The Press.
London, England, 1854-06-17 00:00:00

THE ARMIES.

Tan combined forces at the date of the last accounts
from Turkey (the sth inst.) were in rapid course of
advance towards the scene of operation. Seventeen
thousand men, both English and French, had left
Gallipoli and Scutari for Varna. On the 2nd of June
twenty.two transports arrived at the latter place, with
General Brown's light division on board, and effected
a landing with much difficulty in very tempestuous
weather. The third French division was expected to
arrive almost immediately from Gallipoli, under the
command of Prince Napoleon. The last British
division sailed from Scutari on the sth inst.
A Cabinet messenger who has arrived in London
from Constantinople, which city he left on the Ist of
June, brings word that the Guards had not left
Scutari on the Ist, but only the light division had
sailed for Varna. Everything was in readiness for
the transport of the divisions of the Duke of Cam-
bridge and Sir De Lacy Evans, and of the cavalry
under the Earl of Lucan. Several French transports
had gone up the Bosphorus, and it was fully expected
that the French and English force under Lord Raglan
and Marshal St. Arnaud would be in line by the 10th
of June about fifteen miles from Varna, on the road
to Schumla, intercepting the route to Silistria, and
acting with the main body of Omer Pacha's army.
There was a French force also marching on Schumla,
by way of Adrianople, through the Balkan Pass.
A number of French officers and intendents were in
Adrianople for some days before the' oth ult., making
every preparation for quartering the French troops,
which are daily expected. Provisions of every kind
were purchased, including cattle, rice, corn, barley,
Sm. Several stone buildings were being put in
readiness to receive ammunition and the baggage of
the troops.
General Forey arrived with his division of French
troops at Gallipoli on the Ist. They bad come from
the Firms.

Lord Raglan has sent to Malta for 8,000 mules or
beasts of burden, for commissariat purposes. A
hundred or so might, it was believed, be obtained in
the island, at about 181. each. Most of the remainder
will have to be procured from Spain.

The French have been somewhat unfortunate in
the conveyance of their cavalry. In the large men-
of-war they incurred but little loss, but a British
naval officer just returned from the Mediterranean
states that he saw hundreds of French horses
slaughtered at Malta, and hundreds more were
thrown overboard on the passage from Marseilles or
Toulon; that in some of the small sailing transports
not more than ten per cent. of the French horses
were saved. As soon as they got to sea they became
sick, a constant watering from the nose ensued, the
poor animals lost their stamina, and gradually sunk
into a state of debility, from which they never rallied.
Many cases of the kind occurred on board the British
transports, but the fittings and conveniences for the
horses were far superior, and the animals having in
general good constitutions, with the exception of •
very few, they all quickly recovered.

THE FLEETS.
The latest accounts from the Black Sea contain
no other intelligence than that on tho 3rd inst. the
combined fleets were at Baltschik, and the Turkish
squadron at Kavarna. The blockade of the Black
Sea was officially announced by Admiral Dundas on
the lstof June. Admiral Lyons had rejoined the fleet
at Baltschik from a cruise on the Circassian coast.

A number of Russian prisoners, exceeding 300,
having been taken by the ships of the Black Sea
fleet, Admiral Dundas made proposals for an ex-
change, hoping thus to obtain liberation for the crew
of the Tiger. The last advices state that the demand,
which was addressed to General Osten•Sacken, bad
been referred to St. Petersburg and rejected, notwith-
standing the favourable report made by the general
himself.

From the Baltic fleet our last news are of the Rth
inst., communicated by a despatch from Stockholm.
Sir C. Napier had arrived on the 4th in the Bay of
Poskala, three miles south-west of Sveaborg. From
the lighthouse a part of the Russian fleet, composed
of ten line-of battle ships, was perceived, sheltered by
the fortifications. Admiral Corry was with his division
before Hango Head.
From Lubeck we hear by a despatch of the 14th
inst. :

" Admiral Plumridge has been punishing the Russians.
He hss destroyed their dockyards at Uleaborg and
Brahestad, burning 10,000 barrels of tar at one place, and
18000 at another. He has also taken several of the gun-
boats which had been prepared to oppose the English fleet.
Uleaborg and Brahestad are not far distant from each other
in Finland, on the upper part of the Gulf of Bothnia.
ti eaborg is nest to Abo, the chief commercial town of
Finland."