The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-16 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER 16, 1854.

high esteem of our neighbours, and the respect and
affection of the sailors of his squadron, by the eleva-
tion of his character, the firmness of his mind, and
the calm courage which is the first military quality
of a sailor. The crews, partly formed of young
sailors, who had seen no service, rapidly profited by
the instructions and experience of the staff. From
the beginning they tried to rival the English sailors.
The task of the two fleets was not an easy one. They
had to navigate in a narrow sea, full of dangers,
which had been generally kept close by Muscovite
ambition, and which consequently was very little
known. How many accidents we should have to en-
register with less excellent vessels, a chief less able,
and crews less instructed or less docile But we
have not been pained by any wreck : some vessels
which ran aground were immediately got off. None
of our vessels have suffered serious injury. The
accidents which occurred were easily repaired, and
served to cement the union of the two fleets—which
hastened, when necessary, to each other's assistance.
During the siege of Bomarsund a French boat em-
ployed in getting afloat the English frigate the
Penelope bad one of its men carried away by a cannon
ball. On the whole our vessels were taken along
coasts studded with concealed rocks, and through
labyrinths of dangers, with sangfroid, skill, and suc-
cess which cannot be too much admired. By the
fireside a great many persons express surprise at the
delay of the fleets in attacking Cronstadt and Svea-
borg. It is true they have not accomplished that
exploit, and excellent reasons for not dcing it will
occur to any one who will take the trouble to reflect
on the force of citadels, patiently raised during many
years with the view of resisting an attack by sea.
Vessels are very powerful machines of war ; but to act
alone against land works they require certain conditions
—a sufficient depth of water, and a sufficient space in
which to act together. Before opposing our wooden
walls to the granite works of Sveaborg and Cronstadt, it
was necessary to approach these fortresses, to recon-
noitre them, and to appreciate what instruments of
war, what sort of naval or land forces, were required
to reduce them. This reconnaissance has been made
because the allied fleets have driven the Russian fleets
before them—which fleets, though even in number
and in guns, have disgracefully retired behind the
fortifications, whilst our flags appeared before them,
and defied them even in their refuge. At present the
reconnaissances have been made, the plans drawn up,
and, if the Czar persists in his foolish resistance, the
next campaign, without any doubt, will be marked
by the fall of these proud citadels.
The destruction of the fortifications at Bomarsund
is now complete, and the works, which are said to
have cost nearly six millions and upwards of twenty-
five years in construction, have been reduced to
shapeless masses of smouldering bricks and stone in
almost as many hours. The work of destruction
commenced on Wednesday, the 30th, when Fort
Pristo (which had scarcely been injured, except a
very little in the roof) was blown up about midday.
A rumbling sensation was first felt, immediately fol-
lowed by two tremendous explosions, and the fort
was seen to riseinto the air in an indescribable mass,
with a dense column of black dust and smoke, from
out of which beams of timber and blocks of stone
shot in all directions : a strong wind carried away the
cloud to the east, perhaps to deposit some of its
particles even as far as St. Petersburg. The immense
stores of Bomarsund have been thrown open to the
country people, who flock from all quarters with
every excuse for a cart that can be got to carry away
the meal, barley, and oats. This is a very season-
able gift to the poor wretches, many of whom but
for it must have starved during the winter. A
portion of the centre of the tower had been purposely
left for Admiral Clutch; to try the effect of broadsides
of the Edinburgh. On Monday, the 4th, be laid his
ship within 500 yards and fired seven broadsides,
which made a complete breach in the wall, knocking
several embrasures into one, and proving pretty
clearly that if the other forts of the Emperor are
built like this they are no match against our
" wooden walls." The admiral then tried broadsides
at 1,000 yards, but neither the firing nor its effect
was satisfactory.
A Russian vessel arrived at Bomarsund on the
Ist of September. She made her way through
some intricate passages without passing through
Ledsund ; when she arrived she bad a flag of
truce flying from a pole forward, for she has no
masts. She was immediately boarded by both
French and English guard-boats, and her captain
taken before Sir Charles Napier, who was on board
the Edinburgh. He stated that he had been sent
from Helsingfors to a place near Abo with a flag of
truce, where he was to meet the officers' and sol-
diers' wives taken at Bomarsund ; but not finding
them there he thought he would come on here. Sir
Charles told him that, by doing so, he had laid him-
self open to capture, for he had no business to come
beyond his first destination, and that he should be
detained until it was convenient to send an escort
with him back. A strict guard was kept over him
and no communication allowed.

THE PRESS.

DIFFICULTIES OF RUSSIA.

The Hamburg Correspondent, speaking of the dif-
ficulties created by the war in Russia, states:—

•` The Government, in order to fill up the blanks which
are every day more and more felt in the list of officers in
the army, has just issued a ukase granting to the sons of
Greco-Russian, Armenian, and Lutheran priests great faci-
lities for advancing to the rank of officers if they enrol
themselves as volunteers. All articles from abroad have
considerably advanced in price, owing to the dearness of
land carriage. More than ffilpoo horses are constantly
occupied in the transport of merchandise from the fron-
tiers to St. Petersburg and the neighbouring towns. The
Government itself is obliged to pay very dear for the Con-
veyance of things of which it stands in need; and this
charge begins to get very onerous. In the interior of the
empire misery everywhere prevails. The production 9f
raw materials has almost entirely ceased, particularly in
Finland, which causes great distress to the poorer classes.
At St. Petersburg they are beginning to make collections,
give concerts, ctc., in favour of persons who have been
ruined by the war."
THE WHITE SEA.
The St. Petersburg journals contain the following
intelligence from the White Sea :—Tbe village of
Pushlatu, to Oneiga district, consisting of forty farm-
houses and a church, has been burned down by the
enemy. Six English were killed. The Russians did
not lose a man. Three ships, laden with flour, were
burned opposite the village of Susma ; another laden
with fish, worth 980 silver roubles ; and another
taken worth 150 silver roubles. The vessel was
sunk, which causes a loss to the owner of 1,41 X)
silver roubles. On the Rusk coast a vessel, laden
with 800 puds (28,8001bs.), was detained; and
another, worth 900 roubles, burned. Finally, an-
other was burned with a cargo of wheat worth 3,000
silver roubles.

THE RUSSIAN REPLY.
The following analysis of the reply of the Czar to
the Austrian and Prussian note is given by the In&
pendance Beige. The despatch of Count Nesselrode
refers, in the fist place, to the negotiations which
have taken place since the Austrp-Prussian somma-
Gotta :

"Russia," it says, "has assented to the greatest part of
the concessions demanded, solely out of regard to the in-
terests of Austria and Prussia. In acceding to the evacua-
tion of the principalities she has abandoned her military
position in Turkey in Europe, which permits her enemies
to employ their forces against her in Asia, and upon the
territory of Russia. She has not put forward any reci-
procal claim ; she has been content with expressing the
views she entertained when Austria indicated the guaran-
tees which she was able to offer, on her side, to Russia.
She is convinced that it was not possible for Austria to
give to her the assurance of an armistice, but she did de-
sire to know beforehand if, after the evacuation of the prin-
cipalities, Austria would or would not separate herself
from the coalition which has been formed for the purpose
of humiliating Russia. Further, Russia has declared bey -
self willing to negotiate upon the basis of the protocol of
Vienne of the 9th of April.
" Austria has not made any direct reply to Russia in re-
lation to these propositions ; but she immediately ad-
dressed herself to the Western powers, upon whom she
made her decision to defend, although it could not be ex-
pected that they would be ready to enter upon the path
Of conciliation, seeing that they have allied themselves
together in order to enfeeble Russia by a prolonged war.
This has been confirmed by communications made by the
Austrian Ambassador to the Cabinet of St. Petersburg—
that is to say, by the Austrian note of the 10th of
August.
" The conditions required by the Western powers are
unacceptable in respect to their substance (reefer), as well
as in form, principally because that, according to the
avowal of the French Government itself, what they exact,
with the ostensible purpose of maintaining the European
equilibrium, is nothing less than the destruction of the
establishments of the Russian marine, and the power of
Russia in the Black Sea.
" Austria, in recommending these conditions, has added
that the Western powers have still reserved the right to
make others, which renders it perfectly useless to submit
them to a detailed examination. Besides, even if they
should not be changed, their acceptation would lead it to
he supposed that Russia is reduced by war to the last
degree of exhaustion. Although the Emperor has adhered
to the principles enunaiated in the protocol of Vienna, he
cannot enlarge the meaning of it as much as others have
done, because the immense sacrifices which Russia has
made in the interests of Austria and Prussia would remain
without any compensation. In the place of finding in
those concessions a motive for redeeming those obliga-
tions, Austria has drawn closer its alliance with the
enemies of Russia.
" Consequently, the Emperor infinitely regrets that he
has not been able to accept the last overtures made by
Austria. He considers that he has made every concession
compatible with the honour of Russia, and, as he has not
withdrawn any of these advantages, it only remains for him
to do the same as his enemies—that is, to try the eventuali-
ties of war in order to arrive at some solid basis of nego-
tiations for peace.
" The Emperor has directed his General-in-Chief to
repass the Pruth with his troops from strategic motives,
and Russia will keep herself upon the defensive within
her frontiers, until more equitable conditions are offered to
her. The Emperor, on his side, will avoid increasing the
complications of the war, but he will repel with the greatest
energy all attacks against him, from whatever quarter they
may proceed."

869

Inteign alo QT,olonial Intelligente.

FRANCE.
The Moniteur publishes the following, in the form
of a letter from Constantinople

" The expedition to the Crimea is at length decided on,
and Sebastopol will be attacked. This great decision has
been announced to the combined armies, to the East, and
to all Europe by an order of the day of Marshal St. Arnaud,
in which the noble ardour of the heroic struggle which is
about to be entered on, and the patriotic affirmations of a
speedy victory, are expressed with eloquent energy. Russia
is to be struck in the very heart of all the ambitions
hopes which she nourishes on the East, and which have
for a long time threatened the equilibrium of the world.
Sebastopol is the citadel which shelters • fleet always
ready to threaten the liosphorus, a fioatingbridge which, in
the idea of the Czar, has long united St. Petersburg to Cup-
stantinople. It is necessary that this fleet should he taken
from Russia in order that that power shall no longer have
anything but impossibilities in the East, and that the chances
even of treason shall be definitively taken front her. It Is
after long and mature deliberation that, of all the attacks
possible against the Russian possessions in the Black Sea,
the most formidable has been chosen for the abet The
fate of arms, it is true, is always uncertain ; but, although
the season is advanced, and the necessity of preventing tho
arrival of important reinforcements which the Russian
Government is sending to the Crimea renders it neces-
sary to give to the attack on Sebastopol the proportions
of a formidable eorip-de-teein, the hope of terminating the
war in the East by a single effort, or at least of reducing it
to narrow limits, is worth the risk of such an enterprise. It
was necessary to postpone to next year the campaign of the
Crimea, or to hasten it; the latter plan best suited the
policy which was desirous that the struggle between Russia
and the Western powers should have a demovement free from
all ambiguity for the future ; it also better suited the
ardour of the chiefs of the combined armies and the
impatience of the soldiers, who were fatigued with a
war without combats, and after undergoing sickness found
themselves in presence of the empty encampments of an
enemy too prudent to wait their approach. It must not be
concealed that the enterprise of the Crimea is one of the
boldest of which history makes mention, since the attack
is made with equal and perhaps inferior numbers on an
enemy entrenched behind an enclosure of walls and fort-
resses. lint it is in attempting such great exploits that
armies maintain and increase their renown, and, moreover,
may there not be a military miracle expected from this
Elite of three armies, who will rival each other iu ardour
and bravery—from this ccanbined fleet where the spirit of
old struggles will revive under the form of a rivalry of
boldness and heroism? The greater part of the Anglo-
French troops, and 10,000 picked Turkish troops, will be
conveyed in two trips of the fleets to the shores of the
Crimea, at a short distance from Sebastopol. As soon as
the troops shall have been landed, they will be led on to
battle either against the Russian troop. if they should
endeavour to defend the positions' which surround Sehrs-
topol, or against the place itself, if the Russians conk rat
themselves with waiting the their formidable visitors under
shelter of the walls. If Sebastopol be taken, the combined
armies will have accompliahed a striking feat of arms, which
will complete the demoralisation of Russia, and materially
facilitate the re-establishment of peace. If, on the contrary,
the number of Russians present in the Crimes should be
more considerable than was supposed—if the town should
prolong its defence, and if obstacles should arise in a few
weeks from the season—if, in short, a strong Rtissian army
should succeed in reinforcing the Crimea, the troops would
have to re-embark, and the attack on Sebastopol would be
resumed at the commencement of next spring under differ-
ent conditions. To attack the Crimea is, on the part of
France and England, to take an engagement to conquer,
and no one can doubt but that the engagement will be
kept. To conquer the Crimea at any cost, or to abandon
to the Russian. the empire of the East—such is the alter-
native in which Russia has placed the Western powers.
Whatever may be the obstacles to be overcome, the defini.
tire result cannot be doubtful."
There is no Paris news whatever. The Emperor
continues at Boulogne, and employed the early part
of the week in inspecting the camps.
The following telegraphic despatch was received
on Tuesday :
" Nyborg, Sept. 10.—Last evening the French ship of-
the-line St. /Ands and the frigate Androttreque, having on
board French troop., touched here on their way to France.
To-day the skips Datatverth and Tilsit, the Ckopittre and
Syrienee, and two steamers, hove in sight, also returning
to France."
The Moniteur states that by an imperial decree,
dated the Bth instant, M. Cuoheval-Clarigny is ap-
pointed a member of the commission for the publica•
tion of the works of the first Napoleon.
General Hartmann has arrived in Paris, charged
with the duty of complimenting the Emperor, in the
name of the King of Bavaria, on the occasion of the
military filer at Boulogne, whither he proceeds. The
general, who is an aide-de-comp of the King, is ac-
companied by three Bavarian officers.
Marshal Baraguay d'Hilhers arrived in Paris and
has left for Boulogne.

GERMANY.
Considerable importance is attached to a circular
addressed by the Prussian Government to ita envoys
at the German Courts. It states that the latter will
shortly he called to come to a resolution respecting
the attitude of the Confederation towards Russia.
The Prussian Government declares that although
for the sake of peace it supported at St. Petersburg