The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-14 00:00:00

BEFORE SEB/NSTOPOL, Nov. 22.
Great will no doubt be you 4 surprise, and not less
strong your indignation, at receiving with the present
letter my correspondence which should have appeared
days ago. At the present rnonint, when events of the
utmost importance are succeeding one another with such
startling rapidity, a delay of five days may be attended
with incalculable cow equences. lii five days the fate
of the Crimea might be decided, and the happiness of
many a fimily at home might in the same brief interval
r have received a death-blow. Yet it is at this period,
when the British nation is following with throbbing
earnestness every step in the deadly struggle before
Sebastopol, and when the touching anxiety of parents
and relatives at home is at its pitch, that the greatest
postal irregularity is experienced, and the grossest
negligence displayed. I have hitherto purposely
refrained from passing strictures on the many short-
comings we have witnessed from the period the
exptulitkn first land,d on thoß, shores. I have
well understood the ritauy difficulties our chiefs have
had to contend with—difficuitics which should hare
curbed that bitter spirit of criticism which has manifested
i ,sOl- with so much bad tast,c--not hut at Lorne,
The repeated and inexcusable negligence displayed in
the mail service has at length attained a most reprehen-
sible point, and it is imperative that the real state of
matters be unveiled to the public. This irregularity in
the despatch of letters from the Crimea will probably at
home be attributed Neither negligence or faulty arrange.
ments on the part of the postal authorities. It is not
so. The arrangements of tho post-office are com-
plete, and the whole blame lies with the naval au-
thorities.
Th.. system established by the General Post-office in
London, and carried out by Mr. Smith, the postmaster
to the forces in the Crimea, is as follows :—Every five
days a mail is made up at the office in Balaklava. Bags
are made up for Scutari arid Constantinople, and for
London. The latter are taken on to Marseilles by the
French steamers, which leave Constantinople every
five days. 'The naval authorities are charged with the
transport of the bags from Balaklara to Constantinople.
Let me now illustrate, by a few facts, the great negli-
gence which characterises this department. The bags
containing letters up to the 13th inst. were made up on
that day at the Balaklava Post-office, and no steamer
arrived to convey them to Constantinople. The conse-
quence was that the Marseilles boat started without
them, and the British public were deprived of their cor-
respondence. If the weather on that day had been
stormy, I should not have mentioned this case ; but, on
the contrary, the sea was calm. On that day the Samp-
son arrived, and likewise the Caradcc ; consequently no
excuse can be offered. The previous mail from the Crimea
arrived at Constantinople 24 hours too late for the French
steamer; but this was owing to unfavourable weather,
which prevented the Arrow from accomplishing the dis-
tance in time. But now that the bad season has set in,
and the navigation of the Euxine is rendered difficult,
could not the steamers accelerate their departure from the
Crimea by a few hours, and thus contrive to catch the
Marseilles packet ? The bags of the mail preceding
this (the 13th instant) were conveyed to Constan-
tinople by her Majesty's steamer Triton. Although
the respective bags were distinctly marked and ticketed
those intended for Scutari and Constantinople were
thrown with the London bag into the French steamer,
and conveyed to Marseilles. In this case negligence and
stupidity were equally displayed. You were deprived
of your telegraphic despatches, and the invalids at
Scutari of their letters. Throughout the campaign the
naval authorities have shown an unexpected spirit of
egotism as far as the management of the mails is con-
cerned. For instance, on the 18th instant two mails
arrived together from England. The whole array were
impatient to receive their letters, knowing that the bags
had arrived at the fleet. In fact, the Sampson had
arrived at Balaklava on the morning of the 186, bring-
ing letters for the men-of-war in the harbour, but none
for the army, although nothing could have prevented
that steamer from doing so, had the authorities wished
to be just and agreeable to the army. The Caradoo
brought the bags in the evening, too late for distribu-
tion, consequently the army received their letters only
the next day, or forty-eight hours after the fleet. Some
attention should be directed at home to this negligence
and want of system,

While engaged on the sultject of postal rnisarrange-
nsents, I may add that the French post-office at Karnish
B:ty is not conducted in a manner calculated to please '
the authorities at Paris, The gentleman at the head of
this ofliee has not displayed to his British colleague at
Bal rklava. that friendly assistance which might have been
expected. Bags of unpaid letters remain at Kamish for
days without that fact being communica led at Balaklava,
although our postmaster has never hesitated to acquaint
at once the French post office on a similar occasion. I
was myself witness to the following act :—The British
postmaster had sent over an assistant to claim these
letters, but be found that their number exceeded what
had been expected, and that, ho was deficient by some
pounds of the sure required to take up the wise!.
packet. The French postmaster refused to credit
the British office with the miserable SUM required,
and only gave up the letters which could be actually
paid for. These petty annoyances, which impede
the regularity of our postal arrangements, will no
doubt meet proper attentioa in France.
A great
many letters which have been franked in England, and
sear legibly on their face the stamp "paid," are re-
charged by the French post-office, to the reasonable an-
noyance and wrath of the recipients. It seems a very
harsh measure which is adopted towards the officers and
crews of our transport service. Although these form,
te every intent and purpose, a part of the expedition, and
run every risk, as was witnessed on the coast last week,
in the performance of their duty, still
they do not
enjoy the postal privileges of the army and fleet. The
letters for the transport service, instead of being charged
31, are liable to the whole French rate, and this cer-
tainly sloes seem an illiberal measure.
I seriously recommend the public at home always to
prepay their letters to the arm or
stamps, assuming
or the fleet. This they
can do by the means of three
the letter to be under a quarter of an ounce. Their
letters will then be delivered without delay to their cor-
respondents, and run no danger of miscarrying.
The
letters that are unpaid, besides being charged with Bd.
•r 13d. under a quarter of an ounce (a most eccentric
option on the part of the French), are liable to be de-
tained for many days at Kamish Bay. Therefore, by all
p
means prepay letters and newspapers for the Crimea.
Unpaid newspapers
are sent via Southampton, and
stand a very good chance of arriving some two months
after all interest in their contents has ceased. The late
Southampton mail brought the very interesting account
of the fall of Bomarsund.

--
BEFORE SEB/STOPOL, Nov 22.—The siege truing en
longuer and is becoming We hear
every day that the French are going to storm the place,
and that the names of volunteers hommes de b"ne
diablentent monotone.
volonte, have been sent in to head-quarters ; but never-
theless we are in etatu quo The firing of late has been
slack ; there has generally. however, been some sort of
an attack between the French and the Russians at night,
but with no results of conse once ai musketry-firing in
the dark can be but very uncertain in its effect. The
Russians have evidently been acting more on the de-
fensive since the sth inst. They have entrenched their
camp opposite to the Inkerman heights, and have been
busy daring the last three nights in erecting abattis in
front of the round tower which is opposite to the second
brigade of the light division ; they have also strengthened
the position between the tow er and the redan, and have
loophooled with sandbags, for musketry fire, the ditch
or earthwork leadiog between' these two fortifications.
They are also busy at work at the Star Fort, above the
north aide of the harbour. The walls seem very thick,
and from the amount of earth thrown up the ditch must
be very deep ; the slope is beautifully finishes ; and al-
together it appears to be a formidable position, from
which they will be able to shell us when we get into the
town.

A. Polish officer gave himself up as a deserter a few
days since, and reports that the Russians have had
25,000 men placed hors de combat since the battle of
Inkerinan, and that they cannot make out why we have
net stunned the town. It is said that a Russian doc-
tor came favor to the French en the same day, and
stated that they
were in a sad way from the want of
medical men, and that some of the weunded olt the sth
had not even then had their wounds dressed. It is
also reported that General Liiders, with a reinforce-
ment of 12,000 men, had arrived. I forgot to mention
that the Pule said that they never could get the Rus-
sians to advance upon us again as tkey did on the sth ;
there is no doubt that they were half-drunk, like as they
were on their first attack on the 26th October. An
officer told me that he saw a Russian fall down en the
sth from sheer drunkenness.
On the 18th inst. an officer came out from the redan,
in front of our Frenchman's-hill, with a flag of truce,
and was met by one of our officers in tke advanced work.
The Russian was the bearer of a letter from Lieutenant
Duff, of the 23d Fusiliers, who bad been taken pri-
soner on the sth. He had sent for his clothes and
money, anal meetiuned that he was comfortable and well
tra ated.

A great many French have landed >ince I wrote to
you, and a great somber ewre are drily expected. The
97th Re,:iu►en`, which is about 1,000 strong, arrived
on the 20th ; also the Queen of the South, with detach-
ments of the 7th Fusilier. the 23.1 and 95th Regi►vents
and the Guards. Some Turks landed yesterday.
There was a smart skirmish on the evening of the
20th, in front of Green-hill battery. Our Rifles were
sent out to drive away some Russian sharpshooters who
had established themselves in some hides, fr,..)in whence
they could enfilade our advanced parties. I ant sorry
to say that Lieut. Tryon, of the Rifle brigade, was shot
on this occasion. The Russians were driven out, and
next morning attacked our people, who had established
themselves it] the said hales, but were repulsed.
Lord William Paulet has been appointed colonel on
the staff, and has the command of all our troops in the
Dardanelles, Bosphorus, or Scutari. The Hon. Captain
John Jocelyn Bourke, 88th Regiment, is to be his aide-
de-camp.
The 46th Regiment, which arrived last week, are suf.

The Moniteur de l' Armee publishes the following
from an officer of the Ist division before Sebasto-
pol :
" The works of the lines are Leing carried on actively.
We are fortifying with a prodigality of prudence, even
in the opinion of the engineers, the plateau we occupy.
We began by separate work., redoubts, redaes, and
batterii s ; we afterwards united these works by a first
iine which is near the coast ; then we placed a barn icr
on the road of the defile of Belaklava, with other de-
fences ; and at present a e are making a second lice,
nearer the crest, in the rear of the filet hire of circuits
vallation. Our position, naturally superb, Leconres im-
pregnable. Our principal guards are, stationed in the
whole length of it, and at night they send forward skir-
mishers. The Russian army can see all these works of
defence. Since the 25th ult., the day of the affair of the
redoubts, it has not changed its place. Its squadrons
seem to be made of wood, so immovable are they.
More unlucky than we are, the poor fellows have no
tents. The Russian arary is imitating us ; it is throw-
ing up entrenchments I),,tween and it line of re-
treat, the road of Simpherepel. It forms an angle, one
side of which 4.,sce,i our camp, and the other is on the
Tchernaya. On the 9th :Anne liattalion3of Ist
Wei.) taken to' the field of bi-ttle on the iith. From
the position they occupied, tee, ee re levirtA tv
go there. The entire camp of the English had to be
passed through. The troops passed the night, one bat-
talion working three hours at a redoubt, whilst another
was on the watch, and so on in turns. This redoubt
has been thrown up in the midst of the wood which
forms the left bank of the Tehernaya, a wood through
while the Russians advanced in the foggy morning of
the sth. It will serve as a reserve to other works whieh
are more advanced and lower down so as to command
the bottom of the valley. The object of these works is
to cut off the communications of the Russian army with
the place. The road from the Tchernaya, being stopped,
the Russians must make a long detour to take the val-
ley of Balbek. No doubt this precaution would have
been taken a long time ago, had it not been for the al-
ready immense development of the Allied armies along
the plateau from the heights south of Balaklava to the
gates of Sebastopol—a development which requires a
great number of troops in addition to those occupied in
the siege itself. The complete works of circumvallation
and contravallation will be more than 20 kilometres,
(124 English miles) in extent."
The same letter says
In the battle of Inkerman, the action on the ar-
rival of the French battalions assumed new and terrible
vigour. It was a prolonged act of heroism, and all the
actors in it were grand, sublime. The brave Colonel of
the 6th regiment of the line, armed with a long clay-
more of the best tempered steel, which he wielded with
both hands, struck right and left. Ile was always the
first in the melee. A veritable Roland, he caused seven
enemies to fall before him ; he was a terrible warrior, a
colossus. His death recalls to mind the gigantic con-
flicts of the heroes of Ariosto. A brother of this noble
soldier has just arrived, but instead of an elder brother,
he has found a laurel for his name ! There remained
ne the 10th on the field of battle more than 1,000 dead
Russians unburied. They were almost all in a position
in view of the roadsted of Sebastopol, which was swept
by the guns of the Russian vessel the Twelve Apostles.
As this vessel fired shells at our burying parties, we
were obliged to wait for the night to continueour task."
A letter from the Crimea, of the 29th, says :
"Yesterday the Allied troops occupied a Russian re-
doubt after a sharp engagement. The besieged nude
two attempts to retake it, but failed, and sustained nu-
merous losses. The preparations for lodging the soldiers
continue ; 3,000 tents, each capable of containing 20
soldiers, have arrived from Constantinople, and a second
supply is shortly expected. Almost all the steamers of
the two fleets are employed in conveying from Sinope to
the Crimea all the wood for building or for fire that they
can find on the coast. The local authorities second
these operations as well as they can. Before long pro-
bably the supplies will be sufficient for all the wants of
the three armies.' The Turcos, or natives of Africa, re-
cently penetrated during the night into the camp of the
Russian cavalry, and cut the halters of a number of the
horses. The animals came towards the French troops,
and 300 of them were taken. The Russians have suf-
fered greatly from the tempest of the 14th. The waves
collected at the entrance of the port of Sebastopol, and
broke with indescribable violence at the bottom of the
port. It is rumoured that several Russian vessels went
down ; also that the vessels sunk had been displaced.
Within the last few days a young woman arrived in the
Crimea to join her husband, a lieutenant in the let re-
giment of artillery. After a painful 1)w-sage of three
months, the vessel on hoard which she was sunk, but the
courageous woman jumped into the sea, and was rescued.
She lost all that she possessed, but she had the joy of
finding her husband !"

DESPATCHES FROM GEN. CANROBERT
AND ADMIRAL 11.A.MELliV.
Tho Minister of War Las received the. follow-
ing report from General Canrobert, dated 28th

ult. :
" Monsieur le Mardelial,—The weather is improving,
and this is a circumstance which is far from being with-
out interest for our operations. Al constant rain, and
the state of the roads oa the plateaux where we are esta-
blished, had considerably augmented the difficulty in
transporting provisions and materiel. A little sunshine
is about to repair all and allow us to resume our work.
with redoubled activity. The enemy turns to account
these cessations oa our part, in order to increase his
means of defence. Up to this time his principal objeci
has been to intimidate us, and never was witnessed such
a consumption of powder and ball. Our artillery calcu-
late that since our arrival under the walls of Sebastopol
the enemy has fired 400,000 cannon shot, and con-
sumed 1,200000 kilogrammes of powder. Some
idea may be formed front this of the supply that
must have been for a long time accumulating in the
place. We, however, remark that the Russian artillery
is now more economical .in the fire, and particu-
larly in that of shells. The number of our killed and
wounded does not exceed 15 a day. The army of
Prince Menschikoff keeps on the defensive, and it
appears that, until further orders, he has renounced
the idea of undertaking anything against us. In
the meantime our situation is improving in every way.
Reinforcements are arriving, and our regiments of
Zouaves as well as all those who are natives of Africa,
present an ensemble the most satisfactory. Our supplies
are abundant, and I am now able to distributed to the
troops a daily ration of wine or brandy. This is a very
important point, and will prevent much sickness. On
the other hand, the winter clothing is arriving, and
already the greatcoat with hood and the paletot of
sheepskin, are numerous in our camps. The soldier
will nobly and courageously support the trial of
the bad weather, seeing himself the object of such
care and solicitude on the part of the Emperor and his
minister. The Turkish Government has promised me
0,000 conical tents, which are highly prized here, as they
resist the violent wind so common in this country much
better than ours. I can assure you, Monsieur le
Marechal, that the army acquires rare solidity, and you
cannot imagine to what a point our young men, sud-
denly impressed by the grandeur of the struggle, become
old soldiers. You would not have seen without the
most lively feeling •f satisfaction the lines drawn out,
and remaining calm and immovable under a fire of ar-
tillery which Lord Raglan has declared to me was
heavier than that which was heard at Waterloo. I
give you these details, because they cannot fail to interest
and at the same time to tranquillise you, and, in short,
to show the confidence with which my troops inspire me.
The new divisions will here find old ones who will set
them a good example.—A ccept, &c."
The Minister of Marine has received a despatch
from Admiral Hamelin, dated the 28th ult., from
which the following are extracts :---
"In the new phase of the siege the army, which had
appreciated the excellence of the fire of our sailors, and
the ravages occasioned by our heavy guns, has made a
fresh appeal to the fleet. lam therefore engaged, at
the desire of General Canrobert, in landing 55 heavy
guns, most of which belonged to the Henri IV. The
tsiomOesa:tis sailors armed
naval
sarmedwgituhnnmeurss, wketsill man
who landed
guns,
eedatthesatre
tohi e yt
hunderstandr amss w. e
v,
hoer per-
are opened, there will
bbhnmveaeaPwnfsrtab aohgb neeettmtte;oerrOnffii, et
scttooehrfaasBg whichnOaoti nhfsatt servedtthhe the
byn a
vo
yu,r
bothsailors
naen d
and directedthe
other having since the commencement of the siege
ti
lveryler
ymTueenh improve
..thleih de ayd dr
before
iin
v the
yf
eseo ro opiniondp o
as y
tlaf
kthehees a
a pr
dlarcrny as
eef tahl e
o a
a srr
every -ay
rival of 3,000 men in the Bosphorus, and yesterday 1,000
of them reached Kamiesh, and I shortly expect the re-
mainder by the steam-frigates which I despatched to
Constantinople to take them on board. We are daily
teilinepploiyuetdoni.n edAnpeaavrotuorfing thetsot?sraevsesatvheed rtelV. senatnd
will to
France on board the Sirbne fr 'gate, and the remainder
we shall keep iu the port of Kamiesh, to be used as re-
quired by the army or other vessels. The Gassendi,
which arrived here two days ago, will leave again to day
for France, agreeably to your orders, after having landed
her Zouaves at Kainiesh.

A letter from the heights of Sebastopol of the
27th ult. states as follows :
" General Canrobert 13.311 dent to Prince Menschikoff
the minstes of the inquiry held on the Russian Major
whom an English court-martial sentenced to be him, fur
having assassinated and cluserl othoi to assassinate the
wounded on the fie!d of battle. The Prince was asked
to sign the sentence, but he declined, alleging that he
had strictly prohibited such acts of cruelty, but that it
appertained to his own military tribunals only to eta-
blish the culpability. It is generally urinated that Men-
schikoff is an able adversary, brave, and obstinate. _His
correspondence and his official reports, as they are
known in the Allied army, cause him to be esteemed as
a loyal enemy. His accounts of the battle of Alma and
the first attacks of Sebastopol have au air of frankness,
all the more meritorious that it is not usual among his
countrymen. Decidedly the Prince was perfectly justi•