The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-08 00:00:00

• were sent out to take possession of (izuperzin, *
village within 'three-quarters of an hour's march 0
Kalafat. This operation was effected Without en"
countering a Russian, though strong doubts- are
entertained as to its ever having been occupied 11
more than affew Cossacks. The position is Worse
than useless ; and to-day or to-morrow the troops
will be ordered to return. On the same afternoon,
a reconnaissance was sent out to Golenz. They
succeeded in discovering that that village was still
occupied by half a regiment of cavalry and a couple
of squadrons of Cossacks. This probably is a rear"
guard outpost. ,
Such is the state of affairs at Kalafat. The
Russians have found the Turks very strongly en;
trenched, and in sufficient numbers to defend
themselves against everything but an enormous
force ' • 40,000 or 50,000 men might easily, nay
probably would, fail in an attack. They have
made a reconnaissance with all their available forces,
and, remembering the rough treatment at Olte-
nitza of a very superior force, and the tough way
the Turks defended themselves at Citale against
nearly double their number, the general considered
that he was not warranted in attacking, and has
therefore retired, either to.manceuvre so as to dais'
the Turks from their trenches, or to await reinforce'
ments. What the manoeuvres may be remains to
be seen. Some persons predict the crossing of the
Danube by a strong force • this certainly will ne-
cessitate the evacuation of Kalafat ; but the former
is an operation of great delicacy, requiring a con;
tinuance of fine weather, a large force, and good
luck. Omer Pacha still remains at Schumla, bid'
ing his time and watching events, and would pro-
bably interrupt any such operation.
Rumours have reached the camp that France
and England have declared war against Russia ;
this is news which is looked upon as too good to be
true ; but its probability has been increased by
report that General Baraguay d'Hilliers has already
selected a site for the reunion of a- French force be-
tween Constantinople and Adrianople.
Ismail Pacha, the gallant commander of the at-
tack on the village of Citale, has been appointed
commander-in-chief (mushir) of the army of Ana-
tolia. His loss will he severely felt at Kalafat, for
though he is'not an officer of any education accord-
ing to European ideas, still he has had, what is
certainly half as good, if not more—considerable
experience in the field. His conduct at Citale has
proved him to be possessed of the most thorough
sang-froid, and of the utmost contempt for any'
thing like danger. His knowledge of tactics, it is
to be feared, is a negative quality ; of strategy,' it
will probably be seen he is equally ignorant.
The cavalry of the Turks is doubtless their worst
arm ; and their conduct in front of Kalafat will not
raise them in the opinion of the Russians. Some of
the scenes enacted with regard to the irregular
cavalry, under the fire of the Cossacks, have been Of
the most laughable description. Four or five
days back, during a reconnaissance at Golenz,
they refused to advance, though urged forward
with the most forcible arguments. Captain ra-
couba, a Polish officer of great merit, their cow'
wander, had one man pulled off his horse, laid hire
on the ground, where he was held by two soldiers,
and with his own hands administered some twenty
blows, of the most severe description, with the
back of his sabre ; this occurrence took place
under the fire of the Cossacks. Yesterday, again
eight men were sent in, on foot, prisoners to Ka;
lafat, and to-day will receive, without formal trial,
or other order than the will of their commander,
200 blows with a stick. The argument/um bacculi-
num will hardly ever make them worth the bread
they eat. The regular cavalry has not yet been
engaged with the enemy hand to hand. This is
owing to the want of spirit in their comnianders ;
and as long as the command of that arm is g,iiren to
men, the sons of some of the great dignitaries at
Constantinople, men of no experience whatever, it
can hardly be expected to be otherwise. The sol-
diers themselves are good and brave; but they have
not yet had an encounter with their enemies, and,
therefore, they do not know their own strength or
weakness.

FRANCE.

The Legislative Assembly yesterday agreed to
he till authorising the Minister of Finance to con'
matt a loan of 250,000,000 francs (10,000,0001.).
The bill was agreed to unanimously, without die'
cussion, by the 238 members who were present.
The Assembly also unanimously resolved to ac-
company the members of the bureau who were to
present the projet de loi last evening to the Em-
peror at the Tuileries. On being ushered into the
presence of the Emperor, the President said
" Sire—We bring to your Majesty the law pre-
sented yesterday, an which we have to-day unani-
mously voted. On this occasion the whole Legis-
lative Corps desired to join its bureau to render
still more striking in the eyes of Europe the testi-
mony it offers to the Emperor of its entire confi-
dence and most resolute concurrence."
The Emperor replied--" I am profoundly pene-
trated by the empressement with which the legisla-
tive corps has voted this law. The striking adhe-
sion you give to the policy I have adopted proves
that I have not been wrong. The sentiments of
France will respond to ours, for, like me, you are
the elected of universal suffrage."
This reply was received with immense applause,
and shouts of " Vive l'Empereur !"
Some important changes are about to take place
among the representatives of France at the foreign
Courts. The intention to invest Marshal de St.
Arnaud as ambassador extraordinary at Constan-
tinople at the same time with the chief command of
the army and navy has been abandoned. Marshal
de St. Arnaud will be simply commander-in-chief
of the army. M. de Bourqueney, the present am-
bassador at Vienna, has been appointed ambassador
at Constantinople, in the place of General Baraguay
d'Hilliers, and he will proceed thither forthwith.
The Marquis de Turgot, the Minister at Madrid,
has been recalled. M. de Lacour, the late Minister
at Constantinople, has been appointed Minister at
Naples, in place of M. de Maupas, recalled.
Marshal de St. Arnaud, although still suffering,
will, it is at present fixed, leave Paris on the 14th
for Avignon, to review the troops in that garrison.
He is to arrive on the 21st at Toulon, where the
army intended for Turkey, to the number of 36,000
men, will by that time be assembled.
The Duke of Cambridge, Lord Raglan, Sir George
Brown, and the other Generals, are expected to
arrive at Paris on the 12th, but there are some
doubts if they will come before the 21st.
The Duke of Cambridge will occupy the apartments
in the Pavilion Marsan, of the palace of the
Tuileries, lately occupied by the Duke of Saxe
Coburg during his visit to the Emperor.
The fifth drawing for the conscripts took
place yesterday (Tuesday), at the Hotel do
Ville. The crowd was immense, and the en-
thusiasm general. The young men themselves,
who traverse the streets with their hats adorned
with gay ribands, appear most anxious to begin
at once with the Russians, and only regret 'the
delay that must take place before they know how
to handle the musket. They all believe, as a
matter of course, that they are to be sent forth-
with to the Danube. The wine shops in the
neighbourhood are doing a capital business, and
the women who occupy booths on the Places,
and who dispense wine, eau-de-vie, and other re-
freshments, seem quite as enthusiastic as the
young soldiers, and appear to regret that they are
not called upon to march.

The Three per Cents. opened yesterday at 66f.
75c., rose to 67f. 25c., and closed at 66f. 55c. for
the end of the month. The Four-and-a-Half per
Cents. closed at 94f. 25c. ex div. ; Orleans Railway
Shares, 1,087 f. 50c. ; Rouen, 870 f. ; Havre, 440 f. ;
Great Northern, 740 f. ; Paris and Strasburg, 717 f.
50c. ; ditto, New Shares, 567 f. 50c. ; Paris and
Lyons, 817 f. 50c. ; Lyons to the Mediterranean,
667 f. 50c. ; Western of France, 580 f. ; Bordeaux
and Cette, 537. 50c. ; Great Central, 432 f. 50c. ;
Lyons and Geneva, 445 f. ; Shares of the Bank of
Credit Mobilier, 582 f. 50c.