The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-08 00:00:00

AN AWKWARD MISTAKE.

Sir Colin Campbell had ordered that no pickets should
eater the plain which separates our position from the Ens-
sia,n hills. The troops were told that any masses moving
in that plain must needs be Russians, and orders were
given to fire upon such masses the moment they came
within range. Now it so happened that the Turkish
commander either did not understand, or that he for-
got the order, for ho sent numerous and strong pickets
into this very plain. Two columns of Turks, thus
laudably employed in insuring the safety of the camp,
and marching one upon the other, came almost at
the same moment in sight of It battery manned by
English artillerymen and protected by a strong body
of our infantry. No sooner did the dark masses of
the Turks loora through the shades of night—at
a distance of certainly less than four hundred yards—
than the artillery let fly at them with rockets and
round shot, and the infantry poured down their
terrible volleys of musketry. The Turks of either
party believed that the body of men march-
ing upon them were a Russia force, and the
two columns, setting up a terrible howl, were
just on the point of charging one another, when
the proceedings were stopped, and the matter cleared
up by the arrival of Colonel Sterling and Lieutenant
Wageman, who had just seen the Pacha, and learnt
froni him that ho bad sent parties to scour the plain. So
'riding up in hot haste they came at the very height of
the confusion, just as the two parties of Turks were
about to grapple in mortal combat, while the battery
was almost in the act of giving them another discharge
of guns and musketry. When the time for explanations
came, most strange to say, it was found that none of
the Turks were hurt. The shot had gone over their
heads, for neither the gunners nor the musketeers had
any idea that the supposed enemy was so close at hand.

THE STATE OF THE GARRISON. 1
OCT. 22.—The litts news of the distress of the garrison
of Sebastopol was yesterday confirmed by several de-
serters, who all told the same story, and as there could
be no previous understanding between them, their asser-
tions are entitled to some credit. I give them in full.
The fire from our batteriess has most terribly told upon
Sebastopol ; the place is like a vast slaughter-house, and
the streets are full of howling and gnashing of teeth.
Five thousand men are killedor severely wounded. The
explosion of the magazine in the rear of the redoubt, on
the first day of the siege, killed and disabled three thou-
sand men. The garrison are disheartened, and wish
their tribulation was over, and that the Allies had taken
the town. The chief engineer, who conducts !he defence
of the fortress, is severely wounded.
VIGILANCE OF THE TROOPS.
Yesterday, too, the position of Balaklava was alarmed
by the Russians, who displayed a force of 8 battalions
on their own hill-tops, and who, as usual, retreated when
they found Sir Colin Campbell prepared to receive them
with all the honours of war. The repeated advances of
the Russians and Sir Colin Campbell's extreme vigilance
keep the troops in the batteries and the camp continually
on the alert. They are like Sir Walter Scott's Knights of
Branksena Hall, who stood, walked, ate, drank, and slept
in armour. They muster at daybreak; pickets are out all
night. After sunset the silence of death hangs over the
camp; all lights and fires are out, and the infantry sleep with
their muskets within reach, the cavalry with their swords
belted round them, and their horses ready saddled, the
artillery sleep with their guns. and the whole camp is
always prepared to rise up in arms at the first shot in
front or the first sound of the bugle. And Sir Colin,
whose green old age tires and almost breaks his youngest
and strongest aides-de-camp, is up all day and half the
, night inspecting the outposts and ascertaining with his
own eyes that the position confided to his keeping is safe
from surprise.