The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-04 00:00:00

THE CRIMEA.

MORE RUSSIAN ACCOUNTS OF THE SIEGE.
The Post Ampt Gazette of Frankfort gives the
following under date of Berlin, 29th ult.:--

" Accounts (Russian ones) have been received here
from the Crimea. They come down to the 23d, and
announce that on the 22d the Russians attempted to
disturb the allies in tbeir operations. A considerable
corps (it is not said whether it was the wh.le of the army
under the command of Prince M—nschikoff), supported by
the besieged, attacked the camp of the allies. The Russians
were repulsed, but not before they had succeeded in partly
destroying some of the siege works, so that the bombard-
ment from that part was suspended on the 23d. The
allies, who are principally operating against the south
of the town, have already caused considerable damage to
the fortifications. Their army now reckons about
100.000 men ; that of the Russians 90,000, of whoa)
15,000 are in Sebastopol. The Russian fleet, which bad
been in the southern port, is now moored near fort
Nicholas, where it is pretty well sheltered from the
enemy's shot. In addition to the fortifications previ-
ously existing, the Russians have thrown up consi-
able ones between the Quarantine Port and the town,
from whence they will be able to annoy the flank of
the allied army when it shall approach the forts. The
latter will, however, continue to cannonade the town
from the present position without drawing too near, so as
to be under the fire of forts Nicholas aed Alexander,
until the fortifications have been sufficiently demolished
to allow the assault being made without too great a loss.
Astonishment has been expressed that the fleet had not
attacked the forts near the town ; but it is not in the inte-
rior of the great port of Sebastopol that the Russians
have sunk their vessels, but in the sea itself. To the
westward of Fort Constantine, sand banks run out into
the sea to the distance of more than 1,500 feet, and
others to the north of the Quarantine Fort to more than
500 feet. Between these two sand banks there is a pas-
sage of from 300 to 500 feet for vessels of war, and it is in
this passage that the five vessels are sunk."

THE DEAD IN SEBASTOPOL.
Galignani says :—" When we are told that the
streets of the town of Sebastopol are strewed with
dead, to whom sepulture has not been given, we
may believe that the bodies are chiefly those of
Russian soldiers, for most of the inhabitants had
probably quitted the town at the commencement
of the bombardment. We hope this was the case,
for although the sacrifice of Russian soldiers, as
forced victims of the ambition and injustice of
a single man,. must raise a feeling of pity, we
are compelled to desire their destruction at Se-
bastopol as the surest means of checking a war,
which, if continued, must cause a frightful de-
struction of human life as regards both par-
ties. The destruction of inoffensive inhabi-
tants taking no part in the war, and utterly
without the means of defence, is one of those sad
necessities which cannot be thought of without
horror. From the fact of two Admirals or Admiral-
generals in command at Sebastopol having been
killed, it has been generally inferred that the
slaughter on the side of the Russians has been very
great. The inference is a natural one, but those
deaths do not imply the same amount of general
destruction as in ordinary cases. The Russian
soldiers, although stubborn fighters, are deficient
in what the French call elan, and cannot,
when the danger is great, be brought into ac-
tion, unless their commander-in-chief be at their
head, and he is therefore compelled to expose
his person, where he can, except in the way of ex-
ample, be of no more use than an inferior officer.