The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-19 00:00:00

CONSTANTINOPLE.

CONSTANTINOPLE, MAY 10.—The Duke of Cam-
bridge and Marshal St: Arnaud have just arrived.
The ratifications of the triple treaty of alliance
were, exelitang,ed'i-e'3iersi4y.
ty Paella, ambassador at Paris, remains at his
post, at the request of Prince Napoleon. A great
quantity of French artillery and four squadrons of
Spahis have reached Gallipoli.
CONSTANTINOPLE, May s.—The Turkish fleet was
inspected a few days before leaving by Mehemet
Pasha, the Capudan Pasha or High Admiral of the
Porte. The chief defect in its operations will arise
from the unskilfulness of both officers and men,
the result of their confinement to harbour for so
considerable a portion of their nautical existence.
The vessels are well built, but are said not to be
durable, from having been constructed of green
wood. The crews are well fed and cared for, and,
as far as courage and devotion go, will do their
duty to their country. Their destination is prob-
ably the Circassian forts, of which three, Anapa,
Souchoum Kaleh, and another, are still held by
the Russians. The squadron was accompanied by
the Terrible, English steam-frigate which returns
to the allied fleet, now in the neighbourhood of
Sebastopol. The capture of the Russian forts on
the Eastern shores of the Black Sea will be an import-
ant gain for the allies, and may reduce the hostile
army in Asia to great straits. Some blow in this direc-
tion, indeed, seems to afford the only hope of saving
the Asiatic provinces of Turkey from invasion and
dismemberment. The English public will have heard
from a number of sources of the miserable state of
the Ottoman army in those parts. A few months
ago it was the fashion to represent the Turkish
arms as everywhere successful, and any solitary
individual who stated the real truth was a Michaiah
among the prophets. But now the necessity for a
more exact inquiry is recognised. The Russians
are within a few days' march of Kars, and before
them is a rabble. In every way the Government
has been deceived as to the conduct of this part of
the war. The commanders have been incapable,
and worse ; the commissariat a knavery, and the
a falsehood. The manner in which
despatches
affairs have been managed may be judged of from
the following incident :—A contract was made by
Government for medicines and surgical instruments
to be sent to Erzeroum. As is usual here, the con-
tract was let and sub-let till its actual execution
fell into the hands of a Jew. When the cases were
opened the medicines were found to be wholly
worthless, and
among the implements of surgery
were several hundred instruments tor extracting
milk from women's breasts ; no doubt part of the
stock of some bankrupt speculator !
Some efficient assistance from the allies in this
quarter is absolutely necessary, and a timely diver-
sion may save provinces which it would be difficult
afterwavds to rescue. The fort of Anapa is the
most important of the Russian stations. By it
troops are introduced into Asia, and it is the key
to the whole line of country which extends along-
the eastern shores cf the Euxine. It is said to be
almost impregnable, the sea wall being at a great
height above the guns_ of an attacking squadron.
It is always well supplied with troops and provi-
sions, and probably many of the regiments drawn
from the abandoned fortresses have been concen-
trated in this stronghold. The other forts are
more assailable, and their reduction would not
only weaken the position of the Russian army of
Armenia, but destroy the prestige of the Czar's
invincibility in these parts, and give fresh vigour
to the almost worn-out resolution of the Cauca-
sian chieftains.
Two English officers have left in the Terrible on
a mission to Scharnyl.
They carry with them assu-
rances of sympathy, and what is of more practical
importance, a supply of revolver rifles, weapons well
adapted for the warfare in which the mountaineers
are engaged. Very little has of late ben heard of
Schamyl, and it has been feared that advancing
years were weakening his activity, and the de-
spair of success quenching his courage ; but there
is reason to believe that these suppositions are
groundless, and that the Russians will still find in
him a foe as energetic and implacable as of yore.
The system of Prince Woronzoff has, indeed, not
failed of a certain success. This able General and
administrator has adopted a mode of warfare in
which Russians, if not belied, are likely to be
skilful, and in which simple mountaineers must be
sadly deficient. He bribes the surrounding chief-
tains, and encloses Schamyl within the limits of his
own strongholds. He burns the forests, and, year
after year, the tide of Muscovite dominion advances
slowly onward, with the steady progress of settle-
ment and cultivation. Twenty years and some
100,000 soldiers will probably be required before
the subjugation is complete, and should Schamyl
leave a son or successor like himself, the struggle
may be still further lengthened. If not, his people
will be " improved " off the face of the earth. He
is known to be anxious for assistance, as the follow-
ing anecdote will show :—About a year since a let-
ter was received at the embassy here written in a
character which at first seemed unknown to the
learned. A skilful linguist, however, after much
, labour, identified it with the Arabic, as written by
the Caucasian tribes. The language was tolerably
pure, and the document proved to be a letter from