The Press.
London, England, 1855-06-30 00:00:00

THE BALTIC AND WHITE SEA.

A despatch sent yesterday (Friday) from Dantzio,
states that the Vulture has mails. The Baltic fleet
lies off Cronstadt. Forty-six infernal machines had
been discovered and destroyed. One of them ex-
ploded on the poop of the Ezwrouth. Admiral
Seymour and Captain Louis, who were examining it
at the time, were severely injured. Lieutenant
Pierce was slightly injured.
The Post Tidningen has accounts from Helsing-
fors, stating that the English have bombarded
Hango, and destroyedthetelegraph station.

The Russians admit that the' Cossack'. boat dis-
played a flag of truce, but allege that they suspected
a stratagem to surprise them.
The blockade of all ports, roads, havens, and
creeks in the White Sea was notified on the 30th
May (11th June), 1855, by the commander of her
Majesty's forces in that sea.

AN officer of the Coldstream corps, who rendered dis-
tinguished service at Alma and Inkermann, recently ap-
plied for leave of absence. Having been refused, he at
once threw up his cotnmission, value about 6,000/., and
is now en futile for England.

THREE ENGLISHMEN who were arrested at Coblents on
suspicion of being engaged in obtaining recruits, proved to
be innocent tourists, who were amusing themselves with
giving away spare cash to the people. They easily satis-
fied the Commissary of Police of their pacific tendencies,
and were allowed to proceed.

THE FORMER MINISTERS OF RUSSIA AT LONDON AND
Pants, Baron Brunow and M. de Kisseleff, are about to
receive a new mission. The former, it is said, will be the
accredited representative of Russia at Hesse Darmstadt
and to the Frankfort Diet ; M. Kisseleff will go to Rome
and Florence, replacing M. de Boutenieff, who returns to
Russia as a member of the Council of the Empire.
THE Journal de Sl. Pelerebourg publishes the names of
a number of Prussian ladies who have sent lint from Berlin
for the use of the Russian medical staff in the Crimea.
Most of these ladies are the wives of military or civil
officers in the service of the King of Prussia.
A CERTAIN NUMBER OF RUSSIAN PRISONERS are employed
on the public works in the department of Dordogn
(France).
PLANS OF " SEBASTOPOL AND ITS ENvinoxs, indicating
very clearly the works of the besiegers, their camps, and
lines of ctrcumvallation," are advertised in the St Peters-
burg journals.
ABD.E.L.KADER has received the permission of the French
Government to reside at Constantinople, in consequence of
the partial destruction of Bronssa by earthquakes. On the
10th instant he went to Therapia, the summer palace of
the French ambassador, and had an interview of two hours'
duration with M. Benedetti. He afterwards paid visits to
several high Turkish dignitaries.

Tna MISSION OF COUNT AZEOLIO to the Courts of Lon-
don and Paris is connected with the demand of Sardini a
to be allowed a voice in any future negotiations for peace.

TELEGRAPHIC communication between Switzerland and
Bulimia will be opened tomorrow, the let Of July.

JUNE 30, 1855.

THE BALTIC FLEET.
(From our Own Corregpondeni.)
JUNE 14.—At daylight this morning the signal was
made, " Prepare for sailing," and at ten o'clock the
fleet, excepting Majestic and Euryalus, weighed, in
company with the French squadron, and delighted
the hearts of our friends in Cronstadt by steaming
no ajestically away in three lines, leaving the two above-
named vessels cruising to watch the movements of the
enemy. What can they think of us, after spending a
few days at a most respectful distance, not even
keeping an inshore squadron to find out what the
steamers we daily observed cruising about in the
neighbourhood of the infernal machines were doing,
what new and perhaps more formidable preparations
they were making for our reception—what can
they think, one naturally asks, of this most pe-
culiar conduct? Is this war? or are we, as we
did last year, to look quietly on while the
enemy deliberately prepares destruction for us,
should we ever be goaded on to attack or shell
Cronstadt? There certainly may be some hidden
reason for this display ; time only can show ; let us
hope there is. At four o'clock this afternoon we came
to an anchor about thirty miles from Cronstadt, near
an island called Seskar, on the south coast of the
Gulf of Finland. Reliable information has been re-
ceived that the Russians, in attempting to move
some of the so-called infernal machines, have had a
large boat, manned with twenty-five men, utterly
destroyed, and all her crew blown into the air.
JUNE 15.—Today the Merlin, with an interpreter
on board, has been sent with a flag of truce off Hel-
singfors to make inquiries concerning the cossack
affair ; and we anxiously look for her return, to hear
what the Russians have to say for themselves.
Some atrocious untruth will doubtless be coined re-
garding their conduct on this occasion ; but facts are
stubborn things to deal with. The Princess Alice
has arrived with the mails, Bulldog having broken
down in some of her machinery, and could get no
further than Nargen.
JuNE 10.—This morning early the admirals, ac-
companied by the French commander-in-chief, went
on board the D'Assas, French corvette, and, accom-
panied by the Dragon, crossed the Gulf to look at
the anchorage which has been recommended by our
surveying officers near the Island of Biorko. I un-
derstand that they are of opinion it is very well
adapted for the fleet, as it is some miles nearer
Cronstadt, is better sheltered, and in other repents
more convenient, than this place. Admiral Seymour,
in Exmouth, accompanied by Blenheim (80), Pincher,
and Snap (gun-boats), started on some expedition,
the object of which is not made public, but it is
generally supposed that they have gone to the mouth
of the River Nerve, to see bow the land lies in that
direction. We have been much cheered by the
report that several mortar-vessels, gun-boats, &c.,
have actually left England for the Baltic. under
Admiral Baynes. This looks more like business.
It is indeed cruel that so splendid a fleet, manned
by (excuse the conceit of the remark) such a
splendid set of fellows, should remain inactive, and
that the glory of thrashing the Russians should be
entirely in the hands of their brothers in the Mer
Noir. The present stations of the Baltic fleet are as
follow :—Duke of Wellington, Royal George, James
Watt, Orkn, Cesar, dressy, Dragon, and five gun-
boats, off Seeker; Majestic and Euryalus off Cron-
stadt, cruising ; Arrogant and Magicienne off Wiborg ;
Edinburgh and Bulldog off Bevel ; Exmouth and
Blenheim on a cruise; Hogue, Colossus, and Am-
phion off Sweaborg ; Cossack and Esk cruising off
Hango; Ajax, Firefly, Pylades, and Harrier in Gulf
of Bothnia; Geyser, Archer, Basilisk in Gulf of
Riga; Belleisle and Cuckoo in Faro; Lightning and
Princess Alice with admirals. Vulture, with mails,
expected here to-morrow.
JUNE 18.—The Vulture arrived this morning with
the mails ; but I must first tell you that Merlin also
arrived from her trip to Helsingfors with a flag of
truce flying, to demand an explanation of the Cossack
affair. The answer returned is as follows :—" Your
boat, with certainly a white flag flying—which we
could not be expected under the circumstances to
acknowledge--landed, armed, and the officer and
crew, on being called on to surrender, seized their
arms, for the purpose of defending themselves. On
this our party, whose duty it was to oppose this pro-
ceeding, fired on them, killing four and wounding
several others. They then made prisoners of those
who were alive, and have brought them to this place.
A flag of truce is no protection to your boats, unless
they come to one of the fortresses. In fact., they
have been too much in the habit of approaching in
shore under this pretext, and they have now re-
ceived their desserts." This is the Russian report.
We have only one man's inse dixit on our side; so I
suppoie we must pocket the affront. Neither officers
who were in the boat are killed. Both, however, are
wounded (so report says, but I don't believe it), but
not dangerously. More of this affair may be made

THE PRESS.

known, and perhaps a diffi3rent version, when we
hear from these officers. We have received by Vulture
the good news front the East. Driver has just returned
from Gulf of Bothnia. The blockading squadron
are all well, as are those in Gulf of Riga. Princeu
Alice is just off with the mails as far as Nargen,
where Lightning takes them from her, and goes on
to Dantzic. There has been a great deal of firing
all day from the direction of Narva. Perhaps Ad-
miral Seymour has been astonishing thb natives in
that neighbourhood.