The Press. — London, England, 1855-10-27 00:00:00

been created Countess I)aum3r by the King, and is to be raised to the rank of a duchess at the close of the year. The new Ministry comprises M. Bang, President of the Council; Colonel Von Liittichau (war), Haasloff (Schleswig), Simony (justice), Colonel von Andree (finances), and Hall (cultus), are in vested with the Grand Cross of the Dannebrog Order, and Captain Michelsen (naval minister) is created a chamberlain. Lieutenant-General de Billow re• places the Hereditary Prince Ferdinand as Governor of Seeland and the islands. SARDINIA AND ITALY. Reinforcements continue to be sent from Genoa to the army in the Crimea. The steamers Jason, Himalaya, and Golden Fleece, sailed on the IRth for Balaklava. The King had attended council on two occasions, and was gradually recovering his health. Colonel Read has arrived at Turin as president of the committee for organising the Anglo-Italian Legion, and some changes were expected from his known vigour and energy. Accounts from Tuscany represented a fearful state of increasing distress, caused partly by bad harvests, partly by cholera, and partly by misgovernment. Already the people in Florence and its neighbourhood were seeking refuge in crime from impending star vation, and the other day a Mr. Corrie, an Englishman, was found murdered in bis bed in Florence, by per sons who had evidently done so for the sake of plunder. A succession of bad harvests has done (severe injury to the agriculturists; the cholera has deprived many families of their main support, for it has been peculiarly destructive to men in Florence this year; the Government has destroyed confidence, and consequently crippled trade during the last seven years, and all these causes combined, are likely to produce a winter of unparalleled suffering in Tuscany. The quarrel between Sardinia and Tuscany still remains unsettled. A special envoy has been sent out to Lord Normanby at Florence, in order to explain to him the decided views in support of Sar dinia of the English Government. The visit of the Austrian Archduke Albert to the Court of Naples, and to his sister the Queen, is ex pected to have some political bearing. The intrigues of Russia, according to the French and Austrian papers, will be exposed,and King Bombs made aware that Francis Joseph is sincere in his alliance with the Western powers. The Canstitutionnel declares boldly that the sole object of the Archduke's visit, is to bring the Court of Naples to reason. M. Mazza, it is stated, has been sent on a mission to Vienna. THE PRINCIPALITIES. Late despatches from Bucharest state that Prince Stirbey had been attacked by severe inflammation of the lungs, and was in a precarious condition. Owing to the high price of meat, the exportation of cattle, except for the use of the allied armies, had been prohibited. The following letter of the 9th from Bucharest, gives some curious revelations of the encroachments of Austria, the wily policy of France, and the indif ference of England:— The English agent keeps apart, no doubt in order that the white robe of England should not be soiled. The zeal of the French Consul iu favour of the Austrian occu pation, and of the Hospodar whom it supporta, passes all bounds. lie seems still to be at the period of excessive consideration, which it was thought indispensable to mani fest to Austria before the fall of Sebastopol ; and with sur passing goodwill combines the means of insuring, by the implicit approval of the excesses of the Hospodar, the success of his system of policy, which consists in making for France the alliance of Austria even preferable to that of England. The importance of the object no doubt pal liates the means adopted, and the shame of supporting an unpopular despot will be effaced by the gloiy of having changed the policy of the world. in the meantime the Wallaehian provinces endure their misery and shame, while, by such unjustifiable tolerance, the wretchedness of their condition increases. Their traditional antipathy ti Austria has grown to rage. kept under it is true, but all the more violent. Indeed there is no part of Italy where the Cabinet of Vienna has succeeded in making its name more execrated than in the Danubian principalities. A letter from Galatz of the 10th inst. gives us to understand that a number of the gun-boats of the allies are lying close to the Sulina mouth, ready to ascend the river at any moment, and to bombard the coast towns of Bessarabia. Although this rumour, for such it must be termed, doubtless requires confirma tion, it has not been without a powerful effect in raising the prices of corn at Galatz. The strength of the troops in the different Turkish fortresses on the Dituube is stated by late returns as follows :—The garrison of Varna, 3,000 Turks and 600 French ; of Schumla, 3,000 Turks ; of Silistria, 5,000 ; of Roustchouk, 1,500 ; and at Kustendje about 1,500 Turks destined for Asia. SPAIN. The commission of the budget has approved the budget of the Minister of War. It is probable that the general commission will adopt the financial plan of M. de Bruil. The commission} charged WitU 010 making of 6 THE PRESS. report on the project of a loan for the canalisation of the Ebro is favorable to this scheme. The great question of the Western alliance was, on the 19th, postponed in the Cortes until more members had arrived in Madrid. M. Olozaga had reached that city. A disturbance had broken out in Valencia on the 16th on account of the high prices of food, but was suppressed by the authorities. The Carlist bands in Catalonia were committing such excesses from hunger and pursuit from the Queen's troops, as exasperated;the peasants, who were aiding the Government troops on all sides to hunt down and capture the insurgents. GREECE. By despatches from Athens, of the 10th, we learn than another change of Ministry has taken place. Condostarto is appointed to the Department of Finance; Cristopulo to that of Public Instruction: Bottley, to the Interior; and Tricoupi is to take the Foreign Affairs, when he shall arrive. AMERICA. AND MEXICO. The America arrived on Monday, with dates from New York to the lltb, and Boston to the oth. The differences existing between the Cabinets of London and Washington on the question of English agents enlisting for the British Legion in the United States, excited a great deal of discussion in the New York papers, and Lord Palmerston's policy towards America was generally characterised as " insincere " and treacherous." Advices from Mexico, up to to the 19th Sept., stated the probability of the country being split up into various factions. The attitude of the United States Minister in watching the progress of the national disorganisation continued to cause a variety of reports to be circulated. One was, that he had offered the Provisional Government 0,000,0001. on the security of the church property, and 20,000,0001. to form a Banco de Fomento, to encourage railroads and other internal improvements, under the condi tions of an American protectorate, the admission of European immigration, and the removal of all pro hibitions and internal duties ; the allegation being that General Comonfort, who was lately in the United States, came to an understanding to that effect at Washirgton. LIEUTENANT MAUBY, of the United States National Observatory, has been presented by the Russian Minister at Washington with the following letter from the Grand Duke Constantine of Russia:— St. Petersburg, I)ec. 10 (22), 18b4: Sir,—lt is now a long time sin ce the eminent scientific works for which navigators of every nation are indebted to your zeal and your talents attracted my attention. Recently again the impetial delegates to the Brussels conference have rendered me a complete report, in which I have taken the most lively interest. I should rejoice, sir, to present you with a testimontal of my esteem ; but, knowing the laws of your country, which do not permit you to accept anything from foreign princes, I must confine myself to the expression of my sentiments. They are as exalted as your own merits; and in my official capacity I may say to you that you do honour to the profession to which you belong, as well as to the great nation which you have the honour to serve. Receive, sir, the assurances of my goodwill and esteem. CONSTANTINE. To Lieutenant Maury. ME. CONSUL Cuans has appealed against the sen tence of three months' imprisonment passed upon him at Cologne, for enlisting men in the pay of Eng land, and at the same time the public prosecutor, who had pleaded for a much severer punishment, has given notice of appeal to a higher court, on the ground of unnecessary alleviation. MR. PRESTON, of the Treasury, has been deputed by the Government to visit all courts of quarter sessions in the West of England, for the purpose of cutting down the expenses of prosecutions. TilE DEFENCE OF CORK HARBOUR is proceeding by the fortification of Spike Island. This island, says the Ccrk Examiner, " rises from all sides with a rather steep slope to a tableland commanding the entrance of the harbour, the Man of-War Roads, and the passage up to Cork. On this platform has been built a single fortification, of about 1,000 feet in length, with a breadth of about 700 feet. In shape it is an elongated hexagon, having at each angle a bastion. The platform surmounting this work will be ten feet broad, on which will be placed 200 guns, mounted en barbette, while the bastions will be pierced with embrasures. Behind the plat• form will be a banquette for the accommodation of men working the guns, and below will be casemate barracks, bomb-proof, capable of accommodating 2,00() men. Around the entire fortress runs a ditch about twenty feet deep and forty broad, both sides being completely faced with cut stone. Only a por tion of the glams is as yet completed on the east and sea faces, but it is intended to level the land all around the fortification, so as to form the whole island into a smooth slope, rising gradually to the fortress." The works were designed during the last great war, but 'Anguished after the peace ; they were resumed a few years bad:, and are now carried on with activity. SATURDAY, GENERAL BEATSON AND HIS BASHI. BAZOUKS. THE Constantinople correspondent of the Morning Herald forwards tbrst following letter, as giving th e latest account of the doings of this irregular corps and their general. We imagine the main facts may be relied on,—that the " Regulars " have been set in battle array against the " Irregulars," and that General Vivian has thought it necessary to resort to the strong measure of dismissing General Beatson from his command, and of sending a strong force to insure obedience to bis orders : Dardanelles, Oct. 8. Perhaps before you receive this you will have heard of the dismissal of Major-General Beatson from the command of the Turkish irregular force (Bashi-Bazouks). He was summoned to Constantinople by General Vivian, and forced to give up the appointment. It is necessary, however, to go back for some weeks, in order to give you a detailed account of the grave events that have occurred, and which brought about General Beateou's dismissal. A few days ago nearly the whole of the merchants and consuls and chief men of the town of the Dardanelles had accepted the invitation given by the officers of her Majesty's ship (Theron, ter a plc-nic at the Renkuey Hospital, and the Pacha himself had been induced to form one of the party. In the middle of dinner a hasty summons came for him to return immediately to the town. We learnt when we got home that the cause of his departure was a Bashi-Bazouk native officer having deliberately, and with out the slightest provocation, tired his pistol at, and severely wounded, the officer of a Turkish guard. The culprit was secured, but the reiterated attempts at murder which had taken place since the irregulars landed, deter mined the Pacha to take his own steps for preventing any armed men entering the town in future, especially as General Beatson bad refused again and again to give a similar order. Accordingly, early the following morning, the whole Turkish regular force stationed here, comprising 600 infantry, SW cavalry, and 8 field-pieces, presented their formidable front before the camp of the irregulars. Their infatuated chief, on this demonstration (which, hp the-bye, was rather too violent) issued peremptory crdera that no one should give up his arms. The Pacha then declared solemnly that any person or persons entering the town armed would be taken up and treated as rebels. The Bashis, notwithstanding the order of the general, held a meglis (council) among themselves, and presently two companies of Albanians, with their native officers at their head, rode up and desired to hold a parley with the colonel commanding the regulars. The result of the interview was, that the Bashis consented to go into We town un armed, if they were treated well and fairly by the inhabi tants ; and they even declared they would have done so long since if their European officers had only authorised them. The men then rode back to their tents, deposited their arms, and then quietly entered the town. The vic tory was now gained, and General Beatson was very much mortified at finding his men such peaceable and rational beings, by allowing bis own will to be thwarted by that of the Paeha's. The excitement of the day was then over. The sublime was initiated, but the ridiculous was to fellow, A certain Lieutenant-Colonel Giraud, who has earned a notoriety from being raised from the position of a valet-di.. place at Smyrna to that of superior officer in the corps, called at the Pacha's in the course of the day. While in the ante-chamber, he fell into an argument with a certain Muheddin Bey, commanding the garrison, and, in the course of the discussion, rudely told him that he did not talk or reason like a military man. The colonel retorted that he could not know much of military matters himself (alluding to Lieutenant-Colonel (Arend), as he was a mere shopkeeper. The latter, as became a man of his dignity, immediately left the room, and, remounting his horse, rode post•haste to General Beatson, to tell him that Colonel Muheddin Bey had called him (the general) a shopkeeper. The general immediately sent a litter to the Pacha, demanding that the colonel should be plsced under arrest. The Pacha refused to accede to this, an swering that the term made use of was not intended for the general. Just about this time the obnoxious colonel hap pened to be near the camp, and five steff officers, chival rously jealous of their chiefs honour, rode up to Muheddin Bey, and demanded an instant apology. As none was of course forthcoming, they each and all, and Colonel Giraud at. their head, flung their five gloves upon the ground, and challenged him to single combat. The gloves were picked up by a corporal, and showed to the astonished colonel, who was bewildered to know what the scene might mean. Three of the above officers are foreigners—Lieut.-Colonels Giraud and Fadella, and Major Kiralli; and two, I am sorry to say, were Englishmen. So the day ended. In the meanwhile a special steamer was despatched to Con stantinople to acquaint the ambassador with the events of the day, which embrace a grand military demonstration on the part of the Pacha, opposition on that of General Beat. son, and a provocation to fight a Turkish colonel. The public, iu due time acquainted with these facts, exhibited great anxiety to leant the result of the deliberations at the capital, when a few days after, early in the morning, we observed a little steamer towing down the straits a sailing. vessel with a battalion of the Turkish Contingent on board; an hour or two afterwards a steam-transport with 460 men and General Smith arrived and landed. MP latter brought au order from General Vivian for Beatson tq repair at once to Buzukdere. He was rather offended at the tone of the communication, at first declaring that he had no orders to receive from the contingent, and that his commission was signed by Lord Panmure. It is not quite certain yet whether General Smith succeeds to the command of the irregular force • but here we do not think there can be any reasonable doubt en the matter.