The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-08 00:00:00

THE AUSTRIAN ULTIMATUM.

The local Austrian journals contain the following
stereotype notice of the Austrian note to Si'.
Petersburg :
" The note, with the summons to the St. Peters-
burg Cabinet to evacuate the principalities, was
despatched from hence to St. Petersburg on Friday
morning. In this important document, Austria, in
the consciousness of her own strength, assumes an
independent position, irrespective of the Austro-
Prussian treaty. Taking her stand upon the old
treaties, Austria once more reverts to the question
of the occupation of the principalities, from this
point of view ; discusses the danger which it must
be expected will more and more increase, the
longer the occupation of the Turkish provinces be
protracted ; explains why this occupation, under
present circumstances, cannot any longer be tole-
rated ; and concludes with the declaration that it
has now become inevitably necessary to demand of
Russia to fix a period within which the evacuation
of the Danubian principalities, and such other
parts of the Turkish territory as are at present
occupied, shall be effected. The liberties recently
granted by the Sultan to the Christians are also
dwelt upon. It is said that a similar note from
Prussia is on the road to St. Petersburg."
Public opinion, says a Vienna letter, is rather di-
vided in its conjectures as to the probable answer of
the Czar to this Austrian note. The Lloyd thinks
that there is no difficulty in arriving at a safe opi-
nion hereon. "Russia will surely not evacuate the
Danubian principalities as long as the Sublime
Porte, in conjunction with the Western Powers, is
nut willing to combine with this retrograde move-
ment some definite treaty of peace." Be this as it
may, it amounts to little more than idle and use-
less speculation to attempt to anticipate the resolves
at St. Petersburg. Tile diplomatic blunders of
Russia have become so proverbial throughout the
present complications, that we may well defy any
man to form a safe estimate of the future policy of
the Czar and his advisers. One thing, however, is
certain—the young and gifted Emperor of Austria
will never be entrapped by the wiles of his accom-
plished confrere. We now, therefore, have nu ap-
prehension on the score of Austria.

A LETTER FROM THE RUSSIAN CAMP.
The following letter from the Vienna Iktedica
Journal, is from the Russian camp :

It was said that the difficulties and troubles under
which we have all along laboured in respect to lodging
and provisions would be at an end in spring ; the
season and our progress on the right bank of the river
were to remedy all evils. Unfortunately, little or
nothing is changed ! I informed you that we were
obliged to carry even hay and water, pails and bottles
into the Dobrudscha, and that the returning trains
brought across crowds of sick and wounded, of whom
one-third died. What was said then applies now ;
all the hospitals and infirmaries on the right
bank of the river are over-filled, and ague, catarrhal
affections, rheumatism, dysentry, scurvy, and hospital
mortification,' rage so terribly that it is a question
whether more of our brave fellows fell victims to the
sword or to disease. From Tultscba up to Hirsova,
from Basardshik up to Chernavoda, there is not a single
station which is not crowded with sick and wounded,
waiting to be transported across the river--or to their
last homes. The want of drinkable water and the pier-
cingly cold nights produce such a pernicious effect that
all the care of our Commissarist, which is this time well
arranged, is of no avail. The long fasts which took place
just before the army crossed the river had exhausted
the soldiers, who had already been weakened by
forced marches, miserable winter quarters, and overfilled
stations. Still these troops display the most remarkable
courage, and it is not the fault of the common soldiers
if Rassova and Silistria have until now been bombarded
and stormed in vain. The wounds of the men, almost
all dangerous, are inflicted by the musket or the sword,
and on the front of the body. Most of the men lost in the
various expeditions are drowned, as we are in great want
of good vessels and men to man them. How many brave
fellows have found their death in the river or in the bogs
during our nocturnal enterprises 1 Between Bucharest,
Budeschti, Slabosids, Kikinez, Odaja, and Braila—Braila
andVezirkoi, Martinetschti, Golatschau—and Braila and
Fokschan—there are 23 larger or smaller hospitals. Along
the line from Fokschan to Jassy, the sick, wounded, and
those men who for the moment are incapable of service, are
transported. The consignment of provisions to the right
bank of the river (to the Dobrudscha) still takes place
from Braila. In consequence of the retreat of the troops
from the Schyl and the Aluta, the prices of provisions
are three times as high as they were formerly, and some
articles, such as fowls and eggs, are not to be had at all.
In Braila and Galatz, which are the great depots, there
are, however, vast stores of salted meat of all kinds,
bread, flour, cheese, and salt fish. By the foreign
papers, which we now and then get with parts cut out,
we often learn things; which are occurring in:our imme-
diate neighbourhood. As I wrote you in December
last., the passage of the river at Silistria and Rust-
chuk will be forced, cost what it may. The great
masses of troops sent to Kalarasch, Oltenitza, and
Giurgevo, and the uninterrupted reinforcements
going from Reni and Fokschan, leave no doubt as
to the resolve to go forwards; but the precautionary
measures, noticed in my last letter, forwarded about
three weeks since, prove that the line of retreat has been
cared for. Since the 'Job's news' from the Black Sea
has reached us, we feel ourselves more and more isolated,
and it is evident that the whole population is more
averse to us since the retreat from Little Wallachia,
and our fruitless attempts on Silistria have become
known, and rumours of the mighty succour which the
enemy is about to receive have been in circulation.
Finally the pitched battles' of which your papers speak,
as having been fought in the Dobrudscha and at Trajan's
Wall, were nothing but sanguinary skirmishes. Thou-
sands fell in-the attacks on the fortified places and in
the continual landings"