The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-22 00:00:00

THE BLACK SEA.

The Moniteur states that the French have just
received two despatches from Vice-Admiral Hame-
lin, respecting the movements of the combined
squadrons in the Black Sea, since the bombard-
ment of Odessa. The following are the principal
passages :

" Ville de Paris, off Sebastopol, May 1, 1854.—M0n.
sieur le Ministre,—On the fourth day after the bombard:
ment of the imperial city of Odessa, the winds having
veered to the north, the two squadrons set sail on the
morning of the 26th of April, and steered for the coast
west of the Crimea, as I had agreld upon with Admiral

Dundas. On the 28th, finding ourselves in sight of the
lands bordering Eupatoria, I detached the steam-cor-
vette the Caton, accompanied by the Furious, to ex-
plore the bay on the south of that city. The Caton,
while accomplishing its mission, captured three Russian
vessels, two of which were coasters ; the Furious took a
fourth. Already, in the morning, the Descartes, giving
chase ahead of the squadrons, bad: fallen in with an
English brig, which, captured the day before by a Rus-
sian frigate, had been hastily abandoned by it, when, on
seeing the squadrons, it had made all sail to gain the
port of Sebastopol. Of these four prizes, two have been
sent to the Bosphorus; as for the two coasters, we sank
them.

" On the 29th, the wind permitting us to make for
Sebastopol, the combined squadrons steered for the en-
trance of this port. They there lay to in order to see if
the Russian squadron really was decided on meeting us,
as the Russian authorities gave out in the Black Sea,
according to the statement of the prisoners when ques-
tioned the day before. If such, in fact, had been the
intention of the Russian fleet, never did a better oppor-
tunity present itself for proving to the natives of the
Crimea that it wished to avenge the humiliation of the
check given at Odessa, and felt in its neighbourhood.
The weather was fine, a southerly breeze and quite fair,
that is to say, favourable for leaving Sebastopol as well
as returning to it. 1 shall add, lastly, that in order to
induce the Russian admirals to come out to us, Admiral
Dundas and myself had ordered two of our ships to keep
out of sight of the Crimean shore -but in vain ; the
Russian ships did not stir from their anchors all the
time we were thus waiting for them..

" We took advantage of the time we were lying to off
Sebastopol, to have the neighbouring bays again ex-
plored by the Caton and the Furious. Other steam.
frigates presented themselves at the mouth of the port,
and examined with the greatest attention the composi-
tion of the Russian fleet : it appeared to us to consist of
12 vessels, 3 sailing frigates, and rather a large number
of steamers, most of which were of small dimensions.
The Russian prisoners, being asked, pretend that the
vessels are 14 in number, 2 of which they admit are not
in the very best condition ; and that the steamers are
26 in number, 3 of them being large ones.
" What would seem to confirm the account of the Rus-
sian prisoners is the circumstance that two large vessels
appeared from the mast-head to be repairing in the
Sebastopol docks, and they might therefore well be the
two vessels in question out of repair.
" Viile de Paris, off Sebastopol, May s.—Monsieur
le Ministre,—Since my last letter, which I had the
honour to send to your Excellency, dated May 1, the
French and English squadrons have not ceased cruising
a short way off Sebastopol, and in sight of it, where the
Russian vessels obstinately remain motionless at anchor.
This want of movement not availing to diminish in any
way the operations of war which Admiral Dundas and
myself have planned against the Russian coasts, an Anglo-
French division will depart this evening, under the corn
timid of Rear-Admiral Lyons, to attack and destroy, on •
the shores of the Crimea and Circassia, the Russian
establishments a^d vessels, and to open ways of com-
munication with the Circassians, especially with their
chief Schamyl. This naval division is composed of the
English steamer Agamemnon, bearing the flag of Rear.
Admiral Lyons ; of the French steamer the Charlemagne;
of five English steamers, and two French—namely, the
Mogador and the Vauban.

"-This last frigate and three of the English vessel
will rejoin the squadron, when this naval division, hav-
ing executed wh itever can be done about the bay of
Theodosia, shall sail along the Circassian coast, for
which two vessels and three steam frigates will pet sail.
" During the execution of these operations, the 17
vessels remaining of the two combined squadrons will
cruise off Sebastopol to keep the Russian squadron there
in awe.

" About the 15th of May I have reason to think that
we shall join our naval division, thus detached, at the
anchorage of Baltshick, whence I intend sending a
steamer to Constantinople, for the purpose of forward-
ing to you an account of the operations it will have un-
dertaken or executed."

CONSTANTINOPLE.

CONSTANTINOPLE, May 10.
The camp and barracks at Scutari are objects of
an interest which must increase with the number
of troops posted on this convenient and picturesque
site. At first the inhabitants were in much fear of
acts of indecorum on the part of their newly-
arrived allies. The women were withdrawn from
the part near the barracks, and their lords looked
suspiciously at the redcoats as they passed. But
now that fear is allayed, and a friendly intercourse
has sprung up, carried on by signs, in which the
numerals are represented by the number of fingers
held up, and liquids, the chief article of commerce,
are expressed by placing the closed hand to the
mouth and tilting back the head, to represent the
act of swallowing. Our men seemed well and
cheerful, but rather too full-blooded for service in
such a climate. The Guards are, many of them,
of the colour of a peony from good feeding and sun-
burn ; they look heavy and plethoric, and contrast
strongly with the alert aspect of the Oriental races.
The appearance of an encampment is familiar to
English sightseers from the event of last year. The
camp of Scutari is not visited by such a charming
array as that of Chobham, but it is not without its
attractions. Nature has given it the advantages of
magnificent scenery and a cloudless sky. The pano-
rama of Olympus and Elken-dagb, the clustering
and sunlit islands of the Sea of Marmora, the deep
blue Bosphorus, rippled only by the strong and
never-ceasing current which rushes down its centre,
the old Seraglio with its cypresses and plane trees,
the great city stretching far away, with the Seven
Towers just visible in the distance through the
bright haze, St. Sophia, the Suleimanni, and many
another mosque, with the vultures flying to and
fro between their minarets, form a landscape
rather different from the desolate heath which was
the scene of last year's evolutions. Some of the
largest steamers in the world have been lately
drawn close under the tent-crowned heights ; anu
it gives some idea of this magnificent harbour to
find that from the European side these look like
smacks which have taken shelter under the cliff-
from the blasts of the Euxine.
To visit the camp is the daily amusement or busi•
uess of the tourists now here. By the help of a
few scraps of Turkish, and especially by the use of
one or two strong expressions, a bargain is made
with the caiqji, or boatman. At the landing place
there is the confusion of Babel. Parcels and pro-
visions are being handed on shore, a process which
the visitor's caiqji interrupts by vigorously thrust-
ing his boat within those of his neighbour's, so that
his fare may disembark. At the encampment
prevails a kind of jovial activity. Luncheons are
preparing for the officers on every side, and sa-
voury smells announce that the men are at their
early dinner. Acquaintances appear at tent doors
with bottles, and shout out an invitation, which
is seldom declined. As afternoon comes on, a kind
of dreaminess steals over the place. The men are
asleep under their tents, or in the sun ; the horses
are grazing in a little valley near the sea ; a speck
with a line of smoke in the distance announces that
another steamer is at hand with troops, and the
encampment is hushed until the close of evening.
The quiet routine of daily life is almost more plea-
sant than the pipe-clayed pageantry of a review.
Visits to the Sweet Waters of Europe are now
at an end, and the fashionables of the Turkish
world will soon resort to the Sweet Waters of Asia,
at solve distance up the Bosphorus, nearly opposite
Bebek. An amusing scene took place on Friday
at the former spot. A gallant English gentleman
was determined to address a few words to some
fair inmate of the harem. He asked a friend to
write down for him some complimentary phrases in
the Turkish tongue, such as " You are very
pretty," " I love you," and so on. Armed with
this document, he visited the Sweet Waters, and,
selecting the prettiest face he could find, he leaned
in at the carriage window, and proceeded to favour
the lady with the contents of the paper, which he
drew from his waistcoat pocket. A shrill shriek
from the eunuchs betrayed their horror at this
audacity. They rushed up and attempted to drag
him away. He resisted, and one of the guardians
drew his sabre. Our countryman did the same,
and the eunuchs fled in. dismay. The lady within
highly enjoyed the scene, and seemed much pleased
at the discomfiture of her tyrants. In fact, the
fair creatures are much more independent than of
yore ; the summary proceedings of former hus-
bands are now impossible, and the ladies have no
longer before their eyes the traditional terrors o
the sack and the Bosphorus.

The merchants of the bazaars are gleaning a plen-
tiful harvest from the superfluity of English wealth.
Every one who arrives thinks it necessary to pur-
chase amber mouthpieces, tablecloths, silks, and
slippers. Every day articles are displayed pur-
chased as a great bargain at about twice what a native
would give for them. The inexperienced stranger
is generally beset on crossing the bridge which leads
to Stamboul by a number of Jews, eager to show
him the way and help him in his bargains. The
character of the race is, in the main, everywhere
the same, but in each country there is a different
variety, and the Jews of Turkey are not the least
interesting. The Jew of Eastern Europe is physi-
cally the finest of his race. The bearded old
Hebrew who comes from Poland with a wallet at
his back is often caught by admiring artists, and
made to sit for portraits of Abraham or Eli. These
Constantinople Jews are mostly relics of the 'tribe
who fled from the fires of the Inquisition in Western
Europe, and their thick Senritic Spanish is still
heard in the close alleys where they congregate,
outcasts lower thanthe lowest, and beings on whom
the meanest Rayah may inflict in turn the insults
which he receives from his Turkish master. They

are a quiet race, slender and stooping, with some-
thing weak and idiotic in their features, which are
far more delicate than those of their English coun-
trymen. Occasionally there is one whose coun-
tenance might have been intelligent if a better for-
tune had ever allowed any noble or elevating
thoughts to be presented to the dormant mind,
or the sun of hope had ever broken through
the chill mist of contempt and poverty which must
encircle the journey of his life. Though they are what
they area one can eat imagine that in the etho9l4