The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-05 00:00:00

OCCUPATION OF THE DOBRUDJA BY THE

RUSSIANS.
From Vienna the telegraph announces that Omer
Pacha had anticipated the Russian advance into
the Dobrudja ; and that the Ottoman force there
was falling back, according to orders, upon Trajan's
wall, which is well fortified, and where the Russians

will have to encounter about 60,000 Turks.

The Independance Beige says :—" It is now posi-
tively certain that while the Russians were cross-
ing the Danube, five Russian steamers from Sebas-
topol, after having touched at Odessa, succeeded
in disembarking 4,000 soldiers on the island of
Dunavetz, on the Dobrudja, at the entrance of the
St. George's mouth of the Danube. Having ac-
complished this service the five Russian steamers
regained the port of Odessa."
Dunavetz is within two days' march of Babadagh,
so that the Russians, by the aid of their ships,
which it was understood Admiral Dundas had been
commissioned to blockade, have been able to ad-

vance upon that important position without so
much as the trouble of crossing the Danube.
The Soldier's Friend, an Austrian journal, pub-
lishes the following on the passage of the Danube
by the Russians
"On the 10th ult., Prince Goitschakoff received from
St. Petersburg the order not to confine himself to the
defensive, but to take the offensive, in order to cause
the Russian army to occupy on the right bank of the
Danube the strategic points which may serve as a
pivot when the army shall advance further into the
territory of the enemy. To this category belongs in-
contestably the position between Matchin, Isatcha, and
Babadagh, because, being on the heights which unite
those three places, it is perfectly calculated to defend
the flanks of NWallachia, but it is clear that it sup-
poses the possession of the tetes de pont of Braila and
Galatz, strategic points of greatimportance, which on that
account have been put in a state of redoubtable defence
by the Russians. In the Turco-Russian wars of the pre-
ceding century, the Turkish generals always occupied
the Dobrudja with their principal forces, and on the
heights of Babadagh they were almost invincible. Omer
Pacha has acted differently. He has thrown himself
with the main body of his troops into Widdin and Kala-
fat. He has not thought of occupying the Dobrudja
with large forces, although that important position is on
the line of retreat of the Russian army which is in Wal-
lachia, and although General Luders has concentrated a
good many troops at Braila and Galatz. The Turkish
general-in-chief has confided to Mustapha Pacha the
defence of this spot, which is so important for the
army of operations on the Danube, but he has only
given him ten battalions of Nizam, eight battalions of
Redifs, 2,600 baschibozuks, and 4,000 cavalry, with
forty-eight guns. These forces are evidently insuffi-
cient for the defence of such an important posi-
tion. It is true that Mustapha, Pacha has partially re-
paired the fortifications which the Russians formerly de-
molished, because they had seen the importance of them,
but he insisted on reinforcements of troops and cannon
being sent to him. Omer Pacha was obliged to send him
three months ago 6000 men, who arrived at their desti-
nation. The officers of the general English and French
staff, who are making at Schumla preparations for the
plans of operation of the auxiliary troops, have more
correctly recognised the importance of this position,
and assuredly the French troops would have com-
menced their operations, by possessing themselves of the
Dobrudja, if the Russians had not prevented them.
With the few troops of which he disposes, Mustapha
Pacha will find it difficult to prevent the Russians from
occupying that peninsula. In the morning of the 23d,
protected by 24 pieces of 12, and 6 of 18, the latter
threw over a bridge near Brala, an operation in which
they were but little disquieted by the Turks. At 1 o'clock
in the afternoon, the Russian columns placed themselves
in movement, and marched until a late hour in the night,
when they bivouacked between Gedschid and Matchin.
This passage of the river was executed with great pre-
cision, under the personal command of PrinceGortschakoff.
At the same time, General Luders, after having thrown a
second bridge near Galatz, also passed the river, amidst
discharges of artillery, with the 29th and 30th light in-
fantry regiments, the infantry regiments Modlin and
Bragasch, the artillery, and cavalry. Mustapha Pacha
is trying to concentrate his troops at Babadagh ; but as
this position is 12 German miles distant from Trajan's
rampart, it is probable that the Russians will have ar-
rived before him. Turkish battalions have been sent in
all haste from Silistria and Basardschik to Karassou,
to defend the said rampart."
On this article the Constitutionnel remarks :
"We have no need to say that we do not accept for
our part the strategic reasons of the Soldier's Friend.
The future will show if Omer Pacha had not his reasons
for not causing the positions opposite the Russians on the
Lower Danube to be more strongly occupied."
The combined fleets have entered the Black Sea.

CONSTANTINOPLE.
CONSTANTINOY'LE, March 27.—A great council
has been held to-day, on the subject of Greece.
M. Metaxas, the Minister from King 0 tho to the
Sultan, has received his passports, and all foreign
Greeks are to be sent from Turkey.

- - _
Nechet Bey, the Turkish Minister at Athens, has
returned from Greece. _ .

All political and commercial relations between
Turkey and Greece are broken off.
The steam-vessels of war Samson and Cacique
have, by mistake, bombarded a position occupied
by the Circassians.
There is a rumour that the endowments of the
mosques are to be made national property.
By letters from the Black Sea fleet, we learn that
Captain Brock has been out to correct the sound-
ings in the Black Sea, which he found anything
but accurate. He had the assistance of all the
masters of the fleet, and made quick work of it.
He is now away in a steam-frigate, reconnoitring
the Russian ports, probably to discover where the
missing Russian ships have gone to. Weather,
bitterly cold. Thermometer, 29 deg. Fleet,
heal thy.
SMYRNA, March 29.—A violent earthquake was
felt yesterday.
A letter from Constantinople, of the 20th, in-
forms us that, immediately after the return of the
Retribution, English frigate, and the Caton, French
corvette, from their voyage to the mouths of the
Danube, the two admirals sent off the Caradoc
with despatches for the Russian authorities at Su-
lina, demanding that the obstructions should be
removed, and all merchant vessels in that part
of the Danube be allowed to navigate freely.
After leaving the Sulina, the Retribution and
Caton proceeded to Sebastopol, and ascertained
that the Russian fleet had not moved. Their
report on the subject arrived at the very moment
when the squadrons at Beycos were making pre-
parations for departure, in order to look after the
Russian fleet, which some masters of merchant ves-
sels pretended to have seen at sea. The two English
and French frigates, the Samson and Cacique, which
returned on the 19th from the coast of Circassia, saw a
division of seven Russian frigates which bore away
from them, and, at another time, a brig, which the
bad weather prevented them from boarding. From
the accounts brought by the Cacique and the Sam-
son, it appears that the Russians have evacuated
and destroyed all the small fortresses which they
had constructed and occupied on the coast of Al-
basia ; they only retain the two most important.
The ships of the allied powers put themselves in com-
munication with the Circassians, who are at pre-
sent in an extraordinary state of agitation, and
promise to recommence hostilities more warmly
than ever the moment the fine weather returns,
and particularly so if they are supplied with
arms and ammunition. The news of the pas-
sage of the Danube by the Russians had not
reached Constantinople when the letters of the
20th left, but the last despatches from Omer
Pacha announced that such a movement was
very probable, and mentioned that he was also
about to effect a very important operation. He
was preparing to leave Schumla with all his staff,
but the direction he intended to take was not
known. The news of the affair at Turtukai had
reached Constantinople, but it was considered that
th ' attack, though attcndcd With ..;.N,-ere 10:;;;,
only intended to conceal other movements of the
Russians. The order of the Russian Government