The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-12 00:00:00

captain, Lord George Paulet, is never more happy than
when presiding at a capital dinner, with the accompani-
ment of his splendid band. The Firebrand and Vesu
vius have been doing something in a small way up the
coast, at the north of the Sulina mouth of the Danube
—burgling military stations and dispersing their little gar-
isons, cutting down telegraph posts, and so on. The Sans-
pareil returned from the Circassian coast a few days ago,
leaving the Firebrand and Sampson there, at Soukouin
or Redout or Kale. These are to be relieved soon, it
is said, by the Sidon and Inflexible. I dare say you
have heard that the Sanspareil arrived at Redout Kale
just in the nick of time. The Russians, who had been
dislodged by Sir Edmund Lyons' squadron, were just
returning in force, and would have made small bones of
the Turkish garrison, when she hove in sight. The
Muscovites thought better of it, exercised their discre-
tion, and retired. Now, I believe, both places are
capable of defence, guns being mounted again in the
former, and the fort of the latter having been insulated
and otherwise strengthened. The Banshee brought up
word yesterday that Lord Raglan had returned from a
vi-it to the banks of the Danube, and that he confirmed
the report of the Russian retreat. It is said that Lord
Cardigan with some light cavalry has been pushed on in
the direction of Kustendje. If he has fallen in with any
of the Cossacks said to have been seen by the Inflexible
on her way down from the Sulina mouth some days ago,
that roving rabble will have had cause to rue the meet-
ing. How beautifully the Greeks have been checkmated
—or rather, I should say, how Master Nicholas has been
brought sharp up in Greece by the combined occupation
of the Pirmus ! When the Inflexible was there two or
three months ago, recruiting (volunteering) was goingi
on openly for the affair in Epirus, within three minutes'
walk of King Otho's abode."

REPLY OF ADMIRAL HAMELIN TO THE
RUSSIAN VERSION.
BOMBARDMENT OF ODESSA.
Admiral Hamelin, commanding the French flaet
in the Black Sea, has addressed to his government
a second report on the results of the bombardment
of Odessa. His statement appears to have Leen
evoked by the mendacious reports ou the event
which have been published under official authority
at St. Petersburg. The Admiral writes :
" VILLE DE PARIS, June 29, 1554.—Monsieur le
Ministre.—When I had the honour of reporting to you
the losses which the Russian Government must have
sustained through the bombardment of the imperial port
at Odessa by the steamers of the combined squadron, I
was only able to mention such as were visible from the
decks of our vessels. Your excellency will readily un-
derstand the difficulty of appreciating exactly whether
from the ships engaged, or from vessels witnessing the
action, the destruction caused by our projectiles in the
midst of the enemy's ranks, or in the arsenal itself.
" We plainly saw and heard a powder magazine blow
up ; saw the ships on fire in the midst of this arsenal ;
saw the burning barracks and magazine successively fall
in, and the guns and carriages lying about dismounted
on the molehead. For three consecutive nights the
flames did not cease. These general results were all
that we were then able to ascertain.
" This is no longer the case ; and thanks to informa-
tion proceeding from a person worthy of belief, who was
at Odessa during the attack, and who remained there
afterwards, I am able to give your excellency the details
as requested in the despatch of May 24. The following
then is the damage sustained at the imperial fort of
Odessa, in consequence of the attack of Apt ii 22.
" Among the ten pieces of ordnance that defended,
some the entrance, others the head of the mole, these
last were completely dismantled ; this was the work
which our steamers had particularly in view, and the
accomplishment of which permitted them to approach
the imperial port, in order to destroy the Russian ma-
gazines and vessels.
" The powder magazine, erected for supplying the
mole battery, blew up ; the explosion killed or wounded
nearly all the troops that manned this battery. The
Government magazine, that contained all the stores re-
quired by the steam-packets of the State in the Black
Sea, was entirely consumed. A barrack built for the
Cossacks, shared the same fate, entailing the destruction
of a great many horsemen and horses : it was the same
with a large store-house of corn, straw, and hay.
" The mole itself, struck by a great number of balls,
was seriously damaged. In short, the field battery of
four guns, which had ventured to cope with the guns of
our frigates, was almost entirely destroyed, with men
and horses.
"The imperial port contained 53 sailing vessels, three
steamers, and five dredging machines. Of the three
steamers, one, the Dneister, an iron boat of 40-horse
power, the property of the Government, having received
several balls in its bull and keel, filled in five minutes
and went down. They endeavoured in vain to raise it
again. Another iron steamer, the Luba, sank after re-
ceiving 16 shots ; it is thought impossible to make her
float again. A third steamer, of 90. horse power, the
Claudia, went down also, but it seems she has been
since raised.
" Of the five floating dredging machines, the newest
was entirely destroyed ; it sank the first day, and there
is no chance of its being made seaworthy ; the four
others experienced more or less injury.
" Of the 53 sailing vessels in the port of Odessa, one,
Nicholas 1., of about 600 tons, was destroyed by fire :
two brigs were entirely burned, as also a collier full of
Newcastle coals, and bound for Ismail. The rest of
these vessels, which were Russian coasters of different
sizes, were more or less damaged by the balls, the greater
part foundered.
" As for the enemy's loss in men, in order to esti-
mate it it was requisite to have recourse to private
sources, the Russian government having abstained from
publishing the numbers officially. It results from this
information that the number of killed and wounded was
not less than 200.
" Your excellency did not stand in need of these details
to be convinced beforehand that the documents contained
in my previous reports were rather below than above the
truth. Perhaps the same cannot be said respecting those
of the enemy's general, especially in what concerns the
crippling of I don't know how many of our steam fri-
gates at the close of this engagement. Your excellency
is aware that not one of our steam frigates or steam cor-
vettes, receiving as they did not a single shot in their
machinery or boilers, was prevented from following the
squadrons ; and, strange to say, not one of our men
was killed or wounded by the projectiles of the enemy,
whilst ours was making havoc in his ranks, his flotilla,
and his arsenal.
"As for the confusion prevailing in the arsenal at the
beginning of the action, I have been again assured of
its having been the case ; this explains why, as I al-
ready have had the honour of writing to your excellency,
the authorities of Odessa fought without a flag ; and yet
the Russian colours were hoisted often enough on the
custom-house and the quarantine buildings.—l am, &c,,
" Vice-Admiral Commander-in-Chief of the
"Black Sea Squadron,

" HAMELIN."

THE CREW OF THE TIGER.
An officer serving with the Black Sea fleet writes
to his friends :

" BALJICK, June 18.—The First Lieutenant of the
Tiger has been summoned to St. Petersburg. Her crew
has been divided into two or three portions, one of
which is, I hear, immediately to proceed inland to at-
tend some Russian college. They are enjoying them-
selves exceedingly, though prisoners. They are allowed
seats at the opera, and carriages to go about in. "