The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-12 00:00:00

THE LOWER DANUBE.

BUCHAREST, Ayoub: at.

Within the last week large bodies of Russian troops
have arrived and taken up a position on the swampy
and unhealthy islands between the principat arms of
the Danube, and the shore batteries have been
inspected and put in a good state of defence. An-
other fact is, that the passable fords of the river are
attentively watched and strongly guarded. Perhaps
the object of these movements is defensive rather than
offensive.
Fresh disputes have arisen between the Haspodar
and Mr. Colquhoun, the British Consul-General, re-
specting the Wallaehian contingent of troops (35,000
men) to be furnished to the allied armies by order of
the Porte, and which has hitherto been left undone
under some plausible pretext or other. The Austrian
Consul-General, it must be confessed, does everything
in his power to supply the prince with good excuses
for the delay, and openly supports him in his opposi-
tion to the will of the Sultan.

TIIE ITALIAN VINTAGE.—The satisfactory appear-
&nes of the viasyards I. Ono provinces ief Asti and Aimee-
dria has lately Jul to a redactios of 30 per ant. is the pike
of wise, sad the grapes tliesaselree ere sold et a low priee.

Lient. A. C. Campbell, of the Boots iosilier
Claud% sadist ma of Archibald Campbell. Iso., of Blyths-
wend, at preens eerviag with his regiamat ie then
weamostaded ea the 228 d ultimo by a pima of shall which
Wreak Was I. the tom. The snood, we oadontaail, is sot
of s serious datelptioa, and his pasts haws had the math'.
baths of receiving a Inn from the ywiag °Diem written
by his own herd, aessoisg Mom that such is the saw
Lord Lrebigois has returned to Dromoland from
Itnisselr,:after a vied to his brother, Willful) Smith O'Brien,
I In'

DESPATCHES FROM REAR-ADMIRAL IL W.

BRUCE
(1101 C LAST NIGHT'S GAZYIII.)

THE DESTRUCTION OF PETROPAULOVSKI.
ADMIRALTY, SIPS. 10.

Despatches, of which the following are copies, have
been received from Roaradmind Brace, Commander-
in-Chief of her Majesty's ships and vessels on the
Pacific station :

President, at Petropan ovski, June 15.
Sir,-1 have to report, for the information of the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that arriving
found

off this port, on the 30th May, I _ the place corn.:
pletely evacuated ; not a ship, gun, or person to be
seen ; nothing but empty embrasures and deserted
houses.

2. I entered the inner harbour no the following
day in the Barracouta, accompanied by Captain
Penanroa, of the French frigate Alceate, when we
found three Americans (the only residents left), from
whom we learned that the Russian ships named in
the margin• were cut through the ice, and took their
departure, on the 17th (sth) April, with all the guns
and munitions of war, and all the soldiers and
government employes, 800 in umber 1 but of their
destination we could obtain no clue.

3. 1 reached the rendezvous, lat. 50 deg. N., lon.
160 deg. E., in my flag ship, on the 14th May, and
the Dido and Pique arrived the same day ; the En-
counter and Berracenta bad been there since the
14th April. Great credit is due to Captain O'Cal-
laghan and Commander Stirling for the melons exer-
tion b 7 which they effected this object; and their
lordships will remark the promptitude with which
they were despatched by Rear-Admiral Sir James
Stirling:
4. The French frigate Alosste and the Brisk were
in the vicinity of the rendezvous at the same time;
bat the prevalence of thick fogs and adverse weather
prevented my seeing the Bay of Aoootska before the
20th ult„ when, six of the ships being together, I
trusted to the prompt appearance of the seventh, and
accordingly proceeded to the port in tow of the Bar-
racouta, followed by the Alesete in tow of the Brisk.
The Dido, Pique, and Encounter arrived the same

evening. .
5. Commander Stirling, of her Majesty's steam
sloop Barracants, while separated from the squadron,
haring, during a break in the fog, looked into the
anchorage to see if it was there, took, with much
judgment, that opportunity of reconnoitring the har-
bour; and I was informed by him of the ships being
no longer in it.

6. The Amphitrite, from Honolulu, having met
me on the 11th inst., while I was in the act of follow-
ing the Russian ships into the Sea of Ochotsk, and
given me such information as to convince me that a
combined English and French force was already
there, instead of proceeding I despatched her Ma-
jesty's ships Pique and Buneouta on the 13th, and
Amphitrite on the 14th, to reinforce the squadron of
Sir James Stirling at the month of the Amoor. The
Encounter sailed on the 12th for Sir James Stirling's'
rendezvous at Haksdadi, in the Strait of Maternal, to
inform his Excellency of the movements of the other
ships, in case he should not have lett there. The
Amphitrite will rejoin my flag off Silks, so soon as
Captain Frederick finds her services are not required
in the Sea of Ochotsk.

8. Resuming the subject of Petropanlovski, I
would observe that the enemy must have worked in
an indefatigable manner after the departure of the
allied squadron last year, as we found 9 batteries for
54 guns had been constructed with much skill and
labour, by means of fasciae' strongly bound together,
25 test thick, staked and filled in with earth, and
some of them ditched round, with covered ways lead.
lug from one to the other, and trees planted in the
rear. Every. possible preparation had been made to
receive us prior to the orders arriving from St. Peters-
burg to evacuate the place.
9. I caused the batteries to be destroyed, but,
having met with no opposition on approaching Petro-
paulovaki, I considered it a point:of honour to respect
the town.
10. I found hidden in the Rakovia Harbour a fine
Russian whaler, of 400 tons, called the Aian, built at
Abo, in 1853. She would have Rafted from here three
weeks since for Aian, with the family of the governor
of the place, aod, among other articles of cargo, an
engine for a small steamer said to be there, but the
opportune arrival of some of the squadron off the
port prevented her leaving. As I found her deserted,
and her sails, boat, and anchors are not to be found,
she will be destroyed.
11. I am disappointed in not having succeeded in
opening a communication with the inhabitants, who
have fled from the town ; for I hoped to obtain the
release of the two English prisoners they have among
them. I learn, however, from the Americans that
they are very well treated.
12. In conclusion, I desire to add that, although it
has necessarily been a great disappointment to the
squadron under my command to find upon arrival at
this place, more than 2,000 miles outside their station,
that the enemy had escaped and the batteries were
deserted, yet their lordships will not fail to observe
that not the less credit is due for the great zeal sod
anxiety that has been shown by each of the ships in
pushing onward in the hope of being in time to take
part in the anticipated operations at this port.
13. The best understandiog subsisted between Cap.
fain Penanros, of the Almate, and me, and I cannot
say too much in favour of the zeal and activity be
displayed to meet every wish of mine, and to keep the
appointed rendezvous; the same continues with re-
spect to Rear-Admiral Fourichon.—l am, &0.,
H. W. BRUCE,
Rear-Admiral and Commander in. Chief.
The Secretary of the Admiralty.

President, off !Hike, July 17.

Sir,—l request you will inform the Lords Commie-
sienna of the Admiralty, that before leaving Petro-
paulovski, I succeeded in opening • communication
with Captain Martiohoff, the temporary governor of
that place, who had retired into the interior, having
for its object the release of two taken last
year, as reported in my gene letter of the 15th
ult.
Having forwarded a safe-conduct to Captain Mar-
tinhoff. through the kind offices of aa American resi-
dent in Petropaalovski, that officer sent 150 vents
inland for them, and on their arrival, on the 25th
ultimo, delivered them up to Captain Houston, of her
Majesty's ship Trincomalee, and three Russians that
had been detained on board the French brig Oblipdo
since last year were given in exchange.
The two men proved to be William Garland, ordi-
nary seams*, of her Majesty's ship Pique, and Pierre
Langois, of the French frigate Forte. The latter will
be banded over to the Forte on my arrival at San
Francisco, and the former will, at his own request,
be appointed to the Brisk, his proper ship having
sailed for the China station. Both appear to have
been treated with much kindness during the Urns
they have been in the hands of late enemy.—l have,
&e., H. W. BRUCE.
The Secretary of the Admiralty.

• Aaron, 44; Dwiaa, 20; 011vaties, 20. Transports:
Baikal, Iniseh.

THE VACANT ALDIRMANSHIP OP FARRINODON
WAILD WlTHlX.—Upwards of sixty sigesteres, in addition
Is Mom already rewired, were added yesterday to the re
gladden soliciting Dopey Resist= to permit hireelf to be
pot is Poteinatios for the Ward of Farrisiden Within, is
the room of Themes Belly, the late Aldermen (de-
ceased). Mr. Benjamin Phillips (of the Arm of Panda sad
wee named as • candidate, in opposition to Deputy
Bagleton ; Mat yesterday, is eassessenee of the large
ember of signatures reeelved by the friends of the worthy
&Vey, that gentleman, la the meet handsome manner,
witiottow Mat the Amid. The Uri Yap: has sot U
prowl soma the iq In timbales. •

FALL OF

THE METROPOLIS.

------ ----.
Yesterday some hundreds of persons took up their
position on the steps of the Soya' Zags's', mod swooshed
the Manston•house, from the portals of which they si•
peorad the civic promotion to emerge. They were,
hovover, doomed to disappointment. The Lord Mayor

had •ot »tamed tromp Sheffield, when he had
boa oa a ~it to the Muter Cutler, and, moreover,

were Daly customary wins Imam is Us-

eland. It is true that last year Alderman Sidasy made an
bunvation upon the usual course when the despatch
of no battle of the Alma was communicated to t►e Man-
sioc-honse, bat the precedent has sot on this occasion been
followed.

At the West End, the principal point of attraction
wen the residence of the French ambusador, Albert-
pa, whichwas known to have been splendidly illuminated
on Monday night, hot the fittings had been re-
moved esrly in the evening, and thus a sight
was missed, by anxious thousands, which is described by
spectators of the previous night se having been mageificent
in the extreme. This disappointment is the more to be re-
retitle from the feet that the order for the illumimation of
the Albassadortal residence was not given until half-past
sit on Monday night, sad at midnight when the prepera-
tions were finished, there were few passers-ly to admire the
brilliant spectacle. The three sides of the house were bril-
liantly lighted, and around earth of the windows in the front
wee fixed als rge dear), 30 feet square, with the French
and English =was, the flogs of each nation, and the letters
N and E, V and A., surrounded by immense laurels. There
were also the letters composing the word " Sebastopol," in
red, whits, and blue, the illumination consisting altogether
of 10,000 lamps.

DUBLIN, TCISDLT.

Ireland echoes back the shout of triumph for the
fall of Sebastopol. Never did news cause such a thrill of
joy within the memory of the present generation. The
glorious intelligence reached Dahlia about a quarter pest 5
p.m. yesterday, by the telegraphic wires, and we inetanta•
soosely communicated to the newspaper (Awe by the
manager of the Magnetite Telegraph Company, Mr. Lusg-
ster, who displayed the utmost seal and energy on the occa-
sion. In a moment placards made their appearance, the
news spread with the tepidity of lightning, and in an incon-
ceivably short time it seemed to have reached every ear,
and every heart, too, and a general murmur might be
heard as if the city joined in one prolonged cheer. The
enitement was eatraordiamy. Every one congratulated his
or her neighbour, and every ms's heart appeared to es-
pond with the joyful sews.

LIVERPOOL, TOISDAY.

The intelligence of the captors of Sebastopol,
brought to hand at an hoer yesterday when the majority of
the merchants had left off business, was received in the
Brehm's' News Room with lout cheers from those present.
The news spread with a celerity perfectly astounding, end
created the greatest erciteraent. It was also announced
from the stage of the different theatres, the audience in all
cases being most vociferous is their applause. The bells of
the different churches have rang merry peals at intervals to-
day, the Royal Standard has been hoisted in front of the
Town Hall, and the Union Jack floats over the various
public buildings—in many eases in conjunction with the
Preach tricolor. The line of docks end river presents gay
appearance ; many easels are showing all their bunting.