The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-05 00:00:00

THE BLACK. SEA.

The Freinden Blatt has the following Russian
despatch with respect to the vaunted repulse of the
English troops, which is doubtless false, as it ob-
viously manifests an ill-suppressed but particular
spite against their English antagonists :
" BUCHAREST, Sept. 28.—0 n the 20th the allied
troops attacked the Russians, who had taken up a
strongly fortified position on the left bank of the Alma.
Tile left wing of the allies, commanded by Lord Raglan
in person, was repulsed by the Russians, with a great
display of bravery (braveur), whereupon the French di.
vision renewed the attack. After an obstinate contest
of three hours' duration, the battle was decided in favour
of the allies by a charge with the bayonet. The Russians
retreated with great loss to the entrenchments before
Sebastopol, and the allies succeeded in occupying the
heights. The loss of the allies was not less considerable,
and is estimated at between 3,000 and 4,000 men."
The Austrian Correspondence has the following
despatch :
" CZERNOWITZ, Oct. I.—Advices fromiOdessa, of the
25th September, announce that up to the 20th idem
several conflicts have taken place in the Crimea, in
which the artillery of the allied fleets was at times en-
abled to take part. Prince Menschikoff has abandoned
his position on the Alma, and withdrawn towards the
heights of the small river Katcha. The troops under
General Chomnteff have formed a junction with those
under Prince Menschikoff."
The Soldaten Freund contains some information
which serves to render what has recently occurred
in the Crimea more comprehensible. As has been
above said, the Russian commander had his head-
quartws at Duvankai, and on the 18th he despatched
the following news by way of Cherson to Odessa:—
The Russian right wing was leaning ou Bakshi Sergi,
and the left was near Uzkuju, a place on the coast
between Bourluk and Mamachai'. Kalantai, where
the battle was fought on the 22d, is a little to the
north-east of Mamachai. The Russian pickets on
the left wing were on the left bank of the river Alma.
The object of Prince Menschikoff in occupying this
position with two divisions (30,000 men) " was to
protect the weakest side of Sebastopol." From the
heights near the place where theßjetschkaTscherna
(Black River) falls into the port of Sebastopol along
to Fort Constantine, there is a chain of redoubts
Indeed, from Uzkuju to Fort Constantine the Rus-
sians have fortified every important point. 15,000
Russians were originally stationed in the rayon be-
tween Balaklava and Cape Chersonese, but 10,000
of them were advancing to the Alma. ' Attention
is particularly called to the fact that Sebastopol has
only supplies for three months. The ships' crews
have already been put on two-third rations.
The Austrian Correspondence contains a letter
from Odessa, followed by a telegraphic despatch.
The former is dated the 22d, and the latter the
25th ult. It appears from the letter that imme-
diately after the landing at Eupatoria was generally
known to have taken place, General Chumotoff,
the military governor of Kertch, marched from
thence with 6,000 infantry and one regiment of
Cossacks, towards Simpheropol, in order to antici-
pate the occupation of this capital by the enemy.
The telegraphic despatch completes the intelligence
by informing us that General Chumotoff had suc-
ceeded in joining Prince Menschikoff, who had aban-
doned his position near the Alma, and retired to
the heights along the little River Katcha. This
is evidently the Russian version of the defeat suf-
fered by the Russians in their fortified camp near
the Alma. The correspondent likewise informs
us that the number of Russians concen7
trated in and near Sebastopol was about
60,000. The Russian war-steamer Taman arrived at
Odessa on the 21st ult. from Sebastopol, the pas-
sage from thence having occupied three days. She
had four Turkish prisoners on board ; and it was
said that she had destroyed two Turkish transport
ships. The reason why the Russian steamers have
so often escaped our cruisers appears to be attribut-
able to their using an excellent anthracite,. the
smoke of which is of a light grey, very tine, and
transparent ; they are therefore, of course, less
likely to be seen by an enemy.
A letter from Odessa, of the 22d ult., in the
Lloyd's of Vienna, says that two great fires had
broken out in the town, and had destroyed the de-
pots of goods in the ports. On that day a merchant
vessel arrived from Galatz. Being the first that had
arrived for four months, she was received with
great pleasure. The Danube was completely free
between Galatz and Salina ; the Russians only re-
tained a point near Isatcha to unite the territory
of Bessarabia with an isle of the Danube.