The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-12-12

Constantinople of the 9th state that 5000
French troops had sailed from the latter place
for the Crimea with favorableSwind
The Turkish mar. .of:war, Abadischi hadfoun
dered, with the Turkish Admiral and sever
hundred men on board. An Egyptian frigatf
has been lost in the Black Sea.
Miss Nightingale, with thirty-seven nurse:
for the hospital at Scutari, arrived at Constan
tinople on the Sth instant.
There is yet plenty Of wofk tobe done ir
the Crinea before the Russian force in that d
reoLion are made to succnmb Speaking tc
this point, the London correspondent of the
National 1utelligencer writes as follows:
i Unfortunately We are without the materials
| for making correct estimate Of the Russian
force in the Criniea. The. Times a few days
ago stated that the Russian army in the Crmea,
and both within and without Sebaslapol,
amounted to $4,000 men other statements
reduce the number to 10000. The Times
states the number of Allied troops to be also
10000 being the number which was originally
landed there. But the relative proportions oi
the respective contingents sarefmateriaIly chang
ed. The French disembaJked $4,000 men ;
they have now, owing to their powerful REIN
forcements, $4,000; whereas the British can
only muster 10000 out Of the 27,000 which
they landed, full 1000 having been placed
aors de combat.
About 80 men fall from the British ranks
daily; but of these few are killed and COM
paratively few wounded; sickness is more
deadly enemy than the Russian bullets. *
We are now alluding to thesiege operations;
the battles Of Alma and Balaklava, and the
great combat on the 5th form another and
more terrible calculation. Considerable rein.
.forcements have been sent to Lord Raglan, Of
which 1000 men have probably joined him
before this date, and more men are starting
every day. We.beliege we may confidently
state that it has been arranged for SO, 600 men
to be Immediately sent from France to the
Crimea, and that England is to bear half of the
expense. 1t is to aid in the transporter these
troops that the Peninsular and Oriental Com
pany have received orders 10 prepare some Of
their largest steamers. We are Of opinion
that independent of men, and as respects the
materiel of war, neither side has much 10 boast
OF at present. In the first place, many of the
guns Of the Allies have become very shaky,
from accident and from, very hard and severe
service; and once or twice both French and
English have found themselves with q shorter
stock of ammunition than was comfortable.
A recurrence Of this position, however, has now
been amply guarded against and the supply Of
powder and every kind Of missile is now very
great As respects the Russians, the walls Of
Sebastopol are in terribly shattered state.r
1t is said that concentrated attack upon ma
ny parts of them would make a breach in a
few hours, sufficient for the purpose of a very
probable successful assault; and rulnor repre-
sents the sspply Of gunpowder as being very
short much of that which they have being very
much mixed with sand by the fraud of the con
tractors. It is also stated that the Russian
guns are now manned by infantry soldiers, in
consequence of the deficiency Of practised gun.
ners; and that the fire from the forts is now
becoming comparatively slack and unsteady ;
but, on the other side, we are afraid that the
English besieging troops are becoming exhaus.
ted and feeble, through long continued exer.
ton and exposure; In these circumstances,
casualties nseparaIle from an assault, with a
view tostake Sebastopol by storm, might rem.
der tie Allied army unable to profit by its cap.
ture. The taking of Sebastopol, however daz.
zling an exploit it might be, would have no in.
trinsc value if not made stepping stone to
more important victories beyond. The Allied
army must he kept in condition to profit by
the fall of Sebastopol, or that victory would be
comparatively y worthless"