The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-22 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 22, 1854.

THE WAR.

NA .VAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
VLtory, 104, Captain Hay, flag .of Vice-Admiral Sir
Thomas Cochrane, K.C.8., exercised her new'levies of **se-
men yesterday in great gunnery, cannonading from the
lower deck-. _
'hie Penelope, 18, paddle-wheel fiiga-te, Captain Caffin,
was swtmg- yesterday for the adjustmeatt of her compasses
in Portsmouth harbour, and is now ready for service.
Tho Gladiator, 6, paddle-frigete,- C aptain Broke, was
olcially reported -ready for sea at Portsmouth yesterday
. .
The Termagant,af6ern°°u. screw-frigate,: is ordered to be taken
out of the steam basin on Monday and placed in Porte-
mouth harbour ready for commission.
The Algiers, 91, screw steam-ship, was floated out of the
basin dock at Keyhain on Thursday, and towed -to the
jetty to 'receive fore and mainyards, and- to. csamplisbe
stores.
It is stated in Dublin that the Admiralty are withdraw 7
ing six, men from thd crews of every first-class revenue
cruiser, and four from every cruiser of the second class.
The entry of landsmen is for the present discontinued
at the Royal Naval Rendezvous, Tower-hill, until such
time as those now on board the receiving ships are suffi-
ciently diticiplined to be draughted to the vessels in active
service.
Captain Craigie has now enrolled 1,000 'of his comple-
ment of 1,500 men_ as volwateers for the defence of the
east coast. '
Till 3 following appointments hare been made :
LieutenantV. A. J. Heath 11844), at present serving in
the St. George, 121, in the DOVE'S, to command the Otter;
paddle-wheel steam-vessel, commissioned at Woolwich.
Second Master J. H. Allen, to the Otter:
Masters' Assistants.—Louis F. Chevalier, to the Dasher
steam-vessel; .W. J.-Grundy, to the Edinburgh, 60, screw
steam flag-ship of. Rear-Admiral Henry D. Chads, C.B. ;
Bartle Rowlandsen and Henry Lindguist, to the Edin-
ourgh.
Clerks.—W. S. Freeman (1849), to the Waterloo, 120,
dag-ship at Sheerness.
Clerks' Assistant—S. E. C. Sullivan, to the Waterloo.
The first battalion of the Ist Royals, under the command
of Major Montgomery, marched fiaim the Plymouth Citadel
yesterday morning, preceded by their own band and those
(d the 20th and of the Royal Marinas. They were cheered
heartily by the populace as theypassed through Dockyard-
,treet, the Union-road, and Durnford-street. At the Royal
tiVilliam Victualling-yard they were received on board the
:team-tugs Confidence and Pike, which took the Wasp and
\rthur lighters in tow, and conveyed the whole to the
Si;ttud, where the troop were welcomed by the loud hurrahs
of the crews and passengers of the Lady Elgin and Historia
e migrant ships, and other vessels lying at anchor, every
,arrangement having been previously made by Captain
ituyth, Brigade-Major. The Ist Royals, who were 'in ex-
cellent health and spirits, were soon berthed on board the
steam transport-ship Andes, which will probably leave
early this morning direct for Gallipoli.
The Melbourne steam-vessel, One of the hired transports,
went down the river on Thursday on her way to Chatham,
to embark the 38th Regiment of Foot at that port for con-
veyance to the East.
The horse transport-ship Mary Ann sailed on Thursday
morning with the second troop of the Bth Hussars for the
Mediterranean. -
No. 35 transport sailed from Spithead yesterday morning
'for Queenstown.
No. 30 transport went into Portsmouth harbour yeater-
lay, and is ordered to embark a portion of the head-
quarters of the 17th Lancers from the dockyard between 7
and 8 this morning.
The St. Vincent, No. 18 horse and troop transport, left
Woolwich yesterday morning for her destination.
Six transports, fitting out at Liverpool, will shortly be
despatched to Dublin and Cork. The formation of a local
artillery corps has been recommended by Lord Palmerston,
and is talked of with considerable interest by all classes,
as a wise step towards the defence of the port.
The embarkation of the 19th Foot was somewhat delayed
on Thursday, in consequence of the Victoria troop-ship re-
maining at Blackwall with the impression that the troops
would embark there; the men were, however, carried on
to Woolwich, and; after remaining .there seine time,
:ftoughthack to Blackwell and put .on.board the Victoria.
The ship, 'on leaving her moorings, had the misfortune to
{et in collision with the screw-steamer Maria Segunda off
Bladkwall-stairs, carrying away her jibboonn and a quantity
of running, gear. The Victoria sustained no damage, but
has not left Woolwich, as she is short of able seamen. She
has' been numbered 72.
The Master-General of the Ordnance has issued instruc-
tions for the different recruiting parties to use every-exer-
tion in obtaining the desired number of men to place the
loyal A.rtiVery in such a state as to be ready for any Con-
tingency. The bounty is now increased to 5/. 15s. 6d.,
and the height, between the ages of ITand 25, reduced to
5 feet 6 inches, callar-tnakers, shoe-smiths, and wheelers
aeing eligible at a much lower standard. Militiamen _are
now all Owed to join this highly-favoured corps, the pay
ranging from 12s. 3id. to 11. Os. 3d. per week. Tailors
who join this- corps are paid extra for working at their
trade. .
It is understood that the sth Dragoon Guards, under the
command of Brigadier-General the Hon. York Scarlett,
now stationed in Ballincollig, and which some time since
received orders to be in readiness, to embark from Co*,
-sill now embark from Dublin.
About 1 o'clock on Thurida,y the head-quarters of the
'9th Regiment left Cork barracks, under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel A. H. Ferryman, and embarked at Pen-
rose's-quay for the transport Timandra, lying at Queens-
town, hi which they are to proceed to the seat of war. A
crowd Was collected to witness the departve of the men,
who seemed to be, in the highest spirits, and cheered
heartily on leaving-the quay;
ithe splendid band of the regi'
nent also enlivened the scene by playing several spirit-
stirring airs. -The second division are under orders for the
same destination, as soon as the Gornelsa transport, which
is to convey them, arrives.

DEFENCE OF VARNA BY ADMIRAL DIINDAS'S

MARINES.
Ey letters dated from the Black Sea fleet off Varna, 4th
inst., we learn that the day previous Admiral Dundas had
made a general signal for a marine officer from each ship
to repair on board the flag-ship, to copy a general order
issued by Lieutenant-Colonel Pratt, commanding, and
approved by the commander-in-chief, stating that it was
hourly expected that it would be necessary that the
Royal Marines of the fleet should be landed for
the protection of the town of Varna, and that in conse-
quence each man was to be provided with 60 rounds
of ammunition, the men to be dressed in coatees and fo-
raging-caps, carrying their jackets, a shirt,-pair of stock-
ings, boots, &c., in their haversacks; officers to wear blue
frock coats, taking a shell-jacket and other necessaries
with them. The order on promulgation was received with
great enthusiasm by officers and men, and the writer
states that all were iu the highest state of discipline—
ready, most anxious to come within reach of the Russians,
adding, "If we manage to cross bayonets with our foes,
there is no doubt we shall be able to give a pretty good
account of them."

served half-pay list, and the latter, being eligible, succeeds
to his rank of Rear-Admiral of the Blue, and , thereby *re-
linquishing his captain's good service 'pension.
• Retired" Captain John George Aplin (June 28, 1826)
being senior to Captain Keats, also obtains his Promotion
to the rank of retired rear-admiral.:
;Among the officers above enumerated as not haVing
served the required period of time to render them` eligible
for their active flag rank, is Sir Henry Leeke—and his case
is, if anything,- a harder one than that of the Earl of Hard-
wicks. Sir Henry earned the honour of knighthood for hie
gallantry ; but his war services and his standing, backed
• by: incessant applications,-were insufficient to procure him
that 'additional employment which . was necessary-to com-
plete his time:‘ But the anomaly of the regulation that ha's
deprived the active list of so many of its best officers is
• still more absurd in Sir Henry Leeke's case. He is no*
. serving at the head of the Indian navy, as. its superin-
tandent ; but, although he has of late years commanded
at sea, and in experimental squadrons too, in a. three-7,
decker, he is, fOrsooth, ineligible to be placed on the
active flag list of-the Royal navy.
The captain of the Baltic fleet, Commodore Seymour
(August 5, 1826)a is now the senior captain on the active
list.
... • •

Captains Joseph Nias, Sir Philip Broke, Bart., H. D.
Trotter, Sir George !sack (1835), and William Hillyer
(1836), will come' within the seniors' list; and Captains
E. R. P. Mainwaring, W. -J. Prowse, C. H. Seale, T.
Fraser, and Peter Christios will virus within tho 12s. 6d.
half-pay list. •

MILITIA..
The (King's Own) Ist Regiment of Staffordithire'llilitia
assembled at Lichfield on Thursday last for 28 days' train-
ing. This regiment, which had been under the command
of the late Earl of Dartmouth, is now oommanded by'
Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. W. P. Talbot, and musters
upwards of 1,000 strong.
The Ist West York Militia, whielvassembled at Ponte-
fract on Wednesday, is about strong, being.nearly 140
short of its full complement, the deficiency having' been
occasioned, in a great measere. by enlistments into the
line. The 2d West York will assemble at York on the lit
of May. It is expected' to muster about 1;000 strong.
Forty privates are being trained at the, Militia Barracks by
Captain Cobbe, so as to be able to undertake the drilling
of their comrades, in the absence of detachments from the
army. The 3d West York are now assembled at Doncas-
ter. The number short of the full, complement has been
found greater than' was,at first supposed. Instead of 1,030,
the complete number, only 771 were, found on the roll on
the day after their arrival. This number has, however,
since been increased by 186 new recruits, whilst the volun-
teers to the line, since the corps has been in Doncaster, at
present amount only six. So far as can be ascertained,
the whole number of those who have left this regiment for
the army does nob exceed 50, but several are not in atten-
dance whose absence is not satisfactorily accounted for.
The men now on duty are trained twice a-day on the race-
course, about .a mile and a half from the town, and are
making good progress. The men receive regulation rations
of meat and bread, like the soldiers of the line. The 4th
Wed York, at Leeds, is considerably short of its comple-
ment, and cannot assemble for some months. The sth
and 6th West Yerk Regiments are in a still more incipient
state; they, in fact, exist as yet only on paper. •
The Sherwood Rangers, under the command of his Grace
the Duke of Newcastle, will assemble at Newark on Thurs-
day, the 4th of May.
The Regiment of Olocestershire Militia assembled on
Wednesday for 28 days' permanent duty, and yesterday
the Southern division were addressed—by their Colonel,
Earl Fitzliardinge, at Glocester, in a spirited speech, in
which he alluded to the war. In the course of his remarks
he said that Russia was no more justified in her encroach-
ments on Turkey than any highway robber would be in
attacking them on their return to their homes and robbing
them of what they possessed. He also remarked that they
were assembled there of their own free will, and without:
compulsion, and that no impressment had been resorted to
in the navy, but that, without any compulsion, our soldiers
and sailors had embarked heart and hand in the object of
attempting to put down the usurpation of the Czar ; and
the finest fleet that ever sailed on the ocean, and soldiers
as brave as any that ever left the British soil, were joined
against him, His Lordship then recommended the men to
volunteer for the line, observing that if ordered to the Rest
they would be under the commend of Lord Raglan, the
friend and companion in arms of Wellington, and another
commander, h Prince of the Blood, a noble example of disin-
terested loyalty and patriotism; who, resigning the luxuries
of a palace, sought the fortune of war abroad in the service
of his Queen and his country. They had now a fine oppor-
tunity of joining his Rdyed Highness's regiMent, a party
of non-commissioned ()faders being in Gloucester ready to
enlist them.; and he offered, out of his own'parse, to the
first 100 men who.enliated in that or any other regiment
of the line Ws. each. ,The . offer has been accepted by
Many of the men, who now. muster 800. The strength of
the regiment is 1,077, but a majority of the absentees have
enlisted in the line. The men, though many, of them are
new to the service, are getting on very well with their drill.
Schooli are about to be opened for their education in the
evening. •

AUSTRALIA.

We extract the following from a Sydney letter of
Jianuary 3 : -The only particular political incidents are
• the completion2of the New Co,nstitution Bill. and - the
prorogation of the Legislative Council. The Colonial
Secretary;' Mr. 'Dens ,Thompson, and Mr.. Went-worth
have been formally commissioned by the house tO lend
'their. ;advocacy to the bill -in-.its necef.sary passage
through Parliament.- 'Considerable nneertaility-prevails
as to its tate in England ; and the opposition party con-
fidently predict,. on the authority Of- Mr. n6hert LOWe,
that it Will be rejected by the Duke of
Newcastle and
his colleagues:,: die other hind; the party in power.
including the Government, landed proprietors, and
squatters, assert that -by the tenour of the despatches,
as- well as by inherent right, the Legislature of the
ColOny is the proper. authority to decide upen the form
of constitution best suited to. its condition, wants, and
prospects ;' and'the Council has decided by overwhelm-
ing majorities of the elective and nominated inembera.
Petitions against the Nominee Upper House have been
adopted in all the principal districts of the colony; but
Ithey have -not been so numerously signed as was ex-
pected. The aggregate amount 'of signatures is not
above 7,000, out of a population of 200,000, including
an electoral roll of nearly 20,000. 'The fact' is that,
out of Sydney, the great bulk of the people are ignorant
and careless of political matters; and the battle is ,virtu-
ally,betiveen the-" landed aristocracy" andthe feW busyandambitiOus men among the newer class -of -eolonists,
yfhose avowed object is to break down the political su-
remaci-ofthe possessors of broad acres. ,
One of the most
,significant facts connected with
our social condition is-the total failure .of municipal
institutions. In South AuStralia • the district coun-
cils appear to work well ; but in Sydney, Melbourne,-
and Hobart Town the corporations have sunk, day by
day, into insignificance and well-merited contempt- The
offices of mayor, alder Men, and councillors have been
filled, generally, by men of the lowest calibre of mind,
and sometimes of very questionable respectability ; and
from the prominence given to their proceedings in the
columns of the local press, the municipal bodies have
degenerated into mere "talking-ships"—a sort of step
to " the Upper House," ag our worthy city councillors
affected to style the. Legislative Connell in reference to
-their own body. In Sydney, after a long struggle, and
a good deal of very naturatreluctance on the part of the
Government to put down a popular institution, the car-
poration has been abolished' by the almost unanimous
vote of the Legislature, and by the expressed or tacit as.
sent of almost every class of the citizens. In Melbourne
the same result is expected to ensue ; and in Hobart
Town the. press has commenced writing down -the muni-
cipality; Sydney is now under the government of a -paid
commission, who are empowered, by -special legislative
enactment, to impose taxes and rates on the citizens.
•We have now some hopes of getting George-street paved,
and Cook-ward lighted; and the great desiderata—a
proper system of se werao and a sufficient supply of water
—are no longer, included in the category of impossi-
bilities. _

The intelligence brought 703, the Harbinger of the de-
claration of war by Turkey has created a strong im-
pression. Coupled with the rather unsatisfactory state of
our markets,' this news is looked upon as serious in a
commercial point of view. At Melbourne fears are en-
tertained of the long predicted " crisis ;" and our inte-
rests are so bound up with those of the southern colony,
that Sydney must, to a large extent, be involved in its
disasters, Our position is undoubtedly much sounder,
and we are better prepared to meet the difficulties that
are in store ; but there is considerable anxiety. The
produce of our gold-fields has diminished to the extent
of nearly one-half, as compared with the results of last
pear ; and in Victoria the falling off is very oonsiderable
also. The reduction of the license fee from 30e. to 10a.,
which alteration commenced on the let of October, was
followed. by an immediate increase in the licenses issued ;
and it is confidently anticipated.that the returns for No-
vember and December will show a further increase. The
present quotation for gold is 775. to 77e. 3d. for Vic-
toria, and 755. for New. South Wales. The total amount
of the precious metal exported from Sydney to the pre-
sent time i5.1,615,5550z., valued at 755., 6,058,3311. 59.
Discounts have been at 2 and. 3 per cent, for sonic weeks
past ; but it is expected that the value of money will rise.
The Crown land sales to the 10th November have
amounted to 131,418/. 'This is but a beggarly account,
compared with the sales in South Australia,- which, it is
stated, will amount to 300,0001. for the year. Apropos
of South Australia, Capt. Gadell is actively pursuing his
plans for establishing a regular line of steamers and
barges to navigate the waters of the Murray, which pro-
mises to become the highway for a considerable portion
of the internal commerce of the continent. In his recent
despatches to the Duke of Newcastle, Sir Henry Young,
the Lieut.-Governor of South Australia, iudulges in
very sanguine anticipations of the future importance of
Adelaide as the natural port of landing for immigrants
intending to settle in the country districts of New
South Wales and,Victoria. His Excellency's anticipa-
tions are, perhaps, a little premature ; but a glance at
the map will satisfy you that the Murray, the Nile of
Australia, is destined to play a great part in the Aus-
tralian drama. The climate of the interior is described
as beautiful, and soil is generally of excellent qua-
lity. The river and its tributaries abound in fish, and'
millions of wild fowl await the sportsman's guns. The
natives of the basin of the- Murray are generally do-
cile and tractable, and are employed in considerable num-
bers,-as shepherds, by the squatters in those districts.
Our railway prospects are more encouraging than
they were. Some difficulty haS been experienced with the
newly-arrived navvies, owing to the representations made
to them by crimps on their landing ; but desertions from
covenanted engagements have been promptly and severely,
punished by our courts, and the‘recent Water Police Act
provides stringent penalties for crimping. Navvies, how-
' ever, are very well off here; and liberal wages, from Os.
to 10s. a day, have been freely given by the company to
common labourers. Mr. Wallace, the chief engineer, still
confidently speaks of opening the line to Parramatta 'at
the end of this year. I give him 18 months at least.
Masons employed on the line are earning from 255. to
28s. a day. Some of these are persons who arrived here
under contract to serve the company for ss. a day ; but
it has been found impossible to enforce contracts, and
the directors have wisely relaxed the stringency of the
engagements, and paid the current rates of wages. The
survey for the Hunter River line from Newcastle to
Maitland is in progress. Mr. Wallace has been charged
with the undertaking. He reports most favourably on
the nature of the country. The line will traverse an al-
most uninterrupted coal field of groat extent and depth
of seam. There are also some magnificent stone quar-
ries, the material of which will be available for the large
improvements now being effected in the harbour of
Newcastle. Real property in Sydney has been rising
continuously. The abundance of money, and a spirit
of land jobbing,- have combined to raise the prices of
building allotments to an extravagant figure, and it is
not likely that any reaction will occur here at present.
Rents continue high, but I believe there is more dispo-
sition on the part of landl6rds to grant leases of three,
five, or seven years, to tenants of established respecta-
bility, on something less than ruinous terms. Thus,
business premises, which last year might be had for say
4001., and cannot now be obtained by strangers for less
than 8001., are let to old tenants at 600/., for a term ;
and at this rate.still yield enormous interest for money.
Building proceeds slowly, but steadily, and is generally
of a substantial character, notwithstanding the high
wages . (1/. to 30s, a• day) paid to skilled labourers.
The demand for labour is incessant, nor can any limit
be placed upon the number of artisans, mechanics,
navvies, and people of that sort, that we can employ
and enrich, The prosperity of the labouring classes
leads to several evils, but most of these will cure
themselves. The vice of drunkenness is the must for-
midable and the most difficult to grapple with. Ia
Victoria it has come to such a pitch that a league
has been formed with the avowed object of procur-
ing a law prohibiting the sale and manufacture of
all intoxicating liquors—a Maine liquor ' law, in
other words. There, is not the remotest chance of
success in such a Quixotic attempt, but it has
already led to a more serious consideration of the subject
and may effect some good indirectly. Appeals have
been made to the Government to put down the public-
houses, but the Government knows too well that any
direct interference would lead- to smuggling, sly grog
selling, and probably to bloodshed, and they wash their
hands of the matter, reaping meanwhile an enormous
revenue from customs duties upon spirits. We want a
Father Matthew here.

SYDNEY, Jan. 10.—On Sunday evening we received
by way of Melbourne the .intelligence brought by the
Australian to the 15th October. The impending war in
Europe is the theme of general conversation, and
great anxiety is felt lest the colonies may be in-
volved in hostilities. The Melbourne press is clamour-
ing loudly for the formation of militia corps, and the
Argus especially gives way to all sorts of gloomy antici-
pations of rapine and,murder on the part of the French
or Russians. The press of New South Wales is
more guarded and more -.moderate ; but it begins
to iexpress the general felling that some precaution-
ary measure should be taken in view of a possible
coup de main, either by American privateering expe-
ditions, or by. a legitimate descente of a French
squadron. Few of the colonists of New South
Wales are sufficiently acquainted with European
politics to discern very clearly tae signs of the
times ; but it is patent. to everybody who bestows
any:attention on passing events, that in the event
of war the English and French alliance is in great dan-
ger of being broken up ; and we look with jealeus sns-
picion upon the movements of the French squadron in
the Pacific. It is said that if the overland November
mail, now nearly due, should bring a confirmation of the
warlike news, the Legislative Council will be summoned
again, with the. view .of getting a. measure passed to
anthorise the levy of a volunteer corps. The Govern-
ment 'are prepared
_to carry such a measure into effect
immediately, and the pluck and patriotism of the colo-
nists may be fally relied on. It is, however, confidently
anticipated that the British Government will lose no
time in strengthening the naval force in these seas. •
The Sydney... Morning Herald, in its money article,
publiiihes this morning an account of the revenue for
1853, the materials of which were specially furnished fbr
the Harbinger's departure. The total receipts of the
gezteral royme are 66M354/,. 5e,. od., nolurke of ir,

[pitlelt SD.

vial accounts,-showing an actual 'increase of 203,7691.
over the revenue; of 1852. The territorial revenue
amounted to 50,636/. Os. 4d., also exclusive of special
receipts. The increase on the Whole revenue, general
and territorial,' is 301,5021. 6s. 2d. •
The Sydney bank's' have _raised iheir rates of dis-
count ;,o 4 'per cent. for bills' at. three ,months and
under, 5 per . cent. for. four • months and under,
above . four months - 6 Per cent. A few, weeks ago
disceunts were obtainable at 24 3, and 4 per cepa.,
owing to the VOinpetitien between the several establish-
ments. The dangerdus tendency 'of this competition
was boldly pointed out bYthe press, and the 'conduct of
the banks severely commented on. It is believed that
the articles of the Percild. bad no' little influence,
coupled with the unsatisfaCtorY news from Europe, in
bringing about a more healthy state of things:
,Trade is very 'much depressed, and stocks overflowing,
but in other respects the present condition.of the colony
is highly satisfact:ry.' There is little excitement left,
And the fortune-making of last year will not be repro-
duced. Some extraordinary land and stook transactions
,have recently taken place. Mr. 'Wentworth, preparatory
to his departure v for England sold his stations on th'e
Marrambidge to' several parties here .for 80,0001.
three months age: lam credibly informed 'that they
have been resold for nearly double the sum.
One or.two of our lucky men,
.who have cleared large
sums 'dating ,the last two years, have. honourably paid
in full their liabilities remaining from the panic and in-
solvency of 1843. Among these, Mr.: Alderman Wil-
shire and Mr. George Alfred Lloyd, whose name is well
known in England as the writer of the gold,eirculars in
the Sydney !Jerald, stand conspicuous. It is to. be re-
gretted that others who have not been less fortunate
have not followed so bright an example.
The total shipping entered inwards at Fort Jackson,
dining the past year, has been as follows :—Ships, 98O•
tonnage, 316,879 ; passengers, 31,437. Outwards
ships, 866;;• tonnage, 298,728 ; passengers, 11,486.
These 6gures are, compiled by the Herald ; but in an-
other column it represents the excess .of arrivals .over de-
parttires 'as. 18,915. In round numbers, sav 20,000,
may be set doWn as the accession to our population this
year. • _

Among the items of intelligence collaterally interest-
ing is the fact that the King of the Hawaiian Islands,
Kamebameha 111., his appointed Charles St. Julian,
Esq of this city, his commissioner and political and com-
mercial agent to the King's chiefs and rulers of all the
islands of the Pacific not under European sovereignty or
protection. lam not aware of the precise or ultimate ob-
ject of the appointment ; but the ostensible aim is to ob-
tain information and ,open up communications be-
tween the kingdon; of Hawaii and the kindred states.
The subject is one of considerable interest,_ and the
development of commercial intercourse between us and
California,' and the establishment of the Panama line of
steam communication, renders every movement in the
Pacific of great importance.