The cavalry and artillery were then retiring slowly in the direction of Balaklava, towards their supports and the cover of their guns in the redoubts. The " Colombo" came back from Kertch a few days ago, having landed with creditable expedition and despatch Major Bondhier's battalion of the Turkish Contingent, and sailed on Saturday for Constantinople. She reports that provisions were rather scarce in the camps, and that the enemy eflectually deter the Tartars from bringing in supplies, and are closing round the place as though they meant to attack the position. The Contingent is assuming shape and form every day. It will be able to give a good account of the Russians should they indeed assail such a formidable position as that occupied by the allies.
The Turkish huts are described as bein^' admirably suited for the winter, and to excel those erected by our men at vast expense in every quality which a hut for troops should possess. The enemy have succeeded in bm-ning a good deal of the hfy stored up for the whiter by the allies, or rather placed in positions where they thought they could rely on getting it for use. It seems that this may be the reason why the " Colombo" was sent in search of the cavalry of the Contingent, with orders for their retm'n to the Bosphorus. The " Colombo" met them in the Black Sea, and delivered the orders, on which the vessel's head was turned round fi-om Kertch, and she retraced her course to Constantinople.
Betore Sebastopol, December 11. The monotony of life in tHs huge military colony has been broken slightly by the appearance of the Eussians on the heights of Ourkousta, and by some demonstrations of an intention on their part to try the strength of the French positions in the Baidar Valley. It would be of great consequence to them, and of some detriment to us, if they succeeded in restricting the ground covered by our outposts, which now affords fuel to the army and food for cattle, and it is not at all impossible that whenever the state of the country admits of the movement of materiel, the attempt of Sunday last will be repeated on a larger scale. As the French have retired in the presence of winter, the enemy have thrown forward their advanced posts at Koluluz and Markul to the north-east, and from Aitodor and Ozembash to the north of Baidar.
Sunday morning was dark and drizzly, and the previous night had been wet and stormy. The Russians, with theii' usual feline aptitude for surprises, crept round the little village of Baga in the dark, and just at the dawn rushed in upon the small party of French which occupied it. For a time the surprise was complete; but our gallant allies soon got together, and after a smart fusillade, di'ove out the enemy at the point of the bayonet. The Russians had many horsemen with them. In the pm-suit of the Cossacks our allies managed to capture some forty horses, for the former gentry fled by a road which in old times was good enough for a run, but they were astonished to find themselves stopped by a deep scarp at a pretty spot, where a wall of rock closed the road at the right-hand side, and a precipice formed the left-hand boundary, so they had nothing for it but to dismount and scramble across, leaving tho horses, accouh'ements and all, to theiifate.
In this affair the French had one officer mortally wounded, seven men killed, and thirteen wounded, and the Russians are said to have left seventy dead on the ground, and twenty men prisoners in the hands of the French. These are the nuiiibers reported by rumour, but an exact statement will no doubt appear in the official despatches. The enemy fire upon the town most pertinaciously and futilely, for they do not in the smallest degree hinder the execution of the works in which we are engaged, nor do they prevent the accomplishment of the duties of the garrison. Their fire is especially directed upon the docks, and it is not to be wondered at if some few casualties have been caused by it. All attempt to reply to their works appears to have been abandoned by the allies.
Although since Sunday the heavy rains and storms which prevailed last week have ceased, the country is in a very heavy state; and as the French roads have failed, and are in a very bad condition, an immense increase of traffic is thrown upon oui-s, as the French cut in upon them whenever and wherever they can, ■while the duty of repair falls exclusively on our army. This is scarcely fair, especially when the French do not permit our laud transport to use their road to Kamiesch. It is no exaggeration to say that the traffic of French and Sardinians on the roads from Balaklava to Kadikoi is as heavy as our own. Under present circumstances, Colonel Wetherall, the DirectorGeneral of Land Transport Corps, has felt himself obliged to lighten the bui'dens on the corps as speedily and as much as possible.