The Press. — London, England, 1855-12-15 00:00:00

' DECEMBER 15, 1855. I risk these few lines, although not at all certain that this will reach you. Towards ten o'clock this morning the monotony of our blockade was interrupted by a movement on the part of the Russians, followed by a cannonade. This is what omurred At the foot of the Takmaz-Tabia is a deserted village. Twelve Russian battalions, two reg; meuts of cavalry, and two artillery batteries, marched upon this village with the view of destroying it, in order to carry away the wood, which the temperature we have here causes to be in great request. The expedition was commanded by Mouravieff in person. The moment the march commenced we took our precau tions to be ready for anything that might occur. As soon as the work of destruction commenced, and we became acquainted with the intention of the enemy, we rushed upon him from the height of the position of the Takmaz-Tabia The firing lasted about an hour. The enemy not being able to hold the village, was obliged to retreat precipitately, leaving fifty dead and wounded be hind him. In retreating he fired the village, which was gradually burnt. You have now all that has occurred that is new. It is said Selim Bey is approaching; also that Omer Pacha will act with effect, bat we have no official particulars. That which we know but too well is that all our horses are posi tively dead of hunger, and that our men are beginning to succumb to the same fate. 1 hope that this will soon be over. Our miseries once past we shall quickly forget them. The advance of Selim Pacha from Erzeroum was very problematical. The Times Constantinople correspondent gives no flattering account of him :- 11)The English officers at Erzeroum have done their very utmost to get Selim Plebe to make a move in advance ; but Selim, who appears to be one of these fainéant gene rals too common in Turkey, demurs and stirs not. He promised to march on the 14th, but put it off until the Itith, and will then probably have postponed it until some later day. It was thought that he might at least venture a dash at the small Russian column at Dellibaba, a very short distance to the east of Erzeroum, and without any extraordinary effort of valour give a good account of it. The Russians there are but 3,000 to 4,000 strong, with six small guns ; whereas Selim could march against them with 5,000 infantry, 1,500 regular and 500 irregular cavalry, 24 guns, and 1,500 to 2,000 Bashißszouks. Where such a disparity of force existed all that was wanting was the will to tight. This is very likely not wanting among the troops, who have lately received new clothes, new arms, and four months' pay. But Muchir Selim is a slow com mander, and little can be hoped from him—Times Con stantinople cor., Nov. 29. Of the certain fate of Bars there appeared very little doubt at Constantinople; previous letters had stated that the garrison could hold out without relief orov to n certain period, and that period had arrived before Selim Pacha intended to move. Tnr RING or SARDINIA, it is stated, has been invited to Vienna by the Emperor of Austria. The motive of this invitation is said to be to extract from the King some concession in favour of the Church privileges lately surpressed in Sardinia. THE Russurt GOVERNMENT, at a late council of war, determined upon fortifying St. Petersburg and Moscow. General Dehn and General Todtleben have been respectively appointed to plan and super intend the works. The fortifications of Paris nave been taken as a model. RUSSIAN POLICY at this moment is thought to be favorable to France. It is related that a St. Peters burg journal ebout to publish a political article upon the speech of the French Emperor, was prohibited from so doing "by command." The Emperor Alex ander's allusion "to a powerful and valiant enemy" in his late address to his army, is understood to refer specially to the French. THE GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE, 115 High-Admiral of the Russian fleets, has, by an order of the day, per mitted the survivors of the crews of the Black Sea fleet to wear upon their helmets the following inscrip tion : " For Sebastopol, from Sept. U., 1854, to Aug. 27, 1855." COLONEL BLONFIELD, Military Commissioner at Bucharest in the room of Colonel Turr, the Hun garian lately arrested by Count Coronini, arrived at his post on the 2-ith November, and died the day after from the extreme fatigues of his journey. All the civil and military authorities, foreign oonsuls, and Austrian officers of high rank, attended the funeral. GENERAL. PAAR, the Austrian Commandant at Jassy, being lately appealed to by the Moldavian Government to put an end to t he smuggling trade carried on between Moldavia and Bessarabia, replied " that the Austrian army was in the principalities to resist any armed irruption of the Russians, and not to act as police." THE NEUTRAL STATE OF HAMBURG, in the first week of this month, allowed five cargoes of sulphur and four of saltpetre to be openly landed and sent off across the frontier. via Prussia, to Russia. The otiloials are said to have allowed the commodities to pass through on their being packed in sugar-casks, as I.4rge supplies of Brazil a,ali il•avannaii sugars are daily landed for transit to Russia. Colonel Hodges, the English Consul-General, has, we believe, pro tested strongly against this infraction of neutrality. THE PRESS. tartign 6otresponttntt. FRINKFORT, Dec. 12. " LEs nouvelles d'Allemagne ont generalement an jonrd'hui une teinte pacifique, mais elles ne sont reellement que le reflet des bruits et des pretendues revelations dont la source est a Paris." The Russian organ is anxious it should be understood that the Muscovite faction will not accept the fall of Sebas topol and the destruction or immolation of the Russian fleet to be valid reasons for concessions fur ther than those proposed at Vienna. As the Englishjournals are read everywhere, Ger many is sensible that the feeling in England, held in common by military men and civilians, is one that can not be improperly controlled, and that it would not per mit any Minister to treat for and to conclude a peace at variance with the objects of the war. On the other hand, Conservative England would not counsel such terms as would bring into immediate action the men of the revolution. Russia, however, by her own obstinacy may precipitate a state of affairs wherein she will be the greatest sufferer, and it will entail upon her the entire and sole responsibility. " L'hon neur resterait debont an milieu des flsastres." No wish hostile to that sentiment shall be expressed. Far be it from us to decry national and honest pride. An insincere treaty that should do violence to Russian honour, and sow the germs of another war, quickly ripened, and only awaiting the opportunity for out burst, would be far more obiectionable, far more ruinous, than a continuation of the present conflict ; for it would be neither more nor less than a general irruption of the Republican hordes, followed b) a deluge of blood such as no page of history has yet recorded. Doubtlessly the Russians, well acquainted with the spirit of the English journals, are highly and reason ably incensed at the accusation of barbarism and want of civilisation. Human nature, unhappily, does not require a stimulant for passion, and, so far, these harsh expressions may be unwise and inconvenient of memory when returning to more friendly rela tions ; but no benefit can accrue to Russia from obser vations like the following :—" Les rapines et la froide cruaute du leopard Britaneique sont déjà l'objet des conversations, et des resits du foyer." After the Hango massacre has been proved in fact by the account of Lieut. Geneste, this comes with a bearing not a little ungracious. To say the least it is useless, and assuredly not destined to soften the irri tation and asperity that the unwarrantable inhumanity of the Russian officers, with or without orders, has excited. " Restons polis," exclaims the Russian journal; "Amen," shall he the wiling response. The Nouvelle Gazette de Prusse is loud in joyful proclamation of the triumph of the "cote droite." "Le Gouvernement est assure d'une forte majorite." Count Eulenbourg has been elected President of the Chamber, in opposition to M. Schwerin, by a majority of 187 against 138; and after careful examination it does not appear that the Extreme Left consists of more than 116 members. In this minority, however, is included the chief talent in the kingdom ; and it must also be remembered that many of the leading members have refused to take their seats for the places for which they have been elected. They have a thorough confidence in the spirit of the country, and are unwilling to join issue with tbeir political opponents at the present crisis. There are also other and most potent reasons that have determined the friends of the Prince Royal to abstain from taking an active part. This is the true explanation of what otherwise might appear a culpable apathy. It is worthy of remark, as demonstrative of a general con sciousness of the strength possessed by the " Gotha" party, that a vote of thanks was unanimously passed by the Chamber to M. Schwerin, the late Liberal President. Much offence was given by the King of Prussia when, in answer to the members of a depu tation from a town having returned a " Gotha" can. didate, he reproached them for electing "an enemy to himself." Language of this description is moat improper from a sovereign in speaking to constituents ion their exercise of the franchise, more particularly I as, in order to obtain a majority of " his friends," the Ministers employed bribery, intimidation, and every undue influence to an unlimited extent. Frederick William is treating the Prussian Constitution in the same manner as did Louis Philippe that of France. History and experience afford no advantage to the sovereigns of the Bourbon, Hohenzollern, Hapsburg, and Romanoff dynasties ; and this sturdy resistance to enlightened government contrasts unfavorably for them with the brilliant course pursued by the Emperor Napoleon, the Queen of England, and Victor Emanuel. A report is prevalent . 6 dans les cenloirs de la Chambre" that this assured majority will be used to effect many changes, whereby the Constitu tion is to be made " a truth." What is truth ? The Diet also is expected to propose modifications of certain articles "gni reesenteut trop de repoque F .. . 1185 tation." Some of these having vference to ecelesias tical discipline will bring into collision the Protestant and Catholic parties. Whether in the present ex cited state of Germany it is judicious to make large alterations in these attenuated frameworks of Liberal institutions will remain to be seen. The same gross craving is manifested by tho " partt de la Croix," to excite and to direct public acrimony against the Emperor Napoleon and France--" le seul pays dont l'Allemagne redoute par experience l'ardeur conquerant." Has Prussia for gotten the partition of Poland ? How came she possessed of her porta on the Baltic—of Silesia, Gratz, Breslau, Neufchatel, Westphalia, the Rhenish provinces, and of the German and Austro-Imperial city of Charlemagne, the capital of the holy Roman empire? To calm the exultation of political spirits on the possible eve of dangers. regniriog the greatest judgment and forbearance to avert, M. de Gerlach, the friend of the King, and the reverse of such character towards the Prince Royal, appeals to the German people by anathematising tl!e French, and with the published postulate of " Les Fran cois en Allemagne—oui ou non ?"lhat ques tion is disposed of by the speech of the Em peror of the French, wherein be calls upon Europe "to pronounce " upon the actual conflict, a demand which has been the cause of misunder standing and dissatisfaction in Germany. The Gazette d'Elberfeld replies to the Imperial challenge by affirming that the war in the Crimea is no longer the one primarily waged for an avowed and definite object. "La premiere guerre a ete provoquie par ]'egression impolitique de la Russie." This unre served admission on the part of a country that has hitherto resisted the acknowledgment of that simple verity, is tantamount to a plea of guilty by collusion, and goes to confirm the justice of the Imperial ex pressions at Paris. Then the Gazette continues — "The second war, differing from the first, as an honest fight does from an act of murder, is derived from la jalousie d'Angleterre qui redoute lea progres de la Russie en Orient.' " But this so-called jealousy on the part or England proceeds imme diately from " Pagression impolitique " of Russia, trans Crimean, trans Danubian, and trans-Cau casian. In reprobation of that conduct France fully and truly participated ; and it is further de scribed and confessed by the Gazette d'Etherfeld to be a " combat loyal, engage la visiere haute," wherein l'Allemagne a reconnu que le droit etait du cote des puissances qui in,crivaient sur lours drapeaux la defense de l'equilibre Europeen." And in what point does the war differ now ? Have the allies, one or other of them, shown a desire of conquest ? The object of Russia in brea kin g through the boundaries of Turkey and Persia is identical, and eminently destructive of that Euro peen equilibrium set forth by the Gazette d'Elberfe to be a righteous cause of warfare. Let fair aid honourable guarantees be given against a future dis turbance of that equilibrium, and the war is at an end. This is the question, and will remain a question, until solved by reason or the sword. J. E. L. &INA, Dec. 8. ITALY has been occupied with but one topic, the reception of the King of Sardinia by the Sovereigns of France and England. It is impossible to over estimate the value which has been set upon the open recognition and approval of the first liberal and constitutional Ring that has been firmly seated on an Italian throne. The great struggle, of which this is the happy consummation, was the work of his father, Carlo Alberto, to whom history will award the just' yet ever tardy weed of deserved praise. Revo lutions have taken place, Parliaments have assem bled, and the mockeries without the realities of free institutions have occasionally dazzled the eye of an ignorant multitude; but this is the first occasion when a rational state of freedom, guaranteed by the sovereign, has been perfectly established in a part of the Italian peninsula. Personified by that Sove reign, such liberal system of government has been cordially acknowledged and congratulated by power ful monarchs amidst the acclamations of their subjects. It is an era in Italian history. Scme doubt had been entertained upon the conduct of the Papal Nuncio at Paris, and the Roman priesthood, towards an excommunicated prince. Such hesita tion was soon dispelled. The Papal Nuncio, it appears, who was about to be seized with a con venient colic, was ordered to be well and to remain at his post. He did more—he complimented the excommunicated King upon his arrival at Paris, and upon his recovery from long and painful disease. What had been the nature of that disease? It is difficult to realise the effect which that single circum stance has had in Italy. The vain boastings of the Vatican, and the open gratification at the promised insult to Victor Emanuel in France, have given place to evident dismay. On the King's land• _ 1