The Press. — London, England, 1853-06-25 00:00:00

JUNE 25, 1853. THE CAMP AT CHOBHAM. THE SHAH FIGHT, JUNE 23. (From a Correspondent.) L.►sr week I gave the readers of the PRESS a picture of the still life of the camp. Let me see if I can daguerrotype the moving panorama of Tuesday last. A sight of the great avenue of Windsor Park, crowded with carriages, horsemen, and pedestrians, as I drove from the station to the ground, was enough to convince me of the attraction of the spectacla we were about to witness, and also to cor rect an impression very common among us English people that we have little love of soldiering. I very much ques tion whether the brilliant reviews of the much larger en campment of Satory, conducted by the Emperor in per son, attract a third of the number of Frenchmen, as do the field days at Chobham our peace-mongering Saxons What else but the true bump of combativeness could have impelled a hundred thousand Londoners twenty-six miles along a cross road? The first view of the camp as I got upon the ground. just after the arrival of her Majesty and the Prince, was grand in the extreme. The approach from the Windsor road is much more effective than that from Chertsey, huts much as the spectator sees the whole encampment at one view spread out in a crescent upon the side of the hill. The faint sound of the national anthem at the extreme left of the line gave warning that the Royal promenade in front of the troops had begun, and looking over the busy foreground of coaches, cabs, carriages, waggons, horsemen, and pedestrians, I saw the line of ten thousand men stretching for nearly two miles, and ruled like a red ink line across the heath. Making my way towards a moving mass of glittering uniforms and dancing feathers, I ob tained an excellent view of her Majesty, the Prince, and the King of Hanover, as they slowly walked their horses down the line. Her Majesty rode a black charger, which, by-the-bye, she managed admirably, and wore a blue riding-habit, and a simple round felt hat, surmounted by a white military plume. As she passed along the line, the Prince on one side, the Kiug on the other, preceded by Lord Hardinge the Commander-in-Chief, and Lord Seaton, the Commander of the Division, she returned the military salute of the troops with spirit and precision. Each regiment as she passed caught up the national anthem, which was thus borne gently along the entire line with quite a dramatic effect. In the midst of all this glitter and show, himself suggesting with the Queen the centre of attraction of the vast. multitude looking on, rode the poor blind young King, his horse led by an officer in the Hanoverian uniform, forming the one touch of melan choly in the bright and happy scene The inspection of the troops over, the Royal party, attended by a guard of honour, retired to an elevated point commanding the southern side or hollow of the heath, and quite out of sight of the encampment, which lies on the northern slope. The ridges of high ground which form the centre of the common are shaped somewhat like two crescents, with their convexities towards each other ; thus they each look down upon a hollow tract of land. That on the southern side, being less boggy and more extensive, was therefore chosen as more suitable than the other for the evolutions of the troops. Every point of high ground was imme diately covered with the multitude of spectators, her Majesty and suite occupying an eminence to the left of the scene of action. The celerity of the troops' movements took every one by surprise. The spectator had scarcely time to gain the top of the ridge which commands both camp and reviewing ground, to take out his glass, and lo ! the long line of motionless troops he had the moment before been watching were nowhere to be seen. The tents were deserted, and it seemed as if the entire army had by enchantment sunk into the ground. I asked a sentry what had become of them? " Oh, you'll see 'em directly, behind the brow of the bill out yonder," he replied, pointing to the extreme right of the extensive landscape. And sure enough the bearskin caps of the Grenadiers soon began to peer over the shoulder of a hill in one direction, and the plumes of the High lenders to move in another; then came out a cloud of black spots towards the middle of the landscape, right down in the hollow. They looked to the naked eye no bigger than the grounds at the bottom of a teacup ; pre sently the scattered ground*—l beg pardon, the riflemen — made a simultaneous dash in one direction, to gain a ditch right in advance. It was no sooner gained than its whole length was mapped by a white line of smoke, whilst the sharp crack of rifles came quick upon the ear. The 42nd II ighlanch n s, who, by-the-bye, led the attack by throwing out skirmishirg parties, having dislodged the enemy, an enem by-the-bye that everybody was looking for and whom nob dv could see. the whole attackirg patty advanced. The cavalry were seen every now and then as their breast pines gh amed beneath the tree, or their plumes fluttered. stealing round in the distance to turn the left flank of the THE PRESS. apocryphal enemy,while the Footauards in the second and third brigade of infantry marched out boldly on the plain, supported by the artillery, which thundered away from an eminence in the rear. The enemy having taken up a position on a rising ground, called Flutter's-hill, which was covered by people, the Foot Guards charged at the rear with fixed bayonets, and the surging movement upwards of column after column was perhaps the most ex citing thing of the day, and much more pleasant no doubt to the spectators in the distance than to the peaceable civilians who suddenly found themselves the objects of attack. A glittering wall of steel in front advancing rapidly upon them, hemmed in by the cavalry in the rear, and open to the battery of horse artillery on their left flank, the whole mass took to its heels like a flock of sheep, much to the amusement of those more securely placed. What became of the enemy we know not ; indeed. it was a most contemptible enemy, consisting of only a hundred of the Welch Fusiliers, the same number el' Sappers and Miners, and the cavalry farriers. The want of a respectable force on the other side made the whole affair pointless—as bad, almost, as playing at whist with a treble dummy. There were no charges of cavalry, as the ground is not fitted for such movements, a horse's leg having been broken on the last field-day ;iu fact, the main object of the display was to parade the entire divi sion before her Majesty. This took place at the end of the proceedings, the entire army pouring over the brow of Flutter's-hill, and down its side directly in front of the Royal party. This movement was extremely curious, each column as it rose over the brow of the hill, and then discharged its living flood down the steep slope, giving it the appearance—if we may be allowed so daring a simile —of a gigantic water-wheel in motion. Tho tine condition of the different regiments as they marched across the open ground, their respective bands playing, was univer sally admired, the Rifles and the Highland regiments however, hearing off the palm for the beauty of their drill. The latter regiments, indeed, moved like one piece, their philibegs swaying from side to side as they marched with all the precision of machinery. The artillery, both horse and foot, were in beautiful order; and the ease with which they climbed up and down the steep ground, like cats, was very remarkable. The review over, the Royal party re tired for refreshment to the Queen's pavilion, and, after re maining here for some time, took its departure for Wind ' sor, amidst a parting salute from the entire line drawn up on the parade-ground. The rain now came on heavily, and the rush off the common of the immense multitude of ' spectators formed a fitting finale of the day's proceedings. FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE. Tuesday, June 21. BANKRUPTCY ANNULLED AUGUSTINE llyt.t.r.rri, of the West India Dock-road, Limehouse, rnsitugany merchant. BANKRUPTS--Tnommt WAraos, of King's Lynn, Norfolk, PINHORN CAPEL,OI Witham, EMMA, druggist —Jolts Scorr, of Tichbourne•street, Haymarket, hosier — RICHARD WILLIAMS, of New lirentford, boottnaker—Wmukaa Wool), of Ortuid Junction-terrace, Edgware-road, stationer — RICHARD Plus. of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, corn dealer—Jon HROADIIIHMT, late of Longten, Staffiirdshire, earthenware imuntfacturer—Rictinu I'IKE, of East Stonehoutir, Devonshire, butcher—Wm. CONWAY, of Plymouth, builder—Wu. ELI.ISON, of Alauchester, grocer. SCOTCH sEquESTRATIONS—Jourt Smtrii Arum, of Glam• gow, goods finisher—Joim WHAMOND, of Invergowrie, Dundee, merchant—Ww. Du's Man, of Dundee, baker—lion. JAIIEI4 tiINCLAIN of Edinburgh, commission agent. Friday, June 24. BANKRUPTCY SUPERSEDEU.—RonanT 110 RNER, l'all ma 11, Reclined victualler. BANKRI/PTS.—lxtot BARFAM, FRANCESCO FOIIZANO,IIIIII BASSANI) BEROAMANCHI, Orr ville•ntrent, Hatton-garden, wood c avern and modellers.—Lnctan Fiptcrait, Mangum. Devonaltire, limm•draper. WILLIAM RILEY, St. Ilelen'ti, glans imundar. Mier. —.11)1IN KNliittr, Tenter House, It4N•h4lide, bleacher.— FRANCIS ItSIIISsoN, !Amu:heater, merchant. THE LONDON SHERIFFS for the ensuing year were elected yesterday at a Common Hall of the Livery held for that purpose in the Guildhall. The election fell upon Messrs. Turnley and Shepperson. Sir J. Key at the same time passed through the form of re-election as City Chamberlain. It is stated that this is the last year in which the Chamberlain will continue the (for many years) custom of treating the freemen to beef and beer ; his salary being fixed, and the Corporation having to bear the expense, it will be discontinued. THE RUSSIAN ARMY, according to a Warsaw jour nal, consists of 72 regiments of infantry, divided into 32 battalions, and 24 regiments of cavalry of 192 squadrons : the artillery consists of six corps and 690 guns. The total number of the active army is 290,000, without counting the reserve. The reserve is composed of six divisions of infantry and six bri gades of cavalry, and forms a force of 140,000 men, without counting the pulks of Cossacks. NEW FREE TRADE.—EQUAL DUTIES. DEAR Me. Pries,—l have dropped behind "the age " somehow, and can get little help from my ac quaintances to make up my leeway. When I make signals of distress, they clap on all canvas, and serve me out with shot from a stern-chaser, as if I were an enemy and not a well-meaning slowcoach. Now, Mr. Press, I observe that you are not so very much before me in this terrible race with the "Spirit of the Age," and you may possibly have a little sympathetic kind ness, and may not be indisposed to tow me on a bit. I want to understand the principles of "Free Trade," and " No Proteetion:*" No intertwines with industry or with the public tastes," and to easprebent tin development of these principles in the practises of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I find by reference to his list of pampas* &dim that he means to protect British eoleeig Miss. ad British colonial butter, and British colonel Awes. and British eggs, and British ginger, &c., &c.; and that he intends to direct the public taste towards tamarinds, olives, and citron (in salt), by withdrawing all duties on importation of them. He seems to be of opinion that apples, medlars. &c., are better for public morals than pears and quinces, as he charges 2d. per bushel on the im portation of the former, and Bd. per bushel on the latter. ()ranges sod lemons he deems four times as bad for the public digestion as apples, and marks his official sense of the dirrerence by a duty of Bd. per bushel. Nobody can blame him for thinking nuts and walnuts bad things for children, and old gentle men disposed to gout, and therefore we can't °Neat to is. per bushel on them. But I protest against 3s. Rd. per bushel on prunes, when everybody, including the Chancellor, knows perfectly the medicinal value of the stewed article. Dates he may be right in discou raging with ss. per bushel ; perhaps he was thinking of other dates which are unpleasant as reminiscences I cannot, however, imagine the cause of his ill-will to currants and raisins, or why he should in this current year of this advanced century think it reasonable to put a duty of ss. per bushel on raisins, and of 7s. Med. per bushel on currants, passes my humble and anxiously inquiring understanding. Er vno diace owner. I can understand people doing their best who profess to be guided by common sense ; but the fruit of my investigation into this matter is to be quite at a loss to discern the principle of free trade, free industry, and free taste in these arrangements. I can ask more when I discover a kind instructor or a patient listener. I am. yours respectfully, Mr. Press, A WOULD-BF. CONRINTENT FREE-TRADEit. THE TAX ON SUCCESSIONS. Sir,—l do not pretend to understand budgets in general, but there is one part of Mr. Gladstone's which has so completely puzzldi me that I should very much like to hear it explained, if it can be. One of Mr. (I.'s pleas for extending the legacy duties to land is, as I understand, to balance what he considers the unequal pressure of the income tax on professional men ; but at the same time he in tends to use the revenue gained from the legacy duties to abolish the income tax entirely. What will he do with the legacy duties when the alleged be quality they are to counterbalance is removed ? Apolog►sing for troubling you with a foolish goes tion, ►f I am wrong in my facts,—] remain, sir, your obedient servant, TYRO. 7#larktts. Con; Al Fainsv.—The arrivals of grain and four have been small. To-day's market was pop* stiastled, and the sale of wheat is very limited, holders Wig esteem of selling at any decline. We make no alteration in prices. In the value of barley, beans, and peas, we observe sou alteration. The supply of oats eontinnes Man, end in wham., of lid. per quarter is obtained upon Monday a prices. The flour trade is quiet, and prices unaltered. There being but few arrivals from the South the business done has been limited, at 41s. for Odessa (ibirka, 40s. for Polish a klessa, 375. for Routuelia, and 30s. for hada, partly fur the Continent, all e. f. and i. Arrivals this week Wheat—English, 2)410 qrs. ; Foreign, 6,250 qrs. Harley English, 20 qrs.; Foreign, 7so qrs. (huts—English, 2,190 qrs. ; Irish, 3,:o1N1 tire. ; Foreign, 2,030 qrs. llonr—Eng lish, 2,010 sacks; Foreign. 3,f1e10 seeks and barrel's. Smtrittixto, FIIIDAY.—The supply of beasts in to-day's markets was tolerably extensive, but rather deficient in quality. For all breeds we had a steady, though by no means active, inquiry, at Monday's prices. The pritnest Scots were worth 4s. lid. per Nibs. Although the numbers of sheep were on the increase, the saki for dm* Of stock was. brisk, at full quotidian'. MS = d ad a Downs realised Is. 10d. per 811*. Thin was a I =2 demand for lambs, at fully the bar admin. Prices from tor. to Os. 441. per t+l sr. The seal trade was firm, on former terms. rigs were unaltered in value. IN I