Washington sentinel., 1853-12-10
From the London Times, Nov. Is.
The News and Opinions I'm England.

| In the interval of suspense elapsing between
the receipt and confirmation OF such reports as
we yesterday published, we can do no better
than examine the intelligence in the form
which it now carries. The Turks were said to
have already passed Bucharest, and the Russians
to be retreating on Cronstadt in Transylyania.
Bucharest, the Russian headquarters, is about
seventeen leagues, or between fifty and sixty
miles, from Oltenitza, on the Danube, where
| the Turks were intrenched, and where, on the
llth, they were to have received the attack of
Prince Gortschakoff, with the Russian main
body. We now know that this attack was re-
pulsed, and it is not an improbable supposition
that the Turks, following up their victory, ad-
vanced from their position at Oltenitza and
pursued the Russian columns in their retreat
upon Bucharest. This town was said to be sin
flames in three places" possibly from the ef-
fects of bombardment; but there is nothing
unreasonable in presuming that it might have
been fired by the Russians as they evacuated
it before their pursuers.
Thus far the story contains little improba-
bility for the division under Prince Gortscha-
koff was the last reserve Of the Russians, and
the whole force, indeed, of their army in this
part of the principalities, so that its defeat
would naturally open the road to Bucharest.
Our correspondents notification, however, was
dated "wednesday morning." the 10th, from
| Vienna, and it stated that the Turks chad al.
| ready passed" the town Of Bucharest, pressing,
as we suppose, on the Russian rear But this
| certainly presumes uncommon activity OF ope-
rations. On the / lth, as we learned from all
| sources, the Turks were stationary at all their
fortified positions on the left bank of the stream,
and we know that at Otenitza, the chief OF
these positions, they were awaiting an attack
l Il. II, nla
| fore, have repulsed this attack, have marched
| over the sixty miles to Bucharest possibly have
contested the possession of this town, and then
left it on the track of the Russians within such
a time as would admit of the intelligence reach
| ing Vienna by the 10th. 1t appears difficult,
also, to understand how Omar Pasha's forces
could, within this time, have been concentrated
for the alleged operations; as we were not In
| formed of any previous concert between the
several Turkish divisions, nor could the defeat
of Prince Gortschakof have been so conf
dently assumed as to admit of dispositions being
made contingent upon the event. Possibly,
none but the Oltenitza division Of Turks were
in immediate pursuit of the Russians, the
others being left to advance afterwards from
their positions on the news of the enemys dis
comfture.
The emention Of Cronstadt in Transylvania, as
the point to which the Russian swere retreating
involves nothing improbable. The natural de
sire of the discounted force would be to reach
their own territorities as soon as possible, and
to evacuate the principalities by recrossing the
Pruth. But, as we know that bodies of Turkish
troops had been thrown across the Danube at
Slistria and Hirsova to the east of Bucharest,
the retreat of the Russians in this direction
might have been cut off, and their retirement
| l.. Ia ,1,, ,,t,11 IL n
| stadt, however, is an Austrian town, standing
on Austrian territory, and are we to understand
! that the Russian army, or its remains, will be
received there? VIII this be no breach of the
| neutrality so faithfully promised by the cabinet
of Vienna? Suppose the Turks to be close upon
the Russian rear at the Austrian frontier, is one
army to cross, and the other to be stopped at
this boundary? The statemenUthat $4,000
Turks had been dispatched to intercept the
Russians through the principalty of Servia"
| must include some error, as the retreat OF o
military force from Bucharest TO Cronstadt
could certainly not be intercepted by any de-
tachment marching through Servia. The news
we have last received is dated Bucharest, No
vember Ia, and is of an entirely opposite
character to that we have just discussed. 1t
states that the Turks had abandoned Oltenitza
after having destroyed their Notifications, and
recrossed the Danube, in consequence of the
appearance Of a Russian force of $4,000 men
This news is, however, rs open to criticism as
our startling dispatch of Wednesday. Whence
comes these $4,000 men? Ho,o ,cas such an
army collected, and ho,c comes 1t that, If such a
force eristed in Wdilachid, tie Turks pere al
lowed to maintain their position for a fortnight
and to tight an action upon equal terms, and
,cith decisice success ,chea brigade from tbs
army rould hare turned the scale? II is la.
mentable that we should be so destitute oi
trustworthy inteligenc but until the details
of the occurrences Of which the telegraph in.
forms us have been received, we can but search
out the truth from the intelligence which reaches
us.
Altogether, the events Of the fortnight must,
we should think, have reminded many readers
of that memorable scene in Spanish history,
beginning with the catastrophe at Bayleu, and
ending with the expulsion Of Napolean's re-
doubtable troops from almost every place in the
Peninsula by forces of which little account had
been taken up to that period. Nor viii il be
forgotten with what rapidity the scene in ques.