The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-22 00:00:00

SCHUMLA.

SCIIIIMLA, May 3.—The assemblage of nearly I
60,000 men here has quite enlivened Schumla, and
given it more than a holiday appearance. There is
really a number of military sights at present in this
place which would prove attractive to people of
b. otter taste than the native inhabitants. The plain
front of the town is the chief point of
interest. There the greater part of the field,
horse artillery, cavalry, and infantry, is encamped.
Early in the morning the plain is full of life. The
troops are all out and in motion. Omer Pacha is
keeping up the spirit of his men, and improving
their soldiership, by a regular habit of drillingthem
thing rather unusual with a Turkish corn-
blander. And nowhere can work of this sort be
done to greater advantage than on the plain. There
would be room for 500,000 men going through
their evolutions. It is a very easy thing for a
visitor to see all that is doing. In the shape of
ditches, fences, stones, rocks, or trees, there is
nothing to be met with. He can ride from one
detachment to another more easily than he could
gallop across an English nobleman's park. On the Ist
We learnt that the Russians had summoned the gar-
rison of Silistria to surrender, and that the answer
given to that had been what it ought to be—a
distinct refusal. It was expected that the fortress
would be attacked this week ; not, however, by
the troops on the island or the opposite side of the
river, but by those who were occupying the Do-
brudscha. They were moving in the direction of
Silistria. More recent intelligence has been re-
ceived from the Danube. The Russians appear to
ce faltering in their designs on Silistria. The in-
decisive character of their operations is said to be
caused by the anticipated approach of the allied
armies, and the news of the catastrophe at Odessa.
Symptoms of fear have shown themselves among
the Russian soldiers. Several of them (deserters)
Yesterday arrived at the Polish or Cossack encamp-
ment here, giving bad accounts, not only of the
spirit,
but of the health of the troops. Silistria,
and not Schumla, is the object of most interest at
Present. The idea of the Russians planking their
flag upon the fortifications of Schumla appears now
to be more hopeless than ever. The Turks here
form such a strong army, and the allies are mus-
tering,, in such numbers on the other side of the
Balkan, that the advance of the Russians on this
Place would be considered as a move only dan-
gerous to themselves. Silistria, however, may
be attacked without such great risk. The cer-
tainty of any determined attempt on it has not,
however, been accurately ascertained. We hear
of their threatening it one day, and showing symp-
toms of deserting from it on another. The vigo-
rous method which the allies appear to have
adopted in the prosecution of the war—their firm
resolution to fight out the quarrel with all their
strength—may, perhaps, make the Russians think
they will have enough to do to keep on the defen-
sive. The Ist of May was not forgotten by the
English here. It was celebrated by a dinner, at
Which all were present, with the exception of one
gentleman, who was unwell. The toasts were quite
as patriotic as any that could be given at civic
feasts. The summer has now really set in, and the
verdure all around the town presents something
pleasing for the eye to rest upon. The elasticity of
the atmosphere gives great effect to the music of
the military bands.