The Press. — London, England, 1854-04-22 00:00:00

APRIL 22, 1854 pliment for the excellent reception given him by the Finnish people on his late visit. Lieutenant-General Nordenstam is to command the staff of the troops in Finland. The Russians have succeeded in bringing over about 30,000 more men across the Danube, making altogether a total of 45,000 or 50,000 men, as nearly as can be ascertained, for there is great want of ac curate information. They have advanced to Baba dagh, and hold all the country of the Dobrudscha as far as the Kara-su, whence a nsur d'orillon and an old Roman wall extend to Kostendje, on the Black Sea. The Russians are constructing two forts which will command the entrance of the southernmost (St. George's) mouth of the Danube. AnAu;itrian paper has the following telegraphic despatch " The important frontier town of Fokshan, in Wallachia, which had just been fortified, has been destroyod by tire. All the Russian stores, provisions, arms, clothing, ammuni tion, and all the military hospitals, have fallen a prey to the flames." Accounts from Bucharest mention that a Mr. Biagini (Englishman) and a M. Duprat (French men) had been dogged by the Russian authorities for having spoken disrespectfully of the Emperor Nicholas. Odessa letters of the Bth state that most of the opulent families there were leaving town, and re moving to their more distant country seats, in order to he out of the immediate vicinity of the casualties of war. The actual garrison is computed at 30,000 men. The present stock of corn stored in the place is estimated at 800,000 tchetwerts. GREECE. An Anglo-French note of menacing character reached the Athens Government on the 13th. The Greek Ministry replied by the preparation of a despatch, which openly approves of the revolution now going on in the Turkish provinces. It is argued, among other points, that if France and England find it a matter of duty and obligation to take the part of the Christian population of Turkey, they cannot take it amiss that the Greek people and its Govern• went should feel an active sympathy for those who are of the same lineage, extraction, and faith with themselves. And they fortify this argument by adding that the States of Europe had formally approved of the Russian intervention, so far as re gxrded the amelioration of the state of the Greek rayah subjects of the Porte. A letter from Athens of the 7th, in a Vienna journal, states that a Russian Secretary of Embassy had just arrived with a note from the Cabinet of St. Petersburg for the Greek Government. M. Metaxa arrived at Athens on the 7th. The English, Austrian, French, and Swedish Ministers did not attend the Te Deum on the 6th, when the anniversary of the independance of Greece was celebrated. A Greek ship with ammunition has been captured off the island of Negropont. Numerous well-armed Greek volunteers have passed through Missolonghi to join the insurgents. Three hundred Greeks, who had landed at Volo, in Thessaly, have been put to the sword, with the excep tion of a few who were saved by going on board the Austrian corvette Caroline. The utmost division prevails amongst their leaders, who begin to cry treason. Thousands of Thessalian families have fled to Greece. WEST INDIES. The March West Indian mail has arrived by the La Plata steamer. The islands were healthy. There was a great want of shipping everywhere, there being large quantities of sugar and few ships. The ship Charles Jones, of Liverpool, bound to Val paraiso, has been wrecked, and the crew drowned. The murderers of the crew of the Virago have been discovered. THE CAPE. The Hydaspes has arrived with the Cape of Good Hope mail of the 25th February. All was tranquil in that colony, and the elections were proceeding satisfactorily. The Graham's Town Journal an • nounces that gold has been found at Smithfield, which was subsequently confirmed by other papers. The elections for the Upper House were completed ; those for the Lower House were still in progress. Mr. Bryon, chief officer of the Hydaspes, was killed at the Cape by the falling of a pair of shears, while tightening the screw. Dr. Devereux, Roman Catholic bishop of the eastern province, died in February. NORTH AMERICA. The latest New York dates are of the Rth instant. Great astonishment was expressed at Washington at the Union, Government journal, having written in favour of Russia in her war against Turkey. A re port prevailed that submarine batteries and torpedoes bad been sent from America to Russia, to be em ployed for the destruction of the combined fleets. THE PRESS. A threatened duel between two members of the House of Representatives, Messrs. Cutting and Breckenridge, had been compromised. The latter gentleman proposed to fight with rifles. The dispute arose during a debate on the Nebraska Bill. The New York Board of Trade has denounced privateering, and sustains the doctrine of " neutral ships and neutral cargoes." The board will me• morialise Congress. In New York the ship•carpenters, caulkers, spar makers, boilermakers, plasterers, bricklayers, and dookmen were out on strike. The latter were de manding increased wages of two dollars per day. Several tires had occurred in different parts of the Union. In Washington-street, New York, 100,000 dollars' worth of property had bean destroyed. The Legislature of the State of New York had passed an act prohibiting and punishing the traffic in intoxicating beverages. But Governor Seymour put his veto on the measure, and favoured the Legisla tore with a lengthy document, containing the reasons on which he grounded his conduct. Massachuesets and Indiana had petitioned Con gress against the introduction of slavery into any territory from which it is excluded by the Missouri compromise. Californian dates come down to March 18. There had been six large failures at San Francisco. Mar kets very dull, and almost in a state of panic. A million and a half of gold en route. It is now an• nounced that Lieutenant Strain's Darien surveying party is safe. Part of Fremont's surveying party have perished in the mountains. Walker's Filibus• tiros were all but broken up. Disturbances had broken out on the Isthmus of Panama, in consequence of the New Granadian Government attempting to impose a poll-tax on the persons crossing the isthmus. The Americans re. ended the tax. The Panama Railway will be finished by August next. A letter from Halifax, published in the New York papers, states that " the Provincial Parliament will probably complete all the railroad bills which have chiefly occupied attention since the commencement of the session, and be able to adjourn this week Bills have been perfected during the sitting for the laying down of about 200 miles of rails. It is said that the prospect of a railroad communication with the United States is highly favourable." MEXICO. Santa Anna is making what may prove to be an important movement for Mexico. He has sent Senor Rafael (Mexican Consul to New York) on a mis sion to Germany, to induce a large emigration to the Mexican States. It is alleged that the Dictator has taken this step for the purpose of importing a standing army for his own defence or the protection of his country. Two important points are developed by this plan—first, absolute toleration for all reli gious creeds is proclaimed; and, secondly, a newspaper, in the German language, is to be published in the city of Mexico, which is to be the organ of the inten tions of the Mexican Government towards the Ger mans, and an organ of the Germans themselves in respect of their social sentiments and condition'. totti aull lastioit. HER MAJESTY remains at Windsor, taking daily walks and rides on the eastern terrace and in the Home Park. The Court will return to town, as at present arranged, on Tuesday next. ORDERS have been received in Portsmouth to ex pedite the Queen's yacht, Victoria and Albert. She is to be ready by the lOth of May, on which day it is reported that her Majesty and family will embark for a visit to the French capital. A REPORT baying obtained circulation in some of our daily contemporaries to the effect, that the date of the grand balcostume to be given by the Ambassador of France has been changed from the 12th to the 9th of May, we are enabled to state that no such altera tion has been made or even contemplated; and that the fête will take place on the 12th proximo, the day originally fixed by her Majesty. THE. DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER continues to go on favourably. Mn. HOLYORD, the rich merchant, who has long re sided in the Regent's-park, and who died on the oth inst., has left his large fortune to the Prince of Wales. Ste J. GRAHAM, First Lord of the Admiralty, has been nominated a Civil G.C.B. by her Majesty. THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF WELLINGTON on their return from Paris will take possession of Apaley-house for the season. This mansion will not, however, be complete in its embellishments until the end of the year. THE EARL AND COUNTESS OY MALMISBURY, who have been passing the holidays in Paris, are expected to arrive in Whitehall-gardens at the close of the ensuing week for the season. THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF NoBTMu arrived at Genoa, ea route for England. 869 THE EARL or Corritintsis has left Park-lane on a tour in the East. THE Society of Merchants of Bristol intend giving a grand banquet to his Grace the Duke of Beaufort on Wednesday, the 7th of June. THE FRENCH ARIBASSADoR has taken a box for the season at the Royal Italian Opera. The box is nearly opposite that of the Queen on the grand tier. THIN DUKE OF• BEDFORD has just made a handsome present to one of the churches near t'aen, his family having before the Conquest been in possession of the estate of Rosel. The curb of the place having ap plied to his grace to subscribe something towards the purchase of a bell for the church of the commune, he replied that, in place of sending a simple subscription, he would pay for the bell itself, and wished it to be of the weight of at least 1,2(X) lbs. Volilual ant Otntrai. Mn. EWART has given notice of his annual bill for the total repeal of the punishment of death. THE command in chief at the Brazils has, it is said, been offered to Rear-Admiral Bruce, who has recently returned bora the coast of Africa, Rear-Admiral Henderson, C. 8., who now commands the station having expressed a strong desire to be superseded. THE BUILDING or WAR STEAMERS for foreign govern ments is the moat profitable branch carried on in the Thames shipyards, and has been prosecuted for years without the slightest molestation or notice. With respect to Russia in particular, they not only build ships habitually for that power, but apply to her naval architects for information as to what is going on in the royal dockyards of England, it being the strong impression among the shipbuilders of the London river, almost amounting to moral certainty, that there is a Russian spy in every one of our dockyards, an Englishman of course, who regularly transmits to the chancellerie at St. Petersburg accounts of what is going on and drawings of every new improvement in our naval architecture. This statement has been made in the most positive manner, the parties ex pressing their implicit belief in its truth, and adding that it bad been tested by frequent applications for Information in the quarter indicated. THE amount of capital and loan which each rail way company is empowered to raise under the au thority of their acts of Parliament, as well as the amounts actually raised by each company, are shown by an important parliamentary return just issued. It appears that previous to the 31st of December, 1851, the railway companies of the United Kingdom were authorised to raise by shares 266,603,2581. 7s. 4d., and by loans 88,728,802/. 12s. 2d., and that by acts, passed during the year 1852, aut hority was given to raise further sums of 3,027,5001. by shares, and 706,3341. by loans. The total capital and loans therefore au thorised amount together to 350,610,4561. 10s. od. Of the amount of share capital actually paid up on the 31st of December, 1852, 161,400,2561. 13s. Hd. was not receiving, nor entitled to receive, any preferen tial dividend or rate of interest, but 38,700,7551. was entitled to receive preferential dividends or interest. The total debts of railway companies on the 31st of December, 1852, amounted to 04,064,0681. The total amount of capital actually raised on that day by shares and loans was 264,165,0801. 3s. 2d., leaving the com panies power to raise 02,624,0781. las. 4d. The length of railway open for traffic on the 31st of December,lBs2, was 7,335 miles, of which 5,877 miles were of double line, 1,458 miles of single line. The length of line in the course of construction was 735 miles, and the length of line authorised, but not com menced, 9,800, making a total of 11,870 miles. THE Gotha Gazette publishes the following singular communication :—" Several newspapers have circulated the report that, before long, there will appear at St. Petersburg a secret correspondence, carried on with out the knowledge of the English Government, between the Courts of England and Russia, and which would seriously compromise Prince Albert. We are authorised to announce respecting this correepon• deuce that the English Court awaits the publication of it with an interest so much the greater, inasmuch as on the part of England it is confined to the usual notifications of births, &c." THE CONSECRATION or THE REV. W. K. HAMIL YON to the bishopric of Salisbury will take place at Lambeth on the Ist of May. THE ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL of the Friend of the Clergy Society has been postponed until the 3Td of May, the day of national humiliation having been fixed for the 26th instant, the day originally ap pointed. LETTERS for officers and men serving in the Arctic ships Assistance, Resolute, Intrepid, Pioneer, North Star, Enterprise, and Investigator, will be in time to be forwarded if sent to the Admiralty on or before the 20th of this month. WOIIKIIII4 have already commenced erecting hoard ing at the northern and southern ends of Westminster bridge, on the west side, preparatory to oommemung the erection of the new bridge.