CRIME'AN WAR, begun in 1953. As the French and Russian governments had taken sides in the contention between the Latin (or Roman) and Greek (or Russian) churches for exclusive possession of the holy sepulcher and other sacred places, the czar sent prince 3lenschikoff to Constantinople Feb. 28, 1853, as envoy extraordinary. In addition to the claims with regard to the holy places, he made certain demands respect ing the protection of the Greek Christians in Turkey. As to the holy places, the sultan recommended a mixed commission, which decided in favor of the Greek church. The demands of 3Ienschikoff with respect to the Greek Christians in Turkey were not acceded to, and the envoy left Constantinople May 21. Two weeks later, the sultan confirmed all the rights and privileges of the Greek Christians, and appealed to his allies. In Jure, the French and English fleets appeared. A week later the Russians crossed the Pruth into 3Ioldavia. Diplomacy was then renewed, and a conference at Vienna was agreed to by all except the sultan, who demanded modifications which Russia refused. About the middle of Sept., 1853, four English and French war-vessels entered the Dardanelles, and on Oct. 5, the sultan declared war against Russia. The first real act of war occurred Oct. 23, when a Turkish fortress fired on a Russian flotilla.
Nov. 1, Russia declared war against Turkey. Then followed in and around the penin sula of the Crimea a series of battles through about 26 months. The chief of them in the order of time were the battles of the Alma. Sept. 20, 1854, when the English, led by lord Raglan, and the French under marshal St. Arnaud, routed the Russians, who lost 5,000 men, of whom less than 1000.were prisoners; loss of the allies, 3,400. Sept. 25, the allies took Balaklava. Oct. 17, they began an unsuccessful siege of Sebastopol. The battle of Balaklava—with the celebrated charge of the light brigade—occurred Oct. 25. On Sept. 8, 18.55, the French captured the Malakoff by assault, and the Russians, sink ing their fleet, retreated from Sebastopol. There was little more of important fightinn.; peace was concluded Mar. 30, 1856, and July 9 the allies evacuated the Crimea. The losses of the allies in the entire campaign were—English, killed or died of wounds, 5,000; died of cholera. 4,244; from other diseases, 16,000; total, nearly 24.000, besides 2,873 disabled. The British public debt was increased more than $200,000,000. The French lost about 63,500 men; and the Russian loss has been estimated as much more than that of all the allies.