The Press. — London, England, 1855-05-12 00:00:00

permitted him ; and to this extent he felt he had the permission of the Bible. Mr. COBDEN replied to Mr. Gladstone's speech, and said that the argument drawn in favour of the bill from the violation of the present law did not rest on the fact of that violation, but on the absence of all censure accompanying it. He instanced several cases of persons who, having married their wives' sisters, were notwithstanding treated with every demonstration of respect in their several neighbourhoods. Mr. Gladstone talked of the col lective conscience of mankind, but this collective conscience did not prevent these marriages from being celebrated all over Europe and America. He repeated the assertion of the general feeling of the bill, the present practice of the Jews, and the social advantages which would result from it. After a few words from Mr. J. S. PHLTAINORE 7 and a reply from Mr. HEYWOOD, the second reading was carried by 165 to 157. SCOTCH MARRIAGES. Wednesday was devoted to marriage questions. Mr. HEADL&M moved the second reading of his bill, which went to declare illegal all Scotch mar riages contracted by mere interchange of consent in presence of witnesses, and to impose penalties on all blacksmiths, innkeepers, and others, who should celebrate the same. _ The bill, supported by Lord Lovaine, Mr. Dunlop, and Mr. Howard, was opposed by the Lord Advocate, Sir G. Grey, Mr. Walpole, and others, who agreed in the principle of the bill, but said that the means of remedy proposed would be quite ineffectual ; that it was dealing in a petty manner with a question of vast importance, would introduce confusion into the whole marriage law, and was only directed against the marriages of the poor. The second reading was lost by 143 to 40. EDUCATION (SCOTLAND) BILL The motion for going into committee on this bill was resisted on Thursday evening by Mr. CUMMING BRUCE, who pleaded the lateness of the hour as a reason for postponing further progress. This was opposed by Lord Palmerston, and after some debating the house decided, upon division, to go on with the bill that evening by a majority of 165 to 118. Mr. C. BRUCE then moved, as an amendment, that the committee should be instructed to divide the mea• sure into two bilis—one relating to the parochial schools, the other to the new schools contemplated by the bill. The amendment, he explained, was de signed to enable the Legislature to adopt the useful provisions of the Lord Advocate's measure, without sweeping away the existing system of parochial schools in connection with the Church of Scotland. The hon. member proceeded at considerable length to defend and eulogise the present educational estab lishments in that section of the United Kingdom. Lord DALICEITH moved the adjournment of the discussion, to which the Lord Advocate consented ; and, after some remarks from Mr. John M‘Gregor and Mr. Dunlop, the debate was adjourned to Mon • day next. THE number of men employed and the sums of money expended in the following years in the payment of foreign troops employed in the service of the United Kingdom, is shown in a return obtained by Mr. Bentinck, M.P. The number and charges were, as follows :—ln 1800, 13,976 men, and 471,1'28/. voted; in 1801, 13,015 men, and 303,3911. voted; in 1802, 41,352 men, and 515,2811. voted; in 1803, 5,168 men, and 159,6721. voted ; in 1804, 12,559 men, and 582,262/. voted; in 1805, 17,386 men, and 851,3501. voted ; in 1806, 22,939 men, and 985, 9091. voted ; in 18J7, 21,473 men, and 832,4501. voted ; in 1808, 22,125 men, and 866,5581. voted ; in 1809, 22,978 men, and 933,654/. voted ; in 1810, 23,953 men and 968,4251. voted ; in 1811, 24,989 men, and 966,2251. voted ; in 1812, 30,741 men, and 1,148,6521. voted ; in 1813, 31,259 men, and 1,205,6421. voted ; in 1814, 32,216 men, and 1,206,8011. voted ; and in 1815, 21,314 men, and 586,7151. voted. The foreign troops employed included several German battalions, the Bourbon Regiment formed from natives of Bourbon, De Roll's Regiment, the Chasseurs Britanniques, Meuron and Watteville's Swiss, the Corsican Rangers, Dillon's Regiment, the Greek Light Infantry, the Sicilian Light Infantry, three Italian bands, the Maltese Provincials, independent companies of fo reigners, deserters from the French army, the King's German Legion, the Duke of Brunswick's Infantry, the Brunswick Hussars, and Freberg's Levy. THE Borsenhalte of Hamburg is instructed by letters from St. Petersburg that from the opening to the close of the navigation in 1854 only seven foreign ships entered the port of St. Petersburg, and there were only twenty-seven departures. The coasting trade was not interrupted. In consequence of the advance in the rates of carriage, 10,000 oukops of tallow remained unsold, and prices have fallen greatly. The advance on imports is most felt in the article of cotton. Instead of some millions of poods, the importation of ordinary years, in 1864 only 900,000 poods were imported, and many nulls are tending still for want of raw material. THE PRESS. THE WAR. Yesterday afternoon a despatch, dated on Thursday last, from Lord Raglan was received at the War-office to the following effect:-- The Russians made a sortie with a large body of troops on our right advanced trench this morning, but were driven back immediately. A second and similar attempt shared the same fate. Nothing could be better than the conduct of the troops who took part in the affair. The loss of the enemy was serious. On the 6th (Sunday) Lord Raglan had previously telegraphed as follows : The enemy assaulted the advanced trench of our right attack last night, but were repulsed promptly. Our loss was three killed and twenty wounded. Thursday's Maniteur says that advices from the Crimea, dated the oth of May, at ten o'clock, a.m., announce the arrival at Kamisch Bay of General della Marmora, with 4,000 men, the first detachment of the Piedmontese troops. A despatch from St. Petersburg, dated the 7th instant, received in Berlin, states : On the night between the Ist and 2nd the enemy (the allies), having concentrated 10,000 men, took possession of the lodgments in front of Bastion No. 5, and captured nine small cohorn mortars. On the 2nd the enemy opened a heavy cannonade on Bastions Nos. 4 and 5, and on the adjoining lines. Tne damage which they did was repaired during the night. We (Russians) fired with success five mines against the enemy's approaches. - - • Detailed accounts of the proceedings in the Crimea to the 30th ult. have arrived at Marseilles. —....—, Omer Pacha had made a reconnaissance from Eupatoria as far as the lake and village of Sazik. The Russians declined an action, but an attack was nevertheless expected. On the 25th, 26th, and 27th the fire on both sides was suspended, but on the night of the 27th the tire, both of artillery and small arms, was resumed with great energy. On the 28th there was a shap fire of musketry before Sebastopol. Two batteries had been established in the 4th parallel. Some engineer officers had gone to reconnoitre Kaffa. Thirty thousand men were preparing to set out from the French camp at Maslak. The Journal de Constantinople says that arrange ments were in progress for an encampment of 2,500 French artillery and cavalry horses at Varna. From that it was interred that a strong force would be assembled in Bulgaria. General Canrobert writes to the Emperor on the 28th ult. as follows : I announce with happiness to your Majesty that the English army, always so reliable, has now become as fine, as numerous, and as healthy as when it arrived in the East ; and that it is daily receiving reinforcements of in fantry, cavalry, and the means of transport. I continue to live on the most cordial terms with Lord Raglan ; and the two armies are closely united. _ The following is the latest written despatch from Lord Raglan published by the Secretary of War: Before Sebastopol, April 24. . . Nothing material has occurred since 1 made my report to your lordship on the 21st instant The Russian rifle-pit, immediately in front of that which was taken on the night of the 19th, was destroyed by a party of volunteers on the morning of the 21st instant. These were headed by Lieutenant and Adjutant Walker, of the 30th Regiment, who is stated to be an excellent officer, and to have conducted himself on the occasion in the most spirited manner. The pit was found to be empty, and, being useless, was immediately levelled and filled in. The enemy did not interrupt the work. I inclose the list of casualties, which, I regret to say, is heavy. The nearer we approach the place the more loss is to be apprehended. Hitherto it hr.s been less than might have been expected. RkOLAN. SIEGE CHRONICLE. Letters from the camp to the 27th, containing, how ever, only three days' later news than the detailed advices which were published last week, have since been received. The intelligence thus communicated is of comparatively trifl►ng importance, as the period over which they extend does not include any of the serious attacks announced by the electric telegraph. The Morning Herald correspondent writes :- - - APRIL Z.—Beyond the preparations going forward for another bombardment there is literally nothing doing here, and, contrasted with our recent excitement, the allied camps seem even more dull than when at Varna or Alyden. Meanwhile we go on as in November last—a little skir mishing in the night, a little firing in the day ; not much of either, but just sufficient to show that we are still at war, and have not raised the siege. Last night the French had a very smart affair on the left, in an attack on an ex tensive ririe•trench. This work enfiladed one of their ad- vanced batteries, on the extreme left, near the Mud Fort, and annoyed our allies considerably. But the serious nature of its mischief was not fully appreciated until the French began, like ourselves, to push forward approaches for a still more advanced battery. The working parties engaged in this were incessantly harassed, and at length, as they approached the trench, list so considerably, that its capture at all risks became absolutely necessary to the continuation of the parallel. A strong party of SATURDAY, Chasseurs and volunteers were last night told off for this purpose. They proceeded to the spot ; but, instead of charging the trench and closing instantlY i began their operations by trying to dislodge the riflemen with a skit.. mishing fire. This continued for nearly half an hour, and in such a contest all the advantage was on the aide of the enemy, who were almost completely screened, while the assailants were totally exposed. The French suffered rather severely, but at last succeeded in getting on the flanks of the trench, where they maintained such a tire that the Russians were compelled to abandon its uselesa shelter, and as they retired to their batteries nearly all were either killed or wounded on the open ground. The French took possession of the trench, and, in spite of a heavy cannonade which the enemy directed on the spot, kept their ground and prepared to till it in. They had half succeeded in their object, when a strong force of Rus sians made their appearance, for the purpose of retaking the post. After a short but severe contest, in which the enemy twice charged with the bayonet, they were totally repulsed and driven back to the town in complete dis order. The French then continued their work of tilling up the pit, in which they were no further molested by the batteries, probably because the Russians were aware that many of their wounded remained upon the spot. The trench was completely filled in, and its parapet levelled in the course of an hour, when both French and Russian wounded were removed without hindrance. Our allies in this affair lost upwards of a hundred men and officers killed and wounded. One officer and forty seven men, it is said, are among the former. The Russian loss we can only conjecture, but it can be little short of double that of the French. They left about thirty dead and ten or fifteen wounded upon the ground. The rest they succeeded in car7ing off. APRIL 26.—Early this morning Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, accompanied by Lady Stratford and her three daughters, the Hon. Misses Canning, Lady George Paget, Miss Macdonald, General Vivian, and several other distinguished passengers, arrived at lialaklava, in the Caradoe. . . . A guard of honour was drawn up to receive his excel• lency, but before he landed Lord Raglan, Sir Colin Camp• bell, General Simpson, General Eatcourt, General Jones, and other principal officers, attended by their staffs, all in full uniform, came on board the Caraduc to welcome his lordship on his arrival in the Crimea. Lord Raglan and Lord Stratford had a long interview, and at its conclusion the latter accompanied Lord Raglan back to head•quarters, where he still remains. The ladies of the party landed for a short time to see Balaklava and the camp, but returned to the Caradoc, in which the whole party will again return to Constantinople on the 29th. Every One has separate and cogent reasons for account ing for the visit of his excellency at this crisis ; but I need hardly say that the real cause is still unknown, and likely to 'remain so as secrets of this kind transpire not here but in Parliament. One hundred and fifty tons of shot and shell, and one hundred and twenty tons of powder, were forwarded to camp to-day, with twelve more guns, taken from the Leander. The latter are six thirty-two's and six fifty six's. Beyond these facts, and that they were sent to the trenches when our works were progressing very slowly, there is literally nothing to chronicle connected with the English portion of the siege. On the side of our allies, they are said to be getting on faster, though even they are represented as not keeping pace with the enemy's defen sive preparations. The enemy have repaired all the chief portions of the works which were damaged by our late cannonade. Their works facing those of the French, near lnkermanu, are incomparably stronger than any our allies have to oppose to them. Throughout the whole of our last attack these batteries maintained adecided superiority over the French, but this was a matter of less moment, as the allies only wish to engage, not to destroy the Russian works at this portion of their defences. The Mamelon has been almost entirely renewed, and mounts as many guns as ever. The same may be said of the batteries round the Malakoff Tower, which still look as solid and well proportioned as ever. The Redan apparently is entirely restored. The Flagstaff seems the only outwork which has really suffered irreparably. In this the French still keep their lodgment, and the enemy at some parts still work the guns, but as a great battery it has almost ceased to exist. In the rear of this the Russians are preparing a second defence. Very little can be ascertained either of its nature or strength, bat, whatever it may be, it is enough if they are co mpelled to evacuate the Flagstaff. That work once in the possess ion of the allies, and turned against the other works, would be a great step towards the final reduction of at least the south side of Sebastopol. Aran. 27.—50 dull and uniform are our days now that anything like the material for an interesting public diary of the siege is out of the question. Lord Stratford still stays with Lord Raglan. and General Canrobert also is almost daily with his lordship for one or two hours. All seem strongly impressed with the idea that at least a por tion of the allies are about to resume offensive operations in the field, though no one attempts to solve the difficulty of its accomplishment. The heights of Alma are this time effectually closed and fortified. So are those of the Belbeck. So is Tehourgoum—so is the mountain rosd beyond it, leading to Mackenzie's Farm—and so also is the new cart-road under the heights of Inkermann to Sim feropol. It is all very easy for paper campaigners in England to write forcibly on the necessity for ou r takin g the field. But how is it to be done Suppose we advance into the country, what do we advance against but a moun tainous country, the accesses to which are defended with earthworks, intrenched camps, redoubts, andmined roads? We, in fact, engage in a succession of sieges, nearly all of them as difficult, though none of them as important, as Sebastopol. There is, however, one serious drawback to the whole scheme, and that is, that we are utterly unpnr