The Express.
London, England, 1855-06-08 00:00:00

.OFF'S DEgPATCRES.

craom TUI

MALTA, Jetts 1.
The French screw steamer Henri IV. arrived from
the Eat, bringing dates frost Constantinople to the 26th
May.
A fine French screw lioe•of•battle ship tad frigate arrived
yesterday, coaled, and paused os to the But. Two more
venal this mornin despatch are really fine vessels. The 7
are ing with all to proceed to the East.
; Ths Victory, steamer, arrived last evening with invalid
officers, sad will proceed to Xngland. Among the pawn•
gets is Mr. Hardy, bet Majesty's respeeted vice-consul at
Coast .ntineplr, who is returning to England for the plu-
g )I0 04 consulting an oculist, bit sight failing after 40 years'
work in the consular case at Pen, where be will be sadly

missed.
The Alps, steamer, with artillery and ofßeen for the
Turkish contingent, arrived this spouting, and proceeds this
afteinooo, having lost on the voyage out three horses out
of eleven. Steamers and traneports are constantly arriving,
both English and French, procuring refreshments and off
I again.
Oa the 22nd of May, bee Majeaty's Criminal Court eat
till past 10 p m., and on Ilse jury acquitting the prisoner, an
Italian, Mr. E. Goodenough became so vehement in his
:premien§ of delight that be was corrected by the coast.
Thts annoyed him, and be became excited, which wee set
allayed by bib pretty freely indulging in wine with ruse
young men. On his return to his hones, at about a quarter
so midnight, he saw a gentleman, some little distance fume
his door, committing a nuisance, a not unusual thing is
Stare, O
ren up even by
and struck day. Ile at the
the gentleman a beery bl in a moot suited
ow,
having, unfortunately, at the time a large key in his hand.
Thu blow, struck with great force, and at the time the
gentleman was totally unprepared, knocked him down,
smothered in blood. This took place before a word bad
been spoken. The gentleman was some time ere he
could rise and when be did a ocuffie ensued, in which
Mr. Ocuidenough, being a powerful man, and his
opponent very weak, the latter wu soon over-
come, and received several heavy blows. Me had also
dealt sone blows with a cane on Mr. Goodenoigb. They
had both fallen, and were struggliog on the ground, when
the pollee arrived, as also the gentleman's Mend. They
were with much difficulty separated. The gentleman hav-
ing fainted was conveyed to his ship, the Furious. Be had
been a long time sick, and was ordered to the hospital, but
Oster* going went to take a farewell of a lady and gentle
man on shore, friends of Ms. He was then returning
quietly to his ship. Being of retiring and mild habits, it is
needless to sty be was sober ; in fact he was an abets luus
War. It bask some time to stanch the blood, and, for two
dap his Milted despaired of. After that he was conveyed
to the hospital, s*d began to mend rapidly. •
peer Goodenough was greedy .raoited. The nest merle
be rose and wrote a little ; w dostpr wag be attendance,
lialite guider beserleg elestaieg a reseed defter

_.....ni OP THY DAILY DEWS.)
CONSTANTINOFLE, May 28.
A grand banquet came off at the Bntiah Palace,
Pere, on the 24th, to celebrate the joyous advent of
.her Majesty's birthday. The guests were about 60
in number, comprising the Consul-General, with some
principal members of the British colony—Lord W.
Paulet, Admiral Grey, Generals Vivian and Mornay,
of the Turkish Contingent, as well as several
other officers of the army and navy. For
the better accommodation of this numerous company,
the table was laid in the state ballroom which,
though still "lack-lustre" and incomplete, was
sufficiently well lit up, and displayed to
,advantage a profusion of massive plate, the
splendid candelabras and other elaborate decors.'
mons. Although the dearth and extraordi-
nary scarcity of all the necessaries of life,
at the present juncture, has reduced the " daily
fare" in the City of the Sultan to almost Spartan
simplicity, and threatens still more to reduce our per-
sons and our purses to • state of absolute inanition,
the dinner was excellent, comprising every dainty,
imaginable
and every luxury, with the choicest wines
Ipleno vivo : in short the same good taste and
princely hospitality of our noble host were displayed
on this occasion, which invariably, I must say, dis-
tinguish his festive board. When he does the
thtog, he is sure to do it well—and ci propos of this,
on some such former occasion, a certain colleague
and keen diplomatist observed, I recollect, " Oa voit,
Sir Stratford, quo vows avez 4,e longtemps am-
bantam."
The company sat down about eight, and I cannot
say whether or not it may be considered as a favour-
able omen of the times, of better days for the
Commonwealth. and of prospective reform in oar
civil and military institutions—but I certainly re-
marked that the general aspect and tone of those
present were unusually animated all looked
cheery and of good heart, not excepting our noble
host himself far more than I have had for a
long time the happiness of witnessing on such occa-
sions, and under existing circumstances.
In point of fact, the conversation never once
flagged; and, as many a tale went round, of wild
adventure, of heroic valour, "of sieges, battles,
moving accidents by flood and field "—the symposia'
batteries popping in the rear played with continuous
vigour on our convivial lines, but without any serious
casualty, or, as I am proud to record, affecting in the
least the strength and stability of our attitude.
Neither were we left without a trophy from
the real battle-field to enliven the scene,
and which, like a good old soldier, his excellency
bore off in triumph from some hot foray, during his
late expedition to the camp. It is a sort of trian-
gular altar ornament, surmounted with a golden
dove, but lacking the olive branch, alas ! and its
panels, besides, inscribed with certain prayers and
orthodox aspirations, in the shape of the testamen-
tary political edict of Peter the Great. 01
this, however, all I know is from hearsay, and I can-
not vouch for the fact: for, strange to relate, albeit
the presence of three profound and panglot members
of the dragoman staff, we were unable to muster in
, the whole assembly philological wit enough to de-
, cipher those inceriptions and uuravel their precise
import.
After a couple of hours thus passed in convivial
intercourse, and in true devotion to the inward man,
our noble host rose at length to announce the great
object of our meeting, and proposed the health of
oar beloved Sovereign. It was hailed, I need not
observe, as it ever is by her devoted subjects in every
1 corner of the globe, with enthusiastic cheers
and acclamations. The band then struck up, and all
hearts heaved responsive to the deep notes
of our national hymn, and its spell no words can
depict, be assured—on him, at least, whom fate has
stamped a wanderer long and far away. The sunny
days of childhood, youth, and "wild oats," home,
country, friends, and affections, the memory of de-
parted worth, all rush on in one strange visionary
group—a phantasm of light and shade, of bright and
spectral lunges.
Next came the health of his Majesty the Sultan,
which the ambassador prefaced with a few words in
allusion to our standing on the Turkish territory, and
that the very ground on which the British Palace
had been erected, with its spacious gardens, was as
imperial gift to the British government. These sen-
timents were received with marked applause, and the
1 health of the young and magnanimous sovereign
of these realms, drank with long and protracted
cheers.
After a short interval, Lord Radcliffe rose again
to propose the health of our powerful and faithful
ally, the Emperor Napoleon, and the very mention of
this illustrious name awakened a degree of enthusiasm
which I have really seldom witnessed on such occasions.
The tout was drunk with loud hurrahs and "three
times three "—nay more, an honourable gentleman,
if my memory serves me right, voted another and an
extra cheer, which was carried nem. cow, it is need-
, leas to observe, and with one loud and universal
1 acclamation. On this, for some moments, a profound
t silenceto
thanksgiving
tnhs ouoega
ta nodf
walla
tw ehroed alba
tverirybeotod ,
oTtaoydh, atop ,d it
on
h'for the interposition of Divine Provi-
dence in favour of him, in whose fate is involved not
only the welfare and stability of his own France,
bat in a great degree also the happiness
and prosperity of all civilised nations. This is
what was passing in my thoughts, and in those per
of all present. The band was also mate and
dumb-struck—l know not why, except that silence is
1 contagious, when, all of a sudden, Lord Redcliffe's
chief gentleman, a smart, hale old fellow, and whom,
by the way, he found in loco and in office, some halt
century ago on his first arrival in this country—was
seen to shoot along the lines, on some apparently im-
portanterrand from head-quarters. It was then, and
not till then, that" Partant pour la Syria" rung upon
the ear, and roused us all from our reverie ; and tt is
really difficult to describe the deep feeling and
enthusiastic emotion excited in all at the,
thrilling sounds of the French national lay.l
I wish there had been some Frenchmen
present to contemplate this little scene, and hail it,,
with the rest, as a bright and auspicious omen of the
future—and of an alliance, based not on the political
necessities of the moment, but on the hearts and
lasting affections of both nations.
The last toast given, and perhaps the only political
incident of the evening, was the "Army and Navy."

CllOll TIII

We have received the St. Petersburg journals of
30th and 31st ult. They contain a long journal of the
military, operations, sorties, &c., at Sebutopol from
the 12th to the 19th ult., and telegraphic despatches
from Prince Oortchakotf from the 23rd to the 27th.
The latter are u follow :

8 ~,,,,,,,, MAY 23.

Freedom by the fog, daring the night between the 21tt
and the 22nd. we commenced the constraction of a trench
of counter•spprosch opposite the cemetery, in advance of
the bastions Nos. 6 and 6, and of lines from this trench
towards the bastion No. 5, in order to set on the right flank
of the enemy's approaches, which threatened this bastion;
bat, owing to the rocky astern of the soil, it was found
insposaiole to gine these counter-approaches sufficient depth.
La the viewing of the 22nd, when we were about to resume
the

_,auca of the works, the enemy vigorously at-
tacked this point with seventeen battalions, without reck-
oning reserves. A combat of a most obstinate character
lasted the entire night; several times charges were made
with the bayonet; oar troops, numbering twelve battalions.
fought heroically, and tle affair ended in the reptiles of the
enemy with a very considerable loss.
Unhappily the low was also very great on our side. We
had 2,500 men put hors de combat. Amongst the slain is
the brave Major .0 I Adlerberg, commander of the
second brigade of the ninth division of infantry.
The success with which this attack was repelled, hu in-
flamed the spirit of the g►rrison, and shown to the enemy
how extreme will be the danger of an assault against the
fortifications of Sebastopol, since, in spi.e of tte most extra-
ordinary ends, he has failed to take even a Wench barely
traced out.

Lut night nearly 20,000 of the enemy's troops left the
Bay of lismieseb, on hued siz weasels and twenty steamers.
This morning the fleet was signalled off Yalta.
SEBASTOPOL, MAT 26.
Yesterday, between one and two o'clock, p.m., the enemy's
fleet with the troops on board approached the Gulf of
Kertch. . _ _

This day, before Sebastopol, con.idsrable forces of the
rummy are established won the heights of the left book of
the Tehernsys, and have constructed • camp there which
they appear to have the intention of fortifying.
Our advanced posts occupy the right bank of the same

SEBASTOPOL, MAT 27.

Lient.-General Baron Wrangel, commaader of the troops
in the peninsula of Kertch, announces that en the 24th
some troops which arrived from Sebastopol on board the
enemy's fleet, effected a dement near liamysch-Bouroun, and
taking the battery of Paul, occupied Kerteb and Yinikali.
Oar garrison, after having spiked its guns and destroyed
as meek of the government stores and of the vessels se was
possible, fell back without great loss upon the village of !Le-
gumes.
It will be seen that Prince Gortcbakoff omits all
reference to the engagement on the night of the
23rd, which terminated in the brilliant success of the
French. The inhabitants of St. Petersburg are left
to believe that the trench and the new works re-
mained in the occupation of the Russian troops.

RUSSIA.

~1011111' OP THII DAILY NIVIL)
ST. PE rERSBURO, MAY 28.
Events, small and great. show plainly enough that
both men and money are failing in Russia, so far as
the purposes of the war are concerned. Vacancies
occur in different branches of the public service, and
are purposely not filled up, and some offices are even
entirely suppressed, from motives of economy.
But by far the most important measure taken of late
by the government, and one cutting deepest into the
social relations of, the people, is the new imperial
ukase for completing and accelerating the thirteenth
conscription in the seventeen provinces of the
western half of the empire. The difficulty of rais-
ing the required number of recruits for the army is
found to be so great that the minister of the domains
has found it absolutely necessary to demand of the
'Czar permission to extend the age of the men re-
quired (generally between 20 and 25 years) to 30,
and, if necessary, even to 35 years. By far the
greater part of the men who have attained this age
are married and have families, having, moreover,
settled down to some fixed employment or trade, so
that a vast amount of misfortune will be inflicted on
thousands of happy and industrious families, who,
deprived of their natural support from their earn-
ings, will be reduced to beggary and starvation.
Must of these men aro cultivators of the soil, and
the total amount of farm-work must be greatly
reduced, and the productive power of the soil and the
general material resources of the country seriously
Impaired.
An article in the feuilleton of this day's impression
of the Northern Bee deserves notice, as being evi-
dently put there not without a specific pu,pose, for
it is the only journal published here in which a cer-
tain latitude of expression is tolerated, and which
occasionally even gives its readers a leading article
on the political state of things and social questions ;
and from this it is inferred, and indeed generally
understood, that it enjoys the special and exclusive
protection of the court, as it certainly is the organ of
the educated and literary part of the public. The
article in question is entitled " A conversation in
Hades," and introduces to the reader Napoleon
Duroc, and Marshal St. Arnaud, who, as the latest
arrival from the upper world, gives au account of
what is going 00, and particularly in the Crimea.
The tendency of the article is to show that the close
alliance so happily subsisting between England and
France is most intensely unnatural, and militates
against common sense, whilst the end of it is that
the only sure guarantee for the peace of the world
and the happiness of Europe is to be found in the
intimate union and unbroken friendship and alliance
between Russia and France.