The Press. — London, England, 1858-09-18 00:00:00

892 foreign an Otolonial FRANCE. A FRENCH CABLE FOR AMERICA. The Presse thinks that France ought to lose no time in laying down an Atlantic telegraph of her own ; but it fears much that, as in the case of the transat lantic packets, a vote for which was obtained by M. Thiers eighteen years ago, the thing will be talked of long enough before anything will be done. It laments greatly that, owing to the French wont of energy, all the American mcrchandize, which, now that a complete railway network exists on the Conti nent, ought naturally to pass through France, takes the English route, " while we never get further than projects and tenders, or projects for tenders, and do othing practical." FLOATING BATTERIES. The following curious letter on the newly invented tattering steamships (vaisseaux Witte) appears in eae Ocean of Brest:— Coastguard batteries, however multiplied they may be, osn henceforth neither prey( nt a bombardment nor a landing. The only mode of defending ports and rivers in future will be by floating steam batteries of thirty or sixty guns, rendered invulnerable against all descriptions of shot by being plated with iron covered with timber, drawing little water and moving at the rate of from five to eight knots an hour by means of one or several screws placed under water, fitted with sliding masts, and armed with guns to be loaded at the breech, by which they may be discharged five times es quickly as the guns at present in use. The timbers of these formidable floating batteries should he sufficiently solid to resist the most violent shock, in order that by driving into the centre of a fleet they may sink or disable any ship against which they shall strike. Such was the plan I proposed in the year 1844, and published in the year 1845, and which received the most remarkable conse cration at the siege of Kinburn, notwithstanding the vicious and too primitive construction of the floating batteries then employed. This system will shortly gain a fnrt her ad vantage by the new strategy of the battle-shock (combat choc), which Admiral }lruat would have completed with my assistance, had not death so prematurely carried him off. This system will be a new title for France, though studied in silence by England. SPAIN. THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. The Chamber of Deputies bas been dissolved, and the new house has been convoked to meet on the Ist of December. The postal treaty between England and Spain will come into operation cn the Ist of October next. ITALY. MORE CONSPIRACIES. The Italian journals publish a letter from the Comptroller of the Customs at Palermo to the Director of the Customs at Catania, in Sicily, stating that the Government had received inf.rmation that a number of fulminating hand grenades, having the form of fruit, and packed in boxes like fruit, had been sent to Malta, and were to be introduced into the Neapolitan States to accomplish " some attempt against public order." AUSTRIA. THE AMNESTY. The hope of an amnesty, to which the birth of a Prince Imperial had given rise in Austria, has not bee❑ realized, except in the case of a very few persons. BAIT.WAYS. The negotiations between the Austrian Govern ment and the capitalists proposing to purchase the Trieste and Vienna and other lines of Austriau rail way, are said to he on the point of conclusion. The total to be paid will be about 18,000,0001., spread over eight or ten years, and the largest proportion is expected to be subscribed on the Continent. TURKEY. GRIEVANCES, REMOVAL OF Vienna journals state that the Turkish Govern ment has announced officially in Bosnia and Herze govina that the levying of the tithes shall henceforth be left to the communes. By this concession one of the principal grievances of the Christians is removed. THE DANUBIAN PRINCIPALITIES. Letters from the Danubian Principalities state that the Roumain populations feel great satisfaction at the Conference of Paris having, in default of an effective union, which circumstances have not ren• dered possible, admitted their right to national unity by giving the title of United Principalities to the two provinces. Kiazim Bey has reached Constantinople with the convention relative to the Danubian Principalities, where all kinds of intrigues are going on for and against those persons who aspire to the Hospodariate. The candidates in Wallachia are Prin c e Stirbey, Prince Bibesco, Prince Brancovano, Pratca Ghika, the present. Kaimakan, Prince John Ghika, and M. Golesco. A statesman, on being asked who was likely to be chosen Hospodar, replied, " If he is to be chosen from among the most . poverty stricken, the choice is so very great that it i s impossible to say ; THE PRESS, SEPTEMBER 18, 1858. but if he is to be taken from among the tidiest, Stirhey has the best. chance." A Bucharest corre spondent of the Nuremburg Gazette ststes that Stirbey, during his Hospodariate, which only lasted five or six years, managed to scrape together a capital which brings a revenue of 80,000 ducats per annum, hut the charge is absurd. Wallachia is land which yields well, but even such a clever manager as Prince Stirbey could not get half so much out of it as the sum nientioned. THE DANUBE COMMISSION. It is definitively settled that the St. George is to be the main arm of the Danube, but the Galatz Commission will, before its dissolution, have to specify what changes are requisite, and what the expense of those changes is likely to be. WURTEMBIJRG. THE KING AND THE PROTESTANT RELIGION. A letter from Stuttgardt states that a report having been generally spread that the King of Wurtem burg was about to change his faith, Ins Mtkiesty a few days ago summoned all the Protestant prelates of the kingdom to the palace, and assured them that the rumour was altogether unfounded. AMERICA. THE GOLD REGIONS. Considerable excitement existed at Kansas in con sequence of the recent arrivals from the gold regions of Pike's Peek confirming the existence of the pri;- cious metal in abundance in that locality. The gold found is similar to that of Frazer River and California. Two men, with inferior implements, washed out 600 dollars worth in one week in a small stream fifty miles from Pike's Peak. A second Frazer River excitement was apprehended. CAPTURE OF A SLAVER. The slave brig reported in last week's PRESS as having been captured by the United States' man-of war Dolphin, arrived at Chatiston on the 27th ult. in charge of a prize crew. Her name is behaved to be the Echo, and she hails from Baltimore. When the Dolphin's cutter hoarded the Echo, the officers and crew of the Echo were found to be twenty in number, half of them Americans and half Span;ards. The slaves were 327 in number, the number when they left Africa having been 470, shoeing a loss, during the voyage of lofty days, of 143. The ex citement and amazement among the poor creatures when they saw their late masters in irons was intense. The filth and stench of the vessel are represented as being perfectly horrible. Shortly after the Echo's arrival the Africans were landed and placed in charge of the United States' Marshal. The Government was preparing to take active measures for the restoration of the poor creatures to their native shores. The New York Times, however, fears that the people of South Carolina will enslave them and set them to work on the plantations. It thinks they should have been carried to Boston in ti!e first place, and delivered up to the Abolitionists of that city. The Dolphin is the first marpolwar that has captured a cargo of slaves and landed them in the United States. In making the prize the officers and crew of the Dolphin have had a stroke of good fortune. The law of the United States not only gives them one half of the value of the vessel, but twenty-five dollars a head prize money. The captain of the Echo is said to be an " Eastern man," and is kept a prisoner ou board the Dolphin. INDIA AND CHINA. THE BOMBAY MAIL. The China, Calcutta, and Bombay tuails have arrived. The dates are Hong Kong, July 22; Cal cutta, August 8 ; and Bombay, August 10. HEADS OF INTELLICIDNCE. Sir Hope Grant's force reached Fyzabad on the 20th of July, and occupied it without opposition, the rebels having retreated before their advance. Rajah Maun Singh joined the British camp at Fyzabad on the 30th of July, and order was being rapidly restored in the city and its neighbourhood. On the 4th of August a force was about to start for Sultanpore, to disperse the rebels congregated there, under Ma homed Hoosein. _ _ General Roberts, after a laborious pursuit of the fugitive rebels in Rajpootana, encountered them on the 9th and 18th of August, and completely dis persed them, with severe loss. On the last occa sion, at Kotarea, he captured four brass guns, with ammunition, dm. A force had marched from Ah medabad to intercept the advance of the fugitives into Guzerat. Behar continues in a state of chronic disorder, and the rebels at: one time occupied the Grand Trunk Road, cutting off our communication with Calcutta. They were soon dislodged, however, and vigorous measures are being adopted to restore order in the province. The Governor-General and Sir Can Campbell are at Allahabad, and Lady Canning is on her way thither from Calcutta. Lord Harris has been seri ous l y ill at Ootacamund having at one time lost the use of his limb s; b ut his n lordship is gradually recovering health, an d is again able to attend to public business. Sir Patrick Grant will continues to reside at the Neil. gherries. Lord Elphinstone has left Dapoorie, on a short visit to Ahmednuggur, where he will remain about a week. Sir Henry Somerset is at Poonah. DEATIIS.—CoIoneI Joseph Turton, Bengal Artillery, at Kedegeree, July 20; Lieutenant -Colonel Charles Otter, her Majesty's 61st Regiment, at Calcutta, July 27; Captain George Evatt, her Majesty's 70th Regi ment, at Peshawur, July —; Captain E. J. Hard castle, 53rd Bengal Native Infantry, at Ajrnere, August 5 ; Assistant-Surgeon F. J. M. Musgrave, Bengal Medical Service, at sea, on the voyage to Kurrachee, July 29 ; and Edward Salmon, Esq., bar. rister at-law, at Madras, July 30. OUDE. DISORGANIZATION OF THE REBELS. The cessation of hostilities in Oude seems almost to have told more powerfully upon the rebel cause than our victories, as symptoms are now manifest in all quarters of a thorough break up of the con• federation. They only wanted a little leisure to quarrel amongst themselves, and the sending our troops into quarters has afforded them the oppor tunity. Sir J. Hope Grant, whet had marched, with a small but well appointed force, from Luck now on the 21st ultimo for the relief of Matin Singh, is besieged in his fortress at Shahgung, in the neighbourhood of Fyzabad. The rebel army is said to have amounted to 8,000 cavalry and 40,000 in fantry, of whom 10,000 were sepoys, but these figures are doubtless a random guess without authority. Grant's force could not have exceeded 3,500 in all, but the enemy showed that they had no intention of again meeting the dreaded gora logue, and while he was yet fourteen miles away broke up into three divisions and retreated precipitately. The men flatly refused to fight. In one night 13,000 de serted, having been seen no more. HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS. The Governor General is still at the bead quarters of the army, Ailababad ; the bill for con tinuing bis powers while absent from the Presidency having received his sanction and become law. Lord Elphinstone is still in the Deccan. The Governor of Madras, Lord Harris, has just recovered from rather an alarming attack of illness, caught when out exer cising in the Neilgherries, whither he had gone for the recruiting of his health. FYZABAD. NANA SAHIB. On the 30th Maun Singh came into General Grant's camp at Fyzabad, and whatever reason we may have to doubt the sincerity of this man's late and mil• lating professions, his final detachment from the rebel came is undoubtedly an advantage of impor. tance. The effect of this movement is the perfect r e establishment of order at Fyzabad. The inhabitants are returning to their homes, and the shops being opened, and trade resumed as if nothing whatever had transpired in the district. The Begurn's force at Bounree bad dwindled down, by last accounts, to between three and four thousand men with four guns, and was preparing to follow the " sorry beast" Nana into the Nepaul territories, upon the first notice of our advance. The latest information we have of this monster is that he was at Chardah, in the Nan paruh district, on the 2nd instant, at the head of a i considerable body of troops, with four gu ns. It s hardly pcssible that he should escape were the Nepaul Government in earnest to arrest him, but grave doubts are expressed of the real sentiments of that Court, although we have delighted to honour Jung Bahadoor with the dignity we confer upon our best and bravest warriors. A flying column, detached from Grant's force, was to follow up the debris of the Shagung besiegers, who under Mahomed Hooseia are now collected at Sultanpore, to the number, t . Is said, of 18,000 men. The pursuing column consists of the Ist Madras Fusiliers, 4th Punjaub Rifles, S(X ) cavalry, with one troop of Horse Artillery. RAJPOOTANA. General Roberts marched from Tonk on the 22nd o . f July for Goolade, on the left bank o f the Bemis, In pursuit of the flying rebels, wh o had taken a western course to the hills. The force crossed the Benas on the 23rd, and moved in the direction of Deogong and Joonea, so as to cover Nus seerabad and Aitnere. On the 25th the force had reached Deo gsong, and on the following day march ed to bones -1 he rebels, whose movements were singularly raps!' .had in the meantime crossed into Meywar by Impassable for guns. On the 27th General Roberti arrived at Jonwar, and remained there for several days, unable to move, the surrounding country being ooded. On the Ist of August the force again moved in a southerly direction, and marched for several a or days without meeting the enemy. On the 9th, how ever, General Roberts overtook the rebels on the banks of the river, near Saganeer, and dispelled them with loss. G op lion uP whi troll iota Chi not Sod toll Gni Sula ot deft sere WO I bee: Jug cot CLUI lee urn act: up( 23(' fett the coil the tug Sur 1 of &cc at Ael SIII Cu' the tier off for nn SDI the bit the twi is Idl thl mi 111 Ih du tui or OT of la , 31 th le th ee Si 01 ti tl fi