Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-09-19

to line of tents, through the camp, rang the
awful words, Sauce qua peute ~ : lie pou-
driere rG Sduter ~ And then the flight recon-
menced-that worst of flights fleeing
where none pursueth." The sick left behind
screamed for Recommendations cried after
their mothers-wives as they ran shrieked for
their husbands who were in the town and must
perish. And when their strength was utterly
exhausted, all these weeping, screaming peo-
pie lay down in the fields, their palId faces
watching the fiery column which rose from the
doomed town. 1t must have been strange
scene for those lonely watchers in the fields, to
see the dark towers and roofs of Varna purple
with the glare, the bright red mounting up to
the tranquil sky, and its reflection in the calm
waters OF the Devna lake, while far out on the
sea, which seemed to slumber in that dreadful
hour, still rose the pale moon, looking down in
tranquil beauty from sphere of the purest
blue.
The troops and crews worked the engines,
wetted the magazines, and pulled down the
houses, wishing to isolate the fire, but the wood
on the ground caught fire as well, and the
flames leaped over the clearings, and the fire
made rapid progress. 1t gained the French
commissariat stores and consumed them. 1t
seized the canteens and the inhammable liquor
III tuCLii, uuo tuO DuIouuS vi SplIlb CuSho duu
the running through the streets of flaming
liquors were added to the horror of the scene.
There was much plundering going on, but in
my opinion this could not be helped. The
working parties had to enter the stores and re.
move the casks and bales of merchandise, pre-
vious to pulling down the houses. The goods
were flung into the streets and lay in every
body's way, and it was almost a mercy that
people should be found to remove them. Boxes
of candles, casks Of oil and brandy, casks of
sugar, and bags Of coffee, tea and rice actually
went begging from one end of the street to an
other, as working party after working party
rolled or pitched or flung them about. Our
Maltese servants and the French Zouaves were
useful scavengers on this occasion. They
turned their predatory instincts to account, and
took all that was worth taking. The canteen
men, meanwhile, raised loud laments, but
gained little pity. Their extortions for the last
few months have been beyond belief, and so
were their gains.
Almost all the canteen men lost their stock
in hand. Messrs. Hanson's chandlery shop
was burned or cleaned out, it is difficult to say
which, and the gin and grocers shop of the
Messrs. Grass had the same fate. No one
pities them, for they have already wrung en-.
ormous sums out of our officers, and it is well
known that the next weeks trading will fully
make up for the losses of that one night what
ever those losses may have been. The same
may be said of almost all the other tradespeo-
pie; the fire has done them a good deal of
damage, but the scarcity of provisions, which
must prevail for the next week or two, will
amply indemnify them for their losses.
The destruction of the French military stores,
and among them their store of fascines, is
more serious matter. 1t will furnish ready
excuse for Sinking the expedition to Anapa,
which has been talked of as coming off on Mon
day the l4th instant, but which now will be ad-
journed sine die, for it must be remembered
that however impatient the two armies are, the
chiefs are 10th to act, and viii gladly avail
themselves of any pretense to put off the long
threatened destruction of Anapa and Sebas-
topol.
From all can learn, only one of the Eng
lish stores a boot store, has been burned down.
This is no great loss, but still believe our
own troops will have to wait for the French,
and the two will wait until it is too late TO do
anything. 1t is this the leaders of the two ar
mics and their abettors at home will lament,
and expatiate on the great strokes Of cunning
and generalship which most assuredly would
have been made but for that disastrous fire at
Varna.
The fire was not considered to be undur I'M
til day dawned this morning, and at this hour,
two p. m, the sky is still red with the glare Of
the Goals and fragments of wood.