The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-17 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

It is asserted in Paris yesterday (Sunday) that
an important dispatch had been received from St.
Petersburg. The Czar, who had promised to
ac-
cept any proposals the mediating Powers might
make, has, on receiving the news of the Turkish
declaration of war, declared that he retracts all hi s
concessions. He added that nothing remained
now but war to the knife (guerre a l'outrance).
The following private telegraphic dispatch was
received on Saturday afternoon at Paris :
" MARSEILLES, OCT. 15.
" The packet which left Constantinople on the
sth, at midnight, found the squadrons on the 6th,
at Besika, making their preparations for entering
the Dardanelles.
" Orders had been sent to Omer Pacha to sum-
mon Prince Gortschak6fr to evacuate the Princi-
palities, giving him a delay of fifteen days only.
" The Porte had addressed a manifesto to the
Powers.

"M. de Crevecoeur, Prefect of the Bouches-du-
Rhons, suddenly left yesterday for Constantinople.
" Pressing orders have been given for immedi-
diately arming the frigates Vauban, Descartes,
Asmodeus, Cacique, Montezuma, and Panama."
That the delay granted to Prince Gortschakoff
for evacuating the provinces is really 15 days, is
confirmed by the Siecle, which says it has reason
to know that this, and no other, is the period
fixed. The most striking 'part of this, the most
recent dispatch, is the news that six frigates are to
be armed with all possible speed. The &Me says
it is not Redschid- Pacha, but his son, who was to
go to Prince Gortschakoff to inform him of the de-
termination of the Porte.

Iskender Bey, one of Omer Pacha's aides-de-
camp, has arrived in France, charged, it is said,
with a private mission to Paris and London. He
is said to be a Polish renegade. His name was
Slinski. Iskender Bey was in the service of the
Porte before 1848, and he then went to Hungary,
where he became aide-de-camp to General Bem.
He was afterwards interne at Aleppo, and it was
oniy after the death of General Bent that he
was allowed to return to Europe. Omer Paella,
took him as his aide-do-camp in the cam-
paign of Montenegro. There are several versions
afloat as to the nature of Iskender Bey's mission,
but the general belief is that its object is to recruit
Polish and other ofacors for the war in the Cau-
casus. The celebrated General Dembinski, who is
now residing in Paris, and to whom many of the
friends of Turkey have recently applied, has de-
clared that he would henceforth never undertake
any command, unless the object of the war was the
restoration of Poland.

The following is from Constantinople, of Oct.
3 :—" To-morrow will be the first day of the new
Mahomedan year, 1270 ; and it is generally be-
lieved that the decree will on that occasion be read
in the mosques, and otherwise promulgated. Ac-
cording to the construction put upon a passage in
the Koran, by the Mahomedan priesthood, the
year 1270 will be the era of a great war, in which
the Turks will be successful. This prophecy, as
may easily be imagined, will be taken advantage
of to influence the masses ; and it is generally be-
lieved that the irade has been kept back, in order
that its appearance may be simultaneous with the
commencement of the new year."
The conditional declaration of war by Turkey
against Russia arrived at Vienna on Friday after-
noon. It is of a decisive and peremptory tenor.
The term which it fixes for the evacuation of the
Principalities expires on the 25th inst.
The frigate Labrador has sailed from Toulon
with 750 sailors on board, who are to take the
place of an equal number of sailors now serving in
the French fleet in the Mediterranean.
Letters from Bucharest to the 2nd bast have
been received. The warlike resolve of the Porte
was known, and Prince Gortschakoff had called
to him the superior officers of his army, and an-
nounced that they must now be in readiness to ad-
vance southward at any moment.
The semi-official Zeit has an article alleging that
Prussia, although neutral, does not remain pas-
sive ; that, on the contrary, her position is that of
a " mediating neutrality." The more Prussia
maintains her disinterestedness in the Russian and
Turkish strife the more will she exert herself, and
the more likely is she to be heard.
The Lithographic Correspondence of Berlin de-
nies that there is any truth in a rumour current
in that capital of a part of the Prussian army being
about to be called out.

Baron de Meyendorf has returned to Vienna
from Berlin. On his return he had a long confer-
ence with Lord Westmoreland.

The ust Correspondenz says that the reduction of

the army is a fact of grea-t importance, proving
that Austria intends to maintain strict neutrality
in the differences between Turkey and Russia. It
is added that the war will be merely nominal this
winter, and that before spring it will probably be
terminated by mediation.
The Cologne Gazette, under date of Berlin, 12th,
says—" Diplomatists are now engaged in drawing
out projects of arrangement of the Eastern ques-
tion, which are to serve as the basis of a new Con-
ference at Vienna."

The Malta Mail of the 7th states that the sani-
tary condition of Admiral Dundas's fleet had
greatly improved.
The Emperor of Russia passed the Vistula *
Dirschau on the 10th, at one o'clock in the after-
noon,s and at six the same day arrived at Konigs-
berg. By orders of the Czar 110 preparations were
made for his reception. His Imperial Majesty was
travelling rapidly.
The Italian Courier announces that the Emperor
has sent to Warsaw an order for the 6th corps
d'arme to hold itself in readiness to march. ,
A letter from Warsaw, of the Bth, stateAkat the
authorities were taking all the necessary meaittres
for preventing pamphlets and proclamations of the
Revolutionary Committee from being smuggled into
the country. They were specially anxious to pre-
vent the entrance of a pamphlet, addressed to the
nobility, in which they are told, amongst other
things, that if they wish to serve their country
they must emancipate their serfs.
A letter from Constantinople of the Ist says :
The corps d'armee of Selim Paella, which has its
centre of operations at Erzeroum, the chief town of
the Pachalick of that name, had received a rein-
forcement of 12,000 men, and that its conditi*U
excellent. Accounts had been received that SeiVia
had offered to the Porte a body of 20,000 men, and
that Persia had officially declared her neutrality.
The Wanderer has news of the 4th from
Bucharest. The activity of the Russians is repre-
sented to be greater than ever. Government mes-
sengers come and go in hot haste, troops advance,
and reviews are held in various parts of the '
Pprincipalities. The sick list appears to be getting
larger and larger, as the roomiest buildings in
the Wallachian capital are taken for hospitals.
The citizens complain bitterly of the number
of officers and men quartered in their houses.
There begins to be a great scarcity in the inferior
qualities of bread, and the country people are
half ruined by the continual post and transport
service which they are forced to do. Desertions are
not unfrequent in the army of occupation; but when-
ever one of the unfortunate fugitives is caught, he is

condemned to powder and bill. Columns of troops
of all arms, with their baggage waggons, are has-
toning towards the Danube. As to the Wallachian
officers, they lead a very retired life, and it is evi-
dent that no very kindly feeling exists between
them and the Russians. M. Sxinas, the Consul-
General of Greece, is still at his post.