The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-30 00:00:00

918 duction of the import duties on corn and other articles of food. _ ___ SWEDEN. The session of the Swedish States-General will terminate in the course of October. It is the custom for every Diet, before dispersing, to open for the King (in addition to the budget) two distinct credits, to meet any unforeseen exigencies that may occur during the recess. One of these, called the great credit (usually about 4,000,000 francs), is only available in the case of war. The other, the little credit (usually about 2,000,000 francs), is applicable to the defence of the kingdom and other important matters. It is affirmed that at a meeting of the Secret Committee, held on the 14th at the Palace, the King announced his intention to ask the Diet to augment this latter credit to the sum of 5,000,000 on account of existing circumstances. SPAIN. By the latest advices from Spain tranquillity every where prevailed. The Espartero Ministry govern with a firm hand, and show a determination to re press every attempt at disorder. All foreign, and especially French, refugees have been commanded to remove from the frontier towns and take up their residence beyond the Ebro. They will not be allowed to reside in Aragon, Catalonia, the Basque provinces, or in Madrid. The communication by telegraph between Madrid and Saragossa is complete, and the works for the continuation of the line to the frontiers of France are carried on with the greatest activity. Maria Christina, who arrived in Lisbon on the 9th, has been at Cintra, and has visited the Duchess de Braganza, but is a perfect dead letter in Portugal. Her name is scacely pronounced by any person. ITALY. A letter from Rome of the 20th states that the Pontifical Government has just contracted a loan for four millions of crowns (840,0001.) with the house of Rothschild. The first instalment is to be paid to the Government in the course of the ensuing month. The imposing ceremony of laying the first stone of a canal which is to pass under the bed of the Arno, for the purpose of draining the lake and marshes of Biantina, in Tuscany, took place on the 16th inst. The' Grand Duke was present. Cardinal Pontesia, in giving his benediction to the works, pro nounced a very edifying discourse. TURKEY. There is no news of interest in the advices from Constantinople except what relates exclusively to the progress of the war, and which will be found elsewhere. A commission of merchants has been organised at Constantinople, who have received the necessary authority for determining the rates of foreign and paper currency. RUSSIA. The Vienna correspondent of the Times states that he has good authority for affirming that the Czar and imperial circle at St. Petersburg have quite made up their minds to the loss of Sebas topol. The Russian Horse Guards, and the elite of the Company of Foot Guards, after an inspection by the Emperor at Peterhof, were marched on the 17th in full campaigning order to the south. Prince Gortschakoff, upon receiving a despatch announcing the disembarkation of the expedition in the Crimea, immediately wrote to the Russian Am. bassador at Stuttgard stating that he postponed his intended visit to that city. The prince, it is stated, has gone to Bessarabia in order to inspect his troops on the Lower Danube, and will extend his journey as far as Odessa. A brisk correspondence by means of couriers is going on between Prince Gortschakoff and Marshal Paskiewitsch in Warsaw. Baron Budberg is going to Bender. General Osten-Sacken receives a command on the coast of the Black Sea. Twenty Russian barges, laden with corn and rags, had been partly wrecked in a gale off Memel, and partly captured by the Amphion and Archer. Advices from Odessa of the 16th state that the news of the landing of the allied armies at Old Fort had arrived there; but the authorities were doing all they could to prevent the fact being pro mulgated. The Russian troops concentrated on the Wolga have received orders to march against Schamyl, in the Caucasus. The strength of this corp is estimated at 40,000 men. The irregular troops of the Steppes of Jaroslaw, and of the Don, are already in march to replace this corps on the Wolga. The reports of the engineers to the Minister of Finance in Russia announce that the production of the gold and silver mines continues to be consider able. On the 19th a convoy of eleven waggons, laden with seventeen ponds of gold and 100 of silver bars, passed through Nijni-Ncvogorod, on their way to St. Petersburg, being a total value of about two millions of francs. The official bulletin of cholera in St. Petersburg states that on the morning of the 2nd (14th) inst. lb.. THE PRESS. there were 68 patients, and 5 fresh cases occurred ; there were 5 cures and 1 death, leaving 68 cases under treatment. On the 3rd (15th) three more were attacked, 2 were cured, and none died. On the 4th, 2 more attacks, 9 cures, and 1 death, leaving 61 persons ill. UNITED STATES. New York advices to the 16th inst. have arrived by the Baltic steamer. The fishery dispute seems at length to be finally settled. The Washington Union of the 14th contains a proclamation by the President of the United States, setting forth that a convention between the United States and Great Britain has been concluded and signed, whereby the time for the settlement of out standing claims, by a mixed commission, limited by the convention of February 8, 1853, has been extended for a period not exceeding four months from the 15th September instant, it being agreed, however, that the time originally fixed for the pre sentation of claims shall in nowise be altered. The same paper publishes the official ratifications of the reciprocity treaty, exchanged at Washington on the 9th instant, and which, by the declaration of the President, has at once come into operation. It also announces that orders have been received for the withdrawal of the British fleet in the Gulf of St. Law rence, and to throw open the prohibited fishing grounds to Americans. The Washington correspondent of the New York Herald asserts that he has reason to believe that Cuba has been already purchased by the United States. A bloody riot at New Orleans is reported between large parties of Americans and Irishmen. Firearms were freely used on both sides; a great many were wounded and several killed. The military were ordered out, and the mob dispersed. The business portion of the town of Belize, in Honduras, was destroyed by fire on August 12, in. volving the loss of merchandise to the amount of half a million dollars and one hundred buildings, in cluding the gaol and poorhouse. The yellow fever at Savannah continues with un mitigated force. The city was being rapidly depopu• lated. Nearly every place of business was closed. There were not hands enough to bury the dead, and on one day ten bodies remained uncovered. The condition of affairs was horrible. A letter from St. Louis announces the receipt of intelligence from Fort Laramie of a melanchcly cha racter. It seems that a Sioux Indian stole an ox from an emigrant. The chief of the tribe offered to de• lives the offender to the commander of the fort; and accordingly Lieut. Grattan, Sergeant Favor, Corporal M'Nulty, and twenty privates, accompanied by an interpreter, set out for the camp of the Sioux, where the entire party were massacred. It was reported that the chief of the Sioux was also killed. No other particulars of this terrible deed of blood are received. Reinforcements have been despatched to the fort. The Indians are represented as very hostile. The annexation of the Sandwich Islands to America has been confirmed by the King of those islands. A combined fleet of eight English and French men-of•war were at the Sandwich Islands in July, whence they sailed on the 29th of that month. They were on the look-out for Russian ships, and probably intended a descent upon the Russian possessions northward. CANADA. A Ministerial crisis has occurred at Quebec. The Canadian Parliament opened its session on the sth, and in the course of the first three days' debates the Hincks Ministry sustained several discomfitures. They were defeated by an adverse majority of two on the Speakership ; and two or three divisions went badly against them on an election case in which there was an irregular return. They, therefore, sent in their resignations even before the question of parties was tried on the address. Sir Allan M‘Nab was then sent for by the Governor, and undertook the formation of a new Ministry. Sir Allan is a Conservative, but is said to have consented to make the secularisation of the clergy reserves a Government measure. The following is given as the list of members form ing the new Ministry : tipper Canadians.—Sir Allan M'Nah, President of the Council; William Cayley, Inspector-General; John A. Macdonald, Attorney-General, west; Henry Smith, Solici tor• General, west; Robert Spence, Postmaster General; John Ross, Speaker, Legislative Council. Lower Canadians.—N. A. Morin, Commissioner of Crown Lands; E. P. Tache, Receiver-General; Jean Chabot, Commissioner of Public Works ; L.T. Drummond, Attorney-General; P. J. 0. Chaveau, Provincial Secretary ; Dunbar Ross, Secretary. English capitalists, it is stated, need not fear the effect of these changes upon their loans to Canada, for the honour of the province will, in any event, be sacredly kept, and its ability to meet all its liabilities is undoubted. The wheat harvest in Upper Canada is large, but continued dry weather has injured other crops. SATURDAT 4 The arrival of Sir E. Head, to take the place of Lord Elgin, as Colonial Governor, was daily expected at Quebec at the dates of the latest despatches. INDIA AND CHINA. The August overland mail reached Trieste on Wednesday, the steamer having left Alexandria on the 22nd. The dates are Calcutta 19th August; Madras, 24th; Bombay, 28th; Shanghai, 24th July; Amoy, `29th; Canton, sth August; Hong-Kong, oth; Singapore, 13th. From India we have no further intelligence than the brief announcement that trade is dull." The China news is more important. Canton was strenuously besieged, and in a few days was expected to be in the hands of the rebels. [Later but undated advices, received via California, announce that Canton had actually surrendered.] All business was meanwhile suspended and no tea brought to market. Whampoa and Futschan were still occupied by the rebels. Sir J. Bowring remained in the north. AUSTRALIA. The Australian advices brought by the mail bear date, Sydney, July 21st; Melbourne, 25th; Adelaide, 29th. They represent a great depression in com mercial affairs. The half-yearly report of the Great Nugget Vein Mining Company is unfavourable, and no dividend was declared. Mrs. Chisholm and her party of emigrants landed at Port Phillip on the 14th of July. New South Wales gold was worth at Sydney 3/. 175.; Port Phillip gold 41. THE CRIMEA. AT the meeting of the British Association on Tues day last Mr. Danby Seymour, M.Y., read a paper upon " The Caucasus and Parts of the Crimea," which excited a great amount of interest. He com menced by stating that he had passed through the Crimea nine years ago, and spent one summer there. In Circassia he had spent three years, and visited it upon two different occasions, before and after a long journey in Persia and India. As regarded the Crimea, it contained four races of people, amongst whom were the Tartars, being the great bulk of the population ; the Greeks, many remaining of the old Greek colonies established there ; also an ancient colony of Jews, near Simferopol; and lastly, the Russians, who bad gone there in great numbers since the country came into their possession, about the year 1786. He referred to Perekop, which he said was a cold climate, little cultivated, and con taining hardly any Russian population. The steppes at a plains were similar to the downs in lA'iltshite. Thence there were slopes all along the country until approachit g Simferopol, near the centre of the island, and scarcely a tree or landmark to intercept the view. The plains then rise gradually on approaching Simferopol, where the moun tains are visible, and there are little undulating hills atter passing that town. Simferopol is a pretty Russian town, with good houses, surrounded by woods, and is principally inhabited by Russians. To the south-west, about forty miles, is Balaklava, where there is a beautiful rem nant of old Moorish architecture, the palace of the old khan of the Crimea. Near that, in the mountains, is the colony of the Jews before alluded to. They are that sec tion of the Jews who rejected the interpolation of the Talmud. Leaving Balaklava, he visited Sebastopol,where he was shown over the place by Colonel Upton, who had been sent there to construct the large ducks for the Government. He went out to see the ship Twelve Apostle, of which the Russians are now so proud, and among many things told him by Colonel Upton and others was the bad wood of which the ships were made. He said that a can non ball which would lodge in the side of an English ship would go through one of the Russian ships, as the timbers had been " jobbed." Going over the clusemated batteries, the engineers communicated to him the information that the batteries had been uniformly " jobbed." The engineer had witnessed the building of the walls, and he said that if ever a time came to require them to be used they would be found hardly to stand the shock of their own fire. Whether that be true or not would soon he ascertained, as they would shortly be put to the test. He remembered an anecdote illustrative of the genius of the Russians, told him by Colonel Upton. He said that when he came there the Russians did not know the use of wheelbarro or any other contrivance for econo misin g labour. large works wish which they were o ccupied before th e colonel came amongst them the m en used no sort of appa ratus, but carried on their backs , in b a g s, the earth which had to be removed; the consequence was that a large num- In the bar of them received injuries, and were always in the hos pitals. The colonel had to introduce amongst them the common mechanical contrivances so well known and generally adopted in Europe. They worked well, but it was difficult to make them understand the value of seen racy. The Russians consits.er that if they work at a thing ffig it is enough ; and in the Russi an arm y the word im• possible " was not allowed a place. Whenever a ltusian soldier was told to do a thing, it was considered sufficient if he did something. In illustration of that, heColonel Upton told him that when build in g the dock gates found his calculations completely out, and the woodwork would not fit the space in which it was t o be placed. On inquiry, he ascertained that the workman who pre pared the stone cut it too short, and, in order that lf? m i s take might not be found out , h e cut the gauge witn which the stone was measured. It was near Balheklavo! where it had been intended that the allied troop; sould land, but which lie thought had been very wi sel y ebar dor!! for there existed in that locality a narrow gorge, /roc" might be easily defended. W _.J