The Press.
London, England, 1854-06-10 00:00:00

THE PLANTAIN FIBRE

A NEW material for manufacture, and a new source of
wealth to some of our West Indian colonies, would
appear to be on the eve of development. At all
events, the possibility of use and profit exists in
abundance, and waits only for the proper appl►cation
of skill and capital to convert it into an actuality.
The material is the plantain fibre. In a recent
discussion in the Court of Policy of British Guiana,
one of the members, M. Van Netcher, referred to
this material as being of extreme importance, and
holding out a splendid promise of return. He said :
" Here was an article much wasted, and which would
be wasted for a century unless the Legislature
brought it forward. It wag well known that it had
taken nearly two centuries to bring sugar making to
what it was now, and the idea of making flax from
the plantain fibre was new. It was not a perishable
article. It would not sour like cane. The colony
was losing from 30,000 to 40,000 tons every year.
From his own estate of 500 acres a ton and a half of
that valuable material was lost every day." At an
anti-slavery meeting held lately in London, samples
of cord made from the plantain and Spanish dagger
fibre by a fugitive slave were exhibited to gentlemen
on the platform, and greatly admired by Sir Edward
Buxton, Messrs. Alexander, Joseph Sturge, Chame-
rovzow, and other persons. Measures, it is stated,
are being taken for forming industrial schools in all
the West India islands, in which these fibres may be
fitted for market. There is a possibility that, within
a few years, they will be substituted for Russian
hemp and slave-grown cotton, and the short fibres
used for paper. The colony of British Guiana ()tiers
1,0001. for the first introducer of machinery which
will prepare 100 tons of clean fibre for market.

THE PRESENCE. OF LARGE FIELD 3 OF IcE in the
Atlantic (luring the month of May has been shown by
the narratives of many passengers in the steamers
bound to or from the United States, and may explain
the disappearance of the City of Glasgow steamer as
well as of other vessels whose loss is now little short
of certain. The latest accounts of these icefields is
given by a passenger in the American liner which
left Liverpool on May . 13 and reached Boston on
the 26th :—On Saturday, May 20th, he says, when in
lat. 49.42, and long. 44 30, they sighted a mountain
of ice, about five miles distant, and for the next five-
and-twenty hours there was a deadly chill, as it may
he said the ship was traversing an unknown sea in a
hazy mist studded with moving islands of ice, so
many as five having been visible at one time. They
were of various shapes and sizes, but may not inaptly
be compared to large hayricks after a snowstorm.
Next day the ship ran close past an immense iceberg,
which wow aground on the edge of the bank of New-
foundland ; there was a cave formed in the centre of
it, and the sea around was covered with floating ice.
It is said that the oldest voyager has never before
seen the same quantity of ice so far south at so late a
season of the year.
THE Paris Siècle states that reports were current
in Constantinople of Lord Stratford de Redcliffe's
recal. but attributes it entirely to the state of his
health, and adds that the new English Ambassador
will be General Rose, better known as Colonel Rose,
who was the first to fathom the real object of Prince
hienschikors mission.

TII EF VAR.

r ARMIES.
The chiefs of allied armies, Marshal St.
Arnaud and Lord Raglan, with the Capitan Pacha,
returned from Vara. to Constantinople on the 29rd
ult. It is now stated that Omer Pacha could not
meet them as had been announced at Varna, but
that the three generals proceeded to Schumla, where
the council of war was held. Immediately on
their return active preparations were commenced for
an onward movement of the troops, both British and
French. The first detachments of the former left
on the 20th, consisting of a division of the Rifts;
with 7,000 men of the 7th, 23rd, 33rd, 77th, and 88th
Regiments, under General Sir •G. Brown. These
proceeded in transports to 'yards. Other divisions
were to•follow quickly. In the whole 23,000 English
boldiers were expected to be embarked and en route
by this day, the 10th June.
The French are not less alert. On the day after
reaching Constantinople (the 24th ult.) 51srshal St.
Arnaud left for Gallipoli to hasten the preparations
for departure. Prince Napoleon had already gone to
the camp, and his division left Gallipoli on the 26th
of May, under orders to proceed to Constantinople
by easy marches overland. The troops were ex-
pected to reach that capital by the sth instant, and
would then embark in transports for Varna. The
brigade of French cavalry, under General d'Allouville,
the military equipments, the train of artillery, and
the medical stores, were to take the route by
Adrianople towards the Balkans. They will not be
able to join the rest of the army before the 15th or
20th of June.
The small contingent of British artillery that had
reached Scutari was shipped on board transports at
four different wharves, and on the 17th ult. sent on
to Varna. The barracks at Scutari hitherto occupied
by tke British troops were to be entirely evacuated
upset their departure. Meanwhile it was stated that
000 French soldiers would be left by way of garri-
or in Constantinople.
immediate destination of the combined forces
is a place about twenty miles from Varna, on the road
to Silistria, and near a small lake. Their first ob-
ject, of course, will be the relief of Silistria. The
plan of campaign arranged at the council of war be.
tween the leaders is of course carefully kept secret ;
but it is believed that Marshal St. Arnaud will
detach 24,000 French, 15,000 English, and 30,000
Ottomans of Omer Pacha's army, for that service.
35,000 Russians, it is said, are on the right bank of
the Danube, employed in investing Silistria.
These 35,000 will be placed between two fires, and
will, it is hoped, be driven into the Danube, or made
prisoners. At all events, an important battle will be
soon fought near Silistria, which cannot but produce
a considerable effect on the campaign. The fleet in
the meantime will cruise off the coast, to have an eye
on Sebastopol, and prevent the possibility of any
succour by sea, and also to be ready, in case of need,
to promote the success of the operations. Although
the combined armies are very weak in artillery it is
expected that the Russian batteries will be effectually
silenced by aid of the Minie rifles in the hands of the
Chasseurs de Vincennes.

Marshal de St. Arnaud is said to have expressed a
very high opinion of the military talents of Omer
Pacha, both as a tactician and as a strategist.
It is believed that Marshal de St. Arnaud, in his
last despatches, makes an urgent appeal to the
French Government for an additional reinforcement
of troops. The number he demands is 50,000 men.
Preparations are going on in France with extraordi-
nary activity, evincing that the Government is not
only aware of the seriousness of the struggle in which
it is engaged, but it is determined to bring it as
speedily as possible to a termination, by not stinting
the supplies of men or arms.

Lord Cardigan arrived at Constantinople on the
29th ult.

10,000 cavalry sabres have been taken out of the
stores in the Tower of London, and sent to the Go.
vernment works at Enfield to be ground, previous to
being forwarded to Constantinople to arm the same
number of Turkish cavalry soldiers.

The Queen's birthday was celebrated in a right
loyal manner by the regiments at Scutari. There
was a review in the morning, and the afternoon was
devoted to English sports—such as those of the
Camp at Chobham—to the no small diversion of
crowds of Turks, Armenians, Greeks, &c., who for
the first time in their lives saw the game of jumping
in sacks, although the sack has been long used by
Turks for a far more serious purpose. A consider.
able number of Turkish and Armenian ladies were
present in their carriages, who enjoyed beyond mea-
sure the tumbling of the men in the sacks. The
Guards erected a column in the centre of their en-
campment, which was decorated very gaily, and in