The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-19 00:00:00

THE EXPEDITION TO THE CRIMEA.

We have been favoured with the following
Letter :

" On board the Transport, Bay of Varna,
4th Sept.
"In my last I stated that I hoped to date my next
from the Crimea, but I do not like the post of the 4th to
leave without telling you where I am, and how we are
progressing. We broke up our encampment on Thurs-
day last at 5 a.m., and at 9 we were all on board. Our
general is with us and all his staff, and with ourselves
we number more than 40 officers—a pretty large family I
party it is. The embarkation has been going on for more
than a week, and such a scene I never before witnessed,
nor indeed has any one here, for the expedition is on a
more gigantic scale than ever before attempted. Inde-
pendently of our fleets, the hired steam fleet is the wonder
of every one. These are filled with troops and stores. The
Himalaya, Simla, Jason, and Victoria have each more than
a regiment of Dragoons on board. Every large steamer
has its regiment of nearly 800 strong, while others are
filled with stores of every description. The scene in Varna
Bay during the whole of the last ten days has been one of
unparalleled magnificence and exalting in the extreme.
On one steam-tug you will see artillery wending their way
to their ships. Then an infantry regiment crammed on
board a small Danubian steamer, puffing along to a tran-
sport with its living cargo. On the way a ship, with her
troops already embarked, is passed, and then there is such
a cheer set up—and so ship-load after ship-load is em-
barked ; and at this hour the last corps are awaiting the
return of the tugs to be taken on board. They are the 13th
and 17th Light Dragoons, and the 38th and 50th Regi-
meats of Foot.

" The Turkish fleet sailed yesterday for Baltchik
Bay with 12,000 men.. The French are going there as
fast as they are embarked, and by Monday shall all be
rendezvoused there. You will find the place in the map
as Kavarna Bay. I can give no adequate description
of the scene which is now occurring, anything I could
say would fall so short of what it is in reality. The
magnificent display made by the mercantile marine
strikes every one with wonder. There are sailing ships
from 700 to 1,600 tons burthon. Our transport is 1,400
tons, and a noble ship she is.
" A sad accident occurred yesterday morning. As
the tug was taking two boats full of French troop■ to a
transport, a small French steamer ran into them, and
32 poor fellows were drowned. I have seen a plan of
operations, as far as regards landing. I believe we shall
disembark at a place on the east of the Crimea, about
20 miles north of Sebastopol. We are to make good our
landing, entrench ourselves, and then send back our
steamers to Varna for 10,000 more French. We go in all
at first nearly 60,000 men. The originalplan was to land
seven miles from Sebastopol, but as we made no secret!
of our intention, the Russians have thrown up works
to oppose, and it is feared it will be too hot for us. We
are very much crowded on board, and the water is
very bad—a drawback of some moment in a voyage,
however short. We are only allowed to take one
horse each, and have been obliged to leave the others at
Varna. None of the heavy dragoons go with us, and
as soon as this business is over we all clear out of Varna
for winter quarters. I hope that mine may be in dear
old England, for every one here says that peace will fol-
low the destruction of Sebastopol. This object, we think,
cannot be attained unless the Russian fleet be destroyed,
and the place made an open port. Lord Raglan em-
barks to-day, and, lam sorry to ten you, our French
allies can only furnish about 23,000 men, to the as•
tonishmeut of all.

"'What will be said at home to the following affair ? I
About 4 days since, a Russian steamer came off the
place under false colours, lowered out a boat, which ran
amid our ships, and saw all that was going on, and then
returned to the steamer. The fact became known by a
master of one of our steamers—a trader—having recog-
nised in the boat, as it passed, an old Russian captain
with whom he was acquainted at St. Petersburg. The
affair caused great consternation. Two French steamers
were inlinediately sent in pursuit, but, strangely enough,
were soon recalled. Our general dined with the admiral
yesterday, and when he returned to the transport no
said, "There seems to be some truth about the Russian
steamer and boat." There has been no effectual
blockade in the Black Sea, and there is general dis-
satisfaction about Dundas' and his fleet. Admiral
Lyons has all the management of the embarkation.
He is next to Dundas. I have just seen
has
of the plan of attack on the Crimea. One
f.aswalr'inn
given to each ship, transport, and
, order that they may know their positionms.an.Nie
The light
to land in boats together—tugged on
t shorn.il way for us.
division goes, of course, first, to clear
Lyons' first
The plans have been drawn by Admiral re are all
lieutenant. We sail to-day.
"Since writing the above,
i V
iom of the Chirooa. We 14944
. orders are out for the
invas
the .
_nay as the plan

shows, and two places are now named for the landing--
one seven, and the other fifteen miles from Sebastopol.
We shall be at it before you receive this. We take three
days' cooking provisions and water with us on landing.
We are now getting ready to start. What cheering and
bands playing as the ships move off !
"Colonel Boyle, Coldstream Guards, and Captain
Longmore, Bth Hussars, died yesterday.
"We expect another mail on the sth, which will
come to us in Baltchik Bay. We rendezvous there on
the 6th of September. The French number nearly
24,000 ; English, 23,000 ; Turks, about 10,000 ; making
57,000. The voyage to the Crimea will take us three
days. The general orders are—' To invade the Crimea.'
They are dated Varna, 3d September, 1854.'
"The attack will be on Fort Constantine, as com-
manding all Sebastopol, with its dockyards, stores, &o.
The fort mounts 250 guns."