The Press.
London, England, 1855-06-09 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

army seems to be carried on with a proper system ;
they have treble the number of ambulance convey-
ance, commissariat, &c., that we have, although
their army is much smaller. Had the British been
half as well provided much misery and death might
have been saved the last winter, and not the blame
of all our sufferings laid to individuals willing to do
good but fettered by routine, which nothing but time
could effect.
Should I have a few moments to-morrow morning
before the mail goes I will inform you of any move-
ments in the army ; but since I commenced this
letter rumour says that we (the Guards) join the
army. I hope so!
My fatherland is " ayont the Tweed," the kingdom
of Fife, and any newspaper published in that country
is of very little interest to me in this part of the
world—too much kirk gossip.
MAY 26th, eight a.m.—The army has gone out of
sight in the ravines ; they left about five o'clock; but
as yet there has been no tiring heard. We have
received no order to move yet.—l am, sir, yours
truly, W. M.

RESPECTING the health of the King of Prussia,
a Berlin letter states that his Majesty is to return to
Sans Souci by the 10th instant. All these and many
other arrangements for the King's movements during
the summer are, however, likely to be changed a good
many times yet, in consequence of his bad state of
health. Only the day before yesterday he had a re-
turn of ague, which a little time back had attacked
him rather severely. Though there is, perhaps, no-
thing at present in the King's state to inspire solici-
tude in those attached to him, it is known that he
has been for a long time thoroughly out of health ;
he has become extremely stout, and anything but
firm and healthy in flesh—proof of which is to be
seen in the length of time that the wound which he
got on his foot and his cheek on two different occa-
sions, while walking in the garden at Charlottenburg,
took to heal.
THE MILITARY MEDALS granted by the Hon. East
India Company, commemorative of the recent achieve-
ments of the British army in Burmah, and which
have already been presented to several regiments
which took part in the campaign, were distributed on
Monday last to the 51st (King's Own) Light Infantry,
now under orders for the Crimea, by General Sir
Harry Smith, at Manchester, in the presence of a
considerable number of spectators. The number of
medals given was upwards of 400.
THE BURNI,NG OF THE CPCESUS was much more
fatal than at. first believed. The muster-roll having
been lost with the ship, the extent of the loss of life
amongst the troops was not at first ascertained. It
now appears that, sixty-eight individuals perished, of
whom all were soldiers, with the exception of one
who was a sailor, ou board the unfortunate vessel.
LARGE GOVERNMENT ORDERS for sword cutlery and
bayonets in Birmingham are delayed by the insub-
ordinate and irregular conduct of some of the work-
men employed. Messrs. Heighington and Lawrence
are under engagement to supply 700 bayonets per
week, but they and other contractors are at the pre-
sent time behind no less than 40,000 bayonets with
the Board of Ordnance. The men, it appears, are
able to earn from 3/. to 41. per week, but many of
them take advantage of the pressure upon contractors
to exact, if possible, a greater amount of wages than
that to which they are by agreement with their mas-
ters entitled.
AN INSURANCE COMPANY is in course of formation
at Paris, with a nominal capital of 120,000/., for exo-
nerating policy-holders from the contingency of
paying for a substitute in case of their being drawn
for military service. Its title is " Caisse Militaire des
Enfants."
THE funeral of a Russian gentleman who died at
the Fleece Hotel, in Cheltenham, took place a few
days since. The name of the deceased was Nicholas
Karakin, aged 23, son of Paul Karakin, a wealthy
merchant of St. Petersburg. He came to England
from Germany to finish his studies, and make him-
self master of the language. When the war broke
out be obtained permission to continue in this
country, and during the past few months has been
engaged on a mission of benevolence, in visiting such
of his countrymen as have been brought to England
as prisoners of war. Being a member of the Greek
Church, it became necessary that a clergyman of that
Church should conduct his obsequies, and a Russian
clergyman, the Rev. Ugen Popoff, attended from
London. The body was deposited, with much cere-
mony, in an oaken coffin, dressed and ornamented as
is usual among the Greek Christians—a cross and an
image of the Virgin Mary was placed upon the breast.
It was conveyed to the Protestant cemetery, where,
after the reading of the burial service of the Church
of England by the officiating curate, the Russian ce-
remony of interment was gone through by the Russian
clergyman. The deceased was followed to the grave
by several of his countrymen, who visited him
during his illness.
SIR JOHN KIRKLAND, BART., military agent to the
Prince Consort, is the agent for the Foreign Legion
ROW tiodied,