Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-03-26
EVENING STAR.
FROM coHsrANr1H5PLE.

ter from a gentleman attached to the
American Legation, dated Constantine.
pie, February 10, 1855, 10 his brother in
this city;
The news from the Crimea is stale
enough-nothing whatever going on
both parties tired out. This war has
taught the world and the English one
thinS-that they are not q military peo.
| Pile; that like mastiffs their soldiers nos.
scss but one requisite-courage. In the
field, it is true, they won't run; but in
the camp, it is equally true, they will not
work. They think that Government
must do every thing for them, and con.
sequently will not exert themselves even
to ameliorate their wretched condition.
by performing little things so essential
to their comfort. You have gone through
campaign, and you know that to be q
good soldier requires something more
than courage. A soldier during war is
not always fighting. For the e reasons
the French have proved themselves to be
by far superior to the English When
the spring commences, am sure, Of the
1000 men sent ont by Great Britain,
5000 will NOT have survived the winter,
the vast majority being killed from e1.
posure and bad management. The las,
accounts state that they are literally
starving, though there was plenty a,
Balaklava, but six miles off. The officers
eat their scanty meals from their silver
service. and the fable of King Midas can
be told Of the British army.
Though the French have BEEN silent,
though their sufferings have not been
less severe, they have cloaked their
losses by the immense reinforcem ents
they have and are still sending. The
ZouayeS, set Of uniformed outlaws.
have been again giving trouble. Bscom.
ing disguised with the dilatory proceed.
ings of their generals, and finding them.
selves daily decreasing by sickness, with
every prospect Of suffering still more
severely, they have refused to do any duty
The emeute became quite serious, and
was only eventually put down by order
ing up several other regiments and shoot.
ing the ringleaders. They are fine fel-
lows for lighting, but have always been
insubordinate. They are principally
composed of~the maurois sujsets Of the
army who have committed some crime,
and, instead Of sending them to the sal.
leys, or the penal colenies in Algeria,
they are formed into distinct regiments
and attached TO the army. For active
campaigning they make good soldiers ;
but for the service upon which they arc
now engaged they arc almost worthless.
The English have no longer an army
What lew efficient troops that remain
were employed in the rather subordinate
duties OF porters.
The Gar Is straining every nerve to
meet the sllies in the sptins with an
overwhelming force. Large masses cf
troops are pouring into the Crimea ano
concentrating at Odessa, Khershon, and
Perekop. Success before Sebastopof is
all.important to both belligerents.
The conferences now being held at
Vienna will never come to any decision
until they are driven By the victorious
cannons in the C:imea. Austria is far
too willy to provoke the resentment of the
Car and his immense and well-appointed
forces row threateningly hanging on Gal
lacia as long as the allied powers are
kept before Sebastopol nor will she de.
clare against them if there is any hope
of their success. She will, and wisely
too, maintain her present strict neutral,-
ty, and in the mean time prepare herself
for either fortune. Her tendencies OF
late have been showever, toward a west.
ern alliance, but believe me they have
been considerably checked by the bellig.
erent opposition of Prussia. From the
very commencement of the difficulties
she has been welded to the Russian
cause nor could she be dragoonea into
the ranks of the allies by the combined
and continued attacks Of the English and
French press. Enraged at the uncere.
monious manner in which she was treated
by Austria in the treaty of the I'd of De-
cember, which she justly construed to be
an effort to diSplace her from among the
five great European powers, she has most
positively refused to accede to Austria's
proposition in the Germanic Diet, shortly
to be held at Frankfort, to mobilize her
army. In this she has nearly all the
large powers of the German Confedera-
tion with her; and this clearly shows
that they are determined, if they do not
join Russia, at least to remain neutral.
This will certainly neutralize Austria S
increasing belligerent propensities, for in
joining the western powers it would have
been under the hope of drawing with her
the whole Of Germany. The present tiff
between Austria and Prussia is the old
one broken out under new phase their
supremacy in Germany. Being the two
great powers Of the Confederation, since
the Congress cf Vienna it has become the
object of both to become its leader and
the exponent Of its principles. Austria
thought this war offered most excellent
opportunity of rendering her influence
paramount in the Diet, and has conse-
quently been thrusting herself forward
and endeavoring to keep her rival back.
[ am sure that enc mill, busily engaged,
would scarcely have furnished paper
sufficient for the diplomatic notes which
her ministers have written since the
commencement Of the present Difficult.