The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-20 00:00:00

THE DANUBE.

In a letter from Widdin of the 4th we read—By
the advice of English and French engineers, our
entrenchments round Kalafat have been contracted
at certain points, and at the same time fortified yet
more strongly. On this account the foraging posts
of Maglavit, Komon, Krutsha di Piatra, and
Tshupert have been withdrawn awl stationed be-
hind the line of ramps, is before Kalafat. Only
one has been left in Golencza, in order to take of
the first transports. All the sick and wounded
that can be moved have been removed to Widdin.
.All the corps from Widdin, as far as Rassova, are
in readiness. Omer Pasha has inspected in person
all the more important positions--Silistria in par-
ticular, and the Roman .wall (Trajan's) have been
well fortified. Turnu, Guirgevo, 01 tenitza, Wadu-
Silistri, and Kalarash are incessantly harassed by
our different corps, and all the attempts of the
Russians to plant themselves on the right bank are
beaten back. The loss is heavy ; and, unfortu-
zately, many of their wounded encroach upon .our
hospitals intended solely for our own men. Tile
fugitivbs7--whole families, with their flocks and
herds—from-the left bank come, however, so corn-
'pletely starved out, that fodder has become very
scarce, and is a want that must be promptly at-
' tended to. Our invalids and- wounded, -in both
Widdin- and Ka,lafat, amount to-day to no more
than 9 per cent. of the entire force under arms.

THE DOBRUDSCHA.
The latest and most trustworthy accounts from
• the head-quarters of Omar Pasha, says the Paris
correspondent of the Times, prove the urgent ne-
cessity of the allied forces arriving on the theatre
of war without loss of time, if there be a desire to
avoid, as General Baraguay d'Hilliers is said to
have expressed it in one of his despatches, the re-
petition on laud of the catastrc phe of Sinope. A
competent person, who has very recently examined
and with the greatest attention the line of the
Danube from Widdin to Rassova, and who has very
minutely scrutinised the effective force under the
command of Omar Pasha, with its capabilities and
organisation, is not of opinion that that force is able
to meet the
.Russian army single-handed, or to op-
Pose its onward march to the south. No doubt is ex-
Pressed as to the zeal, the enthusiasm, and the
valour of the Turkish army, but the same autho-
rity declares that, notwithstanding the wonderful
efforts made by Omar Pasha to introduce regularity
and order in the host he commands, there is still
a deplorable deficiency in these respects. With the
exception of Omar Pasha himself, who is admitted
to be a man of much intelligence; and two or three
others at the most,.there is a sad want of military
capacity among the superior officers, and infinitely
less among the subalterns. It is true that Omar
_Pasha is full of daring and impetuosity, but
these qualities are rather dangerous under the
Present circumstances, and it would be most
desirable that he should not, until supported
11 the allies, risk a battle with the Russians
Who have lately crossed the Danube. According
to those accounts, the Turkish army of the Danube
does not amount to more than 90,000 men, while
the Russians have now 200,000 disposable and effec-
tive men in the Principalities and Bessarabia. For-
- te,unately, the presence of the allied fleetsin the Black
Sea renders it impossible for the Russians to obtain
supplies from the coast, and a considerable portion
of that immense force is employed iu conveying
provisions and stores to the Dobrudscha. But
the great danger is in the want of organisation of the
Turks. Hitherto they have done wonders, but a
pitched battle, which it is the interest anti desire of
the Ruasians to ha& en on before the arrival Of the
allied armies, there is reason to fear would be their
destruction. The opinion of the person to whom I
allude is decisive on that point. lam informed
that.a report has been forwarded to the French Go-
vernment by Colonel Dieu—who-by the way is not
dead as was reported7--and that it differs verylittle
from the accounts to which I refer. Perhaps that
report is still more strongly drawn up, and may have
hastened the resolution said to be come to by the
Government of sending at once 100,000 men, or
more, instead of the 50,0410 spoken of. It has been ru-
moured that Omar Pasha expressed his delightat the
Russians having at leng+h crossed the Danube, and
that heconsidered the tidings so favourable that he
rewarded richly the messenger who brought them to
correct.lsln P. do not know how far that rumour is
is natural for a brave leader of an
army, elated by previous and, it must be said, un-
expected successes to estimate
diplomatic less highly than
mere civilians the importance of p
tiations, and to. desire that
the quarrelarrell
t i c
shouldn e g
be
-
brought to an issue by the sword • but the sincere
friends of Turkey, whose zeal does not blind
• them to the realities of his position, express their
earnest desire that Omar Pasha will remain as long
as possible on the defensive, at least until
such time as an important diversion is created in
some other quarter, or until the long expected
. reinforcements arrive.
Prince Gortschakoff, on entering the Dobrudscha,
• addressed a proclamaton to the inhabitants, do notated
the 23d ult. It begins by saying do
come amongst you as enemies ; continue your
peaceful occupations ; we only march against the
barbarous Turks, V) force them by our power to
treat you and your Christian brethren in a manner
more conformably to humanity. These barbarians
having refused to listen to the exhortations of our
holy and all-powerful Czar, and having allowed
themselves to be led by Christian Pagans into
blind obstinacy, they now experience the just
anger of our holy and all-powerful Czar, and we
shall not finish our sacred struggle until we
shall have carried our resolution into execution,
- and trampled under our feet the enemies of
our master." In the same proclamation the inha-
bitants of the Dobrudscha are forbidden, under
rain of the severest punishment, to make comnion
cause, either openly or secretly, with the Turks.
"Look_" says the document, "at Moldavia and
Wallachia, so happy under the Russian Govern-
ment, that they curse Turkey and all who support
her cause." The inhabitants are, moreover, recom-
mended to show the greatest respect for the Rus-
. man functio.uaries, or soldiers ; and lastly, Prince
Gortschakoff expresses a hope that by the aid of
God the Russian arms will triumph, and that the
inhabitants of the Dobrudscha will not cease to
pray for the Divine blessing on the Russian armies.

TURKEY IN ASIA. •
„ Extreekum, March 17.—An aide-de-camp passed
It roil et here to-day,, bearing a despatch to the
4°Yarnor of this town from Seim kaaha, the Mualair