The Press. — London, England, 1855-06-30 00:00:00

JUNE 30, 1855. THE BALTIC FLEET. (From our Own Corregpondeni.) JUNE 14.—At daylight this morning the signal was made, " Prepare for sailing," and at ten o'clock the fleet, excepting Majestic and Euryalus, weighed, in company with the French squadron, and delighted the hearts of our friends in Cronstadt by steaming no ajestically away in three lines, leaving the two above named vessels cruising to watch the movements of the enemy. What can they think of us, after spending a few days at a most respectful distance, not even keeping an inshore squadron to find out what the steamers we daily observed cruising about in the neighbourhood of the infernal machines were doing, what new and perhaps more formidable preparations they were making for our reception—what can they think, one naturally asks, of this most pe culiar conduct? Is this war? or are we, as we did last year, to look quietly on while the enemy deliberately prepares destruction for us, should we ever be goaded on to attack or shell Cronstadt? There certainly may be some hidden reason for this display ; time only can show ; let us hope there is. At four o'clock this afternoon we came to an anchor about thirty miles from Cronstadt, near an island called Seskar, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. Reliable information has been re ceived that the Russians, in attempting to move some of the so-called infernal machines, have had a large boat, manned with twenty-five men, utterly destroyed, and all her crew blown into the air. JUNE 15.—Today the Merlin, with an interpreter on board, has been sent with a flag of truce off Hel singfors to make inquiries concerning the cossack affair ; and we anxiously look for her return, to hear what the Russians have to say for themselves. Some atrocious untruth will doubtless be coined re garding their conduct on this occasion ; but facts are stubborn things to deal with. The Princess Alice has arrived with the mails, Bulldog having broken down in some of her machinery, and could get no further than Nargen. JuNE 10.—This morning early the admirals, ac companied by the French commander-in-chief, went on board the D'Assas, French corvette, and, accom panied by the Dragon, crossed the Gulf to look at the anchorage which has been recommended by our surveying officers near the Island of Biorko. I un derstand that they are of opinion it is very well adapted for the fleet, as it is some miles nearer Cronstadt, is better sheltered, and in other repents more convenient, than this place. Admiral Seymour, in Exmouth, accompanied by Blenheim (80), Pincher, and Snap (gun-boats), started on some expedition, the object of which is not made public, but it is generally supposed that they have gone to the mouth of the River Nerve, to see bow the land lies in that direction. We have been much cheered by the report that several mortar-vessels, gun-boats, &c., have actually left England for the Baltic. under Admiral Baynes. This looks more like business. It is indeed cruel that so splendid a fleet, manned by (excuse the conceit of the remark) such a splendid set of fellows, should remain inactive, and that the glory of thrashing the Russians should be entirely in the hands of their brothers in the Mer Noir. The present stations of the Baltic fleet are as follow :—Duke of Wellington, Royal George, James Watt, Orkn, Cesar, dressy, Dragon, and five gun boats, off Seeker; Majestic and Euryalus off Cron stadt, cruising ; Arrogant and Magicienne off Wiborg ; Edinburgh and Bulldog off Bevel ; Exmouth and Blenheim on a cruise; Hogue, Colossus, and Am phion off Sweaborg ; Cossack and Esk cruising off Hango; Ajax, Firefly, Pylades, and Harrier in Gulf of Bothnia; Geyser, Archer, Basilisk in Gulf of Riga; Belleisle and Cuckoo in Faro; Lightning and Princess Alice with admirals. Vulture, with mails, expected here to-morrow. JUNE 18.—The Vulture arrived this morning with the mails ; but I must first tell you that Merlin also arrived from her trip to Helsingfors with a flag of truce flying, to demand an explanation of the Cossack affair. The answer returned is as follows :—" Your boat, with certainly a white flag flying—which we could not be expected under the circumstances to acknowledge--landed, armed, and the officer and crew, on being called on to surrender, seized their arms, for the purpose of defending themselves. On this our party, whose duty it was to oppose this pro ceeding, fired on them, killing four and wounding several others. They then made prisoners of those who were alive, and have brought them to this place. A flag of truce is no protection to your boats, unless they come to one of the fortresses. In fact., they have been too much in the habit of approaching in shore under this pretext, and they have now re ceived their desserts." This is the Russian report. We have only one man's inse dixit on our side; so I suppoie we must pocket the affront. Neither officers who were in the boat are killed. Both, however, are wounded (so report says, but I don't believe it), but not dangerously. More of this affair may be made THE PRESS. known, and perhaps a diffi3rent version, when we hear from these officers. We have received by Vulture the good news front the East. Driver has just returned from Gulf of Bothnia. The blockading squadron are all well, as are those in Gulf of Riga. Princeu Alice is just off with the mails as far as Nargen, where Lightning takes them from her, and goes on to Dantzic. There has been a great deal of firing all day from the direction of Narva. Perhaps Ad miral Seymour has been astonishing thb natives in that neighbourhood. lortign torrtsponbnut. BRUSSELS, Thursday. THE Journal du Nord has made its appearance at Brussels under the immediate patronage of M. de Creptowitch, and the first number was issued on Wednesday last from the printing-office of J. Greuze. The true version of its birth and parentage may be given in a few words. It had been determined by the Russian Government to put forth a newspaper, that should be circulated throughout Europe, to counteract the sympathy generally evinced by the middle classes for the allied armies and the cause catholic of warfare. To M. de Creptowitch was intrusted the care to superintend the arrangements, and the Independence Beige mainly supplied the necessary material. Editor and staff wended their way to Berlin, which place was selected as being the most proper for the purpose. But a few days only before its promised advent the Prussian Government, under the dictation of the King, peremptorily refused the permission to publish, for the reason that in a country professedly neutral the establishment of a foreign journal, totally unconnected with Prussia, and for the sole purpose of serving a belligerent, would be fairly construed by the allies, the party attacked, as an infringement of honourable neu trality. Fear of consequences, and no other motive, extorted the decision of the King of Prussia. There must be no mistake upon this point. Accepting the policy as just, it would be folly to be misled into attributing a higher motive of action than the case warrants, and more especially as the Hohenzollern timidity is the immediate gauge of the intrinsic value belonging to this bold and fearless attempt of Russian propagandism. The Belgians generally, the Belgian Government, and the Belgian press, honestly take the proper view of the matter. Listen to the Emancipation:— Although the want of another Russian journal was not fblt in Belgium, yet the fi rst impression of Le Nord appeared yesterday morning from the printing office of J. Greuze. The prospectus is astutely temperate, but signi ficant. It is therein proclaimed that the particular object of the journal is to make known the opinions of Russia, which have never been justly appreciated by Western Europe • that it will plead the Russian cause ; that its subscribers are Russian ; yet will it be conducted with moderation and impartiality ; that it will be shown clearly that Russia was justified in going to war, and that the French and English press err materially in not frankly acknowledging this truth ; that Russia during the nine• teenth century has made immense progress in civilisation ; that on more than one occasion she has overtaken, if not outstepped, those who have preceded her in the path of social progress ; that the natural and progressive develop. went of Russia is not dangerous to Europe, tic. (This is an almost literal analysis of the confession of political faith put forth by Le Nord). To give a specimen of its moderation and intpeniality the Nord complains of the injurious expressions applied to Russia by the English press relative to the Ilango affair, which is there charactensed as a heinous crime against the international tights of man. The Nord is convinced beforehand that the Russians conducted themselves with punctilious honour, and have no reason to fear a searching investigation. In recrimination of the allies appears the following sentence, which both in its conception and lan- guage is far more Russian than French : Les missions ineendiares que ler vaisseaux Britanniques out rualheurensement LA MISSION d'aceompllr sur les rhsges de la Finlande, PMUVENT pour le moans espllquer us fait, qut POURBLIT n'etre, spies tout que la consequence dune me prise.—Nord. We shall have occasion again to notice this unhappy publication, and we cannot avoid expressing our regret that pelgian writers should have consented to lend their assistance to such a cause. Belgian citizens ought not to make a base traffic of their political rights. In making themselves thus responsible for the deceitful manoeuvres of a foreign policy they forget the duties of honour which neutrality imposes upon Belgium, and they compromise their country by doing the work of, and pandering to, foreign ambition. We do not shrink from declaring pub licly and boldly that the price of harlotry will be paid by the foreigner, and not by our countrymen. The anairs of Belgium are hardly noticed in Le Nord, which is exclu- sively devoted to Russian propagandism. —Emancipation, June 22. - - Thus manfully and generously speaks out one of the leading Belgian journals. There is no subter• 613 fuge, or attempt at subterfuge, in the Russian manifesto. It is candidly avowed, and with scrupu lous particularity, that Belgium or Belgian affaiis have nothing to do with Le Nord; that its contents are excursively Russian ; and that the expenses of publication are furnished from St. Petersburg ; that its nature and intent is to advance and to protect Russian ideas, Russian principles, and Russian policy; to justify the acts that led to the present war; to maintain dominantly against all contradic tion the canons of despotism, albeit of titular pro gress, and to battle against the liberties of congre gated peoples. Then follows the unabashed assurance that the development of such principles, and the acts generated by such principles, are not dangerous to Europe. Why then are we at war? This newspaper is one of the curses entailed by Lord Aberdeen. The French Government has remonstrated without effect. The Belgians, even those who do not dis guise their sympathies for the Russian cause—and every one has a right to his opinion—protest against this journalist aggression. The Ministers have notified their displeasure ; but M. de Creptowitch affirms, and affirms rightly, that he simply corrobo rates the identical opinions of the Morning Chronicle, and the principles ostentatiously exhibited in Parlia ment by Earl Grey, Sir James Graham, Mr. Glad stone, and Mr. Sidney Herbert. He produces a manifesto published in extols() in the Nord, and circulated in the manufacturing districts, highly re proving the injustice of the present war, and insist ing for immediate peace at all cost ; and then M. Creptowitch demands a strict reading of the clause in the Belgian Constitution declaratory of the abso lute liberty of the press. Be it so. Any evil may be borne rather than that the Palladium of liberty should be violated. Under the protection of this sacred law M. de Creptowitch can beard the King of the Belgians, flout his Ministry, laugh at the Belgian people, and insult France and England. E. R. PS.—The law of Belgium does not permit a foreigner to publish, or to be a party in publishing, any matter that may have a tendency to excite the people against foreign Governmants. As M. de Creptowitch appeals to the letter of the law, an even justice has been measured out to bim. M. Jolt, a Parisian, and one of the principals of Le Nord, has been compelled to depart, and a Russian and a Prussian engaged in the service of the journal have been summarily sent out of the country. The Bel- gian Government has acted with firmness and impartiality. FRANKFORT, Juno 21. EACH succeeding week estranges Germany more and more from the allies, and the temporary reverse in the Crimea has caused the congratulations of the Prussians to outpass the ordinary bounds of conven tional decorum. The Vienna Military Gazette awl the Prussian Gazette no longer affect an ambiguity of expression in their defence of the Russian cause, and this in despite of their knowledge of the insidious practices of the St. Petersburg policy in suborning the princes of the Confederation. Their common sense points out to them that the war is at its com mencement, that the interests now involved are of such magnitude, are so thoroughly European, that the sword cannot return to the sheath until the Con tinent be arranged on a basis distinct from the pre sent insecure foundation of empire. It has been observed in Germany amongst the middle classes—and these, although furiously anti- Gallic, are equally averse to Russia—that Lord John Russell has publicly denounced nationalities "en masse," and condemned any attempt to embody them with a view of governmental fortnation. Not popular before, this flippant censure of people who are provincially, it might be almost st.id parochially, national, has miserably damaged the spectral repu tation that the noble lord hod left behind him on the banks of tl a Danube and the Rhine. His politica sayings, like his political life, appear to be redolent of blunders. Nationalities never were more rife than at this moment, and a studied disregard of popular right and popular custom will be fatal to the states man who may hold them at defiance. The Report of the committee on the mis• management of the war, and the motion of Mr. Roe buck thereon, has conic somewhat unexpectedly on the German politicians. A result of grave importance is expected, notwithstanding the endeavour of the Prince Consort to avert the catastrophe. It ass generally imagined that the Report would be simply declaratory without reverting to primary causes, but the calm yet stern censure of the Aberdeen Ministry and of the present, with an insignificant exception, cannot be misunderstood, and will t o doubt be re sponded to cordially by the people of England. Even here the effect was most stirring, as the Germans cannot realise the unimpassioned posture of an offended 1