The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

An imperial ukase has appeared at St.. Petersburg.
All the naval officers who had been pensioned off
are summoned to resume active service. The marines
on furlough are already collecting at the different
harbours assigned to them, and they must be per-
fectly armed and equipped by the middle of March.
Both the army and fleet in the south are being pro
visioned on a colossal scale.
The new conscription has excited great discontent
at Moscow and in its neighbourhood. The levy will
withdraw about 300,000 serfs from productive labour;
and, in addition to this, another arbitrary decree
reduces by one-third the number of days to be
devoted to forced labour ; but., as all labour in Russia
is compulsory, this is a reduction of at least 30 per
cent. of the productive labour of the empire.
So great is the press for men in Russia, that
soldiers who had served for twenty-five years and
been discharged are again called out and forced to
march immediately.
The wealthiest families of St. Petersburg had
asked leave to raise a regiment of infantry at their
own expense. Their wish had been acceded to, and
they were allowed to name the officers.
Many Greeks have been enticed into the Russian
service, and great advantages have been held out to
the Jews to induce them to enter the navy.
The Czar is again making paper money. By an
ukase of the 17th ult., addressed to the Directing
Senate, he orders the issue of six new series of credit
notes, each of three millions of silver roubles (75
millions of francs).
Prince Paskiewitsch is appointed to the supreme
command over the Danubian army.
Orders have been forwarded to the Russian fleet
neither to seek nor to avoid a collision with the allied
fleets.
The last accounts from the theatre of war state
that the snow renders the roads impracticable. The
armies occupy their old positions. The affairs of out-
posts do not produce any definite result.
Letters from Wallachia state that the Russians
have transported all the mat4riei for pontoons to
Giurgevo, where the soldiers are busy day and night
in preparing the bridges which are intended to be
thrown across the Danube.
The Russians have also been concentrating large
forces at Brailow, and are fortifying the town of
Tokchani, upon the Moldo Wallachian frontier, where
they will have, in case of reverse, their parks and
ammunition, their great magazines of provisions, and
their hospitals.
Omer Pacha is appointed Generalissimo of all the
Ottoman forces operating on the Danube.
The castles of the Dardanelles are at present
guarded by a company of English and French
pioneers organised for that purpose. The Sheik-ul-
Islam presented to the Porte on the 6th ult. the sum
of 100,000,000 piastres from the funds for religious
purposes, as a subvention for the further continuance
of the war.
A treaty has been concluded between the Porte
and France and England relative to future negotia-
tions with Russia.
Negotiations relative to the future position of the
Christians in Turkey have been also opened between
the representatives of the four powers and the
Porte.
General Sir John Burgoyne, two English Bente.
nants of Engineers, and a French colonel, with an
adjutant, arrived at the Turkish capital on the oth