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

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 Gortschakoff, 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 Tarks still held the
fortresses. Letters from Athens of the 24th say that
Turkish troops had reached Arta yid 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 Rustchuk 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
Gortsch.Lkoff 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.
THE RUSSIAN FLEET IN THE 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 ult. 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. •
THE BALTIC FLEET.

The fleet of Sir Charles Napier is again under weigh,
and there is no doubt but the first point of attack will be
the island of Aland. The on dit in the fleet affirms that
an officer high in command ventured, in a conference with
Sir Charles Napier, to argue against attacking Aland,
saying that great carnage must occur in such an attack by
ships without troops, there being about 7,000 Russian
soldiers in garrison on the island. The answer of Admiral
Napier is stated to have been very characteristic. "If you
think so, you had better go home again." The impression
in the fleet is that Aland will be the scene of their first
operations.
It is stated that the Russian squadron has left Revel,
but it is not known where they have gone. The current
opinion in Stockholm is that the Russians will not meet
Sir C. Napier's fleet. It is added that the Russian force
of shipping is much over-rated.
All the crews of the ships go to general quarters daily,
and are practised at the great gun exercise in firing at
targets, and in ricochet firing at any small rocks or islands
they may be near.
COPENHAGEN, FRIDAY. The fleet under Admiral
Napier have anchored off the Island of Moen.