The Press.
London, England, 1855-04-28 00:00:00

APR/L 28, 1855.

another suit about the real estate tried by law
upon an issue directed by the Court of Chancery.
This was a disgrace to the jurisprudence of the
country. The bill was not far removed from the
recommendations of the commissioners, with whose
recommendation it concurred Ni all respects but one.
The staff was to be selected from the proctors them-
selves, and the advocates would, without doubt,
cultivate the peculiar learning necessary to that
branch of the profession. The present bill was an
approximation to that system of consolidation which
ought to be the object of legislation.
Mr. WHITESIDE argued, that reform—not extinc-
tion—was wanted. The present courts were cheap,
versed in their business; under their management
no frauds were attempted. This was approved by
the highest authorities in the kingdom. He trusted
that they would not yield to clamour, nor take the
whole of this business to the Court of Chancery,
which it had taken upwards of forty years to reform ;
but, according to the advice of the commissioners,
reconstitute the present courts on an improved
basis.
Mr. HEADLAM was anxious for a change, but
looked with apprehension on the working of the bill.
At present the testamentary business of the country
was cheaply conducted ; and it was now proposed, at
a cost of 150,0001., to pay off one establishment, and,
at a cost equally grcat, to create another. He thought
the present system better than that likely to spring
up under the provisions of the bill.
The debate was adjourned.

A LETTER FROM ALEXANDRIA, published by the
Pays, states that the Viceroy of Egypt, persisting in
his design of having the Isthmus of Suez cut
through, has requested M.de Lesseps to pay another
visit to Constantinople in order to use fresh efforts
with the Ottoman Government on the subject. Said
Pacha has even, it is said, written an autograph
letter to the Sultan to point out to his Majesty the
necessity of the undertaking, and the importance
which it would give to one of the richest provinces of
the empire by bringing to it the transit trade of the
whole world. .

THE 10th Hussars arrived at Alexandria on the
7th inst., in twelve days march from Cairo, and took
up their quarters in barracks expressly prepared for
them near 'the Pacha's palace at Ras-el-teen. The
officers and men, bearded and moustachoed, and
bronzed by the climate of India and their march
through Egypt, and their horses—fine wiry animals
from the Cape and the Persian Gulf—all seem
thoroughly up to a campaign, anl adapted to en-
counter the hardships of the Crimea.
EAP.L DUNDONALD declares himself to be so
positive that he could destroy Cronstadt, Sweaborg,
Helsingfors, and Sebastopol, at the moderate ex•
pense of 1,000,0001., that he is ready, with the
sanction of the Government, to place his plans
before spirited individuals in the City, under whose
superintendence the money may be disbursed.
ON Monday week, on the arrival of the Emperor,
his Majesty's dressing-case, containing jewels of great
value belonging to the Empress, was taken by mistake
to Radley's Hotel, where it remained till the Wed-
nesday following. In the meantime the police were
actively engaged in making inquiries for the lost pro-
perty. Ultimately the case was given to the Lord
Mayor, who at once telegraphed the fact to Windsor,
and the package was afterwards forwarded to the
Castle.

Accourrrs received from the manufacturing towns
show no material alteration in the course of trade,
although on the whole the tendency has been to-
wards a slight increase of steadiness. At Manchester
the market presented a healthy tone last week, but
subsequently greater caution has been manife-ted,
owing to the uncertainties at Vienna and the nature
of the financial statements at home. The Birming-
ham report describes little change either in the iron
market or the general trades of the place; the ter-
mination of the strike among the colliers has, how-
♦ver, created a satisfactory feeling. At Nottingham
there has been a diminished business in hosiery,
but more activity in lace. In the woollen districts
the transactions are limited, but the home demand
is sufficient to uphold prices. In the Irish linen
trade there has been no variation.

THE LAST RETURN OF THE REGISTRAR- GENRRAL
exhibits a decided improvement in the health of
London. The deaths, which had been respectively
1,226 and 1,347 in the first two weeks of April, fell
in the week that ended on Saturday last to 1,087.
The temperature of the last fortnight was ten de-
grees higher than in March, and human life reaps
the benefit of the change. In the ten corresponding
weeks of the years 1845-54 the average number of
deaths registered was 1,035, which, if raised in pro-
portion to increase of population, becomes 1,138.
The number of persons who died last week is 51 less
than the estimated number. Last week the births
of 926 boys and 872 girls, in all 1,788 children,
were registered in London. In the ten corresponding
weeks of the years 1845-54 the average number was
1472.

THE PRESS.

THE WAR.

Although the telegraphic communication with the
Crimea is now so nearly completed that Ministers
assure us they can exchange advices with Lord
Raglan in a few hours, no intelligence of any descrip-
tion is allowed to transpire. From the British War-
office there is no late news published, and the sole
item of information that has been afforded consists
of the very unsatisfactory assurance that " nothing "
has been reported from head-quarters in the camp.
As this negative intimation includes the transactions
of but a few hours previously to its utterance, we
must conclude that the bombardment of Sebastopol,
which recommenced on the 9th, had produced no
decisive effects up to yesterday, the 27th. The last
positive intelligence from the camp is conveyed in
the following despatch from Admiral Bruat, published
in the Moniteur:—
On the 17th the flie of our batteries maintained its
superiority. In front of the Central Tower we have
earned a series of ambuscades, and those works where we
have established ourselves are now comprised in our lines.
We have crowned a ravine in that direction, which runs
along the fortifications of the town, where the enemy for-
merly kept its reserves in safety. Before the Flagstaff
Bastion we sprung a mine (fourneaux de mine) at a dis-
tance of about fifty metres. That operation, which per-
fectly succeeded, gave us a new parallel, and was success-
fully joined to the others. From the 12th to the 14th,
notwithstanding the offensive returns of the Russians, we
had only about 300 men hors de combat.

The commander of the frigate who brought the
news is said to have stated that the situation was
generally considered very satisfactory.
Telegraphic advices of the 19th have been re-
ceived in Paris and Vienna, to the effect that the
besiegers were gaining ground every day. The
enemy had made a sortie on the 18th in great
force, but was vigorously repulsed. All was going
on well.

A despatch from General Gortschakoff, of the
19th, has been published in St. Petersburg. It states
that the fire of the allies had slackened on the 16th,
17th, and 18th. The Russian batteries had an-
swered the fire successfully in front of the fourth
bastion. In the night between the 18th and 19th
one of the Russian battalions achieved with success,
and with insignificant loss, a sortie made with the
view of destroying the more advanced of the enemy's
works of approach. The despatch adds that, gene-
rally, the Russian loss was less considerable than at
the beginning of the bombardment.