The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-31 00:00:00

OPERATIONS IN THE CRIMEA.

We translate the following from the Pays of yes-
terday :

" It is impossible to receive fresh details every day of
the events which take place in the Crimea ; the diffi-
culties of communication and the distance must be
taken into account. Several French and foreign journals
have expressed regret at receiving accounts more rapidly
via Rue is than by the more sure and impartial way of
Turkey or even of Austria. We think we are justified
in saying that the French and English Governments,
anxious to gratify the legitimate impatience of publio
opinion and to give all the information for which it is so
eager, have made arrangeinents for news to arrive from
Sebastopol every two days at Varna, from whence
it will be sent to the Austrian frontier, and immediately
transmitted by electric telegraph. When these arrange-
ments shall have been definitively brought into practical
operation we shall receive almost daily such positive
inforiiaation as will dissipate the doubts created inces-
santly in Europe by the statements of the German
press. In the meantime our character as historians
obliges us to publish, under all reserve•, the details
which reach us, and which the official reports alone
can either confirm or contradict. There are, neverthe-
less, some facts which from their probability may be
readily credited. In the number may be mentioned
the destruction of the Quarantine batteries. It is cer-
tain that a great part of the besieging force has been
directed against this point. One of the principal bat-
teries has been established for that object on the extreme
left of the first parallel, and, thanks to a bold manoeuvre,
executed by Admiral Bruat, a battery has been raised
on the sea side in order to keep up a cross fire on that.
The Quarantine Fort would, therefore, have been attacked
on two sides at once, and hence there would be nothing
extraordinary in its fire having been silenced, as has been
announced in a despatch, since confirmed by a note of the
Moniteur. If the Quarantine Fort were destroyed, the port
which it commandsand protects would be open to us ; we
should thus have a new and very important basis ofopera-
tions for the attack of the town and the bombardment of the
forts situated an the opposite side of the port of Sebas-
topol. Let us hope that the last efforts which we have
to make to secure the success of our laborious enter-
prise will be attended with the same good fortune that
has already crowned our armies. The most difficult
part of a siege evidently consists in the prelimi-
nary works far bringing near the fortifications
the engines of destruction which are to destroy
them. Those first operations have been accomplished
under the most favourable conditions. The Rus-
sians have uselessly thrown against the workmen
enormous masses of projectiles. Their batteries being
compelled from the nature .of the ground to fire with
their guns much elevated, their balls have passed harm-
lessly over the besiegers. During the long siege works
we have scarcely had any men killed or wounded.
The fire of the enemy has never for a moment checked
the operations of the men who worked in the trenches,
aid our soldiers only laughed when they heard the
report of the Russian cannon. It is thus that the

trenches advanced to within a distance which en-
abled the opening of a fire from 200 pieces of heavy
cannon at the same time. Now, in the opinion of com-
petent men, the fall cif the place is only a question
of time; the batteries of the besiegers advance closer and
clo-er to the walls of Sebastopol, until the moment when
they shall have reached the edge of the ditch, and dis-
charge their thunders within point blank. It is calcu-
lated that the English and French batteries may every
day throw 23,600 shells and balls into Sebastopol, and
it would be astonishing if such a mass of iron should
not soon open a breach which would permit the
allied armies to march to the assault. It is stated
that General Luders has entered Sebastopol with
13,000 men, and that 12,000 Russians occupy and de-
fend the li,ights of the Belbeck. This news appears to
us to require confirmation. According to all previous
reports, the first troops expected by Prince 11Ienschikoff
were those of General Liprandi. We now learn that
those troops had barely arrived at Perokop on the 15th,
and en the uther hand the despatches recently published
announce that at the last dates the Russian reinforce-
ments had not arrived. The German journal which
gives this news states that General Bosquet had received
orders to cut off communications on the north of
Sebastopol, which would remove all danger of the
pretended movements of the Russians. Besides, if
it be true that 12,000 Russians have established
themselves on the Belbeck, they may perhaps soon
have to fight, for it is announced that 10,000 men who
have left Varna are to land at that point for the pur-
pose of making a diversion whieb will attract a part
of the 'Russian forces to the north of Sebastopol. How-
ever this may be, everything is proceeding on the most
favourable conditions. The besieging army has, more-
over, all its supplies secured from the sea coast, which
is in its power, and also on the land side, thanks to the
unequivocal good feelings which the Tartars testify
towards us, and which the Russian generals themselves
admit in their .reports. Success, and a most striking
one, is evidently therefore the only possible conclusion,
and the crowning one of all these facts."

OCEAN STEAMELM.