The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-19 00:00:00

river.
"On the 25th of Nov. (7th of Dec.) the Commander-
in-Chief suddenly changed his pla❑ of operations, and
commenced a retreat, having probably received the offi-
cial news of the fall of Kars, and having learnt froui a
hard experience the immense difficulties attending
a winter campaign in the insurmountable mud of Min-
grelia. It is asserted that Omer Pacha flattered himself
that on ha approach from the Tskhenis-Tekhale our
troops would fall bank behind K.utais ; but, on finding
the whole Gouriel detachment assembled and ready to
give battle, he dared not aceept it, foreseeing his total
loss if he failed. •
" This movement without an object on the Tskhenis-
Tskhale, and, the precipitate retreat which followed,
considerably disorganised all the means of transport of
the Turki:l army, the men of which suffered immensely
from want of proVieions, warm clothing, and shoes.
" As soon as the retreat of the Turks commenced the
Commander of the Gouriel detachment, taking adian-
tage of a cessation in the rain on the 24th, and a fall in
the waters of the river, crossed' the Tshkenis-Tskhale
with some flying detachments to support the general
ris;ng of the inhabitants of Mingrelia.
" The first example was given by the Prince Pagava,
who on the 11th and 12th of November (23d and 24th)
attacked near °atop°, a Turkish Pacha, who with a
inaall detachment of cavalry had made a reconnaissan
on the right 'hank 'of the TdcLenis-Taktiale, and was re, -
turning to his camp. Prince Alexander Pagava, having
been informed of this, resolved to set an ambuscade, con-
sisting of 59 volunteers belonging chiefly to the Princes
Pa,.2,ava and Tchikovani. At nightfall the Turkish de-
tachment, on approaching the ambuscade, was received
with a round of musketry and charged sword in hand.
This sudden attack threw the Turks into the greatest
disorder ; some of them defended themselves, but the
majority took to flight. The body of Prince Tchoua, of
the Oubykhes tribe, and two other corpses remained on
the ground. On the Mingrelian :side Bourdzou-Pagava
was wounded.
"On the 26th November (December 8) Major-Ge-
neral Prince Dadian crossed the Tskhenis-Tskhale with
the Mingreliaa volunteers, who had joined him opposite
Khoni, and followed in pursuit of the rear guard of the
retreating Turkish army, taking the direction of the vil-
lage of Ba►iza. Col. Prince Schervaschidze, with the
Cossacks of the Line, and the escort company, com-
manded by Prince Gouriel, Captain of the Horse Guards,
crossed the river at Ghanyri and advanced on Abascha ;
Prince Mikeladze, leaving Gbazati (on the right bank of
the Tskhenis-Tskhale) with the sotnias of the Irneritia
Riflemen, pursued the enemy by the high road of
Ontopo.
"These movements led to a series of successful engage-
ments with isolated detachments of the enemy.
" Oa the 27th of November (December 9), towards
evening, Colonel Prince Scherva,schidze, having received
information that' a portion of the enemy's cavalry had
arrived at the village of Serpieti to collect forage, re-
solved to prevent it. The appearance of the Cossacks
and militiamen put the foragers to flight; but a battalion
of Turkish infantry, which supported them, opened a
well-sustained fire ; the fesillade was kept up for two
hours. Finally the enemy withdrew upon the main body
on the Abaseba, after carrying off their dead and
wounded ; our total loss consisted of 2 men killed and 6

wounded.
" On his side, on the evening of the same day Prince
Mikeladze, second captain, who ha 1 taken up a position
iu a thicket, opened a fusillade on a portion of the Turkish
rear-guard, which was preparing to encamp on the lett
bank of the Abascha. The Turks were so much alarmed
at this attack that they folded their tents and crossed
to the right bank, under the protection of their rifle-
men.

" On the 28th November (10th December) Colone
Prince Schervaschidze, having been informed that
Skender Pasha had arrived at the village of Senaki, with
cavalry and infantry, to collect provisions and arrest an
inhabitant who had killed a Turk, sent to the village the
lmeritiaa cavalry, which ha I joined him under Major
Prince Simon Tsouloukidze ; the Cossacks and the mi-
litiamen of the escort formed the reserve. On the ap-
pearance of our men at Senaki, Skender Pasha fled with
his cavalry. As regards the detachment of Turkish rifle-
men who were in the baz iar, taken by surprise, they
were in part salesed on the spot, and the remainder fled
into the woods ; one man was taken prisoner. Oar ca-
valry then advanced against a country house, to which
the enemy had retreated. They were received by a can-
non shot, anti Prince Stl-awaschidze then thought it
more peulent to retire to the heights of Ek. In this
affair one militiaman was killed, and the enemy left abonb
20 dead on the field.
"On the same day at daybreak the Mingre'ian volun-
teers, under the orders of Prince Alexis 'Tchikovani,
sec and captai a, and Lieutenant Prince Alexander Pagava
(of the detachment of Major-General Prince Dadian),
attacked a picket of the enemy established on the river
Toboutch ; three of the four Turks of which it consisted
were killed on the spit, and the fourth was wounded,
but e=caped. In the night between the 28th and 29ta
the inhabitants of Sakharbedi destroyed the bridge ever
the Skouris, which was in the line of retreat of the
Turks. On the following day they sent a whole batta-
lion to rebuild it.
"On the 29th of November (11th of December), not-
withstanding that the Tskhenis-Tekhale was consider-
ably swollen from continual rains, Major-General Prince
Bagration-Meukhrausky, commander of the Gouriel de-
tachment, ordered a combined corps of Riflemen, Cos-
sacks, and Imeritian Yeomanry to cross the river. To-
wards the evening Prince Begration-Moularausk y ar-
rived at Nikolakevi.
" On the 30th the Cossacke, having made a reconnais-
sance of the left bank of the Tekhour, discovered that
the Turks were retiring on the river Tsiva.
" On the let (13th) of December our Cossacks attacked
a portion of the enemy's rearguard, which had remained
on the left bank of the Tsiva. The Turks, prote.ted by
their riflemen, crossed the river, and then destroyed the
cernmunication, after losing two or three. men in killed
and wounded ; one Cossack was wounded in the skir-
mish. Meantime our riflemen, by order of Prince Bagra-
tion-Moukhrausky, occupied a wooden eminence near
the high road followed by the enemy ; and when some
of their men fell, struck by the bullets of our riflemen,
the Turks abandoned their road, and continued their re-
treat across a swampy forest. Towards evening the whole
of the eneiny'e, army took up its quarters on the Khoo n
heights.
" On the 2d (14th) of December Major-General Prince
Dadian, having been informed that a small detachment
Turkish infantry was at Sugdidi, resolved to surprise it.
With this intention a party of 260 Mingrelians, having
made a forced march of 75 vcrsts during the night, took
up towards morning a position at the river Djounia, at
four yards from Sugdidi. On the following day, at half-
past 5 in the morning, the Mingrelians, having ap-
proached the town in profound silence, attacked it sud-
denly at four different points at the same time. The
Turks in the streets were immediately sabred or made
prisonere, but our militiamen were received by a shower
of balls from the house windows. Encouraged by suc-
cess, they attacked the houses with great intrepidity ;
but in some of them they met a most determined resis-
tance. The most desperate fight took place in a cafe,
two storeys high, where the Princes Anakidzeff, having
fired away all their cartridges, only succeeded in carry-
ing the upper story by a vigorous attack sword in hand.
" After a combat of three hours and a half the whole
place was cleared of the Turks, with the exception of
one house, Which was occupied by a whole company.
Having allowed half an hour's rest to his men, Major-
General Prince Dadian advanced on the river Tskhenis-
Tskhale, and halted for the night at the village of
Xartekhe. In this hot affair we bad 3 men killed, 26
wounded, and 36 who ipceived contusions ;
15 horses
were killed and 6 wounded. The loss of the enemy was
very considerable • the killed are estimsaotnec at
eirs ; 150.
more-
Three officers and.'32 men vegro.lnade Prai
and effects fell
over, a great quantity of arms, :1 In his report
ancaourage dis-
into the hands of the Mingrelia°nrsee.°'
Yidzeff and
Prince Dadian particularly alludes tie til
played by Princes PagaYal Tehikovani,
the Sisurs Tsehikovani,
•s on the 6th (18th) of December, Major General
Prince Dagration-Moukhrausky, with the combined de-
tachment of riflemen and cavalry, under Colooel Prince
of the Guards, occupied the keights
Schervaschidze,
which stretch towards the north, leaving the high road
between Kholon and Khopi, The object of this move-
tnent was to prevent the enemy getting provisions in the
neighbourhood. According to the statement of all the
inhabitants, the Turkish army is in a sad condition. Its
only line of communication is the road of Redout Latch,
on the left bank of the Khopi, by Khorgi. If this road
is guaranteed from all attack on both sides, by unap-
proachable swamps, it is itself very muddy. The Turks
receive their provisions by boats, which ascend the
Khopi as far as the church of Khorgbi, whence they
are conveyed on the backs of the men. The destruction
of the embarkations and the difficulty of getting the
troops on board the ships, owing to the continual heavy
swell of the sea, have hitherto kept Omer Pasha in Min-
grelia, but it is said that he intends leaving the country
as soon as he is enabled to do so."

CRICKET ON THE ICE.—OXFORD.—A novel and some-
what
exciting game of cricket en the ice came off on the
field known as Aston's Byte, Long Meadows, Oxford,
between two sides chosen by Messrs. W. Bacon and .
Turner, two well-known cricketers. The match,
e hun-
wh T.
was very evenly contested, was witnessed by som
dreds of spectators, who took great interest in the
strange proceedings. The falls were not so numerous as
was anticipated, which may be attributed to the fact
i that every player was expert in the art of skating.