The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-31 00:00:00

THE DANUBE.

The Lloyds of Vienna of the 25th has the fol-
lowing :
" According to a telegraphic despatch from Bucharest
of the 21st, new indications exist of the retreat of the
Russians ; they are in fact retiring on Fockshan and
Kalugereni. The Turks have 60,000 men at Giurgevo,
and are fortifying themselves in that town and the envi-
rons. On the other hand, it is stated in a letter from
Bucharest of the 19 h, that nothing is known as to the
affairs which have taken place at Giurgevo, all commu-
nications between Bucharest and Giurgevo being inter-
rupted. Troops, artillery, and pontoon trains were
being constantly sent from Bucharest to Giurgevo.
Prince Gortschakoff and his headquarters were on the
19th at Bucharest, and nothing warranted the belief that
they ware to leave. It is said that all the rumours that
have been current as to removal of the head-quarters to
Kobonitza are without foundation. The mail from Her-
manstadt has not arrived ; so that we have only news
via Widdin, and it comes down to the 21sc. Up to that
date nothing important had occurred. It was, however,
said that the Turkish troops posted near Oltenitza and
Sinnitza, had begun to march on Bucharest on the 20th and
21st. It was said also that Omer Pacha was to advance
on the 22d, with the centre of the Turkish army, which
occupies Giurgevo. Since the 6th Omer Pacha has been
almost constantly at Rustchuk. A letter from Widdin
of the 19th states that the Turkish troops near Turnu
and Sinnitza made on the 16th a grand reconnaissance
towards the north ; they went as far as Russowede with-
out meeting the enemy, and returned the day after to
their positions. In a letter from Orsova of the 19th
it is stated that on the 11th the Wallachian troops in
the pay of Russia made a reconnaissance in the two dis-
tricts of Krajowa ; they passed the Aluta unexpectedly,
penetrated into the villages where there were no Turkish
troops, and carried off the Turkish functionaries prison-
ers. Letters direct from Silistria contradict the state-
ment that has been made that it is to M. Gracht, a
Prussian officer, that the honour of the defence of Silis-
tria is due ; it was an English captain (Butler by name)
who there kept the Russians in check for six weeks. A
great many families who, in consequence of the promises
of the Russians, quitted their country after the raising
of the siege, are now wandering about in the most pro-
found misery, and without a home "

Accounts from the Lower Danube, of the 21st,
in the Presse of Vienna, say :
"The stifling heat which has prevailed for the last
few days has proved a fresh enemy to the Russians,
who have had an increased number of sick, indepen-
dently of their wounded. Attacks of apoplexy have
already carried off a number of Russians during their
continual marches and counter-marches, and a great
number have fallen victims to the fevers which pre-
vail during extreme heats in the lower part of the
Danube. The number of sick among the Russians
amounts to 32 per cent., while among the Turks it is only
15 per cent. French and English officers are constantly
arriving at Rustehuk from Schumla, and to-morrow Prince
Napoleon, whose division will be the first to enter the
Wallachian territory, is expected at the Turkish head-
quarters. A certain importance appears to be attached
to this fact, and Marshal St. Arnaud, after the last
council of war held at Varna, arranged that it should be
so. The other divisions will rapidly follow, and the main
body of the auxiliary troops will shortly be on the
Danube. The auxiliary troops and the Turkish army
will shortly pass the river, and force the Russians to a
battle at Giurgevo. Everything tends to prove that it
is intended to act seriously against Bucharest, and that

the last order given by the Emperor Nicholas, to drive
back the Turks to the other side of the Danube, coute
que coute, will have no more effect than a similar order
which he gave to take Silistria,"

The Times correspondent writes from Rustchuk,
July 19.---Since the passage of the Danube (July
7th) the Turks have occupied themselves in
strengthening their position on the north side, and
the Russians make no attempts to interrupt their
proceedings. The latter are encamped on the brow
of a small hill six miles distant on the Bucharest
road. They have thrown up some redoubts, which
look as if it will require either a battle or the ap-
pearance of a considerably superior force to make
them turn out. I anticipate that they will remain
where they are until their spies inform them that
we have 15,000 or 20,000 men ready to advance
on the north side, and then decamp in the night.
The Russian videttes remained in Giurgevo up to
the night of the Bth. They had destroyed the
bridges across a creek, which separates it from
where the Turks landed, and were thus quite safe
although within musket shot. On the 9th I ac-
companied Hassein Pasha, General Cannon, and
their staff in a trip across the Danube to examine
our position. Giurgevo is quite empty, with the
exception of the Austrian Consul and about 50
inhabitants. The remainder had heard of the
atrocities committed by the Bashi- Bazouks when
they crossed the Danube at Nicopolis, and
osfear-
ing that the vanguard of the Turkish force ornothi
occasion might be composed of the sae
t'
they retired into villages 8 or 10 miles distant,
whence the Russians will not allow them
at their move-
ments to return
as we might obtain information of h
are. Giurgevo is much smallerw but more
civilised than Rustchuk ; the streets are wider, and
the houses neat and comfortable by comparison.
There is, moreover, a café, almost the only house
open, to which we soon found our way, not having
been in such a place since leaving Constantinople,
except a wretched hole at Shumla, undeserving of
the name. This was a very comfortable house, in a
pleasant situation, with a good verandah. The
master, a Greek, received us hat in hand at the
door, and expressed as much delight at seeing us
there as he had expressed sorrow on the previous
3vening, when the captain of the Russian vidette
took his last dinner. The townspeople I spoke to
said that the Russians paid fairly for all they took
in the shape of provisions or forage, but forced the
peasants to labour a great deal, and seized
,tll the carts and beasts of burden for the
purpose of transporting their stores. They left
all the Wallachian vessels belonging to the town
unhurt, but on the night of their departure
burnt three sloops sailing under Anglo-lonian
colours. The landlord of the cafe informed us that
the Russian officers were good customers and paid
him regularly, in proof whereof he produced a
quantity of gold coin, bearing the image of the
Emperor Nicholas. But I am inclined to think
this assertion was Made to insure our supporting
the credit of our nation by doing likewise, for he
subsequently confessed to me that Captain Stronge-
noff and others had been too much occupied with
fighting at the last to find time for liquidating their
tccounts, but he intended sending them a "dun"
at Bucharest. However, the Russians had not
cleared out all the cellar, and plenty of iced Cham-
pagne was produced. An old Pasha positively re-
fused to partake of it until we assured him it was
only Francez soo (French water), and moreover was
not red wine, the colour especially forbidden by Ma-
hornet. Once tasted, the liquorcarried with itits own
recommendation, and was drained to the last drop.
Glass after glass followed, though it is fair to add
that his loyalty increased in proportion as his alle-
giance to the Prophet waxed faint, and he did more
justice than any of us to the healths of the Sul-
tan, Queen Victoria, and the Emperor Napoleon.
We returned to Rustchuk without any unwar-
rantable intrusion from the Russian camp, al-
though a quarter of an hour might have brought
their Cossacks upon us without any one to give the
alarm. On the 10th made a similar excursion,
and found the debris of a Russian repast not yet
cleared away. Next day the Turks occupied
Giurgevo in for e, which prevents any chance of a
mishap occurring on this hitherto neutral ground.
The position opposite Rustchuk occupied__ by the
Turks is a very strong one. It is an island of about
three miles long, and half a mile broad, formed by
a small creek, which is only fordable at some diffi-
cult and marshy ground to the left. Omer Pasha
and his staff arrived on the 12th, accompanied by
General Prim and his army of aides-de-camp, and
several French officers. His arrival, however, did
not occasion so much interest as that of 30 English
sailors under Lieut. Glyn and Prince Leiningen,
R.N., and the same number of sappers under
Captain Page, R.N., who came here on the
11th for the purpose of assisting in the con-
struction of a bridge. They performed the journey
from Yarna on horseback, and this novel t‘ cruise

afforded Jack much amusement as well as those
who had the goal fortune to meet him en route.
The Sappers have been sent to Giurgevo to
assist in the fortifications there ; so a portion of
the English army has at last crossed the Danube.