The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-23 00:00:00

THE WEEK. THE allied army has now broken ground, its long period of inaction is over, and the whole of Europe must wait with anxious suspense for intelligence of its doings. On the 14th a force of 58,000 troops, 25,000 English, as many French, and 8,000 Turks, landed at Eupatoria. Though in military operations we are seldom justified in expecting rapid results, yet in this case, as the distance from Sevastopol is only from forty to fifty miles, it is likely fighting has already commenced. Eupatoria is a considerable seaport on the western coast of the Crimea, containing about 5,000 inhabitants. Roads branch from it in one direction to the isthmus of Perekop, which, if taken and fortified, might effectually prevent the arrival of Russian reinforcements ; in another to Simferopol, in the interior, where it is supposed that the army of the Russians was stationed; and a third, following the line of coast for a portion of the distance, conducts to Sevastopol. The accounts received by our Government announce that the troops had commenced their march on Sevastopol. If this be correct we must suppose that the commanders feel themselves sufficiently strong to begin their great enterprise without delay, and they may probably hope to secure a favourable position for the commencement of operations before any considerable Russian force can be concen trated to oppose them. On the road between Eupatoria and Sevas topol are four rivers, the Bulganak, the Alma, the Katcha, and the Belbek. Either of these streams must afford facilities for defence ; and it appears probable that one or more of them will be chosen to attempt to check the passage of the allies should they follow the route by the coast. There can be little doubt that by this time, thanks to the period afforded them for preparation, the Russians have raised fortifications on the land side of Sevastopol. The allies, therefore, in the prosecu tion of their enterprise, must be prepared to carry strong positions, in addition to finding the enemy posted in the most advantageous manner. That no attempt was made to oppose the landing at Eupa toria shows that the whole Russian strength will be concentrated for the protection of the fortress alone. That is the great prize to be con tended for, and we cannot suppose that it will be yielded without a desperate struggle. The Russians, as soldiers, though possessed of but little intelligence or vivacity, are endowed with great powers of endurance and a dogged determination, which, in advantageous posi• tions, may supply the place of more animated courage. There are few instances in modern day of a Russian army being routed, however severe the losses it has sustained. Two circumstances must undoubtedly tell against the allies—the lateness of the season, and the diminution of their force by sickness. Their present strength appears insufficient for so great an enterprise, but it is to be expected that they will be largely reinforced, and that the army before Sevastopol will be augmented in numbers as the operations of the siege progress. No intention can exist, we imagine, ' of capturing the place by a coup-(k-main, and, after all, success or failure may depend more on the season than on any other circum stance. It is far from improbable that the enemy may be able to protract their resistance until the time for field operations is over. Strong reinforcements have just been despatched from St. Petersburg to the army of the south, but from the great distance they have to traverse it would seem impossible that they can have any influence on the present campaign. Should the allies be successful, and Sevas d t o pol fall before their ar ms, the p rize, with fortress, garrison, an fleet, would be one of the most splendid ever gained in warfare. No further news has been received from the seat of war in Asia, except that General Grryott has been recalled. The Russian forces appear to be waiting in entrenched camps until the army of Schamyl shall have dispersed. The English fleet remained at Ledsund, but the French had taken its departure. It is now admitted by the leading Ministerial journal that Sir CHARLES NAPI ER, before his departure, petitioned for gun boats and a land force. If more has not been done in the Baltic, the blame is due o not to him, but te Ministry which denied him the n ecessary means for effectively t cond h ucting hostilities. In connection with the war, an article in the Times of yesterday, mputing, to speak plainly, cowardice to our officers holding commands in the expeditionary army, has excited strong animadversion. A long period of sickness and inaction, and the attacks of a malady which, even when not fatal, prostrate physical strength, and produce great mental depression, may have had some effect in damping the spirits of our officers, and they may have less confidence in the =CCM; of the expedi tion on which they have been sent than it suits the purpose of our Minis terial scribes to show ; but nothing can be more scandalous than to attempt to excite a prejudice against them at the very moment when, in all probability, they are shedding their blood in obedience to their country's orders. The slander is the more insidious as it is vague. " Superior officers" aro spoken of as " infecting others with the " suggestions of their own nervousness and apprehension," and, as no names are mentioned, the stigma attaches to the whole body with out admitting of formal contradiction. The cholera continues to abate in the metropolis, though the mortality is still awful. Several medical men have published the results of their practice with castor oil, and death appears to have usually followed its administration. In fact, in cases of malignant cholera, no mode of treatment yet adopted seems to have been attende SATURDAY, with success. The pestilence has broken out with alarming severity in some parts of Spain. In the little town of Mataro, near Barcelona, 260 persons died in the two first days. A social gathering in Ireland has been marked by an outrage of almost unprecedented malignity. The Protestant excursionists, to avoid rousing hostile passions, abstained from the use of colours, flags, or outward demonstration of any kind, yet, simply because they were Protestants, a deliberate attempt was made to massacre the whole party, and probably would have succeeded but for the prudence of Lord ENNISKILLEN, who sat by the driver, and moderated the rate of the engine to six or seven miles an hour. Several persons must have been concerned in the outrage, as one stone, weighing three hundred weight, had been removed from a parapet of the railway, and placed across the rail in such a direction as was calculated to throw the whole train down a precipitous embankment of thirty or forty feet. An ordi nary train, moreover, had passed only twenty minutes previously, so that the act must have been both deliberately planned and exactly timed. This cruel and cowardly conspiracy is noticed by some of the Coalition papers in a tone of disgraceful levity. THE (DUBLIN) CASTLE OF INDOLENCE. (ADAPTED FROM JAMES THOMSON FOR THE EARL OF ST. GERMANS). In that still pile, where, driving slowly by, The gentle carman curses " Saxon" rule, Where Whigs and Priests congenial callings ply, To rouse a mob or Parliament befool— Home never shut to borough-bribing tool— Grave place-hunting M.P. or dirty spy , — St. Germans yawns like Chesterfield the cool, But, drowsy lolling, lacks the .strength to cry, " Connaught has risen !—why then, so will I !"* And thus Lord Aberdeen's Lieutenant takes, In gentle indolence, his sleep and pay , And thus a pleasure and a profit makes, Of that Proconsulate of which did say Pitt, who was thought a statesman in his day, That it " the safest school of statesmen makes. But that old time has long since passed away, Not e'en the cry of " justice " his slumber breaks, Nor murderous rocks on rails the drowsy Viceroy wakes. Dublin—Eve of the Massacre on.the Enniskillen Railway, 1854. • All remember the anecdote of Chesterfield the Courtly when Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. When his valet awoke him exclaiming, "My Lord ! My Lord ! Connaught has risen !" "Ah !" replied Chesterfield, "It is put two o'clock—l must rise also !" THE PRESS. THE COALITION LIBRARY. AMONGST the other bequests which the munificent Coalition intends to leave, on its resignation, to the country, is a select library, to which every Ministerialist will contribute. We may safely name the sub joined volumes as already secured or in preparation. The Earl of Aberdeen will present a cookery-book, showing the best method of eating words, cooking despatches, roasting an Emperor, dishing the country, and serving parliamentary messes. It will also contain improved receipts for humble-pie and Irish-stews, with digres sions on the subject of hot water, and the best way of putting your foot into it. This volume will be very handsomely bound in Russia. The Duke of Argyll, by way of seasoning the Premier's receipts, will give his valuable letters to the Peers on red pepper, and a copy of " Cayenne examined." Lord Palmerston has some thoughts of giving the " Handbook to Turning in all its Branches, with Numerous Cuts of Former Partisans." Sir George Grey presents " The Turf, in its Relation to the Colonies ;" and the Duke of Newcastle follows up the subject by a pamphlet on "Bribery not Inconsistent with Office." Lord John Russell's donation c onsists in the very highly-prized " Essays by a Gentleman who Won't Leave his Lodgings when his Landlady gives him Warning." Sir James Graham, as First Lord of the Admiralty, presents " A Landsman's Thoughts on Tacking and Veering ; also on Leaving the Ship when there is any Chance of its Going Down." The Chancellor of the Exchequer will present the edition of arithmetic, Euclid. logic, and algebra in use at Maynooth, with special invocations of Saint Division, and the ever glorious and blessed Rule of Three. Sir William Molesworth contributes an old number of the West minster Review, containing one article subversive of all Govern ments, and another upholding the Coalition, on the ground that it is no Government at all. Sir Charles Wood cannot decide re he shall gi h av ing to ßes r esign ides," as he sagaciously remarks, " we are n at ot so sure of just yet!" A sentiment received with due applause by his colleagues. Macaulay gives his "History of England from the Reign of James the Second," as it might have been in the absence of malevolent Tories and even more malevolent facts. Mr. Sidney Herbert will present a book on "Russia the c k volume, True Seat of Liberty, Liberalism , and Ha pp y Despotism ; " thi bound in calf. To conclude, Mr. Lowe will send a copy of Australian Fleece, Preserved and Practised in England. The library will, no Crystal Palace, antL.a gui de -book to it be doubt, be placed in the Cr y written by Mr. Samuel Phillips.