The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-18 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

Some alarm has been created at Paris by the
rumour brought by telegraph from Vienna that
General Osten-Sacken had entered the Crimea at
the head of 40,000 men ; but it is to be remarked
that this rumour is from no official source ; that
it has not been corroborated, though it has been
known for twenty-four hours ; and that, as is fre-
quently the case with fabricated news, it is without
a date.

The deputation of officers sent by the English
Government to represent our army at the funeral
of Marshal do St. Arnaud consisted of Lieutenant-
General Sir Harry Smith, with his aides-de-camp,
Colonel Taylor and Colonel flolditch, sent to re-
present the Queen, and Lord Arthur Hay, sent to
represent Lord Hardinge, commander-in-chief of
the British army. The Sardinian general, Count
de Marmora, was also present.
A letter from Vienna dated the 12th October,
and given by the Moniteur, says—" The victory of
the allied armies on the Alma is appreciated by all
competent judges as a most glorious feat of arms.
The bulletins which give an account of it are also
grea-ly admired. The garrison of Vienna is to be
passed to-morrow in review by the Emperor, who
has invited the French general Letang and the
English general Duplas to join his staff."

Travellers who have arrived at Vienna direct
from Russia state that entrenchments on a great
scale are being made along the Vistula, and capable
of preventing any successful passage of the river
from the opposite bank. More than ten thousand
men are at work on them. The troops are moving
by three routes towards the Austrian frontier—one
being by railway from Warsaw to Molzki, another
along the Michevo, road, and the third along the
Vistula.

THE WEST INDIA MAILS.

(DY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

SOUTHAMPTON, WEDNESDA.T MORNING.

The Royal Mail Company's steam-ship La Plata,
with the Wost India and Pacific mails, has arrived.
Her dates are—Demerara, Sept. 25, Jamaica 27,
Barbadoes 27, and St. Thomas's Oct. 2.
The Plata has on board 108 passengers, 374,754
dols. in specie, 220,761 dols. in gold dust and bars,
and a cargo consisting of cochineal, ginger, sarsa-
parilla, &c.
During her homeward voyage the Plata expe-
rienced• strong head winds, and encountered a
strong northerly gale, which lasted two days.
At Jamaica the elections were still going on,
but created little interest.

Operations at the mines were ♦ery limited.
There is no political news of interest.
The markets still continue dull. Exchange
(sixty days) 1 per cent. prem .

The choleri was fast disappearing throughout
the colonies, and the crops were looking well.
Labour was very scarce.

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MANTEUPPEL'S PRUSSIAN CIRCULAR

The following is the answer to the Austrian cir-
cular we published yesterday :

The Austrian Cabinet has communicated to us the en-
closed circular, addressed on the 21st of this month to
its representatives accredited t• the German Govern-
ments. This document suggests to me the following
observations.

When Baron Prekesch, a few days only before the sit-
ting of the committee on the 25th inst., had declared to
the King's minister to the Bund that he also did not
deem it correct to convoke the committees before the re-
aseembling of the Bund, the members of the committees
being without instructions, he suddenly changed his
mind and appointed a sitting, without communicating to
M. de Bismarck his intention of submitting to the com-
mittees questions drawn up with formal precision, nor
these questions themselves. Later, he also specified
the seven well-known questions, as stripped of all official
character. Nevertheless these last, as we learned from
different quarters, but not through a direct communica-
tion from Vienna, were communicated to the imperial
legations by a circular, in which an interpretation
is set forth as undoubted of the full purport, in prin-
ciple, to be given to the convention of April 20, such
as by no means coincided with our opinions, and
the answer to the questions in that sense was urgently
demanded. We repeat that this circular was not simul-
taneously communicated to us, but we learnt its con-
tents approximately, our representative baying men-
tioned it on the supposition that it had reached us direct
from Vienna. But that did not take place till a fort-
night after, by means of• communicatien made to Count
Esterhazy after I had charged Count Arnim at Vienna
to broach this subject to Count Buol.
Such is the simple statement of the facts. We are
far from contesting the right of the Austrian Cabinet to
address circulars to its representatives without commu-
nicating them to us, but, setting that aside, we raise the
question of knowing whether, in the case at issue, or in
general when any actio❑ unanimous as possible is at
stake, it would not be desirable to give each other mutual
information beforehand, or else simultaneously, concern-
ing proceedings similar to such as are expressed in the
seven questions, or in the circular of August 31, en-
closed for your guidance, even supposing the difference
of opinions would not have been entirely removed.
The Austrian circular, by affirming that we expressed
our surprise at the want of agreement with us, has not
stated the facts with perfect correctness, for in answer-
ing the supposition of the German Governments or their
representatives at Berlin, that we had been cognisant
of the seven questions before they were submitted to
the committee, and of the circular immediately after it
had appeared, we were less in a position for expressing
our surprise to them than for hearing them express it
to us.

But, under all the circumstances, and seeing the great
importance we attach to our concert with Austria, we
shall continue, whenever there shall be a question of views
we may deem it our duty to entertain, and shall be
enabled to communicate to our allies, to make a simul•
taneous communication of them to Vienna.

Be so good as to lay before the Governments to which
you are severally accredited, &c., &o.
(Signed) DE MANTIIIFFEri.
Berlin, Sept. 24, 1854.

RUMOURED RUPTURE BETWEEN TER
ALLIED POWERS AND PRUSSIA.

The Paris correspondent of a contemporary writes
thus :

" The idea that we are destined to hays a campaign
this winter on the Rhine, that is, against Prussia, is
becoming more general and more credited every day in
some of the highest political circles. It is considered
impossible that the tergiversations of that Power can
much longer be tolerated, and the object for the estab-
lishment of the Camp of the North, as indicated when
it was first formed, appears to be the real one after all.
What effect the fall of Sebastopol before the winter sea-
son sets in would produce on the policy of that dishonest
government it is difficult to say. It would, perhaps,
force it to declare itself frankly on the side of the Allies,
but it is better to be prepared for all emergencies. The
notes that have recently passed between France and
Prussia are, it appears, very strong and very decided.
They are, indeed, of that kind which precede at no great
interval a suspension of all friendly relations whatever,
if not a declaration of hostilities. The probability of an
alliance, defensive and offensive, between "England,
France, and Austria, with a view of such an eventuality
as a war with Prussia, is spoken of, and the bases of
such a treaty are said to have been already discussed and
agreed upon. Nevertheless, it is believed by some that
the policy of Prussia would be considerably modified in
the event of another serious check to Russia. In the
meantime, reinforcements continue to be sent to the
Crimea from various places, and the Camp of the South
will atone furnish over 10,000 men."

Tax FRENCH IN NEW CALEDONIA.—The Mon/tette
has published a report in full from Captain Tardy de
Montravel, commanding the Constantine corvette, and
charged
with the
Caledonia.installation of the
r from
first French
a n
anchorage,m ni t military
posts in New
to which M. de Montravel has given the name o
" French-Port" there is the territory of Morare, where on
a surface of small extent five veins of coal were observed,
the working of which is exceedingly easy. Specimens
of this coal, weighing about six tons, were imme-
diately tried on board the Prony steamer, sailing in
company with the Constantine. Gathered from the sur-
face of the ground, this coal had been long exposed to
every kind of atmospheric influence, which would natur-
ally be prejndioial to its combustible quality, and yet
the latter was found to be good, giving out great heat,
little smoke, and leaving hardly any ashes.
A CONSCIENTIOUS PRISONER.-0a the evening o
Monday last William Porter (a sailor who was sentenced
to four months' imprisonment for theft) made his escape
from prison, by forcing himself through between the out-
side bars of the window in the apartment in which he
and Alexander Pert, charged with rape, were confined,
and then lowering himself to the ground by means of a
rope, made from twine with which he had been sewing
sacks. The superintendent of police, immediately on
hearing of the affair, directed the police to search Por-
ter's several places of resort within the burgh, but no
traces of him could be found until an examination was
on
etbae topckg of theroundof wtheapahriing
prison, when
On
hewabseclinisg.
cmoavde; in
h covered
questioned, Porter said ho only intended to go out for
some tobacco, and to return again. It appears that on
two previous occasions he had gone out in the way we
have described, and, as all the prisoners' clothes are
kept within a store in the background, he had selected
his own, put them on, and scrambled over the dyke.
„f there occasions he bad called on Pert's parents,
?1 e
:!".,,nff,t• telling them how theif "dear boy" w.t,i
c,,nfinernent, he rowie sonlo other cads,
,ot a supply of tobacco, and returned to his quarters in
the gaol, in the same way as he got out.—Montrose
Standard.

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