The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-19 00:00:00

DUTCH MAIL.

TUE HAGUE.—Auo. 12.—0 n the 7th of this month
a great misfortune befel the commune of Noordlaren.
About four o'clock on the afternoon the lightning struck
the house of the farm, Willen Assies, one of the largest
farm-houses there, so that in a moment the whole build-
ing was in flames. The barn being full of hay and
corn, it was impossible to save them. The inhabitants
of Noordlaren were obliged to confine their exertions to
endeavour to save the neighlx.uring houses, but they
could not prevent the flames from setting fire to the
opposite house, likewise one of the largest farm-houses
in the place ; and as the stock of hay and corn was
very large the whole was totally destroyed. It was with
great difficulty, and with the assistance of the inhabitants
of the environs that the flames were hindered from spread-
ing still further. On the same day, at the same hour,
a similar disaster took place in the village of Zandt. A
violent thunder-storm burst over the fortress of Roe-
vorden, where the lightning struck a chimney, and the
electric fluid passing through the roof, entered a cham-
ber were three lads were at work, who were ccmpletely
stunned, but not hurt, and passed through an open win-
dow. Several labourers at work in the fields, in different
parts of our province, have suddenly fallen down dead,
in consequence of the intense heat that we have lately
had.

VENLOO, AUG. 11.—The accounts of the disease in
the potatoes in our environs are different. It seems,
however, to be of little importance.
THE HAUGE, AUG. 13.—His Excellency Prince Ester•
hazy, formerly Austrian Ambassador in London, and
suite, coming from Konigsworth, has arrived here.
AMSTERDAM, AuG. 14.—We learn from Hanover that
Prince Albert, son of Prince Albert of Prussia, arrived
there on the 10th, on a visit to the King, intending to
go, on the next day, to Wangoroog. Prince Albert of
Prussia arrived on the 11th, at Hanover, and proceeded
next day to the Hague.
We learnfrorn Bremen that the Dutch war steamer, tlye
Cyclop, arrived on the 9th, at Bremen, having to take
on board a lady of distinction, who was expected there,
and bring her to Holland.

THE CAUCASUS.
(EXTRACT FROM A PRIVATE LETTER.)
TIFLIS, JUNE 20.—You have doubtless been informed
by the official statement of the General-in Chief of the
incursion made into Kabardah by Schamyl in the be-
ginning of this month ; but that brief and miserable
document can only have given you a very incorrect idea
of that equally important and unexpected event.
I wish I had sufficient talent to depict the inex-
pressible confusion, the incredible fright, which the
sudden news of the apparition of the famous prophet of
the Tschetschenses, at the head of an army of more than
20,000 mountaineers, produced, not only on all the line
between Grosnaia and Jekaderinodar, but even amongst
the inhabitants of our quiet capital. The fright was so
great that the enemy was believed to be already at the
gates of our city. The unfortunate inhabitants of the
Kabardah had much more reason to be frightened than
we, who are separated from the spot on which the war
has broken out by the great Alpine range of the Cau-
casus, and protected by good fortifications and a suffi-
cient garrison. Those who suffered the most from this
last sudden impetuous attack made by the mountaineers
are the unfortunate Cossacks, of the line lately settled on
the banks of the Sundja and the Teack, and who were
too widely spread over the country to be enabled to offer
a combined or much resistance. Here are, in a few
words, some positive &tails imparted to me by a person
well informed, who has just returned from Wladikawkas.
Towards the end of April Schamyl was on the banks
of the Argun, at the bead of a small army, almost ex-
clusively formed by Tschetschenses (amounting to
nearly 5,000 men), about GO versts south of Grosnaia.
At the same time he sent emissaries into Daghestan and
Lesgistan to call the tribes to arms, and to promise them
in his name the spoil of the whole country belonging to
the Kabardians, who had submitted to Russia. This
time Schamyl's promises and proclamations met with
greater success than they had ever dune before. A
number of persons hastened to join him from every di-
rection. His small army was rapidly increased by the
Lesgians, the Acoares, the Tujusches, the Gumbites,
and other tribes from the mountains which surround the
province called Great Tschetschina, followed the ex-
ample of the Tschetschenses, and brought to the service
of their famous chief the strength of their arms, their
courage, and their love of pillage and of booty.
General Freytag,
commander of the fortress of Gros-
naia, had been informed by his spies of a considerable
movement in the interior of the forests of Tschetschina,
and of Schamyl's intention to invade Kabardah. But
the Russian General being accustomed to hear the same
news constantly
repeated, and to see the threats of the
enemy followed by no hostile attempts against Kahardah,
considered those of Scbamyl as idle words, and did not
pay much attention to the'neeting of large forces in
Tschetschina, thinking that
.their leader intended to em-
ploy them in the defence of his residence, Widin, against
which General Freytag was preparing an expedition.
But Schamyl, who had heard that the Russians were
marching all their forces towards the East, for the two
expeditions which were to take place in summer against
Tschetschina and Daghestan, immediately determined
•
to proceed westward with the whole of his forces. It is
probable that the difficulty of procuring provisions for
the immense number of partizans whom the manly lan-
guage of his proclamation had induced to join his stan-
dard, obliged him to adopt that sudden resolution, the
boldness of which can only be appreciated by those ac-
nature of the seat of war, and the
strong position
quainted with the
occupied_ by the Russian army on the
right wing of the line of operation. Schamyl crossed
the Sunja between Wladi, Kaukas, and Nasran. All the
stanitzas (villages) built by the Cossacks during the last
three years along the right bank of that river were sur-
prised, plundered, and committed to the flames. Most
of the men escaped (thanks to the swiftness of their
horses), but the wcnvii, old men, and children, were
made prisoners, and, shortly afterwards, the greatest
number were put to death by an order of Schamyl, whose
march was impeded by so large a convoy of prisoners.
The success of his enterprise, it is true, depended on the
rapidity of his movements, for the alarm had been spread
along the entire line, and Generals Nestorow and Freytag
were collecting in all haste their disposable force to