The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-26 00:00:00

one Courrier de 1 es the following
putiish
letter from the Isle d'Aix,, giving details relative
to the Russian prisoners- -in ' France: It is dated
the 17th :
. .
-"I arrived here yeiterday, being. 'destined with others
to reinfOrce the garrison to guard the Russian pri.
-Boners. This detachment consists of 29 officers, 969 pti-
vates, and 16 women, each of the latter with two or
three young children. There are amongst the prisoners
many Finlanders, two or three line soldiers of the Im-
perial Guard, and some Cossacks of the 1),,n and the
.Dniester. The soldiers of the Imperial Guard form
a striking contrast with the other Russian soldiers,
who are all of Middle height, with dark skins, and ai •
exceedingly ugly. They appear robust and accustomed
to fatigue ; several have sore eyes ; they are more clean
in their persons than is generally supposed; they wear
moustaches, like our soldiers, and some have them turned
tup with a certain coquetry. Several of the officers
speak gond French, and have excellent manners. By
order of Marshal Baraguay d'Hilliers, they are allowed
to wear their swords. Their uniform is a blue frock,
with red collar and wrists, and a small blue cap with
red edging ; their epaulettes are silver, and vary accord.
lug
to
severalthoef rankth of the e
officers,
wearer. have
and, i
nI
particular,
c
with
conversed
withar
old captain of French origin, who is my neighbour,
and all agree in speaking highly of the ardour and
impetuosity of our troops at Bomarsund, and blame
their Emperor in severe terms for causing so much
misery by his obstinacy. The officers are all well lodged
is the town, and treated with much considetationr; the
privates are lodged in the fort of the island, and a.e
treated like our soldiers. Their uniform is of a gross de-
scription, consisting of a long lightish brown outside
(
coat, a 'dark green coat with red facings, blue troll.
sers, and a small dark flat cap. Most of them are
wish
det
eet
superiors
workmen;
hoartk
well pleased to be in France, and they are delighted
with their rations, which are precisely the same as
those of our men. They evidently enjoy their meals,
twhoeuyldhanyoot
beencertainly
allowed
and utter cries of 'Bono Francais' as they eat ; they
will soon be employed on the fortifications. I think
remainreturnesnuethn;vaoentcr Russia.
ehdcenydp iis:tth re, Hithertoaplvi but
ne ,
ry,
Frencht hhe a
has
tlottuw: aenr d out
atheir
tgeo o
been used ea
sytoward them. Many of the prisoners have
money, which they were allowed to bring with them.
They smoke in silence their long pipes, and drink large
quantities of brandy. Last evening some of them
indulged so much that the commandant has been obliged
to take measures to prevent a recurrence of the past. The women are very plain, but clean, although very
simply dressed. All wear a silk handkerchief wound
round the head. One of them excites interest from
having lost her husband during the passage, and being
now left alone with her three children ; and another
from being, by mistake, separated from her husband,
who has been taken to England. An hospital has been
established to receive such prisoners as may be ill,
and a military surgeon and attendants are attached to
it. Now that the first establishment of the prisoners is
terminated I imagine that our service will be light.
The isle of Aix is rather a stupid place, having about 80
houses. I intend turning my time to account by con-
versing with the Russians, and studying them in a min•
tary point of view. I have already had some long con-
versations with,the colonel of engineers, who was charged
with the works of defence at Bomarsund, and he ac-
knowledges that what completely embarrassed him was
the precision with which the Chasseurs of Vincennes hit
the artillerymen in the embrasures of the fortifications.
He is enthusiastic, also, about the long range of their
rifles, and about the firing of the cannon on board the
vessels."