The Press.
London, England, 1855-06-02 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

He recollected scenes not at Blackheath, but
at Putney-heath. " Canning versus Castle-
reagh," " Russell versus Newcastle," get
jumbled in his mind. Was he intriguing
against his colleague ? Was he acting as he
ought? He gets into a " fluctuating " mood,
to use his own subsequent phrase, and he
Nens a tremulous complement to the Duke of
EWCASTLE, on the 18th of November :

It was my intention, in writing the letter, to avoid
throwing any blame upon him ; indeed, I think he de•
serves very great credit for the exertions he has made;
but he has not had the authority requisite for so great a
sphere, and has not been able to do all that might have
been done with larger powers of control.
Lord ABERDEEN saw that ho had to deal
with a waverer, and he wrote a vigorous
letter, with ever so slight a tone of well-bred
contempt for his correspondent.. Writing on
the 21st of the month, he intimates that he
will stand by the Duke of NEWCASTLE, and that
he will not give him up. He says, with some-
thing like that " pluck " which extorts respect
even from an adversary :

The dislocation of the Government would be so great,
and the reason assigned for it apparently so inadequate,
that it could only be considered as a mode of substituting
one man for another. Although you may be far from en-
tertaining any such desire, the transaction could receive
no other interpretation. In justice to the duke, Ido not
think that his colleagues, without very strong grounds,
would wish to place him in such a position.
The irony is eleverly maintained throughout
this letter—" although you may be far from
" entertaining any such design,"—the Mrs.
Candour tone of the Premier is very good of
its kind. Then other folk have as good a right
to form an opinion of PALMERSTON as Lord
JOHN RUSSELL, and here is Lord ABEREEEN'S :
Now, with respect to Palmerston ; Ido not know whe-
ther he is aware of the burden you are disposed to lay
upon him; but, if not, I should greatly doubt his inclina
tion to undertake it. Palmerston, within a few months,
is as old as lam ; and, without disparaging his inherent
vigour of mind, he possesses no immunity from the
effects of age.

That was a long time due. Lord ABERDEEN
owed a heavy debt for " antiquated imbecility,"
and paid it back with compound interest.
And with still more calm contempt he puts
aside references to old times of Lord GODOL-
PHIN. Ho snubs the provincial lecturer, and
tells him to study the glories won by au out-
and-out Tory Ministry. The ex lecturer
seemed fairly posed. Taunted with having
acquiesced in the appointment of the Duke of
NEWCASTLE, he tries to defend himself by con-
fessing that he wavered. Here are his.words,
written a week after the last charge from Lord
ABERDEEN :
You say next, that it was your strong impression, from
various conversations, that at the time of the separation
of the War Department, I greatly preferred the nomina-
tion of the Duke of Newcastle to that of Palmerston. You
are mistaken in this respect. But it is true my opinion
fluctuated very much.
What can be more damaging? "It is true,
"my opinion fluctuated very much." True ;
and Lord JOHN has " fluctuated" in public
life. He was for rotten boroughs and protec
tion in 1819, when he made his " Aladdin"
speech ; for a Coercion Bill for Ireland in
1833, and for a Lichfield house Compact in
1834. Then he was for Popery, and Appro
priation, and afterwards for Durham Letters.
Yes ! there could not be a more felicitous
word upon himself than " fluctuating" from
Lord Jourr's own pen.
The stormy correspondence raged to the 3rd
of December. Lord JOHN RUSSELL closed it
with the announcement that he would propose
to the Cabinet " that for the present, at least,
" the office of Minister of War should be held
" by a member of the House of Commons."
He wound up with a frigid " truly yours," not
prefaced by " My dear Lord ABERDEEN," and
since then he has again " fluctuated," and
consented to one not a member of the House
of Commons, being put in place of the Duke of
NEWCASTLE!

THERE is a great competition among the leaders
of the bar for the appointments vacated by Mr.
Phinn, the second secretary to the Admiralty, viz.:—
Counsel to the Admiralty, Judge Advocate of the
Fleet, Recorder of Devonport, Counsel to Post-office
on Western Circuit and to the Royal Porests in
Hampshire. The first appointment is worth foool.
per annum.

SATURDAY,

EARTHQUAKE IN NEW ZEALAND.

LETTERS from Wellington, New Zealand, to February
12th, give ample details of the earthquake on the
evening of the 23rd of January, which seems to have
visited the whole country, although to a less serious
extent than at Wellington. At that settlement much
damage was done. The first shock occurred at nine
p.m. on the 23rd, without any previous warning, and
more or less injured every stone or brick building in
the town, hardly leaving a single chimney standing
in the whole place. The branch of the Union Bail
of Australia, the gaol, and the Government-house,
being the most substantial buildings, suffered the
most, while the lighter constructions of wood were
generally uninjured. Although the alarm and de-
struction of property were great, only one life was
lost. The shocks continued at intervals for several
days, but none were so severe as the first. In the
valley of the Hutt, near Wellington, much ' injury
VMS sustained, the bridge being destroyed and the
road rendered impassable. The inhabitants of Wel-
lington were already taking measures to repair the
damage, and they speak in high praise of the conduct
of the military in helping to clear away the rubbish
from the streets. It is presumed that no attempt
will be made in future to build houses otherwise
than of wood, and of one story, as these alone ap-
peared to sustain the shock. This earthquake is
stated to have been quite as severe as that of 1848,
although it has not created so much alarm and dis-
turbance in the general affairs of the colony.

A fresh conspiracy, it is said, has been discovered
at Madrid among the troops of the garrison. Two
rebel chiefs and a priest, connected with the Sara-
gossa insurgents, and apprehended in the provinces,
had been shot.

EXPERIMENTS have been lately made at Munich,
in the presence of the King and the whole of his
staff, on a new gun-carriage, invented by Duke Wil-
liam of Wurtemburg, which were considered per-
fectly satisfactory. Although the carriage is
constructed entirely of forged iron, it weighs two cwt.
less than the common 6-pounder gun carriage, and
therefore requires less manual labour to detach it
from the tumbril, and can be placed in position with
greater celerity. But the chief feature of the inven-
tion is, that the gun is placed beneath the axle, by
which means the chances of upsetting the gun from
the inequalities of the field are greatly reduced, as
the centre of gravity is placed much lower than in
the gun carriages at present used in the artillery.
The last experiments are to be made in the presence
of Prince Luitpold, the head of the Bavarian artillery,
on his return from Italy in a few days, and the in-
vention will then be introduced generally.
AN Acx intended to limit the hours of work of per:
sons employed and resident in the establishments of
dressmakers and milliners in the metropolis has been
printed. The prohibited hours, exclusive of Sunday,
are, from March 1 to August 1 in every year, between
half-past nine in the evening and eight in the morn-
ing; and from August 1 to March 1, from between
eight in the evening and eight in the morning. It is
proposed to allow an hour and a half for meals daily.
Penalties are to be enforced before apolice magistrate
without power of appeal.
AMONG the amusements in camp the 2nd Regiment of
Zouaves have established a theatre. The performances,
by the men of the regiment, take place twice a week, and
are excellently arranged. The prices of admission are
voluntary, and the funds devoted to the benefit of the
French prisoners in Sebastopol and elsewhere.
ABERDEEN'S TBITSTLE.—We are told by the historian of
the late drawing-room that " the Earl of Aberdeen wore,
among other orders, the Thistle,' which his lordship
retains by especial command of her Majesty " Perhaps
no statesman more richly deserved the thistle, seeing
how many thistles his policy has thrust in the pillows of
others. N hat a nosegay may history, Ophelia-like. cull
for the noble earl from the grave grounds of the Crimea!
Rue and pansy for thoughts—and such thoughts ! Of a
verity the Earl of Aberdeen has earned a thistle of some
sort, though hardly the one called Carduus benedichts
Punch.

THE works for the enlargement and embellishment fo
the Palace of the Elysie are now almost completely ter-
minated. There are very few princely residences that
have so often changed owners and destination as the
Elysee. It was built in 1718 by the architect Moira, for
the Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne, and sold some years
afterwards to Mme. de Pompadour, who, having enlarod
and embellished it, resided there until her death. Louis XV.
purchased it of the Marquis de Marigny, the brother of the
favorite, to convert it into a residence for extraordinary am-
bassadors, but it wan soon after used as the garde metible
of the crown, while the building on the Place Louis XV.
was being erected. In 1773 it became the property of the
celebrated financier Beaujon, who fitted it up in the most
sumptuous manner. It was sold in 1786 to Louis XVI.,
woo intended it for the residence of any foreign princes
anti princesses who might visit Paris, as well as for
extraordinary ambassadors. At the commencement of
the revolution it became national property, but was in
sold until the 25th Ventose An VI. Napoleon Bonaparte,
and several members of his family, inhabited it. The
Emperor Alexander resided there in 1815, and the Dnke
de Berry occupied it at the commencement of the restora-
tion. Under the late Republican Government it was
appropriated as the residence of the President of the
Republic.

JUNE

d

JUNE 2, 1855. THE PRESS. 513
TII E AV AR. the Emperor, and remained at his post as a divisional
Mar-
officer. Early this morning Outer l'acha, General do la
more, General Canrobert, and many French, Turkish, and
The Sardinian contingent, has, after a long nego- Sardinian officers of distinction, visited the English head:
Successive telegraphic despatches have been pub- tiation, been placed under the command of General quarters, and took lunch with Lord Raglan. During the
Canrobert. It was at first thought that Lord Raglan
whole time they were present the bend of the 10th Hussare
lished by the British and French Governments an- would have it, but it bas been decided otherwise, played under Lord Raglan's windows. This was the first
flouncing the renewal and complete success of the Eight thousand Piedmontese troops have already time any band has played at head quarters. This is literal)ythe only fact that has occurred to day to vary the dull
•
Kertch expedition. The landing was effected without arrived before Sebastopol, and about 7,000 more are monotony of our lives. General Rumour, who is decidedly
casualty by i combined force under Sir G. Brown. daily
expected. Lord Raglan's force is now calcu- the most active general whom we have got out here, speaks in
fated at 35,000 effective. The Turkish force number favour of the English and French taking the field instanter.
The Russians fled after destroying their magazines 10,000 encamped near Balaklava, and 25,000 Turks The only ground for this sanguine expectation is, that
and several ships. Both Kertch and Yenikale remain and Egyptians, who commenced to arrive on the officers have been ordered to supply themselves with bit
'in the hands of the allies, who also hold complete 19th, in exchange for the 10,000 who re-embarked horses. Now, ignoring all rumours, the chance of our
taking the field is almost as remote as ever. For instance,
some days before for Eupatoria. The French army
possession of the Sea of Azoff, across which the number 115000 men. Thus the whole force of . Colonel 16:111urdo requires 19,000 horses for the land
,
Russians hitherto have received their principal sup- the allies before Sebastopol amounts to about transport, which number, if the cavalry is increased to the
extent we are led to expect it will be, becomes 24,000.
plies of provisions and warlike stores. The success 200,000 men. Three thousand waggons are also required, and about
The Russians were reported to be working vigo- 10,013 men. Now, of this small supply colonel M•Mui do
of the enterprise is complete, and of the highest
value for future operations. So easyland important rously on the north side, erecting an earthwork has already got about 600 waggons, a little over 4,000
over the Tschernaya, opposite the eastern angle of horses, and eight hundred men, in all about one-seventh
indeed has been the expedition that the question is the plateau, under the very eyes of the French of what we absolutely require. It is quite true that a
everywhere asked, why it was not undertaken months battery. thousand fresh horses are expected next week, but when
it is recollected that the general orders to supply offieers
ego ? The following despatch has been published in the will deprive them of about 2,000 animals, the land trans-
The despatches relating the chief incidents of this Gazette : port, on the whole, will not have been a gainer. We have,
01, May 15.
affair are as follows. Full details must of course be Before Sebastopol, or we may have in the course of another month, sufficient
waited for until the arrival of the written correspon- Since my despatch of the 12th inst. nothing has occurred land transport to enable a couple of divisions to take the
dence, public and private. worthy of being reported to your lordship, field with a French force, but, from all we can see at pre-
From Lord Raglan : The fire has been very slack, and that of the enemy has sent, there is as little chance of the English army moving
been directed towards the French works rather than against as Sebastopol. When a move does take place, the major
We are masters of the Sea of Azoff without a casualty. the English trenches. part of the force must be French ; English cavalry would,
The troops landed at Kertch on her Majesty's birthday, The remainder of the 12th Lancers has arrived, and will of course, accompany. Whether it be decided to force the
and the enemy fled, blowing up their fortifications on both be disembarked to-day. Tschernaya and the heights of Mackenzie's Farm, or sail
sides of the straits, and destroying their steamers ; some All our means are devoted to the landing of the Sardi- round and land at the Katscha, a strong besieging force in
vessels and fifty guns have fallen into the hands of the nian troops, which the bad weather had preveuted on the either case must remain to cover the movement by press-
allies. arrival of the first ships. log a fierce attack on Sebastopol. Of one thing we may
Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown reached Yenikale I have found it necessary, in some instances, to land rest assured, that when we do move we shall have to tight
at 1 p.m. on the 25th instant. I artillery horses at Kazatch Bay, to avoid further crowding battles compared to which those of our previous experience
The day before he destroyed a foundry near Keitch, the harbour of I3alaklava. are slight.
where shot, shell, and Mini'', balls were manufactured. RAGLAN. MAY 16.—The trenches were undisturbed by a single
In the advance Sir George Brown placed the French on The Moniteur says the French Government has wound last night. Barely any guns even were fired—
the right, the English on the left, and the Turks in reserve. received two despatches from General Pelissier. In though our working parties were busy the whole time.
Sir George reports on the 2Sth the troops continued This change in the disposition of the enemy is, doubtless,
healthy; that five vessels laden with corn had run into the first he says :
to be attributed to the many and severe checks they have
Kertch, ignorant of the place having been taken, and were The enemy had formed between the central bastion lately met with The weather, also, ham something to do
captured ; and that the number of guns taken by the allies and the sea a large place d'armes, where they intended with it. The rain has, at last, ceased—the days are fine,
exceeds a hundred. assembling considerable forces, in order to make important and the nights, though dark, are clear and warm. A sortie
From Sir E. Lyons :
sorties against us. On the night of the 22nd we attacked would be detected before it had left the Russian works five
these works, which were defended by almost all the gar- minutes.
On the 22nd (26th?) of May, on the appearance of the neon. The combat was very severe, and lasted almost the Our advanced trenches are entirely marked out, and,
allied squadron before Berdiansk, the Russians burnt four whole night. We have taken and occupied the half of the beyond strengthening in two or three places, completed.
War steamers and considerable stores of corn. works, and I hope to be able to announce to you to- Most of these works are armed with the 10 and 13 inch
On the 23rd (27t11?) the forts of Arabat were bombarded morrow that the remainder were taken the night before. mortars, which have been moved for that purpose from the
and the powder magazines blown up. In the other despatch, dated ten o'clock at night right and lett attacks. As yet even rumour does not
One hundred and six merchant vessels have been de-
of the 24th ult., General Pelissier states : mention the day on which it is possible we may open fire.
strayed, and only one small Russian steamer remains in the Cholera is showing itself with severity; ten or twelve
Sea of Azoff. We have happily completed last night the capture of the fatal cases now occur each day. At present the pest is
works attacked the previous coffered day, and we occupy them.
almost entirely confined to the la gimenta which have lately
The hfoniteur publishes corresponding accounts, e enemy, whoin theattack suere enormous
as received from Admiral Brunt. That officer Th first
arrived here. Not more than one or two attacks have ap-
losses, yielded more easily. Ours, though Revere, have
reports:— been less than theirs. The anniversary of the birthday of 1 g ,eared amen the troops who have become acelimatieed.
Sea of Azoff, May 25. her Majesty Queen Victoria was cordially celebrated to day The naval brigade is to be brcken up, we hear, in conse-
uence of Sir Charles Wood having accidentally discovered
q
The expedition has perfectly succeeded. with our allies. that it coat the country Si, per man per (ley, or, since it was
The batteries on the coast at Kertch and Yenikale are Prince Gortschakoff, writing on the 23rd to St. formed, about 700,04,01. With the departure of the naval
in our power. Petersburg, says : brigade, when it is disbanded, we lose the services of the
The Russians burned three of their steamers, and some
thirty transports and trading vessels. As many were Last night we were attacked, in a thick fog, by seven- most efficient gunners that ever worked a battery. The
captured. teen battalions of the allies. The battle lasted all night. blue-jackets have done their duty in such a complete
In the evening we entered the Sea of Azoff Our loss is 2,500 men. They fell mostly by the bayonet. manner as to raise up for themselves many and powerful
detractors, but on the whole they may safely leave their
The Russians burned their magazines at Kertch, which The British army in the Crimea on the 17th of cause to the judgment of all impartial military men out
contained 160,000 sacks of oats, 360,01/ sacks of corn, and May, including sergeants, drummers, and rank and here. Rather over one-fuurth of the naval brigade have
100,000 seeks of flour. file, was 43,450 strong. Cavalry and infantry under been either killed or wounded since the commencement of
Straits of Kertch, May 29. anus (not including drummers), 23,217; sick of all the siege.
Commander Lesaiges, of the raicifer, and his colleague, ranks, 11,211. MAY 17.—Early this morning a sortie was made upon
Captain Lyons, of the Miranda, announced that, on the our advanced. works in front of our left attack. The enemy
Miss Nightingale, who had proceeded to the
26th of May, the allied flotilla sent into the Sea of Azoff advanced in a most vigorous and spirited manner, and,
having appeared before Berdiansk, the enemy set fire to Crimea, has been attacked with fever, but was pro-
although not iu very great numbers, pushed on so rapidly,
four of their steamers, and to large storehouses. flounced convalescent in a despatch of the 26th from thit after crossing a lialffinished trench of ours, in advance,
On the following day the Bay of Arabat was visited, but Sebastopol. they managed to get Into one of our batteries. So entitle*
no vessel was seen. The allied flotilla exchanged a brisk Captain Heath has issued a memorandum regu- and complete was the movement, that our men were for the
cannonade with the forts, and one of its shells blew up a lating the prices of provisions at Balaklava. Ale time obliged to retire, after spiking the guns. We, how-
powder magazine. In three days 106 merchantmen have costing 12s. per dozen in store at Constantinople ever, advanced again, and the Russians retired before us,
been destroyed by the cruisers of the allies. The Russians may be sold at Balaklava for 13s. 6d., and a turkey without much fighting. The loss on either side was not
have only one small steamer of 30-horse power left in the costing ss. at the port of shipment may be sold at great, and we now occupy the same ground as before. To-
Sea of Azoff. Balaklava for Os.; and so on, in proportion. day was also very warm and sultry, and our firing con-
The Journal des Debate says that the Kertch expe- The Russians in Asia, apprehending an invasion, Willed much as usual. In the evening Lord Raglan, Lord
dition was conceived by General Canrobert, though have thrown up works near their stronghold of and Lady Paget, General Airey, cttc., visited Balaklava.
MAT lti.—Nothing of moment occurred to day at the
executed by the allied troops. Gumri, and along the passes leading to Tiflis. Their front. The weather continues dry and sultry. The
Contemporaneously with this expedition some bold army in the south of Georgia does riot muster more arrivals of the Sardinian contingent continue. 'Upwards
and successful operations were eflected in the than 25,000 bayonets. The allies, it is stated, have of ten thousand have landed ; they are to all appearance a
TsChernitya valley, of which it appears complete now a splendid chance of taking that important splendid body of men, and have every appearance of having
possession has been obtained by the allies, leading province. 20,000 French or English troops, in come from a military State. They bring their own amba-
probably to a total investment of Sebastopol. conjunction with the Turks, who are 40,000 strong, lances, forage carts, commissariat officers, and all other
General Pelissier reports on the evening of could march undisturbed from east to west, north to military equipments; they fetch their own rations, which
the 25th
are supplied to them by us, and altogether they have a
south.
To-day the occupation of the lines of the Tschernaya has The latest news of the Baltic fleet is conveyed in a martial and soldierlike bearing which promises very fair to
be of use. Their cavalry are neat light men mounted on
been effected. The enemy was not in great force, but,
having contested the ground, retreated rapidly to the hills. gaol and strong horses; their infantry are con posed of
telegraphic despatch from Dantzic, dated on Thurs.
day. The fleet was then at anchor sixteen miles
We are definitively established in the higher works. An
below Cronstadt. There was no news of importance. strong- and serviceable•szkui,irlyg;mbeunt,, and
vselioawil,anthaemmouonatt
of discipline highly satisfactory; armistice has been agreed to with a view to the burial of
Ihe dead. The health of the fleet was satisfactory. On the picturesque in dress and manner are their riflemen—they
The enemy has lost between five and six thousand men, 20th the Duke of Wellington returned from Faro are dressed in green, with
.a kind of Swiss hat similar in
hung-hat, ornamented with a large
killed and wounded. There was no demonstration at Sound, having landed forty-eight sick of smallpox, shape to an English
Tschernaya on the 26th. The fortifications at Kamiesch including their commander, rreedy. After her ar-
jaunty style. Their arms are , mit
are making progress. rival fresh cases continued to break out. bunch of green feathers.
.3'ac It is plamced.u.porinfletshewliiteha.mtl ixn)
The latest accounts from Sebastopol received in
Paris state that the Russians appear to be retiring SIEGE CHRONICLE. shots. They march at a fearful pace, amounting almost to
al
Amferst.
range, and with sword bayonets ; they are said to be clever
all upon landing march
from the plain. The letters received from the camp during the aawtroayt,,
"amnddosl
dthiff"erent pieces. They ars
The result of several councils of war held lately week extend to the 19th of May. The following cheered
is to invest the town completely, which however extracts are from the Herald correspondence :
cannot be accomplished without difficulty, as the sure
00
takethe Ca npmi lea-
p
Tschernaya heights are tremendously fortified. MAY 15.—Last night was quiet in the trenches. There and its sufferings ; this is responded to by both officers and
was the usual amount of skirmishing going forward, which men most cordially.
The French troops are said to be full of enthu- was hotter on the French lines than on oars. On the to say that since last mail the
siasm. General Canrobert had declined the offers of whole, however, it was a quiet night. cholera
lbges.—blee
been making progress; several deaths have os .