The Press. — London, England, 1854-06-03 00:00:00

JUNE 3, 1854. be a Bengal University. Pupils from all the Govern ment schools throughout Bengal are to be admissible, and it is proposed to grant degrees—or rather diplomas _answering to the University degrees at Oxford and Cambridge. It is understood that this scheme is ac companied by a minute from the Governor-General giving it his cordial approval, and advising the court at once to adopt it. A college is proposed to be built, to cost about 60,0001., and a statrof professors, &c., to be organised, at a cost of about 10,0001. per annum. The Ganges Canal, the greatest public work as yet constructed by the English in India, was opened by the Lieutenant-Governor of Agra cn the Bth of April. The scene at the opening, as described by the local papers,— English clergymen reading a form of prayers for the occasion, Brahmins throwing flowers into the stream, an imposing display of troops, a general dis tribution of sweetmeats, missionaries preaching to the crowd, racing in sacks, and the like,—formed a milange that could only have been presented in British India. The work when completed will have cost one and a half million sterling, and it is estimated that the direct net return will be at the rate of about 7 per cent. on the outlay. The total length of channel navigable throughout, including the trunk and terminal lines into the great branches, is very nearly 890 miles. Much scandal has been occasioned by an expose of the internal economy of one of the regiments of the Bombay army (the 15th Native Infantry). Its late commander, Colonel T. Gidley, has been cashiered by sentence of court marshal, and five of his off►cers were placed under trial on charges which, if proved, must be fatal to their commissions. Another officer of the Bombay army is also to be tried at the Supreme Court for stealing a ring from a brother officer at mess; and a late " political " for a defalcation of nearly 130,000/ of his treasure chest. A most violent tornado passed on the 10th of April over, Rnngpoor, in Bengal. It caused the most fearful loss of property and life, depopulating villages and carrying before it houses, cattle, and everything that interrupted its course. THE WESTERN AND GERMAN POWERS. NEW TREATIES. Is our last PRESS we gave the text of the new conven tion just concluded between Austriaand Prussia; and announced the fact that a protocol combining that convention with the last treaty between England, France, and Turkey, of which we also recapitulated the principal terms, had been signed by the represen tatives of the four powers at the Vienna Conference on the 2:trd ult. The text of this protocol has since been received. It runs as follows : " The undersigned plenipotentiaries have held it con formable to the arrangements contained in the protocol of the 9th of April to meet in conference to communicate re ciprocally and record in one common act the conventions concluded between France and England on the one hand and between Austria and Prussia on the other, upon the 10th and 20th of April respectively, in the present year. " After a careful examination of the aforesaid conventions, the undersigned have unanimously agreed, " 1. That the convention concluded between France and England, as well as that signed on the 20th of April between Austria and Prussia, bind both of them in the relative situations to which they apply to secure the maintenance of the principle established by the series of protocols of the Conference of Vienna. " 2. That the integrity of the Ottoman empire and the evacuation of that portion of its territory which is occupied by the Russian army are and will continue to be the con stant and invariable object of the union of the four powers. "3. That, consequently, the acts, communicated and annexed to the present protocol correspond to the engage ment which the plenipotentiaries had mutually contracted on the 9th of April to deliberate and agree upon the means most fit to accomplish the object of their union, and thus give a fresh sanction to the firm intentions of the four powers represented at the Conference of Vienna, to com bine all their efforts and their entire resolution to ac complish the object which forms the basis of their union. " BUOL SCHAUSNIiTEIN. " WENTNIORSLAND. " BOURQUENEY. " ARNIM." [The conventions of the 10th and 20th of April are an nexed.; Meanwhile the Austro-Prusaian convention has been transmitted to the Germanic Diet, accompanied by an elaborate "memorandum," in which the Cabinets of Vienna and Berlin invite all the Governments repre sented at that Diet to become parties in the conven tion. The material points of this state paper are given in the following summary " Since the state of affairs in the East was last brought before the Diet, the hopes of returning peace cherished by the Governments of Austria and I'russia have been dis appointed. France and England have joined Turkey as allies, and Austria, after reducing her army, has seen her self compelled to station a large military force on her southern frontier. Tho Governments of Austria and Prussia agree with those of France and England in regard ing the prolongation of the conflict between Russia and Turkey as injurious to their own states, together with those of the rest of Europe. They have acknowledged in common that the maintenance of the integrity of the Otto man empire, and the independence of the Sultan's Govern ment, is a necessary condition of the political balance, sad that the war should, under no circumstance', have for THE PRESS. result any change in existing territorial positions. The last of the protocols, in which this agreement is recorded, shows that, although Fraser and Great Britain hare entered into the tear against Russia, the four Cabinets invariably adhere to the principles proclaimed heretofore by thee in common, and have united in regard to the principle on which to deliberate in common as relates to the fitting means for attaining the object of their endeavours. The Courts of Vienna and Berlin have not failed to perceive that the continued display of military force on the Danube is irreconcilable with the most important interests of Austria and also of Germany. Having come to a decided conviction on this point, Austria and Prussia now turn to their German conledorates. It seems to them of prime importance to the political position of Germany, an element of her settled policy, a condition of the growth of her national wealth, that there should be a well-ordered state of affairs in the countries on the Lower Danube. Germany looks to the East—of which the Danube is for her an highway—for an important extension of her com merce, but for this purpose Danubian commerce must be as free as possible, and exempt from liability to obstruc tion. But apart front this, the two powers consider that it is the duty of the federal Governments of Germany to take care that the settled relations of great European states shall not be altered to the prejudice of Germany by the present war. Final decision still belongs to the future, and Austria and Prussia urge upon their• German allies the necessity of standing firm and true by each other under the trials which the approaching future may bring upon their common fatherland." SMALL CHANGE IN CONSTANTINOPLE. TIM state of affairs in this respect in the Turkish capital is reported in the correspondence from Turkey to be very bad. There is no silver to be had. If a purchase is made, and gold offered in payment, it depends entirely on the amount expended whether the bargain is not off, either from the inability to give, or the unwillingness of the shopkeeper to part with, so scarce a commodity as " change." But when the articles sold are consumed on the spot, as at a confectioner's, the matter becomes serious, because the seller does not ask in what money he is to be paid before the cakes are eaten ; and, as he finds it impos sible to be off the bargain, he is obliged to start small paper money of his own. Here is a specimen " Baltzer et Driesmans, 8.P., lne. Pre. Lorltzaw and Dwindurwind." The above bank-note is issued by one of the best con fectioners in Perri, who, in offering it, appeals to the good nature of his customer to accept it, as he has nothing else to give. The British troops at Scutari are equally ill off for small money. The pay is issued to them in English sovereigns. The difficulty then presents itself, how are these sovereigns to be distributed daily, each man to have his share? Jews and others come laden with silver, which they retail at ridiculous prices. A sovereign is worth from 130 to 130 piastres in paper money, upon which currency of course all prices are regulated. The Jew pre sent himself with silver five-piastre pieces, and gives twenty-one of them to the captain of a company for the sovereign, reminding his victim that, although they are called five-piastre pieces, they are worth in a shop six for any article purchased Twenty-one six piastre pieces appear to the novice good exchange for a sovereign, parti cularly when they are called Turkish shillings. The Jew in the transactions gain four to ten piastres, or say tid. to Is. rid., upon every sovereign he buys. This is only the commencement of the war—at Constantinople too. What will the troops do in the interior, unless some steps are taken to remedy such an evil? ANOTHER STEAM MONSTER, whose proportions sur pass all former specimens of the class, huge as they have been, is now building at Scott Russell's yard in Millwall. Her keel was laid down a few days since, and the vessel is expected to be completed in two years. She is to be nearly twice the length of the great Himalaya, to have three times greater tonnage, and is expected to perform the voyage to Australia in a little over thirty days. A MEDAL in commemoration of the allied war against Russia in defence of Turkey has been struck at the Paris Mint. It is of the size of a five-franc piece. On the obverse Napoleon 111. is represented giving his right hand to Queen Victoria, and his left hand to the Sultan Abd-ul-Medjid. Over the head of Napoleon is inscribed the word " Catholicisme ;" over that of Queen Victoria, " Protestantisme ; " and over that of the Sultan, " Islami,me." Over all, and in large characters, so as to make the group into one whole, are the words, " Dieu lea Protege ; " and be low the figures is the word " Civilisation." On the reverse are the words, " Sous le regne de Napoleon 111. et celui de Victoria, la France et la Grande Bretagne s'unirent pour assurer la paix du monde." The medal is signed by " Caqui, graveur de l'Em pereur." Dn. STANGER, the Surveyor-General of the colony of Natal, died at D'Urban on the 14th of March, after an illness of but one week. Dr. Stanger was one of the few survivors of the memorable Niger expedition. His scientific attainments and sterling principles endeared him to every one who knew him, and his experience as surveyor-general of this colony, extending over nine years, gave him a high position in the Legislative Council. The funeral took place on the 10th ; the greatest portion of the inhabitants of D'Urban were present, and the Bishop and the Rev. Mr. Lloyd performed the burial service. THE WAR. ANOTHER week has gone by, and we are still without news of the war. From the Baltic fleet, which lies nearest, and whence we expect most, and moat speedily, to hear that something has been done, there is nothing, not even a rumour. Ditto from the Black Sea. From the armies in the East our tidings are limited only to the report that certain of the chiefs—viz., Marshal St. Arnaud, Lord Raglan, and Riza Pacha—had gone to Varna to hold a council of war with Omer Pacha. At this council, it was ru moured in Constantinople on the 22nd ult., a decision had been come to that the allied forces were to ad vance upon Adrianople—a determination which we had fancied to base been reached long ago. After the council it is said that the three leaders went on with Omer Pacha to Sebumla, to make further obser vations. In anticipation of the speedy advance of the troops, 30,000 packhorses and 4,000 teams of oxen have been demanded from the Porte for the march from Galli poli to Adrianople. Marshal St. Arnaud has been declared generalis simo of the combined armies, French, English, and Turkish, during We progress of the war. He thus supersedes Omer l'acha, upon whom hitherto the sole brunt of hoatilities has fallen, and who seems to have supported it with consummate ability. The division of the French army under the com mand of Prince Napoleon will, it is generally be lieved, occupy Constantinople. It was expected iu that capital by the 2nd of June. Generals hose and Narvik Pacha have arrived at Constantinople in the French steamer Osiris. General Yusuf, commanding the Zcuavea, has also arrived there. He has made offers to the Porte to take the command of the bashi-bazouks (irregular horsemen), and will engage to bring them to a proper state of discipline. . Atiother ally has come to the assistance of the Porte. After several interviews between the Minister of Foreign Affairs for France and Count Ratio, Mi. nister of the Bey of Tunis, the Tunisian Government has undertaken to send an auxiliary corps to Con stantinople. This force will consist of four regiments of infantry and two batteries of artillery. Each regiment will comprise three battalions of about 800 men. The entire force will number about 10,000 men, 400 horses, and 12 pieces of artillery. The command of the corps will be confided to General Rechid, who was last year sent to Paris on a mission. The British troops at Scutari are raid to be practi cally immovable on account, of their want of baggage horses. The artillery horses are so knocked up and out of condition by their long sea voyage as to be unfit for service for some time to come. Few horses are to be obtained on the spot, and those are weak and worthless animals, for which, moreover, extra vagant prices are demanded. It is stated to be difficult to get even the commonest baggage hack for anything under 201. or 251., and a respectable saddle horse, equal to an English cab horse, is not to be had under 401. or 451. But it is not alone to the equine productions of Turkey that the rise of price has been confined. Everything which an European wants is at least 50 per cent. dearer and 50 per cent. worse than the same things in England. Californian and Constantinople prices mean much about the same just now : " The Journal de Constantinople of the 19th gives an ac count of a dinner given by the Sultan to his Royal High ness the Duke of Cambridge. After the arrival of the duke at the Palace of Biberley the Sultan entered the saloon into which the prince had been shown, and entered into conversation with him. He also conversed with Mar shal St. Arnaud, and with M. Benedetti, Chargé d'Affaires of France, who were likewise present. The Sultan then, after the usual compliments, retired to his apartments, and the dinner was announced. An immense table was spread with great magnificence in the principal saloon of the palace, which was brilliantly lighted. The members of the corps diplomatique and a namber of officers of the allied armies were present at the dinner. When the repast was nearly concluded the Grand Vizir proposed the health of Queen Victoria. His royal highness replied, and in a neat speech proposed a toast to the Sultan. Marshal St. Arnaud then made a speech, in which he spoke of the English and French alliance for the defence of the sacred rights of the Sultan. Redscdid Puha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, pro ised the health of the Duke of Cambridge. The Sultan's band played ' God save the Queen' and some military marches. The duke and the other guests afterwards took coffee and pipes in an adjacent saloon." Peremptory orders have been issued for the ex pulsion of all remaining Russian subjects from the territories of the Porte. Hitherto many of the wealthier Russian merchants had obtained permis. sion to remain, under the protection of the Austrian Internuncio, who became responsible for their good behaviour. It was found, however, that, with few exceptions, they became spies of their own Govern ment, sending to St. Petersburg early information of everything which happened in Turkey, and facih- , I 511 i•=IIINIMMIN.