The Press.
London, England, 1854-07-08 00:00:00

SATURDAY,

THE WAR ON THE DANUBE.
All doubt as to the real character of the retrograde
movement of the Russians is now at an end. It is
simply an act of precaution against Austria, and an
attempt on the part of Russia to resist the intention
announced by that power of occupying the principa-
lities, and driving the Russians out of them if they
should resist. A letter from Bucharest, dated the
20th of June, and published in the Moniteur, leaves
no doubt of the fact. It shows that the Russians, in
abandoning their position on the right bank of the
Danube, and in front of Silistria, had very different
intentions from those of evacuating the principalities.
If their intentions had been to obey the summons of
Austria, they would have taken the direction of Reni,
on the frontiers of Bessarabia, or of Fokschani, in
Moldavia, which are the great routes towards their
own dominions. But, in place of adopting either of
these courses, they have gone in the direction of
Urzitseni, to the north-west of Silistria, from which
place they are to proceed to Floreschti, which is still
further in the same direction, and ultimately to ad-
vance to Kimpina, on the borders of Transylvania,
through which the great road to Kronstad, the Tran-
sylvanian capital, passes. The town of Kimpina
commands the defile through which is the principal
means .of communication between Transylvania and
Wallachia, from which it may be concluded that the
Austrians will not occupy the principalities without
opposition.
This representation of the event is somewhat dis-
countenanced by the Prussian Correspondence, which
announces from Bucharest, June 25, that M. de
Budberg, who had been appointed by the Czar to the
administration of the Danubian provinces, has de-
clared that the Russians were about to evacuate
Wallachia, and perhaps Moldavia, from motives of
strategy.
A Vienna despatch of Wednesday states that the
head quarters of Prince Gortschakoff were trans-
ferred on the Ist to Urzitseni. The Russians have
undermined all the roads &mu Moldavia to Transyl-
vania.

The Vienna correspondent of the Cologne Gazette
writes :

" Official reports have just arrived here from the Russian
army of the Danube, according to which discipline is en-
tirely broken up. As every retreat before a victor acts
fatally on the morale of the vanquished, so in this case dis-
cipline, order, and obedience to authority have ceased, the
soldiers roam about in gangs, robbing and plundering,
harkening no longer to the word of command, shootiug
their own officers if they attempt to enforee subordination,
and the scene of all this is pour Wallachia, already ex-
hausted by Russian exactions. Prince Paskiewitsch only
left the Danube because nothing more could be done with
this army. He made a full report to that effect to the
Czar, who is said to be upon the whole in so excited a
mood that not a soul ventures to whisper even a breath
about peace to him."
According to the Russian muster-rolls there were
75,000 men concentrated at Silistria on the 19th
of May. On the 21st of June 40,000 men had
recrossed the Danube, on the 22nd 15,000 more were
' about to quit the Bulgarian bank of the river, 3,000
men were on one of the Danubian islands, and 5,000
sick had been transported to the hospitals. As the
total number is but 03,000 men, it must be supposed
that the Russians have suffered the enormous loss of
12,000 men.
Three Russian transports laden with ammunition
were lost while going down the Danube towards Oalatz.
The crews were saved. Seventeen steamers, with
Austrian troops on board, bad gone down the river
from Orsova on the 2nd inst.

In Asia, according to a despatch from Vienna, the
Russian General Andronikoff has been completely
efeated. The army of Asia has been totally dis-
persed by Selim Pacha, who captured thirteen guns,
several stand of colours, and the materiel of three
camps.
The Independance Belge publishes an account, dated
also from Vienna, completely reversing this statement,
and declaring that the Russian General Andronikoff
had beaten the Turkish army, 34,000 strong, com-
manded by Selim Pacha. The conquerors, it is
added, captured thirteen field-pieces, thirty-five
flags, three camps, and entirely dispersed the Turk-
ish army corps.