recovered
his health. He is at present at Missirie's Hotel, with
his aides•de•eamp, Major Macdonald and Captain
Clifton.

Lord W. Panlet has arrived here as Commandant at
Scutari. Many improvements have taken place during
the last month, in a great measure through the muni-
ficent subscription raised for the benefit of the wounded.
But the shortcomings are still very grievous, and it is
to be hoped that the arrival of a Commandant, with
authority to control all the departments of the hospital,
will be productive of beneficial changes. The Commis-
sion appointed to inquire into the working of the medi-
cal department began its sittings on the 28th. It is
rather late to inquire into the state of such affairs when
we aro in the midst of a bloody campaign ; but if the
Commissioners discharge their duty with energy and
impartiality, much may be elicited which will be useful
in the future conduct of the war.

The Valmy, Ville de Paris, and Suffren have arrived
in the Bosphorus in the course of the last week, having
suffered much damage in the tempest of the 14th. The
Ville de de Paris was towed up to the arsenal on the 28th
by the Mogador steamer. In passing through the
opening in the floating bridge she struck against one of
the barges on which it is laid, and carried away a con-
siderable part of the construction. The bridge is, how-
ever, still available for traffic.
On Saterday last 2,200 Egyptians arrived at Constan-
tinople, forming part of the new contingent to be fur-
nished by Said Pasha. They were reviewed the same
day by the Seraskis in the Great Court of the Seras-
kierate. The assistance rendered by the Viceroy to the
Sultan is a matter for rejoicing to all who desire the in-
tegrity of the empire. and the troops sent may be made
very useful in defending the frontiers of the country
against any new incursion os the enemy ; but it would
perhaps be as well that rn large number of the Otto-
mans should bo sent up to the Crimea. The=e at Balak-
lava are dying in great number,,, and, though they have
done some service in bringing up guns and stores froth
the harbour to the camp, they are not to be relied on to
face such troops as the Russians have and are likely to
have in the Crimea. The French and British armies
must rely on themselves alone for success in this stoutly-
contested campaign, and the presence of a large number
of Eastern troops may probauly only retard their move-
ments,

The Livorno arrived on the 27th with French troops.
In all about 9,000 French have arrived within the last
fortnight, and large Lumbers may be daily expected.