The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-14 00:00:00

NEWS FROM SEBASIOPOL.

The Anxious, Captain Ca.wthsrne, has arrived at
Hull from Balaklava, laden with guns and bones.
Captain Cawthorne arrived at Balaklava on the 2d
of August, and left that port on the 2d of September,
and from him we learn that, having been over
Cathcart's-hill, he was surprised at the high state
of preservation which the graveyard was in,
all being neat and in order, flowers also of
various kinds being seen over the graves in
every direction. Mr. Cawthorne visited many
of the graveyards about Inkerman and Bala-
klava, and having previously heard of the reports
of 'churchyard desecration, he was astonished
to see the beautiful order in which the grave-
yards were kept. On entering the grave-
yard in which lie the remains of Captain Hedley
Vicars, Mr. Cawthorne's attention was imme-
diately attracted to the grave of that gallant officer,
which occupies the most conspicuous position in
the place. The headstone WAS in no way dilapi-
dated, and the grave altogether presented as neat
an appearance as is seen in our own cemeteries, and
Mr. Cathorne expressed the same opinion generally
in respect to all the graveyards which he had
visited. Col. Gowan, a gentleman in every respect,
and high in the estimation of both the Russian and
American Governments, along with Capt. Nichols
and Mr. France, the owner of the Anxious, a native
of Leeds, in Yorkshire, but residing and carrying
on the business of a merchant in Odessa, are the
parties who have the charge of the graveyards,
and as Colonel Gowan has been several times
complimented by the English press for his
disinterested attention to the graves of the
English who fell in the Crimean campaign, it is
quite evident that under his and coadjutors' super-
intendence no anxiety need be felt at home for the
preservation of the graves of England's brave sons,
who so nobly died in their country's cause.
Sebastopol itself yet bears (as it will for ages)
the traces of that memorable campaign ; roofless
houses are to be seen in all directions, but the
population is slightly on the increase. The
only building which as yet has been restored
by the Russian Government is the Admiralty
building, which was only slightly damaged, the
once fine hospital being still left in its dilapi-
dated state, only tenanted by a few old Jews,
who earn their living by going over the battle-
fields, digging up old iron and lead, which they
sell, and upon which they have to pay a small
percentage to the Russian Government. Of the
renowned Malakoff and Redan towers nothing now
remains but shattered mounds, in which lie em-
bedded several guns, dislodged by the allies, and
where may be occasionally seen half-a-dozen men
engaged disentombing the old cannon ; and here
and there in the trenches, or surmounting earth-
works, may he seen live shells, which no person
dare touch for fear of the havoc an explosion
of • one of them would cause, and there is a
likelihood of their remaining there for some time
yet. Captain Cawthorne was unknowingly going
to pick a live shell up to bring home as a trophy,
but was only too glad to leave it on being
told by a friend that if touched it would ex-
plode. The population of Sebastopol and imme-
diate district is between 2,000 and 3,000. Colonel
Gowan is proceeding with his contract to raise
the sunken vessels in the harbour, which he has now
rendered perfectly navigable. He employs daily
about 200 men, who, with his clerks, &e., occupy
the naval arsenal, which was convected into a ren-
dezvous specially for' them. The operations con-
nected with the raising of the sunken ships, &c.,
are on a large and grand scale, by the improved
apparatus which Colonel Gowan uses, his principal
divers being enabled to remain in 22 fathoms of
water for the space of four hours ; and though the
operations have extended over four years only one
accident has happened, and that was the drowning
of one of the divers in consequence of one of the
air pipes bursting under the pressure of the air
which was being pumped into it. It is supposed that
Col. Gowan's operations will occupy two years more
before the harbour is totally cleared. During Capt.
Cawthorne's stay at Sebastopol, one of the largest
of the sunken vessels was raised, and a considerable
portion of the iron which he has brought home was
got up from the sunken ships. Between 500 and
600 men, Russian and Circassian labourers, are
daily employed at the four new patent slips now in
course of construction, under the superintendence
of Mr. Muir, who has the contract under the Rus-
sian Government for the construction of the slips,
but they are being made under the direction of an
Edinburgh firm. They are to be on a grand scale,
and when completed will each be able to lift a ship
of 800 tons burthen. The large fly-wheel in con-
nection with each slip will weigh 10 tons. The
chief characteristics of the Russian customs officials
is by every visitor to Sebastopol noticed to be their
extraordinary disposition of friendship towards
those who give them good doucsrs on the one hand
and their overbearing injustice and oppression on
the other to those who aredisposed to be less liberal
towards them. On a man well bribing the officials,
he may land all kinds of prohibited articles, whilst,
if he floes not give liberally, he will not
,be allowed
to land articles which are not prohibited. All Eng-
lish newspapers are strictly forbidden. The resi-
dents in Balaklava, who are Greeks, number only a
little aver 100. These, during the Crimean war,
were taken prisoners and brought over to Plymouth,
some of them in H.M.S. Excellent. They have by
some means got back agairs, and they speak in
grateful terms of the kindness they received in
England, and express their love for the English
people. Balaklava abounds with vineyards, some
of them covering an area of 150 acres, and the
soil is remarkable for its fertility. Of grapes,
melons, and various kinds of rich fruit there are
large crops, the vineyards being the only means
of support the population of Balaklava have.