As they approached, it was clearthe enemy thought two British admirals did not fly their flags together for nothing. A strong body of infantry was drawn up on the heights among the houses, which were, no doubt, filled with riflemen. A very considerable force of field-artillery was collected in the rear, in case the admirals and post-captains determined to land and take Stanislaif by assault, or the " Danube " and " Spitfire " attempt to bombard the place. It was really wonderfid to see that the Russians had erected a solid compact-looking sand battery with five embrasures, on the sand-bank below the town, where no trace of such a work existed twenty-four hours previously. The admirals here parted company; Su" E. Lyons returned in the " Danube" to the fleet, and Sir H.
Stewart steamed away in the " Spitfire" to the anchorage of the Bug, and afterwards went on board the " Stromboli." At eight o'clock the French gun-boat came back and anchored near us. There were some traces of the troops at Skadovska, about thirteen miles from Kinburn, to-day, as black columns of smoke rose up from the Spit, in that direction. This may be the work of the Cossacks. But the reconnaissance of the admirals failed in detecting the march of the soldiers. It is understood that all the men of both armies, excepting those required for working parties, are employed on this r/rande promenade milifaire, in Avhich the fleet is obliged to be too far from the coast to render them much assistance. ^faveinbrr 3.
For the hist four days it has been blowing a sirocco, which painfull}- afl'ects one just returned from nearly a month's trip at sea. The air is hot and heavy, and has become impregnated with most offensive and irritating dust, which attacks nearly every sense at once. The thermometer has ranged i'rom 75 deg. to 80 deg. since V/ednesday up to this date. Late on Wednesday evening the " Triton," " Odin," and " Firebrand," the latter two with mortar and gun-boats in tow, arrived, after rather a rough passage, at Kazatch, Next morning the " Ti-iton" went round to Balaklava, and in the course of Thursday a number of French and English vessels, with troops and stores on board, arrived, one after the other, and anchored off Kamiesch and Kazatch.
The wind blew so hard that it was considered inexpedient to land the troops. Yesterday all the ditferent portions of the fleet had arrived at their anchorage, but the wind still blew strongly on shore, and no disembarkation took place that I am aware of, nor has the brigade under Brigadier-General Spencer rejoined the Fourth Division up to the time at which I am now writing. Kinburn is quite secured against the attack of any forces the enemy can bring against it, covered completely as it is by the guns of the formidable flotilla we have left behind to protect it. The garrison is strong; prudential reasons induce one to keep the exact force secret, but the Russians must know as well as we do how many men the fort will contain with convenience.
The French troops will occupy the fort, but a small body of English will be left to guard the flag which waves along with the tricolour from its ramparts, and tbe task of its defence will be shared with our allies by a powerful English squadron. They have worked with extraordinary energy to repair the place. All the curtains are rebuilt, the ruins cleared away, the damaged gvms removed, and ships' fine guns put in their place; the fosse cleared out and deepened, the palisades repaired, the southea.stern gateway filled up, and its approaches covered by a strong ravelin; the crest of the parapets repaired solidly and well with fascines and earthwork, the Russian guns rendered efficient, the casemates cleared out and filled with stores or adapted as barracks, and the interior buildings in course of reconstruction and renovation.
The batteries on the Spit are to be destroyed, and that process is easily eflected by removing the massive beams which support the sand and the few gabions used in their construction. The reconnaissance which started the week before last did very little, except burn all the stores and houses which could render service to the enemy for seven or eight miles towards Cherson, and therefore I the less regret being in the mouth of the Bug at the time it started, and being unable to accompany it. The total strength of the expedition was 4541 men and 279 horses. On the first day they only marched to a village two miles beyond the place of disembarkation on the Spit, the French being in another village a mile in advance.