The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-15 00:00:00

KALAFAT.

A letter from a friend at Kalafat, who writes
under date the 27th April, gives the following par-
ticulars, as the sequel to his former letter of the
17th :
" The Russians," be says, " have not shown them-
selves since they took off their dead, and we were igno-
rant as to what had become of them until the 24th,
when four Wallachians came to our camp, and expressed
a desire to speak with the General•in-Chief, Alias Pasha.
They informed him that that same morning the whole of
the Russians who occupied the cantonments of Mulgavitz,
Golentz, Pojana, and Khafter, formed into one mass,
and then abandoned these posts, taking with them the
materiel iu the carts belonging to the peasants, and which
they had put in requisition. As is usual with these bar-
barians they burned, by way of farewell, all that they
could not take away from the unfortunate Wallachians,
and particularly the provisions and forage of every kind
forcattle. They even set fire to the villages, and we beheld
from Kalafat the flames bursting out on every point in,
the horison. We were then ignorant at the head-
quarters of Alitn Pasha of the new plan of operations
of the Russians, and we did not well know what to
think of that retreat. A reconnaissance with 20 squa-
drons of cavalry and six guns was effected, and we exa-
mined carefully all the late cantonments of the Rue-
sians. We got into the saddle at two o'clock in the
morning at Kalafat, and set out in three columns, each
having its own district to examine, and having agreed
to meet at a certain point and by a certain hour. We
searched Pojana, a large village containing 4,000 souls,
and then advanced together to Cherab-hank. At 4
o'clock the three columns separated, and took each a
different direction. This reconnoissance confirmed the
truth of what the Wailachians told us—not a Cossack
wa; to be seen within a circuit of from 6 to 7 leagues
in front of Kalafat. At Mulgavit eight stragglers, who
were limping along, and who were still in the village were
taken and brought back to the camp. All the inhabi-
tants of the village came out to meet us and saluted

us as their liberators ; they brought to our men every
sort of provisions, uttering the most terrible male-
dictions against the Russians, and giving us plenty
of information as to their movements. We were
informed by these men that the combat of the

9th instant was more sanguinary than we had
supposed, for at Pojana alone 100 dead were
found and the total loss of the Ruesians on that occasion
was not less than 500. The repose we have enjoyed for
the last few days at Kalafat was very necessary to the
soldiers, and particularly to the cavalry. A report was
at once transmitted to Omar Pasha of the event, and
which must materially change his plan of operations.
We are in expectation of intelligence, and it is very
probable that the cavalry will not remain at Kalafat.
A sufficient body of infantry will very probably
be only left there to guard against a coup de maim,
and some artillery. I should not be surprised if
Bucharest were our destination, though we can scarcely
arrive there without being obliged to break lances.
The retreat of the Russians from Kalafat is most
important, as it leaves us the whole of Little Wal-
lachia. It permits ns to put from 35,000 to 40,000
men more in line-50,000 I should say—for Widdin
and all the surrounding posts may without danger be
diminished. What could have forced the Russians to
this retreat? Can it be their defeat on the 19, or rather
the conviction of their inability to take Kalafat, as I have
al ways predicted. The occupation of Kalafat by the Turks
suggests one observation, which is quite in their favour,
and which 3ou will not, I am sure, find unreasonable. It
is this-40,000 Turks, entirely independent at 100 leagues
from the point of operation of their staff, separated from
the mass of their force, and with an equal number of
Russians in their front menacing them continually, have
succeeded in fortifying themselves admirably, and have
exhibited much patriotism, much courage, much activity
and for six long months have foiled all the attempts of
an irritated and ferocious enemy, not allowing them
a moment of repose ; have beaten that enemy again
and again whenever and wheresoever they encoun-
tered them, particularly in the pitched battle of Ce-
tate ; and, after six months spent in the manner I
mentioned, have forced these sameßussians, before whom
so many of our clever friends in Paris declared they
could not stand for a moment, to retreat before them,
without having dared to drive them from Kalafat,
after having boasted that they would destroy to the
last man of its defenders. The Russian army has
shown to all Europe what its real value is, and
I have some suspicion that in this respect it
resembles the Russian empire itself, which, when exa-
mined closely, loses much of its colossal prestige. I
cannot give you an idea of the enthusiasm of the Turks
at this retreat of the Russians—it has inspired them
with the greatest confidence in themselves and
in their general, For my own part 1 am anxious to
get to Bucharest, which the Turks and Wallachians
describe as an Eden. We have been so long accus-
tomed to see the Danube before us, with tents, guns,
and Bashi-Bazouks, that, however picturesque all these
objects, we have not the least objection to see a city.
I forgot to say, that this day or to-morrow detachments
will be sent to occupy the points evacuated by the
Russians."