The Press.
London, England, 1855-04-07 00:00:00

THE WEEK.

ANOTHER week of suspense and delay has elapsed. The Congress at
Vienna has adjourned until Monday next, the war stagnates in the
Crimea, as far as any real movement is concerned—though the
skirmishes grow continually more frequent and more bloody—the
Sardinian contingent delays its departure, and our Baltic fleet has
sailed—for the Downs. How long it may remain there is not known, but
our correspondent, it will be seen, hints that it may wait the arrival
of the Emperor of the FRENCH, to be inspected by his Majesty in
company with our Queen. Last year the Baltic fleet sailed nearly one
mouth earlier. Sir CHARLES NAPIER, with the first division, fifteen
sail, left Spithead on the 11th of March ; this year the fleet sails on
the 4th April—twenty-four days later. Sir CHARLES NAPIER anchored
in the Downs on 12th March, and on the following day made all sail
for the Baltic. On the 15th he was at Wingo Sound, and on the 20th
at Copenhagen. This year the fleet anchored in the Downs on sth
April, how long to be detained there no one knows. The delay does
not look much like that " vigorous prosecution of the war" which was
to mark the advent of Lord PALMERSTON to power. Moro than ever
attention is now directed to the Vienna Conference. Let us see what
has been done.

The Conference met on the 15th March, and on Friday, the 30th,
held its eighth sitting, when it adjourned to the following Thursday.
In those sittings, the preliminaries of the first point, for putting an
eni to the exclusive Protectorate of Russia in the Black Sea, were
settled and signed ; and the preliminaries of the second point, for the
free navigation of the Danube , were agreed to, and " initialled." The
third point was next taken into consideration, but the Russian Pleni-
potentiaries found it necessary to apply to their Court for further
instructions. Waiting those instructions, the Conference, when it
met on Monday last, adjourned for a week.

The importance now attached to these proceedings is shown by
the hurried visit of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. DROUYN
DE LHUYS, to London last week. He left Paris on Monday for Vienna,
and seems to contemplate a somewhat lengthened absence, as he
addressed a circular to his agents stating that he left M. THOUVENEL
in charge of his department. ALI PACHA. left Constantinople on the
29th March for Vienna, and it is supposed would arrive there on
the 6th or 7th April. When the Conference, therefore, resumes on
Monday text, it will be attended, we presume, by Lord JOHN RUSSELL
and Lord WESTMORELAND, on the part of England ; by M. DROUYN DE
Limit's and M. DE BOUHQUENEY, on the part of France; by Prince
GORTSCHAKOFF and M. DE TITOFF, On the part of Russia, with precise
instructions from their Court on the construction to ho placed on
the third point; by ALI PACHA and RIZA BEY, on the part of the Porte ;
and by Count Bum. and Baron PitoxEscH-OirrEti, on the part of
Austria. The abandonment of any intention on the part of the
Western Powers to insist on the reduction of Sebastopol must tend to
simplify proceedings, and it would seem that once more the determi-
nation of the question of peace or war rests solely with Russia. Her
impenetrable, and we must acknowledge incorruptible diplomacy, has
prevented any distinct intimation of her purpose transpiring. A final
decision, it would seem certain, must be come to next week.

Letters from the Crimea to the 23rd of March have been received,
and we are now in possession of details of that desperate skirmish, on
the night of the 22nd, which has been claimed as a success
both in St. Petersburg and in Paris. The enemy made a sortie in
force from Sebastopol, and penetrated to the second parallel of the
allies before they could be driven back. On our side seven officers
were killed, wounded, or missing, and about one hundred men were
placed hors de combat. The French lost, according to the bulletin in
the Moniteur, six hundred men. The loss of the enemy is conjectural,
but it must have been severe. They succeeded in carrying off most of
their dead. We have to deplore the loss of Colonel Kelly, Lieutenant
Jardan, and Captain C. Browne. _ _

Our allies have not again attempted to gain possession of the work
in front of the Malakoff Tower; and this fact alone shows the strength
of the enemy's positions, and the desperate tenacity with which they
are defended. The works are pushed forward with activity on each
side ; and it seems difficult to say whether the Russians make most
progress in their advances against the camp, or the allies in their
advances against the town. The enterprise is undoubtedly all on the
side of the enemy. Their sorties are more frequent and more vigorous,
while the allies are content to remain on the defensive. The French,
in spite of their numbers, have lately done nothing to vindicate the
fame of their arms, and win new laurels. The desperate contests for
the rifle-pits in front of the Mamelon, on Gordon's-hill, have not been
attended with decisive results, the Russians yet holding part of the
ground with almost incredible obstinacy, notwithstanding the accurate
fire directed against them. Private letters say that the French troops
are really excessively discouraged, and that they manifest none of that
ardour for the assault which has been attributed to them. The
Russians continue to receive immense reinforcements, and one train
of waggons, 450 in number, was observed to enter Sebastopol from the
north. The want of enterprise on the part of the allied commanders
at present appears unaccountable. The health of the allied troops
still continues to improve, the railway-works are pushed on, new bat
teries arc armed, reinforcements arrive, yet the siege makes no pro-
gress. Tre report of Prince DlENsciacoFfs death is asserted with