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 left to fight one
broadside, there are many who suppose that Fort
Constantine and the fort 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 chance 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 arc, and the little
harbours to the southward of Sebastopol will con-
tain a great part of them. " Oinneignotin" 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, b.nd 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 be 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
B,OOOZ. a-year, to me, " that the Simoom 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
marketof the necessities of the army. Two pounds
for a cheese and 7s. a bottle for brandy are com-
mon prices. Candles 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 pleasanter task than
dining one or two among the French officers who
had extended their forage as far as Balaklava."