The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-04-04 00:00:00

THE LnTEPOOL STANDARD, AND GENERAL COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER.

FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

FRANCE.

The Moniteur contains an official report from M.
Dronyn de Lhuys to the Emperor, in which that minister
suggests that at a period like the present, when nations
are so largely engaged. in commercial transactions, it is
necessary to soften the rigours of war when they are com-
pelled to enter into it. With this view M. Drouyn de
Lhuys states that after concerting with the Government
of Her Britannic Majesty, he submits for the approbation
of the Emperor a declaration to the effect that, wishing to
guarantee the commerce of neutral powers against useless
annoyances and obstacles, His Majesty consents for the
present to waive a portion of his rights as a belligerent
power, but that he cannot forego his right to seize contra-
band articles of war, and to prevent neutral powers from
carrying the enemy's despatches. The declaration con-
cludes by stating that the Emperor will not for the present
grant letters of marque. To these documents is appended
the word "approved," with the signature of " Napoleon."
The Moniteur states that 4,000 French troops had been
sent to Gallipoli, where their would have arrived on the
27th. Fifteen thousand troops in all have, up to the pre-
sent time, left France and Algiers, and the remainder of
the army, 50,000 strong, will be assembled in Turkey
about the Ist of May. Measures have also been taken to
reinforce this army to any extent, should circumstances
require it.
Vice-Admiral Parceval Deschenses has taken up his
command at Brest as commander of the Baltic squadron.
It was reported in Paris, on Friday, that Austria is more
inclined to approach the policy of the Western Powers.
THE WAR IN THE EAST.

ADVICES from Constantinople of the 20th inform us
that the Retribution found the Sulina mouth of the
Danube impassable. The fleet is still at Beicos. The
Russian fleet is said to have come out into the Black Sea.
THE PASSAGE OF THE DANUBE.

VIENNA, THURSDAY MORNING.—By a Turkish des-
patch which has reached Vienna, it appears that on the
23d the Russians, under Prince ortschakoff, crossed the
Danube from Oltenitza in great force. Whether they
attacked the Turks, or the Turks attacked them, does not
appear, but a sanguinary battle ensued, in which the
Russians were repulsed, with a loss of 3,000. The Turks
then retired into their intrenchments ; but it is not clear
why they retired if they were victorious.
It seems certain that the Russian force maintained itself
in Bulgaria.
_

On the 24th the preparations for the siege of Matschin
were begun by the corps under General Liiders, whose
force is estimated at 50,000 men.
According to advices from Epirus of the 24th, the in-
surrection was spreading, but the Turks still held the
fortresses. Letters from Athens of the 24th say that
Turkish troops had reached Arta Salaora, on the Gulf.
They had as yet only had one or two unimportant ren-
contres with the enemy in Epirus and Thessaly.

The Turkish Minister had demanded his passports, and
left Athens for Constantinople.
The Russian force opposite Rustchnk is estimated at
70,000 men at least. Omar Pasha had left Shumla to op-
pose them.
A despatch from Odessa of the sth states that a division
of the Russian fleet had just left Sebastopol with the
object of provisioning and reinforcing the Russian forts on
the Circassian coast. Letters from Constantinople state
that on the 13th two steamers of the allied fleets had come
in with information that the Russians were in the act of
conveying 12,000 men to Redout Kale.
The Moniteur states that on the 15th March Prince
GortschAkoff attempted to take an island in the Danube,
opposite Turtukai. The fire of the Turks, however,
destroyed his bridge, and 2,000 Russians were slain. The
loss of the Turks was insignificant. Eighteen thousand
Russians crossed the Danube on the 23d, and occupy
Geschid. General Liiders had left Galatz to support the
operations.
TILE RUSSIAN FLEET IN TILE BLACK SEA.—The St.
Petersburg Court Journal gives the following items of
the Russian fleet in the Euxine :—lt is composed of four
ships of 110 to 120 cannon, twelve of 80 to 88 cannon, two
reserve ships of 80 cannon, twelve frigates of 52 to 56
cannon, forty smaller vessels of 10 cannon, and fifteen
steamers with more or less bomb cannon. The Russian
paper adds that the sum total of Russian cannon exceeds
by 500 those of the combined fleets—viz., 2,298.
Intelligence from Constantinople to the 28th nit. states
that the Grand Mufti and Rifaat Pasha, President of the
Privy Council, had been dismissed, and men more agree-
able to the Western Powers have been appointed instead.
Constantinople was quiet, but the irritation of the ultra-
Mahommedan party was extreme.
VIENNA, SUNDAY MORNING.—On the 28th of March
Hirsova was taken by the Russians, who are also masters
of the strong position of Babadagh. The Russians, con-
sequently, are in entire possession of the Upper Dobruds-
cha. The Cossacks patrol as far as Kostendje. The
Fremden Blatt says that on the 27th the fort of Isakatchi
was taken.