The Press. — London, England, 1854-04-29 00:00:00

APRIL 29, 1854. of General Raglan's staff, including General Sir De Lacy Evans, a number of other officers, and a com pany of the Royal Sappers and Miners, which are to form the pontoon train, arrived on the 12th.—The Medway, peddle, with the 95th Foot, arrived on the 12th. She will return to Gibraltar and take the detachment of the 30th to Gallipoli. The Inspector-General of the Ordnance Depart ment has visited Tynemouth, and surveyed the en trance to the harbour. The Sappers and Miners have staked out ground for a powerful battery com manding the estuary of the Tyne and the line of coast. It is stated that the coast from the Tyne to the Humber will be immediately surveyed with a view to its defence. THE FLEETS. According to latest news from the Baltic fleet, Ad miral Napier had formed his fleet into three divisions, disposed in such a way that he can, in case of need, reunite them for battle. The first of these divi sions takes up its station near the Gulf of Livonia, not far from the ports of Polandgen, Libau, and Win dau ; the second in the same gulf, in sight of Riga harbour, so that it can prevent all communication by sea ; and the third is placed at the entrance of the Gulf of Finland, for the sake of observation, not far from Sweaborg (Helsingfors), where the Russian Baltic squadron still keeps close. Many prizes have been taken both in the Baltic and the English Channel. Some days since the total value of the captured vessels was estimated at 70,0001. or 80,0001. The Admiralty have decided that all prizes sent home from the Baltic shall proceed direct for London, and not (except under peculiar circum stances) be brought into the Medway in future. The French fleet, under the command of Vice- Admiral Parseval Deschenes, passed Dover on Thurs day morning, on its way to the Baltic. This squad • ron is composed of the following vessels :—Tage, 100 guns; Austerlitz (screw), 100; Hercule, 100; Jemmappes, 100 ; Breslaw, 90 ; Duguescin, 00 ; Inflexible, 90; Duperre, 80 ; Trident, 80; Semil lante, 60 ' • Andromaque, 70 ; Vengeance, 60 ; Pour suivante, 50 ; Virginie, 50; Zenobie, 50; Psyche, 40; Darien, steam-frigate, 14; Phlegeton, steam-corvette, 10 ; Soujieur, ditto, 6 ; and Milan, Lucifer, Aigle, and Daim, small steamers. A body of infantry and marine artillery is on board this squadron. From the Black Sea our latest advices are of the 14th, at which date they were lying distributed between Varna, Kavarna Bay, and Baljick. La Furieuse had been sent to Odessa to bring away the British consul and subjeets. Notwithstanding she displayed a flag of truce, she was fired on from the fortress. The excitement was very great on board Übe allied fleets. There was a general illumination of the fleets on the 10th, when the Banshee brought he order to commence the war. The following narration of a "plucky" action bythe little Fury, a 6-gun steamer sent out to reconnoitre Sebastopol, is given in a letter from Baltschitsch, m Kavarna Bay, under date of the 14th instant:— "On the 10th April, H.M.S. Fury left the fleet on a cruise, unaccompanied by any French steamer. On the afternoon of the 11th the western coast of the Crimea was distantly visible, and, in order not to be discovered too soon, she stood off from it. During the night and in the early part of the morning she gradually edged in to the shore, but the brilliancy of the moon was a great drawback to her plans On the 12th, at half-past 3 a.m., she steamed ahead at full speed, and at halfpast 5 came in sight of Sebastopol. By this time the sun had risen, and the morning was unclouded, so that objects at a long distance were visible. Two merchant-vessels were seen coming out of port with the Russian ensign flying, one of which rapidly approached, carrying a splendid breeze with her. The Fury passed her, and took a survey of the har bour at a distance of 21 miles. Two brigs of war were under way, and the two frigates stationed at the mouth of the harbour were crossing gallant and royal yards. The Fury, at 6 a.m., changed her course, hoisted Austrian colours, and bore down on the merchant•ships. An hour after, having taken the crew on board, six in number, and made one of the ships fast by a hawser, she towed off her i prize at full speed. The two bngs, followed by two frigates, were then seen to leave the harbour under all plain sail, and a steamer getting up steam. Wind, W. by S , force five to six knots—the most favourable that could blow for them—at 7 35. It was now clear that the frigates were rapidly nearing, the Fury being three miles or more to leeward. Immediately the fore and aft sails were set, the prize cut adrift, and the steam brought to its highest pres• sure, so that she absolutely flew to windward. Still the frigates seemed to be gaining ground, and the position of the Fury became highly dangerous, as now two miles were the most that separated the enemies. Tons of water were started, all except two days' requirements, which was a considerable assistance. At K 30b onestill of he the other ke in the wind's eye. At 854 the windward frigate and the Fury came so close as to be almost in range of the long guns of the latter, when the order ' Open tire' was given. Immediately steady aim was taken, the sternmost gun fired, and down dropped the shell a yard distant from her lee bow. The enemy replied by firing two, but the shot did not reach half way, and hoisted the Russian ensign at her main, which was responded to by reloadin shorthandwit t idity and again firing. The shot still fell a little more to leeward. Again she fired four guns at the Fury, and ~,.. ~~ THE PRESS. another ensign was run up to the fore, for which another shell was fired, though it fell still shorter, as the Fury was rapidly increasing the distance. Having thus gone to windward, but stiU out of range, the idea was entertained of engaging the frigate with long guns, but at this time the steamer was rapidly advancing, and it was considered more prudent to remain content with taking a merchant vessel and six prisoners from beneath the fortifications. When the Fury went alongside the schooner she hauled down the Austrian colours and hoisted the English ensign, which seemed to startle them a little in harbour. The rage of the Russians must have been great, as they seemed sure of catching the Fury, and the hoisting of three en signs was an angry attempt to challenge a steamer of six guns to engage a frigate of forty, and she to windward!" H. M. S. Portland, 50, Captain Chads, with the flag of Rear-Admiral Moresby, C. 8., has arrived at Devonport from the Pacific, and has thus placed at the disposal of the Admiralty a most efficient comple ment of 450 officers and men. Both officers and men have the strongest desire to join the fleet in the Baltic at once. Tice-Admiral the Hon. Joceline Percy has returned from leave of absence, and again hoisted his flag on board the Waterloo,l2o guns, Captain Lord Frederick Kerr. Two Prussian men of-war arrived off Portsmouth on Thursday. They are the Gefion, a frigate of 48 guns, bearing the flag of Commodore Schroeder. and the Merkur 6 guns, Captain Kuhn. The Admiralty have had in consideration a plan which will render available for service at sea the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the Woolwich division required to do duty at Deptford and Woolwich dockyards. The plan, it is under stood, will be carried into effect by increasing the strength of the police force, which has for a con siderable time past been employed in these establish ments. The Resistance store-ship is at Portsmouth taking in a large quantity of stores for the fleet. To enable her to stow more than usual, she is discharging her tanks at the Clarence-yard. The Penelope, 18, paddlewheel-frigate, Captain Catlin, went to Spithead on Tuesday. She takes out a great quantity of slops and stores for the fleet in the Baltic, but will not sail until the arrival of the Portland, 50-gun frigate, from the Pacific. The screw-frigate Termagant, 24, was placed in the steam-factory dock of Portsmouth on Monday, to be prepared for commission. Having no machinery on board, this will take some time. The Pigmy steam-vessel, 100-horse power, is ordered to be commissioned at Portsmouth as a tug and gun boat, to attend on the Baltic fleet. The Rosamond, 6 guns, paddlewheel steam-sloop, Commander George Wodehouse, left Sheerness on Tuesday, on her passage to the Baltic. The Majestic, 91, new screw steam-ship, Captain James Hope, has proceeded to the Downs, on her way to the Baltic. She will wait there the arrival of the French squadron, and keep them company. The Brisk, 14, screw-sloop, Commander F. B. P. Seymour, arrived at Spithead on Tuesday morning from the West India station, from which she has been detached to serve in the Baltic. Considerable excitement has been created among the apprentices to free lightermon and watermen on the Thames, it having been announced that it is the intention of the Watermen's Company immediately to provide a portion of the quota (500 men) that the company is compelled by its charter to supply for service in the Royal Navy. This relic of the feudal system was strictly observed during the last war, and the required number is completed as follows :—Lists of the apprentices of three, four, five, and six years' standing are filed, and the number is balloted for, first from the junior classes, and, should the list of apprentices be expended before a sufficiency has been obtained, the free watermen then take their turn on the ballot, or provide substitutes. The town and port of Gallipoli are becoming every day more and more animated. A speculator from Smyrna transformed in four days an old tumble-down ruin into a grand Restaurant itt Europienne, with the following inscription above, marked out apparently with the finger:—Restaurant de l'armie The Turkish market is amply provided with every kind of provision. Meat is from three to four sous a pound ; the wine of Tenedos is from eight to ten sous a bottle —that is, the large bottle holding a French litre ; and fowls are from fifteen to twenty sous each. Rice, bacon, salt meats, and wine, for the troops, have been sent from France by the French Government ; and each soldier is to have daily a ration of wine or coffee. A contract entered into at Smyrna ensures to the army 2,000 oxen, which are to be conveyed to Galli poli by the Marocain and the Africain. All along the Dardanelles, and particularly on the European side, may be perceived thousands upon thousands of sheep, to all appearance waiting the arrival of the troops. In addition, a commission has been formed of some of the principal persons in the country, to second the administration in all the operations of victualling the army. Captain Severin, of the Chas seurs de Vincennes, has been named commandant of the town, and is occupied in establishing order in 1111111 C 391 the most perfect manner, so as to completely reassure the inhabitants. Turkish women and children often mingle with the soldiers in the streets. It seems that it was only the Ureek women who conceived some ap prehensions of the French soldiers ; and that, in con sequence of a frightful picture which their bishop thought fit to make to them of the morals and cha racter of the French, this zealous pastor, who was formerly a monk, has received orders to quit the town. Some years since (says the Pre am) the Emperor Nicholas, acting himself as cicerone, conducted an English admiral over the fortifications of Cronstadt, when the following conversation took place :—" You will admit, admiral, that this is a magnificent fortress and as impregnable as Gibraltar?' " Oh, sire, no fort but Gibraltar is impregnable." " What, then, is your opinion of Cronstadt ?" "Itis a good fortress, and one difficult to take." " Yes, doubtless, difficult." "It could not be done with fifteen ships." "Could it be done with twenty ?" " Not easily." " With twenty five r "It would take a fortnight." " With thirty five r " Oh, your Majestyren hours." THE CONVENTION BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE. THE text of the treaty of alliance just concluded be tween England and France is promulgated by the Moniteur, prefaced by an imperial decree to this ef fect:— "Napoleon, by the grace of God and the national will, Em peror of the French. "To all present and to come, greeting:—On the report of our Minister Secretary of State to the Department of Foreign Af- fairs, "We have decreed and do decree as follows: " Art. I. A treaty of alliance having been signed at London on the 10th of the present month of April, between France and England, with the view of sustaining the Ottoman empire against the aggression of the empire of Russia; this convention having been ratified by the two contracting Governments, and the re. spective acts of ratification having been exchanged on the 16th of the same month of April, the said treaty will receive its full and entire execution." The terms of the convention are as follows " Their Majesties the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Emperor of the French, having resolved to afford their support to his Majesty the Sultan Abdul Medjid, Emperor of the Ottomans, in the war which he is now maintaining against the aggressions of Russia, and being moreover compelled, notwithstanding their sincere and persevering efforts to preserve the peace, to become themselves belligerent parties in a war which, without their active intervention, would have endangered the existence of the European balance of power, and the interests of their own States, have, in consequence, resolved to conclude a convention intended to mark out the object of their alliance, and also the means to be employed in unison to accomplish it. And have for this purpose named as their plenipotentiaries: " Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable George William Frederick, Earl of Clarendon, dtc., her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Fo:•eigil Department. And his Majesty the Emperor of the French, Le Sieur Alexandre Calonna . Count Walewski, his Ambassador to her Britannic, Ma jesty, " Which plenipotentiaries, having reciprocally commu nicated and authenticated their full powers, have agreed to and signed the following articles " Art. 1. The high contracting patties bind themselves to do their utmost to effect the re-establishment of peace be tween Russia and the Sublime Porte upon a solid and durable basis, and to secure Europe against the recurrence of the lamentable complications which have just now so unhappily disturbed the general peace. " Art. 2. The integrity of the Ottoman empire being violated by the occupation of the provinces of Moldavia and of Wallachia, and by other movements of Russian troops, their Majesties the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Emperor of the French have concerted and will concert upon the means the most proper to free the territory of the Sultan from foreign in vasion, and to attain the object specified in Art. 1., and they engage to maintain for this purpose, according to the necessities of the war, to be judged of by common consent, military and naval forces sufficient to meet the emergency, and of which subsequent arrangements will determine, if there be occasion, the quality, number, and destination. " Art. 3. Whatever event may arise in consequence of the execution of this convention, the high contracting par ties bind themselves lint to accept any overture or any proposition for the cessation of hostilities, and not to en ter into any engagement with the Imperial Court of Rus sia without having previously deliberated in common. " Art. 4. Animated with the desire to preserve the Euro pean balance of power, and seeking no self-interested ob ject, the high contracting parties renounce beforehand the acquisition of any special advantage from the events which may occur. " Art 5. Their Majesties the Queen of the United King dom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Emperor of the French will receive with readiness into their alliance, to co operate for the proposed object, the other powers of Europe who may be willing to join it. " Art. . The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications exchanged at London, within eight days. "In witness whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same and affixed their seals. " Done at London, the lath of April, 1854. " CLAUNDOII. " Wst.rwsitt." _.-"-- 1 ,~ 4 : ~ . •