The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-17 00:00:00

LATEST FROM CONSTANTINOPLE.

A conference was held on board the flag-ship
previous to the combined fleet entering the Black
Sea, and it was finally resolved that the expedition
should consist as follows :

English.—Britannia, Queen, Bellerophon, Rod-
ney, Albion, Vengeance, London, Agamemnon
(screw), Sanspareil (screw) Terrible, Retribution,
Furious, Tiger, Firebrand—steamers.
Turks.—Taif, Feizi Bahri, Mecljidi6, Chaaki
Chadi, Suru—steamers. These convey
ten thousand troops and warlike stores under cover
of our ships.
French.—Ville de Paris, Friedland, Jena, J4u-
piter, Jemappes, Henri IV., Charlemagne (screw) ;
Gomer, Mogador, Sane, Magellan, Descartes—
steamers.

A Tartar arrived at Constantinople on the night
of the Ist with intelligence of a well-contested and
sanguinary action at Kalafat. The date and de-
tails of the event were not known. It was, how-
ever, reported. that on the side of the Russians the
casualties amounted to five or six thousand men.
The Turks also had suffered severely—some two
or three thousand killed ; but they had not lost one
inch of ground, and bravely maintained their po-
sition on the left bank against five desperate attacks. ,
Omer Pacha, with strong reinforcements, was also,
according to these accounts, about to proceed in
person to the scene of action.
There was a report that the Sultan had pardoned
the Softas.
The delay which took place in the departure of
the fleets caused the Greeks of Constantinople to
spread the rumour that it was occasioned by a pro-
test of Austria and Prussia against the entrance ;
but it appears that the representatives of those
powers had simply demanded explanations from
England and France as to their ulterior intentions.
The Polish and Hungarian refugees, who had been
waiting for months at Constantinople to be em-
ployed, had. at last been taken into service, and they
were sent off to the army of Asia in the Turkish
vessels which sailed on the 2d. Three of their
chiefs had been created pachas, and nominated
generals of brigade. General Klapka, had de-
clined to go to Asia, saying that he preferred serv-
ing in Europe. On the occasion of New-Year's-Day,
General B. d'Hilliers received the French residents.
In a short speech which he addressed to them, he
stated several times that France, even in the deci-
sive act which was about to be accomplished, had
peace only in view, as it was indispensable to the
development of manufactures and the prosperity of
commerce ; that peace was the wish of the Govern-
ment of the Emperor Napoleon ; and that conse-
quently all its efforts were directed to that object,
and that it did not yet despair of being able to at-
tain it. M. de Bruck addressed the Austrian re-
sidents in a less re-assuring spirit ; and Lord Strat-
ford de Redcliffe did not hold any reception. It
had been ascertained that the bad organisation of
the army in Asia was the cause of the recent de-
feats. The army was in such a state that it could
notmake any serious resistance on the Turkish fron-
tier, or to prevent the Russians from going to Erze-
r•um as in 1829. It was said that th e irregular troops
had disappeared, and that Abdi Paella was in custody
on the charge of treason. It was rumoured that
Batoum had been attacked and taken by the Rus-
sians, but this was inexact. The Minister of
Police, Haireddin Puha, had been nominated. in-
spector of the armies of Anatolia, with orders to
make an investigation into the charges brought
against Abdi Pacha, ex-general-in-chief of the army
of Kars. Perfect order and a confident assurance
of the success of the Turkish cause prevailed at
Constantinople ; also that it was firmly believed
that the allies of Turkey, though slow to move,
would frankly fulfil all the obligations imposed on
them.
The Press of Vienna says :—" The Ambassador
of France has presented to the Sultan, at a private
audience, an autograph letter from the Emperor
of the French, expressing his deep regret at the
affair of Sinope, and renewing his promise to main-
tain the integrity of the Ottoman Empire. The
Emperor expresses at the same time a hope that
the Czar, now perceiving the reality of the alliance
between England and France, will give proof of
greater moderation."
A Cossack force is being• organised by Sadik
Pacha (Tchaikofski), and it is really edifying, and
a sign of the times, to see Christians and Moslems
fighting under a common standard for freedom.
The banner of these troops is half red with a cres-
cent, and half white with a red cross.
To the above account is appended the following
paragraph :—" We hear that Lord Palmerston has
resigned, and it is hoped by all that lie will return
soon to power as Premier or Foreign Seeretaryi
This would be, in my opinion, the real settlenitchue
of the Eastern question, the true solution f
nd the
problem. The Turks will do his bidding ;
it was then
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four Powers held a new conference to deliberate on
all those circumstances. They agreed that the ac-
ceptance by the Porte of the propositions of the
sth D cem bar formed a basis of negotiations which
might be followed, and that they should be made
the subject of a` direct proposition to the Emperor
of Russia. It was consequently agreed that a new
protocol should be prepared, which should be signed
by the four representatives, and that such protocol
should be immediately transmitted to the Imperial
Cabinet of St. Petersburg, with the urgent recom-
mendation of the four Powers. This proceeding
proves that the good understanding existing be-
tween Great Britain, France, Austria, and Prussia
was not disturbed by the order given to the com-
manders of the combined fleets to enter the Black
Sea.

The same letter states that a recent measure
adopted by the Admiral who commands the Rus-
sian fleet has been misunderstood, and that it is one
that has been adopted at all times in similar cir-
cumstances. It was that officer who spontaneously
and in order to avoid any partial checks, gave, the
moment he heard of the recent decision adopted at
Constantinople, orders to all the ships in the Black
Sea to make for the port of Sebastopol, and who in-
formed all the captains of the maritime places that
they must prohibit the Russian merchant ships from
going to sea till further orders. Those measures
were not, it is said, adopted in consequence of in-
structions from Vienna, and no argument can be
founded on them as to the political designs of
Russia.

The Constitutionnel of yesterday, says :—" Some
journals have spread the report that the under-
standing established between the Four Powers on
the affairs of the East was seriously compromised
in consequence of the latter resolutions of France
and England. Not only is this report unfounded,
but, according to news from Germany, the confer-
ence of Vienna in a new protocol, signed on the
13th of this month, has recorded unanimously that
the answer of the Sublime Porte to the communi-
cation of the representatives of France, Austria,
England, and Prussia, at Constantinople, was com-
pletely satisfactory, and expressed 'confidence that
the Cabinet of St. Petersburg would, on its side,
adhere to the basis on which Turkey was ready to
treat for the re-establishment of peace."