The Press. — London, England, 1854-04-01 00:00:00

296 * l al gattilignut. FRANCE. In the sitting of the Corps Legislatif on Monday the Minister of State was introduce& and, in the na me of the Emperor, read a message, announcing that the last resolution's of the Cabinet of St. Peters burg had placed Russia in a state of war with France, the responsibility of which entirely rested on the Russian Government. The assembly re ceived the announcement with loud acclamations. The President, in reply to the message, said that the Emperor might rely on the unanimous assist ance of the Corps Legislatif, as well as of the whole country. The acclamations were renewed, and the assembly broke up amid repeated cries of " Vive l'Empeieur ! " The same announcement was made to the Senate. The Moniteur publishes a decree for the reorgani sation of the medical service in the navy, and de termining the rank and pay of the medical officers. Another decree raises the number of enseignes de vaisseau in the French navy from 650 to 000. Rear-Admiral Lugoel is appointed to supersede Rear-Admiral Jacquenot as second in command of the Mediterranean squadron. The Patrie gives an interesting account from Malta of the 25th ult. of the recepti of General Canrobert and the other French generals who bad arrived there on the previous day on their way to Constantinople. The commander of the garrison at Malta called out the troops in honour of the visitors, and there were loud and enthusiastic cheers from the officers and soldiers. On the 25th the Christophe Columb, which had brought the French generals to Malta, left for Turkey. The bands of several regiments of the garrison of Paris have been for some time practising the air, " God save the Queen," in order to play it on the arrival of the English auxiliaries, whose bands will, no doubt, return the compliment by playing the now appropriate air of " Partant pour Is Syrie." Preparations are making at the Palace of the Elysee for the reception of the Emperor and Em press, who will remove from the Tuileries as soon as the fine weather sets in. The loan is closed. 98,000 subscribers demanded 467,000,000 francs. 253,000,000 francs have been subscribed in the departments, and 214,000,000 francs at Paris. 308,000,000 francs have been demanded in Three per Cents., and 159,000,000 francs in Four-and-a-Half per Cents. The Govern ment has given notice that the subscription having exceeded the required amount, all offers above 1,000 francs must be proportionately reduced ; smaller subscriptions than 1,000 francs wil not be interfered with. M. Arthur Nicolas Hubbard, a member of the Paris bar, has been tried for belonging to a secret society, and the clandestine possession of a printing press. He was counsel for the defence of one of the prisoners in the affair of the Opera Comique plot, and the great zeal he showed, coupled with certain expressions betraying an intimate knowledge of the conspiracy, provoked the suspicion of the law officers of the Crown, and led to his arrest. It was proved that the printing-press afterwards found at Bratiano's, the Wallachian, had been originally in his posses sion, and had been used while in his house to print "Le Revell," "La Conscience Publique," the " Bulletin a l'Armee," and other revolutionary pro clamations. The court found M. Hubbard guilty, and sentenced him, as a leader and founder of a secret society, to three years' imprisonment and a fine of 500 francs, and for the possession of the printing press to a fine of 10,000 francs. He is, moreover, ' deprived of civil rights for five years. The Legitimist journal, the Union, has profited by the lesson that was lately given to it. Not only does it abstain from insinuations against the alliance with England and the policy of the French Government in going to war with Russia, but de clares that, now that war is proclaimed, all parties are bound to give proofs of their patriotism, by efforts and sacrifices in support of the honour of France. The meeting of the creditors of M. Montaux on Wednesday night went off very satisfactorily. The firm pays 50 per cent., half of it down. The liabilities do not, it appears, exceed three millions of francs. BELGIUM. The Belgian Government has called the attention of the armourers of Liege to the serious conse quences which may result to them under existing circumstances from their selling arms to Russia, as there can be no doubt that England and France will, by their cruisers, endeavour to prevent their reaching their destination. The result would be the same if any be sent to assist the Greek insurrection against the Ottoman Porte. AUSTRIA. The draft of a treaty between Austria and Prussia was sent to Berlin on the 23d ult., and has been the subject of several communications between the two THE PRESS. Governments. The ostensible object of this treaty is the maintenance of the neutrality of the two States and of Germany; but, in fact, the treaty is the in strument of an offensive and defensive alliance. The Austrian Correspotutenz says that there is no reason to doubt that a closer alliance, and a more perfect understanding, will be the result of the intercommu nications of the two Cabinets. A rumour is in circulation that a memorandum has been drawn up by the Austrian Government which declares that it will consider the passage of the Danube as a violation of existing treaties. This report is received with general satisfaction. The sth, 6th, 7th, and Bth corps of the army of Italy have been placed on the war establishment. The Austrian Government is concentrating on the Turkish frontier a much stronger force than has been mentioned in the official announcements on the subject. The newspapers are not allowed to publish the numbers of these reinforcements, but competent persons calculate that, including the permanent regiments of the military frontier, the Austrian force now located on the borders of Turkey and the three Danubian principalities cannot be far short of 150,000 men. The Augsburg Gazette states that Servia and Mon tenegro have made a treaty with Austria to remain neutral, Austria engaging to support their neutrality by arms if necessary. Field Marshal Radetzky has sent to Vienna a memorandum upon the present condition and distri bution of the Austrian forces in Italy, intended to enforce his repeated, but disregarded, applications for reinforcements. Three persons have been executed in Transylvania for political offences. John Torok, Charles Horvath de Nagy-Farad, and M. Galfi, were found guilty of being concerned in the conspiracy formed in 1851, " the object of which was to overthrow the Imperial Government in Hungary and Transylvania," and were hanged on the 10th ult. On the 19th two per sons were also condemned to dPath at Prague for high treason, and a third to twelve years' hard labour. The sentences of the former were, however, commuted into prolonged imprisonment PRUSSIA. An accident has befallen the King of Prussia more serious than was at first imagined. Whilst taking a walk in the gardens about twilight, unattended, his Majesty strolled through a path which was partly overflowed. On finding his feet in the water, he sprang back, and struck his face, nearly on the left eyelid, against the projecting branch of an acacia tree, and with such force as to cause him to fall into the shallow muddy water. Assistance was imme diately at hand, but some appearances of fever after wards manifested themselves. His Majesty was ordered by his physicians to keep his bed, and abstain from all business during some days. The Minister of the Interior has announced to the First Chamber the definitive resolution of the Government to change the present composition of the Second Chamber, and to submit a new electoral law. The Prussian Government has given permission to sixty Prussian pilots to act on board the English squadron. Several English speculators have made their ap pearance in the Prussian ports of the Baltic, in order to enter into arrangements respecting the provision ing of the English fleet. DENMARK. The session of the Danish Diet was closed on the 24th ult. . It will not be reopened before the expira tion of six months. It is believed that the King will not at present part with his advisers, notwithstanding the recent vcto of the Diet. SWEDEN AND NORWAY. The Swedish Diet has been officially informed that the Emperor of Russia has recognised the neutrality of Sweden and Norway. The Swedish and Norwegian troops in the island of Gothland will be immediately increased to 10,000, an island which, in all probability, will play an im portant part in the approaching contest. SPAIN. The Madrid Gacetaof the 20th ult. publishes a decree granting an amnesty to the insurgents of Cuba. It is said that the Bank of St. Ferdinand has advanced to the Government a loan of 50,000,000 of reals at six per cent., secured on the produce o' the Havana. ITALY. On the 26th ult. the Duke of Parma was stabbed with a dagger. He died on the following day. The assassin escaped. Some arrests afterwards took place. The Duchess is to be Regent during the minority of her son Prince Robert. The old Ministry of Parma has been dissolved. Salad is appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs; Pallavicini, Interior. Baron Ward has been banished for life, which has given great satisfaction. SATIJIDAY. The assassination of the Duke occurred in a sort of low wine shop frequented by the lowest people. The Duke entered the common room, and was recog nised by a soldier who was reading, and who imme diately rose and saluted him, and then sitting down again continued his perusal. The Duke went up to him and said, " What! you go on reading before your prince, and seated !" The soldier replied in a low tone, "In seeing your royal highness enter such a place I thought you desired to remain incognito, and I feared to show you too much respect, as that would only attract notice." The Duke got into a violent passion, and, after using most abusiva lan guage, struck the soldier a dreadful blow with his whip across the face. The soldier then, in a fit of exasperation, drew out his short sword and plunged it into the lower part of the Duke's stomach. In the tumult he succeeded in effecting his escape. The late Duke Ferdinand Charles 111., Joseph Maria Vittoria Balthasar de Bourbon, Infant of Spain, was born on the 14th of January, 1823, and was, conse quently, only thirty one years of age. He succeeded his father, Duke Charles 11., after the act of abdica tion of the 14th of March, 1849, and took the reins of Government by a proclamation of the 27th of August, 1849. The late Duke married, on the lOth of November, 1845, the Duchess Louisa Maria Theresa of Bourbon, daughter of the Duke of Beiri, and sister of the Duke of Bordeaux (Count de Cham bord), by whom he leaves four children. The eldest son and present Duke, Robert Charles Louis Marie, was born on the 9th of July, 1848. RUSSIA. The Emperor Nicholas, by ukase of the 16th places the Military Academy under the supreme di rection of his Imperial Highness the Cessrevitsch, the Hereditary Grand Duke. The British Consul at Cronstadt has leftpis post ; the French Consul is absent on leave. The St. Petersburg Court Journal gives the follow ing items of the Russian fleet in the Euzine :—lt is composed of 4 ships of 110 to 120 cannon, 12 of 80 to 88 cannon, 2 reserve ships of 80 cannon, 12 frigates of 52 to 50 cannon, 40 smaller vessels of 10 cannon, and 15 steamers with more or less bomb cannon. The Russian paper adds that the sum total of Russian cannon exceeds by 500 those of the combined fleets, viz., 2,208. It is stated that Prince Demidoff, who for several years past has resided in Florence, has written to the Emperor Nicholas, placing at his Majesty's disposal " his fortune and his sword." The prince is the hus band of the Princess Mathilde, daughter of the ex- King Jerome, and consequently first cousin to the Emperor of the French. Letters of the 15th ult. from Revel, on the Gulf of Finland, state that the greatest terror still prevailed there on account of the probability of its being born- • barded by the English fleet. On that day the ice had again partly broken up in the vicinity of that town. A letter from Warsaw states that the army of occu pation now in the kingdom of Poland consists of 25,000 men, who are in the fortresses and principal towns, and of a portion of the corps of General Severs. A despatch from Odessa states that a division of the Russian fleet had just left Sebastopol with the object of provisioning and reinforcing the Russian forts on the Circassian coast. Constantinople letters also state that, on the 13th, two steamers of the allied fleets had come in with information that the Rus sians were in the act of conveying 12,000 men to Redout Kale. THE WAR ON THE DANUBE. Most conflicting accounts of encounters and move ments on the Danube have been received by way of Bucharest and Vienna. But divergent as may be the statements of victory or loss, no doubt remains that the combined armies of Gortschakoff and Luders have crossed the Danube at various points to the number of 50,000 or 80,000. The passage is said to have been chiefly in the neighbourhood of Ibrailow and Galatz, on the north-eastern bend of the river, and at no great distance from its entrance into the Euxine, at a place called Tulksa. Another body of troops is said to have been pushed across at Oltenitza. This movement is stated to have taken place on the 23rd ult. According to the Austrian Frenuien Blatt, the Russian detachment under General Gortschakoff forced the passage of the Danube above Tulksa, not withstanding a vigorous resistance on the part of the Turks, and that some redoubts on the right bank of the liver were taken. The loss of the Russians was considerable, that of the Turks terrible. Eleven guns and 150 prisoners were taken by the Russians. Tulksa was occupied the same day. A telegraphic message from Vienna of later date gives a different version " On the 23rd the Russians, under Prince Gortsehakoff, crossed the Danube from Oltenitza in great force. Whe ther they attacked the Turks, or the Turks attacked them, does not appear ; but a sanguinary battle ensued, in which the Russians were repulsed, with a loss of 8,000. The Turks then retired into their entrenchments. It seems NIP