The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-26 00:00:00

THE WAR.

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

fere."

A correspondent of the hidelpentlasam Bilge, writing
from Paris on Dec. 22, affirms that, on the news of
Lord Palmerston 's resignation, Louis Napoleon
caused a strong note to be written to the English
government piainly stating that the Eastern question
had now arrived at such a point that any hesitation,
any compromise, was out of the question, and request-
ing to be infortred categori ally whether the English
government would elect to abandon Turkey or to
suppert her openly and effectually in the present
struggle.
Despatches, believed to be of official character, and
announcing the entry of the fleets into the Black
Sea, were received at Vienna and Constantinople on
Friday evening. Whether this news is premature, as
it was on two precious occasions, or is destined to be
coofirmcd, the semi-official announcements which
have been made on the subject, reduce the question
to one of a day or two more or lees of delay.
The assumed entrance of the French and English
fleets into the Black Sea is very variously regarded
both by the public and in the press. The Indjpen-
dance Beige says of it :—" This does not mean war,
for it is very certain that on both sides a collision
will be avoided. The Russian fleet at any
rate will not expose itself to an unequal
combat where Sinope would be acted over again
to its lots. The Russian fleet will remain
at Sebastopol, and whatever may be said in England
there is no probability of the squadrons going to seek
it there. the entrance of the squadrons into the
Black Sea will not then lead to a sanguinary col-
lision, and if we are to accept the declarations
made by the Austrian Correspondence, this move-
ment of the fleets is not even to be considered as a
hostile demonstration made by Fence and England
against Russia. At the sauce time the presence of
the fleets in the Black Sea does not seem calculated
to dispose Russia to show itself more willing to
accept the propositions which have lately been made
from Vienna. To see hie fleet virtually blockaded
in the port of Sebastopol may not only shock the
self-love of the Czar, he will also be exposed to see
the Black Sea made navigable to his enemy's fleets,
Turkey sending reinforcements, munitions, and pro-
visions, not only to its own troops, but also to the
Cite:winos, all of which he will doubtless think very
improper. We cannot suppose that the ambassadors
and admirals of the two powers can have required
the Porte, as a condition of the presence of the fleets
in the Black Set, to renounce the sending of succours
to the army of Asia, whatever may be the course
of events. The state of things which might easily
follow such an agreement would, perhaps, be worse
for Turkey than the risks to which she would be ex-
in the Black Sea, when seeding succours to
rastectn. The allied fleets, then, do not enter the
Black Sea to make it a neutral lake, on which nei-
ther of the belligerent parties may navigate with
warlike intent. This movement of the squadrons,
therefore, without being of a nature to hinder the
renewal of negotiations, seems to us still further to
complicate the question."
A Spanish officer of rank who was with Omer
Pacha throughout the late campaign on the Danube,
says that the operations at Oltenitza had for object
to prevent the Russian army from concentrating
and crossing the river at one point, and, at the
same time, to divert their attention, in order to
secure the passage of Widdin and to fortify Kalafat,
a point which will be maintained by the Turks as
extremely important, and as the common basis of
operations. This they have succeeded in. This
same gentleman states that the withdrawal to the
right bank of the Danube was, in his judgment,
rendered imperative by the advance of the season,
and was an act of generalship.
It appears by letters from Bucharest that by the
new appointment to the administrative council of
Wallachia, which the Czar has just made, in defiance
of law and treaty, he has secured a majority of
votes in that body, which will henceforth register
his ukase,. Doubtless he hopes that the one
illegal act will soon be forgotten, while as often as
he violates the rights of the country, he will be able
to nlead the votes of its native council.
While such is the !mirage held in Belgium,
the Juiiriiid dc Frase furl, which receives commu-
nications on the Eastern question directly or indi-
rectly from the Austrian Cabinet, takes a very diffe-
rent view of the event discussed by its Belgian
110atempomry
Tic cusubtrad &eta, it say!, in resolving to oppose say

attack against the Turkish fleets, must necessarily prevent
the Turks from undertaking in the Black Sea soy naval
demonstration which can lead ts reprisals, or induce the
Russians to prevent any such demonstration. Any other
manner of acting would be not only a ease of war, but war
itself. Now, can it be possible that at the very moment
at which the Cabinets of Londen aed Paris are acting by
notes and projects of arrangement, force of arms will he
employed in the Black Sea? We it's not- think it. We
believe only that the news of the defeat sustained by the
Turkish naval forces must have contributed to increase
the escitennnt which prevails at Constantinople. The
sending of the combined fleets into the Black Sea is an ea-
in then: for calming, as tar an possible, the indignation and
writs:ion of the capital. It was, perhaps, necessary to re-
move the fleets in order to find at Constantinople a field
accessible to notes. We do not desire t, pretend thereby
that the situation is not a difficult one, bat the firm deter-
mination to maintain peace is fur us a guarantee that the
combined squadrons are destined to prevent the continua.
lion of the war in the Black Sea, but in nowise to take part
in the hostilities against the Russian fleet.
The Wanderer of Vienna says : " A letter from
Bucharest of the 13th, states that the Boyards having
refused to furnish lodgings to the troops, and on the
other hand the officers and men having complained
of not haring been properly treated, M. de Hosetti
has published a notice declaring that, in case of any
, further refusal being made, the police would inter-

----•
The Lloyd of Vienna says: "According to a letter
from Belgrade of the 1311 i, Izzet I'acha, the com-
mandant of the fortress, died on the previous day."
The llanalatry .11'etes, under date of Warsaw 18th,
says: " Some of the Russian troops quartered in
Poland have received orders to march. This order
applies to a part of the first corps of infantry uniftr
the command of General Paniwin, which is to march
through a part of the west of 'he empire. The force
of the army of occupation of Poland is 4:1,000 troops
of the line, and 24,000 men in garrison is the dif-
ferent towns and fortresses."
The Silesian Gazette contains a letter from War-
saw of the 14th, which says:
During the present mouth a levy of 86,000 mss has been
effected in the kingdom, bring Bto every 1,000. Generally
only one levy takes place in the m. nth of November. or in
that of December. but this year three have been two, the
first in the night of November 24, sad the other in the
night of December 8. In the government of Warsaw the
I number of men raised has been 5300, and amongst them a
I, number of men who are married and fathers of families.
I All these recruits are intended tor the army of the Caucasus,
with the reception of a small number who are to be sent to
' the fleet tat the Black Sea. The place of reedezvous is
Kiew, where the recruits are to remain until the spring.
The number of troops of the line in the kingdom is nut con-
siderable, as at Warsaw, Modelin, Deaiblin, end Jainme,
there are only 30,000 men, and iu the other governments
not more than 12,000. A part of Paniutin's corps has
sat out for the west. The regiments are employed a
matches and counter-marches in :he governments of the
I west, that being the system adopted by the cabinet of St.
Petersburg to terrify the populations. 'I he troops of the
' line which have left the country have been replacad by
b ittaliors of veterans, amounting in all to 24,000 men.
The Patrie says positively tke Russians lost at
Sinope a 91) gun vessel, the Jagondih, of which no
mention is made in the St. Petersburg reports.