The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-27 00:00:00

WA LLA CHIA.

The Presse publishes the following letter from
Constantinople, Bth inst. :—" No doubt now exists of
the preparations which the Russians are now making
in Moldavia and Wallachia. It was a thing deter-
mined on by Russia, the affair of the extradition was
merely a pretext, and it now turns out that the en-
trance into Moldo-Wallachia was with a view to the
ultimate possession of those provinces. Since the
rupture of relations with the Russian mission, the
conduct of the Russians in Wallachia has completely
changed; the soldiers and officers treat the Turks
with the greatest contempt, and address to them
provocations and bravados. From all the arrange-
ments made and the movements ordered for the corps
of General Luders, there is no doubt that even before
the winter the Russian troops will cross the Danube
near Issatcha ; they will establish themselves in the
plain of Dobrecza, and will push forward as far as
Constendjy, in order to have a port at their disposal
for obtaining supplies. This will be a preparatory
campaign, which will be carried still further in the
spring. Russia, while making the se preparations for
war on the Ottoman territory, will delay the nego-
tiations, in order to gain time, reserving to herself the
power to break them off whenever it may suit her
purpose. Sir. Stratford Canning is authorised to dis
pose of the fleet, commanded by Admiral Parker, as
he may think necessary. A courier, which has ar-
rived from Vienna, has, it ii said, decided the Aus-
trian Internuncio to leave Constantinople. His de-
parture, however, cannot be considered as a proof of
a definitive rupture, as he long since tendered his
resignation."

THE TRIAL OF THE MANNINGS.

MR. SERGEANT WILKINS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—An important omission occurs in the Times'
report of the Mannings' trial, which at the first blush
would almost seem to have been designed. It states
that the Attorney-General, in his reply, said that he
thought that Mr. Ballantine was justified in com-
plaining of the course that had been adopted by the
Learned Sergeant, whereas the Attorney-General
distinctly said that Mr. Ballantine was NOT justified.
Every other daily journal has correctly reported the
passage.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.,
ONE WHO WAS PRESENT AT THE TRIAL.
[Doubtless the little negative escaped the ear of the
Times' reporter.—ED. Sun]

ADAIIRALS, CAPTAINS, and GENERALS
for the NEXT 0 NE HUNDRED YEARS.
England has a capital naval and military stock.
She has 150 Admirals, and only 15 of them are
employed. Wl.at a notion it must give a foreigner
of the unbounded wealth of our country, when he
considers that we can afford to keep 135 Admirals
merely to help 15 others to do their work ! This mon-
ster drove of
.Hyde Park Drakes--these 135 Nelsons
on horseback—must be quite happy to take a turn occa-
sionally at the wheel of some Chelsea steamer, if simply
to keep their bands in. We should not much wonder
if one bought the berth of Captain on board the half-
penny Moonshine; if another had his flag flying from
the stays of the Lass of Richmond; whilst every
Waterman that steams to Greenwich or Woolwich,
will probably have either a Red, or a Blue, or a
Yellow Admiral on its paddle-box, shouting as lively
as possible, "Ease 'er !" " Stop 'er !" They must
do something to keep up their nautical knowledge,
or else when they are ordered to take the command
of a squadron, they will know less about a ship than
even Lord John Russell or the Earl of Eilenborough.
But if we have an ocean of Admirals, with only a
Trafalgar-square basin to put them in, we have like-
wise a whole parkful of captains, and nothing
but charity boys to give them to lead to victory.
The ignorant reader, who has no notion of the im-
mense resources of his country, will scarcely believe
that we possess no less than 780 captains. He pro-
bably did not think there were so many in the whole
world, but whilst he is rather pleased to learn that
England is so richly provided with captains, he can-
not help wondering how she can want such a large
number. His astonishment is perfectly natural, and
we should know better than to laugh at it, for Eng-
land does not want 780 captains any more than she
wants 780 prime ministers, and so she very wisely
employs only as many as she wants, and pays the
remainder for ravaging the ball-rooms and laying
waste all the young ladies' hearts, or doing anything
they please—which liberal privilege the captains
generally avail themselves of. England, therefore,
only employs 180 captains, and as she does not want
the other 600, they are allowed to keep company with
the 135 admirals, who are in a similar predicament
to themselves, and have nothing to do, and are only
kept in for fear there should be something for them to
do at some time or other. The same generosity is
shown by our economical Government to our brave
generals, for, whilst we have 340 generals, we have
only 120 regiments, so that every regiment has nearly
three generals a-piece. We have admirals, without
ships; captains, without soldiers; and generals,
without regiments ; but this, far from being a waste,
is the strictest economy, and is easily explained by
the simple fact, that it is much easier to build a ship
than to make an admiral; and that it is the simplest
thing in the world to enlist a soldier and raise a regi-
ment, but the great difficulty is to find captains and
a general for them.—Punch.