The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-29 00:00:00

GENERAL ORDER.

"Until further orders the issue of fuel will be limited
to the troops encamped upon the heights before Sebas-
topol."
From the wording of this order, one would be
led to imagine that fuel had already been issued
to those troops, but such has never been the case.
No fuel has yet been obtained ; and indeed, if it
could be got, there would be no means of trans-
porting it from Balaklava to the regiments, unless
carried by the men themselves. I hear a question
constantly asked—" Where are our private bat
horses ?" They were left at Varna when the
army left for the Crimea. The officers would gladly
part with these for less money than they gave for
them, as they are utterly useless to them where
they are. Some say they hare left Varna, and
have been sent by land up to Constantinople.
We have experienced great varieties of weather
and temperature since I last wrote, but the gene-
ral state of the atmosphere has been favourable for
carrying off the excessive moisture on the surface
of the
_ground, and the mud now only remains
accumulated in certain localities to such an extent
as seriously to impede the progress of vehicles or
passengers. The 7th inst. was particularly favour-
able in this respect. A cool dry wind blew from
the north, while the sun exerted unusual power
through the medium of a cloudless sky. An unex-
pected atmospheric condition followed. No sooner
had the sun set below the horizon and its rays been
withdrawn than the abundant moisture which it
had caused to be evaporated from the surface of the
earth became suddenly chilled and condensed by
the north wind, and a thick fog enveloped every-
thing around. Many retarning from Balaklava
could not find their way to camp. The feg came
so rapidly that it appeared like a wall of dark
cloud sweeping along from the northward. There
had just been an alarm that the Russians were
coming out of Sebassopol in strong force, and notice
of an expected attack on the works had been sent
up by one of the advanced pickets to the General
commanding the Light Division, but the thick mist
quickly removed all opportunities of observation.
The covering parties in the trenches were put upon
the alert, sentries were increased in all directions,
and every precaution adopted, but no attack fol-
lowed. Darkness, where due care has been taken,
must always be more unfavourable to an attacking
than to the attacked force. The fe't continued all
night, and did not disappear until the following
morning, after the sun had again exerted its rare-
fying influence. During the night there was a
sharp frost, and daylight showed the ground
covered with a white coating of hoar and thin ice
and the distant mountains capped with snow. The
wind changed to the south-east and south on the
9th, and has continued blowing from the same di-
rection. Slight rain has fallen once or twice, and
the temperature since the change of wind has been
remarkably mild.
Some guns have been brought up, but with im-
mense exertion, as many as 40 or 60 horses having
been employed in some instances. Not only the
state of the roads, but the weakened condition of
the horses also, have acted as serious impediments
to their transport. The larger kinds of mortars