The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-26 00:00:00

AIARSEILLES, DEC. 24.
The last was one of the most remarkable weeks
since the commencement of the war for the number

of largo ships which cleared out of this port laden
with troops and ammunition for the army in the
Crimea. Besides the two regular mail steamers,

the Thabor and Hydaspes, which carried a full cargo
of provisions for the army, and their decks crowded
with soldiers, the Tage was despatched by the Mes-
sageries Imperiales extra to Con stantinple, to con-
vey a number of young English medical men to
the hospital at Scutari. The Arabia, of Cunard's
line, Captain Judkins, sailed on Thursday, with 33
officers and 1,100 men. She went off in gallant
style, the French band playing God save the Queen,
and all the British seamen in the dock cheering.
The Arabia received numerous visitors the day
previous to her departure, who were kindly per-
•

mitted by the Captain to examine every portion
of the noble ship so splendidly tatted up. The
French visitors admitted that their dockyards
have never turned out anything to be corn-
pared to the Arabia. One French gentleman,
on seeing the accommodation prepared for the
private so!diers, observed that they had never been
so well lodged during their lives. Another declared
that did his engagements permit him he would be
happy to pass his life among the officers. What
particularly struck everybody was the extreme
cleanliness and perfect arrangement throughout
every portion of the ship. The Orinoco sailed
for Toulon, where she received General Duval,
41 officers, and 1,600 men of the 18th regiment of
the line, and proceeded on her voyage to the Black
Sea. The frigate Constitution and the large trans-
port Chandernagor have likewise sailed, laden with
an immense quantity of siege artillery, ammuni-
tion, and artillery waggons. The British iron screw
steamer Mauritius arrived here on Thursday, to
receive troops. She made the extraordinary long
passage of 10 days from Anita, in consequence
of a heavy sea and violent wind in the Gulf of
Lyons. A handsome frigate, called the Nereide,
arrived the same afternoon from Toulon, towed
by the mail steamer Euphrate. The mail steamer
Indus arrived on Thursday, three days behind her
time, having left Constantinople on the 10th, the
new arrangement for changing the days of sail-
ing not having commenced at her departure.
She remained two days at the Island of Cerigo
during a violent storm. The Indus brought
several wounded soldiers, mostly Zouaves, Chas-
sews de Vincennes, and artillerymen. They were
landed at the moment a battalion of the 4th were
drawn up to be embarked on the Hydaspes. The
appearance of the wounded men, supporting them-
selves on crutches, produced a painful impression
on the young soldiers about to be exposed to
similar casualities. The large steamer La France,
at present taking in ammunition for the Black Sea,
has attracted much attention here, as she is the
largest vessel yet worked en the mixed system, in-
vented by M. du Tremblay. She was built lately
at Toulon, and was inspected by a commission ap-
pointed by the Government, and assisted by Admi-
ral Delasseaux. In M. du Trembley's engines the
steam, in place of being condensed with cold water,
is brought in contact with a vessel containing sul-
phuric ether, which being evaporated at the mo-
ment of the contact, absorbs the heat of the steam,
condenses it, and forces it to work a piston in a
second cylinder—thus giving an additional force to
the first piston .. orked by the ordinary steam. This
combination of steam produced by two boiling li-
quids at a different temperature, has given M. du
Trembley's machines the name of machines of com-
bined steam. During the trial in presence of the
commissioners, La France performed nine knots an
hour. The great advantage promised by M. du
Trembley is an enormous saving of fuel ; but I un-
derstand from a scientific person, who has paid
great attention to the subject, that the theory is
not altogether confirmed by practice. A letter
from Toulon, dated yesterday, announces the ar-
rival of the steam-frigates Caffarelli, Labrador, and
Titan, from the Black Sea, with sick and wounded
soldiers and sailors.
An atrocious attempt to assassinate General
Rostolan was made yesterday at two o'clock in the
afternoon, in the Place St. Fereol, one of the
most crowded thoroughfares in Marseilles. The
General was about to take his usual ride, accom-
panied by an aide-de-camp and a picket of dra-
goons. As he entered the Place St. Fereol, he was
approached by a young man wearing a blouse and
a red cap. The man fired a pistol, which missed
the General, but the charge struck the aide-
de-camp in the leg, and inflicted a severe,
though not dangerous wound. The assassin did
not attempt to escape, and was immoliataly arrested
by a dragoon. Another pistol fully charged was
found on his person. It is said that he was accom-
panied by another individual who fled after the shot
wasfired. The sanguinary act caused great excite-
ment through the town, asit was at first feared that
it was the result of a political conspiracy. On ques-
tioning the young ruffian, however, it appeared that
his object was to avenge what he considered a
personal insult in having been rejected several
times when he offered himself as a military substi-
tute. He aas labouring under great excitement,
apparently from intoxication or insanity. His first
exclamation after he was arrested was " He is not
the last I will kill !" On passing through the
streets on his way to the prison, he continued to
vociferate " Viva la France !" " Viva l'Armee de
rOrient ! "
The Lycurgue mail steamer, which was to have
left Constantinople on Thursday last, according to
the new arrangement, and was expected here yes-
terday, has not yet arrived.