The Press. — London, England, 1855-06-16 00:00:00

562 the hundredth part, the other the thousandth part, of the pound. He cited the names of the high authorities in England who had recommended the decimal system, and the foreign countries that had adopted it. Lord STANLEY, in seconding the motion, added to the list of authorities, and defended the particular mode of carrying out the decimal coinage adopted by Mr. Brown. A system which took the penny for a standard would make the highest coin only Bs. 4d., a coin too low for practical use. He denied that the alteration would cause any serious inconvenience, or that the depreciation of the penny by one twenty fifth its present value would greatly affect commerce. Most articles sold at a penny were liable to much fluctuation, and the alteration would only introduce one additional element. Mr. J. B. SMITH moved that " a congress of the representatives of all nations should be invited to agree in a common standard of moneys, weights, and measures." He objected to the proposed plan that in placing a decimal system of money by the side of a duodecimal system of weights it would introduce great difficulty in the sale of small articles. He urged, in favour of his proposition, that many nations had already agreed on a uniform standard. f Mr. LOWE, in a humorous speech, detailed the difficulties which the lower orders would have to undergo in making mental calculations on decimal fractions. He thought that the new coins could never come into general circulation, and that the convenience to the rich would be a grave inconve• nience to the poor. Mr. JOHN MACGREGOR argued on the advantages which the French had realised from their adoption of the decimal system. THohtsoN HANKEY declaimed against the ab surdities of our system of weights, which were the ndicule and astonishment of foreigners. He had authority for saying that if the hundredweight con sisted of 100 lbs. instead of 112 lbs., the saving to the Customs alone in keeping accounts would be 10,000/. a year. Mr. J. 1.. RICARDO was in favour of the measure, and exposed the fallacies of Mr. Lowe, who had attempted to show that complicated decimal calcula tions would be required, when, in fact, they would be utterly unnecessary. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER detailed the several propositions which had been made for the establishment of a decimal system, and showed the practical difficulties which would result from the present proposition, the inconveniently small size of the cent and mil, the perplexities of a coinage incommensurate with the present penny, and the derangement of existing tolls and duties and rates of interest. Our present coinage was bound up with many acts of Parliament, and a distinct act would be necessary to alter it. An address would only pledge the faith of the house, without answering the pur pose. He moved the withdrawal of the motion, promising the most careful consideration of the subject. Mr. CARDWELL did not think that the time had come when the change could he carried into effect, considering the large class of interests with which we had to deal. It was necessary to prepare the public mind for changes which interfered so ex tensively with every class of interests, public and private. Great progress had been made in the sub ject, especially in the scientific part, but it was little understood by the mass of the people, and to force it upon them would involve them in great confusion. Lord PALMERSTON urged Mr. Brown to rest satis fied with the discussion and to withdraw his motion, but he refused to do more than withdraw the final resolution for an address to the Crown. The first resolution—approving of the florin—was then car ried by 135 to 56 ; the second—recommending the extension of the system—was agreed to without a division. ON the voyage to England the Simla experienced some heavy weather in the Bay of Biscay, in which the horses suffered severely, and some, including a charger of General Scarlett, became unmanageable. A valuable mare was so very bad that a pistol was got ready to shoot her to end her misery, when a Russian officer recommended a Cossack prisoner to be sent, for, as he was a " juggler," and could, by charms, cure any malady i i a horse. He was sent for, and immediately said he could cure it at once. He was closely watched, but the only thing they could observe him do was to take his sash off, and tie a knot in it three several times. However, the mare in a few minutes got on her feet and began to eat heartily, and rapidly recovered. - • - - - - THE reports last brought to hand from the principal districts for the manufacture of our textile fabrics generally advise a very quiet state of trade. A better feeling, however, prevails, and anticipation of greater activity is still indulged. The accounts from some of the foreign markets are rather more favorable. The state of the market for raw cotton caused trade at Manchester to be unsettled. THE PRESS. THE WAR. In our late edition of Saturday last we announced the capture of the Mamelon and some other outworks defending the Malakoff Bastion by the French, and the almost contemporaneous taking of the " quarries " by the British forces. These successes are more minutely detailed in the following telegraphic despatches : From Lord Raglan : Crimes, June 8. The success of last night was very complete, and the gallantry and steadiness of the troops cannot be too highly spoken of. The French succeeded in securing the works of the Mamelon and those on its right called the Ouvrages Blanes ; in those they took sixty-two guns, including eight cohorns, and four hundred prisoners. Nothing could be more brilliant than the advance of our allies. We have lost about four hundred men in killed and wounded. From General Pelissier - - June 9. The situation is the same as yesterday. All the demonstrations of the enemy against the con quered works have been fruitless. They have abandoned the so-called battery of the 2nd May ; they have also completely abandoned to us the right shore of Careening Bay. The vessels in port have sought refuge in Artillery Bay, where our large mortars can reach them. We are watching them attentively. June 10. The combat of the 7th of June was more advantageous for us than I had at first announced. It placed in our hands 502 prisoners (of which number twenty are officers), and seventy-three pieces of cannon. June 11. We are consolidating ourselves in the new works. We have been able to fire with the Russian mortars on their ships, which have gone still further off. We are preparing new batteries. The loss of the English in the affairs of the 7th and Bth inst. were, 122 killed, 670 wounded, and 15 missing. The following is a nominal list of the officers who suffered on those days : KlLLED.—Captain Muller, 2nd Battalion Royals ; Lieutenant Lawrence, 34th Regiment ; Lieutenant Stone, 55th Regiment; Lieutenant-Colonel Shear man, 62nd Regiment; Major Dickson, 62nd Regi ment ; Lieutenant Machell, 02nd Regiment ; Captain Forster, 62nd Regiment; Major Bayley, 88th Regi• ment ; Captain Corbett, 88th Regiment; Captain Wray, 89th Regiment; Lieutenant Lowrey, Royal Engineers. WOUNDED.—Captain M. Adye, R.A. ; Lieutenant Evans, 19th Regiment; Lieutenant and Adjutant Padfield, 20th Regiment; Captain Pennefather, 30th Regiment ; Captain John Peel, 34th Regiment ; Captain esthead, 34th Regiment ; Lieutenant Saunders, 34th Regiment; Major Villiers, 47th Regiment; Captain Lowndes, 47th Regiment; Major Armstrong, 49th Regiment ; Captain Le Merchant, 49th Regiment; Lieutenant Young, 49th Regiment ; Lieutenant Eustace, 49th Regiment ; Lieutenant Dickson, 77th Regiment; Captain Maynard, 88th Regiment ; Lieutenant Kenny, 88th Regiment : Lieutenant Mackesy, 97th Regiment; Lieutenant Bellew, 2nd Battalion Ist Royals ; Lieutenant Stewart, 2nd Battalion Ist Royals ; Lieutenant Irby, 47th Regiment; Captain Ambrose, 3rd Regiment; Lieu tenant Colonel Campbell, 90th Regiment ; Captain Hunter, 47th Regiment ; Lieutenant Boyd, 17th Regiment ; Lieutenant Trent, 48th Regiment ; Lieutenant Breedon, 3rd Regiment; Captain A. Gordon ; Lieutenant Legge, 2nd Battalion Ist Royals ; Major Mills, 7th Regiment; Captain Turner, 7th Regiment; Lieutenant Jones, 7th Regiment; Lieute nant J. F. Jones, 7th Regiment; Lieutenant Waller, 7th Regiment ; Captain Dixon, 41st Regiment : Lieutenant Scott, 55th Regiment; Captain Ingall, 62nd Regiment ; Captain Gilby, 77th Regiment ; Lieutenant Grier, 88th Regiment; Lieutenant An derson, 96th Regiment; Assistant-Engineer E. J. R. Keen. The allied troops occupying the valley of Kamara, on the banks of the Tschernaya, amount to fifty thousand men. They have wood and water in abundance. The aqueduct that leads to the Ca reen age, and which was diverted by the allies to deprive Sebastopol of water, has been repaired for the service of the camp. General Bosquet was to invest the north side of Sebastopol at the head of his corps d'armie. The latest accounts state that six thousand English troops were to join General Canrobert on the Tschernaya. The Piedmontese were fortifying the position on the Tschernaya, and building bridges. Prince Gortschakoff, dating June 8, thus reports on the assault of the previous evening The allies kept up a very heavy bombardment on the Bth and 7th, until six o'zlock in the evening, when three French divisions advanced and attacked Redoubt No. 7. They took the redoubt on the Manielon (Kamschatka), and the two redoubts (Selinghinak and Volhynia), near Cartening Bay, and also a battery between Selinghinak and Bastion No. 1. SATURDAY, Our troops retook the Mamelon redoubt, but the French, strongly reinforced, again attacked, and took It once more. In the end we were masters of the battery (i.e. the one between Selinghinsk and Bastion No. 1), the French hold ing a lodgement from whieh we hope to repel them. Our troops fought nobly, and the result is that the enemy's loss exceeds ours. He has lost 2,5u0, and we have made 273 men and seven officers prisoners. We have also taken two guns. The expedition to the Sea of Azoff was proceeding with unintermittent success. Captain Lyons, of the Miranda, and Captain Sedaiges report that the naval operations against Taganrog, Marioupol, and Gheisk, which took place on the 9rd, sth, and Bth of June, have perfectly succeeded. The public buildings and numerous Government magazines of provisions have been burnt, and thus an immense loss of supplies has been inflicted on the enemy. The operations were conducted with great vigour and rapidity. The allied forces had only one man wounded, although opposed by about 3,500 soldiers at Tangarog. A telegraphic message was received at the Ad miralty on Tuesday, announcing that the Russians had evacuated Anapa, and were supposed to have crossed the Kouban. 'I he Circassians were in the place. At the date of the 3rd of June, the French troops in Kertch were fortifying it vigorously, and it was ex pected that operations by land would commence from this place as soon as sufficiently numerous reinforce ments had arrived. Admiral Brunt had given orders to a part of his fleet to reconnoitre Batoum. Allied troops were collecting with all possible speed in Gallipoli and Maslak. It was said that they are to be brought up to the strength of 45,000 men. The Russian interests, according to a despatch from Admiral Bruat, are "gravely compromised" in the diminution of the Sea of Azoff. The corn des , troyed in that sea has been estimated at 18,000,000 f. in value, and the number of vessels 040, besides steamers. Taganrog, at the mouth of the Don, bad in 1842 a population of 22,472 souls; Marioupol, on the north shore of the Sea of Azoff, had 4,603 ;n 1852 ; Berdi. anski, also on the north shore, 6,498 in 1849. Gheisk (or Eisk, or Jeisk) was built on the south shore since 1849, and opened to foreign commerce for the first, time in 1852; it has already 8,000 inhabitants. The foreign commerce of Rostow, on the right bank of the Don, began in 1837 ; it has already 10,803 inhabitants. The following official despatches have been re ceived : _ Before Sebastopol, May 29, 1855. Sir Edmund Lyons's telegraphic despatch of the 25th, which was forwarded from hence on the morning of the 27th, and one from me that immediately followed, will have informed your lordship that the allied expedition to Kertch reached its destination on the morning of the 24th, and the troops having landed without delay, and the war steamers drawing little water having pushed on towards Kertch and Yenikale, that all the objects in contemplation were accomplished in twenty-four hours without any resis tance on the part of the enemy, who blew up the fortifica tions on both sides of the passage, and retired, thus leaving us masters of the Sea of Azoff, to be speedily occupied by a French and English flotilla. I hale now the honour to lay before you a copy of the report of Lieutenant-General Sir G. Brown, commanding the allied troops ; and in congratulating your lordship, which I do most cordially, on the complete success of the operation, I have the greatest satisfaction in drawing your attention to the promptitude with which the disembarka tion was effected, to the efficient measures taken by the lientenant-general t o insure his position ai.d attain the objects in view, and to the just tribute which he pays in his interesting narrative to the judicious arrangements of Ad mirals Bruat and Sir E. Lyons, and to the zeal and energy displayed by the officers and men of the allied fleets in carrying them out under their vigilant superintendence, as well as to the cordial co-operation and assistance of General Dantemarre, commanding the French division, and Res chid Pasha, commanding the Turkish troops. Nothing material has occurred in front of the new posi tion taken up by the allies on the morning of the 25th. The enemy have made no movement from the high ground towards the advance, but they have displayed a considerable force to-day on the Inkermann heights. Convoys continue to arrive on the north side of Se bastopol. A further portion of the Sardinian contingent has arrived under General de la Marmora's brother, the details of which T have not yet received. JUNE 2.—The reports which have been received from Kertch since I had the honour of writing to your lordship on the 29th May are of the most satisfactory character. Five vessels laden with corn had come into Kertch, in ignorance of the capture of the place, and bad fallen into the hands of the allies. The French and English squadron had appeared before Berlianski, and the enemy in consequence destroyed four of their war-steamers, and considerable depots of corn. They than exchanged a cannonade with the Russia n forts at Arabat, and were so fortunate as to blow up a ma gazine with shells ; and since, Captain Lyons, R.N., of the Miranda, has performed a most successful operation upon Jenitchi. The Russian authorities of the town having refused to deliver up the Government depot of corn, and ninety vessels, having on board supplies for their army in the Crimea, Captain Lyons bombarded the place with his squadron, and, having driven the troops out of it, he landed