The Press. — London, England, 1854-01-28 00:00:00

JANUARY 28, 1854. ties within the shortest possible delay ; and the second, the renewal of the treaties, to which the Sublime Porte assents, in deference to the advice of the allied powers, and in the undeviating spirit of moderation by which it has been guided throughout in these transactions. " With regard to the religous privileges and immunities of the various non-Mussalman communions, subject to the Ottoman Government, these have been accorded in ancient times by the illustrious ancestors of his Imperial Majesty, and reconfirmed by himself in virtue of a hatti-sheriff recently emanated to that effect. These grants and fran chises, moreover, the Sublime Porte has been ever anxious o; maintain—and will maintain perpetually—as has been long since solemnly proclaimed to all Europe by the pro mulgation of the Tanzimat Morever, should any one of those communions eossess advantages unenjoyed by the others, and these desire to participate therein, the Ottoman Government, animated by sentiments of justice and im partiality, will never refuse to dispense equal rights and equal privileges to all. Neither can there be the slightest objection to notify the sincerity and loyalty of these inten tions to every Government in Europe, and to furnish each —and necessarily the Cabinet of St. Petersburg—with a copy of the aforesaid firmans. The project of settlement concerning the measures required to complete the decision relative to the Holy Places will be accepted definitively. " Hence the Sublime Porte is ready to conclude a treaty of peace, in the manner traced out by its august allies, and consents, accordingly, to appoint a plenipotentiary, who, with a Russian plenipotentiary, will finally regulate this affair, and settle the terms of an armistice, in any neutral town at the choice of the allied powers, as soon as intelli gence is received that the Court of St. Petersburg has ac quiesced in these decisions. ". In consequence of the many and various relations ex isting between Turkey and the European States, the Sub lime Porte considers itself in every respect entitled to be admitted as a member of the European federation, and, conformably with this situation, it will be requisite to con firm and complete the treaty of 1841, and this result. it awaits with entire confidence in the good offices and solici tude of the great powers. " Forty days ought to suffice to make known the deci sion of the Russian Cabinet, and the Sublime Porte solicits its august allies to direct their attention to that object. " Finally, with a view of ensuring to all classes of his subjects the blessings of justice and security, his Majesty the Sultan is most anxious to see in full vigour the enact ments of the Tanzimat, and to introduce into all depart ments of state the requisite reforms and ameliorations ; and to this end has deigned to issue orders for considering and completing that most important object. This circum stance I feel most happy to announce, and it will afford, no doubt, the highest satisfaction to the friends and well wishers of the Ottoman empire. (Signed) " Rebiulevel 30, 1270. " MUSTAPIIA REDSCAID. All the preparations are made at Adrianople for the arrival of the Sultan, which is to take place in March. Numerous articles of furniture, as also 800 domestics and 500 horses, have already been despatched. The whole retinue will consist of 1,000 persons. The first regiment of the Christian Cossacks formed by Zadyk Pacha (Charkowsky), and mostly composed of Bulgarians, was to leave Constantinople on the 10th for the head-quarters of Omer Pacha. The Cologne Gazette publishes a letter from Con stantinople which speaks of the preparations making in that capital by General Baraguay d'Hilliers, for supplying provisions for the support of an auxiliary corps of 40,000 French troops in Turkey. The Porte, on the recommendation of General d'Hilliers, has decided on establishing a line of electric telegraph from Constantinople to Schumla It is also in contemplation to purchase in Europe a' certain number of steam-vessels. Much sensation is said to have been created in Constantinople by the arrival of reports from Malta, stating that the English forces collected there and in the I nian Islands already numbered from 30,000 to 35,000 men (7), and that an immense quantity of provisions and ammunition had been brought. into store. Several British officers, chiefly from India, have arrived in Constantinople, and offered their services to the Sultan. Some of these proffers were ac cepted. A melancholy affair of honour took place on the 3rd inst. in Constantinople between two French officers, Marsala and Mouginot, both professors and comrades in the Military Academy. They fought with swords, and in less than five minutes Mouginot fell mortally wounded. An inquest was held by the French authorities, and it appears that, all having been fairly conducted and according to established usage in the French army, M. Marsaux is not amena ble to criminal law. Fuller details have now arrived respecting the en nee of the combined fleets into the Black Sea. For two or three days previous to the day on which they started (the 3rd) every preparation was made. The steamers lighted their fires, the ships of the line loosed their sails, and signals were exchanged from one squadron to the other, but the weather was so bed,. the current so rap i d, and the wind from the X.E. blew in such h eavy gusts, t h at t h e two admirals hesitated, and postponed the intended movement. At length the wind veered round to the S.W., and THE PRESS. the entrance to the Black Sea was free. At daylight of the 3rd the order was given to get under way. A large crowd had assembled on the shore of Therapia to witness the magnificent spectacle. Eighteen powerful frigates were seen getting up their steam at the same time ; small sailing •vessels were gliding along between the larger ships, and the latter weighed their anchors, made fast to the steamers which were to take them in tow, and loosed their sails, and in a short time a general movement was visible. Later in the day, however, the wind again lulled, and it was not until the following day that the whole of the fleets, which consist of thirty-three vessels, of which fifteen are of the line, had all entered the Black Sea. A correspondent of the Pays, in giving an account of the event, says : " The Henri IV. was the first to start in tow of a frigate, and proudly passed along with every sail set. The others followed, each as they were ready, and, as the French fleet was at anchor in advance of the English, it had the appa rent honour of leading the van. But when the English line-of-battle ship the Queen, bearing the flag of Admiral Lyons, got under way without waiting to be taken in tow, and dashed into the Bosphorus with all the precision and rapidity of a steamer, a shout was raised on the shore in applause of the admirable way in which she was handled." The latest news of the fleet is communicated by the captain of a steamer from Trebizond, who en countered it steering with a fair wind and tine weather for Batoum, which was then within a day's sail. The "message" to the governor of Sebastopol was delivered on the 7th, when the two steamers despatched for that purpose arrived before the port. The governor is stated to have contented himself with answering to the notification of the entry of the fleets into the Black Sea, that he was astonished at so unforeseen a communication, that he could not understand what they wanted of him, Russia being at war only with Turkey, and that, consequently, he could not say what he meant to do under the cir cumstances. The following is a list of the Russian naval forces in the Black Sea : "Varna (admiral's flag-ship), 120 gins; Twelve Apo*. Ike, 120 ; Rostilas, 120 ; Sviatoekt, 120; Selglond, 120 ; The Three Svialitely, 120; Sultan Afahmoud, 80; The Three Terorchow, Fri; Uriel, 80; Yagontlib, 78; Chabry, 80; Crelem, 84; Silutria, 80 ; Catherine 11., 80. " FRIGATES.—Midia, tlo gam ; Korarna, 56 ; Flora, 54; Brailow, 60; hfirifrla, 66; Zisopol, 52 ; Kagul, 48 ; Alga -46. Fifteen small ships (such as brigs, corvettes, and schooners). STEANlEBB.—Beuarabia, 6 guns ; Gromonos, 6 ; GrOgNy t 6. Total, 1,042 guns." Of these ships many are supposed to be not fully equipped. A Russian official communication has been pub fished at Trieste by the central naval authorities. All vessels carrying ammunitions of war, and stopped by Russian cruisers in the Black Sea, will be re garded and treated as good prizes, whether belonging to a hostile or neutral power. _ The statement thaC the two English engineers captured in the Egyptian steamer Medari Tidjaret had been set at liberty is contradicted. The Go vernor of Odessa obstinately refuses to give them up. Enormous preparations both in the way of men and money are making by the Czar to carry on the war. The armaments throughout the whole empire are stated to surpass all belief. The organisation of all the reserve battalions has been ordered, and half the invalids are called in for garrison service. A part of the infantry corps stationed in Warsaw under General Paniutin has received orders to be prepared to march. It is intended to form a depot of 150,000 soldiers at Moscow, to leave 100,000 in Poland, sta tion another 100,000 in columns among the provinces of the Baltic and in Finland, and raise the army on the Danube to 200,000 and that of Asia to 100,000. A ukase has been issued calling upon the seamen of the Baltic fleet to rejoin the ships by the 15th of March. The concentrations are to take place at Cronstadt, Revel, and Sweaborg. On the side of finance, in addition to the 50,000,000 francs withdrawn from the Bank of France, and 25,000,000 francs demanded from the Warsaw Bank, it is stated that a new issue of paper money will im mediately take place, to the amount of 0,500,0001. sterling, to meet the war expenditure. The Paris journals report sundry sayings dropped by the Emperor Nicholas, or his chief advisers, respect ing the current events. We are told that when the Emperor learnt the entrance of the fleet into the Black Sea he displayed perfect calmness, and said to those about him:— " When battle is offered to Russia, Russia accepts. She can afford to mourn for a fleet, but not for the honour of the nation. " I expected the resolution taken by France and Great Britain, and therefore lam not found unprepared. All my orders have been given in advance, foreseeing this act, which, by violating treaties, frees me from their obli• gations." There happened to be a grand reception at the Court on the day that M. de Reizet attended for the purpose of presenting the declaration of France re- 79 lative to the entry of the fleets into the Black Sea. After the ceremony was over, the Emperor Nicholas, addressing some members of the diplomatic corps who were near him, said : " Gentlemen, I have done all I could to maintain peace. lam driven into war. Russia never refuses battle when offered to her. She may mourn the loss of a fleet, but she will never have to mourn the loss of her honour." The following melodramatic dialogue between the Czar and Prince Menschikoff is reported, with a voucher for its truth, by the Constitutionnel " The Czar : lan we make head against these formid able squadrons? " Menschikoff: Conquer them, no ! Fight and die to the last, yes !" PERSIA. A copy of the Persian Court and State Gazette, published at Teheran, has been received at Con stantinople. It contains the announcement that the Shah, having regard to the warlike operations which were taking place in neighbouring states, had seen fit to order the formation of a corps d'arnde to be sta tioned at the frontier. .... The Independance of Brussels publishes a tele graphic despatch from Trieste, founded on intelli gence brought by the overland Indian mail, in which it is said that the Persian port of Bushire is blockaded by a British corvette, and that a schooner and war steamer have also been sent into the Persian Gulf. UNITED STATES. Two steamers, the Africa and the Alps, have arrived from New York during the week. The latest dates are of the 14th inst. There had been another large fire in New York, the Laffarge-hoase and Metropolitan hall having been entirely destroyed on the morning of the Bth inst. The loss was esti mated at 500,0001. The Laffargo was a new hotel, one of the finest in the city. A very destructive fire occurred at Portland, Maine, on the 7th inst. The custom-house building was en tirely destroyed, together with the contents of the. post-office, the United States court-rooms, the So ciety of Natural History, and various libraries and other valuable establishments. The loss amounts to half a million of dollars, most of which falls upon Government. A large number of wooden buildings, occupied as stores and shops of different kinds, together with the First Presbyterian Church, were destroyed by fire at Detroit on the 10th. The loss about 35,000 dollars. In addition to these disasters by land, a melan choly series of shipwrecks are reported to have occurred on the coast. The ship Three Bells had arrived at New York with 230 of the survivors from the wrecked steam-ship San Francisco. Intelligence had been received in San Francisco on Dec. 13, that a number of foragers had been attacked by a party of Rancheros from San Thomas, and, after a slight skirmish, the Americans were forced to retreat, leaving about twenty of their num ber dead upon the field. 300 men had been des patched from San Francisco in pursuit of the assailants, each armed with a rifle, two revolvers, and a bowie-knife. The commercial accounts from San Francisco were rather unsatisfactory, the continued heavy im • • portations of goods 'and limited demand from the interior having caused dulness in every department of trade. INDIA. The Indian mail for December reached Alexan dria on the 14th, but was detained several days waiting for the steamer to convey it to Marseilles, which did not arrive until the 19th. A Trieste steamer, which left Alexandria on the 17th, brought some despatches, whose contents were telegraphed to England on Monday that. The Governor-General of India left Calcutta on the 9th of December for Burmah. A conspiracy at Rangoon was frustrated on the 23rd of November by the preparations of the British authorities. Lord Elphinstone arrived at Bombay on the 25th of December. Lord Falkland left Bombay on the 3rd of Decem ber, and on the 12th of January arrived at Cairo. A combined naval and military expedition was being rapidly organised by the Bombay Government to carry out any orders it may receive from England, or from the Governor-General. The important territory of Berar, called the " garden of India," has lapsed to the British Govern ment by the death of its ruler without issue. The Resident of Bushire had reported that 66,000 Persians had reached that neighbourhood with the object of invading the pachalik of Bagdad. No mails had arrived from Australia, though one was due. CHINA. In China the insurrection continued on the ascen dant, and the insurgent army was marching upon Pekin, before the walls of which the last struggle of the Imperialists would be fought. At the end of October the insurgents had reached Ginken, about sixty miles from the capital. ~I ff‘..A