The Press.
London, England, 1855-08-18 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

SATURDAY,

at the Hotel do Ville on Thursday; the grand review in the Champ de
Mars on Friday; and on Monday, the 27th, her Majesty, as at present
arranged, will start on her return to England. It is stated in the
French papers that the Empress will be precluded from doing the
honours of reception to her illustrious visitors from reasons of health
of a delicate nature.
The French papers have been raking up every historical fact in
connection with the visits of kings of England and France, and among
those cited some amusing inaccuracies occur. For instance, WILLIAM
THE CONQUEROR, it is asserted, never left England after he had once
conquered it: our memory serves us badly unless the sturdy Norman
left England for the last time in his life to show a French king that he
was not so impotent as had been rudely asserted. Among the
English kings who have visited France are enumerated " HENRY 111.,
" who lost the battle of Taillebourg in 1242," and " HENRY VI., who
" was crowned in France in contempt of the rights of CHARLES VII. and
"of the Salic Law." In chronological order the visits of HENRY V.
should have been noticed between the two. For one monarch of the
French, it is said, whom the fate of a disastrous war sent to die in
London, fate willed it that four kings of England should find a last
asylum on Gallic soil ; but RICHARD the Lion-hearted, HENRY 11., and
HENRY V., ought not to be placed, by implication, in the same cate-
gory of the French Jonx, who died a prisoner iu London, or with the
banished JAMES 11., whom LOUIS QUATORZE vainly endeavoured to
restore to the throne he had lost. These historical reminiscences are
a little too courtly for truth, though, to be sure, on the occasion of a
Royal visit, events of the past will bear to be presented in a dress of
masquerade.

The guns of the Baltic fleet have at length been heard in earnest.
The " squall," which our well informed correspondent warned us from
Nargen last week to look out for, has burst upon Sweaborg. The
cluster of islands at the entrance of the harbour of Helsingfors, which
comprise the town and fortifications of Sweaborg, have been bom-
barded for forty-five hours, and tremendous conflagrations among the
buildings and stores of the islands have ensued. Yet it is by
no means certain that so much damage has been done to the forts
as was at first anticipated from the loose expressions of Admiral
PENAUD'S telegraphic despatch, for the fleet, so far from attempting to
force the passage of the harbour, returned to Nargen on the 13th.
However, it is difficult to calculate exactly the amount of destruction
and loss suffered by the Russians. Our own loss was happily very
trifling—two officers and thirty men Iv( unded—and the success of the
experiment, as far as regards the power of the mortar-boats at a long
range—some 2,500 yards, we hear—very satisfactory. The few hnos
of our correspondent this week state that the French mortar-boats
were left at Nargen This would almost appear to he a precautionary
measure consequent upon the uncertainty of the success of the
attempt that was to be made. Now that success has been in some degree
satisfactorily proved practicable, we may hope, if there is yet time
before the bad weather sets in, that more general and decisive
results will be obtained from the use of the whole of the mortar
squadron either against Revel, or against Sweaborg a second time,
with the view of completely destroying all defences and laying the
town under contribution. The details of the affair of the 9th and 11th
are anxiously looked for.

The Vulture arrived at Dantsic on the 16th with the mails, so that
but a short time will elapse before we receive the despatches in full. The
fleet at Nargen was preparing for fresh operations.
It is reported from Konigsburg that the Grand Duke CONSTANTINE
asked leave of the Emperor to sally forth from Cronstadt and attack
the blockading squadron, but was refused.

The Austrian Government has, in the Vienna Gazette of the 11th,
given a direct denial to Sir GEORGE GREYS statement in the House
that had England and France agreed to the ultimatum of Austria, and
" Russia had refused the terms, Austria was not bound to view that
" refusal as a casus belli." To this the Austrian Government have em-
phatically replied that Austria would have made a mu* belli of the re-
jection of her proposal by Russia, and have instantly signed a military
convention with the Western Powers. This assertion is made by
Austria with so little show of after-thought about it, and the secret
despatches are so boldly challenged in corroboration of her statement,
that either Sir GEORGE GREY must have been strangely kept in the
dark, or he must, with a view to suit the purpose of the moment, have
deliberately uttered that which he knew to be incorrect. Statecraft is
said to admit of resources which ordinary honour would repudiate, and
throughout the whole of this Austrian question Lord PALMERSTON'S
Government, from the Premier downwards, appear to have fully availed
themselves of the license of their position.

Some further operations in the Sea of Azoff have been conducted
with the greatest success by the light squadron there assembled.
Immense stores of salted fish, fish-tackle and gear, together with a
great number of fishing vessels, and large granaries of corn, have
been destroyed upon the different spots where these extensive
establishments had been permanently founded for the purpose of
supplying the Russian army with such provisions. Altogether,
the expedition has been highly successful, and great credit is due, as
much to the admirable arrangenents of Commander OSBORN as to
the excellent spirit with which ho was supported, both by the
French and English officers in the squadron. The resources
of the Russians will probably be seriously crippled by
this destruction of stores and food, and the Vienna Gazette
declares that the regiments of Grenadiers, en route from Warsaw
to Sebastopol, have been stopped at Nicolaieff on account of the
scarcity of provisions in the Russian camp at Sebastopol. Com-
mander OSBORN'S despatches come down to the 21st, but a Russian
despatch of the t3rd; as a balance against these Sitceesses, announced

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