The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-02 00:00:00

TURKEY.

Constantinople letters and journals to the 24th
July have reached us. The Lavant Herald pub-
lishes the following:—
" Amongst the myriad other abuses which grew
into established system at the Ministry of War
under the regime of Riza Pacha, was the enrolment
as officers of many hundreds of his own and his
friends' pipe-bearers, cavejees, boys, and other de-
pendants, with every rank from lieutenant up to
that of colonel. It is needless to say that these
gentry neither understood nor rendered military
service, but they nevertheless drew pay and ra-
tions more regularly by far than the most de-
serving subalterns or field-officers in the corps
d'armee of Roumelia, Irak, or Arabistan. Such,
too, was the case with scores of juvenile sons of
the disgraced Minister's partisars. Crowds of
these unfledged warriors held the rank of bimbashi,
caimacam, and even mir-allai, and drew both the
pay and rations of their grades. At one fell
swoop Namik Pasha has annihilated this whole
army of parasites—sending the chibouquejees and
cavejees back to their pipe-sticks and flinjans, the
boys—to whatever they are fit for, and the sons,
to the proper charges of their fathers. It is
reckoned that no fewer than a thousand " officers"
have been thus at once got rid of. Besides this
important elimination, the numerous body of offi-
cers, native and foreign, who are not engaged in
active service, are to be at once placed on half
pay without rations, the latter being allowed
only to those of them who have been twenty
years on the muster-rolls of the army.
Similar weeding is to take place amongst
all the civil employes of the department, which will
result in the clearance of several hundreds of
useful kiatibs and other subordinate sinecurists. In
addition to these wholesome changes, the new
minister has already abolished the system of ultimas,
or recommendations, by which the most worthless of
the classes of officers above referred to passed at once
over the heads of the most deserving who did not
happen to possess the vicious influence by which
these passports to promotion were obtained. The
whole system of contracts is also to undergo the most
radical changes, after the accomplishment of which
such jobs as public rumour lays to the joint ac-
count of Mr. Falanga and the late head of the de-
partment will, it is hoped, be no longer possible.
Besides these important reforms in the central
administration—the total of which will, it is
reckoned, effect a saving of 35,000,000 p. a year
—confidential commissioners are to be sent to the
head-quarters of the various corps d'armee, to as•
certain by direct comparison of the regimental
muster-rolls with the men actually under arms,
the exact effective strength of each regiment,
division, and corps d'armee. In those of Irak
and Arabistan, enormous discrepancies between
the late Seraskier's returns to the Grand Council
and the force positively under arms in these two
corps are expected to be discovered. In both of
them the actual will, it is believed, be found to
be short of the nominal strength by fully one-
third.—Such are a few of the wholesome reforms
inaugurated by the new Minister."
CIRCASSIA.

The following interesting letter is taken from the
Levant .Herald :

" Adriba, June 29.
" On the 11th of June 3,000 Russians left Aboun-
kalessi to proceed to Soudjouk-Kalessi. Informed
of this movement, the Circassians assembled to the
number of 8,200, and in two days marched for 40
hours, having attacked the enemy, who did not
expect to be encountered. They beat and pursued
them to Galendjike-Guba, until they entered the
fortress of Soudjouk-Kalessi. During this combat
of three days, the Russians lost in killed and
wounded more than 1,000 men. Besides those
which they succeeded in interring, we have dis
covered 77 bodies, among whom were four officers.
At Adriba, Galendjike, and Guba we found three
or four mounds freshly raised; the wounded, in
consequence of the difficulty of transport, have
been sent, by means of steamer, from Galendjik to
Soudjouk-Kalessi. If the news of the sortie of the
Russians had reached me two days sooner, 1
would have had time to arrive with all my troops,
and not a single Russian would have been saved
at Soudjouk-Kalessi. But God be praised for
what has been done! I found myself with Ibra-
him Bey at Übassk. The Russian column was
commanded by General Ba-bouch ; we have taken
from the enemy two ammunition waggons. Our
loss in all has been one dead and seven wounded.
The Russians burned at Adriba three houses and
have taken away a goat and horse. On the 15th
June another strong Russian column of 3,000 in-
fantry and cavalry, having left Aboun-Kalessi,
were directed towards Chapsoul, Nehri-Bau-
houdour, Heie Anthy, and Nehri Hable, near
the Kouban, to destroy the harvest, by cutting
down and trampling over the fields with the
horses, in order to force, by famine, the popula-
tion to submit. Immediately seven thousand Cir-
cassians fell upon them and threw them into a com-
plete rout. The Russians with difficulty trans-
ported 800 wounded to Adagoun-Kalessi, abandon
ing on the field of battle a considerable number of
dead. Our loss amounted to 14 killed, 27 wounded,
and 59 horses killed. On the 25th a third Russian
to cut down the prairies. The
column, composed of infantry and cavalry with 100
we
iargc agsosni as n, sprgocaevee themded time to finish this work,
and at the moment when, after having loaded the
waggons, the Russians prepared to enter the fort,
300 horsemen attacked them, and massacred all
those who could not save thenaselv, s. The Cir-
cassians found on the ground 240
Russians
killed;
they have killed 124 oxen, 140 saddle horses, all

the loaded waggons, 700 carbines, 500 muskets and
a carriage drawn by four horses, with the com-
mandant of the column and his aide•de-camp. The
Circassians had one killed and six wounded."

AMERICA.

LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY.

The Canadian Mail steamship North Briton,
which touched at Londonderry yesterday, with ad-
vices to the 20th, has arrived.

The House of Representatives had adopted a
resolution authorising Mr. Van Wyck's Committee
to inquire into every contract made during this War
by any department of the Government. The Com-
mittee is to remain in session during the interim 01
the meetings of Congress.
A Washington despatch says that the Tariff
Bill was meeting with unexpected opposition in
the House. The duties recommended by the Col'
mittee of Ways and Means on sugar, coffee, and
tea would probably be reduced.
Senator Simmons is reported to have prepared
an entirely new Tariff Bill, which he proposes t°
offer as a substitute for the House Bill raising the
duties 10 per cent. on all articles where the duty
will not exceed 50 per cent.
Pennsylvania had offered 15 additional regiments
for the Federal service.

On the 16th the Federal army, 15,000 strong
moved towards Winchester, and encamped 00_
Bunker's-hill for the night, after a slight skirmse•
with a small body of rebel cavalry. On the 16th
the advance guard entered Fairfax, after rem°
ing a number of trees with which the Confederates
had blocked up the road. An embankment which
the Confederates had thrown up was found aball"
cloned. The people of Fairfax stated that the Con-
federates drew up in order of battle as if prepared
to defend the town, but suddenly retreated with
considerable hurry. The entry of the Federal
troops gave the town a gay appearance.
Advices from Fort Monroe to the 17th state
that two Confederate steamers had landed troops at
Sewell's Point, where apparently formidable pre-
parations were being made to annoy the Federal
shipping, and perhaps the fortress itself.
The Quaker City had captured the brig Amy
Warwick, from Rio Janeiro for. Hampton Roads,
and taken her into Boston. The captured vessel
was laden with coffee.

According to a despatch from Memphis of the
17th, the Confederate cruiser Sumter had entered.
Beswick Bay, with a cargo of 55,000 Enfield
rifles and rifled cannon, taken from an Engll9ll
ship boand to New Orleans, which had been
ordered away from the Belize by the blockading
squadron.

d
On the 16th 800 Federal troops went up au—,,
of the passenger train as far as Millville,
miles above St. Charles, on the North Missouri
Railroad, where the track was torn up. The
Federal troops were fired into, when an engage'
ment ensued, resulting in the loss of seven Con-
federates killed and several taken prisoners. 011
man who was caught with a gun in his hand
was immediately hung, and another who attempted
to escape was riddled with balls. The fighting'
still continued when the passenger train passed
up. The Federals had lost three killed, sevell-
wounded, and 30 of their horses had been car
tared.

On the Ist instant the Montgomery (Alabama)
City Council adopted the following resolution
" That a tax be and is hereby levied on all-
property belonging to alien enemies living en!
of the Confederate States, both real and personal➢
said tax to amount to 5 per cent. on assessed
value of real estate in the city limits, on Per:
sonal property, consisting of negroes, a tax 01
20 dole. on negro men, 100 doll. on women, 5 dol,
on children, and where it consists of stock 10
corporations, a tax of 8 per cent., and that the
clerk be instructed to collect said tax."