The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-14 00:00:00

THE MEDITERRANEAN.

MARSEILLES, Dec. 12.—The embarkation of
troops and military stores is continued with an
activity and on a more extensive scale than at any
period since the commencement of the war. The
French Government appears to be determined
to make up for lost time. The Ileums, new
screw line of battle ship, has arrived from Toulon.
She is anchored at the islands of the Frioul, at
the opposite side of the bay, and will take 1,500
troops to the Crimea, beside a considerable quan-
tity of ammunition, which she has on board. The
mail steam. packet Gange sailed yesterday for Con-
etantinople, having 400 of the 56th Regiment on
board. splendid ship Nutia, belonging to the
Peninsular and Oriental Company, likewise sailed
yeetertlay, taking 1,150 men, 24 horses, and 350
tons of provisions for the army in the Crimea. It
is universally admitted that the Nubia could not
have sailed for ten (lays later, but for the unre-
mitting exertions of Messrs. Robert Gower, the
agents of the Company, and Captain Engledue,
their superintendent, who came specially to Mar-
seilles to inspect the embarkation. Nothing could
exceed his attention to the comforts of the troops
and his anxiety to provide them comfortable quar-
ters. The war steamer Constitution is in the port
of the Joliette, receiving troops for the Black Sea.
The weather unfortunately is unfavourable for those
operations. We have been visited with constant
storms for several days past, accompanied by tor-
rents of rain. The captain of the Cairo, from Con-
stantinople, which arrived here four days behind
liar time, says that Thursday night last was the
severest night he ever passed at sea. The mail
steamer front Algiers, duo hero on the 7th, has not
yet arrived. Three of the sailing transports laden
with artillery horses, which cleared out from this
port 15 days since, have been forced to take re-
fuge in the island of Sardinia, in a damaged state,
and a friend who arrived from Leghorn yesterday
saw others in a similar condition at the island.
of Elba. The mail steamer Thabor, which ar-
rived here on Saturday, was detained at Constan-
tinople, by the French Minister, until the Ist inst.,
to take despatches. The private letters received
by her, from the Crimea, of the 26th ult., state
that the position of the Allied armies had been
considerably strengthened, that new batteries had
been erected, and that the engineers only waited
a signal from the Commanders-in-Chief to re-
commence the fire with 146 guns of various sizes.
The heavy rains had somewhat distressed the
troops. The French army, which consisted of 8
divisions, would, by the reinforcements daily ex-
pected, be increased to 12. It is believed at Con-
stantinople that Marshal Baragumy d'Hilliers will
return there as ambassador ; Ahmed-Wefik-
Effeudi, the Turkish Ambassador to the Court of
Persia, had arrived at Constantinople, which fact
was considered as an indication that a good
understanding continued to exist between the
two Governments. 2,200 Egyptian troops had
arrived at Constantinople, and 5,000 more
were expected. Brigadier-General Larcher had
likewise to take the command of the French
troops at Constantinople, Varna, and Galli-
poli, in place of General de Failly, who has re-
turned to the Crimea. All the European Generals
and officers attached to the army of Kars have been
recalled to Constantinople.
A private letter from Bucharest, of the 22d,
states that Omer Pacha, in reply to an order to
attack the Russians in Bessarabia, had addressed a
letter to the Minister of War, complaining that, by
the negligence of the authorities, his army is defi-
cient in shoes, winter coats, and even cartouche
boxes ; neither had they received any pay.
M. Gouin, the Postmaster of Marseilles, has just
published a notice, announcing that, from the 11th
inst., the mails for Constantinople, by way of
Messina, will be despatched every Monday, at 3
p.m., and will arrive at Marseilles from Constan-
tinople every Tuesday, at 5 a.m. The mails for
Constantinople via Malta will be despatched every
Thursday, at 10 a.m., and will arrive at Marseilles
for Constantinople every Saturday, at 3 p.m.