The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-07-17 00:00:00

THE RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES AND

FLAGS OF TRUCE.

Os the 29th of June, a steamer left Cronstadt with a flag
of truce, and steered for the allied fleet. A boat from the
Duke of Wellington pulled alongside, and in that boat an
officer was sent with a despatch from the Russian Minister of
War to the English Admiral, informing him of the determina-
tion arrived at by the Russian Government regarding com-
munications with the Anglo-French fleet in the Baltic. That
determination was expressed in the follow terms :
" Flags of truce will only be received'Bn three points—
namely, Cronstadt, Sweaborg, and Revel.
"Vessels bearing a flag of truce must hoist a white flag of
large dimensions, and cast anchor beyond long range, and wait
until a boat goes alongside to receive a written message from
them.
" I must inform you, M. rAdmiral, that the Imperial Go-
vernment has resolved not to recognise a flag of truce on any
other point than those alaovementioned, or without the strict
adhesion to the rules herein laid down."
After consulting with the French admiral, Admiral Dundas
sent a reply, in which he said :
" I take the liberty of informing you that I am ignorant of
the circumstances with respect to the conduct of my officers
which may have given rise to restriction of communications
by flags of truce as hitherto practised in the present war. I
am perfectly aware that it is customary to hoist a white flag
of sufficient size, and I also admit the necessity of not ap-
proaching within range of the guns of a fortress without per-
mission, or nearer any other point than may be necessary to
attract attention ; but the time and place where such commu-
nications, under a Hag of truce, may be thought indispensable
depend upon the circumstances of each individual case. I
admit, without reserve, that in most cases it is more suitable
to send a flag of truce to a spot where it is likely to meet with
an officer of rank ; and that, moreover, no advantage should
be taken of such suspension of hostilities to accomplish, with-
out danger, acts which could not have been done during actual
hostilities.

" By informing me that on the whole extent of the Russian
territory from Tornea to Libau flags of truce are limited to
the three points you have mentioned, you virtually increase
the evils of war, and deprive both parties of those means of
correspondence necessary even between enemies.
" I regret that when such a notification was made to me no
fact was mentioned which might have led me to make an
inquiry into the conduct of those accused, and I am quite
ready to institute an inquiry into the conduct of any officer
pointed out to me as having violated a flag of truce.
"As regards communications that may be sent to me, I
refer you to the conditions you yourself have made, either
to approach or display a flag of truce : a flag of truce will be
received by the nearest vessel, and sent, as the case may be,
to the senior officer, and I ask no other security than that
which I may reasonably expect from the good faith and
honour of the officers to whom you may think fit to entrust
such sort of communications."
To this reply, which challenges the Russians to the proof of
any violation of the law of nations on our part, and throws on
them the responsibility of the proposed departure from
established usage, the French admiral has given his cordial
assent.

THE PARIS EXHIBITION of INDUSTRY.

THE correspondent of the Guardian writes :—To make up
for want of punctuality and grandeur of conception, the
Exhibition of 1855 will, I think, ultimately be allowed to
have greatly the advantage of its predecessor in the value and
beauty of its productions. The new portions have proved
fully equal to the expectations entertained respecting them,
and it is impossible to deny that no other country in the
world save France has the power of displaying such a collec-
tion of luxury and elegance as that now exhibited within the
circles of the panorama. Any attempt at description would
be wholly unavailing. I will merely mention that, the furni-
ture displayed in the outer circle by the Faubourg St. Antoine
far exceeds in richness and costliness anything exhibited in
England. It bespeaks, indeed, a luxury almost frightful to
contemplate, and certainly of a kind which no fortunes in
France can be justly adequate to support. Few of your
readers, probably, can have overlooked or forgotten the
beautiful sideboard of Fourdinois, of the Four Quarters of
the Globe, exhibited in London. Beautiful as was the
carving, it was insignificant compared to the treatment
of the same subject by Ribaillier in the present Exhibition.
The personages, large as life, have all the vigour of the finest
productions of the sculptor's chisel, while the finish of every
part of the work is unrivalled. The whole is carved in walnut-
wood of a rich colour. The cost to the maker was upwards of
£1000; the price put upon it will be from £14,000 to £15,000.
The fashion of introducing bronzes d'art into furniture pre-
vails just now; you see bookcases richly sculptured, into the
panellings of which are inserted, in bronze, copies of the Gates
of Ghiberti, or other costly and elaborate subjects. A favourite
piece of furniture is a cabinet of arms, for the display of ancient
and modern weapons, either of war or the chase. An especially
beautiful specimen represents on each side a falconer, and a
fisherman, of really marvellous execution, so free is the action
with which the one throws up the bird and the other handles
the net. The panels of this cabinet a... exquisitely • painted
with emblematical figures on a gold ground. The design and
effect of the whole is elegant and rich in the extreme. But it
would be useless to go on ; the style and costliness of this ex-
travagant collection of furniture is such as does not exist, and
is hardly known out of this country. In the inner circle the
imperial manufactures biddefiance to all competition, as well they
may. Since the day when Jean Gobelin founded the Gobelins in
1450, it has been backed by the whole strength of the Govern-
ment,for four hundred years,regardless of expense. The cartoons
of " Paul and Barnabas at Lystria," and of the " Miraculous
Draught of Fishes," the portraits after Titian, and various
other productions, are wonders in tapestry. Nor are Beaunois
or Aubusson one whit behindhand. A magnificent carpet is
displayed, a present from Louis Napoleon to the Pope. The
wreath around it is entwined with the names of Napoleon's
victories; at" the bottom is written les dix commandments;
and immediately above is, first the triple crown and keys, and
then the imperial crown and cipher; rich garlands form the
centre upon a field of bees. The Sevres vases are of extra-
ordinary beauty of form and material, and the landscapes and
subjects painted on them of equal merit. A baptistery also
attracts great attention ; it is asked whether it be intended
for a future and hoped-for King of Rome. There are enamels
which have nothing to envy in those of Bernard Palissy.
Amongst other objects is a state ,dinner-service, commanded
by the Emperor, and just terminated after three years' labour.
Though only electro-plated, the covering of silver is so solid,
and the chiselling so rich and highly finished, that the cost
of the whole has been £32,000.