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

♦N AWKWARD MISTAKE.

Sir Colin Campbell had ordered that no pickets should
enter the plain which separates our position from the Rus-
sian 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 he 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 ether, came almost at
the same mornunt in sight of a battery manned by
English artillerymen and protected by a strong body
of our infantry. No sooner did the dark masses of
the Turks loom through the shades of night—at
a distance df 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 stepped, and the matter cleared
up by the arrival of Colonel Sterling and Lieutenant
Wagemati, Who bad just seen the Pacha, and learnt
from him that he had sent parties to scour the plain. So
riding up in hot haste they came at the very height of
the dutiftision, just as the two parties of Turks were
about to grapplu in mortal combat, while the battery
'wag almost in the act of giving them another dis Charge
of gung .4.11:1 Musketry. When the time for explanations
came;, most strange id say, it was found that none of
theTdrks *ere hurt. The shot had gone over their
heads, for Beithet the gunners nor the musketeers had
any idea that the stipposud enemy was so close at hand.
Tilia STATE Or TEM OAERISON.
d ;ill. late neirs of the distress of the garrison
y severaof Sebastopol was yes4.4rdaY confirmed
and bas %heFe could
de-
serters, who all teld the same story,
be no previous understanding between them, asser;
tions are entitled to some credit. I give them in full.
the it from our batteries has most terribly told upon
Sebastopol ; the Isicc is Pits asvast slaughter-house, and
ta. hip,
the streets are full of howling
Five thousand men are killed or 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 the 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 bill-tops, and who, as usual, retreated when
they found Sir Celia 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
Branksom 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 anclfires 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.

A CARGO OF LUXURIES.
I am glad to ho able to announce to you that an
enterprising merchant from Para has at last come to
relieve the necessities of the camp. His ship; a
barque of 150 tons, containing a general cargo of
necessaries and luxuries, came in last night. He
commenced his sale this morning, and by sunset lie
had disposed of one-third of his cargo, at prices
which, on the average,' must yield 100 per
cent. profit. I qu.ote a few of the prices, premisinfi
that all the articles are of inferior description.°
India rubber coats, 60s. ; iron camp bedsteads, 455. ;
cigars, per pound, 30er; chocolate, per pound, 3s. ; a
small cheese, 12s. ; candles, per pound, 3s. ; Westphalia
hams of 10 pounds, 255. These are the prices I
noticed ; all the others are equally high. But there is,
no bargaining in a camp, and men are but too glad to
obtain useful things for any amount of useless money.
The arrival of the stores at Balaklava is hardly known
in the camp at Sebastopol. When the news spreads the
rush of officers and officers' servants will be tremendous,
and prices will most likely rise 50 per cent. Here is a
vast field for enterprise.
THE RUSSIANS AT THEIR GUNS.
A French officer was taken prisoner on shore the
other day ; he was taken into Sebastopol, and in the
confusion managed to escape, Se says that there were

5,000 men killed ; the wounded were innumerable.
They were obliged to drive the Russians to their guns
at the point of the bayonet, and they had the gallows
rigged, and were hanging them by the dozen. The town
was in a❑ awful state. There is a report that the Poles
will turn on I 1-w Russians as soon as our troops assault
it, which is not unlikely.