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

MARCH 18, 1854. " The result has shown itself in a correspondence of the most friendly character between the present English Ministers and the Imperial Government " It is not permitted to us to divulge the contents of non. official documents, which do not concern the Emperor alone, and which contain the expressions of a mutual confidence. What we are permitted to say is, that in examining the circumstances more or less likely to affect the duration of the statue quo in the East,—an examination undertaken from the conviction respectively entertained that every effort should be made to sustain that *tutu, quo, snd to prolong it as long as possible,—there never was any question of a plan by which Russia and England might dispose beforehand, and between themselves, of the destiny of the different provinces which constitute the Ottoman empire ; still less of a formal agreement to be concluded between them, without the knowledge and unassisted by the counsel and intervention of the other Courts. " The two parties were limited to a frank and single confidence, but without reserve on either side, to commu nicate what might be adverse to English interests, what might be so to Russian, so that in any given case hostile or even contradictory action might be avoided. " In looking over the different parts of this confidential correspondence—in recalling the spirit iu which they themselves had interpreted it—the Ministers with whom at th 3 time it was carried on, and who since have permitted themselves to be swayed by prepossessions to be regretted, will be able to decide if these prepossessions are just. Let Lord J. Russell more especially repernse that correspondence, in which he was the first to take part, before ceding to Lord Clarendon the direction of foreign affairs. Let him consult his conscience, if the passion which leads him astray permits him to recognise its voice. He can decide now whether it be really true that the Emperor has been wanting in frankness towards the English Government; or if rather his Majesty has not unbosomed himself to England with as little reserve as possible ; if there exists the least reason for believing that we have ambitious or exclusive views on Constanti nople; or, if on the contrary, the Emperor has not explained himself in a way to remove all doubt as to his real intentions on the subject of the political combina tions to be avoided, in the extreme case which he at the time pointed out to the foresight of the British Government." Commenting upon this indictment brought by the Russian against the English Government, the Times gives the following explanation, derived apparently from a Ministerial source, although eagerly denied in Parliament by the Ministerial spokesmen, and the Premier himself : " We have not now to learn for the first time that before the Emperor Nicholas engaged in these extraordinary transactions he had attempted at various times and in dif e. rent forms to lure almost every Court in Europe to share in the plunder of Turkey. As long ago as his own visit to this country he held the same language, and it may have been repeated in greater detail in the course of last winter. But what answer did he get to these overtures ? What answer did he get, when he sounded Lord John Russell, of all men in the world, on the subject of an eventual partition of Turkey? We confidently reply that he was met by an indignant refusal on the part of the British Government. He was told, if we are not greatly mistaken, that this country could entertain no proposal in any form which pre supposed the dismemberment of an empire the integrity of which we had frequently engaged to respect and even to protect; that the British Government strenuously opposed any change in the status quo of Turkey, as a source of dan ger and difficulty to the world; and that, as this communi cation had been made in a friendly spirit, England strongly recommended the Emperor of Russia to abstain altogether and scrupulously from any interference in the affairs of Turkey, which must be productive of great perils to the world. As these communications were of a confidential nature, and wholy anterior to and unconnected with the affair of the Holy Places and Prince Menschikoffs mission, the Government appear to have thought that they did not properly form part of the correspondence recently laid before Parliament, but constituted a separate trans action. This challenge of the Russian Government re- Neves them from all further uncertainty on that point. Lord John Russell's answer to the Russian overture will do him no dishonour ; and, although in time of peace it might have been inconvenient to lay bare the pretensions Russia has sometimes indicated, our present relations are not likely to suffer from an ' indiscretion' she herself has provoked ; and we trust the whole correspondence will be immediately produced." On the day following the publication of the retort to Lord J. Russell, the same official organ of the Czar issued a voluminous ". circular," addressed by the Russian Cabinet to the ambassadors and agents of the Emperor, giving a detailed account of the ne gotiations on the Eastern question from the very beginning, and attempting to justify the whole course adopted by the Czar in relation not only to Turkey but the Western powers. This new 6 ' Nesselrode note " occupies seventeen columns of the St. Petersburg Journal, the history of the Eastern affair being interspersed with copious recapitulations of the arguments already urged in previous notes of Count Nesselrode or the letter of the Emperor Nicholas, refurbished and rechauffe for the occa sion. Throughout this historical review the desire for peace and the moderation of the Emperor of Russia are spoken of, and he is re presented as having been constantly thwarted by doubts, suspicion, and distrust, which he had done nothing to deserve ; and it is endeavoured to make the world believe that the Eastern question has been brought to the state in THE PRESS. which it now is, not by any refusal on the part of the Czar to make all the concessions which were com patible with his honour anti dignity, but by the want of confidence in his declarations evinced by the French and English Governments. Cold anb lastion. HER MAJESTY remained at Osborne for several days after witnessing the departure of Sir C. Napier and the first division of the Baltic fleet on Saturday last.. On Thursday the Fairy was again in requisi tion, and a second visit was paid to Spithead, where the second squadron, under Admiral Corry, was as sembled. After accompanying the flag-ship Neptune a few miles on her way to the Downs, where the squadron is to rendezvous previous to final departure for the Baltic, the royal yacht returned to Osborne. Yesterday the Queen returned to London. HER MAJESTY will hold another levee at St.James's Palace on Wednesday next, the 22nd ; and on Thurs day, the 30th, the first Drawing-room of the season will take place at St. James's Palace. THE health of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester continues to progress favourably. HER MAJESTY has been pleased to signify her in • tention to confer the Order of the Garter, vacant by the death of the Marquis of Londonderry, upon the Earl of Ellesmere. IT having been signified to the lessee of the Royal Olympic Theatre that it is intended by her Majesty to visit this theatre shortly after her return to town, the workmen of the establishment have commenced the formation of a new entrance to the theatre for the royal party. LORD WILLIAM PAULETT and Major the Hon. J. Macdonald will be on the staff of Major- General his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, with the army destined for the East. THE HON. R. SOMERSET, son of Lord Raglan, has arrived from Hanover, to take leave of his noble and gallant father. Mr. Somerset is attached to the household of his Majesty the King of Hanover. THE BISHOP OF LONDON, who has been indisposed for some time past, was sufficiently recovered on Wednesday to enable him to hold a confirmation at Christ Church, Newgate-street. THE MARQUIS OF LANSDOWNE has been slightly suffering from an attack of gout in his hand. The noble marquis is otherwise in excellent health. THE EARL OF DERBY has taken the large mansion in St. James's-square for many years occupied by the late Earl of Dartmouth. THE EARL AND COUNTESS OF CLARENDON gave a banquet on Wednesday at the private residence of the noble Secretary for Foreign Affairs in Grosvenor crescent. The countess afterwards held her first reception for the season. The company included the leading members of the corps diplomatique and nobility at present in town. LADY HALL OF LLANOVER held her first assembly this season on Tuesday evening at her mansion in Great Stanhope-street. The guests were about three hundred. _ _ _ _ THE funeral of the late Marquis of Londonderry, K.G., took place on Thursday at Long Newton Church, Stockton, amidst universal demonstrations of respect for the memory of the deceased. From an early hour in the morning numerous spectators thronged the road through which the mournful cavalcade had to pass. At ten o'clock the funeral procession was formed in Wynyard-park, and moved towards the church. The pr►ncipal mourners were Lord Castlereagh (now Marquis of Londonderry), Lord Seaham (now Earl Vane), Lord Adolphus Vane, Lord Portarlington, Duke of Cleveland, Lord Hatherton, Marquis of Camden, Lord Hardinge, Colonel George Brown, with many other distinguished noblemen and gentlemen. 'political anb 6tntral. THE METROPOLITAN MORTALITY, owing apparently to the vicissitudes of the weather, showed an increase last week, the registered number of deaths being 1,343 against 1,135 in the previous se'nnight. This exceeds the calculated average by 152. The num ber of births has also increased, exactly 1,800 being registered. The average of nine years is only 1,481. THE ANNIVERSARY DINNER OF THE CITY ORTHO riEoic HOSPITAL was held on Tuesday at the London Tavern. The Duke of Argyll was in the chair, and nearly seventy guests were present. The report stated that within the past year 885 additional cases had been admitted; making a total of 1,684 poor persons who had been received since the opening of the hospital in June, 1851. The amount of sub scriptions acknowledged during the evening was 6501., including a donation of ten guineas from the chairman. YELF, the fraudulent Isle of Wight actuary, died at the Milbank Penitentiary last week. 249 H.R.H. THE DOKE OF CAMBRIDOE has consented to be put in nomination for the office of President of Christ's Hospital, vacant by the death of the late Alderman Thompson. THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE TYNE was contested on Tuesday between James Messenger, of Teddington, and James Candlish, of Gateshead. The match was for 2001., but large sums of money depended on the event; and there was a vast assemblage of specta tors. The match was won easily by Messenger, who took the lead from the first, and maintained it. THE BALTIC, notwithstanding its vast extent, has all the characteristics of a great lake. No sea has, in pro portion to its size, so great an influx of fresh water; hence it contains but little salt. In proportion to the North Sea this is found to be as 194 to 373. The depth of the Baltic ou the west is not more than 15 fathoms, and in general it is only from 8 to 10 fa thoms deep; on the south it Is nowhere more than 50 fathoms ; but towards the north it deepens to 100 fathoms. The Baltic receives the waters of the Nie men, Vistula, and the Oder, besides numerous lakes and smaller streams. The great amount of sand and mud carried down by the rivers has considers.. bly raised the bottom of this sea, and closed the mouths of many of its navigable streams, so that ships which formerly entered these rivers must now be anchored at a considerable distance from their mouths. This, together with the numerous islands and sandbanks, and the gradual upward movement of the bed of the sea, at the rate of several feet in a century, renders navigation on the Danish shores of the Baltic troublesome and dangerous. It has no tides, or rather the etrect of the tide is so little felt as not to be observable ; but it is suliject to changes of level, depending on the winds, retarding or acce lerating the passage of the water through the Sound and the Belts. During winter this sea is usually frozen to a greater or less distance along the coasts; and in severe winters not only the Sound and the Belts, but a great part of its surface, is co vered with ice. THE thanks of a recently-hell meeting of the in habitants of Notting-bill and its neighbourhood have been tendered to Lord John Russell for his endea vour to do justice to the district by forming it into a parliamentary borough, with an expression of ear nest respect for his lordship's entire conduct in the cause of parliamentary reform. Lord John has re. turned an answer to the chairman, conveying his grateful sense of their opinions with regard to him self. THE REV. GEORGE JAMES lirr.r 111. A. who was ap pointed to the rectory of Saltford,' near Bath, in the early part of last year, has placed his resignation of that benefice in the hands of the bishop of the diocese, and has intimated his intention of joining the com munion of the Church of Rome. DR. JACKSON, Bishop of Lincoln will take his seat in the House of Lords forthwith in consequence of the death of the Bishop of Salisbury. The act con stituting the see of Manchester provided that no ad dition should be made to the number of spi ritual peers, so that under the new arrangement the junior prelate—other than Canterbury, York, London, Durham, and Winchester—is always without a seat in the House of Lords. Dr. Denison's successor in the bishopric of Salisbury will not have a seat until another vacancy on the episcopal bench occurs. A DEPUTATION waited on Mr. Hugh Miller, editor of the Witness, yesterday week, and presented him with a valuable testimonial of silver plate, in token, as an inscriptive record, of their esteem for the honourable independence of his conduct anti his emi nent services in the management of that journal. THE IRISH WORKHOUSES had above 1,(100 acres of land under cultivation at Michaelmas last, either wholly or partially, by the boys in the workhouses, the number of boys so employed being 3,783 ; and 3,100 boys were being instructed in trades, as tailors, shoemakers, and the like. The whole number of boys (between 9 and 15) in the workhouses wes 12,320; of girls, 14,273. Of the girls 9,100 were under industrial training. The instruction occupies four or five hours a day. During the previous year above 5,000 boys and girls obtained employment out • side their workhouses. THE ADMIRALTY, in drafting the coast-guard men to serve on board her Majesty's ships, has made them fair compensation, and has, indeed, dealt liberally with them. The men are to enjoy the same amount of pay as they had in the coast guard, namely,.3s. a day ; in addition to which, they are to have their pro visions, according to the allowance of other seamen, gratuitously. Every man, moreover, is to get two months' pay in advance, which will give them the means of removing or settling their families ; besides which, they will be allowed to allot half-pay to their wives, which is to be paid to them the first month in advance, so as to prevent their being in any difficulty until the regular payment comes round. A Lnrz OF STEAMERS has been advertised to run from Hull to the Prussian port of Pillau, in the Baltic, taking goods for Memel, &c., with a view of carrying on the trade betweed England and Russia. It is to consist of screw-propellers of about 700 tons. I