The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-24 00:00:00

A letter dated Kiel, March 19, says the pro-
bability is that the English fleet will not come
precisely to the harbour there, but in tee roadstead
of Friedrichsart, a small town near the Baltic, with
a tolerably strong fortress. During the last revo-
lutionary war that fortress, as well as the territory
on the opposite side, was held by the Schleswig-
Holsteiners, whilst the Danish and Russian war-
steamers were cruising off the mouth of the gulf
which runs into Kiel harbour. It is probable that
that will be also the main position of the British
squadron, particularly if the weather remains
favourable. The harbour, however, of Kiel is
ample and commodious enough for the entire
squadron, and the depth of wat,Jr is in many parts
from 23 to 36, and even 47 feet. The harbour,
moreover, is only two German miles from the
Baltic.
The forthcoming arrival of the British fleet is the
all-engrossing topic of conversation in this town.
Numerous persons have arrived to-day from Ham-
burg by railway, in order to see our blue jackets,
and a flag staff is hung out of the tower of St. Ni-
cholas's church, ready to be hoisted to the top the
moment the squadron is perceived. The garrison,
now 250 strong, is to be increased by 400 more
troops from Jutland, in order, as they say, to en-
able the authorities to do honour to the British
fleet, but possibly also with the view of better main-.
taining public order. The population of Kiel, in-
chiding the suburbs, is between 15,000 and 16,000.
AfterAltona, the capital of Holstein, it is the largest
town in that duchy.
In Hamburg the good citizens are making prepa-
rations to give Admiral Napier a brilliant recep-
tion, in the event of his being induced to pay a
visit to that city.
From Copenhagen we learn that on the 16th
inst. the Speakers of the two Houses repaired to
the Palace 'of Frederiksberg, for the purpose of
communicating the address adopted nearly unani-
mously in each Chamber. Rotwitt, the Speaker
of the Lower House, read the document. His
Majesty replied that, still holding fast the procla-
mation of Jan. 28, 1852, he would carefully con-
sider what steps might now be most useful to the
country, and form his resolution accordingly. The
Speakers then remained to dine with his Majesty.
Numberless reports were afterwards circulated
of partial or total changes in the Cabinet, but
none had taken place. The King may pos-
sibly refuse altogether to make any concession
to the will and rights of the nation as legally
expressed, and may proceed to abolish the Con-
stitution without further delay. Foreseeing this
danger, the Upper House has suddenly and at the
last moment adopted a small alteration in the bud-
get, so that this bill will have to be sent back again
to the Lower House fur further consideration.
The Parliament cannot be dissolved until this
measure has been finally adopted—that is, for
a week or two, as circumstances may require.
As the communication this year bet Ween the
Swedish maidand and the island of Gothland is
a matter of the last importance, the King has
ordered a twice-weekly post to be established for
the whole of the summer and autumn. A pilot
near Westervik, on the Swedish east coast, dis-
covered by the tube three largo 111,m-I,f-war, which
he supposed to be Russians, sailing two or three
Swedish miles from Oro. They turned out to sea
again, the ice being still hard all along the coast,
so that no harbour can be approached. The forces
which will shortly be thrown into Gothland
amount to 3,000 men, and 9,000 militia ; total
amount of guns, 40. The whole of the Swedish
army, about 80,000, will be made disposable. An
equally additional number can be raised if required.
The Grand Duke Constantine, after having exa-
mined all the military and naval establishments in
and near Helsingfors, and been present at a great
ball given by the governor, has returned to St.
Petersburg. The news in the Flemish papers is,
as might be expected, more and more meagre every
day. The reported offer to England to subsidise
30,000 Swedish troops in Finland appears not yet
to have reached that country.
Two English naval officers have been spending
some days in Frederikstadt, at the mouth of the
Christiania, Fjord. Assisted by four pilots, they
have been taking soundings in the West-Ely, and
have fixed upon a secure bay at Lereu, where
thirty ships of the line can comfortably be accommo-
dated. It was here that the Russian matt-of-war
Borodino lay, some years back. The fortress of
Kronan, near Gothenburg, is to be fully armed,
and is to receive a garrison of some hundred men;
the same will also take place at Waxholm, near
Stockholm. It is reported that the station se-
lected by the French for their fleet in Norway is
the harbour of Bergen.
The whole of the western side of the Russian
empire, that is, the whole line which is exposed to
an enemy's attack, has been put under martial law.
And au immense sweep it is on the map, from
Archangel in the north to Bessara.bia in the south,
the whole of Poland being included merely as
parenthesis, and as a province. By the assistance
of Heaven, this is the last time Poland will be so
treated ; its hour is at hand. Well, the same thing
is the case with Finland. An Imperial rescrpt of
a dozen lines has at one blow annihilated all law in
.that duchy, declared the whole land in a state of
siege, and proclaimed the gEvernor-,general to be
invested with absolute and dictatorial powers.

THE WAR ON THE DANUBE.
A letter from Shinnla, dated Attica 5, says :
In the night between the Ist and 2d March the
Russians attacked, with a considerable force, the
battery placed by Omer Pasha at Podbashi, in
order to check the passage of the Russian vessels
on the Danube. Four companies of Turks were
immediately ordered to attack them by Ibrahim
Pasha, serving under the orders of Mustapha
Pasha, who commands the right wing of the
Turkish army in the Thbrudscha. Tie objeti
of the Russians was to spike the cannon and
destroy. the works, but in this they were hin-
dered by the vivacity of the Turkish attack, 5o