The Press. — London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

200 proclaimed over the whole of Spain, and a circular sent from the Ministry to the governors of provinces, declaring that the Government is determined to main tain to the last gasp. Numerous arrests have since taken place at Madrid and elsewhere among the members of the Opposition. The number of persons arrested in the capital amounts to upwards of 200, and among them were not only Republicans, but some Legitimists of the upper ranks of society. In the departments, and especially in the Department du Nord, a great number of proclamations have been seized, signed by the refugees in London, and addressed to the French army, calling on the troops to revolt against the Government. Gonzales Bravo is among the persons captured. Generals Serrano and Manzano (the latter also a former subordinate of Jose Concha's) have been sent de cuartel. Madrid at the last advices was quiet, but there was much anxiety abroad. On the day when news of the outbreak arrived in Madrid, the Queen, with a numerous suite, took an airing in the promenade of the Fuente Cas tellana, and at night was at the Opera. Her reception was, as usual, one of perfect indif ference. The Government was preparing [a project of con stitutional reform, which was to appear on the 25th of February. The two Chambers will be dis solved. The Constituent Cortes are to meet on the Ist of May. The Government will present a new consti• tution to the Assemblies, a Senate and a Congress. RUSSIA AND TURKEY. An imperial ukase has appeared at St.. Petersburg. All the naval officers who had been pensioned off are summoned to resume active service. The marines on furlough are already collecting at the different harbours assigned to them, and they must be per fectly armed and equipped by the middle of March. Both the army and fleet in the south are being pro visioned on a colossal scale. The new conscription has excited great discontent at Moscow and in its neighbourhood. The levy will withdraw about 300,000 serfs from productive labour; and, in addition to this, another arbitrary decree reduces by one-third the number of days to be devoted to forced labour ; but., as all labour in Russia is compulsory, this is a reduction of at least 30 per cent. of the productive labour of the empire. So great is the press for men in Russia, that soldiers who had served for twenty-five years and been discharged are again called out and forced to march immediately. The wealthiest families of St. Petersburg had asked leave to raise a regiment of infantry at their own expense. Their wish had been acceded to, and they were allowed to name the officers. Many Greeks have been enticed into the Russian service, and great advantages have been held out to the Jews to induce them to enter the navy. The Czar is again making paper money. By an ukase of the 17th ult., addressed to the Directing Senate, he orders the issue of six new series of credit notes, each of three millions of silver roubles (75 millions of francs). Prince Paskiewitsch is appointed to the supreme command over the Danubian army. Orders have been forwarded to the Russian fleet neither to seek nor to avoid a collision with the allied fleets. The last accounts from the theatre of war state that the snow renders the roads impracticable. The armies occupy their old positions. The affairs of out posts do not produce any definite result. Letters from Wallachia state that the Russians have transported all the mat4riei for pontoons to Giurgevo, where the soldiers are busy day and night in preparing the bridges which are intended to be thrown across the Danube. The Russians have also been concentrating large forces at Brailow, and are fortifying the town of Tokchani, upon the Moldo Wallachian frontier, where they will have, in case of reverse, their parks and ammunition, their great magazines of provisions, and their hospitals. Omer Pacha is appointed Generalissimo of all the Ottoman forces operating on the Danube. The castles of the Dardanelles are at present guarded by a company of English and French pioneers organised for that purpose. The Sheik-ul- Islam presented to the Porte on the 6th ult. the sum of 100,000,000 piastres from the funds for religious purposes, as a subvention for the further continuance of the war. A treaty has been concluded between the Porte and France and England relative to future negotia tions with Russia. Negotiations relative to the future position of the Christians in Turkey have been also opened between the representatives of the four powers and the Porte. General Sir John Burgoyne, two English Bente. nants of Engineers, and a French colonel, with an adjutant, arrived at the Turkish capital on the oth THE PRESS. ult., on board the Caradoc. On the 11th they visited the Dardanelles to inspect the fortifications. English and French officers are admitted into the Turkish service without changing their religion. GREECE. According to the last accouuts from Vienna, the statements of the progress of the Greek insurrection in Turkey, which have been received through Athens, are grossly exaggerated. Already the insurgents have been beaten on several points, and two Turkish corps of 10,000 each are on their way to chastise the rebels. Halim Pacha, commanding the Turkish troops in the Dobrudscha, has been named commander-in chief of the corps destined to operate against the Greek insurgents. He is one of the most distin guished officers in the Turkish service, and com manded in Albania in 1851. The Turks are concen trating a considerable force in the Sandjak of Elbessen to succour the Bache of Janina. The French and Enklish Ambassadors have sent two steamers to the assistance of the Turks, and probably the Gulfs of Contessa and Salonica and the coast of Albania will be declared in a state of siege. The British Minister at Athens has informed the Greek Government that England will interfere, if necessary, to restore order in the insurgent districts. The Greeks in Epirus pull down all the crescents from the mosques, and perform divine service in them. UNITED STATES. The Pacific steamer arrived at Liverpool on Thurs•• day, with intelligence from New York of the 18th ult. No political news of importance has come to hand. The Nebraska Bill was still under discussion in the Senate. The Senate at Washington bad rejected the nomination of Mr. George N. Saunders as Consul to London by a vote of 29 to 10. The Kate Kearney steamer had exploded at Louisville, which was attended with the loss of twenty-five lives. The most dense fog which had been experienced on the American seaboard since 1897 prevailed at New York for two days before the 10th, and the Franklin steamer was detained in consequence. The Cunard steamer Africa was still aground when the last steamer passed. THE CAPE. Cape mails to the 21st of January have arrived by the General Screw Steam Company's packet Queen of the South. The news from the colony is satisfactory; the election of members for the Council of the Cape Par liament commenced on the 9th of January, and con. tinned till the 29th. This first exercise of constitu tional pivileges by the colonists had been received with great satisfaction. The number of members to be chosen is fifteen, eight for the western and seven for the eastern districts. After the elections for the Council have been completed, those for the Represen tative Assembly will take place. General Cathcart has not completed his arrangements for the security of the exposed districts upon the Kaffir frontier. His excellency was expected to return to Cape Town before the first sitting of the Parliament. The intended withdrawal of British authority from the territory beyond Orange River has cast a gloom upon mer cantile enterprises in that quarter. The Rev, A. Murray and Dr. Fraser have come from home to urge upon our Government the impolicy of abolishing the sovereignty. The search for metal at Natal has, it appears, been unsuccessful. EGYPT. The Pacha, at the instance of the French consul and to meet the views of the mercantile community, his postponed the cleansing of the Mahmoudieh till the end of March or commencement of April, in order that the remaining portions of last year's crop may find their way into the market ere the present one be reaped. The cleansing of this canal has been much called for of late years, from the infiltration from the Nile having caused a great deposit. Whilstin progress the transit of the India passengers, goods, and mails, will be from Carioum to Kafe Lais by railway, and from Alexandria to Carioum and Kafe Lais to Cairo, as at present. The overland route is to be congratulated upon this opening of part of the railroad, although for the moment for a distance of only forty-five miles, as it will set aside the only at all unpleasant portion of th e journey through Egypt, viz., that by track-boat, along the Mahmoudieh Canel. It will also shorten the time of transit some six or eight hours; and in June (it bad been expected in March) the entire line from Alex. andria to the Nile will be completed, provided the materiel, long since due from England, should arrive. Passengers will then be able to make the journey from Alexandria to Cairo in one day. Mr. Stephenson, M.P., took his departure, on return to England, in his yacht the Titania. It is reported that his last interview with the Pacha was other than agreeable. His Highness had been promised the railroad complete in 1854, and the Turkish character is unprepared to meet delays, consequent even upon unavoidable circumstances. INDIA The February overland mail reached London on Monday last. The north-west frontier is tranquil. The Go vernor-General arrived at Rangoon from Prome on the 4th of January. He bad fixed the boundary of our territory by erecting brick pillars six miles beyond Meaday. +lt was reported that Captain Phayre was to be sent as plenipotentiary on a special mission to Ava. Nagpore is quiet, but affairs are not mended in the Nizam's dominions. _ _ . The party_ of troops sent against the Dacoits having been led into an ambush, twenty three men, including Captain Barry, 71st N. 1., were killed. The Indian papers have reports that the Russian army of the Oxus has halted two marches north of Khiva. The Khans of Bokhara and Khiva have been brought to terms, and an offensive and defensive quadruple alliance has been concluded between them selves, the Russians, and Dost Mohamed. All these statements appear very apocryphal. CHINA. By this mail intelligence from Pekin is brought down to the 28th of November. At that date it is said that the patriots had secured Teen-thin, the seaport of Pekin, situated at the junction of the Grand Canal with the river Pei-ho, at a distance of about ninety-five miles from the northern capital. It is also stated that the Emperor, in anticipation of the loss of Pekin, had directed the governors of the various provinces to send the imperial revenue to Gehol, their old family seat and present summer residence, in Mantachooria, about eighty miles north east of the wall. This statement, though generally credited in China, appears to require confirmation. The mail has, however, brought files of the Pekin Gazette, which admit the fact of the rebels being in the immediate neighbourhood of Teen-thin, and trading junks arrived at Canton thence confirm this, and state that the north-eastern army of the rebels bad effected a junction near that place with the other rebel army, which had advanced northwards from Nanking along the line of the Grand Canal. The French expedition has returned to Hong Kong from Nanking. The island of Mauritius is in the highest degree prosperous. The exports of sugar greatly on the increase. The large number of emigrant labourers are well employed. Cart an sastion. The Queen on Tuesday morning looked from the balcony of Buckingham Palace while the first batta lion of Scots Fusilier Guards were paraded just before their departure for the Mediterranean. Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and some of the younger members of the Royal Family stood beside her Majesty while the troops presented arms and defiled past the windows of the Palace en route for the Waterloo-bridge station. In the evening of the same day the Queen visited the Haymarket Theatre, and on Wednesday paid a visit of curiosity to the Tower. The aged Duchess of Glcucester has been again seriously indisposed, but was sufficiently recovered on Tuesday to receive a visit from the Queen. The official banquets continue to run their course. The Speaker gave his third parliamentary dinner on Saturday. Viscountess Palmerston held a reception that evening. Lord John Russell entertained some of his colleagues and supporters on Wednesday. Countess Granville bad an evening party on Thursday, at which the French Ambassador, Countess Walewski, and many of the other foreign envoys and their ladies were present. THE MARRIAGE OF LORD GEORGE PAOET, M.P., youngest son of the Marquis of Anglesey, with his cousin, Miss Agnes Paget, daughter of the late Sir Arthur Paget, G.C.8., was solemnised on Monday evening, by special licence, at St. James's Church, Piccadilly. HE DUKE OF SUTHERLAND has forwarded 2001. to Lieut.-Colonel Ainslie to be applied to the relief of the wives of the soldiers of the 03rd who have been left at home. THE MEMBERS OF THE ABBEY AND NAVY CLUB are subscribing for the purpose of sending back to their homes, providing with employment, and otherwise befriending the wives and families of the soldiers now about to sail for Turkey. A sum of 1121. 17s. dd. has been already contributed. LIEUT.-GENERALJANE HAY, C. 8., died at Kelburne, near Longford, on the 24th ult. The colonelcy of the 70th Highlanders has become vacant by this event. _ _ _ _ LADY ELIZABETH LASCELLES died at Goldsborough hall, Yorkshire, on Sunday, in her 28th year. The deceased was the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Clanricarde, and granddaughter of the celebrated statesman George Canning. She married only three years since Viscount Laseelles, eldest son of the Earl of Rarewood. SATURDAY,