The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-20 00:00:00

THE FRENCH FLEET.

(Front the the Moniteur de la Flotte.)
Our letters from before Sebastopol of the 3d instan
state that our squadrons are still anchored, phrtly at
Kamiesch and partly at the Katcha. They had been
exposed, but without suffering any injury, to strong gales
from the north-west and north-north-west, which fortu-
nately shifted afterwards to the north-east, as otherwise
the vessels lying before the Katcha, close to the shore and
without any shelter, would have been in danger ; but
prudence and vigilant boldness of our admirals and cora,
manders brought us safely through that trial, and their
devotedness to the common cause which our armies
and fleets are supporting in the East made them
overlook once more the perils and obstacles they
had to contend with. Karniesch and the Katcha are
fortw o ot ion t s which
us o c
cupyare
. Theo f
first
blockadeshighest
oeitaeashfnvinl
eletyrhthshyi
wehneeiagdtTspioashehoyuereeigntppahimasyss.bpeaeoalyrcfensoosludttuntthuchditilesen,sh:
etteeownahhi
tehbl stationmaritime
of
Admiralcentre
Brunt'sthe
ron.
pele
orpadeorr
ktosAacic
idunuder
amet
Sebastopolc
rreoianl
sigl le.
rgea ,eaon nt
leafolrbi
hnusn'
tnseahbdveadaysinhvt
abundance
aesrpki
fort
he
Sebastopol.
The batteries establisted or, shore with guns landed from
in-Chief, both complete satisfaction to the General-
the ability with which they
regards their solidity and efficiency and
are manned, that 20 addi-
tional inns have been demanded and immediately dis-
emtarked. General Bosquet was also anxious to have
--a naval battery, and his wish has been gratified.
Our squadron have now on shore a ship captain,
four captains of frigates, 54 lieutenants and midship-
men, and 1,600 seamen under their orders. On their
side, the Russians have armed the ramparts of Sebas-
topol with the heavy guns of their ships, and those guns
are manned by seamen. Thus the siege of Sebastopol
offers the coincidence, perhaps unique in military his-
tory, of officers and sailors quitting their natural ele-
ment, the sea, to fight battles on land with their naval
artillery, The firing of the marine battery against the
Bastion of the Flagstaff has been remarked for its con-
r..iant precision and its terrible effect. On the 2d of
November the enemy, under the shower of its pro-
jectiles, abandoned a battery of four guns, constructed
in front of the bastion. The seamen, nevertheless,
continued .their fire, and it was hoped that on the
4th they would have cleared every obstacle opposed
to them, and opened a practicable breach. In order
to recompense them for their valuable co-operation the
army has reserved a post of honour to our seamen
oin f
the
Sebastopol.assaul
t,
Our will,
naval n no
fusileersbt, decidehaye been
fateas.
signed a place in the assaulting columns. 60 are
to march at the head of all the troops, with the sappers
and pontoniers, and the others are to accompany the
Zouaves and the Chasseurs de Vincennes. Our seamen
will nobly uphold the reputation of the fleet, even when
fighting by the side of the most valiant troops in the
world. With armies and squadrons such as those sent
to the East by England and France we may await
without uneasiness the result of the struggle.
The journals have announced that a number of
English vessels were shortly to arrive at Toulon to em-
bark French troops for the Crimea. Those journals are
correctly informed ; English vessels are again to co-
operate in the-conveyance of the reinforeements:which the
allied Governments consider advisable to send to the
East. The French Imperial navy, on its side, has already
conveyed thither numerous troops and a considerable
mat,iriel, and other ships are being fitted out for the
same object. It is with that view 14 ships, frigates,.
and steamers have been directed to assemble without
delay at Toulon. They will shortly be followed by 10
others, including fora ships of the line and four fi ~gates.

WHISKY FOR TRANCE.—The French are making ex-
tensive purchases, of whisky in Ireland, in consequence
of the prohibition against distillation from grain in
France. "Our lively neighbours" will find no difficulty
in converting t4O Irish "mountain dew" into something
like cognac.