The Press. — London, England, 1854-08-12 00:00:00

754 INDIA AND CHINA. The overland mail has arrived, with dates from Bombay of the Ist. An inclination for making peace was felt at Ava. In Cahoot it was said that the Czar had promised Persia to restore to her the provinces taken from her by the Russians, if the Shah would send his armies against Turkey. It was also said that the Russians bad taken possession of the fortress of Kokan. The Dutch expedition against Borneo has been successful. Montrado has been taken. The Sumatra corvette has been destroyed by fire in the roadstead of Kema. The crew were saved. There was disturbance in the north of China. Shiklung was in the hands of the insurrectionists, who threatened Canton with an attack. THE WAR. OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTH. The preparations for some important stroke to be attempted upon the shores of the Black Sea are announced by every report which arrives from the head-quarters of the combined forces in Turkey. Where the blow will fall is still uncertain, notwith standing the peremptory announcement made so long since as this day week by the Times, that Sebastopol was then already assailed, in all probability by an army of 80,000 or 90,000 English, French, and Turks. We know only that a number of fiat-bottomed boats, for the purpose of disembarkation, had been busily preparing in the Bosphorus ; that some of them had been despatched on the 30th ult. for Varna where all the rest, making thirty in all, were to be delivered by the 10th inst. Some portion of the allied troops —in numbers variously stated from 10 to 25,000 men—had also embarked at Baltehick and proceeded eastward, with the intention, according to some accounts, of landing near Sebastopol, by others of capturing Anapa, while a third report assigned Odessa as the point for first attack, that place being designed to form a point d'appui for subsequent operations, and a stronghold which the allies were to occupy during the winter. A squadron of vessels, principally steamers, left Baltshick on the 25th or 26th ult., and their appear ance off the coast seems to have given rise to many of the premature reports of an expedition against the Crimea. The purpose for which the ships were sent, however, appears to have been only to effect a recon naissance, and take soundings, &c., along the shores of the Black Sea. General Brown, in the Fury, accom panied this detachment, and is stated to have ven tured into the very jaws of the fortified entrance to Sebastopol, where he remained during an entire night, and succeeded in escaping scatheless, though strenuously cannonaded next morning. During the reconnaissance of the coast. of the Crimea a magnificent beach, it is stated, was dis covered about eight miles from Sebastopol itself, and most favourable for landing. At Sebastopol the garrison are making great exertions in strengthening the fortifications, and strong bodies of troops have arrived there from the interior of Russia. Active preparations are also being made upon all accessible points on the coast to oppose the landing of troops. All roads—and there are but few—are mined at given places, entrenched, intersected, impeded with abattis, and flanked with redoubts. The inhabitants, it is added, are ordered to quit their dwellings upon the first signal, and to retire before the cordon of Cos sacks directed to sweep them, their cattle, and their moveables, into the interior. An Odessa letter of July 25th, published in the New Munich Journal, says : "We are fully prepared to resist attack here. About 17,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, with several field batteries, are close at hand. Troops are being constantly sent to the Crimea, where there will soon be a force of 100,000 men, more than sufficient to prevent any attempt at landing." The cholera has broken out in the camp at Varna and its neighbourhood. On the first day that the epidemic made its appearance in the light division, 20 men died in 24 hours. The second division, at the date of the last accounts, had escaped with only a few cases ; but the third, which was encamped about two miles from Varna, had suffered severely. Much improvement took place upon the regiments being ordered to shift their ground. The French were losing many men by the disease, though fewer than the British in proportion to their number. The Spitfire and Vesuvius are stated to have de stroyed the village of Sulina, sparing only the church and lighthouse. On the 29th ult. the Turkish fleet, composed of four ships of the line and five frigates, quitted its anchorage at Bujukdere, to proceed first to Varna, and thence to Redout Kaieh, to land Mustapha Pacha, who was named governor of that place. All the English and French vessels at Constantinople had been ordered to Varna. Admiral Boxer cos; mends the transport squadron. THE PRESS. THE WLADIMIR. Notwithstanding the alleged vigour of the blockade at Sebastopol, a large Russian steamer, the W/adi inir, has succeeded in escaping the vigilance of the cruisers, and made a venturesome cruise in the Black Sea. She got away, according to some accounts, under French colours, or else, as other reports state, painted to resemble an Austrian steamer, and, so far as we yet know, got back again in perfect safety. During her voyage the }Vladimir captured and de stroyed at least three Turkish vessels laden with grain, and chased others. The British steamer Cyclops is said to have had a narrow escape. She was engaged in conveying ammunition from the arsenal in Constantinople to a given rendezvous in the Black Sea, and had left all her armament, ex cept two small guns, on shore. Some delay to effect trifling repairs caused her to sail a few hours later than had been anticipated, and the Russians, whose information through their spies seems for once to have been even too accurate, missed by a short in terval meeting with the English steamer, which, if encountered, they must inevitably have sunk or taken. The Cyclops is a slow-going steamer, and could not have escaped, nor in her unarmed condi tion have successfully resisted a steam frigate of the force of the Bladiniir. OPERATIONS IN THE BALTIC. On the Ist inst. the following vessels, bringing the French military force, had arrived in Led Sund : Men-of-war--St. Vincent, Royal William, Hannibal, Algiers, Gladiator, Spbynx, Termagent, Stromboli. Hired transports—PrincA (screw), Belgravia, Here fordshire, Columbia, Julia, Edwin Fox. General D'Hilliers returned there on the evening of the same day from Bomarsund, where he had been upon a reconnoitring expedition in the Imperieuse yacht. He had gone very close to the forts, when a masked battery opened fire upon him, and two shots fell over the ship. The commander soon steamed away beyond their reach. The last direct intelligence from the Baltic fleet is of the 3rd inst., when some expedition was evidently preparing, though nothing yet attempted. A Dantzic despatch t f yesterday (11th), however, states that three thousand French soldiers and six hundred English marines landed at three points on Aland, with little interruption and no loss, on Tuesday last, the oth inst. The forts have not been attacked, but were to be on Wednesday. Admiral Napier is in the Bulldog at Bomarsund. THE WAR ON THE DANUBE. The Russian retreat continues unchecked, and in telligence from Vienna, corroborated by the Foreign Secretary in the Peers on Thursday, informs us that both Moldavia and Wallachia are to be evacuated. At the last dates from Bucharest (7th) the Russian head quarters were at Basco, about halfway between Bucharest and Folkshan. The whole army will gradually retire behind the Pruth. Before quitting Bucharest, Prince Gortschakoff assembled the Boyards and expressed his satisfaction with the treatment of his troops in Wallachia. He then told them that strategetic considerations obliged him to evacuate the town, but that he counted upon returning to it much sooner than was commonly sup- posed. - The Turkish vanguard under Scander Bey is stated to have entered Bucharest on the 7th. Omer Pacha was then remaining temporarily at Rutschuk. He had sent a message to Bucharest, requiring lodging and provisions for 12,000 men inside the city, and rations for 20,000 outside the walls. On the 28th ult. a fight took place between the rearguard of the Russians at Oltenitza and the Ottomans who crossed the Danube at that place. The affair ended in tho defeat and hasty retreat of the Russians. The Vienna Presse states : " General Prim has arrived at Orsova. The same ship brought several English and French officers and com missariat officers for the purchase of forage in Hungary. The officers say that the allies will first attack Anapa. There are 30,000 Turks and French, but no English, in the Dobrudscha. The Turks occupy Babadagh. The Turks will probably attack Tultscha the French, - - Galatz." From 'Vienna a despatch affirms that• the Austrian troops on their way to Galicia, the Bukovina, and Transylvania have received orders to halt for the present. Prince Gortschakoff, it is added, has officially an nounced to Austria the retreat of the Russian army of occupation beyond the Pruth, but declines to say from what motives. A Berlin letter of the sth, on the other hand, declares that the Bth inst. is definitively fixed for the entrance of the Austrians into Wallachia. The Czar, it. is said, having many enemies and few friends, is turning to the Poles in his present di lemma, and is about to make such liberal concessions as are not likely to be rejected, for the purpose of gaining them over to his cause. ASIA. --- - The Tnrkish army in Asia is at length stated to be receiving regular and cons id era ble reinforcements. SATURDAY, The Russians had crossed the Arpa Chai, and ad vanced as far as Gedlikler, near Little Aratat. The Turks at Kars, after holding a long war council, decided to act on the defensive, and wait the ap proach of the enemy. The Turkish commanders at Kars are to be tried by court-martial, on account of their late defeat and continued misconduct. THE WHITE SEA. - • Two war-steamers of the British squadron, having destroyed the establishments of the Russian Govern meat to the north of Archangel, have entered the Bay of Onega, that arm of the White Sea which reaches farthest towards the Russian interior. REINFORCEMENTS. Major-General Sir G. Cathcart embarked on board the Harbinger at Southampton on Wednesday for the East. His staff consisted of aides-de-camp Cap tains Greville and the Hon. G. Elliot; Brigadier-Gene ral Torrens ; Colonels Walker (Scots Fusilier Guards), Lindsay (Grenadier Guards), Seymour (A.A.G.), and Windham (A.Q.M.G.); Major Maitland (D.A.G.), Captain Smith (D.A.Q.M.G.), and Dr. Munro (93rd). Sir G. Cathcart, as also the Earl of Lucan and Sir R. England, are to have the local rank of lieutenant general in Turkey. Tile Harbinger is to call at Plymouth on her way down channel, and take on board Rear-Admiral Stopford. She will also carry out some specie and a full cargo of stores for the army. Her immediate destination is said to be to Varna direct. It is stated that two more regiments of cavalry and six regiments of infantry are to proceed to Tur key, and that the whole of the militia are to be em bodied. The 94th Regiment, now at Chatham, recently re turned from India, is under orders to get everything ready for active service in the Baltic. To complete its full strength, an application will be made for volunteers. A private letter from Gibraltar of the 25th ult. states that Captain Maberley, of the Royal Artillery, has not been so fortunate in procuring horses for the army in the East as he could wish. His restriction as to price and height has proved an impediment to his success. The General Screw Company's transport steam ship Golden Fleece, Captain Scales, has left South ampton, having on board a large quantity of artillery stores for Circassia and of provisions for the fleet: 30 men and a few officers were also embarked. She was to call at Plymouth, en route, for the purpose of taking on board the 21st Regiment. The Mauritius, belonging to the above company, also engaged by Government, is being speedily prepared for sea. She is to embark the 46th Regiment, and will, if possible, take her departure for yarns on the 16th inst. The new despatch gun-boats, mounted with Lan • caster's powerful 68-pounder oval guns, will, it is stated, be sent to the Black Sea as soon as they are ready, instead of the Baltic. In addition to Lady Erroll, who remains with her hus band at Monastie, the following lathes are in Turkey : Mrs. Carpenter, wife of the Colonel of the dlst Regiment; Mrs. Wrottesley, with her husband, the Hon. Lieutenant Wrottesley, R.E.; Mrs. Galion, wife of Captain Gallon, 50th Regiment ; Mrs. Jubilee, wife of Captain Jubilee, &c. It is understood, however, that " the authorities" do not approve the devotion of these ladies. Mrs. Scott, wife of Colonel Scott, of the Guards, remains with her family at Therapia, where there is quite a little colony of English " grass widows," principally attached to officers of the navy. The great shaving question remains in this wise--Lord Raglan will issue no order on the subject, but the officers and men of the first division may wear moustaches, though they must shave their chins. Brigadier Bentinck was very anxious to restrict the growth of the moustache to a week's produce, after which he reco mmended clipping with scissors ; but the Guards have got their own way, and the moustache is to be allowed to attain the greatest develop ment nature permits in each case. Conwr SPASM, a Swedish nobleman, now in Ireland, has discovered, says the Cork Examiner, the means of imitating any banknote, check, bill of etch ange, pro f missory-note, or letter of credit , w ithout the possibility o detection ; and, at the same time, hes invented a descrip tion of bank paper which does not admit of imitation, can re moval of signature, chang e of amount, 41.7 c., which be readily effected by him with the paper at present inghout use. The adoption of Count Sparre's paper for notes the kingdom of Sweden and Norway is now under the co nsideration of the directors of the Royal Bank, Stock holm. The count has already expended upwards of 5,000/. in experiments and the construction of the neces sary machinery, and now seeks a capitalist willing to invest a similar sum, with a view to the establishment of a bank fortf in Englnd. He has taken out paents Sweden as o well as for a Great Britain an d Ireland,t and proposes next year proceeding to America for the purpose of obtaining like privileges there. THE KING or PRUSSIA, the King of Wurtemberg, and the King of Bavaria visited the Munich Crystal Palace on the 29th ult., in oosapany.