The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-02 00:00:00

ENGLISH OFFICERS IN THE RUSSIAN

SERVICE.

There are good reasons for supposing that the
Bastian government have been trying all the means
at the disposal of secret diplomacy to induce the
English government to recall Admiral Slade and
Captain Borlase from their commands in the Turkish
fleet. This request is equally impudent and absurd.
Russia has always worked by means of clever
foreigners ; she still has many in her pay, and the
cool effrontery of suggesting that the Sultan can be
deprived of his nght to engage Englishmen in
his service is quite worthy of the man who thought
he could invade Moldavia and Wallachia without any
opposition from the rest of Europe.

LATEST FROM ABROAD.

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

A telegraphic despatch from Vienna, of December
1, states that the Turks, on the 26th, had constructed
a bridge between Rustchuk and the Island of Mok-
nan, having on the previous day advanced from
Kalafat 12 English miles towards Krajova, aid
formed an intrenched camp for 8,000 men.
The whole of the Polish army is ordered to the
Principalities. _ _

Ser;ia has demanded of the Porte the return of
the Russian Consul-General, and that his exegualur
shall be granted to him.
From Constantinople we learn that the Russian
steam-frigate Vladimir has been taken by an
Egyptian war steamer.
Advices from Bucharest, of Nov. 19, inform us
that the Turks have maintained their position at the
confluence of the Salonitza and the Danube, near
Hirsova, in ',spite of the most strenuous efforts to dis-
lodge them. The 4th and sth Russian corps have,
it is said, received orders to proceed to Wallachia.
Private letters from Jassy contradict the reports of
the German newspapers of the march of Russian
reinforcements through that town. General Luders
had led a portion of the fifth Russian infantry corps
across the Pruth, between Rein and Leowa, but of
Osten Sacken's corps nothing had been seen.

Letters from the theatre of war in Asia state that
such a large quantity of snow has fallen that military
operations are becoming impossible.
Several foreign journals speak of a protest which
the consuls and agents of the different powers at
Galatz are said to have made against a decree of
General Urusoff, who has governed Moldavia since
the departure of Prince Ghika, on the ground that
it was contrary to international law, and must be
considered an interference with the commercial free-
dom of neutral states.

Letters from Oalatz state that four battalions of
Russian infantry, with 20 guns, arrived there on the
14th, on their way to Ibrail

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

Letters from Trebisond of the 6th November con-
firm the accounts already given of the events which
have taken place at Tchuruk and ShefkatiL These
letters affirm that the Russian troops were three
times more numerous than the Turkish. The eon of
Prince Gouriel, who has fallen into the hands of the
Turks, is called the Prince of Malachi". Three
battalions of the infantry of the guard had arrived at
Trebisond, and had proceeded towards Tchuruk and
Shefkatil. The Turkish forces on that point amount
to 25,000 men. Two orderly officers of Mehemet
Ali Pacha, the Minister of War, had arrived with
injunctions to Sell= Pacha and Abdi Pacha to urge
on hostilities vigorously. A special transmission of
gunpowder and other military stores had taken
place for Schamyl and Daniel Bey. The news of
the encounter of the Russians and Circassian near
Bekhetie is confirmed, and the position of the former
►t Tiflis and in Georgia is considered precarious, on
account of the decided check which Schamyl gave
them at the pass of Dariel, on the road from Mos.
dock to Tiflis. It is said that the Circassian had on
that occasion 20,000 men and 60 pieces of cannon,
whilst Prince Woronzoff had only 13,000 men.
The Russians, who were at first worsted, were able
afterwards to act on the offensive, in consequence of
receiving reinforcements from General Nesteroff and
General Bariatinski, and Schamyl was obliged to with•
draw to the mountains. The loss of the Circassian
was about 2,000 men, and that of the Russian is
estimated at not less than 5,000.

The Cologne Gazette has the following front Ber-
lin, dated the 26th :—" In the negotiations concern-
ing the arrangement of the difference between Russia
and Turkey, there was a proposition from M. Buol
Schaneustein, on the part of Austria, that the ar-
rangement should be left exclusively to the bel-
ligerent parties, and this proposition is said to have
obtained the assent of the cabinet of St. Petersburg,
and has been communicated to the other powers." Some

curious particulars relative to this impudent pine d
trickery will be found in the letter of our Paris
correspondent. The French Cabinet of course
declared that it could not adopt the views
of Austria, but it offered to discuss a modified
proposition if the Austrian cabinet would pledge
itself to make common cause with France and
England to compel both Russia and the Porte to
adopt any mode of settlement on which the four
Powers should agree u being honourable to the bel-
ligerent parties and at the same time essential for the
equilibrium of power in Europe, and the maintenance
of peace and tranquillity. Up to this moment the
answer of Austria has been that she would pledge
herself to nothing but to a neutrality, from which she
will not depart so long as her own interests are not
directly affec'ed. The neutrality of a power which
never presents itself but as a Russian catepaw may
well be suspected.
The Hamburg News contains a letter from St.
Potenburg of the 20th ult., which says :—" Orders
Mu been sent from this place to Prince Gortschakoff
to sesame the offensive, it is said, against the Turks
on the left bank of the Danube. It is stated that the
governments of France and England have given
explanations to the Csbinet of St. Petersburg respect-
ing the probable entrance of the French and English
Beets into the Black Sea."

A letter from Bucharest of the 19th ult., in the
Post Ampt Ga:ette, says :—" Doubts aro beginning
to be felt here of the sincerity of the Russian bulle-
tins ; lately, one of them declared that a single sol-
dier had been wounded in an affair. The Turks
maintain themselves, notwithstanding the efforts of
the Russians, near Pira-Petro, at the spot where the

Jelmanitim falls into the Danube. There is no longer
anything heard of the march of the corps of
Osten-Sackers into Wallachia,' but intelligence has
been received from Galata that the 4th and sth
I corps of the reserve have quitted Bessarabia to enter
our Principality. Karaxian,one of the two Boyards
who were arrested, has been exiled by the Russians
to Bender." The Prussian Correspondence contains
a letter from Bucharest of the 19th ult. which says :
" For the last fortnight, the position of troops in
Lesser Wallachia has not changed. The 25,000
Turks entrenched near Kalafat make no move-
ment. General Fischbach is also quiet. The Turks
continue to bombard Giurgewo. In the night the
Turks weepy the Isle of Mocan, but when daybreak
appears, and General Formsoff opens his fire, they
withdraw. The Council of Administration of Wal-
lachia opposes energetically the incorporation of the
Wallachian militia with the Russian army, on the
ground that such a step would break the neutrality
of the country."
The New Prussian Gazette contains the following
from Vienna, dated the 26th ult. :—" The opinion
here still is that the Russo-Turkish difference will be
terminated by a pacific arrangement. The news of
the formation of a corps of observation has been con-
tradicted. It is certain that the Rosbach regiment,
which had received orders to march, had been coun-
termanded. The officers are allowed to go on leave
as usuaL The news of an armistice having been
concluded between the Turks and Russians is becom-
ing confirmed; but it is to be nut for three months,
but for three weeks."
A letter from Trieste of the 21st ult., in the New
Munich Gazette, says: " For some days past three
Russian vessels of war have been here, consisting of
a corvette and two brig,. This little squadron was
cruising in the Levant, and being quite ignorant of
'what had taken place in Turkey, found the Dar-
danelles closed against it. The officer in command
took refuge in a friendly port, in order not to expose
himself to an attack. The captain in command and
part of the officers have gone to Vienna to ask for
leave to winter their vessels at Trieste, so ea to return'
by land with their men to Russia. This permission
has been granted them."
A dispatch from Trieste was received in Paris on
Wednesday, stating that a steamer had just arrived
there with intelligence from Constantinople to the
21st of November. General Baraguay d'Hilliers
has been brilliantly received by the Sultan at a
grand audience of ceremony; he pronounced an
address in favour of peace, but under the re-
serve of the independence of Turkey being
ensured. The Sultan replied in the most gracious
manner, insisting on the necessity of having the de-
mands of Russia withdrawn, and on the evacuation
of the Principalities. There was some talk of send-
ing six steamers, French and English, into the Black
Sea. On the 23rd, a vessel of the Dutch squadron
was shipwrecked in the waters of Smyrna. His Ex-
cellency, M. de Lacour, arrived this day at Trieste.
The Steele says :
There his arrived through London and Vienna a piece
of diplomatic intelligence which is not without importance.
Austria, more and more embarrassed with the situation
which her gratitude towards Russia his imposed on her,
has applied, the report goes with earnestness, to have •
European conference opened on the affein of the East.
Should that proposition be accepted by the four Western
Powers—the supposition being that it could be so—Turkey
and Russia are to be invited by Austria, in the name of
England, France, and Prussia, to send to the conference
each • plenipotentiary, with the very last conditions which
these two powers would consent to for an arrangement.
We can very easily conceive that Austria should make such
• proposition, for she has need to deceive every one.
The language now employed by Austria to the Western
powen may be thus summed up. If this last effort does
see emcees& I shall consider myself disengaged toward,
Sara* sad my neutrality. will certainly be friendly to the
Ottoman Porte. To RUMS, she says in substance : If by
the combined efforts of the four powers, Turkey is in-
duced to make decisive concessions to you, I shall have re-
paid you for the service which you rendered me in Hun-
gary ; should the conference fail, I shall have gained by my
proceeding the confidence of Western Europe, and [shall be
able more easily to pay the Czar my debt of gratitude. The
truth is that Austria only thinks of extricating herself from
the false position in which she has placed herself in making
the violation of the principle of nationalities the vital
condition of the empire of the Hapsburgs. But Russia,
who is well acquainted with her vain and wily neighbour,
will not allow herself to be deceived, and Austria will be
constrained, nolena eaten:, to serve the projects of the Em-
peror Nicholas, that grand pontiff of all the governments
which are opposed to the rights of the people. Other and
not less gran motives lead us to believe that the conference
of Paris or of London, should it be held—a ease which
we by no means consider impossible—would have no
better result than that of Vienna. Amongst these motives
we may mention the following:—By the reply given by
Turkey to the last note, which arrived on the 7th of
this month at Constantinople, she appears decided in the
first place not to enter again into her former treaties
with Russia before she has obtained a profound al-
teration in them, and next, not to content herself with the
simple evacuation of the Principalities, a reparation being
due to the Sultan for the insolent and unjust aggression
which he has been subjected to. On his side the Czar has
declared that, whilst desiring to have peace re-established,
be considered himself under an obligation, from the reli-
gions feeling of his people, to obtain some concession which
could be accepted in Russia as a new guarantee for the
Christians of the east. The medium between the
pretensions of Russia and the rights of Turkey is an
absolute impossibility, as long as events shall not
have modified the situation. It is true that if the

western powers should consent to act together,
they could impose any arrangement they pleased on
the Porte, but in that case an impossibility of another kind
arises. Either the arrangement will be in conformity with
justice, and then Russia will not accept it, cr it will saeri-
lee the rights of the Sultan, and the almost immediate fall
of the Ottoman empire will render a modification of the
territorial division of Europe inevitable. We will add a
final consideration. Letters from London announce posi-
tively that two days before was signed between France and
England a convention regulating the manner and limits of
an intervention In common in the affairs of the East. As to
the signature of the convention, we cannot alarm any thing
about it ; but a feet concerning which no csauslenent
is that a negotiation has been opened between the two go-
vernments to determine and regulate their action in the
media rendered imminent by the war between Turkey
and Russia. That all we have just muitioned does not
absolutely prevent everything like propositions and confe-
rences, we willingly admit; but th•t, in the present state
of things, there are fair grounds for indulging in reasonable
hopes of effecting an arrangement by diplomatic means
alone, is what we cannot believe; and the more so, that
there has jest taken plane at Fultsdorff, at the instigation
of Russia, an event which is not of a nature to induce the
present government of France to place great confidence in
the Northern Powers.