The Press. — London, England, 1855-01-06 00:00:00

JANUARY 6,1855._ that the sth and 6th divisions will arrive at Odessa also for tho 'same destination." Later despatches from Odessa state that Russian troops of the line continued to arrive there. The weather was bad; two companies of Russian troops and a transport of forty waggons, conveying wounded men, had perished by the cold. _ . . Telegraphic despatches from Warsaw, of the 30th ult., inform us that immense reinforcements, drawn from the 2nd infantry corps in Volhynia, are passing by Odessa to the Crimea. Three divisions, the 7th, Nth, and 9th, of the 3rd infantry corps, are said to have passed on to Perekop, whence they would be conveyed in post-waggons to the scene of action. It has been computed that the divisions in question way furnish Prince Menschikoff with a reinforce ment of 32,000 bayonets. About 3,500 cavalry, 14 field batteries, and six battalions of field-train, are attached to these corps. By an order of the day, of Deo. 18, the Czar, in gratitude for the exemplary bravery, the zeal, and the signal services of all the land and sea troops forming the garrison of Sebastopol, since the 25th of Sept., has ordered that each month of their service in the " cadres" of the said garrison shall be counted as one year of service, with the rights and privi leges thereunto belonging. His Majesty has ex tended this favour similarly to all the officials in the civil service that form part of that garrison. New measures have been taken by the Russian Government to augment the revenue. The excise duties on tobacco have been raised- A letter from Kischeneff, in Bessarabia, says that the export of corn is exceptionally authorised by the Russian Government for such corn as had been purchased before the issue of the decree of prohi bition. The Danubian Steam Navigation Company is employing all the means of transport in its power to get up to Raab the stores of grain lying in the fertile districts that border the Lower Danube — before the ice or other causes may interfere with their conveyance. UNITED STATES. A large meeting has been held at the Tabernacle, at New York, presided over by Major Westervelt, for the purpose of adopting an address to Mr. Smith O'Brien, congratulating him on his return from Van Diemen's Land to Europe, and endorsing his politi cal principles and honesty. The Honourables Robert Emmet and Judge O'Conor addressed the meeting, as did also Messrs. Mitchel, Meagher, O'Gorman, and many of the "felons" of 1848. Three most enthusiastic cheers were given for the Emperor of Russia, whilst the Queen of England and many of her statesmen were treated with little respect. About four thousand people were present. SOUTH AMERICA. The Imperada steamer arrived at Liverpool on Thursday, with the South American mails. Buenos Ayres letters of November 12 state that an invading force, commanded by Generals Lagos and Costa, bad been totally routed on the 7th by Buenos Ayrean troops under General Hornos. About twenty men were killed on each side. The rebels had a large number wounded, and lost all their baggage, correspondence, &c. From the documents taken it appeared that Ur quiza was the instigator of the invasion. They also implicate a large number of the residents in the city, and several arrests have been made. Government, it was said, would take possession of Sante Fe. Troops had been despatched to reinforce General Hornos and to garrison San Nicolas and Rosario. Buenos Ayres was under martial law, but everything wa.s quiet. Another despatch, of a later date, an nounces that the rebels had suffered another defeat, and had been totally disbanded. General Costa was reported to have taken refuge on board the Brazilian steamer Thetis. AUSTRALIA. - - The most noticeable feature in the late accounts from Australia is the increased attention given to quartz-crushing. The lodes of quartz running through the various gold fields are, it is believed, the matrices of the precious metal, and wherever there are rich alluvial deposits of gold dust, in their neighbourhood will be found veins of auriferous quartz, which can be worked on regular mining prin ciples, and which will probably be found inex haustible by the present generation. Strong move ments have already been commenced among the diggers to procure quartz crushing machines, many of which have been imported, and others, in order to save time, constructing in the colony. It is the opinion of many of the most cautious and most in telligent colonists that the gold production is still only in its infancy. Several large nuggets have re cently been discovered. One was found at Mary borough weighing 500 ounces, and a quartz epecimen Jound at Ballarat, containing a large proportion of gold, weighed ninety-eight pounds. The.Maryborough gold-field is considered extremely rich, but there is a groat scarcity of water. THE PRESS. OPENING OF THE LONDONDERRY INSTITUTE. A LITERARY institution, erected under the auspices and almost entirely at the cost of the Dowager Marchioness of Londonderry, was inaugurated on Wednesday at Seaham, a rising maritime town, which now contains some 4,000 inhabitants, the great bulk of whom are engaged in mining and sea faring pursuits. The building is in the Grecian style of architecture. It has a projecting portico of four columns, with side wings, which form the library and news-room. The main body of the structure is appropriated to the purpose of a public hall, or lecture-room, capable of holding about five hundred persons, and the whole is built of stone from the quarries of the Londonderry family. The inaugural ceremony was attended by a nu merous company, including a large and distinguished party of guests from Wynyard-park, where they had been enjoying the hospitalities of Lady Londonderry. Earl Vane presided, and, after briefly describing the purpose for which the institution had been designed, introduced to the assembly Sir Archibald Alison,who then addressed them in an eloquent speech. He began by noticing the many links of connection which bound the inhabitants of Seaham to the noble house of Londonderry, and sketched the services which different members of that family had rendered and were rendering to the country, in arms and by statesmanship. Sir Archibald then adverted to the more special subject before him, the Literary Insti tute, and thus continued It was in the social tendencies of institutions like the one they were now seeking to establish, in forming and moulding private character, in withdrawing men, and *specially the humbler orders, from habits of vice and degradation, and generally in elevating and improving all classes of the community, that their merit is said to con sist. Far be it from him to throw any chill on such pleasing anticipations. They must all have seen to what a large extent these anticipations had been realised. But, on the present occasion, he felt that an institution of this kind ought to be regarded in another light—that was to say, not so much as conducing to the elevation of the in dividual anti to the virtue and happiness of private fami lies, as to the due discharge of public duties by the whole citizens of the empire. (Hear, hear.) This was a light in which he was ready to admit that institutions of this kind bad not hitherto been considered, from an unwilling ness, on the part of those in the habit of addressing the members of such institutions, to introduce aught in the nature of dissension among them. While cordially agree ing with those persons in that view, he still thought there were occasions on which another line might be adopted with advantage to all parties. And that the present was such an occasion, he thought he might, as a proof, appeal to the events passing around us, because they were events in reference to which we all felt alike. The persons to whom he wished to address his opinions were not merely private individuals—fathers of families, brothers, sisters, and all the different other relations of life; he was de sirous of speaking to them as being also intrusted with certain public duties, on the due discharge of which the prosperity and welfare of the empire entirely depended. It was in vain to say they could separate the elevation and instruction of the middle and working classes from the general prosperity of the empire. They it was who dele gated a decided majority of representatives to the House of Commons ; and, if we were to find the foundation for wise measures on the part of Government, or on the part of that house, we must look for it in wise thoughts and wise views on the part of the constituencies. (Cheers.) It was they, and persona like them, who formed the con stituencies of the empire, and it was to them that the country must look for the formation of those opinions which were gradually to rise from the great base of the pyramid of society until they reached and properly influ enced the comparatively few individuals who were in trusted with the conduct of public affairs. lie contended that, unless information, intelligence, and wisdom, were implanted in the body of society, in whom the regulation of the nation was vested—that was to say, in the great majority—it was impossible to expect that any amount of human ability, on the part of those who governed, was able to conduct the affairs of the nation with success, or to avert disaster. In every point of view, it was of the last importance that the people of this country should be duly instructed, and that their information should keep pace with the enlarged and enlarging duties which they were called to discharge. (Cheers.) Errors in conduct, either of individuals or bodies of men, were seldom the result of want cf right feeling ; they were, usually, rather the result of want of knowledge, or of misdirected knowledge. He would give one or two instances to show what an amount of blessing might acJrue to society if all classes, from the working man up to the Cabinet Minister, were duly in structed, and if information and the lessons of history were so imbibed that error or disastrous conduct was ren dered impossible. Sir A. Alison then cited many facts relating to strikes, taxation, the national debt, and to exhibit the serious practical evils which resulted from the lack of intelligence and information among different classes of the community. Afterwards he referred to the great topic of the day, the war, and showed that it arose in great measure from a similar absence of due knowledge and understanding that, through the persistence in a false economy, we had been forced to begin the struggles with forces painfully inadequate to the occasion flow was it that, in this contest, we had made so sudden transiti , ‘n from the exultation of victory to the despoil- 9 dency of defeat? That was to be found in the neglect of former wars. He stood there neither to vindicate one Minister nor another—nor one general nor another; but he stood there to point out to his fellow countrymen the errors and faults—he would almost say the national crimes —which had led to this war as a national punishment. We had been all along unduly confident iu our position, and had overlooked, during the long peace, all future prepara tion for war. The infatuation of the country in this respect had been such, that, when it came to be recorded th the pages of history, it would appear almost incredible. There had not been a single Minister since 1e415 that had not come into power, or endeavoured to retain power, by per petual reductions of the army and navy. That had not been a matter of party. Whigs, Tories, and Radicals, had had the saute end in view, and among them they had done their best to render this great nation utterly power less in the midst of its neighbours. The people who returned the House of Commons, which had the command of the purse-strings, did not know when, one by one, they were reducing some suiall article of taxation, that there was going on at the same time the loss of the sinking fund, and the utter prostration of the country for any purposes of just aggression or defence. 'llinte times during that pacifies period, when we were constantly reducing our armaments, we were on the very verge of destruction from the weak pens of our military and na‘al forces ; at that very parted we were three times on the eve of war—twice with Frauce, and once with France and Russia. Indeed, so near a war were we on that last occasion, that the Ambassadors of France and Russia had left London. What was our force then? At that time, if the French had attempted to land on our shores, we could only have opposed to them 10,200 infantry and forty-two guns, the carriages of which bad not been repaired since the battle of Waterloo. (Laughter.) Really, iu this matter there was but one mode of securing national independence and a durable peace, and that was by being always prepared for war. During the forty years of peace we had beau relaxing the sinews of war, and ahow ing that we were wholly unprepared for any purpose of successful defence. e were the richest nation in the world and the greatest in commerce ; we were the objects of envy to every State nnder the sun, and was it wise—was it not rather the height of madness, in a country like this, to go on reducing its armaments year after year, and so proclaiming to the world that we were iu no condition to fight in the event of bring menaced by aggression or hos tility? He must say our existence as a nation at this time might almost be ascribed wholly to Divine interposi tion, for it had not been preserved either by the wisdom of our statesmen or of our people. The eloquent speaker concluded by an allusion to the moral purpose which war was intended to serve iu the administration of nature We bad heard a good deal of late years of peace socie ties, and that, through the agency of a grand congress of nations, war would pass into oblivion, like the Mammoth or the lchthyosauri; but they might rely upon this, that war would never cease until vice was extirpated from the world. War was the penalty which vice had inflicted on man, as the pain of chilbirth was the curse which it had left upon woman. War was a penalty inflicted on the human race for its sins, and, under a merciful Providence, it was made the means of working out a cure for its own evils, and of elevating the mind of man. r THE ELECTRIC LIGHT. - - - - Tex first practical application of this mode of obtaining artificial light was made on Thursday night, fur the pur pose of ascertaining whether by its weans work can be carried ou under circumstances in which other artificial light is not available. The sceno of appliestion was at the Surrey side of Westminster-bridge The apparatus was placed on the shore, at seventy or eighty feet distance, on a stage on which were a number of workmen. The light proceeds from an electric spark, which is continually maintained. Behind the spark was a telleetor. A strong light was shed upon the stage, and the workmen proceeded with their labour apparently with as great tacility as if they were working during sunshine. It was in character somewhat resembling moonlight, but very much stronger. It can be put out and re-illumined in a moment. The quantity of light afforded, as ascertained by the photo meter, it was stated was equal to that of seventy-two ordi nary gas argand burners. This light has been tried many times before and with success, but the grand obstacle to its use has been the great cost of the material which formed what may not inappropriately be termed the fuel required to keep up the electricity. Tbis obstacle, however, has been removed by the discovery that the material while employed in producing the light can be converted into pigments of so great a commercial value that the cost of light is absolutely nothing. TIM BOARD (/F ORDNANCE have under considera tion a contrivance, the invention of Loves and Ley, of the Lowes Iron Works, tor the adapta t i o n of the Minis principle to balls for cannon, whether plain or grooved. The chief meth of the invention is that it entirely gets rid of the windage, and the full force of the explosion is gained in the propulsion of the ball. It is thus obtained :—The main body of the ball is a hollow or solid cast-iron cylindrical cone; the se cond part. consists of a hollow cylinder, combined with an inclined cone; these two parts fit into each other, passing through the third part, which is a double lead ring, fitting closely to both. When put in the cannon the conical end points to the muzzle, and the conical plug to the powilerrthe leaden ring between the two. The explosion drives the plug into the ring, the lead expands, and presses tightly against the interior sides of the. cannon-bore, giving increased range and precision of aim, equal to that of the Annie rifle. f i 0