The Express.
London, England, 1863-12-11 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY. EVEIONG, DECEMBER 'll, 1863.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTHERN RUS&A.

RUSSIAN PREPARATIONS FOR WAR.

The Levant Herald, of the 2nd, contains a valu-
able letter from Odessa, dated the 28th ult., in
which we read :

The expect of affairs here is gloomy in the extreme. The
number of arrests daily taking place of persons suspected
either of direct connexion, or sympathy, with the Poles,
has attained a startling proportion,neither sax being spared ;
and we have now to deplore the lose of some hundreds of
respectable people who are dragging their heavy way to the
steppes of Siberia. Within the past week the arrests have
been largely augmented, and it almost appears to be the
determination of the authorities to spare no one who has
the misfortune even to possess a Polish name.
The accounts we have received, not merely from the inte-
rior but the littoral of the Black Sea, appear to portend
nothing but the most active preparations for war, and there
is no concealment made either in carrying these out, or in
giving expression to the warlike anticipations entertained
on all sides. The fortifications at Kart& are on • seals of
far greater magnitude than persona who have not seen, cc
beard some details of them, have any idea of. It is even
snorted that the works at Sebastopol were much inferior
in strength and weight of metal to those which are now
said to render Kertch impregnable to any attack which
may be Leeched against it. But there are other points
where the din of busy preparation is heard. At Nico-
laieff, • large number of hoods have been busy night and
day in the constructioa of light mat and the fitting
out of others suitable for traosport. la tact, Ramie doss
not attempt to have what is termed • naval armament for
the Black Sea, the long list of vessels whose names and
number of guns have already been published being actually
intended for the mere conveyance of troops ; and the newly
constructed vessels, although armed with heavy metal, are
of so small •claw that they will be of little avail as troop
ships. But with all this vaunted preparation, and arum-
Mg that the work is carried on with the utmost vigour till
an advanced period of the spring—the time when we are
told harem' may expect hostilities to commence—the utmost
number of disposable steamers of all sines will not amount
to 70, and these will not be capable of carrying a larger
force than, at the utmost 45,000 men, with stores.
Under these circumstances, we may expect that it is
not probable Ramis will attempt any aggressive move-
ment by land. The Ruskin themselves are under
the impression that they will again h►ve to act on the
defensive, and that they will sustain the first attack at
Kertch; hence the immense armaments now being raised
there. The approaches to Nicolaieff are commanded
by • series of earthworks, for which a large number of
rifled guns of the l►rgest calibre have recently arrived,
and further supplies are known to be on the read. At
various points of the coasts, works of great magnitude have
been formed and several parties of engineers employed in
tracing out fresh lines. Although some time linos our pr-
neon was considerably reduced, by the drafts required for
the army in Poland and the Caucasus, we have received
strong reinforcements sad large soavoys of stoma.

(itzurres ritanAms.)
DENMARK.

WITHDRAWAL OF SWEDEN FROM THE
DANISH ALLIANCE.
COPENHAGEN, Dm 1L
Sweden has withdrawn from the alliance with
Denmark.

The reason put forward, according to the Dag-
teladet, is that, as the quarrel now pending between
Denmark and Germany concerns the London
Treaty of 1852, Sweden cannot separate herself
from the other powers who signed the treaty.

WURTEMBERG.
THE HOLSTEIN SUCCESSION.
STUTTGART, Die. 11.

At the sitting of the Chamber of Deputies yes-
terday evening it was unanimously resolved
to forward an address to the government,
requesting it to propose in the Fede-
ral Diet the immediate occupation of Schles-
wig, and the dismissal of the Federal contingent
of Holstein and Lauenburg troops to their
homes. The address is also to include a
I request for the proximate recognition of Duke
1 Frederick's right of succession, and that the go-
vernment will advocate such recognition by the
Federal Diet by every means in its power.
An additional motion by Herr Seegers for a
solemn protest against the maintenance of the
London protocol was carried by 78 to 3.

SPAIN.
MADRID, Dec. 10, &Ennio.
The Gazette publishes a decree organising the
financial administration of the Antilles.

Disunion prevails among the members of the
opposition, and the position of the ministry has
been thereby strengthened.

AMERICA.
SOUTHAMPTON, Die. 11.

The Hamburg and American Company's steamer
Teuton* from New York on the 29th ult., has
arrived off Cowes.

She brings 46 passengers, 21,450 dole. in specie
for England, 11,901 dole. for France, and 1,030
dole. for Hamburg.
Her news ban been anticipated.