The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-20 00:00:00

DIPLOMATIC EXPENSES.

TO Till lIDITOR OP TNT EXPEtilil.
811,—I cannot but call your attention to the
waste of the public money in the following : —This day the
Vivid, government steamer, rime from Maitland with Lady
Westmoreland, at an expense to the country, both coming
sad returning, of 401.—another steamer, the Princess Maude,
arriving end returning at the same period, by which Lady
W. might have come for Ss. Such a wasteful expenditure
la laughed at by the good people here.—l am, te.,
Caleb, Sept. 18. ♦ VISITOR.

ebe Oxoreoll.

I.J
evertleesseets Wendel fee "The logeste," Lades 11yeehes pater,
atm: be et the Moe, 10, lloover by Ten Abet ea dr
dee of pubLkitloa.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Ti.o DAT—Moreisi, IL !Its. Attaraocs. 7h.
111Daroasow—Yomag. IL eM........kftitTOSOO, 9h. SIR.

LONDON, THUE3D4Y, SEPTEMBER 20.

THE sows from Vienne, of the retreat of the Rus-
sians in the Crimea upon Perekop, which we published
yesterday, remains unconfirmed up to the hour at
which we write. The Vienna telegraph has got into
disrepute on account of the number of canards which
it has been the means of putting in circulation since
the commencement of hostilities. And, in addition to

this consideration, the strong batteries and breast-
works recently thrown up by the Russians at Sebas-
topol indicate anything rather than an intention on
their pert to nuke such a precipitate retreat. We
lay tittle stress, indeed, upon the circumstance of no
accounts of this movement having been received at our
own War office. If Prince OORTCHAKOFF has it in
contemplation to evacuate the Peninsula, he wills
begin by mcving off those troops which are most
withdrawn from the observation of the Allies; he will,
in or ier to keep up appearaooss and prevent pursuit,
maintain a strong body in front as long as possible.
A considerable proportion of the Russian forces will
be withdrawn before Marshal PELINIEIII and General
StaersoN can become aware of it. There would,
therefore, be nothing surprising in our hearing of
this retreat from Ragan sources before net
own G3vernment had learned anything of it.
TllO news, though unexpected, may be true. It
may have been the intention of Prince Overeat-
Eon' to make an obstinate stand in North Sebasto-
pol ; and yet he may have been obliged to relin-
quish this intention by discovering that provisions
were beginning to run short, or that his army wee
too much demoralised by recent disasters to be relied
upon. Until we shall be in possession of more de-
tailed information, proceeding from a more trust-
worthy source, it would be equally rash to con-
clods that the news of the Russian retreat is true,
or that it is untrue. But it is difficult to abstain from
conjecture 'as to what wiil be the coarse
adopted by the Allies if the Russians are
really falling back upon Perekop. General
PELISSIEeS statement, that they were prepar-
ing to occupy the town of Sebastopol, sad to
appoint a Cue:dation to ascertain the amount and
valise of the stores abandoned by the enemy, with a
view to an equitable division of them, does not look
like an intention of promptly following up the advan-
tage gained. There is little likelihood therefore, if the
Russians are already in full retreat upon Perekop, that
the Allies will be prepared to intercept their march.
Perekop, though before the war its defences had
been allowed to go to ruin, has since it commenced—
we have gocd reason to believe—been strengthened

by earthworks after the fashion of Sebastopol. The'
extreme shallowness of the water on either side of the
isthmus wilt render it difficult to bring up
a siege train of sufficient strength to destroy
these defences. During the autumnal months
the country round Perekop is one of the most pesti-
lential and unhealthy in the world. If the Russians,
are able to entrench themselves there, the Allied
Generals may be excused for hesitating to undertake
a regular siege of the place. Bat from Perekop the
only practicable route by which the army occupying
it can uceive supplies from Russia, or retreat if ne-
cessary, is over Kberson, and by the way of Odessa,
in the direction of Bessarabia. Masters of the sea,
the Album might isolate the troops under
Prince GOITCHAKOFP, and cut off their re-
treat, by the capture of Odessa, and the
occupation of the line of the Lower Dnieper.
Such a movement, however, implies the
capture of Nicholaieff, which is said to be now
strongly fortified. The short period of the year
available for active military operations that now re-
mains is opposed to the immediate undertaking of so
holden enterprise. The probability therefore is, that
if the Russians are really retreating on Perekop, we
have heard of the last decisive action of the season
—have nothing to look for during the next
seven months but mutual observation and occa-
sional skirmishes between the contending forces.
Our opinion as to the danger of procrasti-
nation has been repeatedly expressed, and
it will not therefore be expected that we
should submit with a good grace to this
necessity. We are, indeed, aware that there are some
—end among those whose views are entitled to
deference—who consider that such delays are more
exhausting to Russia than defeats. Were no other
element to be taken into calculation than the amount
of Russian resources, and the best mode of wearing
them out, we ahculd have little to say against this
view ; but we cannot leave out of account the pre-
carious nature of Western politics. We are anxious
to see the Eastern difficulties well advanced towards
a settlement before any embarrusmente can arise
is the West. If we are doomed to witness another
winter of that hope deferred which maketh the heart
sick, our only confutation will be that the Western
Powers have entered upon a coarse at action from
which they cannot with homer, or indeed with
safety, recede—our only reliance, under PHOMUNCE,
upon the spirit of the people. The stet to of all true
Liberals ought to be, paersein s f Corthap—the
power of Russia must be curtailed.