The Press. — London, England, 1855-04-28 00:00:00

APR/L 28, 1855. another suit about the real estate tried by law upon an issue directed by the Court of Chancery. This was a disgrace to the jurisprudence of the country. The bill was not far removed from the r e c ommendations of the commissioners, with whose recommendation it concurred Ni all respects but one. The staff was to be selected from the proctors them selves, and the advocates would, without doubt, cultivate the peculiar learning necessary to that branch of the profession. The present bill was an approximation to that system of consolidation which ought to be the object of legislation. Mr. WHITESIDE argued, that reform—not extinc tion—was wanted. The present courts were cheap, versed in their business; under their management no frauds were attempted. This was approved by the highest authorities in the kingdom. He trusted that they would not yield to clamour, nor take the whole of this business to the Court of Chancery, which it had taken upwards of forty years to reform ; but, according to the advice of the commissioners, reconstitute the present courts on an improved basis. Mr. HEADLAM was anxious for a change, but looked with apprehension on the working of the bill. At present the testamentary business of the country was cheaply conducted ; and it was now proposed, at a cost of 150,0001., to pay off one establishment, and, at a cost equally grcat, to create another. He thought the present system better than that likely to spring up under the provisions of the bill. The debate was adjourned. A LETTER FROM ALEXANDRIA, published by the Pays, states that the Viceroy of Egypt, persisting in his design of having the Isthmus of Suez cut through, has requested M.de Lesseps to pay another visit to Constantinople in order to use fresh efforts with the Ottoman Government on the subject. Said Pacha has even, it is said, written an autograph letter to the Sultan to point out to his Majesty the necessity of the undertaking, and the importance which it would give to one of the richest provinces of the empire by bringing to it the transit trade of the whole world. . THE 10th Hussars arrived at Alexandria on the 7th inst., in twelve days march from Cairo, and took up their quarters in barracks expressly prepared for them near 'the Pacha's palace at Ras-el-teen. The officers and men, bearded and moustachoed, and bronzed by the climate of India and their march through Egypt, and their horses—fine wiry animals from the Cape and the Persian Gulf—all seem thoroughly up to a campaign, anl adapted to en counter the hardships of the Crimea. EAP.L DUNDONALD declares himself to be so positive that he could destroy Cronstadt, Sweaborg, Helsingfors, and Sebastopol, at the moderate ex• pense of 1,000,0001., that he is ready, with the sanction of the Government, to place his plans before spirited individuals in the City, under whose superintendence the money may be disbursed. ON Monday week, on the arrival of the Emperor, his Majesty's dressing-case, containing jewels of great value belonging to the Empress, was taken by mistake to Radley's Hotel, where it remained till the Wed nesday following. In the meantime the police were actively engaged in making inquiries for the lost pro perty. Ultimately the case was given to the Lord Mayor, who at once telegraphed the fact to Windsor, and the package was afterwards forwarded to the Castle. Accourrrs received from the manufacturing towns show no material alteration in the course of trade, although on the whole the tendency has been to wards a slight increase of steadiness. At Manchester the market presented a healthy tone last week, but subsequently greater caution has been manife-ted, owing to the uncertainties at Vienna and the nature of the financial statements at home. The Birming ham report describes little change either in the iron market or the general trades of the place; the ter mination of the strike among the colliers has, how ♦ver, created a satisfactory feeling. At Nottingham there has been a diminished business in hosiery, but more activity in lace. In the woollen districts the transactions are limited, but the home demand is sufficient to uphold prices. In the Irish linen trade there has been no variation. THE LAST RETURN OF THE REGISTRAR- GENRRAL exhibits a decided improvement in the health of London. The deaths, which had been respectively 1,226 and 1,347 in the first two weeks of April, fell in the week that ended on Saturday last to 1,087. The temperature of the last fortnight was ten de grees higher than in March, and human life reaps the benefit of the change. In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1845-54 the average number of deaths registered was 1,035, which, if raised in pro portion to increase of population, becomes 1,138. The number of persons who died last week is 51 less than the estimated number. Last week the births of 926 boys and 872 girls, in all 1,788 children, were registered in London. In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1845-54 the average number was 1472. THE PRESS. THE WAR. Although the telegraphic communication with the Crimea is now so nearly completed that Ministers assure us they can exchange advices with Lord Raglan in a few hours, no intelligence of any descrip tion is allowed to transpire. From the British War office there is no late news published, and the sole item of information that has been afforded consists of the very unsatisfactory assurance that " nothing " has been reported from head-quarters in the camp. As this negative intimation includes the transactions of but a few hours previously to its utterance, we must conclude that the bombardment of Sebastopol, which recommenced on the 9th, had produced no decisive effects up to yesterday, the 27th. The last positive intelligence from the camp is conveyed in the following despatch from Admiral Bruat, published in the Moniteur:— On the 17th the flie of our batteries maintained its superiority. In front of the Central Tower we have earned a series of ambuscades, and those works where we have established ourselves are now comprised in our lines. We have crowned a ravine in that direction, which runs along the fortifications of the town, where the enemy for merly kept its reserves in safety. Before the Flagstaff Bastion we sprung a mine (fourneaux de mine) at a dis tance of about fifty metres. That operation, which per fectly succeeded, gave us a new parallel, and was success fully joined to the others. From the 12th to the 14th, notwithstanding the offensive returns of the Russians, we had only about 300 men hors de combat. The commander of the frigate who brought the news is said to have stated that the situation was generally considered very satisfactory. Telegraphic advices of the 19th have been re ceived in Paris and Vienna, to the effect that the besiegers were gaining ground every day. The enemy had made a sortie on the 18th in great force, but was vigorously repulsed. All was going on well. A despatch from General Gortschakoff, of the 19th, has been published in St. Petersburg. It states that the fire of the allies had slackened on the 16th, 17th, and 18th. The Russian batteries had an swered the fire successfully in front of the fourth bastion. In the night between the 18th and 19th one of the Russian battalions achieved with success, and with insignificant loss, a sortie made with the view of destroying the more advanced of the enemy's works of approach. The despatch adds that, gene rally, the Russian loss was less considerable than at the beginning of the bombardment. THE SIEGE. The despatches and letters describing the recom mencement of the attack against Sebastopol which was reported by telegraph last week have since been received. Lord Raglan writes officially to the War office as follows : _ Before Sebastopol, April 10. In accordance with the arrangement made between General Canrobert and myself, the batteries of the French and English armies opened upon Sebastopol soon after daylight yesterday morning. The weather was extremely unpropitious. Much rain had fallen in the course of the night. and it continued during the day, accompanied by a tempestuous wind and a heavy mist, which obscured everything, and rendered it impossible to ascertain with any degree of accuracy the effect of the fire, which has been continued with little or no interruption from the commencement, and has been su• perior to that of the enemy, who were evidently taken by surprise, and, except upon the extreme left, did not respond to the attack for nearly half an hour. This morning has been hazy, and for some time there was a drizzling rain, but it is clearing this afternoon, and there is again a prospect of fine weather. The country yesterday was covered with water, and the ground was again very deep. The trenches were likewise extremely muddy, and their condition added greatly to the labours of the men employed in the batteries, who con• sisted chiefly of sailors, artillerymen, and sappers. They conducted their duties admirably ; and I am sorry to say that the two former, particularly the navy, sustained considerable loss. I have not yet received the returns of the casualties be yond the oth instant, which are herewith inclosed; but the death of Lieutenant Twyford, of the royal navy, a most promising officer, and greatly respected by all, has been notified to me ; and Captain Lord John Hay, who has taken a moat active part in the gallant and distinguished services of the nava! brigade, was wounded almost at the very moment, I believe by the same shot. I hope the injury he has received is not very serious, but the loss of his assistance, even for a time, is much to be regretted. The Russians have not shown themselves in any force in front of Balaklava. April 14.—Since I wrote its your lordship on the kith inst., a steady and heavy fire upon the work sof the enemy has been maintained from all the batteries of the allies. The fire of the British artillery, chiefly directed against the Garden Batteries, the Barrack Battery, the Redan, the Malakoff Tower, and the Mamelon, has been most effective, and the enemy's works have suffered very considerably, although they have, as usual, made a good use of the night to repair damages, notwithstanding VIM 395 the vertical fire has been continued throughout the twenty four hours. The practice both of the naval brigade and the artillery has been excellent. The casualties have not been very numerous, but the loss has fallen heavily upon the sailors, as your lord ship will see by the accompanying returns, and the royal navy has to deplore the death of Lieut. Douglas, who had served with great ability and zeal from the oomtneuoe ment of the siege. _ . Lieutenants - Urmaton and I)'Aeth, royal navy, and Steele, royal marine artillery—all valuable ollicers--have been wounded. The royal artillery has to lament the death of Lieut. Luce, who was an officer of much promise ; and Lieuts. Sinclair and L'Estrange are among the wounded. The former has sustained several severe injuries, but I am happy to add that there is every hope of his recovery. They are both highly meritorious officers. Captain Crofton, of the royal engineers, who had in the course of the protracted operations before Sebastopol rendered most essential service, has also received a wound, which will, I fear, detain him from duty a very consider- able time. Our batteries and parapets continue to stand remarkably well, notwithstanding the very unfavorable state of the weather. The enemy's fire has been comparatively slack, but the practice good, and, owing to their having ascertained the range of our batteries with great nicety, several guns have been disabled in both the right and lett attacks. Towards the Tschernaya nothing important has been observed, but small bodies of men, from 150 to 500, have been seen, with a heavy gun and some ordnance carriages, moving along the Inkerniann heights towards Mackenzie's Farm-road, near which it has been placed in position. Although the duties have been unusually severe and arduous both by day and night during the week, they have been carried out with the utmost cheerfulness and zeal, reflecting much credit both on officers and men. The submaiine telegraph has been safely brought to the Monastery from Cape Kelerga, and as soon as it is established at the former place the engineers will proceed to convey it from the latter to the immediate neighbour hood of Varna, where I hope it may be in a state to act in a week or ten days from this time. The first division of the 10th Hussars arrived this day at Balaklava. RAGLAN. Further details are given by the correspondents of our daily contemporaries writing on the spot. The Morning Post contains an estimate, stated to be derived from good authority, that on the Bth, the day before the batteries reopened, the total strength of the British army was about 41,200 men. Of this number there were sick 13,872, showing a decrease in the latter of more than 4,0(X); and leaving about 27,300 healthy men under the command of Lord Raglan. The following is from the Herald correepon. dence : APRIL 9.—At last, for the second time, we have begun the siege of Sebastopol. We have begun the final struggle, on the success or failure of which depend fur years—perhaps for ever—the fame and destinies of the mightiest empires of the earth. Last night there was very little firing on either side. Beyond an occasional gun to keep up the appearance of war, and take away the slight sense of security which sometimes exists in the trenches, all was quiet. All in the allied camps knew that the bombardment would commence at daybreak, and so all were full of regrets and forebodings over the change in the weather. It had, indeed, changed in a manner sufficiently severe to excite anxiety, if not mistrust, as to the result of our first day's operations. The wind blew a regular gale ; the night was at once dark and misty, while the rain fell in such floods as almost to surpass every other sound. Towards morning it was, if possible, still more unfavorable; and in spite of the rain the wind was suffi ciently strung to leave but faint hopes that the fleet would be able to share in the struggle of the day. At four this morning all the officers who had leave were on the alert, looking up waterproofs and forgotten mufflers before setting out fur Cathcart's hill to see our opening fire. A heavy mist hung over the sea, and partly over Sebas topol, while both were obscured, every now and then, by the clouds of rain which were driven before the wind. The north side was almost completely invisible, though the mouth of the harbour was clear, and a heavy sea running in broke in a wild line of breakers over the sunken ships. Beyond one or two guard-ships our fleet was not visible in its accustomed place. In Sebastopol itself everything was quiet and clean as usual. It was now five o'clock; none of the clocks in Sebastopol could be heard to strike, as the wind was very strong and blowing up the harbour and across the town. Each moment the wea ther became thicker and more wet, so that in a few minutes hardly any of the town was visible. The grim line of batteries, however, remained well in view, though they also seemed as quiet as inside the walls. In the Malakoff a few soldiers could occasionally be distinguished in the embrasures, and a small party crossed now and then between it and the Mamelon, but this was all. Suddenly, at about a quarter-past five o'clock, a gun was fired from our right attack. In a second afterwards, run• ning up and down the line—from the little mounds and hillock, near Inkermann—from the broad commanding PosWor •e of Green-hill and Gordon's Batteries—from quit picturesque ravines, where no one dreamt of guns lurking —high from the rear on steep and lofty ridges, and away down to the left where the French works stretch out—over low marsh lands to Kamisch—from every point of our lines came a hundred streaks of flame and masses of smoke. For a minute after there was silence, and then the great concussion came rumbling on, slowly mastering both wind and rain, and swelling into a roar that seemed