The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-15 00:00:00

THE BLACK SEA.

An officer on board one of her Majesty's ships
in the Black Sea writes on the 28th ult. :—" We
are now at Kavarna, a large bay, about 120 miles
from the Bosphorus and above Varna. The Rus-
sians, 50,000 we are told, have crossed the Danube
at Galatz, and they are going to cross at Rassova
with 25,000 men, by which movement they hope
to cut off the 25,000 Turks in the Dobrudscha. We
expect a steamer to-night from near the Turkish
position, which will tell us if they aro in danger.
If so, we shall probably go short to the nearest
point, and embark the troops and bring them to
Varna. This is most probably the latest news you
can have."

Two hundred and sixty-seven vessels have
arrived at Constantinople from the Black Sea, only
fuur of which were in ballast.

Fifteen thousand men were expected from Egypt,
-who will immediately on arrival be forwarded to
Batoum under the escort of English and French
:4 tempers.

Grand total
If travellers are to be credited, Erzeroum, in
le time when the Genoese held possession of? it,
numbered 100,000 souls, and at the period of the
Russian invasion in 1828-9 about 80,000. Pesti-
lence and emigration are the principal causes of
this striking diminution. The town contains 28
khans, 13 public baths, 70 mosques and mesjids
(small mosques or chapels), besides a Roman
Catholic, a Greek, and a large and handsome
Armenian church. The khans are at present oc-
cupied by troops (to the great discomfort of
travellers), as the barracks only suffice for one
regiment of four battalions, or 3,856 men. The
houses are mostly built of a dark grey volcanic
stone, cemented with mud, and strengthened
with timbers inserted horizontally at cer-
tain distances in the walls, which, being rarely
plastered, gives the town a dull appearance. Some
of the apartments in the larger houses are hand-
some, and the ceilings, of carved wood, are gilt
and painted. The rough external appearance of
the houses is studied, as are the low and dirty
entrances to them, lest they should be fixed upon
by the authorities as lodgings for strangers, or be
seized for • military or civil purposes. The roofs
are flat and covered with several feet of earth,
which renders them warm in winter and cool in
summer, but not impervious to rain and melting
snow in the spring. The streets of Erzeroum are
irregularly built, and, like all Turkish towns,
CONDUCT OF PRUSSIA. unpaved and filthy. The scavenger dogs are
The conduct of Prussia occasions, says a Paris as numerous as at Constantinople, are of the
letter of Thursday, much anxiety and discontent same breed, and appear to be as fully deter-
to the French Government, and many who were mined to keep possession of their own districts,
hitherto the last to despair of her rallying to the from which an intruder is quickly dre
good cause begin to fear that her hesitation is but back to his own quarter. The town is well
the prelude to her final abandonment of the allied supplied with excellent water, conducted through
Powers, and that she will act frankly only when wooden pipes from springs issuing fro
the moment comes for her to declare that she acts the Palan Duken Mountain to the° nume•m with Russia. It is impossible not to see that,• rous fountains, which are to be found in every
whatever be the desire to tranquillise the public part of the town. The city is 6,200 feet above the
mind, at bottom there is suspicion and mistrust. level of the sea, and 200 above the surrounding
The Independence of Brussels states that the plain, which, like that of Baibout, possesses all the
precise point on which differences nave arisen be- characteristic features of the upper steppes of Ar-
tween Austria and Prussia, on the subject of the menia, in the almost total absence of 'trees and in
offensive and defensive treaty, is whether one of the sterility of the mountains which border it. Pine
the two Powers can engage in war without having timber is used in the construction of houses, or for
previously consulted the other.
fuel, and is a heavy item of expense in this part of
BERLIN, April 11,—Colonel Ruff has returned the country. The
poorer classes burn dried cow-
from Vienna, bringing a refusal to accept the clause dung, compressed into cakes. It consumes slowly,
which Prussia proposes to insert in the Convention gives out a fair heat, and is of course much cheaper.
the Austrian Government. It is understood that the winter in stables where their cattle are kept, one
whereas an important article of the Convention corner of which is divided off by a low partition, and
stipulates that in the event of one of the contract- raised above the stable floor. The principal imports
ing parties finding itself at war the other shall come here are British and Swiss manufactures, colonial
to its succour, Prussia wishes to add a special clause produce, iron, tin, madder root, indigo, and galls.
more or less secret, to the effect that war must I The exports from the Pa.slialic consist of furs,, skins
always be concerted between the two parties. The of goats and sheep, buffalo hides, goat and sheep
action of the one would thus depend on the consent .1 wool
WAX and tallow, pipestioks, copper, and lead.

VARNA, April I.—The fleets have left in the
ireetiou of Sebastopol.

CIRCASSIA,

In a Cdnstantinople letter of the 25th, published
at Malta, we read :—" The English steamer Samp-
son, which had been sounding on the coast of air-
cassia, returned on the 21st, bringing tidings of a
complete victory gained by the Circassians over
the Russians. Early in March the Circassians,
provided with arms and ammunition, attacked the
Russians, and, a severely contested battle, drove
them into their castles on the coast. These castles
were surrounded and repeatedly attacked during
four continous days. Finally, the Russians, fear-
ing to be cut to pieces, blew up their powder
magazines, and sought shelter in ships.
" The captain of the Sampson reports that when
some Russians had abandoned two block-houses
situated on a hill, the Circassians threw themselves
on them and cut the whole to pieces. The same
steamer bad spoken with a Russian vessel pro-
ceeding to Sebastopol, laden with fugitive soldiers.
The loss of the Russians had been considerable.
The coast of Circassia is at present free from the
enemy.