The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-18 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENINC OCTOBER 1., 1853:

esscustion of the Principelithe is s tutu r of indifiltreace.
Neither Turkey aor Russia will yield • step. It is • died
which the secoads ►wee net bees stile to peeves', and the
adversaries wain fight, subject to a fresh attempt to tacos•
site *eta after the first shut fired.

At the Bourse no importance was attached to the
paragraph in the-ire/a/cur. The Threes fell 2.5 e. for
time sod 40e. for money, and most of the railways
dropped .ifr. or Mr.
It has been repeatedly stated of late that G Anna
Dembinski was about to be placed in command of
an army of 20,000 to fight on behalf of the Turks,
and I observe in the New Gazette of Prussia of the
Bth, a letter from London affirming that the General
left Paris for Constantinople on the 4th. General
Dembinski was to my certain knowledge at his
lodgings in the Rue Joubert this morning, and I be-
lieve I may confidently say he has not at present
accepted any command.
The Credit Foncier Society of France has concluded
a treaty with the Credit Foncier Society of Mar-
seilles for the loan to the latter society of G,ooo,ooofr.
a year during twenty-five years. Tne Marseilles
Society is to remain perfectly independent, and will
lend money on its own judgment, without any refe-
rence to the central establishment, but it will now
be in a position to afford effectual relief to thu mort-
gaged proprietors of the Aix dis•rict, if; which yet
remains to be seen, a public comrany can practically
upon a large scale offer to borrowers better terms
than they could make with private individuals.
The Grand Duchess Stephanie of Baden is ex-
pected at Compeigne this week.
Preparations are already making for the re-
ception of the Emperor and the Empress at Fon-
tainebleau.

GERMANY.

--

BERLIN, Ocr. 16.
The semi-official Zed denies the rumour that the
government will interfere with the natural course of
trade in the present season of scarcity, whether by
forbidding the exportation of corn, or by purchasing
it abroad.

VIENNA. Orr. 14
The promised reduction of the army is here the
news of the day. The Wiener Zee'luny publishes the
fact in its non-official columns as a thing reported,
but the announcement is not the less official. The
reductions are said to be ordered by a decree of the
9th inst. The infantry companies of five corps and
three divisions of a sixth are to be reduced to 60
men, and the light companies to 70 men. Similar
reductions arc to be made in the regiments now in
Dalmatia, and those in the garrisons at Mayence,
Itastadt, and Frankfort, and also in the cavalry, the
artillery and engineer, and the pioneer corps, to a
total extent of about 70,000.
We shall look with great curiosity to see whether
these reductions are really to be made, or whether
they have been put forward to serve a political pur-
-1 pose, for example, to be quoted some day against
France and En !land as a proof that Austria was
Ilcontemplating a neutral attitude at tho commence-
ment of the war on the Danube. The Ore. Cor.
seizes the occasion to proclaim anew the neutrality
of this country, a fact which the government seems
very anxious to establish now that active interven-
tion by France and England is spoken of. The
Lloyd has an article fell of good sense respecting the
conduct which their situation prescribes to the two
great German powers—" Whatever may be the
ifriendship of the cabinets of Berlin and Vienna for
that of St. Petersburg, they cannot manifest it better
than by their neutrality. Bet then," adds the
Lloyd, "an active intervention of the great German
powers in favour of Russia would lead to the active
intervention of the maritime powers against
Russia—and this is precisely what this power does
not want." I believe the last sentence is the key
both to the professions of thy Austrian semi-official
organ and to the reduction of the army on paper.
The government knows very well that before any
great number of soldiers could be sent back to civil
pursuits, the two western powers will have been
compelled to declare themselves, and it will then be
free to confirm or revoke the orders just given.
Our letters from Constantinople leave no doubt re-
specting the new situation of the Porte. The go-
vernment here is quieting the Bourse with the as-
surance that no hostilities can take place before next
spring, and that before then the western powers
may be able to use their influence at Constanti-
nople, as the Austrian cabinet will do at
St. Petersburg, to give effect to the Czar's magnani-
mous intentions. The tenor of our advice* from the
south leave little room to expect that the Porte will
longer wait upon the dilatory step of its allies.
Hostilities we are assured will really commence as
soon as the time prescribed by the Porte shall have
expired. To commence hostilities it is not necessary
to cross the Danube, even were that the design of
the Turkish commander. For the last week or two
the opinion has been gaining ground that the Turks
do not mean to commence hostilities in Europe, but
to effect a junction with the bold tribes of the Cau-
casus, which for the last thirty years have, unaided,
carried on against Russia a war of resistance which
has not its parallel in modern history. Accord.
ing to letters from Erzeroum, the Turks have more
than 50,000 men under arms in that neighbourhood,
and the army is incessantly receiving reinforcements
and munitions. On the 25th ult. the Turkish
steamer Persund conveyed 220 heavy guns to
Batonm. The Caucasus has for 30 years proved a
great drain upon the Russian army, and were some
timely aid, not in men, but in guns and ammunition,
conveyed to its brave inhabitants the Muscovite
would have enough to do to keep the conquests which
have cost above one hundred thousand lives. At first,
perhaps, it would be difficult to get at the Cireamians,
unless the fleet of England or France was co-
operating with that of Turkey, but there are other
tribes more accessible, equally hating Russian
domination, some of them openly at war with that
power, and others receiving a black mail under the
name of a pension to their Khan. The Russian go-
vernment appears to be alive to the necessity of rem-
forcing its army in th's quarter, for we are in-
formed, that from 15,000 to 20,000 men have lately
been embarked at Odessa, to be transported to the
Asiatic frontier.

A letter from Vienna of the 12th, in the Lloyd,
says
Last night Aehmet Effendi, • Turkish courier, arrived
here from Constantinople with despatches for the Turkish
embassy. He left Vienna this morning for Turkey. M. de
Bourqueney sad Lord Westmoreland have also received de-
spatches from Constantinople. His lordship has addreseed
a note to our capital, in which he amigos the reasons why
the cabinet of St. James's did not accept the Olnasts pro-
positions. A letter from Paris states that M. Hubner,
the Austrian ambassador, has declared forreally_to the
Preach government that neither at Monts nor at Warsaw
had there been any question of a coalition arsonist the
Northern Powers; and Austria, in ease of a war between
Turkey sad Russia, would preserve strict neutrality. At
the same time she would do all she could to ensure Me eon-
tinnence of poem.

TER THRAITRE OP WAR.
s,,_

ne De'bate gives an interesting description of the
probable theatre of the impending war, and the fortresses
which defend the Turkish bank of the Danube. The line
/of this river from Orson to the Block Sea bas a length of
I more then 200 league.. Eighteen fortified paste defend the
I passages of the river on the right, or Turkish bank. They
an Onseva, Berza-Palanke, F.,rentioo, Widdin, Anal,
Loan, Zibrou-Pslaaka, Ratline, Nikopoli,Sistow, Rutschuk,
Tnrtuksi, Silistria, Ressove, Hircbova, Matschinn, Isatchi,
and Toultcha. The most important of these are Widdin,
Rutschuk, Silistria, Matschinn, Isatcbi, and Toultcha, not
I as being great
fortreases, but because they observe the
mouths of the Danube. The Tuns have no fortresses on
the left bank. Formerly, when the Rosana have crossed
the Danube, they have encountered none but the natural
obstacles of the passage, the Turks never having been
able to oppose them on its banks ; but at the
present moment • powerful army is prepared to
dispute with them the passage. In time of war
the Russians keep on the Danube a flotilla of gun-boats
end small vessels, constructed expressly for the purpose,
carrying gum of great calibre. The Turks have also
flotillas of armed barques, which have their stations in the
ports of the river wider the guns of their fortresses, which
are employed to provision tnem, and to aid their defence in
ease of siege. The course of the ' between Wallachia
and Bulgaria divides itself naturally into three regions—
the Upper Danube from Orsova to Widdin; the Middle
Danube, from Widdin to Rutschuk and Silistria ; and the
Lower Danube, from the letter town to the sea. At Orson
the channel of the Danube widens considerably. II(re
the fortress of Orsova rises from an island. It is
a rectangle, fl inked by four bastions, d id Vsuhan,
constructed in the seventeenth century. Five leagues below
opposite the Walachian town of Tchernetz are the ruins of
Trojan's bridge. The river here attains the breadth of a
quarter of • league. Lower down ars rapids, which, with-
out iaterceptiog navigation, render it difficult. The first
impatient fortress which we meet is Widdin with • popu-
lation of 20,000. It has the form of a semicircle with the
Danube fur the diameter. It is as irregular and prolonged
pentagon, with en encieute flanked with redane, and coun.
Winched by five bastions of tolerably good construction.
It has never been occupied by the Russian*, who have not
been accustomed to employ great military forces on the
Upper Danube. Nikopoli, a commercial town, was ruined
and entirely destroyed by the Russians in 1811.
It has now from 10,000 to 12,000 inhabitants.
It is a point of passage which it behoves the Turks well to
guard. Thus, the &Wulff:lt of Nikopoli has beet re-instated,
and Omer Paella at this moment is constructing new works
there. The right bank of the Danube is for the most part
higher then the left, which gives the Turks a certain ad-
vantage ; but there are intervals where the valley enlarges,
and where the passage is not rendered difficult by the con-
figuration of the soil. At all these intervals fortresses
have been raised, most of which are of mediocre construc-
tion, but are sufficient to oppose a first resistance, and to
serve as polite d'appiei to a body of troops employed to ob-
struct the passage, or to manatees., on the rear of the
enemy, should the inmate be accomplished by a superior
fore*. It is on • point of this character that in descend-
ing the Danube we find the town of Sistow, with
a population of 10,090 inhabitants, and an eneaude flanked
with towers. This town was destroyed by the Russians in
1811, but has been rebuilt, and the fortifications carefully
reconstructed on a more modern plan, and augmented with
severaloutworks. It is one of the strongest places on the
line of the Danube. Giourjewo, which one, covered it on
the left bank, has been lost to Turkey es a fortification, but
there is an island in front of it where some new works have
been raised. Turtuksi, having opposite Wit the Walachian
village of Oltenitza, is a paint of pa sage whin the Russians
have several times seized, End before which they have at
this moment a numerous cantonment. The town, which
has 5,000 inhabitants, is closed with an onciotteo like all the
small towns 01 Turkey. Its military importance is consider-
able, for the ground presents no obstacle to the establishment
of bridges of boat', and the town occupies the head of • route
which leads into the interior of Bulgaria by Rasgrad.
Omer Paella has carefully fortified Turtukai with she aid of
European engineers, who are now tolerably numerous
In the Turkish army. SilistrW is one of the best fortifica-
tions of the Danube. Notwithstanding imperfections
which no longer exist, the Russians had great difficulty in
obtaining possession of it in 1829. Genial Diebitach,
although master of Varna, dared not undertake the march
to Adrianople before having taken Silistria ; a circus-
stance which strongly demonstrates the utility to Turkey
of the fortresses on the line of the Danube ;
they have always held the Ruskin in check I
for twelve or fourteen months. We may remark, 1iMP648414i,
that fortresses have never hindered an army from crossing
ar ' . The Rhine has been crossed wb it has been'
found necessary, notwithstanding that it was defended by
fortresses stronger than those of the Danube. In each of
their wars on the latter river the Russians have been able ,
to cross easily; but with a warlike people like the Turks,
all of whom are accustomed to bear arms, it is dangerous to
penetrate far into the country having fortified towns in the
rear. It was on this account that the Russians in 1828 were
obliged to lay siege to three places before they could carry
their operations further into the country.
But to return to the Lower Danube : its breadth augments
and its rapidity diminishes, bet it preserves a speed
of a league as hoer. Some leagues from Bilistris the
rivet makes • great bend towards the north as far as Galata,
where it resumes its easterly directioa, until it discharges I
itself into the Black flea. Leaving Bilistria, the first town
which we meet is the town of Itossove, when the plunge of
the river is impracticable en account of the marshes on the
left bank, which are fed by the waters of the Bertscha. It
is 12 leaves from &wove to the port of Kastendje, a for-
tified town. Further on we find the small fortress of Me-
son. under the guns of which in time of peace then is a
bridge of boats. From this point to the mouths of the Da-
nube a vest low and marshy plain extends, having in it
numerous lakes. The communication between the towns
and villages is kept op by means of some very bad roads,
bat the country is fertile.

The forts of Matthias, Isatchi, and Toleßeba, near the
mouths of the Danube., are rather poets of observation then
fortified places. They earn to keep watch over the oppo-
site bask, to protest the Turkish flotillas, and. in ease of
need, to fire on the Russian vessels.

Matt persona appear to expect every morning news of
the passage of the Danube by the Russians er the Turks,
but the whole of the Danubian country is impracticable
during the winter, and must be during the present autumn
if the season is as wet there as it has been in Central Europe.
The alluvial soil is easily broken up by the rains. This
roads sad routes not being well kept up, are io bad weather
,
seining out mud. All transports of commons by land,
which in the dry season are very active between Yarns
and Rntschuk, absolutely cease. Then, an army can
no more manostme in the country through the im-
possibility of carrying with it Ice artillery and
necessary baggage. The irregular cavalry of the Turks,
and the Cossacks of the Russians, ars the only troops which
can then keep the field. In the preceding campaigns the
Russians have always withdrawn into their cantonments

in Wallachia, ever isisiag the sieges which they nay have
commenced, and leaving behind them only some Cossack
scouts and garrisons in the bleu-de-poosis. The Danube,
before it is divided to form its delta, has a width of about
4,000 yards, which is broken up by little island,. It is
frozen almost every year. Wallachia and Bulgaria, al-
though situated under the latitude of Provence and Tuscany,
are subject to extremely rigorous winters, not being libel.
tared from the glacial north-east wind which blows directly
upon them from the vast steppes of Russia and the plateaux
of Upper Asia. The frost lasts from the month of De-
cember to the month of March, and the country at the
thaw is more impracticable than ever.