The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-16 00:00:00

868 to our own days boasted that they were the " emancipators " of the Papists. Four years since the Peelites were the allies of Cardinal WISEMAN in his aggression. The presence of a Romanist "brigade" in the ranks of parlia mentary Liberalism," small sectarian jealou sies in seine quarters, the moral indifferentism resulting from the merely commercial spirit in other sections, all unite in rendering the sub Sect of Protestantism utterly unmanageable by a Liberal party with its incoherent aims, its motley beliefs, and its idle strife of jarring cliques. It is to the Conservative party, therefore, and to that alone, England must trust for the defence of its priceless religious liberty ; for, as Mr. DISRAELI truly said, our Protestant Church is our guarantee for all the high privi• leges we enjoy. To those privileges Popery is essentially antagonistic, and we require defence against its artfully-planned attacks. The best means for that defence will on future occasions be a subject for our consideration. What we here desire to fix attention upon is the fact that, before long, Protestantism must certainly become one of the great political questions of the time, demanding careful and loyal statesmanship for its maintenance, as distinguished from the system of that Jesuitparty which in polities abuses the power of free institutions to facilitate the gloomy triumphs of the arch foe to the freedom of the human mind. A vote of thanks was passed some days ago to Mr. Disraeli, by the Burnley Protestant Association, for his speech in favour of Mr. Spooner. The following is Mr. Disraeli's reply : " Hughenden Manor, Sept. 7, 1554. " Sir,-1 have the honour to acknowledge your letter of the Ist inst., communicating to me the thanks of the Burnley Protestant Association for some observations re cently made by me in the House of Commons. " The power of a public man in England to effect good depends on the confidence of his fellow-country men, and 1, therefore, vales this expression of feeling on the part of the meeting of rhich you were the worthy chairman." THE MOST DISTINCT Nemo:now respecting the future of the allied forces despatched to the great siege comes from a captain of `one of the transport steamers. About six miles to the north of Sebas topol is a plain reaching inland ; the approach from seaward is clear, and the shore can be made bold till within 500 yards. The troops are to be landed under cover of the guns of the men-of-war; the greater part of the fleet will prevent the Russians leaving the harbour. On the northern bill is a fort over looking the entrsuice, strongly defended : this is to be taken, and from this elevation they will shell the fleet in the harbour. ANOTHER SMALL DISASTER FOR THE GOVERNMENT• Their new purchase the Himalaya steam-ship, which is reported to have performed her journeys so admi rably, is affirmed to be strained, and much in want of repair. Certain experienced authorities consider that she rolls too heavily in rough weather to stand much knocking about, and that the Peninsular and Oriental Company are " well out of their property." THE DEBENTURES FOR 300,0001. offered by the Crystal Palace Company will not, it is expected, find favour in the City. The magnates of the Stock Exchange have viewed the enterprise from the first with some little prejudice ; and, until the necessary expenses for its maintenance are precisely deter mined, will probably, by their example, deter in vestors. Though the shares have fallen es low as N., many of the large holders remain as sanguine as ever of success, especially anxious for the completion of the West End Branch Railway, which will obviate the delays of progress through the City. CARDINAL. ANGELO 31.+1 died on the 9th of Septem ber at Albano. The labours of this indefatigable Man have restored to the learned world many valuable fragments of antiquity that would have been irreparably lost hut for his exertions. Al though the existence of palimpesta was, of course, long known, no one hail attempted, or even believed possible, the restoration of the erased matter till the zeal and ingenuity of Mai came to the task. He owed his elevation to the cardinalship entirely to his literary labours. He bad but lately succeeded Car • dinal Lambruschini in the important office of libra rian of the Vatican. His death was almost a sudden one, at the age of seventy-two. The Lord Mayor took his seat in the Court of Common Pleas in the Guildball-yard, yesterday, having determined not to sit again at the Mansion house d', ring the prevalence of the cholera. His lordship lied several times during the week expressed his indignation that a civic functionary should at this dangerous time be exposed to smells scarcely to be exceeded by those at Westminster-hall or the new Houses. THE PRESS. THE WAR. THE CRIMEA EXPEDITION. All accounts from the East concur in stating that the expedition has actually sailed. A letter from Tberapia, dated the 7th instant, states that the French and the Turkish divisions left Varna on the sth instant. The English fleet was to join them at Serpent Isle. The weather was fine. The Moniteur gives some details of the provision made for the subsistence and comforts of the French army serving in the East, with the view of showing the solicitude of the Government for its perfect effi ciency in the camp and in the field, and to correct certain misapprehensions which appear to have got abroad. Despatches from Vienna give advice from Varna to the sth. They state that the English and French divisions left that day, and that the Turkish division would follow. No accident happened during the embarkation of the expedition for the Crimea, and on the 3rd the greater part of the fleet bad weighed anchor. The whole army was in the highest spirits. The Czar is not idle on his part. According to the Presse of Vienna, the following preparations are in progress. Forts are being built to protect the coasts at a distance of four leagues from Sebastopol. A mass of tire•ships are being prepared to be sent against the vessels of the enemy. In addition to the usual garrison at Sebastopol, there are 80,000 men in camp established near the town, and reinforce ments are constantly arriving. The Russian fleet is armed, and it appears that it will not remain inactive during the operations. The best pilots are distri buted amongst the vessels. Prince Menschikoff directs in person the measures of defence. It is stated that the attack on the Crimea takes place contrary to the advice of Prince Napoleon and the Duke of Cambridge, and in consequence of the decided opinion of Marshal St. Arnaud, who dreaded a mutiny among his troops if nothing was done. Prince Napoleon bas resumed his command, without, however, being cured of his fever. Having been informed by a despatch of the marshal that the divisions which are to take part in the expe dition had received orders to leave Varna on the 20th ult. for Baltschik, in order to embark, he left the same evening for the Black Sea. Another proclamation of Marshal de SL Arnaud to his troops is published in the Moniteur. This ad dress was written in the full anticipation of an im mediate movement to a scene of action, and is pitched in a tone of far higher confidence and enthusiasm than the melancholy " general order" which we printed in our last number. It produced, we are told, a most inspiriting effect upon the forces. The address runs as follows : " Soldiers,—You have given a noble example of perse verance, calmness, and energy, iR the midst of painful cir • cunistances, which must be forgotten. The hour has come to combat and to conquer. " The enemy has not awaited us on the banks of the Danube. His armies, &moralised and destroyed by disease, are retiring with difficulty, and Providence has, perhaps, spared us the trial of these unhealthy regions. It is Providence which now calls us to the Crimea, a healthy country like your own, and to Sebastopol, the seat of Russian power in these seas, where we go to seek the guarantee of peace and of a return to our hearths. "This enterprise is grand and worthy of you. We will re alise it with the aid of the moat formidable military and naval preparations that were ever seen. The allied fleets, with 3,01 0 guns and their 25,000 brave sailors, your emulators and companions in arm., will carry to the Crimea a British army whose great valour your fathers learnt to respect, a chosen division of those Ottoman soldiers who have just proved their velour before your eyes, and a French force, which I have the right, and am proud. to call the Rib of all our army. " I see there more than a ►arantee for success—l see success itself. Generals, colonels, and officers of all ranks and all armies, you will participate and instil into the spirit of your soldiers the confidence that inspires mine. We will soon salute the three flags united and flying from the ramparts of Sebastopol with our natural cry of The l'Empereur!' The Marshal Commander•in-Chief, ST. ARNAT:D. " Head-quarters, Varna, Aug. 25." A letter from Varna, dated August 24, says that " all the world is very busy indeed : working parties, carpenters, marines, and seamen are daily sent from the ships, and gangboards and rafts for embarkation and disembarkation are constantly progressing ; and there is no doubt we shall be all off at four or five days at the farthest. The French have already em barked their artillery. It is said their cavalry will embark at Bourgas (south of this). The guns of our army were embarked yesterday and this morn ing. It is hoped we shall start on the 29th ; in deed, the French are said to have stated that if the English are not ready by that time the project must be given up; but all will no doubt be duly com pleted. The cholera is abating considerably ; the Britannia has lost about 150 men ; nearly all her officers became sick nurses during the terrible time. SATURDAY, The Furious has lost 19 men, and here in the bay are many desultory cases. Colonel Trevelyan, of the Guards, died from cholera the night before last, and a captain of the army this morning in a Bombay transport. In a few weeks you will have some stir. ring news of our proceedings. There are reports that all the Sebastopol takers are to have the Legion of Honour, and also double pay for the year." The most vigorous measures will be taken by the Russian authorities in the event of an attack upon Odessa. The military governor has issued a proclamation prescribing the duties of the inhabitants in case of a successful attack on the city by the allies. lie re minds them of the heroic devotedness of their ances tors when the sacred soil of Russia was last violated by the enemy, and tolls them that the Emperor ex pects similar acts of patriotism from them. The in habitants are then strictly charged to fire the city, and make of it another Moscow, rather than let it fall into the power of the enemy. The civil population is enjoined to retire in such a case to Tiraspol. The severest punishments are denounced against any unpatriotic and unorthodox persons who may linger behind, or attempt to ex tinguish the fire. As a more reliable precaution, the general has seized all the fire engines and buckets in the city, and placed them under military guard. The Russian general is not very happy in appealing to the burning of Moscow as a precedent for burning Odessa. Moscow, besides being the historical capi tal of the empire, was the property of those who set fire to it. Odessa is a half-foreign town. The de struction of Moscow was the undoing of the French army, because the latter was far from its simplies and reserves ; the destruction of Odessa would not affect the allied army on that score while our ships hold the Black Sea. THE PRINCIPALITIES. The following are a few of the particulars of the Austrian occupation of the principalities : At eleven o'clock on the morning of the oth the Austrian troops entered Bucharest. Omer Pasha received them at the head of a Turkish division and a detachment of the Wallachian militia, outside the gate of Padu Mogoschoy, where the Catholic and Greek clergy, the members of the Administration, some of the Boyards, and a dense crowd of citizens were assembled. Count Coronini, the commander of the Austrian corps of occupation, and the Turkish Sirdar rode at the head of the troops. A Provisional Administrative Council, with Prince Cantacuzeno at its head, had been established by Dervishracha. On the 4th General Liiders removed his head-quarters from Galatz to Reni. On the same day the troops at Ibraila, after destroying the fortifi cations and strand batteries, fell back on Galatz, where, finally, only a small detachment of Cossacks and a battalion of jagers were left. All the vessels in the haven of Ibraila and Galatz went on the 4th to Reni. Gortacbakoffs bead-quarters are to he shortly removed to Ismail. The Russians have not destroyed Ibraila, as was reported to be their inten tion. The only injury suffered by the inhabitants from the retreating Russians was from the thefts of the camp-followers. On the 30th ult. the Wallachian artillery battalion returned to Bucharest. They were sent from Basco to Ibraila, and there General Liiders put the ques tion to them whether they would follow the Russian army. On both officers and soldiers declining, their cannon were taken from them, and they were per mitted to return, only two officers remaining behind, of whom one is a born Russian. At Kolentina, on the night of the 31st ult., there were seventy-one cases of cholera among the Turk ish troops. The sick were transported to Bucharest. The sick left behind by the Russians at Bucharest have been treated by the Turks with the greatest humanity and care: thirty of them have recovered, and have been sent after the Russian rearguard, to be delivered to the general in command. The postal communication between Bucharest, Ibraila, and Galatz was reopened on the 4th inst. The entry of the Austrian forces into Moldavia is expected to take place about the 20th of the month, by which time the principality will have been for the most part evacuated by the Russians. Gener al N Pear is named military commandant in Moldavia, with his head-quarters at Jassy. THE BALTIC. The most important news from the Baltic is the rumour of the immediate return of the fleets SP . d forces. Sir C. Napier, it is said, is expected in this country. On this subject the Constitutionnel observes that the Baltic squadron will probably soon return to France. In concluding its fi rst campaign it is en title d to a tribute of eulogium and gratitud e for the serv ices it has rendered, and for the manner in which it has carried our flag. Improvised as it were—thanks to the great intelligence of the Minister of Marine, and the marked activity of the Administratiop--it P d from the first worthy to figure in the some ranks as the magnificent fleet of our ally. Its • the Parseval Deschenes, immediately acqtured chief, M.