The Sun. — London, England, 1854-05-11 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE. Levee, Mr. E. T. Smith. THIS EVENLNG, MAT 11, Mill be performed DER FREPCHU CZ. Characters by Madame Caradori, add Slc Ile. Sedlazek ; Herr Reichardt, Herr Formes, and Herr Holzel. Followed by a B ILLET DIVERTISSEMENT. Prices—Stalls, 7e; Dress Circle, 55.; Boxes, 33 ; Pit, 2s. ; Gallery, Is. ; and Private Boxes, One, Two, Three and Four Guineas. The Box-office °nen daily from Ten till Six, where places may be secured. Private Boxes and Stalls to be had of Messrs. Leader and ock, 63, New Bend-street. THE ITRE ROYAL HAY MARKET. Under the management of Mr. Rnekstone. THIS EVENING, MAX 11, Will be performed the new comic drama, called RANELAGM Characters by Messrs. Van lenholt W. Farren, Buckstone, Tilbury, and Rogers; Miss Reynolds, Mrs. Fltzwilliam, &c. Atter wnieh, the entirely new ant original extravaganza, entitled MR. BIICKSTONE'S VOYAGE ROUND THE GLOBE (IN LEI CESTEIt•SQUARE), written by J. R. Planch6, Esq. Princ:pal characters by Mr. Buckstene, Mr. W. Farren, Mr. Clark, Mr. J. Marshall, Mr. H. Marshall ; Mrs. Fltzwilliam, Mrs. Cattlfleld, Miss E. Grey, Miss Lydia Thompson, Miss Laura Morris, and Miss Featherstone. To be followed by HUSBAND AT SIGHT. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREE T. Under the maaagem of Mr. CHARLES KEAN. TIIIA EVENING, MAY Will be performed THE MARRIED UNMARRIED. Characters by Messrs. W. Lacy, Ryder, arid Cathcart; and Misses Heath and Murray. Followed by FAINT A.ND MARGUERITE. Characters by Messrs. C. Kean arid Day.d Fisher : Mrs. Winstanley and Miss C. Leclercq. After which, AWAY WITH MELANCHOLY. Characters by Messrs. Meadows, D. Fisher, and Salter; and Misses Murray and Daly. THEATRE ROYAL ADELPHI. Proprietor, Mr. B. Webster.—Directress, Madame Celeste. THIS EVENING, MAT 11,, Will be perfcrmed TWO LOVES AND A LIFE. Supported by Messrs. C. Selby, Leigh Murray, Benjamin Webster, Keeley, and 0. Smith ; Miss Woolgar ana Madame Celeste. Followed by THE AOUSTACIIE MOVEMENT. Principal cha racters by Messrs. 0. Smith. Keeley, and Parselle; Mrs. Keeley, end Miss Mary Keeley. Aft3r which, TIM OVEEL kND JOURNEY TO coNn AN ri. NOPLE, AS UNDER TAKEN BY LORD 8.4.1'E WAN, ' WITH INTERESTING PARTICULARS OF THE FAIR SOPHIA.. ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. A. Wigan. THIS EVENING, MAY 11, Will be performed FIGHTING BY PROXY. Characters by Robson and Wigan ; and Miss E. Turner: After which, THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE. Cha racters by Messrs. F. Robson, J. H. Willie, Leslie, and V.ncent ; Mrs. Chatterley, Miss P. Horton, and Miss Marston. To be followe.l by TO OBLIGE BENSON. Supported by Messrs. Emery, Robson, and Leslie; Mrs. Stirling and Miss Wyndham. STRAND THEATRE. Sole Lessee Mr. F. W. Allcroft.—Directress, Miss Rebecca THIS EVENING, MAT 11, Will be performed NELL GWYNNE. The ZULU KAFIRS, as they appeared at St. George's Gallery. After which, SUMMER FLOWERS, in which the French Ballet Troupe appear. THE THREE TURKISH RAZOR GRINDERS. 55.; Boxes, 35.; Pit, Is. 6d; Gallery, 6d.; Private Boxes, £ 1 113. 6d., to be had of Mr. Allcroft, 15. New Bond-street. ASTLEY'S EUROPE'S NATIONAL Lessee and Manager, Mr. William Cooke. THIS EVENING. MAY 11, WM be presented the new grand Nautical and Equestrian spec tacle, embodying n ivel and extraordinary elects (written by Mr. Nelson Lev), entitled A 'TALK OF THE SPANISH WAR; or. The Horse of the Wreck. Th., horses expressly trained by Mr. W. Cooke. Followed by an entire change of the Scenes of the CIRCLE, intro ducing Miss Emily Cooke. Mdlle. Blanche, the celebrated Continental Artiste, on the TIGHT ROPE. To conclude with a Grand Ballet, entitled THE STAR OF THE RHINE. Box-office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager. Mr. W. West. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. T4t4 Day —Morning 42 min.:Liter 12 I Evening 5 min.aft. 1 ro•Moattow--Morning 24 rat/Leiter 1 I Evening 43 min.aft. 1 - THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFIC3I, MAT 11. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 61—highest since noon yesterday. 48 —lowest this morning and during the night. 60 —this day at noon. BAROMETER, 30—falling. WIND, variable from S.W. to W.—Light breeze, with cloudy weather, and glimpses of sunshine. raw' it rg, y LONDON, THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1854. It may have been a blunder, so far as official etiquette is concerned, the honourable member for Louth putting those inquiries to the First Lord of the Admiralty in regard to the supply of steam gun-boats in the Baltic, for the aid of the Anglo-French fleet in shoal-water navigation. It may, we say, have been an error of judgment, so far as official etiquette was concerned, but at any rate it has been advantageous, for inasmuch as it has ventilated the subject within the walls of Parliament. It has effected more good results even than this, seeing that it has fixed the atten tion of the public generally upon a matter of the gravest importance, and one which cannot now un der any circumstances be cushioned by the Admin istration. A letter, reprinted in our columns else where, has been addressed to a morning contempo rary, in consequence of the incident already referred to as having taken place in the House of Commons on Tuesday evening—a letter from one whose opi nion on the subject of these steam gun-boats is en titled to no ordinary amount of consideration—a letter through which Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL virtually endorses everything implied by the queries perti nently put to the First Lord of the Admiralty by Mr. TRISTRAM KENNEDY. The communication is altogether one deserving the attention of every intelligent member of the community. It is of importance, if only as a statement made by the builder of those two remarkable steam gun-boats mentioned by him significantly as now in possession of " certain foreign Govern ments." Speaking directly in regard to these re markable vessels, the writer observes that they were "entirely designed, constructed, and equipped" by his firm—then known as the house of ROBINSON and RUSSELL. The "certain" Foreign Power alluded to previously by Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL meant, of course, no other, in this instance, than that very power against which in the waters and along the coasts of the Baltic Admirals NAPIER and DESCHENES will have to bring forward the whole of the might of their noble maritime armaments. The names of these two notable steam gun-boats have been neither mentioned in the letter of Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL, nor in the in quiries of Mr. TRISTRAM KENNEDY ; but we be lieve we are correct in stating that they were no other than the Nix and the Salamander. The re presentative (now the head) of the firm by which they were built, says of them : " They have now been about three years in service, and have com pletely answered all the purposes for which they were designed; and it is not impossible, though I hope improbable, that they may yet be among the vessels Sir CHARLES NAPIER. may have to encoun ter in the Baltic." Now, according to learn in regard that we can possibly estl Engli s h-b u ilt s t eam gun boats, now the Baltic, they the service of Russia in are, everything considered, precisely of the very character the assistance of the combined fleets so soon as those fleets shall have come up to such a formid able stronghold as that of Cronstadt, and, eager to push forward towards the capital, shall find them selves obstructed by all the of difficulties - a v ery shallow navigation. Now, in illustration of the exceeding import ance of having our fleets properly supplied with steam gun-boats like those already mentioned, vessels having a very light draught of water, we would here recall, we cannot but think some what aptly, a rather curious incident to the popular remembrance. Unless we are mar vellously mistaken, it so happened that not many years ago, one of our diplomatists, then on his way to the Russian capital in his cha racter as her Britannic MAJESTY'S Ambassador, found, after traversing nearly the whole length of the Gulf of Finland, that it was impossible for him to advance further than Cronstadt, although it was peculiarly desirable, of course, that he should have arrived at St. Petersburg on board of a British man-of-war. And this actually came to pass, although an Engli •sh steam-ship—called, if we re in emberrightl the Lightning—accompanied the frigate which ea • riled his Excellency as far as Cronstadt with all d • esti - able pomp and cere mony. But now mark this l— as it so chanced that this steam -vessel drew about ten feet of water, it was discovered impossible for her to amend the Neva, that ri • ver being only adapted for vessels having a draught under eight feet ! Now, this incident may be accepted as perfectly authentic. And it is surely sufficiently significant ! It is surely quite testimony enough of the folly of providing the allied fleets with gun boats drawing 11 and even 13 feet of water—a draught altogether unfitting for the navigation of the shallow waters lying between Cronstadt and St. Petersburg. The fact here mentioned—a fact notorious and wholly indisputable indicates quite plainly and obviously that, no matter what may happen to Cronstadt, the Russian metropolis beyond it is inaccessible to the combined fleets so long as they remain unpro vided with steam gun-boats suited to the shal llow current of the Neva and to all the peculiarities of the shoal-water navigation. Precisely for these reasons do we regard it as especially desirable that gun-vessels like those before specified should be placed at the command of Sir CHARLES NAPlER—vessels drawing net 13 feet, or 11 feet, or even 8 feet, but merely 5 feet of water when fully armed and equipped Vessels running in their " best trim," under steam, 13 statute miles, and under their " worst trim" 13 statute miles, per hour ! Vessels carrying 4 long 32-pounders and 4 long 68-pounders—and capable, besides that, in consequence of the masterly ingenuity of their construction, of firing two of the 8-inch guns parallel to the keel at either end, each end being " forward" (the ves sels being provided with two rudders, and having no "aft" whatever), and of bringingalithe 8-inch guns over to either side for a broadside ! Vessels like these would surely be inestimable iii those shallow waters—particularly remember ing that the Russians are already provided with their prototypes in the Nix and the Sala mander. Conscious almost painfully of this, we cannot but rejoice that this gun-boat question has been brought before the notice of the House of Commons by Mr. KENNEDY„ and through the press under the particular observation of the public by Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL, how ever inconvenient the inquiries of the former and the explanations of the latter may be to a certain section of her MAJESTY'S Government. There is one portion of Mr. GLADSTONE'S financial career to which, as a matter of justice and fair play, we are desirous of giving the credit to which it is entitled. We shall not, in treating of this matter, be accused of unduly favouring the Right Honourable Gentleman, or of admitting, on trivial or insufficient grounds, the completeness of his vindication on one of the points on which he has been most severely attacked. We have been sufficiently explicit on the points where we conceived that censure was merited, to be enabled to bestow approbation where it was really merited, without the fear of misconception or aspersion. If we have fearlessly exposed the errors and de lusions of which he has been guilty, we may also give him the credit to which he is fairly entitled for his resistance to a system injurious to the best interests of the community, and calculated to foster and strengthen the exclusive privileges and monopolies that have been so loudly, incessantly, and truly complained of for many successive years. We have ever been the strenuous advocates of " Free trade in banking." We have felt that a "monopoly in money" is just as prejudicial to the people as a monopoly in corn, in tea, or in any other commodity. We feel the inconsistency of " Free Trade " and a fettered currency, and urged the adoption of the former not the less energetically because we conceived that it must necessarily lead, and that very speedily, to the removal of the monetary trammels by which the trade and commerce as well as the industry of the nation is hampered and paralysed. Unfortunately, however, we did not speak from the Treasury Benches, or as an organ of Downing-street. Truth was not palatable unless proceeding from official quarters, and the people continued apathetic and indifferent to what was really of the most vital importance because it was not urged ex cathedra. Now, however, that a Financial Minister exposes the abuses, and the Leviathan of the Press follows up the attack with steady determination, we may hope that the public attention, which is alone essential to insure an adequate remedial measure, will be strongly directed to the interesting topic. Mr. GLADSTONE unsparingly denounced the system of Exchequer " thimblerlgging," which has been so long carried on with impunity. He showed that, while such urgent complaints were put forward on the part of the friends and advo cates of the Bank—while the voice of lamentation was to be heard in Threadneedle-street, and the Old Lady refused to be comforted, because she was assailed in her tenderest point—her pocket— by having to supply, at 3 per cent., funds for which she could find ample occupation at 5 per cent., there was no real foundation for these plain tive "Jeremiads"—that the Bank system was to obtain interest for merely nominal loans, when there was no actual advance, or where it was made out of the funds of the customer—a system analogous to that said to have been very popular with Irish land agents of the old school. Thus he showed that while Sir CHARLES WOOD was supposed to have borrowed, and actually paid interest on, 2, 26'7, 000/., that " the minimum excess of the public balances in the Bank, in that quarter, over and above the advance ou deficiency bills, was 1,696,000 1" while the Right Honourable Gentleman himself, although not quite so liberal as Sir CHARLES, paid interest on 2,490,0001., while the excess of balance in the Bank was never less than 1,160,0001. This, then, so far as his dealings with the Bank were con cerned, was "the head and front of his offending" —that he refused to give his assent to the con tinuance of a system by which the public were compelled to pay for pecuniary accommodation which was not afforded for the use of money which was never actually required. In opposing and denouncing this indefensible system, Mr. GLAD STONE has deserved support ; and we do not sup pose that his proceedings will be less energetic or determined because he has used such expressions of overstrained courtesy in his address. Although feeling the highest respect for the Governor and Deputy-Governor of that establishment, his own duty was to defend the interests of the public. Like a British pugilist, he tenders his hand before standing up to the scratch ; but will he exhibit the less determination on that account ? We think not ! and his second, the Times, is determined that there shall be no mistake on the subject—that it shall be clearly understood that its Right Hon. Friend means mischief, and intends to cripple the power which his adversary has repeatedly used to his serious detriment. The Times considers—and we fully concur in the opinion—that "the very compliments of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Chairman and Deputy-Chairman of the Bank are suggestive and significant !"—clearly indicating that there is something very ominous looming in the future towards these parties. It inquires whether "perfect harmony" between the Government and the Bank, which is so very desirable, is " most likely to be secured by employing an agency which has an interest pointedly and obviously opposed to the interests of the Government?"—and whether " this harmony would not be more likely to be obtained by absorbing these functions' into the Government itself, by making Government, in fact, its own banker ; and instead of the not th c a r t ezt a i nn u g o : ti r r und public" u r t rendering y e„ very int e lli g ibl e p l an o f secur i ng har he Whether t Y he parties absolutely diversity of interests, e e s y a g certain r by disagree thei r suffers. When they quarrel, the com 311unity, like Picx.wicit between Porr and SMIRK, uffer the blows from both sides. When they agree, it is still worse. Why, then, not have that 'which offers the only true solution of the difficulty? ' , Why not have a really National Bank to manage t. he pecuniary concerns of the nation ? Why should I A -(3 delegate to a private corporation what the limes truly describes as "one of the most lucra-i i;i ye and indispensable prerogatives of the Crown." N o; we must no longer "pamper" the overgrown )st ablishnient—we must only permit the nation to i ssue paper that shall be received as " a legal t4_ , nc ler." We have too many burdens to allow . profits to be derived from the circulation of two ity or thirty millions of paper money to be diet Irted from their legitimate channel. The nation THE SUN, LONDON. THURSDAY EVENING. MAY . II, 1884. can give the best security for the redemption of its promises. It is obvious that the guarantees re quired from a private establishment may be dis pensed with, and that all the objections to small notes under the denomination of 5/. would be re moved when issued by " the National Bank." We would thus provide the great desideratum— a safe and equable circulation—not liable to the panic or the undue contraction or dilation that may occur at the most inopportune periods, and by a plentiful supply of 11. national notes the gold in daily use would be liberated to meet any emergencies that might arise, to bear the expenses of the war without any extraordinary difficulty, and to develope to their fullest extent the won derful elasticity of the national resources. MONEY MARKET LATEST FOREIGN NEWS. AND COM MERCIA L INTELLIGENCE. THE WAR. CITY, TWO o'CLOCK THE COMBINED FLEETS AT SEI3ASTOPOL. The sales of cotton at Liverpool yesterday were estimated at 7,000 bales, including 1,000 American taken for export and on speculation. The market closed without alteration in prices. The sales com prised 5,500 American, 300 Pernam and Maran ham at 60. to 6d., 50 Bahia at 64.1, 200 Egyp tian at 6d. to 91, 800 Surat at 3d. to 4d., and 50 Sea Island at ls. Id. to 2s. per lb. Railway shares were firm. The Austrian Correspondence of yesterday, pub lishes the following, under date of Constantinople, May 5 : " It is affirmed that the Admirals of the com bined fleets have resolved to defer the attack upon Sebastopol, nfit deeming it advisable whilst the Russian fleet remains for protection there. Some frigates approached and threw shells into the harbour, to provoke the Russian ships to come out, but in vain." The proprietors of the National Provincial Bank of England have just had their twenty-first annual meeting, and have received a very favourable re port from the directors. The following are ex tracts : "During this year of extensive and prosperous trade, the returns from the company's branches, as might have been expected, exhibit a steady and healthy progress, and in some districts connected with the great staple products, a large increase of valuable business has take❑ place. This accession of business, and the rise in the value of money above noticed, enable the directors to lay before the proprietors a favourable statement.—{The balance sheet gives the net profits of 1853 at 65,2421.] " This prosperous condition of the Bank's affairs jus tifies in the opinion of the directors a larger division of profits amongst the proprietors. Accordingly it is the intention of the Directors to declare a dividend at the rate of 8 per cent, per annum as well as a bonus of 4 per cent out of the profits of last year. The bonus to be paid along with the dividend ; at the usual period in July next." "It will be in the recollection of the proprietors that, on the occasion of their last annual meeting, it was in timated that a strong desire had been expressed among the officers of the company, for the formation of a Pro vident Society for their mutual beaefit, embracing also, if possible, the principle of a guarantee fund. The pre cise nature of the scheme it was then left for the direc tors to consider and determine. At the outset of their deliberations,. the Cirectors found that the guarantee scheme was objected to by a large number of the officers, and it was therefore abandoned. " The other' objects aimed at are—first, a provision for the widoWs and children of officers at their death ; and secondly, a superannuation allowance for the offi cers themselves. " To effect the first and most pressing of these objects, the directors recommend to the proprietors that the offi cers and clerks should be assisted in effecting insurances upon their lives to the following extent, by the bank pay ing for them one-half of the yearly premium, viz.: -Ist, managers of branches and agencies to insure for not less than 5001. and not more than 1,0001. ; 2d, junior officers and clerks to take out policies for sums not under 2501., and not exceeding 5001. "With respect to the question as to a superannuation allowance, the directors intend to postpone the conside ration of it, in the hope that at a future period they will be able to deal with it in a more satisfactory manner than they could do at the present moment." ALTERATION IN DISCOUNTS.—The Bank of Eng land Directors, at their parlour meeting, have just come to the determination to advance the minimum rate of discount to 5i per cent. This has taken many by surprise, as it was expected the measure would be deferred, gold being less in demand. The new Austrian loan has probably had some in fluence. The settlement of the Consol Account has been in progress this morning, and has occasioned con siderable fluctuation, being of some magnitude. The Bears, at the commencement of business, were buying back, and ran up the price to 88/ for money, a " backwardation " of per cent. existing, as the quotation for June was never higher than 98/ ft. The price since, upon large sales made by influential brokers, has dropped to 868 for account, and the character of the account is entirely changed, a " contango" of per cent. having arisen in place of the " backwar dation," as the June price isno w above that for money. Exchequer Bills are ls. discount to 2s. premium, and no official price is given for Exchequer Bonds. The New Three-and-a-Quarter per Cents. have been at 888 and 87i, and the Three per Cents. at 878, and since at 861. Indian Stock has been at 235 to 237, and South Sea Stock at 115. Foreign securities had been buoyant at the commencement of the market, but are worse now. Mexican were 241 a, and now are 24f. Peruvian 4. per Cents. have been at 591. Grenada Deferred Bonds are 6,i. Brazilian Old Stock is worth 96. Russian 5 per Cents. have been at 93/, and Dutch 21 per Cents. at 58. Spanish 3 per Cents. bring 37, and the New Deferred 17k. The last week's railway receipts ascertained up to this day are in round figures as under : 1854. 1853. Great Western North-Western South-Western Brighton . 11,946 11,280 Midland South-Eastern . 15,425 13,575 Caledonian, and.Bdin. and Glasgow 15,665 14,169 Great Northern 17,553 16,766 Lancashire and Yorkshire 18,511 18,456 York and North Midland Newcastle and Berwick } 23,060 27,223 Leeds Northern The railway share market has been s to I per cent. better, and has now lost that improvement, and is rather lower than at the close of business Yesterday. The transactions are exceedingly limited. French shares have been rising, be in, los. better generally, but at present they suffer a relapse. The Joint Stock Bank Shares have been dull, and also the Mines. Crystal Palace are better. The state of the dried fruit market is thus de scribed by Messrs. Witherby and Hanson : " Although the increase in the clearances of currants indicates an improved demand, we have to report that a very favourable change has occurred in the market since Easter. The demand for 1853 fruit, noticed in our last, has continued, and an advance of Bs. to 108. upon prices then offered has been in many instances ob tained. Last week there was more inquiry for good and fine 1851 fruit, and of this description extensive purchases have been- made by London houses both here and at Liverpool at-'Bss. to 905., prices which establish a reaction on such descriptions of ss. to Bs. per cw,. They are, however, still below those of last autumn before the demand so suddenly fell off. In face of the impossibility of any fresh supplies of such fruit coming forward, of the disastrous news of every character from the places of growth, of the termination of the strikes in the North, and of the prospect of an abundant har vest in this country, a further improvement is confidently expected. The trade generally have not made any purchases since August last. Shipments of 1852 low fruit are still going on, and we shall next month have again to report a reduction in our stock. "The unexpected pressure upon the Valentia Raisin Market of several extensive parcels received coastwise has tended much to depress it, and renders our quota tions nominal. The improved state of things, however, in the north, since these parcels were despatched from thence, renders it by no means unlikely that part of the London Stock, which may be termed light for the sea son, will still be required in the manufacturing districts. Within the last few days, sound fruit has been more in. quired for, but no purchases of any consequence have yet been made. Of black raisins, a small parcel of fine quality has been sold at auction at 28s. Chesmes in barrels have been taken for export kt 345. to 38s. In Elernes, Sultanas, and other sorts there is no business to report. The accounts from all the producing coun tries continue of such a character as to afford little ex pectation of even a moderate supply next season, and holders, under apprehension of still more unfavourable accounts from week-to week, generally prefer looking on for the present." -. BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. ( Prom the Official Litt. ) Business done. per Cent. Reduced Annuities B7i 3 63 3 per Cent. Consols Annuities BBi 4 b 81 74 New 31 per Cent. Annuities BBs 8A 7 Gong Annuities, Expire sth Jan., 1880 -16 Ditto. 30 Years, Expire 10th Oct., 1859 43 India Stock India Bonds, 13000 South Sea Stock Consols for Account 6th Juno Exchequer Bills, 2d. #l000 Small 2 p 2500 3 p PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK. nrazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent. 96 Grenada Bonds, Deferred . 1 10XiCall 3 per Cent. Ditto for the Account 244 3 Peruvian Bonds, 44 per Cent. Russian Bonds, 1822, 5 per Cent. £ St 93 Ditto 4A per Cent Bl. Spanish Bonds, 3 per Cent 37 Spanish New Deferred, 3 per Cent. Dividends on the above payable in London. Dutch Exchange, 24 per Cent. 12 Gull 5B Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates HALF-PAST TWO. Consols 874 Ditto June Account 873 t RATE or EXCHANGE.—The favourable alteration in the rate of exchange at Paris is maintained, and the transmission of gold from the Bank of England no longer admits of any profit, the French Mint having extended their time of coinage to 53 days. It is now considered certain that the Bank of France will reduce their rate of discount to 41 per cent. ST. PETERSBURG.—The advises from St. Petersburg are to the 2d of May, at which date the money market, was iu a rather improved condition, the exchange on' London baying advanced to 34d. to 35d. The Neva was full of broken ice, and the weather was warm and fine. According to some statements, the supply of tal low this year would amount to 110,000 casks, which i , about equal to that of last year, and of this about hall was expected to be exported overland. In consequence of these advises, the London tallow market was dull yes terday, and there were no buyers, even at a decline of 18, per cwt. THE BOMBARDMENT OF ODESSA. We published yesterday a detailed account of the bombardment of Odessa, as given by the special correspondent of the Times. The subjoined ver sion of the affair is supplied by the correspondent of the Morning Chronicle : Her Majesty's ship London, off alessa, Saturday, April 22, 1354.—Wind S.S.W. to S. and S.E. 5 a.m. —Admiral made signal for steam squadron to proceed in execution of their orders. Sampson, Tiger, Vauban, and Descartes, stood round the bay towards the Im perial mole-head (that mole alone holding► the Russian vessels), having rocket-boats in tow. These were fol lowed by the Sanspareil and Hightlyer, which anchored in shore out of gun-shot, and to which vessels were at tached launches from the Vengeance and Bellerophon, with stream anchors and cables. 6.Bs.—Sampson commenced firing on Imperial mole-head fort, which was imme diately returned ; and shortly after the other three steamers, composing the first division, opened on it also. At 6.45, signal made for the Furious to proceed, when the second division, consisting of Furious, Retribution, Terrible, and Mogadore, proceeded and took up station outside first division, which was then hotly engaged. At 8, Sampson made signal (Vauban disabled by red-hot shot), and shortly after she returned to the fleet. 8.15. Arethusa stood in shore, and exchanged several shots with the batteries till recalled by signal. 9.22.—Signal made for second division to proceed, which was imme diately complied with, and they commenced their fire. Fury m ide her number. Coining in from southward, on nearing the fleets, she fired a shell at the outside bat teries, but was immediately recalled by signal. 10.30. Fury anchored, and Vauban returned again to the first division. 12.25 p.m.—ObserveJ some of the ships in the mole on fire. 12.45.—Observed fire on the inner side of the mole-head, which rapidly extended towards the extremity, causing a total cessation of the enemy's fire ; and at 12,50 the magazine in that battery exploded, blowing up the entire works there. Observed some storehouses at the inner end of the mole to be on fire. Steam squadron slackened fire, and shortly afterwards had ceased. 2 o'clock.— Admiral made signal, `• Can you destroy any more ?" which was answered by Sampson in the affirmative. 2,40.—50 me guns opened on the Sampson from the inner or north-western side of the bay, which she imme diately returned, and the first shell she threw appeared to have set some buildings in the vicinity of the enemy's guns on fire, as shortly afterwards an immense volume of flame was observed in that direction. All the steam squadron now opened on the Russian shipping in the Imperial mole, and at 4.20 the greater part of them and some storehouses were on fire. 5. —Admiral made a general recall, and the steam squadron returned to the fleet. Arethusa anchored. Midnight.—Russian ships burning rapidly. The Russian shipping continued burn ing for 48 hours, when all were destroyed, together with the forts, but the town was spared. The French had two men killed and three wounded. The English had only one man killed by the recoil of a gun, and three or four wounded. The fire in port lasted 48 hours." LIST OF VESSELS EMPLOYED. English Steamers.--Sainpson, 6; Retribution, 26; Tiger, 16 ; Terrible, 21 ; and Furious, 10. French Steamers.—Mogador, 24; Descartes, 16 ; and Vauban, 16. The Sampson led in at six o'clock. The first division consisted of the Sampson, Mogador, Vauban, and Tiger. The second of the Terrible, Retribution, Furious, and Descartes. The first division began firing at six a.m., on the 22d. The second re li eve d them in two hours' time ; and their fire was so heavy and well directed that the batteries on the Imperial mole-head were soon silenced. The Terrible fired red hot shot from her ten inch guns, and it is thought that it was from her that the shipping was set on fire, and the magazine blown up. She was also much closer in than the others.. The firing was kept up with spirit, until the batteries were silenced, the shipping on fire, which lasted 48 hours, their guns silenced, and magazine blown up. A large Russian frigate lying there was also blown up The firing ceased at 5 p.m., when the signal was made to return to the anchorage. The squadrons were ad miring this brilliant action from 5 miles distance. They were all to leave for Sebastopol on the 26th, and a division under Admiral Lyons was to go to Circassia. The English and French fired red-hot shot, shell, and rockets, and the Russians returned them. The Terrible fired 44 rounds from her guns-542 shot and shells altogether. The Arethu;a blew up a Russian barracks at a short distance from Odessa on the sea-coast. This also took place on the 22d of April. On the 20th the Tiger cap tured, in the vicinity of the island of Serpenti, about 90 leagues from Odessa, 12 Russian vessels (transports). They are on their way to Constantinople, where two of them have already arrived. Two others are anchored under the batteries at the mouth of the Bosphorus. THE RUSSIAN ACCOUNT. ( Front the Invalide Russe.) ST. PETERSBURG, April 12.—The extraordinary sup plement of our number of April 18 (30th) communicated to the public the report of Aide-de-Camp General Baron Osten-Sacken, which gives an account of tha attack di rected against Odessa by the Aiiglo-French squadron. As our enemies founded this aggressio❑ upon an incident which they represent in a very false light, we think it right to mention the exact facts. On the 27th of March (Old style) the steam-frigate Furious approached towards Odessa. Two guns without ball were fired from the land, the frigate arrested her course without casting anchor, hoisted the English flag, and sent out a boat with a flat , of truce, which came to demand whether the English Con sul was still in the town. The boat returned, an answer having been given that the Consul had left. The boat with the flag of truce had got beyond the reach of cannon when the frigate advanced towards the mole. Faithful to his orders not to allow a vessel of the enemy to come within reach of cannon shot, the commander of the battery fired, not upon the boat with the flag of truce, but upon the frigate, which had already received orders to stop. The frigate, however, sailed off as rapidly as possible upon the first shot. On the 2d of April three war steamers—two English and one French—presented themselves before Odessa to Ask why they had fired upon the boat with the flag of truce. An explanation was given, but, as the chief of the squadron wished to have an answer in writing, Aide-de-Carnp Baron Osten-Sacken sent to him the fol lowing, which we give in its exact terms : " ODESSA, April 14, 1854.—Aide-de-Camp General Baron D'Osten Sacken thinks it right to express to Ad miral Dundas his surprise at hearing that shots were fired from the port of Odessa upon the frigate the Furi ous, bearing a flag of truce. "At the arrival of the Furious two guns were fired without ball, in consequence of which the vessel hoisted its national flag, and stopped her course beyond the reach of cannon shot. Immediately a boat was sent out with a white flag in the direction of the mole, and the officer on duty, in answer to the question of the English officer, said that the English consul had already left Odessa. Without further question, the boat took the direction of the ship, when the frigate, without waiting for it, advanced towards the mole, leaving the boat at its left, and approached the batteries within cannon shot. It was then that the commander of the battery of the mole, faithful to his order to prevent any vessel from coming within reach of the guns, thought it his duty to fire, not upon the flag of truce, which had been respected to the end of its mis sion, but upon a vessel of the enemy which had ap proached the land too nearly after having been twice fired upon without ball, the signal to stop. "This simple explanation of facts, as they have been related to the Emperor, ought of itself to destroy the , upposition otherwise inadmissible, that in the ports of Russia there is no respect paid to the flag of truce, the inviolability of which is guaranteed by the laws common to all civilised nations. " Baron OSTEN-SACKEN, "Aide-de-Camp General to his Majesty the Emperor." This reply did not content the allied admirals. On the Bth of April the Anglo-French squadron, composed of 26 ships, anchored before Odessa. In order to com plete the information we have already given, we publish the letter addressed to the Governor of Odessa by Ad nirals Dundas and Hamelin, summoning him to deliver up the English, French, and Russian vessels in the port. This letter is dated from before Odessa, April 21, and states that the batteries of the town having fired several balls upon the frigate and the boat at the moment the atte, left the guns of the mole, where it had arrived in ill confidence, the commanders of the combined squa -Iron required, as a reparation, that all English, French, d Russian ships in the harbour of Odessa should im• nediately join the combined squadron, and, that if this were not done at set of sun, recourse would be had to force to avenge th e honour oftbatsquadron from the i nsultoffered to it, a resolution which would be adopted with regret, and the responsibility of which would rest upon those who bad incurred it. This summons, as will be seen, is based upon a completely false assertion with respect to which Baron Osteu-Sacken had already given a most complete ex planation. Without paying any attention to those ex planations the admirals assert that an English frigate ind its boat, with two flags of truce, was fired upon, ilthougb, as above explained, the boat's flag of truce was respected, and the frigate was not fired upon until refused to confer to the notice not to approach the batteries. Nevertheless the admirals made this the pre text of their insolent summons, to which General Baryon Osten-Sacken did not think it proper to give any answer. [hey even did not blush to mike a parade of their sen timents of humanity, and their regret at being forced to adopt th e reso l u ti on o f bombardinc , the town. In order to place the matter at the full height of derision, and as if they desired to place in its true light the character of the war which the Powers of the West are waging Against us, by allying themselves with the most invete ,ate enemies of Christianity, they chose Holy Saturday ;Saturday of Passion week) to destroy a Christian town. I'he thunder from thousands of cannon, carrying death ,nd destruction, was contrasted with the hymns which resounded in the churChes, where the people, full of fervour and piety, joined in prayers at the touching funeral of Him who died upon the cross for the safety of the human race. In spite of all the hypocrisy of the phrases with which the maritime Powers seek to disguise the part. -they are playing, by ranging themselves on the side of the crescent against the cross, the facts exhibit the con trast which exists between the philanthropic doctrine they profess with so much emphasis and the manner in which they c arry th em i n t o p rac ti ce . Th e allied admirals made a false pretence for an imperious summons, in which they dare to speak of sentiments of humanity, and hasten to test their sincerity by an odious act of barbarity—indeed, of sacrilegious profana tion, when it is considered what pious recollections the church of Christ maintains in regard to Holy Saturday, which they chose to carry ravage and death into a Chris• tian town. It is, however, consolatory to us to know that they had not the satisfaction of disturbing divine service, which, in spite of the bombardment, which lasted during 12 consecutive hours, was proceeded with and finished in the temples with that calm and devotion which faith and resignation give to the disciples of Christ. The inhabitants and such of the troops as did not take part in the combat surrounded the churches and formed part of the procession of the day. As soon as the cannon had ceased to resound, the bells of all the churches pealed in celebration of the solemnity of the Resurrection. A second extraordinary supplement to the St, Peters burg Journal, dated April 30, gives the following, under the head of St. Petersburg, of the previous day :—" A fresh report has been received from Aide-de-Camp Gen, Baron Osten-Sacken, announcing that the combined English and French fleets, which had attacked Odessa on the 10th (22d), had not renewed their attempts upon the town, but that on Easter-day a French steamer had made an inspection of the batteries, during which a shell, which was fired from the latter, struck the steamer and caruied away a boat which it had in tow. Two days afterwards the enemy's feet resumed their first po sition." L_ COURT CIRCULAR. Prince Albert, attended by the Marquis of Abercorn, Viscount Torrington, Colonel the Hon. Charles Grey, Colonel Wylde, and Captain the Hon. Dudley do Ros, left the palace at half-past two o'clock in the afternoon for St. Paul's Cathedral, to attend the Bicentenary Fes. tival of the Sons of the Clergy. His Royal Highness was afterwards present at the annual dinner in aid of the funds of the corporation, given in Merchant Taylor's Hall, Threadneedle street. Her Majesty, accompanied by Prince Arthur, and at tended by the Hon. Caroline Cavendish, drove out in the afternoon. The Princesses Helena and Louisa took a drive in an open carriage and four. The Queen, attended by the Viscountess Jocelyn, the Hon. Caroline Cavendish, the Hon. Flora' Macdonald, Lord Rivera, and Colonel Bouverie, honoured the per formance of the French Plays lazt evening with her presence. - Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Anna Maria Dawson, Baroness de Speth, Sir George Couper, and Lord James Murray, honoured the performance of the Cologne Choral Union, in the Han over-square Rooms, with her presence yesterday after noon. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Anna Maria Dawson and Lord James Murray, honoured the performance of the French Plays with her presence last evening. A deputation from the General Shipowners' Society on the subject of the Marine Shipping Bill had an inter view with the Right Hon. E. Cardwell and Lord Stanley of Alderly yesterday, at the Board of Trade. The depu tation consisted of Mr. Duncan Dunbar, Mr. Anthony Ridley, Mr. William Drew, and Mr. Bonar (secretary). The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mrs. Gladstone had a dinner party yesterday, at the official residence in Downing street. The company consisted of the French Ambassador and *Madame Walewski, the Duchess of Sutherland, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Dalkeith, the Earl and Countess of Clarendon, the Earl and Countess of Shelburne, Lord Robert Grosvenor, the Bishop of New Zealand, the Right Hon. Sidney Her bert, the Right Hon. E. Ellice, the Hon. and Rev. G. Wellesley, Mr. E. Denison, M.P., and Mr. Byng, M.P. In the evening Mrs. Gladstone had a numerous even ing assembly. Miss Greenfield (the Black Swan) accompanied by Sir George Smart, had the honourof singing some of her national songs to her Majesty yesterday, at Buckingham Palace. CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY). OLD COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Cresswell.) henry Fricks, 24, a German, described as a tobacconist, was indicted for uttering a forged 101. Bank of England note, with intent to defraud. Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Bayley prosecuted. The prisoner had no counsel. By the request of the prisoner, this trial took place be fore a jury composed one half of foreigners. It appeared that, on the 19th April, the prisoner went to the Abbey Arms Tavern, St. John's Wood, and had some refreshment, for which he tendered in payment a forged 101. note. The fraudulent character of the instrument was discovered, and a policeman was sent for, who asked the prisoner where he got the note from, and he at first said he had received it at the hotel where he was staying, but he afterwards altered his tale, and asserted that he had received the forged note in payment for cigars from a person who was a stranger. There was no proof of any other uttering of forged notes, as is usual in cases of this description, but in addition to the contradictory statements made by the prisoner, was it proved that while the officer was conveying him to the police station, he jerked himself from him and ran off and attempted to make his escape. The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of guilty. kr. Justice Cresswell said he quite concurred in the verdict, and there was no doubt from what had occurred on the previous day, that the prisoner h3.d not only been guilty of this offence himself, but that he had induced an innocent young woman to leave her friends in the first plane to associate with him as his mistress, and that he had afterwards made use of her for the purpose of carrying on this nefarious traffic. He then sentenced the prisoner to be transported for fifteen years. Eleanor Baker, who was convicted yeste7day of a similar offence was brought up for judgment, and sentenced to be imprisoned for twelve mouths. Turner, who had pleaded guilty to the indict ment of the same kind was also brought up, and he was sentenced to one months' implisoutnent for the first offence, and to be transported for 15 years for the second. Rebece2Turton, 32, was placed at the bar to plead to an indictment, charging her with the wilful murder of her husband, Thomas Turton. Mr. Sleigh, who appeared for the prisoner, suggested that the prisoner was not in a condition of mind to take her trial, or to understand what was going on, and he called Mr. M'Murdo, the surgeon of Newgate, and his assistant, Mr. Wilders, both of whom stated that the pi'lsoner was now, insane, and laboured under various delusions. . . The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the pri soner was not in a fit state of mind to take her trial, and she was ordered to be detained in safe custody during her Majesty's pleasure. NEW COURT. In the New Clout, this morning, Henry Remington Tickell, the hop-merchant, who stood indicted for having forged and uttered a bill of exchange for 2921. 3s. 4d., and also one for 0691. 12s. 6d., pleaded guilty. The sentence was postponed. THE CRYSTAL PALACE.—The opening of the Crystal Palace is at last fixed to take place on the 10th of next month, and her Majesty the Queen has graciously an nounced her intention to honour the occasion with her presence. We understand that her Majesty has been pleased to grant the rank and precedence of the daughter of an earl to Miss Mary Annette Talbot and Miss Gwendaline Elir4beth Talbot, the only sisters of the youthful Earl of Shrewsbury, as if their father, the Ron. Colonel Charles Thomas Talbot, had lived to su ccee d t o th e di gn i ty of the peerage. The Marquis and Marchioness of Breadalbane, we un derstand, will shortly be honoured with the presence of her Majesty and the Prince Consort, at a splendid fete, to be given at Breadalbane House, Park-lane. The precise day, we believe, has not yet been fixed by the Queen. Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton entertained at dinner, yesterday, in his house, Park-lane, the Belgian Minister and Madame Van der Weyer, Count Ktelmansegge, the Countess of Tatikerville, the Dowager Lady Cowley, Lord and Lady - Ernest Bruce, Viscount Mahon, Lord Walpole, Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. Monckton Milnes, Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A., and Mr. Hayward. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.—The performances at this theatre last evening were honoured with the presence of her Majesty the Queen and his Royal Highness Prince Albert, attended by the Countess of Jocelyn, Hon. Miss Cavendish, Hon. Flora M'Donald, Lord Rivers, Colo nel Bouverie, and the Hon. Captain de Ros ; her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent and suite, attended by Sir George Couper, &c. The council of St. Mark's College, Chelsea, has ap pointed Frederick S. W arren , E sq ., o f the Sanctuary, Westminster, as their corresponding secretary. THE BAL COSTUME AT THE FRENCH EMBASSY.— This brilliant assembly, which is definitively fixed to take place to-morrow, will not only be, in every respect, the great fashionable event of the season, but will be rendered peculiarly memorable by a circumstance rarely indeed exampled—namely, the public visit of a British Sovereign to the residence of a foreign Minister, accre dited to this country--a token cheering and auspicious of the truly cordial friendship and unanimity which now happily exists between the two great nations who stand in the vanguard of civilisation. The list of invitations had been originally limited to 400 ; but, in consequence of the anxiety to be present, understood to have been manifested by many individuals ofdistinction, the number has been extended to 500, and will now include nearly all the members of the very highest circles of rank and fashion. It is expected that the foreign ambassadors, almost without exception, now residing in the metro polis will be present. The deaths which have recently occurred in certain noble families (those of Beaufort, Anglesey, Londonderry, and others) will cause the ab sence of some of the leading members of the haute noblesse. The costumes are not confined in the range of age, character, or nationality, but will be wholly at the discretion of the guests. There will be a fancy quadrille, the management of which is entrusted to Frances, Countess of Waldegrave. Several other fancy quad rilles are also in preparation. The Marchioness of Aylesbury and Lady Stanley will each direct a set. The Queen will not be en costume. The general com pany are to be in readiness to receive her Majesty at nine o'clock, and a chair of state has been prepared, in a position which will enable her Majesty to command a full view of the evening's proceedings. PRICE OF GOLD.—Tile quotation of gold at Paris is about 3 per milk discount (accord.ng to the last tariff), which at the English Mint price of 31. 17s. 105 d. per oz. fur st Indard gold, gives an exchange of 25.094 ; and, the exchange at Paris, on London at short being 24.97 A, it follows that gold is about 0.48 per cent, dearer in Paris than in London. By advices from Hamburg the price of gold is 440 per mark, which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 104 d. per oz. for standard gold, gives an exchange of 12.2 ; and the exchange at Hamburg on London at short being 13.21, it follows that gold is 0.18 per cent, dearer in Hitifburg than in London. The course of exchange at New York on London for bills at 60 days' sight is 1091 per cent., and, the par of exchange between England and America being 109 23.40 per cent., it follows that the exchange is nominally 0. 0 8 per cent. agai nst E ngland ; but, atter making allowance for charges of transport and difference of interest, the pre sent rate leaves no profit on the transmission of gold either way between the two countries. mow THE BALTIC. COPENHAGEN, May B.—The fleet, reinforced by the Cumberland, the Prince Regent, and the Aus terlitz, sailed from Elgsnabben on the sth. The Magicienne carries to England four prizes captured in the Gulf of Bothnia. HAMBURG, May 9.—At Riga the river and port are now open, as is also the Neva, but Cronstadt is still inaccessible by reason of the ice, and it has been noticed in former seasons that a period of as much as 14 days sometimes elapses after the break ing up of the ice before the gulf becomes navigable. A letter from Hamburg of Gth inst. contains the following account of the military forces of Russia in her Baltic provinces : "Beginning with the towns of Abo, Sweaborg, Hel singfors, Borga, and 'Viborg, in Finland, I do not underate their number by estimating it at 52,000 men, 30,000 of whom can, in case of need, be speedily con centrated on any point of Finland. Ido not include in that number the new battalions formed at St. Peters burg since the Guard has left that capital, and who, in a few days, can march to the very heart of the Grand Duchy of Finland. On the southern coast of the Baltic, where the commercial cities of Revel, Riga, Mittau, and Narva are situate, the effective fcrce of the Russian army amounts to 45,000 men, of whom 25,000 m a y, in the course of eight or t en days, be assembled at one point. There is, besides, a corps of army of 30,000 men for the defence f Cronstadt, one-third of which may be detached, and marched to any part of the coast menaced by the allies." GREECE. SERIOUS STATE OF AFFAIRS IN GREECE, PROBABLE DECLARATION OF WAR BY TURKEY, FRANCE, AND ENGLAND AGAINST KING OTHO. It is credibly s t a t e d a t Vi enna that the Austrian Minister at Athens has informed the Greek Go vernment that if it was unable to maintain order Austria was prepared to db so. The .Moniteur publishes intelligence from Trieste, stating that two Austrian ships of war have re ceived orders to proceed to. Prevesa, and to come to an understanding with the commanders of th© French and English ships. A declaration of war against King Otho is imminent. General Mamula, commanding in Dalmatia, is charged to concert measures with the Paella of Scutari, and to place the Austrian troops at his disposition, for the re pression of the disturbances in Albania, and the incursions of the Montenegrins. The ,Iloniteur contains the following note, and important diplomatic correspondence relative to the state of affairs in Greece : " Rear-Admiral de Tinan having proceeded to Chalcis, was obliged to make use of severe language in conse quence of the clangers incurred by the Vice• Consul and several British subjects established in that island. On this occasion the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs ad dressed a note to M. Forth-Rouen, in which facts were completely misrepresented. The Minister of the Em peror replied to that note in a proper manner, and availed himself of that opportunity to call the attention ,of the Greek Cabinet to the anarchy into which it had plunged the country. The following is the note of M. Pa.icos, with the reply of M. Rouen " ATHENS, 221 April. " Monsieur le Baron—The Nomarque of Eubca has just announced to the Government that on the 17th the French steam frigate Gomer, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Le Barbier de Tinan, anchored in the port of Chalcis, after having visited Orei, Stilida, Limni, and some other parts of the coast ; that soon after she anchored the consular agent of France at Chalcis, who went on board, invited to his house the Nomarque, the mayor, the commandant of the garrison, and the chief of the gendarmery, in order to make an official com munication to them, and that on th e re f usa l o f these authorities, M. Thiesse went himself to the No marque, and in the presence of the mayor made the fol lowing communication to him :—He told him, on the part of the Rear-Admiral, that he considered the authorities and the inhabitants of Chalcis as responsible for any armed men proceeding to Epirus and into Thessaly ; that in case any of those men should fall into his hands, ho would try them by martial law, and shoot them as highway robbers ; that the authorities and inhabitants must prevent the shipment of any arms or warlike stores, as the maritime forces of France were determined to sink any vessels carrying such objects, as well as their crews ; that in all probability Turkey, France, and England would in a few days declare war against Greece ; that in consequence, if any French or English subject were to be insulted, the admiral would burn the town, and that he now made all this known to the authori ties and inhabitants of Chalcis once for all. This corn rnunication, made iu the name of a rear-admiral of France, appears to me so serious that I feel compelled to request you, Monsieur le Baron, to inform me whether Rear-Admiral le Barbier de Tinan really authorised the consular agent of France at Chalcis to use towards the authorities of that place a language so contrary to the law of nations and to every sentiment of humanity, as well as to the general principles . set forth in the de claration which you did rue the honour to communicate to me on 19th April. I have the pleasing conviction that M. Thiesse has is this case either exceeded or mis understood his instructions ; but allow me, Monsieur le Ministre, to observe to you at the same time that M. Thiesse, in accepting and fulfilling such a mission, has departed from the consular attributions to which he ought strictly to confine himself. As it is not permitted for consuls to act beyond the limits of their functions, I shall feel obliged by your directing the attention of M. Thiesse and the other consular agents of France, in the towns and ports of Greece, to this point, as the Greek authorities have received orders not to recognise under any circumstance any right beyond that of their con sular attributions. Accept, &c., " PAICOS." "ATHENS, 25th April.—Monsieur le Ministre—l am not acquainted with any of the circumstances which form the object of your lettter of the 22d. I will speak to Admiral de Tina , ' on the subject as soon as I see him, and lam about to write to M. Thiesse. I think there has been some exaggeration on the part of the authorities, whose consciences are not very delicate. In the meantime, allow me, Monsieur le Ministre, to observe to you that in carefully concealing from the na tion the profound reprobation which the government of his Imperial Majesty and his allies have never ceased to feel at the acts of aggression of which Turkey, the friend and ally of Greece, has been the object for the last six months ; that by allowing the nations to believe that the sympathies of France continue with it, in the ter rible adventures into which it has entered ; that by pre serving silence as to the collective notes, which have been addressed to it by the representatives of the allied powers, and by even allowing its friends to deny the existence of such notes, the government of his Hellenic Majesty has placed us under the painful neces sity of taking measures, and of using language calculated to withdraw the deceived people from their error. It is a responsibility against which the good faith of the Government of the Emperor made it an imperative duty to energetically protest beforehand ; it is that which it might have incurred, if Greece, the victim of the mis fortunes caused by its Government, had been right in sa yi n g to it, while reminding it of the many proofs of sympathy it had given, and the confidence which it felt in its constant support, You never gave me any warn ing.' I will also remind you, Monsieur le Ministre, of what you have yourself told me relative to the dangers which M. Thiesse might incur. Can it be said that the lives of foreigners are guaranteed by the laws of the country in a town where the malefactors in the prison were all able to escape under the protection of'the armed force ? It is not we, Monsieur le Ministre, who have created a state of th►ngs so much at variance with the habits of all civilised nations, and it is for others, and not us, to submit to the consequences of it. Accept, &c., BARON FORTH BOURN. P.S.—I have communicated your letter to Admiral Baron de Tinan. There is, in fact, a great exaggeration in the report of the authorities of Chalcis. Falsehood and truth are very skilfully mixed up in it. The Com mandant-in-Chief of the naval division of the Levant having heard on his voyage to Chalcis that M. Thiesse, the vice-consul 'of France, had been threatened, and that some subjects of her Britannic Majesty residing in the interior were seriously uneasy, made use of very severe language, but not beyond what any one in his position would have adopted. Are the authorities who allowed prisoners under their surveillance to escape, and who could not make the soldiers under their command remain faithful to their oaths, very worthy of con fidence ? Neither are you, _Monsieur le Ministre, unaware that many of the malefactor s who escaped from the prieons of Chalcis have not crossed the • . _ frontier, and that they continue to reside in the Eubea, where some among them who were seafar ing men have already commenced acts of Piracy, and there is even strong suspicion that it was some of them who massacred the crew of the Eoglish vessel the Henrietta, which was picked up abandoned, and with her decks covered with blood. If it ehould happen that unfortunate volunteers, who have taken up a musket in order not to die of hunger, are confounded with pirates, on whom ought the responsibility to fall ? On those who would have averted the danger, or on those who have imprudently provoked it ? I repeat to you, Monsieur le Ministre, that you will have to bear the consequences of a state of things which has been created by you, and all the dangers of which were pointed out to you before hand ; and I again express to you, in the name of my Government, the regrets of France that you have so constantly shown yourself deaf to its counsels, which have been as sincere as disinterested. Accept &c." A letter from Epirus, in the Moniteur, says : "The peasants of the countries recently abandoned by the Greeks begin to appear in the towns, where they seek shelter under the protection of the Ottoman autho rities. In the country parts, the number of persons who allow themselves to be led away by the Greco- Russian propaganda is very small. When the Greek adventurers succeed in introducing and establishing themselves in the villages, their first care is to commit depredations in the neighbourhood, which soon at tracts the Turks. Once in presence of the Ottoman forces, the insurgents compel all the inhabitants to take up arms ; whoever refuses is beaten, put to the tor ture, pillaged, and sometimes massacred. Frequently the houses of such as refuse are set on fire, and in many cases, under the very eyes of their fathers and their husbands, the daughters and the wives are de livered over to the brutality of the liberators. The pea sants yield to these acts of violence and take up arms, and when once compromised by a first combat, they con tinue to follow the adventurers. It is in this manner that the world has been led to believe that the events in the Epirus were an insurrection of the natives seconde by the Greeks. Greece alone is responsible for a savage aggression, against which the Ottoman Porte, deceived - by assurances on the part of the Greek Government of strict and sincere neutrality, did not think it necessary to put itself on its guard." A letter from Corfu says :—" The Lord High Commissioner has had the Russian arms removed from the cathedral of St. Spiridion. The Govern ment has suspended the journals which appeared in the lonian Isles, and interdicted the Greek journals." A letter from Athens, of the 27th ult., in the Press of Vienna, says :—" A secret society similar to the old Vehme of Germany exists here. The members of it are obliged to swear on their admis sion that they will kill any enemy of the country, whoever he may be, except the King and Queen. Whoever is not for the insurgents is considered a traitor. The King cannot act otherwise than he does, for he would expose his life. That is why a Prussian corvette is anchored at the Piraeus, in the expectation of certain eventualities." Advices from Athens, of the 2d May, announce that General Mamouria has issued a proclamation, calling upon all Greeks to rise in arms against Turkey. Armaments are taki ng pl ace atSyra for Thessalay. Piratical expeditions are being organised. - Another letter from Athens says that the in surrection in Epirus and Thessaly is completely put down. CONSTANTINOPLE. According to advices from Constantinople of the Ist of May, Prince Napoleon had arrived in that city. The Duke of Cambridge, it is reported, has de clined to avail himself of the palace prepared for his use by the Sultan. The Duke is unwilling to place himself in any respect above his commanding officer, Lord Raglan. All the Greeks not compromised in the plot who may be at Constantinople, are authorised to remain. CONSTANTINOPLE, April 30.—The differences which had arisen between the ambassador of France and the Porte have been amicably arranged. This affair had spread the greatest alarm through Con stantinople ; and the Turkish Government was in great fear that the treaty concluded would in con sequence be broken, and that the money which has just arrived from France would not be banded over to the Turkish Exchequer. General Baraguay d'Hilliers demanded an apology, and that Reschid Pacha should come to the French embassy, and make proper excuses for what had occurred. He, however, smt the President of the Council (Nechib Pacha), in his stead, and his son, the future son-in-law of the Sultan. Half the Pachas of Stamboul have been calling at the French em bassy during the last few days. General Bara guay d'Hilliers has returned the visit of RiZn Pacha (the Minister of War). Reschid Pacha was present on that occasion, and all the differences were made up. To-day the - Reis Effendi paid a visit to the French ambassador. Yesterday General Baraguay d'Hilliers was pre sent at the dinner given by Lord Stratford de Redcliffe to Lord Raglan and his staff, who have just arrived, and I am happy to say that all dif ferences have also been made up in that quarter. The Terrible, which was engaged at Odessa, is lying in port, with eleven shots in her. The Vauban, which was more seriously damaged, is expected here to get refitted. There is a re port that the fleets are bombarding Sebastopol. The Caradoc, having got damaged, remained be hind at Malta, and Lord Raglan came on by the Peninsular and Oriental steamer Emu, in which he arrived yesterday, with all his staff, and the following officers, att ac h e d t o th e B r i t i s h expedi tionary 'forces in the East :—Brigardier-General Cator, commander of the artillery ; Brigadier-Ge neral Lord de Ros, deputy quart ermas t er - genera l ; Brigadier-General Estcourt, deputy adjutant-gene ral ; Lieutenant-Colonel Steele, ColdstreamG uar d s , military secretary to Lord Raglan ; Lieutenant- Colonel Paulett Somerset, assistant quartermaster general ; Major Wellesley, assistant quartermaster general ; Dr. Burrel, chief of the medical depart ment of the army ; Mr. Ward, chief purveyor of hospitals ; Dr. Tycer, inspector of hospitals • 60 assistant-surgeons, and many o th er persons attached to the commander-in-chief's staff. Admiral Boxer, with his son, flag-lieutenant, has also arrived. He is to be superintendent of the whole transport de partment. Rustem Pacha, major -general of engi neers, will be accompanying officer to his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. Twefik Pacha, major-general on the staff, has been appointed in a similar capacity to Prince Napoleon. Next week seven Turkish sailing vessels, mostly 84's, and five steamers, leave for the coast of Circassia. They will join the division of the combined squadrons under Sir Edmund Lyons, now bound for th e coast o f Circassia, and will land a force in order to form a junction with Schamyl. The following very important intelligence has been received from the Danube, dated Schumla, April 25 : " The Russians have all retired from before Kalafat, and are evacuating Lesser Wallachia, burning the vil lages, and transporting the popul a ti on w ith th em. " The Turkish cavalry 6 penetrated en reconnaissance to eight hours' distance from Kalafat —to Boleschti. All this indicates an imminent concentration of the Russian forces. " The Russians have occupied for the last few days an island on the Danube, about 5,000 yards below Silis tria. The Turks occupy an island nearly opposite, which is slightly entrenched. The Russian flotilla of the Lower Danube has been seen in the vicinity of these islands. " All this indicates an imminent passage of the Danube in those parts, in order to form a junction with the Rus sian army stationed in the Dobrudscha. below Karassu." Allow me to mention the following curious cir cumstance. Yesterday Omer Paella found, amongst the letters he received from Transylvania, the fol lowing note, in Russian : " Omer Pacha—Sell yourself to Russia, and thus anti cipate all calamities. (Signed) " YOUR CO3IPATRIOT." An attempt to corrupt him ! You might as well have addressed yourself to the Queen of Great Britain. The son of Abbas Pacha, viceroy of Egypt, has sent some most magnificent presents to the daugh ter of the Sultan, Minure Sultana, to whom he has just been betrothed. Two diadems of great beauty and worth are amongst them—one for the Sultana, the other for his bride—and five splendid horses for the Sultan. He distributed 2,000 purses of gold amongst the Sultan's eunuchs. It is now known for certain that the Sultan will not got° Adrianople. The last few days have been full of interest, and however much the benighted Turks may have been astonished at the brigades that arrived up to the 26th, when the Guards came, and were seen marching to camp with their bearskins and martial height, the Turk stood in amazement, and invo luntary expressions of surprise frequently burst from him. I have never seen a Turk more visibly betray his sentiments. On Thursday the 27th the barracks at Scutari were all bustle and confusion. A grand field-day was ordered by Major-General Sir De Lacy Evans. The morning was, however, cloudy and overcast ; hosts of people of all classes were arriving at every moment in all sorts of con veyances, from the fisherman's caique to the stately six-oared caique of a high Paella or a diplomatic functionary; whilst their horses, richly caparisoned, awaited close around the landing-place to carry them to the scene of action, or rather of display. As the time drew nigh for the review to begin, the weather became more overcast ; and as the troops marched out h eavy d rops of ra i n began to fa ll . Still all went on as usual. The regiments marched out, the gay your staff officers paraded in their finery, and away they all went to the point assigned. By the time the ground was reached the rain fell pretty h eav il y. The Grand Serask i er (Minister of War) and G enera l Si r d e L acy E vans s t oo d it un flinchingly side by side, whilst the troops march ed __: Past in sunshin Wa s t o been de bay onet past the contigth were fc through which e a glorio bayonet Evans e ob eon te n , i t I °lig co geniou s dryi ng I Accor 5 a va, fal corps °PtitA It is (: t Ok ,eferisi M AL " s ere. . 4 , 1 trailap,