Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-04-18

SION undertaken in disregarl Of It's holy pre-
cepts, and OF its pure and benefcent spirit.
Her majesty hnmbly trusts that her efforts
may be successful, and that, By the blessing Of
Providence, peace may be reestablished on
safe and solid foundations.
WESTMINSTER, MARCH, 20, 1854.
DEcLARArloN.-He Ter majesty the queen Of tho
united kingdom OF Great Britain aud Ireland,
having been compelled to take up arms in sup
port OF an ally, is DESTROYS of rendering the war
as little onerous as possible to the powers with
whom she remains at peace.
10 preserve the commerce of neutrals from
all unnecessary obstruction, her majesty is will.
ing, for the present, to waive part Of the lelli-
gerent rights appertaining to her BY the law Of
nations
1t is impossible for her Majesty to forego tho
exercise Of her tight OF seizng articles contra.
band OF war, and Of preventing nenirals from
bearing the enemy's dispatches; and she must
maintain the right of u belligerent to4revent
nentrals from breaking any effective blockade
which may be established wilh an adequate
force against the enemy's forts, harbois, or
coasts.
But her majesty will waive the right Of seiz.
ing an cnemy's property laden on board neu-
trail vessel, unless il be contraband Of war.
IL is not her majesty's intention to claim tho
coniscation Of neutral pro- erty not being con-
traband OF war found on board enemy's ships;
and her majesty further declares, that being
anxious to lessen as much as possible the evils
OF war, and to restrict its operations 10 the re-
regularly organized forces Of the country, i, is
not her present intention to issue letters of
marque for the commissioning of privateers.
WESTMINSTER, March 20, 1854.
The Declaration Of War by France.
The Moniteur of March 2s, contains the fol-
lowing declaration:
Article !. Six weeks from the present date
are granted to Russian ships of commerce to
quit the ports OF France. Those Russian ships
which are not actually in our ports, or which
may have left the ports Of Russia previously to
the declaration Of war, may enter into the
French ports, and remain there for the COM
pletion Of their cargoes until the 9th Of May,
inclusive.
Article 2. Those vessels which shall e cop.
tured by French cruisers, after having lett the
Russian ports shall be released il they can es.
tablish, by the ships papers, that they Were
proceeding direct ito. the place Of destination,
and had not yet arrived there.
DRoUYN DE L'HUYs.
PARIS, March n, 1854.
The Moniteur also declares that the subjects
Of Russia may continue their residence in
France, under the protection which the law
provides for foreigners, the only condition be-
ing that they respect those laws
The PASSAGE OF THE GREAT BELT by THH
BALTIC FLEEr.-A telegrapbic despatch from
Nyborg, given in the Cologne Gasette. states
that a division of the English feet, numbering
eighteen sail, passed the Great Belt on Satur.
day morning, the Oath ultimo. A despatch
from Kiel, dated the same day at noon, an
nounces that six vessels Of the fleet were in
sight. Sir Charles Napier had not been re-
ceived at Copenhagen by the king but by NJ.
Bluhme, minister for foreign affairs. 1t was
thought probable that the admiral would prefer
to station his fleet in the bay Of Kjoge, near
Copenhagen, where there is more room for the
ships, and better anchorage than at Kiel.
The fleet left Kiel on the 27lh, all well. It
consists of twenty-four ships. Other ships of
war had left Spithead 10 reinforce it, and by
the middle Of April Admiral Sir Charles Ma
pier will have nearly forty ships under the Bri-
fish flag in his command.
The Prussian government has given permis-
sion to sixty Prussian pilots to act on board
the English squadron.
Letters from Christiana, Norway state that
two English officers lately visited harbor at
the mouth Of the Vesterelo, near Friedrickstadt,
and ascertained that thirty ships. of the line
might safely anchor in it. The weather in
Norway up to the 10th inst. VIZ very mild, and
hopes Of an early spring are entertained.
In few days the Swedish and Norwegian
troops in the island of Cortland will be in
creased to l6,0O0-an island which, in all proba-
bitly, will play an important part in the ap-
proaching contest.
One Of the dispatches from Copenhagen,
dated March %, says: The day before yester-
day Sir Charles Napier arrived lee in the
Valorous steamer, captain Buckle The Danes
were excessively pleased with him for takil &
Oft his hat on landing at the custom-housc
stairs. Sir Charles then paid q visit to Mr..
Buchanan. our minister. and with him proceed.
ed to pay his respects to the Danish minister
for foreign affairs.
IL is said that the King of Denmark refused
to-see the gallant admiral on plea Of iU
health, lut in reality from an indisposition to
o6end the Russian purity, ,chich is rdthe, strong
here. Yesterday morning Sir Charles Napier
returned in the Valorous to Wingo Sound. end
t isexpected that the fleet will enter The Baltic
tomorrow and pass the Great Belt in Gay or
Two.
From the London Gazette Of March 2s
OPERATIONS IN THE BLACK sEA.-The latest
accounts from the seat OF war in the east in.
form us that the Russians had closed both
mouths of the Danube. For years past, how .
ever, the Russians have allowed the Sulina
branch Of the river the only one available for
shipping and trade, to be gradually closing up
by the natural action Of the. stream itself and
its deposits, instead Of keeping it navigable, as
the Turks were in the habit Of doing by oc-
cassionally dredging the bed Of it. This neg
lect shows how necessary it will be for the
western powers to avail themselves of The pre-
sent occasion TO dispossess the Russians Of the
control Of this great European rver-an object
which must not be lost sight of in the present
hnsiilifiaa W. nnnht hnuarar 10 look for