The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-15 00:00:00

THE BRITISH ARMY IN THE CRIMEA

(From the Times Correspondent.)
CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, FRB. 1.
Between 9 and 10 o'clock •n the night of the
29th ult. the whole camp was startled by the heaviest
cannonade that has been heard since the fall of
Sebastopol. Although the night was pitch dark,
officers flocked up to Cathcart's-hill, and from a
considerable distance down the road curious spec-
tators hurried to the front. The cause of the firing
appears to have been as follows :—Six boats, full of
men, put off from the Russian side of the harbour
with the intention, as some suppose, of effecting a
landing in Sebastopol, although it is difficult to
conjecture what advantage the enemy could have
expected to reap from so hazardous an enterprise.
Others talk of a, reconnaissance, but the Russians
can distinguish more with their glasses in the
daytime than they could from their boats in so
dark a night. Finally, a third conjecture points
to the sunken men-of war, concerning which there
is a myth current to the effect that they are held
down below water by cables, and will start up afloat
as soon as those are severed. It is not very probable
that the Russians propose to raise their submerged
fleet just now, so that this hypothesis falls to the
ground, unless its ingenious framers imagine that
they were going to see after the tackling, or to as-
certain the ravages of the worm. Rather unlikely ;
and, in truth, nobody knows the object of this
sortie of boats. Fire was opened upon them ; the
French are said to have sunk one of them, aid
then they retired, and the Russians commenced a
furious cannonade from all their batteries right
round to Inkerman. It is reported that they seat
shells into the Malakhoff, and even into the Redan.
As usual, the damage done was very small. A shell
fell into the French guard-boat, carried off a man's
arm, and went through the boat's bottom ; but
the crew stuffed a coat into the hole and got safely
to shore. A round shot went through the roof of
the Town-Major's house in the English part of
Sebastopol, but hurt no one. The fire was chiefly
directed against the French, who replied vigorously.
Very heavy while it lasted, but it was not long sus-
tained.

TURKEY.
CONSTANTINOPLE, Feb. 4.—On Thursday last,
the 31st of January, the rumour spread all at once
that the Sultan would attend the bad costume at
the English Embassy.
A 8 o'clock a fire Lighted on the heights above
the Imperial Palace of Tcheragan, followed by a
salvo of artillery from Galata Serai, was the signal
had that the Sultan left his palace. A. little before
9 he arrived at the gate of the Embassy, escorted by
a detachment of the 12th Lancers, and a guard of
honour composed of British officers of all arms.
At his approach the troops who lined the outer
courtyard presented arms, and the band struck up
the "Sultan's March" and "God save the Queen."
The court itself was illuminated by numerous lamps
and adorned with transparencies, which, however,
owing to the blasts of wind, were only partially
successful.

At the great staircase, which was crowded with
officers of the allied armies and Turkish dignitaries,
the Sultan was received by the ambassador and his
whole personnel. Accompanied'by them he passed
amid the crowd of guests who were already as
sem bled into the ball-room. There an armchair on
a raised dais, covered with carpets, was prepared
for him, to which he was conducted. Having sat
down, with the representatives of the foreign
Powers on one side and the Turkish dignitaries in
attendance, on the other, lie had several of the
ladies presented to him. Then the dancing began,
which seemed to excite his interest considerably,
and he stood up in order to have a better view of
the proceedings. After looking on for about an
hour, he expressed his desire to be shown into the
refreshment-room, where he partook of some slight
refreshment. He intended to return once more to
the ball-loom, but he found the heat too intense ;
so, after remaining in the refreshment-room for
some time, his Imperial Majesty took his departure.
Taking the ambassador by the hand, he descended
the staircase, accompanied iu the same manner as
on his arrival, and soon the guns of Galata Serai
announced that he was on his way back. He did
not return to his palace, but passed the night in a
kiosh belonging to his brother-in-law, Ahmed
Fethi Pasha.

This act gains the great importance from the
time at which it happens. It is a kind of sanction
to the concessions which are to be made to the non-
Mahomedan subjects of the Porte. Old Turkey is
dead and gone ; the bail on Thursday last was the
burial ceremony, and the lively strain of polkas
and waltzes its funeral march.
Ali Pasha, the Grand Vizier, is appointed by the
Turkish Government to proceed to Paris, and he
will embark next week in the French steamer
Ajaccio. The other Turkish member of the con-
ferences at Paris will be Mehmed Bey, the Turkish
Minister of that place.

FRANCE.
PARIS, THURSDAY.
The Conferences . will open on the 23d of this
month.

Count Buol ought to have reached Strasburg
to-day. He is expected at Paris this evening or
to-morrow morning.
Count Cavour arrived at Lyons to-day, which
place he was to leave immediately for Paris.
Aali Pasha left Constantinople the day before
yesterday. It is thought he cannot arrive at Paris
before the 22d inst.

To day the Bank of France rescinded the mea-
sure reducing to 75 days the maximum of bills
handed for discount, and resolved to re-commence
taking commercial paper of 90 days' date.
BOURSE, Feb. 14.—The following were the clos-
ing quotations :

Cash. fr. a.
4.1 per Onto 96

End of Month.
-f. -a
74 5

, per Cents 73 35
New Loan 74 25
Bank Shares 3,475 Roman
Credit Mobilier 1,580 Austrian
Belgian Fives ..... ... 97 Spanish Threes
Piedmontese (5) B9 50 Home Debt .........

RAILWAYS-POB CASH.

87
88
42
37i

_ fr. c. __ ____
fr. 0.
Oneses 1,260 Western B5O
Northern
Lyons.. ......1,232 50 New Ditto B2O
Mediterranean 1,3 0 Grand Central 640
Lyons Geneva 750 Teste
Cette 745 Austrian Com. B9l 25