there still remained much to be done in the way of
debarkation; but Sir George strongly felt the necessity
of moving, and at six in the morning the troops began
their march on Kertch and Yenikale. "The town of
Kertch," he says, "is clean, and remarkably well built,
and the troops passed through it with the greatest
regularity, and without the slightest disorder. Subsequently
the day became excessively hot; and, the march
being a long one, the men suffered greatly from fatigue
and want of water, which was only to be found at
occasional wells. We managed to get in here [Yenikale],
however, by one o'clock; where we were soon after
visited by the three admirals, and found a large squadron
of small steamers and gun-boats, ready to proceed into
the sea of Azoff, under the command of Captain Lyons,
of the Miranda."

From a despatch written by General d'Autemarre on
the 29th of May, we learn that the forces of the allies
were intrenched both at Kertch and at Yenikale. At
Kertch the French general had encamped his men in
a good position; the approaches of which were
defended nearly on all sides by natural obstacles difficult
to be overcome, and he proposed strengthening them
still more. According to Sir Edmund Lyons, Sir George
Brown confidently expected that Yenikale would be in
such a state of defence as would justify him in leaving
it in charge of the Turks; so that the British and
French troops might be at liberty to reduce Anapa and
Soujak Kale. General d'Autemarre's despatch gives
information of great interest:—" Among the establishments
we have been able to preserve, is the military
hospital. It is capable of containing from 100 to 150
sick. This hospital consisted of three buildings
connected with each other; two of them were destroyed
either by fire or by the explosion of the batteries.
These buildings could easily have contained 350 or 400
sick. We found in the hospital 30 Russians, nearly all
of them wounded at Sebastopol. In the neighbouring
villages a great number had been billeted upon the
inhabitants, and were visited by the army surgeons.
One of these surgeons, a Saxon by birth, repaired to my
head-quarters on the very evening of my arrival. He
is employed, under the direction of the chief of the
ambulances, to attend to the Russian wounded in our
hands. This officer has assured me that General
Wrangel had recently received orders from Prince
Gortschakoff to prepare places for 10,000 to 15,000
wounded. The peninsula of Yenikale otters considerable
resources in forage and cattle: although I have
no cavalry, I was able to capture 250 oxen and as many
sheep, which will serve to feed the division during my
sojourn here. I ordered the oxen to be distributed
between the French and English squadrons. General
Brown, who has been reinforced by 50 Hussars,
purposes carrying off the flocks in the vicinity of the place.
The town of Kertch is very rich. I think advantageous
markets for the army might be established there. The
population is industrious and given to trade, and has
nearly all remained. That of Yenikale, on the contrary,
followed the garrison. Forty families returned yesterday
[the 28th of May]. The number of troops intrusted
with the defence of the peninsula may be estimated
at 6,000 men. General Wrangel, who commanded
them, had repeatedly asked for reinforcements. A letter
from Prince Gortschakoff which has fallen into our
hands, informs the general, that not only will he not
receive the reinforcements demanded, but that he must
send in all his cavalry to Sebastopol. The sanitary
condition of the division is excellent; I have very few
sick. The soldiers are in excellent spirits, full of ardour
and good-humour."

On the 25th May, Sir Edmund Lyons in the Banshee,
and Admiral Bruat in the Laplace, accompanied the
steam flotilla of fourteen English and five French
vessels into the Sea of Azoff, and despatched them on a
cruise under Captain Lyons in the Miranda. Captain
Lyons gives details of his operations. He says:—"On
the morning of the 28th, we arrived off Arabat, and
engaged the fort (mounting 30 guns) for an hour and a
half; at the end of which time a shell blew up the
enemy's magazine. The ships having been ordered
to keep at shell-range, and being well handled, had
only one casualty, the chief engineer of the Medina
being slightly wounded by a splinter; the French
senior officer's ship received two shots in the hull, but
fortunately no one was hurt. The enemy must have
lost many men, from the precision with which the
shells burst in his works, independently of that caused
by the explosion.

On the evening of the 28th, the flotilla arrived off
Genitchi, and joined the Swallow and Wrangler, which
had been watching the straits during the absence of the
flotilla at Arabat. Seventy-three vessels had passed the
straits, "which are only fifty yards wide, and are
commanded by the low cliffs on which the town is built,
and were moored inside under the cliff." Captain
Lyons sent in a flag of truce, and demanded the
surrender of the vessels, stores of corn, and government
property; promising to respect the town and private
property. The Russians declined to comply with these
terms; and drew up six field-pieces, 200 Cossacks, and
a battalion of infantry. Three hours were given for a
re-consideration of the refusal; and that time having
elapsed, the steamers placed as near as the depth of
water would allow, bombarded the town at long range,
so effectually that the boats, under Lieutenant
Mackenzie, got safely through the passage, set fire to the
ships, and returned without accident. "The wind
having shifted about two hours after the boats came off,
some of the corn-stores did not catch fire. Conceiving
the destruction of this corn, as well as of some more
distant vessels in so favourable a position for supplying
the Russian armies in the Crimea to be of the utmost
importance, I sent the boats again, commanded and
officered as before; although I was aware that, from
the enemy having had time to make preparations, it
would be a hazardous enterprise. The ships accordingly
resumed their fire upon the town, and the boats
proceeded. Lieutenant Cecil W. Buckley, of this ship,
Lieutenant Hugh T. Burgoyne, of the Swallow, and
Mr. John Roberts, gunner of the Ardent, volunteered
to land alone and fire the stores. This offer I accepted,
knowing the eminent risk there would be in landing a
party in presence of such a superior force, and out of
gunshot of the ships. This very dangerous service
they most gallantly performed, narrowly escaping the
Cossacks, who all but cut them off from their boat. At
the same time, Lieutenant Mackenzie pushed on and
burnt the remaining vessels; the enemy opening a fire
from four field-guns and musketry placed within point
blank range of the boats. Everything being now
effectually accomplished, the boats returned. Although
several of them were struck with grape and case shot,
most fortunately only one man was slightly wounded.
Lieutenant Mackenzie speaks in high terms of the
coolness and excellent behaviour of all employed under
his orders: and I trust I may be allowed to bring to
your notice the conspicuous merit of Lieutenant Mackenzie
himself on this occasion, when more than ninety
vessels, and also corn for the Russian army of the value
of £100,000, were destroyed, owing to his gallantry and
ability, with so trifling a loss as one man slightly
wounded."

Subsequently, as the telegraph informs us, Captain
Lyons visited on the 3rd, 5th, and 6th June, Mariopol,
Taganrog, and Ghiesk, and destroyed all they could. At
Taganrog they were opposed by 3500 men; but only one
of our men was wounded.

One of the immediate effects of the expedition to the
Sea of Azoff is very remarkable—the Russians have
abandoned the important fortress of Anapa, and
retreated across the Kuban, while the Circassians are in
possession of this last stronghold of Russian power on
their coast.

Sir Edmund Lyons, writing on the 2nd of June, thus
estimates the prizes of the expedition up to that time:
—"It now appears that more than one hundred guns
have fallen into our hands in the different sea defences,
many of them of heavy calibre, and remarkably well
cast. Those which may not be required for the land
defences which the allied armies are now constructing
will be shipped and sent to England and France. It
has been ascertained from the custom-house returns,
that the enemy, on evacuating Kertch, on the 24th
ultimo, destroyed 4,166,000 pounds of corn and 508,000
pounds of flour. This quantity, taken together with