The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-20 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND PERSIA.

BERLIN, Dec. I.—lt will doubtless have been
already observed the Nord has been instructed to
deny that 50,000 Russians, under General Birju-
loff, are standing ready to follow the first invita-
tion of the Shah of Persia, and cross the frontier to
his assistance. We must therefore assume that
the news is not literally correct. On the other
hand, we learn from various organs of the Russian
press that bodies of troops are being directed
upon the confines of the Persian territory. Thus,
for instance, the Caucasus states that a second body
of 3,000 men has been detached from the reserve
division of the Caucasian corps and been despatch.
ed to Kisliar, for the purpose of strengthening
the flotilla on the Caspian Sea, while a pr
vious body of the same strength, e-
, 3,000 men,
had been forwarded from Astrachan to the various
Russian stations on the south-east coast of the Cas-
pian Sea. All the information that reaches us from
Russia on the subject of the military movements in
the south-east of the empire coincides in these two
points—first, that troops are being concentrated
upon the shores of the Caspian Sea for the purpose
of being ready for auy events that may supervene ;
and, secondly, that Russia has no intention of in-
tervening unless directly appealed to by the Shah.
One letter from St. Petersburg, for instance, men-
tions that a very considerable force is collected in
the neighbourhood of Balkn (according to the
context the troops spoken of should be Russians,
but I know of no place of that name in Russia,
while on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea
there is a place of a similar name opposite
to Bakou). Of this considerable force, however,
it is said that its destination remains to be fixed by
the course of events. Russia would not mix herself
up in the conflict between the Persians and the
Affghans unless the Court of Teheran should find
itself hard driven by an English intervention, and
apply to her for help. The r•riter of this St. Peters-
burg letter expresses the opinion that, however the
matter may turn, it will accrue to the advantage of
Russsia by increasing her influence in the East.
He mentions further that there is just now an un-
usual number of staff officers staying in the capital,
whose experience and advice were, it was be-
lieved, being consulted with reference to the
eventualities in the south-east ; among them are
the commander of the second division of the Black
Sea fleet, Rear-Admiral Tebrikoff, and General
Krossnik; the commander of the Cossack army of
Astrachan. An expedition in the direction of j

Khiva and Bokhara is mentioned as one of the
subjects of discussion. This last report harmonises
with the statement of a strong force being already
stationed in the neighbourhood of Balkn. This
portion of the country, which is to our apprehen-
sion little more than a myth, has been made toler-
ably familiar to the Russian military authorities
by Count Perowski's repeated excursions and in-
cursions with the Orenburg corps d'armee,
which, however richly they may have resulted
in military experience and topographical infor-
mation, seem to have brought in nothing
else. The breaking up of the second army
under Luders is spoken of as having set a con-
siderable number of able officers free from their
previous destination, and made them keenly anxious
for a new field of activity, such as this opening in
the south-east would readily afford. Among these
are mentioned by name Generals Tschersputowski,
Konstantinoff, Niepokojtschicki, and Tschervinski
as about to repair to St. Petersburg and take part
in the military deliberations.