The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-06-13 00:00:00

THE WAR.

On the 24th ult., the first British troops sailed from
Constantinople for the actual seat of war ; neither Scutari
nor Gallipoli coming under that denomination. The corps
honoured by this precedence was that of the Sappers and
Miners, one company of which, under Captain Bent-and
Lieutenant Creyke, with a pontoon.train, must now be at
Varna.

A letter from Barest of the 27th states that a bridge
had been thrown, with some difficulty, over the. Danube,
on the 16th, and that 15,000 Russians had passed over it,
and joined General Luders' corps; so that an uninter-
rupted bombardment was kept up on Silistria, both from
the land and river side, after the 18th of May. On the
20th the Russians attempted to storm a redoubt, but they
were repulsed with vast loss. 'Oh' the 24th the Turks made
a gallant sortie from the fortreis, and a murderous struggle
ensued, which lasted twelve hours. There is nothing what-
ever now said of any re-occupation of the Lesser Wallacia
by the Russians ; but the better class of Wallacians, espe-
cially the officials, are leaving the capital. in crowds for
Russia and Austria.

AnDther letter gives some further particulars as to the
rash and fruitless attempts of the Russians to storm the
outworks of the Turkish fortress. Large heavy guns were
brought across the river to the Bulgarian side ; and on the
22d and 24th, bombs were thrown into the fortress, in ad-
dition to the shower of red-hot balls. Three times in suc-
cession did the Russians attempt to storm the outworks,
but they could get no firm footing behind the breastworks ;
whilst the Turkish artillery, which continued incessantly
to play upon them, mowed down whole ranks at each dis-
charge, all the efforts of the Russians to silence it proving
quite nugatory. On the 25th and 26th they began mining.
On the same day the Russian head-quarters were removed
to the Bulgarian side, and a body of 18,000 cavalry vvas
brought across the river at the same time; these latter
were pushed forward in the direction of the Balkan passes,
The correspondent of the Pays says the Charlemagne
had captured a Russian ship, with 300 soldiers and 60
women. The women had been sent to Anapa.
A private letter from Gallipoli of the 25th ult. mentions
that Marshal St. Arnaud had returned from Shumla.
During his stay there he made the most careful examina-
tion of everything, and reviewed the Turkish army, by
whom he was received with enthusiasm. News was re-
ceived from Silistria, which still held out, and the assaults
which had been repulsed on the 20th and 21st had raised
the courage of the Turks, who were more than ever decided
on resisting to the last moment. The rising of the waters
had increased the means of the defence of Silistria, and it
was yet hoped that the allied armies would arrive in time
to force the Russians to raise the siege. General Can-
robert was leaving for Varna. Prince Napoleon had ar-
rived at Gallipoli to take the command of his division.
At his audience to take leave on quitting Constantinople,
the Sultan took off his own diamond star and fastened it
himself on the breast of the Prince. The Sultan also
made him a present of three magnificent horses splendidly
caparisoned,
Divers private despatches from Bucharest state that the
Russian loss in the affair at Silistria, on the 28th, was 186
killed and 379 wounded. General Silvan was killed, and
Colonel Constanda, and Count Orloff, jun., severely
wounded. The latter was shot through the eye.
Under the date of Schumla, May 21, the Presse says :
" On the night between the 29th and 30th the Turks made
a sortie from Silistria. There was a fearful carnage. The
Russians lost from 1,000 to 1,800 killed."
A letter from Bucharest, of the 2d June, says that the
Russians have taken possession of some of the outworks of
Silistria.

Tile Ost •Deutsche Post says that since the 2d instant,
Silistria has been completely invested by the Russians,
and .that 3,000 Russians were advancing on the road to
Basardsehik.
CONSTANTINOPLE, MAY 30.—The embarkation of 23,000
English troops for Varna has commenced at Scutari, and
is expected to finish on the 10th June.
Sir George Brown, with a division of the Rifles and 7,000
men, left yesterday.
On the 26th, the division of Prince Napoleon marched
from Gallipoli for this city, and numerous ships are en-
gaged in taking troops on board at Gallipoli for transport
to Varna. _ _ _

_
The bombardment and occupation of Redout Kaleh
are confirmed. Anapa was evacuated, and, as is said,
Kutais also.

The flags of England and France were saluted with 21
guns at Athens, on the 2nd of June. Three of the King's
Aides-de-camp have been dismissed. A host of function-
aries have been discharged. The insurgents, however, are
reported some days previously to have been successful at
Chaggi Petros. The Turks lost 700 men and two generals,
Nisam Pacha and_ Selim Facha. , It is added that seven
guns, seven standards, all the materiel, and 600 men have
been taken:
BELGRADE, Juwg 2.—Omar Pacha writes on the 26th
ult., from Shflmla, after receipt of a communication from
Admiral Dundas, dated Baltshik, May 25 :—" Redout-
Kale and Poti have been occupied by detachments from
the allied squadrons ; arms and munitions have been
landed on the Circassian coast. French and English
officers have gone into the country, and opened communi-
cations with Schamyl. The Circassians are assembling in
all. directions.

Advices from the Black Sea state that the Russian gar-
risons of Tonap and Anakria, on the Abassian cuast,
having evacuated those forts, and being on their :march
to join the centre of the Russian army of the Caucasus,
were encountered by a body of Circassian, and cut in
pieces.
Intelligence reached Constantinople that Schamyl was

preparing to attack Tiflis.
CAMP FOLLOWERS.—Among the most amusing speci-
mens of the race must be reckoned some Jew and Armenian
money-changers—squalid, lean, and hungry-looking fel-
lows—whose turbans and ragged gaberdiness are ostenta-
tiously dirty and poverty-stricken--who prowl about the
camp with an eternal raven croak of " I say, John, change
de monish—change de monish," relieved occasionally by a
sly tinkle of a leather purse well filled with dollars and
small Turkish coinage. They evade the vigilance of the
sentries, and startle officers as they lie half asleep in the
heat of the sun, by the apparition of their skinny hands
and yellow visages within the tent, and the cuckoo cry,
" I say, John, change de monish." Their appearance here
at all is the greatest compliment that could be paid to the
national character. The oldest Turk has never seen one
of them near a native camp, and the tradition of ages
affirms that where soldiers come the race disappears.
Indeed, here they only show in the sun time. They are a
sort of day-ghost who vanish at the scent of darkness,
and the croak and the jinkle are silent, and they spirit
themselves gently away ere twilight, and where they live
no man knoweth.
A telegraphic despatch from Kalarasch, of the 31st May,
states that on the night of the 28th to the 29th the Turks
made a desperate sortie from the fortress of Silistria, and
simultaneously attacked the Russian outworks on the
right, left, and centre. As they were thus extended in
some measure too widely, the Russians on the left, who
were in superior force, were enabled to repulse them, and
to advance against a Turkish redoubt, which was manfully
contested, and the assailants compelled to retire. Con-
stantly raked by the close and heavy fire of the Turks, the
Russians sustained immense loss. They admit having had
78 killed and 193 wounded. .Each of these figures may
safely be multiplied by ten. The Russians affirm that
they captured they same redoubt on the following night
(the 30th).
A letter from Orsova states that the Turks are now in
full possession of the whole of the country- in Lesser Wal-
lachia, up to the banks of the Akita. Halim Pacha is re-
ported to be engaged in concentrating his troops at Kra-
jova, his intention being supposed to be an advance upon
Slatina, and to take that place by storm. But people

doubted very much whether the Russians would give him
serious battle there, as the whole of their baggage was al-
ready sent off, and is on its way to some place of security
behind the river Argis. From Turna, Simnitza, and
Ginrgevo the Russian forces were retreating precipitately
to Oltenitza.

Messrs. Cuthbert Richardson, owners of the brig Regina,
Pratt, and John Barry, owner of the barque Sea, Dodds,
both of Sunderland, have received letters from the above
captains' vessels, which were detained, together with a few
other British ships, at Odessa. The letters are dated Con-
stantinople, May 21. The British ships that were detained
are all liberated, the crews having been 20 days in prison.
They were released May 13, and sailed on the 19th, and
arrived at Constantinople on the 23d.
Intelligence received from Belgrade of the sth, at noon,
states, that the Pasha of Widdin writes that on the 31st
of May an affair took place at Slatina, where the Russians,
with 2,000 men and four guns, held a position in front of
the bridge across the Aluta.

When the Turks advanced to observe their position the
Russians attacked them, but the Turks taking the offen-
sive, killed about 600 of the enemy, and took the four
guns, besides some prisoners.
Letters from Trebizonde state that on the 11th ult. afi
aide-de-camp of Selim Pasha, commanding at Tchuruk-Su,
arrived there with news that the Russians had abandoned
Ozurgeti and were marching on Notais. The Georgians
of the former place lost no time in informing Seim Pasha,
and the town was at once occupied by Ottoman troops.
Selim Pasha appointed one of the primates of the country
as governor.

NEW NAVAL HOSPITAL—The Military Lunatic Asy-
lum at Great Yarmouth is to be converted into an hospital
for sailors wounded in the Baltic, several forts are to be
erected to protect the district round King's Lynn.
FRENCH MANNERS.—A private letter from a bandsman
in the 44th, now at Gallipoli, says :—" The French are a
fine body of men. I know they will fight well alongside
of the English. They are cuddling the Englishmen every-
where they see them; there was one of them yesterday
came up to me, and I thought he would eat me—he gave
me a regular splashing kiss. The worst of it is, we can-
not understand them."

POLICE FOE THE SEAT or WAR.—On Thursday, twenty
picked men of the metropolitan police were selected to pro-
ceed to Constantinople to assist the Commissariat in the
protection and distribution of the stores.
IRISH LAURELS.—The first place in honour for the
affair at Odessa was accorded to Capt. M'Claverty, an Irish-
man; and the Evening Post claims Capt. Hall and Capt.
Yelverton, the heroes of the Baltic fleet, as countrymen of
the hero of Euzine. Capt. Hall, it seems, was the founder
of the Dublin Sailors' Home.