The Press. — London, England, 1853-12-31 00:00:00

DECEMBER 31, 1853. The Count of San Luis (Sartoriusl still continued so much indisposed as to be unable to attend to public business. The last medical report respecting the condition of M. de Turgot was more favourable than the pre ceding one, and stated that the febrile symptoms had somewhat abated. It was thought, however, that amputation of the leg would be necessary. In consequence of the conclusion of the literary convention between France anti Spain. the Govern ments of both countries have followed the usua l continental custom of sending orders and tleeora tions to the Ministers who took part in it. The French Government have sent the Count of San Luis, who was already grand officer of the Legion of Honour, the grand c- for of the same ; and have conferred the place ot Arend officer of that order on Senor Calderon de la Banea 9 • and the Spanish Government have sent the gran d cross of Charles 111. to the French Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of the Interior. The basis of the convention is that the press of neither country shall publish the original works of the other ; anal a stop is put to the trade carried on between Paris and Ameriea in Spanish books, and between Brussels and Madrid in French books. PoRTUGAL. A grand mass was celebrated in Lisbon fi►r the late Queen on the Pith, in the cathedral of San Vincent. The King Consort went in state on the 19th to swear to the constitution. He appears to be very much respected. The Portuguese wish their future King to travel in England and Belgitun till he is of age. RUSSIA AND TIIIKEY. It continues to be" confidently asserted "in almost every daily despatch from Paris or Vienna that orders are on their way to Constantinople to the admirals of the combined fleets from their respec tive Uovernments to enter the Black Sea forthwith. Repeated statements have also been hazarded an nouncing the fact of such entry having aetually taken place. By the latest accounts from Constantinople, however, which come down to the I.oth inst., we hear that the united squadrons remained in state quo at Beykos at that date. On the 13th the courier bearing despatches from the Conference at Vienna for the representatives of the tour powers had arrived. On the following day the ambassadors communicated to Redschid Pacha the proposals of the great pt wet.* A I was convoked for the •ZOth, but, ou the representations of the ambassadors, it met instead on the ISt),. After a long and animated discussion, it was resolved to authorise the Ministry to state that the Sublime Porte would be willing to send a plenipotentiary to some place in neutral territory, not Vienna, for the purpose of treating for peace, provided the Porte should not be asked to accept anything it had re f Ned, and that the old treaties, now abrogated by war, should not be renewed. Supposing Russia willing to treat on these terms, the Porte would meet her plenipotentiary in presence of the repre sentatives of the four powers, as proposed. With reference to the evacuation of the principalities, the Porte would be willing to accept the guarantee of the four powers that they should be evacuated immune diately upon the conclusion of a treaty of peace. War has formally been declared by the Porte against Persia. The Turkish Ambassador has been recalled from Tehran, and Mohamed Khan, the Per sian Envoy, has left Constantinople for Bagdad. The Turkish governors of the Asiatic provinces have been ordered to organise local militia for the pro tection of the Eastern frontier against Persia. A correspondent who writes to the Times from Syra, on the 18th, states that Lord Dudley Stuart has gone to Constantinople in the Lirerpool s;!rew steamer. It is stated that his lordship's purpose is to persuade the Sultan to accept the services of the Polish refugees, it being believed that a general de sertion of roles serving in Russian regiments would take place if they were sure of being received in a corps of their own countrymen on entering the Turkish territor ;- . It is also reported that his lordship advo. sates a leG.e of the Christian subjects of the Porte, a step which would certainly settle the question as to the Russian or Turkish leaning of the Rayabs. Desertion to the Russians from such a corps would reliant's be as frequent as Polish desertions from Russian regiments. tie Turkish army of the Danube and the llalkan amounts to 20:0,00 men, of whom the 45,000 at Widdin and Kalafat form the advanced guard. The towns on the right bank of the Danube are all strongly garrisoned. Subjoined is the translatien of a formal and offi els' note transnitted on the sth instant to Lord Stratford de Realeliffic and General! Darugnny &Hil lier; by Redschid Paella:— " It was announced to the ambassadors some days ago, by an official note, that IPuss►an ships of War had been seen cruising in the vieinity of Sinor. The TuV steamer has just arrived tuna that locality, and it results from the retort of the captain that on Wednesday last, 2llth Seidler November :in 1, three Russian :1-eledterl, two tbileekers, THE PRESS. and two frigates, entered the port of Swope, and attacked a division of the ()UM 11111 l fleet anchored there, and COW sisting of .is frigates and three corvettes. " Although the result of the action is not yet known, considering the •ituatiou of our ships atop the superior fume of the enemy. it is presumed that a great disaster has " The English and French fleets have been sent to the Bosphorus with the sincere intention of proteeti hg the shores of the Ottoman empire. This recent occurrence proves sufficiently. that it is the determination of Russia to attack by means of her fleet those points against which operations may be hest directed. The howmer, of defending so vast an cutout of coast without sidfieient force in flue Meek Sea is peifeeth evident ; and, althoiwth the Sultan's Govei mt has the intention of sending thither the fleet, it will be inaihspiate to the oh jct."( in view. " Howe. the Salim° Porte considers itself under the necessity of having recourse to the effective solicitude of the two allied tioventineattc This notificati o n iq Hassle accordingly and at the same time to the Ambassadors of I:n~4tud sod Flaws% " Rebil evrel i." " It►•unrum. It is stated that the Capudan Pad's, not. having taken the roper preeantions for the defence of Sinope,hasbeen dismissed.. . . . . Tile 'Black Sea has of late been visited with violent storms. Eighty merchant vessels, chiefly laden with grain, were wrecked during heavy gales on the Iml, 3rd, 4th, :►th, anti lith inst. The prier or corn has risen enormously. A despatch from Vienna, dated Wednesday night, states that the Russian steamer Pruth had set two Turkish villages on fire by thr►wing red-hot balls into them. Letters from Constantinople of the lath inst. mention an attempt of the Russians to set tire to the allied fleet at the entrance of the liosphonis. A fire-ship was sent, but it was seen front the forts, and stopped by their artillery. Letters from linchatest, dated the 20th of Deem her, published in the Coloyse Gazette, state that the third Russian corps &armee was appr►aching Wallachia, in order to unite with the have under General Dannenherg, who is marching on Lesser Wallachia. The Court Gazette of St. Petersburg publishol on the lah a violent attaek upon the French tiorern• meat for allowing a play called The Cossacks to be performed in Paris. The Shah of Persia has informed his Consuls of his intention to suspend diplomatic relations with Great Britain. Cart anb efastion. Titv litimnon of vim FRENCH has 'ordered the sum of ;ME to be paid by Messrs. Orsi and Artnani, merchants in London for the benefit of the Dread nought hospital estab lishment in the Thames. HT n MAJESTY'S CUSTOMARY NEW YEAR'S liters to the poor inhabitants of New Windsor and Clewer will be distributed on Monday neat, in the Riding house, Windsor t 7astle. The distribution takes place in the presence of her Majesty am'. the Royal Family, and is under the management of the lion. and Rev. Gerald Wellesley, chaplain to the queen, and a eom mittee consisting principally of the parochial clergy. THE grEEN has remained at Windsor during the week, where various festivities, appropriate to the season, have taken place, and the usual tluristmas hospitalities been dispensed. The Duchess of Kent passed a day or two there, on a visit to her royal daughter ; and his Serene Highness hince Leopold of Saxe Coburg, whose arrival had been announced for Friday, the 1:1rd, reached Windsor, despite of wind amid weather, on Saturday last, aml prolonged his stay until Tuesday, when he departed for South ampton, en emote to Lisbon. Prince Albert diverted himself with skating in the Home park on several days since the frost set in. LORD ANO LADY JoHN Boss .T. left Pembmke lodge on Wednesday, to visit her Majesty at Windsor. Lord Raglan has also been invited by the Queen, and remelted the Castle on Thursday, in olx.dienee to the royal command. Couvr l'otitrAms charged with special mission from his Majesty the King of l'flissia, arrived in London on Sunday night. Tisi: EARL OF 3ERSEY continues to improve in health. His lordship and the countess are staying in retirement at Middleton.park. Viscount and Viscountess Villiers are with the noble earl. A Mao,: Cno - 11.: assembled at Blenheim to cele brate the anniversary of the birthday of the Duke of Marlborough. The duke completedhis iinth yearon Tuesday. Tu E Ino: or Ilt - TrANn is at. his shooting box in Derbyshire, and not, as has been stated, at Itelvoir Castle. His grace will not go to Belvoir until the end of .lanuary. DtwE or DEvoNsninc hos, for the purpose of enlarging his marine residence in Brighton, pur ehased the adjoining mansion, lately occupied by Colonel reit% The duke it now residing at Kemp town. .~ J MAIIRIA4iE OF Loan LYMINtiTON with one of the Ladies Nevill, daughters of the Earl of Aberga venny, is understood to be poatpotiod. on aeronnt of the dangerous state of health of his lordship's father. Lord l'ortsmouth. Iloilo: or Lonna i 4 now again open to public view. Ticket% are inaited every Saturday from lb. Long t'liamberlain's °Mee, where they may be ob tained upon application. 4lolitual and Omen!. Tim shareholders in the Australian Freehold Gold Mine held a meeting tat Tuesday, railed by Mr. tine della, to investigate it+ affairs. it appear e d from the atatements made, that the put-distal of 5,000 acres had been effected, but which, an to gold, mired to be worthless, anti that about tM,OOI. bad been expended to no purpose. It was stated that there was a balance of :10,0100/. in hstiti, and that about Ws. per share might be returned at once. Mr. Linda, the solicitor, ght actions might be brought against the directors by shareholders for the return of the full amount of their deposit, as the company was not on the cost book system. After some discussion, a committee was named for taking legal steps to obtain justice to dm shareholders. On behalf of the directors a semi official exculpation has appeared in a note addressed to the newspapers as follows :—" This company is established on the cost took principle, AM a balance sheet has been exhibited to the registered share holders at all their bi-monthly meetings, which have been regularly held since the formation thereof. The committee of management desire it to be known that, so far from wishing to keep any information back from the certificate-holders, they are most anxious and have always solicited them to have the certificates transferred to their own mines, and attend such meetings, when they could inform themselves of everything that had been done to the present time." A PLAN is on foot in t:hrivitiania to open a new steamboat route with England HA Hamburg and Altona. There are to be 1.30 miasma, at 101) each, an►t two ships of the brat class are to be pro eitred. Tut: land occupied by railways in Kaglsuid amounts e 1,400 acres, :1 roods, and 23 perches, out of a gross acreage of m,:i51,7113. In Wales, out of 139,427 acres, 3,530 acres and 13 perches are occupied by railwaya. • A STRUMME On the subject of tithes is now going on in the parish of Whitechapel. In April last a bill wits tiled in Chancery by the Rev. W. W. Chanspneya against Buchan and others, and is expected soon to be set down for trial. From a circular issued by the defendants it appears that, although the redoes baste appears as phuntitf, the College of Brasenase, the planet, is the real litigant, as the rector has his word to the vestry that he will rather resign !him( than plunge the parish into litigation. The parishioner; resisting the tithing are fortified by the opinion of counsel, and are raising funds to carry on the contest. THE RESIONATIoN or Sin IiEOIIOE Melvin, as Go vernor of Hong-Kong and superintendent of trade in that colony, has been accepted by the home authori ties. Sir lieonce was expected to leave fur England as soon as the state of public business would permit. THE PLAN Fon HER MAJENTVA NEW STEAM YACHT was last week submitted to a committee of °Seers, whose opinions were given at a meeting which Sir J. t ;miim visited Podia 1111 l ith purposely to attend. The advisors summoned were Captain Sir Ihildwin Walker, k.C.11. ' surveyor of the navy ; Captain the Hon. Joseph I lenman, commander-in-chief of her Majesty's steam squadron; Mr. 'filmes Baker, P.N., inspector of machinery of the Victoria and Athol ; Mr. Andrew NI array. superintendent engineer of Portsmouth Dock yard ; Mr. Thomas Lloyd, R.N., of the Steam De partment, Somerset house; Mr. Isaac Watts, as si,taet. to the surveyor of the navy ; and Mr. John Penn, C.E., of I ireenwich. Plans and 'sections were e‘ltilated, and it is lwlieved the result will be that the new royal yacht will be built of the following dimensions and capabilities:—Length of keel, 300 feet ; length on deck, 315 feet; beam, 411 feet ; depth of hold, 22 feet; diameter of paddle-wheel, MI feet Ii inches ; stroke of piston, 7 feet ; diameter of cylinder, st inches ; tonnes', 2,3411. The revolutiens of the engines have beelestimaWd at from 2.1 to 9s, which will yield, it is estimated, a Speed of from lA to In knobs per hour. The engines are to be manufactured by Penn, upon the oscillating principle, but must be worked upon high-pressure gauge to attain the speed Motive estimated. THE LITE IiENERAL SHIP. MACKENZIE has left a variety of munificent bequests for religious and charitable objects. Among them are—to the Church Pastoral Aid Society, 1,000/. ; to the Consumption Hospital, LIM/. ; to the Scottish Ilospital, 510.; to the Northern Infirmary, leverness, ;ANN. ; to the poor of Inverness and of Itingwall, 100/. each ; to the In- VCIIICKS Dispensary, BM; to the United H os pital a t Bath, 300/. ; to the Western Hospital, ditto, 1004 .~ . t-r•t=zx*ffsoisenr": •