The Press. — London, England, 1854-05-27 00:00:00

My 27, 1854. THE WAR. TILE war intelligence of the week, so far as the allied forces are concerned, is absolutely blank. There are no movements anywhere, and nothing done either by fleets or armies. Every one is waiting. The English and French troops in Turkey remain at Gallipoli and Scutari for (it is said) their artillery, of which the English have received some, and the French only a little. Their leaders are waiting for the troops to be ready, and, meanwhile, kill time with fetes and compliments in Constantinople. Marshal St. Arnaud passed through Gallipoli, and had a review of his forces, whom he counselled to have patience, adding, " It shall not be long before I lead you where bullets whistle." But no sooner was the review over than the marshal set off kr C ons tantinople, whither, he said, " matters of im portance called him." The fleets are likewise waiting. In the Black Sea they wait to attack Sebastopol, towards which, it seems, they have hitherto directed only a few ex• peritnental shells, until a combined attack by land and sea can be organised. However, it appears that the blockade of the Russian ports is strictly main tained, with the result of setting into increased activity the Circassian followers of Schamyl, and compelling the Russians to evacuate more forts on that coast. Sir C. Napier, in the Baltic, waited during several days off the coasts of Sweden for the fog to clear away. He has since sailed to the east ward, but still forbears to strike a blow, waiting (according to the last explanations) for the French squadren to join. That fleet on its part is reported to have gone into Kiel harbour, with symptoms of an intention to wait there for some days. This was on Saturday last. The last dates from Sir C. Napier are of the 16th inst., brought by the Holyrood transport. His fleetiwas then cruising near the Isle of Aland. A report that the Hang° fort on that island had been bom barded and captured obtained currency early in the week, but has been since contradicted. The rumour was based, it would seem, merely upon some confused statements that a heavy cannonading had been heard in that direction. In the absence of im portant news we subjoin such stray items of in telligence as appear of sufficient interest to be gathered from the voluminous despatches that till the columns of our daily contemporaries, whose cor respondents appear bound to write always a certain quantity, whether they have anything to say or no. Among these the Times correspondent, dating from Gallipoli on the 9th, contrasts in lively though no doubt exaggerated fashion the appearance of the French and English troops in marching order:— " Let us climb up one of the hills, near the scene of the review, and watch the march of our regiments. They came on solid and compact as blocks of marble, the sun dancing on their polished bayonets and scarlet coats with • congenial fierceness. The gallant `—th ' halt close by— all the men are as red in the face as turkeycocks—they seem gasping for breath—they are indeed sorely dis tressed, for a rigid band of leather rendered quite relent• less by fibres and buckles of brass is fixed tightly round their throats, and their knapsacks are filled to the pitch of mortal endurance, so that it requires the aid of a comrade for each man to get his on his back ; while the Frenchman, unassisted, puts his knapsack on in an instant. The coat is buttonod tightly up also to aid the work of I suffocation, and belts and buckles compress the unhappy soldier where most he requires ease and the unrestricted play of the muscle. Regiment after regiment reaches the parade-ground, and falls into its place with admirable precision. The lines of these red and blue blocks seem regulated by plummet, and scarce a bayonet wavers in the long streaks of light above the shakos. The rifles, too, stand compact and steady as a piece of iron. Thus they stand under the rays of the morning sun, till at nine o'clock Sir George Brown aid staff, accompanied by the French general, and a number of officers, ride along the lines, and, after a brief inspection, dismiss them. If one follows the men, he will see how many drop out, exhausted and half smothered, and at what a vast amount of physical inconvenience all this solidity and rigidity of aspect are required. Take one fact:—ln a single com pany which left Bulair forty-five file strong—ninety men— so many men fell out on the march to Soulari, a distance of six miles, or thereabouts, that the captain reached the camping-ground with only twenty men—the rest straggled in during the forenoon. The halts were frequent for so short a march, and the rush to every well and fountain showed how the men suffered from thirst." As the companion picture we have the following description of the French Zouaves : " Presently the shrill trumpets of the Zonaves are heard sounding a wild and eccentric march, and these fierce-looking soldiers of Africa, burnt brown by constant exposure to the sun, with beards which easily distinguish them from the native Arabs, come rushing past, for their pace is so quick that it fully justifies the term. The open collars of their coats allow free play to the lungs ; the easy jacket, the loose trouser, and the well-supported ankle, constitute the beau-ideal of a soldier's dress; their firelocks and the brasses of their swords and bayonets are polished to a nicety. Each man is fully equipped for the field, with great-coat strapped over his knapsack, canteen byhis side, a bill-hook, hatchet, or cooking-tin fastened over all. In the rear, mounted on a packhorse. follows the firma/ere, in the uniform of the regiment, with nasty little panniers and neatly-polished barrels of diminutive size dangling over the saddle ; and then comes • sumpter mule, with two wooden boxes fastened to the pack, which contains small creature comforts for the officers. The word is given to halt, stand at ease, pile arms. In a moment the whole regiment seems disorganised. The men scatter far and wide over the fields collecting sticks and brushwood, and it seems incredible that they have gathered all those piles of brambles and dried wood and leaves which they deposit in the rear of the lines in such quantity from the country that looked so bare. The officers gather in groups, light cigars, chat and laugh, or sit on the ground, while their coffee is being boiled. From the moment the halt takes place, off come the boxes from the mule, a little portable table is set up, knives, forks, glasses, and cups are laid out, a capacious coffee-tin is set upon three stones over a heap of bramble, and in three minutes ( I timed the whole operation) each officer could take a cup of this refreshing drink after his hot march, with a biscuit and morsel of cheese, and a chas#e of brandy afterwards. The men were equally alert in providing themselves with their favourite beverage. In a very short space of time two or three hun dred little camp fires are lighted and send up tiny columns of smoke, and coffee-tinware boiling, and the busy, brisk rivandit're, with a smile fur every one, and a joke or box on the ear for a favourite virax tautestadir, passes along through the haze, and fills out tiny cups of cognac to the thirsty soldiers. Pipes of every conceivable variety of shape are lighted, and a hum and bustle rise up from the animated scene, so rich in ever•shifting combinations of form and colour that Maclise might look on it with wonder and despair. There was a dashing, serviceable look about the melt that justified the remark of one of the captains— ' We are ready as we stand to go on to St. Petersburg this instant.' " Lord Raglan on arriving in Turkey intimated his wish that the troops should shave. The interpreting part of the army is in Turkey being organised by Major Collingwood Dickson, of the Artillery, who himself speaks Turkish fluently. Numbers of young men offer their services daily, so that the department will soon be in first-rate working order. Carbines on the principle of the Minie rifle are being prepared for the cavalry. Every regiment will have them, excepting the lancers. Eighty pieces of artillery, of large calibre and of tremendous power, have been embarked at Toulon and Marseilles. They are said to be intended for Sebastopol. The plan of the campaign, as drawn up by Mar shal St. Arnaud at Constantinople, was received on Monday in Paris by the Minister at War. Admiral Hamelin has written to his Government, it is said, demanding that a body of troops for landing shall be sent with as little delay as possible to the East. His request will be complied with. The 46th, 63rd, 21st, 20th, and 34th Regiments, and let battalion of Rifles, now forming the reserved divisions, are under orders for Greece. The 42nd Royal Highlanders embarked on Satur day afternoon at Portsmouth on board the Hydaspcs, and the 97th on the same day at Southampton on board the Orinoco, for conveyance to the East.. The great steam-packet companies connected with Southampton have received an intimation from the Government, requesting them to hold at its dis posal, from time to time, all the large steam-ships that can be made available for the conveyance of troops. Every vessel, therefore, not urgently re quired for the mail service will be offered to the Admiralty. The Government pay 5,0001. a month for the hire of the large steamers for the transport of troops. The Government supply coals ; the owners merely find working expenses. - The Himalaya arrived at Queenstown on Thurs day to embark the sth Dragoon Guards for the East. Government officials are in the north and midland counties inspecting the prisons and barracks, with a view to finding accommodation in the interior of the country for the prisoners of war that may be taken. The blockade of Riga, Libau, and Windau ports was established on the 12th inst. While steaming eastward from the Swedish coast in a dense fog, the Cumberland, 70, Captain Seymour, ran into a merchant-vessel, supposed to be a Swedish brigantine. The Cumberland sustained little injury, but the brigantine, being struck amidships, sunk instantly, all her crew perishing. THE FRENCH FLEETS. The Baltic squadron, commanded by Vice-Admiral Parceval Deschenes, consists of thirty one ships, of which eight are new steamers. In the Black Sea Admirals Hamelin and Bruat have thirty sail, and Admiral Barbier de Tinan commands a subdivision, now in the waters of Greece, of fourteen sail more, of which nine are steamers. In addition to these squadrons, seventeen steam-frigates and corvettes will remain armed in the port of Toulon, ready to go to sea, and shall be ready at the first orderto embark 12,000 men of expeditionary troops. Finally, the Minister of Marine is ordered immediately to arm another squadron, called reserve, of fourteen ships of the line, quite new, seven of which are screws re • cently launched, and will shortly be ready. THE PRESS. __,- 489 The Monittur announces that, now that the steamers have accomplished their transport service, by carrying troops from France and Algeria to the seat of war, the fleets will receive important reinforce ments. Official confirmation is still wanting with regard to the fate of the Tiger. So many statements substan tially alike have, however, reached England from different quarters announcing the catastrophe that there is little hope the story will prove unfounded. It is said that the steamer was not taken, but burnt, as she lay on the sandbank. Two steamers are said to have come too late to her assistance, and, after sending a fruitless message respecting the liberation of her commander and crew, commenced bombarding the town and forts of Odessa. THE WAR ON THE DANUBE. The chief interest at the actual seat of war centres round Silistria. Very conflicting accounts still arrive respecting the progress of this siege. A Vienna despatch of Thursday stated that the fortress had fallen, but this followed close upon the heels of other accounts, stating that it was not even invested, heavy floods in the Danube and its affluents having compelled the Russians to suspend their operations. The latest intelligence is conveyed in a telegraphic message from Bucharest, dated May 21st, stating that Prince Paskiewitsch had crossed the Danube near Kalorasch, and established his head-quarters before Silistria, which had been very closely invested within the last three days. A Constantinople letter of the 15th gives some account of the war proceedings on other points. According to this authority the Russians wore ad vancing from the Dobrudscha. They have cut off all communication between Silistria and Varna, as well as the seacoast, and also between Varna and Shumla. Accounts were received at Constantinople on the 15th that the Russians, unable, on account of the blockade, to defend the seaboard of Circassia, had evacuated all their positions from Batoum to Anapa, an extent of 200 leagues. They burned all their own forts, and retired to Kutais, in the interior. The Circassians came down from the mountains and took possession of all the posts which the Russians had occupied, making prisoners 1,500 men, whom they surprised at Sukkum Kaleh. The Circassians had proclaimed a provisional Government, under the presidency of a brother in-law of Schamyl. - ' It has been stated that at Nicopoli the Russians were defeated by the Turks, and lost 1,500 of their number. The Invalide Rusu of St. Petersburg, of the 12th, alludes to the affair, but turns the defeat into a victory. It states that the Turks lost 800 men, in drowned, killed, or wounded ; and that 123 Turks were made prisoners. The loss of the Rus sians, it adds, was only 18 killed and 58 wounded. POERIO AND HIS PRISON. THE prison of Montefuaco is a middle•age building, sixty miles south of Naples, restored expressly to receive the political offenders of NO. You enter by a covered court, which receives light anti air only by the doorway. At the extreme end of this court, and in complete darkness, occurs a flight of steps, which lead to the upper prison rooms. You first come upon five small chambers, wherein are about sixty persons in chains, crowded together. They are chiefly the condemned of the State trials, and consist of members of the learned professions and gentlemen of fortune. Here is confined the ex• Minister Poerlo. The particular room in which Poerio is placed is guarded by a soldier from without, who opens a window every quarter of an hour, night and day, to report his prisoner to the guard below. A second window is kept constantly open, by which means the prisoners are perpetually exposed to cold, which, from the elevated situation of the building, is very severe. The floor above is used by soldiers, and here also is the hospital. The prisoners are permitted to spend a small amount of money on fond (paying double its worth), which is carefully examined and broken into fragments be fore the condemned receive it. The prison bread is made from lupins, badly ground. The prisoners are allowed to see their friends through the bars periodically, in the pre sence of official witnesses, who on more than one occasion have punished the visitors for weeping in the presence of their parents. European events have probably caused the following newly-imposed severities which took place a few weeks since :—A soldier declared a paper had been thrown out of the prison window ; and, indeed, something of the sort was pretended to have been found, in which the soldiers were ordered to be poisoned, and other foolish suggestions. No doubt the whole affair was got up de signedly, since an order arrived that the prisoners should be chained to the wall.—Morning Post. TRY. ROYAL SURREY ZOOT.OOTCAL GARDYNS opened for the season on Monday last with a fete in aid of the St.. Georges Charitable Society. A capital band; Misses Poole and Ransford and Mr. Miniver, as vo • calists ; fireworks at night and the menagerie by day, form the attractions of this popular place of outdoor amusement. The pyrotechnic display is founded upon the Chusan picture, which proved so successful last year, and has been retouched and improved for the present season. MElSlmmilimm% i ~ ,