The Sun. — 1854-05-08 (London, England)

THE BALTIC.  ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH FLEET AT WINGO.  Accounts received from Gottenburg report the arrival of the French fleet in Wingo Sound. COPENHAGEN, Saturday, May 6.—Two steam frigates have joined the English fleet at Elfsnaben. Corvettes are taking prizes of Sundsball, Gefle, and Aland.  At a banquet in the park, on the Ist May, the Swedish House of Yeomen drank with enthusiasm the health of the admiral. The Weser Gazette contains a letter from Berlin of the 3d, which says :—" The cabinet of St. Petersburg had some weeks back made a pressing demand on the Prussian Government to close its ports against the ships of the western powers, and, in case of refusal, it had menaced to concentrate a Russian army in Poland on the Prussian frontier ; but since the Austro-Prussian treaty of alliance has been concluded, the Cabinet of St. Petersburg has abandoned its intention. Baron de Werther, the Prussian ambassador at Copenhagen, arrived here two days back, and immediately d a conference with the President of the Council. Yesterday lie was received by the King at a private audience. He is shortly to take his departure for St. Petersburg, where he is to replace General de Rochow, recently deceased." Letters from Helsingfors of the 20th instant state that an attempt had been made in that town to enrol "a voluntary corps of defenders," but with very little success, not more than from ten to twenty persons having given in their names, and they being under direct Russian influence. A grenadier regiment had arrived in Helsingfors. One of the Finnish journals, the Osterbotten, states that there are many appearances of an early spring. All public works were suspended, and the price of all export articles has greatly fallen. A letter from a resident in Hull, published by the Doncaster Gazette, says : "I have just seen two gentlemen who arrived here by the Helen Macgregor steamer from Hainburgh. One lett Cronstadt and the other St. Petersburg about 13 days ago. The one from Cronstadt says that the Emperor is putting large heavy pieces of flat iron down in the river with sharp heavy spikes fastened in the centre, in order to pierce our ships as they sail towards the port. The Emperor was down there himself, looking over the different forts ; and he asked one of his admirals about the safety of the place from the attack of our combined fleets. The admiral's reply was, that it was of no use keeping the ships of war in the port, as they would be sure to be burnt or destroyed. And that it was arranged that they should be brought out and placed in a line across the river or gulf, so as to act as a battery ; the admiral adding that they might be the means of doing a great deal of damage to our fleet : if they were shattered to pieces in that position it would not matter. They have 3,000 guns in the different batteries there. Two or three English merchants have built houses in the immediate neighbourhood. The Emperor has seized them, turned the owners out, and made use of them for barracks for his troops. 100,000 men of all arms are located there, and about 200,000 more all along the coast of Finland— some at one place and some at another. At St. Petersburg there was the greatest consternation, and the English were leaving as fast as they could. One poor fellow, who got his little property converted into cash, was seized and robbed, except a handful of sovereigns which he snatched, and with which, by good luck. he escaped. It was the opinion of a great many people (English) who could not get away, that, in some districts, they might expect to be murdered by the Russians all at once, if things should go adverse to the Emperor's wish. He said they would give all they had to leave the country. Sir Charles Napier is dreadfully feared by the Emperor and his troops."