The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-10 00:00:00

THE WEEK. WE live in a fast age. The political world is full of the elements of change, and one startling event succeeds another with bewildering rapidity. The death of the Emperor NICHOLAS last Friday was thought favorable to peace. Now the resolution of the Emperor of FRANCE to proceed to the Crimea is viewed in a directly opposite sense. Why, if terms of agreement are to be expected from the Congress just opened at Vienna, should the Emperor NAPOLEON leave his kingdom to per sonally take part in the operations of the war in the Crimea, where he will be distant from the theatre of negotiation, and will be unable, without great delay, to give his decision on those points which may arise in the course of the discussion? It is evident either that he has little expectation of peace being concluded on the basis laid down, or that he himself does not desire it, and has faith only in the sword. It was generally rumoured that he would leave Paris for the Crimea yesterday. The undisturbed accession of ALEXANDER 11. to the throne of Russia seems likely to have a pacific influence on the Court of Vienna. The article on the death of the Emperor NICHOLAS in the official journal of Vienna is conciliatory towards the new reign. It recals the services rendered by the Emperor NICHOLAS to the cause of order, legality, and the monarchical principle, and views his rule of nearly thirty years as one of the most brilliant periods in the history of Russia. It speaks of the estimable qualities of the Emperor ALEXANDER 11., and expresses a sanguine hope that the work of peace rendered possible by the honourable advances made by the deceased Emperor will from a feeling of filial devotion be brought to a happy issue by the mild and propitiatory spirit of ALEXANDER IL The Court of Vienna is evidently leaning more decidedly towards Russia than it has done of late, nor is it unlikely that the departure of the Emperor NAPOLEON for the Crimea may produce great change in the relations of the European States. It is not probable that Russia will interpose any obstacle to the conclusion of peace on the basis agreed on—indeed, the powers of her plenipotentiary have already beon renewed ; the German Courts desire peace ; England has manifested her sincerity by sending one of her most eminent statesmen to the Congress. From whence, then, should opposition proceed ? It is ardently to be hoped that the negotiators will at once frankly enter upon the weighty busi- ness which they are charged to conduct, and come to an understanding on the terms they are empowered to concede. As the negotiation has proceeded so far, it is impossible not to conclude that there are some grounds for anticipating a pacific result. But the protraction of this A, most undesirable. England, in with promises of peace which had . diplomacy should at once bring painful perplexity of the present first preliminary conferences were Crimea is undoubtedly improving; good feeding become apparent in (ecrease, and the men are better able ite in their sheepskin coats and long _ and tatters of their summer clothes. Itelligence is not less cheering. Conva their colours. Four hundred were even empty beds are to be seen in subsided for the present, but unfor itched upon a spot within a few hundred 'ital windows, for the burial-ground strewed some 4,000 bodies just under has recently been opened equally side, so that with either the strong ' of a morning, our hospital patients atmospheric strata of effluvia. _ news, the long promised bombard three weeks," and no one seems to be ~ The French performed a gallant Lging a large body of the enemy from a tolishing their works under a heavy but the loss of our gallant allies was reconnaissance from Balaklava over the a heavy snowstorm which set in and the batteries are rapidly progressing, reached Kadikoi. Upon their part the convoys of provisions and stores are • boats and barges full of troops or ig and recrossing the harbour, while work upon the fortifications. What will be no one can define as yet, but combined operations in Bessarabia, abastopol, at one and the same time. from the Crimea, it is shown that the was more serious than was at first - o uncertainty is, on every account, particular, has too long been fooled no substantial foundation. Decided the question to an issue, that the situation may be terminated. The 1 held at Vienna on Wednesday. The health of the troops in the the effects of proper clothing and many ways, sickness is on the decrl to stand the variations of the climat4 boots than they were in the rags an From the hospitals also the intellig lescents are beginning to return to sent up on the 23rd from Scutari ; • the hospitals ! Typhus fever has s tunately the authorities have pitch( yards, on the sea side, of the hospil of the dead, and have already etre , the top soil. A second dead-pit close to the hospital, on the land si sea breeze, or the soft land wind will receive the full benefit of this From the camp there is little ment is put off for another " thre very clear about the positive day. action upon the 24th, dislodging commanding position, and demo] fire from the Russian batteries; b considerable. An intended recor valleys of Tchorgoum failed from impeded operations. Meanwhile 1 and the railroad has already reac Russians are by no means idle; ci . restigiS in the town; v e tually crossin /Tr ' are daily at lt : v r'' I' •lb . , a. cam paign wi I series of cl ;IP * . 3 ! • . against Sebi r spatches frog 11' -40- • Eupatoria uaavagskam THE PRESS. SATURDAY, imagined. The Russians came on to the number of 30,000 or 40,000 men, with eighty pieces of artillery. The attack commenced at day break, and, covered by a powerful fire of artillery, the infantry three times advanced to the assault with their scaling-ladders, and as often were compelled to retire. Finally, they retreated at ten o'clock a.m., but were too powerful to be pursued. Of the enemy 453 dead bodies were counted and buried. Their wounded they took with them, and it is believed many of their dead. The Turks lost eighty-seven killed, and had 277 wounded. Among the killed was SELut PecnA, a general of the Egyptian force. This brilliant action raises still higher the military reputation of OMEn PACHA, and shows how well the Turkish troops may be relied on when commanded by him. Accounts from St. Petersburg state that Prince MENsonixoss is recalled, and that he is to be replaced by Prince OORTSCHAEOFF ; Ge neral OSTENSACEEN is named second in command. The change is not, we should think, to be regarded with apprehenaion by the allies. The parliamentary proceedings of the week have not been of much importance. The short discussion provoked in the Lords by Lord LucAN, and the reading of Lord RAGLAN'S letter illustrative of the charge at Balaklava, gives a new character to that transaction, and completely clears the Commander-in-Chief from the blame which the publication of what it now appears was his second order was calculated to throw on him. This disclosure, with several others of a minor kind —that regarding the green coffee-berries, for example—show how unfounded were many of the charges made against Lord RAGLAN. The case of Sir CHARLES NAPIER occupied the Commons on Thursday. He has certainly legitimate cause of complaint that the thanks of Parliament were not voted to him and his fleet as well as to Admiral DuNDAS and the Euxine squadron. The effectual blockade of the Baltic ports and the capture of Bomarsund may fairly be pitted against the embarkation of troops from Varna. What else the Gallant Admiral late in command of the Black Sea did to win the thanks of Parliament we will not say. We have heard rumours of inefficient blockades, and of certain ships being allowed to be sunk before Sebas topol, to say nothing of a host of other wifs and waifs which stray about. The whole tenor of the debate on Thursday night proved that the Admiralty made a scapegoat of Sir CHARLES to save themselves. Sir JAMES GRAHAM was most earnest in his exhortations to Sir CHARLES not " to knock his head against stone walls," to " satisfy the wild " wishes of an impatient multitude at home " (Sir JAMES'S own words), and intimated that he required " 50,000 men, and 200 gun-boats "to do something great and decisive" that season, Up to the end of August all Sir CHARLES'S proceedings were highly lauded ; his capture of Bomersund was approved as a notable instance of his skill and discretion, and he was exhorted not to " be goaded on, or beaten out "of his determination." But when the news reached En g land that the French troops and ships were returning home, and murmurs of discontent reached the Admiralty, the tone of the First Lord changed. Sir CHARLES was directed to hold a council of war—the council decided nothing could be done; then the report reached England of the fall of Sebastopol, and Sir JAMES, eager that his department should be not less distinguished than that of the Duke of NEWCASTLE, goaded Sir CHARLES (contrary to all the First Lord's previous advices, and to the deliberate reports of Sir CHARLES) to attack Sweaborg. Then, on the falsehood of the Tatar's story being exposed, directions came from the Admiralty not to hazard the attack, so that, says Sir CHARLES in his petition, the assault on Sweaborg was not to depend on its feasibility, but simply on the fact whether Sebastopol was taken or not. There can be no question that Sir CHARLES has been hardly treated. In this journal it has always been held that he commanded his fleet with great ability, and did all that could be expected from a brave and skilful commander, and it is not possible to read his plain narra tive of facts, distributed to members of the House on Thursday evening, without feeling that after having served his country under fonr Sovereigns for fifty-five years, he has been ill rewarded for his successful command of that great fleet, which should have cast f r esh lustre on his name instead of tending (so far as official slight can) to degrade it. or- The committee of inquiry into the mismanagement of the war has already elicited some important disclosures. The conviction that there has been guilt as well as folly in the mismanagement gains around. The evidence of Sir Da LACY EVANS, on Tuesday, was particularly striking. Speaking of the entire lack of foresight at the War-office, he said :—" He believed that the war had been commenced under the " impression that there would be no wounds at all ;" and, after detail ing a great variety of cases of deliberate neglect, he added his convic tion, " that war had been commenced under the supposition that " there would be no explosion of gunpowder, and that there would be no " necessity for magazines at all." Again he said :—" When the Russians " crossed the Danube Oicita PACHA applied for assistance, and the " answer was that the army had not the means of transport, which " ought to have been provided long before. He thought the Govern " meet was still waiting for notes and protocols from Vienna, and no great " exertions were made to put the army in a condition to move ; for delay " from this cause, of course, the Commissariat Department was not " responsible." In these statements of a brave and experienced officer, what a tremendous charge is brought against the late Cabinet! Nor can several of the most important amongst our present Ministers be absolved from the imputation of credulity in the capacity of the Duke of NEWCASTLE, and of " connivance "at his blunders. Though some of them aided in overthrowing Lord ABERDEEN, they will find it impos sible to escape from the responsibility of having embarked in a Euro pean war, and left the War-office to utterly i n competent hands. WIN • 232