The Press. — London, England, 1854-01-07 00:00:00

JANUARY 7, 1854. army to 2,226,000 men, with 1,000 pieces of artillery —on paper. A private letter from Teflis announces that Prince Woronzow had received despatches from St. Peters burg apprising him that a reinforcement of eighty pieces of artillery had been forwarded to him, with directions to carry on the war in Asia with the greatest activity. A letter from Kalisch, of December 22, says that there is no indication of the army in Poland having received orders to march forward towards the theatre of war. THE AFFAIR AT MATSCHIN. A LETTER from Galatz, of the 15th ult., gives the following narrative of this attack, the first military operation which has taken place on the right bank of the Danube : In the night between the 12th and 13th December, two Russian steamers, having six gun-boats in tow, passed in front of Galatz on their way to Ibraila. ()n the following ',Aiming, about ten o'clock, a heavy cannonade was heard in the direction of Matschin, a Turkish town, containing from 4,0(X) to 5,0(N) souls, situated about four leagues south-east of Ibraila, in the embouchure of one of the arms of the Danube, at the foot of a range of mountains, where a few small breastworks have been thrown up. According to the latest information received the following are the cause and circumstances of the combat which took place near• Matschin. For nearly a month the garrison of that place, consistingof from 5,000 to 0,45)0 infantry, and a small detachment of cavalry, was a continual source of annoyance to the garrison of Ibraila, by sending out excur sions of sharpshooters to attack the Wallachian outposts stationed on an islaud opposite the town. These outposts, • ght or ten in number, which commanded a view of the Turkish operations, were successively destroyed by small detachments, which, under cover of night, landed on the island, surprised and set fire to their quarters. General Ludsrs, wishing to put an end to these continual attacks, had issued the order to the commander of the garrison of Ibraila to organise a volunteer corps, to constitute some companies of sharpshooters, to be conveyed across the right bank to make excursions in the vicinity of Matschin. But as the appeal was feebly responded to, though height ened, it appears, by the prospect held out of booty in the s'iape of pillage, the general resolved to attempt a coup de us On against Matschin. Accordingly, on the night of the 12th December, the two steamers, with the six gun-boats, landed 5,000 men on the right bank of the Danube, 2,000 of which belonged to the garrison of Ibraila, 1,000 to the camp of Sereth, and the remainder to the garrison of Galatz. This little corps, commanded by Brigadier-General Engelhardt and Colonel Daman, advanced on Matschin with the intention of at tacking it in the rear or the north-eastern side. Whilst this movement was being carried out, the flotilla under the direction of General Luders, who, with his staff, was on board one of the steamers which did not take an active part in the action, arrived where the canal crosses into the Danube, and attacked a battery situated on the extreme left of the town. The fire opened at half•past ten, and was kept up on both sides till 110011, at which hour it ceased, when the flotilla, abandoning that point, attacked a second battery on the extreme right of the town, so as to combine its fire with that of the in fantry, which was approaching the town. This second battery received the enemy still more vigorously than the first, and withstood unsubdued the firing of the flotilla till nightfall. The water of the river being very low, the Rus sian guns were pointed too high above the banks, and the balls nearly all passed over the battery. This resistance, joined to the energetic defence of the garrison of the town, which at noon exchanged a warm fusillade with the Russian infantry, completely defeated the projected coup de main, the only object of which was to take the place and burn it down, and compel the Turkish garrison to retreat into the interior. According to Russian officers, the same plan appears to have been adopted to drive away the Turkisi garrisons from all the points they occupy on the right bank "f the Lower 1 ianiibe, and from which they would not fail to make excursions to the left bank should the river become frozen over. Even according to the Russian version they had from 404) to 34)4) wounded at the attack on Matachin. The troops forming the expedition returned to their quarters on the night between the 13th and 14th. The flotilla re ceived very immaterial damage, from which it would ap pear that the guns of the Turkish batteries were of very light calibre. PERSIA. Letters have been received from Teheran, dated the 30th of November, which announce that the Persian Government had, in consequence of the energy displayed by the English Charge d'Affaires, withdrawn from its warlike attitude towards England, and given our Minister every assurance of its pacific intentions ; so that the intrigues of Russia in that quarter, for the present at least, have been unsuccess ful. The Turkish Ambassador has also succeeded in triumphing partially over the Russian I'rince Dolgo rauky ; and, if he has not completely put a stop to the preparations of war urged by the Russians, has very considerably diminished them, and has reduced the frontier armies to a number which the Turks may regard without apprehension. UNITED STATES. The last New York dates have arrived by the daantic. They are of the 24 h ult. A (vices from Washington state that the naval com mittee of the Senate had reported favourably on the proposition for th• immediate construction of six bteatn-frigates. Three million dollars were to be ap- THE PRESS. propriated for this purpose. It is understood that this measure will be followed up with such protisions for a thorough reorganisation of the whole naval system as will place the service in the most complete order. One exciting debate on slavery had taken place in the House of Representatives. The subject was in troduced by Gerrit Smith, the Abolitionist represents tive for New York, while the house were considering a resolution voting a sword and thanks to Captain Ingraham for his conduct at Smyrna in the Koszta affair. At New York a great deal of excitement had arisen of a religions nature. The aggrieved parties are the Roman Catholics, who are indignant at the Pro testants for having adopted a system of street preach ings against the doctrines of the Romish Church. The mayor, conceiving such practices had a tendency to disturb the public peace, had issued a proclama tion against street-preaching. The Mitchel banquet took place at New York on Pee. 19. About 600 persons sat down, and as many ladies sat in the boxes of the theatre in which the enter tainment took place. Charles Connor, Esq., presided, and the speeches, made by Messrs. Mitchel, Meagher, O'Gorman, and Smyth, were distinguished, as usual, by rabid expressions of hatred to England and her institutions. Another awful conflagration had occurred at Frank lin•square, New York. Sixteen buildings were con sumed, and property destroyed to the value of three quarters of a million of dollars. A dreadful riot had broken out among the workmen on the Illinois Central Railroad, near Lasalle. It appears that an altercation occurred about wages between a contractor named Story and a party of Irishmen, which was terminated by shooting one of the disaffected. Mr. Story was afterwards captured and brutally murdered, and his wife was fired at, but escapes]. It is reported that the foreman of the de ceased has since shot nine of the labourers, and the sheriff has killed two more and captured thirty. The ringleader of the rioters escaped. The usually quiet city of Portland, Ma., was thrown into commotion on the 17th ult. by the arrival of the screw. steamer Sarah Sands, the pioneer of a line of steamers between that place and Liverpool. Cannon were fired, bells rung, and every other evidence of extreme gratification granted. The river steamer Zachary Taylor had exploded her boiler, by which three persons were killed and ten severely scalded. A still more fatal steamer ex plosion had occurred at Charleston. The victims in this latter case amounted to thirteen. Advices had been received from Mexico, an nouncing that Santa Anna had been declared Dictator for ten years. The general impression had been that lie would have declared himself Emperor ; but this is looked upon as only the intermediate step. WEST INDIES. The Magdalena reached Southampton on Wed nesday with the West India mail. There is no political news of interest. The cholera had made its appearance at Nevis, where forty cases had occurred, ten; of which proved fatal. It is supposed to have been communicated to the island by an emigrant-vessel which touched there. In Trinidad the weather continued to be most propitious for the growth of the cane ; but the pro longed and heavy rains had caused the roads to be in a very bad state. The yellow fever is said to have disappeared. From Demerara accounts are to the 10th ult. Disease had disappeared from the colony. The rains which had fallen were not sufficiently heavy to retard the general operations of the sugarmakers. Through out the colony indications of the next year's crop were most cheering, and the young canes everywhere looked green and luxuriant. Freights had risen within a few weeks 400 per cent. in value. The Court of Policy was to meet on the 13th of Decem ber. The Magdalena brought on freight specie to the value of 423,4001., chiefly from Mexican ports. THE CAPE. Cape Town papers of the 21st Nov. have been re ceived by the Bosphorus. The colony was perfectly quiet. The only cir cumstance of an adverse nature spoken of was a fatal disease among the horned cattle, said to have been imported by some diseased animals from Holland. General Sir G. Cathcart continued to speak hope fully of the future state of the border. The new arrangements and general administration of affairs in Kafirland seemed to be peaceably acqui(sced in by the Kafirs. Some uneasiness, however, was felt by the colonists at the early withdrawal of the troops, after so fierce and irAracted a :4, uggle with a daring race like the Kafirs. In the Orange River sovereignty Sir G. Clerk was proceeding to mature the arrangements for the with drawal of British authority from the north side of the river. Numerous petitions and remonstrances against this line of policy had been signed and for warded to her Majesty. It was also proposed to despatch two delegates to England to represent the wishes and opinions of the inhabitants on this sub ject. The increasing number of desertions and refusal of duty by seamen was causing great inconvenience to the shipping interest. During the last six weeks 180 seamen had been brought before the judge of police charged with this offence. Severe punish ments in the shape of imprisonment with hard labour were being awarded under a provision of the act of Parliament, and it was hoped that the evil would be checked. !ourt anb instion. THE QI'EEN AND PRINCE ALBERT came to London on Tuesday. They paid a visit to the Photographic Society's exhibition, Just completed, and returned to Windsor in the afternoon. Before leaving town, Prince Albert called at Mr. Baily's studio iu New man-street, and Mr. Bell's at Kensington, to view the casts for the statues of Lord :Mansfield and Sir Robert Walpole, which these artists are respectively executing for the new Houses of Parliament. On Wednesday there was a sledging party, in which Prince Albert drove the Queen towards Staines, the Princesses following in another sledge. LORD JOHN liussEu.returned to Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, on Saturday last, from Windsor Castle. THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHE4UER arrived at WinLsor on Wednesday, on a visit to her Majesty. He returned to London on the following day. The Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl and Countess of Hartlwieke, the Earl and Countess of Shelburne, and Sir Charles Eastlake, who had also received invite bons fr. in the Queen, reached the Castle on Thurs day evening. THE DUKE of BEAUFORT had an audience of the Queen on Tuesday, to deliver up the insignia of the Order of the Garter worn by the late duke. THE Duct OF NORFOLK has resigned the office of Lord High Steward of her Majesty's Household, which he had filled since the accession of the Earl of Aber. deen to the premiership. The post has been offered to, and accepted by, the Earl Spencer, K.G. DR. BOWRINO, just appointed Minister Plenipo tentiary of her Britannic Majesty in China, had a pnvate audience of the Emperor at the Tuileries on Tuesday, and left Paris for London on the following day: THE Lonu MAYOR has received a most compli mentary answer to an address to the Municipality of Paris, recording the reception of the Lord Mayor. aldermen, and common councilmen of the city of London in the year I$M. The document is framed and em blazoned in the most splendid and tasteful manner. A Sef.zfrom JUVENILE PARTY was given on Thurs day by the Lady Mayoress, at the Mansion-house, to nearly 400 of the younger branches of the families of several of the nobility now in town, as also of tho judges, merchants, bankers, and the principal citi zens. The occasion of this festivity was in celebra tion of the birthday of the Lord Mayor. CAB DIET COUNCILB were held on Tuesday awl Thursday at the Foreign-office. At the former meeting the Marquis of Lansdowne and Lord Pal. iuerston attended for the first time since the Minis terial split was soldered up. SIR RICIIARR J F.NKINB, G.C.8., for many years onty of the directors of the East India Company, died at his residence, Blackheath-park, yesterday week, in his sixty-ninth year. Sir Richard filled the office of chairman in lts39, and received the Order of tint Bath for diplomatic services in India, principally through the war of Mits. CARLYLE, mother of the celebrated writer, died at Scotsbrig, near Ecciefechan, on Christmas day. Her two sons, one of whom is a doctor re• siding in London, and the author of various transla tions from the German, were present at the death• bed of their venerable parent. PitfxcE Ammar has entered several specimens, and will be an extensive contributor, at the ensuing Metropolitan Winter Poultry Show, appointed to take place at the Baker-street Bazaar, on the 10th, 11th, Plth, and 13th inst. This show will be so extensive that the entire area usually appropriated to the Smithfield Cattle Show will be occupied by the specimens. YEIITEIIDAY week a brilliant dramatic entertain ment was given at Ilinstead, the residence of Lord and Lady Downes, in the Isle of Wight. The per. formances commenced with the comedietta of The Thumping Legacy, followed by Raising the Wind and The Rendezvous. Mr. and Mrs. DisnAru have retnrned to Hugbem den Manor, after paying a visit to the Earl and Countess of Malmesbury, at Heron Court. THE. EARL EfiLINTON is shortly expected to. arrive at his mansion, St. James's square, from Eglinton Castle. In consequence of the death "f his lamented countess the noble earl is breaking up Lis establishment.