The Press.
London, England, 1856-01-26 00:00:00

AN ATTACK UPON KERTCH.

We are hourly in expectation of an attack being made
on this place ; the vanguard of a Russian army have driven
in our outposts tu-day, and are encamped only ten miles
ontside the town—we can see them plainly from the hills.
What leads na to suspect that en attack is intended is, that
last evening General Vivian captured a spy, who asserted
that an army of 1.3,001) men were in motion towards this
place, from Arabat ; and this morning the general has re-
ceived a despatch from General Sir William Codrington,
stating that about 13010 Russians were advancing on us
from Sebastopol ; but also adds that a French army is
in the rear. We suppose the men we see—about
5,001) are the advanced guard of the army frum Sebas-
topol, and, as you may imagine, we are in a state of great
excitement.—Private Letter, Dec. 31.

We are fairly locked in here now. A herd of elephants
could promenade on the ice iu the bay, and the strongest
parts of the current in the straits are now covered. But
here it forms and breaks up. A longer continuance of
frost will envble us to cross. Report has it that General
Wrangel has been reinforced to a considerable extent at
Arabat ; but whether with the intention of coming on here
or crossing the bay is not known. The Tartars have it
that he comes on here with 50,0 I) 0 men, and his brother
awaits the formation of the ice to cross with 20,000 more.
They will both get a warm reception when they do come.
Powerful batteries have been placed on the commanding
heights and on the seaboard, and the Turkish soldier has
proved that he will not yield without a severe struggle. A
deep fosse has been dug, and a parapet twelve feet high
has been raised all round the town of Km tch and the de-
tencea of St. Paill'a and Yenikale, within which the troops
are all comfortably hutted. Except in the article of fuel
there is a good stock of everything, and were the ice to
break up at St. Paul's to enable ships to approach, the
force would want for nothing.--Ibid., Dec. 211.

Sir W. Codrington has published a general after-
order, calling the attention of the army to the heroic
exertions of Miss Nightingale, and asking for the
voluntary contribution of one day's pay from men and
officers, as a contribution to the fund proposed to be
raised by the central committee in London :

Last year (says General Codtington, in his order of the
day ), instead of the Christmas we have now passed in
abundance, in health, and in strength, we bad difficulties,
we had sickness, we had sad mortality. It was during
these days of trial that our wounded hand our suffering
comrades were helped by the exertions and the devoted
earnestness of Miss Nightingale and the ladies who ac-
companied her.
All must have heard, many of this army must have then
seen, have known, have benefited by, their kindness and
care in our hospitals; for they flinched not from their high
duty in the midst of sufferings difficult to be relieved, and
of pain impossible to prevent.
It is to do honour to such disinterested good that we are
asked to assist ; and the money will be devoted to the con-
tinuance of these benefits to others, by which we ourselves
have well profited.

77

COUNT BUOL'S "INSTRUCTIONS."

As a precis of this important despatch, addressed by
Count Buol to Count Esterhazy upon his departure
for St. Petersburg, was all we had space for last
week, we now print the document in full, feeling con •
tident that its State importance at the present stage
of the negotiations will be held as sufficient excuse :

Vienna, Dec. 16, NM.

The words which your Excellency has had the honour
to hear from the mouth of the Emperor himself, our august
master, must have convinced you anew of the intentions
which have invariably guided the policy of his Majesty in
the different phases of the struggle which weighs so heavily
upon Europe. Always faithful to those same principles,
the Emperor would have deemed it a deficiency on his part
towards his own people and towards Europe to let the pre-
sent moment pass, when a superior power bide a truce to
the combatants, without attempting a supreme effort to
open uew paths to a peace, which presents itself as the
most urgent want of Europe.

Convinced, on the one hand, of the so•often reiterated
declarations of the Emperor Alexander of his readiness to
lend his hand to any peace that would not infringe upon
his dignity or upon the honour of his country, his
Imperial Majesty felt himself called upon to employ his
best efforts to assure himself of the degree of reciprocity
that those dispositions might meet with at the Courts of
France and Great Britain. His Majesty therefore
deigned to charge me to sound the Cabinets of Paris and
London on the subject. Although we found them
imbued with the firm resolution not to lend them-
selves to the initiative of any overtures for peace, never-
theless, to our great satisfaction, we found such disposi-
tions in those Cabinets as to lead us to hope that they
would not refuse to examine and accept conditions of a
nature to oiler all the guarantees of a permanent peace, and
to come to a clear solution of the question which gave rise
to the war.

Nay, more; we think ourselves authorised to express
the hope that those powers, while maintaining in full force
the right of presenting such conditions of peace as they
might deem suitable, would not the less be disposed to-day
not to deviate from the principle established at the com-
mencement of the struggle not to seek any advantage to
themselves, and to limit their pretensions to the sacrifices
necessary to reassure Europe against the return of so de-
plorable a complication.

Encouraged by these indications, the Imperial Cabinet
did not shrink from the task of making itself conscien-
tiously acquainted with the situation of the moment, and
to formulate a basis upon which, in its opinion, the
edifice of a solid peace might rest. The four points
already accepted by Russia appeared to us still to be the
best ground to go upon. To assure the work of peace,
however, and to avoid especially the reefs upon which the
last conferences were shipwrecked, we deemed it indis-
pensable to develop the four points (prisicipes) in such
guise as to make them conformable to the general interests
of Europe, and to facilitate the lival arrangement by a more
precise definition.
The fruit of that labour is in the annexed document,*
which, when accepted by the belligerent powers, will ac-
quire the value of preliminaries of peace. The signing of
these preliminaries would be immediately followed by a
general armistice and by final negotiations.
This labour having been honoured by the approbation
of his Majesty the Emperor, you are charged, M. le Comte,
to present it for acceptance to the Court of Russia, and to
urge it most pressingly to consider its contents, and to let
us know its determination, to which we attach the highest
importance, as soon as possible. If, as we hope, our pro-
positions should be favorably received, we shall lose no
time in warmly recommending their acceptance to the
Courts of Paris and London, expressing the confidence
which animates us that they will not exercise the right of
presenting eventually to the negotiations special condi-
tions, except in a European interest, and in such measure
as not to offer serious obstacles to the re-establishment of
peace.
We entreat the Court of Russia to examine calmly the
propositions which we submit to it. We will not dwell
upon the grave consequences which would ensue from a
refusal to enter into the paths which we open a second time
to effect an honourable reconciliation, a refusal which would
entail upon itself the weight of an immense responsibility.
We prefer leaving it to its wisdom to estimate all the
chances.
We think that we are in this instance the interpreter of
the wishes and of the real wants of Europe. It remains for
us to make au appeal to the elevated sentiments of the
Emperor Aelxander, whose supreme determination will de
tide the fate of so many thousands of existences.
His Imperial Majesty will take, we entertain the confi-
dent hope, that th..-cishn which appears to us alone of a
nature to respond to the real interests of his people and to
the wants of humanity.-1 am, &c.,
COUNT BUOL.
• The Propositions.

GENERAL KMETY is about to leave Constantinople
in order to assume an important command at E ze-
roum, with General Colman as his chief of the staff
at the same place. General Guyon is also to have a
command in the army of Asia.

78

(I or ti g n derrespoithatt.

FRANKFORT, Jan. 22.
WHATEVER may have been said by continental jour-
nals in the service of Austria, Prussia, and Germany,
as to the exalted attitude and prepotent ability of
those countries to insist on peace, is a miserable
falsehood palpable to all. It is a fact that they have
had nothing to do in the matter beyond urging
Russia in an unseemly tone to concede the terms de-
manded by the allies, be they what they might. The
vast treasures lavished by the Court of St. Peters-
burg in Germanic corruption have been in vain.
When the hour of danger arrived, really and truly,
the petty kings and princes were found wanting, in-
capable of resistance, and not disposed to risk any
danger for the sake of Russia. Yet they had re-
ceived the thirty pieces of silver, and had sworn
to betray Europe. Prussia and Germany have
been actuated by a dread of consequences, from the
fear of French armies, and of the naval and gigantic
armaments of England.

The Cabinet of Vienna waited the course of events
under conflicting engagements with all parties. The
fall of Sebastopol was embarrassing—Austrian rela-
tions with Russia immediately chilled, and on the
taking of Kinburn became thoroughly frozen.
Success on the part of the allies being no longer
conjectural, the Cabinet of Vienna drew up proposi-
tions, sanctioned by England and France, but with-
out direct participation as initiative, and sent them
by the Minister, Count Esterhazy, to St. Petersburg.
Austria now maintains to have kept faith with Russia
by a declaration to the allies that she would not
take the field in their favour during the present year
1856 ; and, on the other hand, that her observance
of the December treaty has been faithful by the
menace of suspended relations with St. Petersburg.
The Vienna propositions were submitted for the
approval of England and France, wherein the cession
of territory occupied by the allied troops was to be
bartered for a portion of Bessarabia, comprising the
entire course of the river Pruth, by which Russia
would be deprived of access to the Danube, and
cease to be a "riverain " power. The delta of the
Danube and the northern fortresses were also to be

relinquished. The neutralisation of the Black Sea, the
Christian protectorate, and the question of the princi •
palities, with additional provisions, were recapitulated
as of old. These stipulations were pro Canto satisLc-
tory to E ngland and France ; hut, without entering into
precise explanation with Austria, they added a" rider,"
in the shape of a firth clause, empowering them to
add such further conditions as they (the allies)
might judge to be necessary for the general safety
and interest of Europe.
It must be added that Russia had requested for
Prussia to be permitted a voice in the conferences
for peace, to which England and France sent a
peremptory negative.
Prussia from the beginning was hostilely neutral,
ostentatiously avowed sympathy for Russia, and
declined interference. The King sent special envoys
to England and France, who returned from their
mission without honour or profit. Prussia was re-
fused a place at the Conference of Vienna. The
anger and abuse of France by her Ministers b, came
rabid, and increased in proportion to the mischances
of Russia. When the climax approached, the Prus-
sian troops were told at Coblentz to prepare for action.
Against whom? That has been officially and
Ministerially answered by M. de Gerlach. Before
the last Austrian ultimatum was despatched to St.
Petersburg, Prussia was solicited to be a consenting
party, under the caution that a refusal on her part
would deprive her of having a voice in the subsequent
discussions for aEu opean peace. Prussia peremp-
torily declined, and thereby has forfeited her place in
the forthcoming council of nations. Her loss is that
of station and character.

The lesser kingdoms and principalities of Germany
have been deceitful from the first. In the word they
have been perseveringly vituperative of the allies ;
and the assertion of M. de Pfordten that Bavaria has
been the chief instrument in bringing about a pacific
result, is only to be met with derision. The princi •
palities can be considered but as bales of political
merchandise, ticketed with the name of the last
purchaser. They have this difference with bales of
ordinary merchandise—that they are not worth the
purchase-money. In one word, Russia has been
betrayed by her friends; but she may rely on the
word and faith of the allies, as they on their side
are prepared to give full value to her engagements.
J. E. L.

THE PRESS.

3artign anb (colonial initiligente.

FRANCE.

The prospects of peace seem generally admittesl by
the French papers to be highly favorable. The
Steele alone maintains that the objects of the war
have not yet been attained, and that the problem of
" European equilibrium " has yet to be resolved.
The news of the acceptance by Russia of the Aus-
trian proposals had created an immense sensation
throughout France. "Everywhere," says the Debats,
"it was hailed with universal satisfaction." Although
during the week no new fact relative to any further
advance in the progress of the peace negotiations
has been elicited, the usual amount of rumour, state-
ment, and counter-statement, has appeared in the
French papers. The general opinion of the French
press is that an armistice will be agreed to, and a
conference decided on either at Dresden or Paris, as
soon as the Austrian proposals are signed by the
contracting powers. The question of Prussia's ad-
mission to the conference is vehemently opposed by
the Siicle, though not much regarded by the other
pal e.'s.
'l'llo French Government has issued orders to pro-
visionally suspend the exportation of munitions of
war to the East.

The Council of War has terminated its labours,
and was broken up at the commencement of the
week. The report, of the subj3cts considered during
its sittings are held under seal by the two Go-
vernments.

A great ceremony took place at the British Em-
bassy on Wednesday, when General Bosquet and
several French officers were invested with the Order
of the Bath by Lord Cowley.

AUSTRIA.

Nothing has transpired relative to the contents of
the autograph letter of the Czar to the Emperor, de-
livered by Cou_it Stackelberg on the 18th. Prince
Gortschakoff had received a copy of the protocol
signed by Count Nesselrode and Count Esterhazy,
recording the acceptance by Russia of the Austrian
proposals.
The German papers were unanimous in their
belief that peace would shortly be concluded. At
Vienna the proposals were thought to permit the
maintenance of Nicolaieff, and also of the Russian
forts on the Circassian coast.
The official intercourse between Prince Gortscha-
koff and the Ambassadors of France and England is
reported to have recommenced on the 18th, after
Count Stackelberg's interview with the Emperor.