The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-25 00:00:00

THE BLACK SEA FLEET.

OCT. B.—Although the disembarkation of, on an
average, 220 seamen and marines from each line-
of-battle-ship has materially diminished their force,
yet, as there are still plenty of men loft to fight one
broadside, there are many who suppose that Fort
Constantine and the fo"t a little to the northward,
mounting eight heavy guns, and christened, from
its stinging faculties, as proved by our steamer,
" the Wasp," will be attacked simultaneously with
the grand attack on Sebastopol ; at least I have
reason to believe that our powerful force of screw
and paddle-steamers will attempt a diversion coin-
cident with the storming. No men have been
landed from them, and the advantage of distract-
ing the enemy's attention at such a time is too
obvious to dilate on. As I foretold in my last, the
blow has not yet fallen, but doubtless it is delayed
only that it may fall more heavily. We do not
doubt of success, though it would be folly wil-
fully to shut our eyes to the difficulties which are
before us. There is no cliance of our troops, in
case of the difficulties in their way proving insur-
mountable, abandoning the enterprise only to re-
new it in the spring. The allied armies would, in
their present position, embark with so much
difficulty, that we may not inaptly be compared to
the armies that of old time burnt on the beach the
ships that had borne them to the land of the
foeman. Our armies will only leave the Crimea as
victors.

There is no fear of our fleet not being able to
keep the sea during the winter. There is capital
holding ground where they now are, and the little
harbours to the southward of Sebastopol will con-
tain a great part of them. " Omne ignotum " masses
"pro terribile," and the Black Sea has been a bug-
bear from the days of Jason and the ship Argo
downways ; in fact, a gale of wind seldom lasts 30
hours, and very rarely does what is called, nauti-
cally " blow home." Any one who has seen the
crazy craft in which the Turks and Russian Greeks
navigate this sea will not wonder at the catas-
trophes they so frequently experience. Let only
our troops lie protected by roofs from the rigour
of a Crimean winter, and there is no fear of the
fleet not being able in every way to play their part
efficiently.

The luxuries of life are quite unknown now in the
British army. " I wish," said a Guardsman, worth
8,000/. a-year, to me, " that the Simuom would
come up, for I've not had a clean shirt for a fort-
night." The transports realise fabulous prices, and
I am sorry to say in too many instances make a
market of the necessities of the army. Two pounds
for a cheese and 7s. a bottle fur brandy are com-
mon prices. Caddies too, and tobacco, are in great
request, especially the latter. " Please to let me
on board," cried a sergeant alongside of one of our
men-of-war steamers, " I'm the purser's cousin."
On being admitted, he at once begged pardon for
the assertion. " But sure," said he, " I knew you
wouldn't let me come in unless I belonged to some-
body ; and the boys are all wanting so much a bit
of tobacco." I need not say he went off with
enough to last him for many a day. Our allies,
however, are worse off than ourselves. Bread and
onions picked up in the fields were their only food
for two days ; and I believe the officers of some of
our steamers had never a p!easanter task than
dining one or two among the French officers who
had extended their forage as far as Balaklava."
TURKEY.
CONSTANTINOPLE, Oct 12.
As the allied force was at no time large, and has
been seriously diminished, reinforcements are being
sent for with all speed to ensure the success of the
attack, and to make head against the hostile bodies
said to be advancing. Within the last two dars
3,000 men of the Legion Etrangere have passed up
from Gallipoli. These are excellent troops, and
will go far to make good the losses of the Alma and
the cholera. The reserves of the Turks are also
called into service. To day the Orinoco went up
to the Crimea with 1,300 Turkish infantry, two
small steamers carried 800 yesterday, and the
number will be made up to 4,000 within the pre-
sent week. The French reserves at Varna, to the
number of 8,000, have of course long since been
sent to the scene of war. It is to be regretted,
however, that the allied force is not more nume-
rous. % For full efficiency of operations it is neces-
sary to have an army on the northern side of Se-
bastopol to cut off communication with the open
country. The fact of 4,000 men having lately en-
tered to reinforce the garrison is a proof how much
we suffer from the inadequacy of our force.