The Press. — London, England, 1854-03-18 00:00:00

248 large majority. An agreement has been concluded between the Government and the proprietors of the Bank of Portugal, which is deemed satisfactory. A general battle had taken place at Coimbra during the carnival between the " town and gown " men, in which several were killed and many wounded. Several Russian merchant ships had left the port of Lisbon, and it was the intention of the Russian Minister there to send others home under a neutral flag, if hostilities commenced. It was expected that the exports of wheat would be stopped. RUSSIA. Fresh propositions are said to have reached Vienna from the Emperor Nicholas. According to a des patch of Wednesday evening from that capital, the new proposals of Russia are based " on the maintenance of existing treaties between Russia and the Porte. If this be admitted, Russia will quit the principalities, provided that the combined fleets quit the Black Sea and the Bosphorus. Negotiations will then be resumed, in which the propositions of Prince MenschikOtT will form the base of a new convention with the Porte, in which the four powers are to participate. It is asserted that Austria and Prussia were willing to agree to these terms, and that Baron Bonrqueney, on the part of France, thought them worthy of consideration, but that Lord West moreland insisted on the revision of the existing treaties. It is also said that if the Western powers reject these terms Austria will consider herself free from her engage ment to them." On the sth instant martial law was proclaimed at St. Petersburg and throughout the various provinces of Russia and the kingdom of Poland. The govern ment of St. Petersburg has been put under the com mand of the Czarowitsch. The St. Petersburg Gazette of the Senate published on the 6th an imperial ukase ordering the immediate issue of notes for a sum of six million silver roubles. It published at the same time the ordinance pro hibiting the export of cereals from Odessa and other ports of the Black Sea. From Warsaw we learn that a very large issue of paper money has already taken place there, but there has also been a kind of copper rouble issued, de• signed principally for circulation at the seat of war. The rim is of silver, and the inscription on the obverse is struck in a species of gilt letters. The Emperor visited, on the 28th ult., the fortifi cations of Cronstadt, accompanied by his son the Grand Duke Alexander. By order of the Russian Admiralty, another ship-of-the-line of 120 guns, the Empress Mary, has been fitted out at that port. This will make the Russian Baltic fleet amount to twenty eight ships .of-the line. The Empress Mary is coin mended by Captain Bondischeft, and will form part of the first division of the fleet now at Cronstadt. In the recent accounts from Florence it was men tioned that the well-known and wealthy Prince Demidoff lately gave a grand fancy ball to the society of that place. It would appear that the lights could scarcely have been extinguished when he received a summary order to return immediately to Russia. According to advices from the Russian Baltic provinces, the utmost perturbation exists among the inhabitants of the sea-border towns, from the neigh bourhood of Cronstadt to the frontier near Memel. At St. Petersburg many families are preparing to depart for the interior ; and it is asserted that orders have been issued by the Emperor to the effect that all women and children should quit Revel, and all other open or even closed towns subject to the assaults of the squadrons which are about to sweep the Baltic. Advices from Odessa state that 70,000 quarters of wheat have been bought at that port to complete the loading of ships, the Government having intimated that they would allow the exportation to go on until the 13th inst. A commercial letter from Jassy, of the 2d inst., states that 300 Russian waggons, laden with bis cuits and brandy, had passed through the town en route for Bucharest. A ball-foundry has been organised at that place, and a powder mill at Fokshany. Baron Budberg was inspecting all public offices, prisons, &c., and a revision of all public moneys in the principalites had likewise been ordered. The theatre, aided by a considerable sub vention from the Russian treasury, was getting up the "popular" drama of The Naval Victory at Sinope, which would shortly appear on the Jassy stage. An order of the day by Prince Gortscbakoff was published at Bucharest on the Ist, announcing that Field Marshal Prince Paskiewitsch, inspector- General of the Imperial Russian Infantry, will in two or three weeks arrive for the purpose of inspecting the positions of the army on the Danube and in the south of the empire. Despatches from Hermannstadt report a Russian expedition to the right bank of the Danube near Thralls. The guns of a Turkish battery had several times driven back a Russian flotilla which it was of importance to conduct from Iteni to Galatz. The Russians crossed over in considerable force, and attacked the battery by land. The conflict was very severe, and lasted several hours, and the loss of killed and wounded was on both sides considerable. THE PRESS. Having engaged the Turks until a large convoy of gunboats, escorting transports laden with war ma terial, had passed up the river, and had got out of the range of the batteries, it hastily withdrew, without waiting to destroy the Turkish fortifications or spike the guns. The Greek, Wallachian, and Bulgarian volunteers, who were to form a Christian corps, and aid the Russians, have deserted by dozens. As many as six had been shot at Galatz in one morning. TURKEY. The Sultan has decreed the formaticn of two new armies, each of 30,000 regular troops, 15,000 irregular, and a train of 46 guns to each pacha. The combined fleets were at Beycos on the dth inst. Egyptian troops have been ordered from Alex• andria to Candia. Redschid Pacha has held threatening language to the Greek Ambassador at Constantinople. Disturbances have taken place at Jerusalem. The Latin patriarch, Valerga, was expelled by the Greeks, and the French Consul, not having been seconded by the authorities, felt it his duty to accompany him to Jaffa. The Greek insurrection has extended to Samos, where it was accompanied with a great massacre. The French steam. ship Mercure has been despatched to the scene of confusion and bloodshed, for the purpose of protecting the European inhabitants; and a Turkish steamer, with troops on board, was under orders to sail on the dth for the same place, in order to quell the riot. The insurgents of Arta have been vigorously re pulsed by the garrison of the citadel. In a second sortie the Turks crossed the Greek frontier ; they were driven back by Greek troops. The officers of the Vulcan, which vessel has re turned direct f.om Sebastopol, observed not less than 10,000 men at work, throwing up fortifications. UNITED STATES. The latest dates from New York are of the 28th ult. The French and English Ministers had waited upon Secretary Marcy, and it is said that the atti• tude of France and England, with regard to the Western hemisphere, formed a topic of conversation; also that the two Ministers remonstrated against privateers being fitted out for Russia in American ports. This the United States Government will prevent. Californian dates have been received to February 1, and one million in gold. The news is not kmpor tent. Walker and his filibusteros keep their ground in Lower California; but their barque, the Caroline, has been captured by the Mexicans. INDIA AND CHINA. The February overland mail has arrived vid Mar. seilles after suffering two days' detention at Alexan dria, wailing for the Malta steamer. From Calcutta we find that the Five per Cent. Loan had been extinguished, and the remaining por tion of the debt of 1841 is to be paid on the 29th of April next. Railway projects and electric telegraph speculations were receiving much encouragement, and bade fair to prove of great political and commer cial importance. The last accounts from Madras state that no fears were entertained of a famine, but that there was a scarcity of food was a fact not to be denied. The Honourable Company have sustained another loss by the wreck of the Indus river• steamer Meteor. When near Jorruck she struck on a rock, and, although her commander ran her ashore, yet she filled so rapidly that no hopes are entertained of saving any part of her except her engines. In the Nizam's country, the force under Captain Orr had successfully carried out the object of his mission, viz., that of capturing the Rohillas who had plundered Chilurghi; for, after being en gaged in an affair with this band of robbers, the latter laid down their arms and surrendered at discretion. The country, however, remained in a disturbed state, and a large addition it was expected would have to be made to the British forces. The intelligence from Burmah continued to be un satisfactory, and fears were entertained that we should have much trouble with that Government before tranquillity could be established upon a sure foundation. The accounts of the death of Captain Barry, the Commandant of the Arracan Battalion, a: e confirmed. He had left Kianggiam at the head of his troops to „join a large force under Major Cotton, ordered to proceed against a party of Dacoits. While about to cross a river a body of Burmese shot him through the head, and he died immediately. Lieut. Thompson was seriously wounded in the arm, which rendered amputation indispensable. The accounts from China state that Tien-tsien had fallen into the hands of the insurgents, who were closely investing Pekin. Shanghai continued also in their possession, but internal dissensions, it was thought, would probably cause it. to be evacuated. Some later news from China is published by the French journal the Moniteur of the Fleet. It states :—" We learn from Shanghai, under date Jan. 5, that the Imperial fleet had just attacked the city. SATURDAY, In an action that lasted one whole day some junks that had taken up a position in a regular manner for attacking the enemy's battery were set on fire by means of pots au feu thrown on board, and blew up. In spite of this reverse the Imperial fleet continued the attack, and, having effected a landing of men, it was enabled to throw up a strand battery, facing the rebel defences. During the attack, which was warm, the Imperialists set on fire that part of the suburbs that lies betwfon the fortifications defended by the rebels and the European conceded settlement. Hos tilities were going on still when the despatoli left." NEWFOUNDLAND. The last Newfoundland accounts state that the House of Assembly has refused to transact any bu siness whatever until they are put in possession of the views of the Colonial Secretary on the subject of responsible government, in reply to flip memorial recently submitted to Lim by the delegates sent home by the island Assembly. RUSSIA.—THE CZAR AND THE COALITION MINISTRY. THE accusations of ill-faith and deceit which the English Ministers have successively urged in Par liament against the Emperor Nicholas have been made the text of a formal rejoinder from his Russian Majesty. This reply appears in the shape of an official article published in the St. Petersburg Jour nal of the 2nd inst., the British text selected for comment being a speech by Lord J. Russell in the House of Commons, in which, among other things, his lordship declared that the Czar had exhausted every modification of falsehood. The Russian retort commences as follows: "We have just received a report of the sitting of the House of Commons of the 17th of February, and the speech which Lord John Russell made on that occasion. It is not here the place to repeat brutal outrages of which every faithful servant of the Emperor will preserve the recollection, but which do not reach the august person to whom they are addressed. We shall confine ourselves to remarking that the parliamentary annals might be searched in vain for an example of such intemperate language from the mouth of a Cabinet Minister iu reference to a Sovereign against whom the country of that Minister has not yet de clared war. What are of importance in this speech are, not the invectives of the Minister, but the nature 6f the determinations of the Government which the speech re veals. It must be very evident henceforward that the peace of the world does not depend upon chance only, but that war forms a decided element of the plans of the Eng lish Ministry. From this cause has necessarily arisen that fatal distrust which in the Eastern question was the origin of all the previous difficulties, and which will lead at last to the most deplorable result." After remarking that France, whose Government was "still recent," might have had some reason to lose confidence in the professions of Russia, the writer proceeds to argue that the present English Ministers were of all men the least warranted in taking umbrage at the proceedings of the Russian Emperor with regard to Turkey, seeing that they had themselves long ago shared and abetted his views in that quarter : " Long before the present condition of affairs, before the questions which led to the mission of Prince Menschikoff to Constantinople bad assumed so serious an aspect of difference, before Great Britain had adopted the same line of policy as France, the Emperor had spontaneously ex plained himself with the most perfect candour to the Queen and her Ministers, with the object of establish* with them a friendly understanding even upon the most im portant result which can affect the Ottoman empire: Since the year 1820 his Majesty followed with great attention the march of events in Turkey. The Emperor could not shut his eyes to the consequences of the changes which were, one after the other, introduced into that State. Ancient Turkey disappeared from the time when it was sought to establish those institutions diametrically opposed as well to the genius of Islamism as to the character and usages of the M usaulmans—inatitutiona more or less bor rowed from modern liberalism, and consequently entirely opposed to the spirit of the Ottoman Government. It be - came evident that Turkey was undergoing a complete transformation, and that these experiments, at least doubt ful so far as regarded the reorganisation of the empir e , seemed rather calculated to lead to a crisis which would overturn it. • • • • " Penetrated with the extreme importance of such a result, the Emperor thought it necessary to assure himself beforehand whether the English Government shared his apprehensions. He wished more particularly by a frank previous understanding to remove every subject of mis understanding between Great Britain and himself. It seemed of the highest importance to his Majesty to estab lish the most perfect identity of viewswith the Government of Great Britain. _ _ " With this view the Emperor engaged the English Minister at St. Petersburg to cause her Majesty to be in formed of his anticipations with respect to the danger, more or less imminent, that menaced Turkey. lie requested on this subject a confidential interchange of opinions with her lliitannic Majesty. That was certainly tl.e most evident proof of confidence which the Emperor could give to the Court of St. James; and thus did his Majesty most openly signify his sincere wish to prevent any ulterior divergence between the two Governments. " Sir H. Seymour acquitted himself forthwith of the im •rtant commission which the Emperor had impressed on in a long and familiar conversation.