The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-15 00:00:00

RECONNOITRE OF SEBASTOPOL.

The following has been received from Malta :
The combined Anglo-French fleet, which left
Baltchik on the morning the 21st of July to recon-
noitre Sebastopol, experienced on the 22d a heavy
breeze from the northward. On the evening of
the 2Gth the Terrible, Fury, and Cacique parted
company, pushing on a-head, having on board
Brigadier-General, Sir George Brown, General
Canrobert, and several English and French offi-
cers
; and by the morning of the 27th these vessels,
particularly the Fury, were so close into the Rus-
sian batteries that these sent a shot right through
"her at the water line ; a second not so well
directed, merely splashed a little spray over her
and a third passed through her main rigging.
shot was also sent through the rigging of the
Terrible. The steamers and ships of the line in
harbour showed signs of giving chase, but when
they saw by what an overwhelming force the
steamers were followed, they very prudently
gave up the idea. The 27th was a beautiful day,
and the ships took advantage of it to go nearer than
they had ever done before. From the observations
then and there taken, it appears pretty clear that
an army might be lauded either at Gape Loukoul

which is fifteen miles to the northward of Sebasto-

pol, or at the Katscha river, which is not more
than six miles therefrom. At each of these points
there is a break in the red perpendicular cliff which
forms the coast line, and is about sixty feet high.
The land immediately inside of this is flat, and
almost unbroken, from Cape Loukoul, where its
breadth may be about seven miles, down to the
northern shore of the harbour, where it is not more
than four miles. About midway between the two
there is the little winding valley made by the KM-
' Bella river, and towards the harbour there are trees
scattered here and there. On this flat ground the
army would get plenty of water from the Katscha,
and their advance could be materially assisted by
the steamers, which could go to within a quarter of
a mile of the shore, and might keep up a terrific
fire on anything on the plain within the range of
their guns. The country inland beyond this
plain does not rise very steeply until near the
harbour, but there seem to be other more ele-
vated plateaux. The fort on the northern shore
of the port, about a mile from the entrance, is
the only difficulty for the troops ; for that once
carried, the artillery would destroy the ships and
town on the southern shore without difficulty.
This important fortress seems regularly built, has
(inns mounted, and a ditch surrounding it. The
forts at the entrance to the harbour are most for-

midable. The land near Cape Kherson is so low,
and the ground between it and the town, inside
the hays, so easy for troops to march over, that the
Russians. have seen the necessity of placing no less
than four encampments there to prevent an attack
in that quarter. The number of troops under
canvas must be full 25,000, and is in fact the only
I,ody of troops visible.
The fortifications of the town appear unimpor-
tant ; there is a wall running round it which is
loopholed, but has no ditch, and it seems to have
only one round battery on it. There is a good part
of the hill on which the town stands unoccupied ;
and if this were gained, the arsenal, forts, ships of
war, &c., below, would be easily destroyed. The
combined fleets returned to Baltchik on the 30th of
:filly, and were still there on the Ist of August.
Three shins of the line remain off Sebastopol, in
honeq of enticing the enemy out.
The public anxiety has been relieved in as far as
regards the rumoured capture of the Sampson. It
would seem that, though now safe, she has been in
a very critical situation—on shore for no less than
sixteen hours, on a rock at about a quarter of a
mils front the land, l;etween Anapa and Soujak.
Fortunately the Vauban was in company, and
rendered her every possible assistance. It is not
supposed that she has suffered much injury, but
she has been sent to Constantinople to be examined
and have some defects in her engines made good.
The Furious and some other steamers are on the
look-out for the Russian steamer of war, supposed
to be the Vladimir, which recently ran into Koslov,
took the coals out of two Turkish vessels, to which
she afterwards set fire, and then towed out a third,
to which she set fire at sea.
The Agamemnon had left Baltchik for Constan-
tinople to bring up a number of gunboats and
flat-bottomed boats, to be used in the lauding of
troops and cavalry horses, which leads to a belief
that the long talked of expedition is near at hand.
The combined fleets are free from cholera, save a
French troop steamer, whose crew is living on shore
at Baltchik under tents, doing well, but there are
many cases among the troops at Varna. Colonel
the Hon. L. Maule, assistant adjutant-general,
was among those suffering seriously therefrom.
The master of the Britannia has been appointed
acting-master of the fleet by Admiral Dundas, and
Mr. Hockley to be acting master. .

THE SCOTS GREYS AT MALTA.
MALTAI Aug. B.—The Emperor steam-vessel left
thief evening for Varna with 41 mules and 60 carts,
and stores and provisions of all sorts for the fleet
beside. We have the French frigate Montezuma,
from Toulon, with 282 sailors for the fleet. The
Panama has also come in from Toulon, with 300
sailors for the fleet; and the Albatross from Toulou
with 299 sailors for the fleet. Both the Emperor
and Cambria, which latter took out the 68th Regt.,
took a large number of Gozi-boats, which they tow
astern, it is supposed to be used as gun-boats. They
are large, and can be trusted to a great distance.
They are often taken to Sicily, 60 miles from here.
'Lie heat has been intense in Malta these last few
days, and we have had an immense number of cases
of small pox and typhus fever; and a few, but very
few. of -1 01-ra.
Th. Himalaya, with the. Scots Greys, arrived on
the 3,1, after a very good passage of less than nine
(lays from Liverpool. The ship had scarcely cast
anchor here bA)re all that could get leave were on
shore, I)oking hearty, and all fall of spirits. De-
spite the very great heat, '92 in the shade, they
went everywhere to see what was to he seen. The
visitors dined at 3 p.m , at Dunsford's Hotel, en•
metsw, and invited Captain Hillock, of the Hima-
laya, to dine with them ; on• the Queen's health
being drunk, the cheers could bo heard for a long
way off. The Maltese, who are a smart race,
seemed struck with the size and fresh appearance
of both men and offi?ers, so very different to their
own. They went in crowds on board to see the
horses. The colonel's, 17 hands high, especially
excited their admiration, and they all said what
would the Russians say when they saw them. The
colonel of the Greys is said to stand 6 feet .7 inches;
he was followed through the streets as a wonder.
During the voyage out neither man nor horse was
sick, and truly they did credit to Old England.
They were loud in their praise of Captain Hillock's
treatment on board.
About half-past six one of the men, J. Hutchin-
son, only 24 years of age, asked leaVe to bathe ; it
was granted, and he, tempted by the extreme beauty
of the sea (of which you can form no idea in Eng-
land), jumped in, and, we are sorry to say, was im-
mediately seized with cramp ; they did all they
could to save him, but it was useless. About eight
in the evening they weighed anchor ; and, as the
whole city had been astir all day, it is not to be
wondered at that a great many boats were out to
~ee them start ; among them four soldiers of the
62d were pulling themselves in one boat ; they
knew but little of seamanship, but one of them was
unfortunately in liquor. They steered directly
under the Himalaya's bows, the boat was split in
three pieces ; three soldiers were saved by a fishing
boat, the fourth was drowned. Letters from the
fleet say that the cholera has broken out on board
the Sanspareil. General Brown had arrived at Con-
stantinople in the Agamemnon since his excursion
to the coast of the Crimea.

THE NEW KING OF SAXONY.
We find the following iu a letter from Berlin of
the 11th. The new King has a troubled vista be-
fore him, should lie bear out the character here
given :—The Court of Saxony is Roman Catholic,
while the people is Protestant ; the present King
is unfortunately an ultra-zealous abd bigoted mem-
ber of his Church, and is likely to take an active
part in the rising that is now being got up by the
Catholic episcopacy in Baden and Bavaria. His
well-known ultra-aristocratic and absolutist incli-
nations have for many years made him 'extremely
unpopular in Saxony, and led some ten years back
to a demonstration of the populace against him in
Leipsic, in which the lives of many citizens were
sacrificed. His accession to the throne will, as he
is a man of undoubted talents and energy, bring an
accession of power and influence to the Bamberg
politics of the minur States of Germany, at the
head of which Prussia now stands."

THE ATTACK ON THE ALAND ISLANDS.

The Moniteur de l' Armee says of the expedition
to the Aland Isles:—

" Our expeditionary corps, destined probably to winter
in the Alaud Islands, will find there subsistence easy and
abundant. Without mentioning the provisions which
the squadrons will leave them, the country itself will be
able to supply them. According to Baron Sibnet,
inhabitants live in comfort, their houses are kept with
the greatest cleanliness, and are abundantly supplied
with all the requisite necessaries of life. And this com-
fort is not derived solely from the products of the soil,
though, in good seasons especially, their corn crops are
abundant : they find still greater resources in fishing and
hunting, which even the rigour of the climate cannot de-
prive them of. The larger islands contain lakes and
numerous rivers ; these lakes and rivers, and all the sea
coast, abound with fish. The fresh water is full of trout,
salmon, and perch. The sea furnishes a prodigious
quantity of fish of all kinds, and particularly a species
of herring, the greater part of which is sold. Game is
also in abundance, although continually destroyed by
the inhabitants or by the wolves, which every winter
cross over in droves on the ice from Russia. The in-
habitants pay great attention to the breeding of cattle ;
they have extensive pasturages, rich and savoury, espe-
cially along the coast. Their oxen, of small size it is
true, bring them a considerable income. They export
fresh fish, dried or salted, butter and cheese of a very
good description, so that we may safely, say our troops
will have nothing to fear from famine or scarcity. Will
they be exposed to dangers of another description ? Will
the Russians attempt to dislodge them by crossing the ice
over this arm of the sea ? No doubt, in very severe winters
the straif ; that separate the Archipelago from the shores of
the continent are covered for severalanonths with a thick
coat of ice, and one can easily go on foot from St. Peters.
burg to Stockholm. There is no doubt but that armies
have traversed the Baltic with tho heaviest artillery,
and have encamped upon the ice, where there bivouac
fires were lighted with as great safety as on terra firma.
We have not forgotten the exploits of the intrepid Charles
Gustavus, who, at the head of his army, with cavalry
and artillery, crossed the Sound in 1658 to carry the war
into the heart of Denmark. We can even mention facts
of more recent date. In February, 1809, the Russians
marched front Atm, on the ice, to take pos,e,sion of the
Aland I-lands. There is no question about it, but all
winters are not alike for intensity of cold. It is a re-
markable fact that the climate, more temperate in the
Aland Archipelago than in Sweden and Finland, is

generally very mild, considering the latitude, and, what
is still more remarkable, it is very healthy and favour. I
ble to the preservation of human life. The snow melts
early in the season, and the harbours are frozen over very
late on account of the rapid currents formed by the
waters of the Gulfs of Finland and Bothnia.
" On the other hand, if the ice placed us in a danger-
ous position with respect to Russia, it would also greatly
facilitate all supplies coming from Sweden.
" Finally, when in our possession, the fortifications of
the Aland Archipelago would shortly be placed in such
a state by our engineer officers that they could
resist any attack, and if some of our ships winter, which
is very possible, in the ice, they will form round our
camp a cordon of impregnable fortresses.
" Therefcre, the Aland Islands will be taken if our
generals attack them, and of course will be kept when
taken. Our readers will easily appreciate the immense
advantages of the first conquest fur our next campaign
in the Baltic."

NAPIER AND THE ALANDERS.--A. letter from Copen-
hagen states that Admiral Napier has issued the severest
orders to the whole squadron to treat the Aland pea-
santry in the most friendly manner, not to deprive any
one of his property, and to pay the full value of what-
ever may be required. The poor peasantry have hitherto
refused to accept payment for what has been asked of
them, for fear of being sent to Siberia, with which pun-
ishment the authorities have threatened them. A tariff

has therefore been Axed by the commanders, so high as
far to surpass the utmost price that could be asked.
The articles needed are now taken, and the money left
in exchange according to the tariff.