The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-14 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

' The tendency of the news which reached London
yesterday is yet further to diminish the importance
of the affair of the 30th ult. at Sinope, considered as
a naval advantage for Russia.
Despatches from Vienna have reached Paris,
stating that four of the lair Russian vessels engaged
in that encounter are so crippled that it will be many
months before they can again show themselves in
action. Another despatch has been published,
according to which the Russians lost in the affair of
Sinope two ships of the line, three frigates, and two
steamboats. It is added that their force consisted of
12 frigate., a brig, and five steamboats, besides the
six ships of the line mentioned in the Moniteur.
But if the naval importance of this affair is dimi-
nished, its political consequences are beginning to be
more earnestly appreciated. Taken in connexion
with the passage of the Ottoman frontier at Bajazid,
the attack on the Turkish ships at Sinope destroys
at once the Czar's pretensions to a defensive attitude,
and presents him in the light of a relentless and
aggressive enemy. The difficulty of the situation is
thus aggravated for all parties, and perhaps most of
all for the two governments whose representatives
have it at this moment in charge to convince the
Turkish government of the pacific and moderate dis-
positions of the Czar.. _ _ _

The Bourees of Paris and London are seen to fall,
as the apprehension gains ground that the naval
forces of Fiance and England cannot lie inactive in
the Bosphorus while the fleet of our ally is being
destroyed piecemeal, and his maritime frontier is
blockaded. It is, indeed, urged in some quarters that
the affair at Ship will facilitate a settlement of the
quarrel, because it offers a moral satisfaction to the
amour propre of the Russians, and is a compensation
for their reverses in Asia and on the banks of
the Danube. But this character cannot be attri-
buted to it if it is considered that the dis-
parity between the forces engaged is so great
as to leave the honour of the day rather with the re-
sisting and obstinate Commander of the small Turkish
sub-division than with his bulky assailant. For the
rest, it is but too evident that this agreasive measure
of the Russian Commander will embitter and aggra-
vate the quarrel which has already so deeply tn-
grossed the sympathies and interests of Europe.
A letter from Constantinople of the 28th ult. an-
nounces that the two corps of Batoun and Anatolia
were advancing on the Russian territory, and were
to unite at Tiflis. The majority of the inhabitants
of Georgia had declared in favour of the Turks. The
Turkish division of Bajazid entered the Russian ter-
ritory in the province of Erivan on the 27th October.
The Russian advanced guard having been attacked
by 3,000 Bashi-Bozouks who preceded the Turkish
division, were completely routed, and the Turks
continued their march to Erivan. Abdi Pacha
entered the Russian territory in Georgia on the
10th November, with the greater portion of his
army.
The Petersburg correspondent of the Hamburg
Nuchrichten writes:

Russia still wishes to avoid a general conflagration, and
will not by any untimely preparations invoke an European
war, although (and this I can inform you on the most trust-
worthy authority) the RUSFiall cabinet has not for a long
time past thought an instant of abating any of the demands
it has made on Turkey, as far as we know here all at-
tempts to bring Central Europe into a less favourable atti-
tude towards Russia Lave hitherto been fruitless ; but
even if they succeeded, the veil first to be sacrifice in a
general war would be Turkey. This is a conviction which
well-informed persons here entertain unshakeably. In
consequence of the declaration of this court, all propositions
for peace and accommodation of the points at issue must
proceed direct from Turkey ; invitations to this effeet have
been forwarded from Vienna to Constantinople.
The correspondent concludes with the remark—
" Under these circumstances we may as well look
on the Principalities, for the present at least, as a
Russian conquest."
Many contradictory statements are in circulation
respecting the character of the arrangement of the
Eastern difficulty, which the English and French
governments are striving to bring about. Perhaps
themost explicit ratification of the very offensive
amigo made against the British cabinet on this sub-
ject is furnished in the following passage from the
Paris letter of a ministerial journal :—" It appears
certain that the basis of the treaty must be the note
of Vienna. All the letters from Vienna agree in
stating that the Austrian cabinet has joined the con-
ference on that condition. The Emperor of Russia
does not demand more now than he did three
months ago, but he will take nothing less; and by
the arrangement that has been come to with Austria,
all idea of assisting the Turks in annulling the trea-
ties with Russia, which existed before the present
war, is abandoned. The Turks will, therefore, have
pined nothing by their resistance--they will have
impoverished their finances, have lost a portion of
their navy, have sacrificed lives for conquest in Asia,
which they must surrender, and the Emperor of
Russia will be very magnanimous if he does not,
under the influence of the protecting Powers, compel
them to pay largely for the inconvenience to which
he hu been put by their obstinacy."
The Dresden Journal, under date of Vienna, Gth,
says : " It is stated that Austria and Prussia only
gave their assent to the new note relative to the
Turco-Russian differences, on England and France
giving a formal engagement to insist with enemy
through their ambsesadors on the acceptance of it
by the Divan independently of the collective de-
cLratiln. It is hoped that the note will be accepted
by the Sublime Porte. On the other hand, Austria
has preserved a favourable ground at St. Peters-
burg. It is therefore thought that if the Ottoman
Porte accepts the new project, there will be no fresh
difficulties to overcome at St. l'eteraburg. The im-
mediate result will be an armistice and a direct
negotiation between Rusin and Turkey."
The Patrie says, private letters from Athens
speak of the determination of King Otho to resist
energetically and loyally the fanaticism of certain
provinces of Epirus and Meanly, and to maintain

e
his neutrality and good understanding h),
Ottoman Porte.
According to the Breslau aa:elte, on the 26th a
major in the Russian army was killed by a cannon
ball in the neighbourhood of Giurgevo.
The Debate, in giving a summary of its corres,
pondence from Constantinople of the 28th, says:
It appears that the English ambassador, Lord Stratford
de ltedcliffe, after having presented, as we have already
said, the last !note proposed for the signature of the Sultan
by the cabinet of London, still would not consider himself
beaten, notwithstanding the unanimous reprobation which
this note met with in the Divan. In seeing him persist in
this way even after the arrival of proposals from Vienna,
people I°ltualied,s°Th
eenextrtaisliartdin;:ey nialoutivenefoerinhs cd
oonndr.
t is
subject an autograph letter from Queen Victoria,
recommending him most urgently, and in terms very
flattering for his amour-propre, to do evehing
in his power to obtain the assent at the Minn.D
Our last letters spoke of this fact to us, but in terms too
vague for us to feel justified in repeating them. They now
return to the charge in a so positive that we cannot
heip mentioning the matter, at least as a report current in
Constantinople. Another version attributer Lord Strat-
ford's conduct to less solemn motives. It is insinuated that,
finding all Europe ready to come to an understanding to
make peace, the English ambassador is anxious for the
honour of making it all by himself. However this may be,
Lord de Radcliffe now uses the most pacific language, and
ou the very day when he presented the officers of the fleet
to the Sultan, he employed, it is said, in a private audience,
much warmth and eloquence to urge the Sultan to adopt a
conciliatory course.
" According to the last news from Trebizond,"
says the Os!. Deutsche Post, "three or four Turkish
frigates have succeeded in landing arms, ammuni-
tion, and stores on the coast of Circassia, not far from
Gelendjick. The arms and other articles so landed
were immediately taken off by the Circassians. The
Tschau tribe, on the frontier of Persia, which was
always in a state of rebellion, has offered troops to
the Porte against Russia. From Damascus, it is
stated that Mohammed-Effendi, head of a convent,
has collected at Destan and Irak a corps of 12,000
volunteers, to be at the disposal of the Porte, without
an 7 expense being incurred by the Turkish treasury."
the same journal has the following from Jassy,
dated the 28th alt.:—" Constantin ltutkowitza, for-
merly aide-de-camp to Prince Stirbey, was taken
prisoner to Russia on the 25th for having kept up a
correspondence with Omer Pacha."
The Press of Vienna states that a conflict has taken
place at Braila (date not given) between the Russian
troops and the Wallachians—a Wallachian battalion
having refused to obey a Russian General. The
affair, however, it adds, was subsequently arranged,
but four companies were sent to another place.
The Lloyd of Vienna of the 9th, says :
According to accounts from Bailie, some agitation was
for • few days before perceptible amongst the inhabitants.
The Bosuisns now demand with energy that the Turks
should pay the taxes, seeing that the rajahs have borne the
burden of them fora length of time unassisted. The appeal
made to volunteers had not produced a great enthusium.
The government has decreed a levy Cu masse, and it is said
that the troops so raised, to the number of 15.000, are to
take up a position on the frontier of Servia. The Austrian
Ministers of Finance, War, Foreign Affairs, sad Commerce
have interdicted the exportation of arms and ammunition
to Bosnia.

The ►tanderer of Vienna of the 9th says:—" By
order of the Emperor of Russia, General-in-Chief
Prince Gortschakoff has declared the ports of Galatz
and Braila neutral for exportation and importation.
The Turks are still at Kalafat, and the Russians at
Krajowa. The Russians have never had a camp near
Krajowa."
A correspondent of the Indtpendance Budge, writing
from Vienna on the 9th, says:
I learn, although the fact has been called in question,
that the note lately addressed to Turkey by the Four Powers
is really a collective note ; and I will even add from a cer-
tain seutc.e, that the new project of mediation has for its
basis the very note which was framed by the Austrian
government after the conference of Olmute, and not, as has
been pretended, the project of Lord de Itedcliffe, presented
by him towards the end of October.