The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-09 00:00:00

Tflg BALTIC.

- -
The destruction of the Bomarsund forts has been
now accomplished. The chief fort was blown up on
Saturday last, and the subsequent conflagration,
which is said to have lasted two days and nights, was
visible thirty miles off. The French land forces,
after losing several hundred men by cholera, em..
barked shortly afterwards on their return home.
Marshal Baraguay d'Hilliers and General Niel,
with their staff, arrived at Dantzic in the French
steamer Fulton, Captain Lebrin, on Wednesday
night, on their way to Paris. The last of the French
troops left Aland for Europe on Sunday.
The following proclamation was issued to the in-
habitants of the Aland Islands, and read in all the
churches on Sunday week :
We, the undersigned commanders.in-chief of the combined
naval and laud forces, horeby authorise the authorities of these
islands to continue in the adminisuution of their respective du-
ties, sod we rely ou their doing so with zeal and circumspection.
In times of tumult and war it devolves upon every well-dis-
posed citizen to do his utmost In maintaining order and peace ;
the lower classes must not be led away with the belief that no
law or order exists, for these will be enforced with as much ri-
gour as heretofore.
since the late events, which have changed the aspect of these
islands, the blockade has been raised, and the public are informed
that they are at liberty to trade with Sweden on the-same condi-
tions and privileges as heretofore.
Each and every one is cautioned against holding any commu-
nication or intercourse with the enemy or Finland, and if any
one is found aiding them in any way he will In punished most
severely.
Given under our bands, &c.,
HARM:II3AT 'MILLIE Its.
CHARLES NAPIER.
PARSZVAL DXSCIIENICkI.
HARRY 1). Jorst:a.

Some Danish journals reported that Abo had been
bombarded by tour British ships, and that the inha-
bitants were panic3tricken, expecting a land attack.
Despatches since received from Admiral Napier,
however, acquaint us that the cannonade was merely
experimental, being designed by Captain Scott, who
commanded a small reconnoitring squadron, to dis
cover the existence and strength of masked batteries
in the woods surrounding the fortifications at Abo.
Captain Scott says, in his letter on the subject, which
bears date Aug. 25 :
" On Tuesday, the 22nd, we made our way in safety
into the comparatively main open track to Abo, beyond
Bergham. Raving approached to within 3,000 yards, the
Alban stood in to sound. The entrance of the harbour was
closed by two impediments : the one in front appeared to
be a chain laid on a floating platform, the other of stakes
and booms, between which the gun-boats were stationed
at regular intervals, and the steam-vessels (four in num-
ber) were under the shelter of the points. About four p.m.
the Alban fired the first shell, which burst over one of the
gun-boats. I then commenced firing, and was followed at
intervals by Gorgon and Driver, but with little or no effect
that we could discover, except that of fully answering my
purpose in drawing a return from the masked batteries
and gun-boats. Only one of the former at the end of the
boom mounted a gun or guns of large calibre and long
range, but which was concealed from our view by a point
of land. The others, three in number, about one mile to
the west of the boom, as far as we could judge, did not in
any one case mount more than five or less than three
small guns. A fort, of apparently eight or nine large guns,
at a distance, constructed to enfilade both passages, tired
repeatedly, but the shot invariably fell very short. As my
object was not to attack Abo, but to examine its defences,
I contented myself with firing a shot occasionally at the
gun-boats, or whatever looked like a masked battery. In
the meantime Commander Otter, in the must zealous and
gallant manner, after going as close as it was prudent iu
the Alban, pulled in with his gig, sounding just vetthin
range of the gun-boats and batteries, which were all the
time keeping up a constant fire. The sum of the obser-
vation I have been able to obtain amounts to this—seven-
teen row-boats, two guns each, and about twenty oars on
each side, four steam-vessels (all small), two having the
flag with cross anchors in it, and another was observed
steaming away through the channel to the eastward of
Beckholm. Three (if not four) masked batteries, and
another, I think, in course of construction. The channel
appears to be very narrow, and the thick woods were evi-
dently full of soldiers. We learnt that our arrival had
been anticipated, and that four thousand additional troops
had been sent on the previous day, and five thousand more
were expected to arrive on the following day; that there
were six steamers, five small and one large (the hater we
did not see), and eighteen boats and two guns, and eighty
men, besides soldiers in each."
THE PRINCIPALITIES.

The total evacuation of the Danubian provinces of
Turkey by the Russian forces appears at length to
be on the eve of completion.
The Russian Embassy at Vienna has received
notice that the greater part of the Russian army will
have quitted Moldavia by the 20th of September, and
the remainder by the beginning of October, unless
hostile operations should render a fresh concentra
Lion necessary. A letter front Jassy states that
Prince Gortschakofts head quarters would be trans-
ferred from that city to some point within the Rus-
sian territory by the 2nd inst. Osten-Sacken bad
announced to the Moldavian authorities his retreat
from the principality. The Moldavian militia had
been forcibly incorporated into the Russian troops.
This had caused great indignation among the people.
The letters from Bucharest teem with praises of
Omer Pacha, and represent the conduct of the
Turkish soldiers as most orderly and praiteworthy.