Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-01-03
INTERESTING LETTER FROM FRANCE.
Letter from an intelligent and highly respectable
American syourning in France.


They are much worse than appears in the pub
lshed accounts, both official and private The
losses of the Allies are fearful, particularly il
the British army. The Russians single out the
latter in their attacks avoid as much as they ear
the French speak well of the latter, and dis
psragingly of the former.
A general belief already prevails that the
Allies must soon sound retreat, when the Rus
SLAMS vii! not with great vigor, and shall not be
surprised to see second Moscow. There is nc
sea in the world worse than the Black, which its
name indicates. The fleet must soon return to
Const6ntnople. How it Can do so without
bringing back the army, or protecting it to Var.
M, no one can tell If the latter movement is
attempted, the losses will indeed be dreadful, as
numbers, and will soon be very much so, as they
are receiving large reinforccments, and are much
encouraged by The presence of the two sons OF
the Emperor, which convinces all that their dam
ger was not near 50 great rs represented by The
English papers.
France is sending forward very large reinforce
mcnts Forty thousand men are embarking at
Touln and MarseiIles, with buttering and seige
artillery, which is a proof they do not expect to
take Sebastopol this season; and they are send
ing also munitions of war in quantities rs if for
another Russian campaign like that undertaken
by the great Napoleon. So pressing is the call
for reinforcements that the private steamers in
the Mediterranean are chartered at very high
rates and sent off as fast as they arrived in port
with from 400 to 1000 troops each, besides as
many munitions of war as they can carry.
The best blood of England is being poured
out in the Crimea, and their losses rs well as
those of the French, are frightfully severe.
Well-informed persons, assert that, including the
ravages of the cholera, the Allies have already
lost $4,000 men since they entered The Black
Sea. The expenses are appalling. A new and
heavy loan must be made in this country, and
new conscription on large scale, which fear
will create great dissatisfaction
The Russians will soon have on their side that
most dreadful, unfeeling, never-sparing, all-con-
quering general, Winter--icy winter. The Allies
will suffer dreadfully-miserabe tents, not even
rain proof, for their winter tenements and with
almost impossible roads, and if they commence
retreat il would be as fatal as that of 1912
from Moscow. If they even took Sebastopol
they could not retain it, and could only destroy
the city and fleet and then abandon it; for the
greater forts domineer over and command the
town, and against these forts not shot has yet
been fred The forts thus far attacked are only
those in advance.
Originaly,,thc Allies only intended to protect
Constanlinople. They did not intend 10 invade
the Crimea. But the want Of success in the
Baltic, and the failure Of the Russians before
Sistria, induced them to attack Sebastopol,
which they thought would be an easy and
valuable conquest They could have done more
against the Russians on the Danube. The vic
tory of the Alma WAS like that of Phyrrus over
the Romans Now, the Russians are receiving
their rcinforcemcnts by tens of thousands-and
it is only lie beginning. 1t is, fear, but the
prelude to general war over all Europe, which
will convuIse the civilized world---destrov
thrones, create new kingdoms, iusory and mo-
men,ary republics, vandalism. taxes, loans; paper
money, general distress, and ruin and horrible
carnage. Ioardng of gold has already CON-
mencpd, both in Great Britain and on the Cont.
nent
Russia virtually is inaccessible. No Power
or Powess can enter and remain OH her ice-bound
and sn6~covercd territory. She says to the
world: "Come with small force and | will
overwhelm you; come with large one, and
you will overwhelm yourselves" Suppose Cron-
stadt and Sebastopol both were 10 fall, OF what
consequence would it be TO Russia! Not so Sc
rious loss as the bombardment of New York
in case OF q war with England or France. The
above two fortresses could soon be rebuilt.
There is no wealth in either rs in New York.
True, the capture of those places would destroy
the Russian Fleet, which England greatly desires,
for fear at future day, it might join that OF
France against her. This, in reality would be
loss to France. Russia, however. has all The
resources and means to rebuild her fleet in very
few years, even if it were thus destroyed. The
fleet, however, will not be destroyed and if Eng
land calculates on the capture, next spring. 1t
will result pretty much rs it did with Sir Charley,
when he said that in fifteen days he would be in
Cronsadt or Heaven. Her chance, al any-rate,
for the former, was nd is very remote; ven-
ture no opinion rs to the latter.
Prince Napoleon, the heir to the throne, has
returned to Constantinope, owing, it is said 10
i'll health.
see but little in this contest to interest the
feelings of an American in the success of either
party. There is something for him to regret
and something the contrary, whichever may be
The vclors. The above details are merely given
as matters of fact or of opinion, and not as indl-
eating either my hopes or wishes. The cause
of humanity, think, would gain, or rather would
suffer less by the present success Of the Allies !;
for if they are now foiled the pride of these two
proud nations would be thoroughly reused, and
a renewed attempt to capture Sebastopol would
bc made next season bya force, if necessary, OF
100000 men or more, which would be met by
corresponding exertion on the par. Of Russia
and result in carnage to which even the wars
of Napoleon afford no parallel
The interior position of France is satlsiaclo'
rily in all its branches of production except the
wine crop, which is most serious evil. HoPes,
however. are entertained that it will not be
lonr.continucd scourgc; for, on examining the
records, it appears similar and equally exten-
siye disease prevailed with the vines about two
centuries since which, after great injury to seve-
raj successive vintages, passed oil without leaV-
inc any permanent injury to the cultivation OF
the grape. In the mean time the price Of wine
has advanced very greatly; the commoner kinds
fully threefold, the finer qualities not in the same
ratio. The price must advance proportlonably
in the United States, where French wines will
rule very high during the next year.
This war, however, if it continues, must very
soon seriously affect the industrial interests OF
the country in various ways. The enormous
foreign expenditure which is unavoidable in con-
ducting such war at distant point, and on
foreign territory, will make itself felt in the
monetary affairs of the nation, and with still
greater force in England, where their CONNER
cia and financial systems are much more artf-
cial and gaseous than in this country. Inc
specie basis here is 80 very large that suspenl-
sion is improbable: but not SO in England
where a panic and run on the bank may be
readily produced by outoward events, or by the
course of trade and their present heavy foreign
| outlay which il already diminishing the specie