The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-28 00:00:00

' surfeying the passes of the Balkan, and a number
lor Poutoniens went up past th to SAlnal,a, ,aad
ua Tuesday.

OMER PACHA'S VISIT TO SILISTRIA.

SnasTRIA, June 23.—Tile Generalissimo, Omer
Pacha, has just arrived in this city. The Governor
of the place, Malimoud Paella, went out to meet
him, and received from his hands the grand cross
of the Medjid. Omer Pacha, in presenting the
cross, said that he had come for the purpose of
congratulating the garrison ou its excellent con-
duct, and he charged the Governor to express to
all the troops the satisfaction which he felt. On
the very day of his arrival lie paid a visit to the
fort of Arab-Ta,bia, of which the heroic resistance
was sufficient to check, during forty days, one of
the most powerful armies of Europe. It is really
impossible to understand how the Russians did
not, on the very filst shock, carry this lit-
tle earthen fortress. It has only three demi-
bastions, and is open at the gorge. Omer Pacha
has expressed his deep sorrow at the loss of Cap-
tain Butler, who died on the very day of the re-
treat of the Russians. He has decided that a py-
ramid shall be erected in the middle of the fort in
honour of the soldiers who have died in its defence,
and that the mortal remains of Captain Butler
shall be carried to the same place. A special mo-
nument is to be erected to immortalise the devotion
of that valiant officer. On the following day the
Generalissimo inspected the trenches constructed
by the Russians on the right bank of the Danube.
These trenches were constructed with great care
and are of immense extent. It is evident that the
Russians had been making preparations to offer
battle at that place to the allied army if it had
advanced fur the purpose of relieving the town.
The Russians did not carry away the remains
of their bridges till the 26th. The Turks have
advanced a battery which has forced the Rus-
sians to send down towards Rassova the last of
the pontoons which remained in front of Silis-
tria. Their batteries have killed two Turk-
ish soldiers and three horses. It is calculated
that during the whole duration of the
siege the Russians have lost, in killed
wounded, and sick, about 16,000 men. The Turks
have had 650 killed, and about the same number
wounded ; but that calculation does not include
the irregular troops, which were more exposed
than the others. The Arnants have done great
mischief to the Russians; they established them-
selves in the ditches of Arab-Tabia and kept firing
upon the Russians with remarkable effect and cor-
rectness of aim. The Bashi-Bazouks have also
suffered much. From the heights of Silistria we
distinguish perfectly the whole of the Russian army
which is concentrated near Kalarasch. Eight sepa-
rate camps may be reckoned. Several deserters,
who passed theDanuhe by swimming, state that great
discouragement exists in the Russian army. The
vigilance of the Cossacks, who whip up all laggers
with the knout, prevents desertion ; but if the
English and French armies come up there is not a
doubt in my mind that numbers of the Russians
would come over to them, having more confi, hence
in them than in the Turks. It is calculated that
the ar.ily which blockadea Silistria did not consist
of more than 50,000 men and 2,000 horses, and
that the whole of the troops from Giurgevo to Ras-
soya was not more than 70,000 men. But the
Russians have left very considerable troops in Bes-
sarabia, and the reserve corps of dragoons has re-.
ceived a counter-order and taken up its canton-
ments iu Moldavia. The town of Silistria is much
injured, and the quarter of the Christians is nearly
destroyed. • Scarcely a house can be shown without
the mark of a cannon ball, and the streets are torn
up with shells. The Russians having left their
dead bodies buried within a few inches of the
ground, the air is quite infected with the odour,
and the consequence is an abundance of fever.
There is near this place a considerable camp,
which is under the orders of Ismail Paella, an
excellent general, the conqueror of the Russians at
Citate. Another camp is to be formed near Rust-
chuk, and the division of Hassan Pacha has re-
ceived orders to proceed there. The Generalis-
simo is to return to-morrow with his staff to
Schumla. It wily ho a difficult matter for the
Turks to come up with the Russian army as it
wants the means. of constructing bridges over the
Danube. The Russians have destroyed a part of
the boats which they possessed, and the Turks have
no bridge equipage. They are masters of some
boats, sufficient to carry over a few detachments
only, and not a large body of troops. The villages
around Silistria which were abandoned during the
siege are now again inhabited. The inhabitants,
who had buried their wheat, in order not to deliver
it to the Russians, have already furnished 300,000
kilogrammes to the Turkish authorities, which wig

suffice for the support of the army of Ismail Paella
and of the garrison of Silistria, now, to all appear-
ance for a great length of time, free from the hor-
rors of a siege.

AUSTRIAN OCCUPATION OF THE
PRINCIPALITIES.
The Constitutionnel says :—" According to our
private information, we believe that the immediate
entrance of the Austrian troops into the Principa-
lities in consequence of the special treaty concluded
to that effect between the Cabinet of Vienna and
the Cabinet of Constantinople, with the consent of
the Cabinets of London and Paris, may be consi-
dered as formally decided on."