Washington sentinel., 1854-03-12
From the London Advertiser.

The frontier line OF turkey In ASIA, ana the
desolated heights Of Sinope, with the close of
the last year, offered no very cheering picture,
and no very fattering future for the Osmanli.
The retirement of the Ottoman levies from
the inhospitable plains Of Georgia, and the
dastardly slaughter,on the sea shore have been
revenged with fearful interest.
With the commencement of the year, and in
consequence of the aggressive outrage thus al
luded to, it became the duty of the governments
of France and England to make known to the
cabinet of st. Petersburg their intention to
move their fleets into the Black sea- in order to
protect the Ottoman territories from future at
tacks by Russian intimation which amount
ed to an intention to limit and control the
rights of that empire in her belligerent capa-
city.
The indefinite and eyasive reply which these
categorical messages evoked are OF no effect,
beyond illustrating the duplicity and in6rmity
Of purpose in TIE court which furnished 1t.
During the period of these negotiations, and
under the assurance to Europe that the war
on the part of Russia was, and is to be, "simply
defensive" the order was issued to lay siege to
Kalatat, and with a view to carry the formida.
BILE position, immense masses OF men were
moved forward from Krj IVA to the attack.
Needless of tue sacrifice, and sparing no cost
in life to overthrow this last stronghold Of the
Turks upon the upper bank Of the Danube, il
was decided that it must fall and Russia dear
IL cherished the intention to treat with her an.
taeonists in the west when she had answered
their naval advance by the destruction OF an
army, and the possession of its position.
Ifany further evidence we're wanting to Justify
the claim which so many recent instances OF
national devotion in the Mussulman forces,
give them to the respect of Christendom, it
may be gathered and established from the his
tory of their behaviour during the memorable
encounter which lasted, with savage obstinacy,
for five days in succession. Citate may tell a
tale that chivalry will preserve with jealous re-
gard. The clouds of invaders had every ad-
vantage in their own hands-choice of position,
protection Of entrenchments, and an uncovered
enemy. In this village, in which every house
was made fort, and from all the windows OF
which fell hurricane of balls, we find that the
brilliant Ismail gives the order to enter. AT
the word the onslaught is made, and n ball lays
the animal dead under him, second strikes
him in the shoulder, third scars him in the
wrist, and the fourth shivers the scabbard oi
his scimetar, and fifth strikes second horse
dead beneath him. They must be brave de-
tenders who can maintain their position against
an assault, headed by men who ride so jauntily
with death as this.
Under the cover Of a long extent of village,
and environed by double ditch, the invaded
kept up a series of murderous volleys, which
failed to arrest the determined advance of the
Ottoman corps. The troops who composed il
were, for the most part, exposed for the first
time to the fire Of musketry, and the operation
now to be performed the clearance OF the tene-
ments in detail, could be achieved in no other
manner than by an universal personal combat
at the point of the bayonet and swords length.
It is said and easy Of belief "that the mas
sacre was frightful."
The Russians in vain begged for quarter. In
the fever of the fight the Turks listened to no
thing, and slaughtered without pity all who
fell into their hands. The Mussulmans of the
Crinea, incorporated with the Russian army.
in vain appealed to their character of Mussul
mans. No quarter was given to them. Gut
ters of blood ran down the streets from this
wholesale human slaughter" During the time
that this fierce encounter ragged from house to
house, dozen battalions of infantry a squad
ron of horse, and sixteen cannon came up to
the assistance of the Russians, who had al
ready commenced the evacuation OF the ruined
village A body of Turkish cavalry opposed
this escape, and so became, on the arrival OF
reinforcements, opposed totwo fires, and in sit
uation of extreme peril. Ahmed, to whose
care the conduct and disposition Of the Turkish
a chosen body to prevent the junction Of the
fresh forces and the fugitives, succeeded in his
strategy, and all who survived fled in total dis
order from the place of butchery, leaving
sum of four thousand men and fifty superior
officers in payment of defeat. A succession
of fights from the morrow morning commenced,
and ended with the fourth following nightfall,
in renewed discomftures to the jaded and dis
pirited Russian legions, whose commander,
Aurep, was carried out of the field early in the
fight, and on to his former headquarters, badly
wounded
And this is how the slaughter of three thou
sand men, cooped up in their floating barracks,
and unprepared for attack, was revenged BY
their brethren Of the True Belief.
Upon the Asiatic shore of the Black sea no
event of importance has signalised the new
year. Repeated news have reached the capi
tails Of western Europe to the effect that the
affairs before Akhazik and Gumri were much
"less DISASTROUS than had been previously re-
corded to the Turkish arms. Those battalions
whose broken ranks were the scandal OF the
far off field, appear to have belonged to the
Rediff, or hastily organised militia, on the one
part, and the irregular and predatory Arab
ievies on the other. The misconduct Of such
auxiliaries reflects no discredit upon the regular
troops, whose movements and man9uvres were
Impeded by the dlsarray OF their fugitive friends.
The intelligence conveyed to Constantinople by
the regular steamer from Trebizond, of the safe
conveyance to the lieutenant of Schamyl Bey,
on the coast of Abasia, of the arms and ammu.
mutton sent by the Sultan to his Circassian
allies, had been welcomed with demonstrations
of delight, and the people in that capital had
accepted the Emir's assurances of support, and
the arrival of Guyon at Kars, as promising COM
pensaton for the consequences of Ais defeat
and Adds incapacity The presence of the
Anglo French feet in the neghborhood of Ba-
toum paralyses the conveyance of intended re,
Inducements to the Russian army Of occupation
in the Georgian and Caucasian possessions
while it has favored the convoy of body of
some thousands to the reviving Turkish pio-
neers upon that remote border.
The compliment offered on the 18th at Mats.
chin. was repaid by a favor in kind, at Giur-
gevo, in which the Turks, after scattering the
enemy's out-posts, and cannonading that town,