1 JULY 1854, Page 10

fartign rath Caudal.

Billault the new Minister of the Interior was sworn in on Sunday. It is remarked that M. Billault was the chief opponent of M. Guizot during the last years of the reign of Louis Philippe. In 1844 he made some furious attacks upon England in respect to the Tahiti question ; and in 1846 he got up the opposition in the Chamber of De- puties upon the renewal of the treaty respecting the droit de visite. Sub- sequently he became leader of the "Gauche," until 1848. In that year he was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly, and declared in favour of the droit de travaille. After the coup d'etat, he was appointed President of the Legislative Body. M. Billault is admitted to be a clever speaker and an able administrator, but a statesman who has never been troubled with strong principle.

M. Mavrocerdato took leave of the Emperor of the French on Sun- day, on his return to Athens to assume the presidency of the new Greek Ministry.

Tiraxm—The retreat of the Russians upon Moldavia would seem to be confirmed ; and all doubt respecting the raising of the siege of Silistria was put an end to by the publication of a statement in the Paris Mon iteur, early in the week, announcing the fact. All the accounts representing the rearward movement of the Russians accord with each -other. Thus, the evacuation of Kalarasch was followed by the abandonment of Giur- gevo, and the retreat of the corps on the right bank North of Trajan's Wall. General Liprandi also had reached Bucharest, with a portion of his division, from the Aluta ; the remainder would appear to have taken the higher road leading by Plojesti to Moldavia, and skirting the bases of the Carpathians. A Turkish division has moved upon Silistria from Schumla, says the telegraph. The most startling news has been the announcement, that, pursuant to the treaty signed on the 14th between Austria and the Porte, General Coronini was about to march down the left bank of the Danube as far as Giurgevo, and, as the Russians retreated, to occupy Wallachia. He had sent Colonel Malik to Schtuills for the purpose of arranging the con- ditions.

The latest direct news from Varna reaches to the 14th June, and left the British Light Division encamped at Aladyn. The Duke of Cambridge landed at Varna on the 13th, with the First Division ; and on the same day the Brigade of Guards also arrived. The Himalaya, with 320 horses and 323 men of the Fifth Dragoons, arrived on the 12th; having made the passage from Cork to Varna in eleven days nineteen hours. All the homes were in good condition ; only two bad died on the passage. On the 13th, there were races in the camp of the Light Division, horse and foot ; got up by the officers to relieve the tedium of camp life for the men, and to keep them out of mischief. For they do get into mischief. The Times correspondent reports with regret that some of the Light Division men have broken into houses and maltreated the peasants. The officers were doing their utmost to prevent this disgraceful conduct. A portion of the French army is at Varna ; and another portion would appear to be en route for Adrianople, at which place General Bosquet and a division had already arrived. Their camp stood on the ground oc- cupied by the Russians in 1829. Prince Napoleon's division was at Daoud Pasha, near Constantinople, at the latest dates. They were to occupy Bourgas.

The army at Kars is reported to be 25,000 strong and fit for duty ; but the chief Turkish officers are indolent and spiritless, so that little is ex- pected from them. The excellent European officers have no au- thority except on the drilling-ground, and are outvoted in the council. Schamyl is reported to be advancing upon Tiflis.

Cinimaiiv.—No answer has yet been returned to the summons of Aus- tria and Prussia—at least such is the statement most current ; but it is also said that a reply has been received, of an evasive character. . The smaller German states have given in their adhesion to the Austro- Prussian treaty.

During his recent tour, the King of Prussia did not meet the Emperor of Russia ; but he met General Grunwald, the Emperor's Aide-de-camp. The meeting took place at Gumbinnen, on the 17th June. It is said to have been limited to "compliments" on both aides. The Prince of Prussia inspected some infantry, at Dantzie, on the 18th. A fete, of course, was prepared by the authorities. It is remarked that the flags of England, Austria, France, and Prussia, were officially displayed ; that of Russia was conspicuous by omission.

RUSSIA.—Direct intelligence from St. Petersburg to the 17th instant gives some account of the state of matters there. When the news sr-. rived that Prince Paskiewitch and several generals had been wounded

before Silistria, the Emperor was, as usual, engaged in a military inapec_ lion. He at once returned to the Palace, and called in the Minister of War and the Princes of the Imperial Family. Next he summoned Count Nesselrode ; and then wrote an autograph letter condoling with Prince Paskiewitch. Another letter, of an earlier date, speaks of the " unfavour- able news " as having caused a "feeling of dejection," augmented by the alleged new quarrels between two brothers of high rank—quarrels hi- therto checked by their father. Letters from the Polish frontier state that every town in the government of Him had a garrison, and that the peasants were about to be armed and marched upon the Austrian frontier. The Emperor was expected at Lew.

SWEDPN.—King Oscar recently visited Gothland. On presenting a

pair of colours to the Smsdand Grenadiers and to the National Militia, he reminded the former of "Lutzen " and its glories, and both of the bravery of their ancestors in the defence of fatherland and self-existence. He also intimated to both, that a time may arrive for the North, when they would be called upon to prove by valiant deeds that time had not weakened their courage or their arms. " The days of honour and war- fare are not yet over," he said ; "and it would seem you may yet he called upon to defend your native land."

Tar BALTIC.—The intelligence of the disaster at Gumla Carleby is confirmed. It appears that the Odin and the Vulture arrived before the place on the 1st of June. The water was so shallow that the ships an- chored five miles distant, and sent in a force of 200 men in six boats to destroy the stores. These anchored and sent in a flag of truce to demand the surrender of the place. This was refused, and the municipal author-

ities declared that the place would be defended. The flag of truce was hauled down, and the Odin's cutter was Bent ahead to reconnoitre. When

she got well in front of the stores, she perceived some signs of an enemy, and was putting back to the other boats, when the Russians unmasked a battery, concealed among the stores, and sent a fierce fire of musketry and artillery among the boats. Eleven out of eighteen men in the Odin's boat were killed at once. Getting out of musketry range, the boats opened a heavy fire upon the invisible foe. When the smoke cleared off, it was discovered that the Vulture's paddle-box boat was missing; she was near the shore ; the boats attempted to cover her retreat, when a shell burst over her and she drifted helplessly away. Alter removing the wounded, the boats were about to renew the attack, after fighting upwards of an hour, when Captain Scott arrived and ordered them off. The lose was 54 officers and men, killed, wounded, and missing ; the paddle-box boat and its 24-pound howitzer. Next day the Russians strengthened the defences.

Tornea was occupied, on the 8th instant, by a detachment from the flying squadron under Admiral Plumridge. The Admiral superintended the landing in person. At first the people showed a sullen demeanour; which, however, wore off when the object of the landing was explained by proclamation in the Swedish language. Intrenchments were thrown up on the land side ; and a garrison of sailors and marines were left in possession of the place. The meeting of the French and English fleets, on the 14th June, was followed by an interchange of visits on the part of the Admirals and Captains. The Allies sailed together into Barosund on the 16%, each carrying the colours of the other. They were there on the 20th June.

"Ships present—Duke of Wellington, Cressy, Majestic, Ctesar, Nile, James Watt, Princess Royal, St. Jean d'Acre, Royal George, Hogue, Blenheim, Edinburgh, Ajax, Neptune, St. George, Prince Regent, Monarch, Bose:awn, Cumberland, Imperieuse, Euryalus, Desperate, Penelope, klagicienne, Basi- lisk, Driver, Lightning, Alban, Pigmy, Bulldog.

"French ships—Le Juge Le Jemappes, L'Hereule, L'Austerlitz, Le Bres- lau, Le Duguesclin, L'Inflexible' Le Duperre, La Scmillante, Le Trident, L'Andromaque, La Vengeance, La Poursuivante, La Tirginie, Le Darien, La Zenobie, Le Souffieur, Le Phlegethon, Le Milan, Le Lucifer."

GREECE.—As the Russian party have no other resource, they have re- cently attempted to sow mistrust among the Hellenic army as to the ob-

ject of the Anglo-French occupation. This has led to the issue of a cir- cular from General Kallergi, in which he tells the military authorities that the Allies are there solely to save Greece from "the fatal consequences of a policy condemned by all Europe." The principal object of the Minis- try, he says, is to win the sympathies and esteem of all the great Eu- ropean Powers.

The insurrection is now regarded as suppressed. Karatassos and Hadji Petros have surrendered in Thessaly, and only the brigand Tackas re- mains to be accounted for.

The Greeks are again admitted into Turkish ports.

PIEDMONT.—The clause in the bill modifying the penal code, enacting that ministers of religion who censure acts of the Government in exer- cising their ministry shall be punished, passed the Senate, after a sharp struggle, by a majority of 44 to 36. This is justly regarded as a triumph. The bill itself was passed without a division.

Leima.—The fuller despatches of the overland mail arrived in London on Tuesday. A tornado ushered in the monsoon in Burmah on the 23d April, extended over several hundreds of miles, and caused great loss of life on the Irrawaddy. Out of thirty-five boats which left Moulmein on the 19th, having on board the head-quarters of the Thirty-sixth Madras Native Infantry, and the third company of European Artillery, only one had reached Pegue. The "bore," "mountains high," caught them about thirty miles below Sitang, their destination, and all but one disappeared. It was surmised, however, that others would turn up.

The Government Act of last session came into operation on the 4th of May, and the new Legislative Council for India was to meet on the 20th. It was supposed its members would be Sir Lawrence Peel, the Chief Justice' Mr. Peacock and Mr. Mills of the Calcutta Sudder Court; Mr. Daniel Elliott from Madras, Mr. Arthur Malet from Bombay, M. C. Allen from Bengal, and Mr. Cecil Beaden for the North-West Province& At their first meeting, Sir Lawrence Peel was to move for leave to brine in a bill for the revision and codification of Indian law. This is intefld to bring the Council into contact with the Indian Law Commission London. Sir Lawrence thinks that India should be legislated for in India. There were, including the East India Company's navy, fifty-four ships, mounting 463 guns, in the Pacific and Indian seas. It was supposed the Russians had gone to Kamsehatka. Colonel Cantley left India on the 15th May. Before he departed, the Governor-General issued a most complimentary order, in the courae which he says--

"Constructed over more than five hundred miles, within a period of eight years broken by wars and encumbered with difficulties, the Ganges Canal already stands unequalled among works of its class and character throughout the world. It is to Lieutenant-Colonel Cautley that the British Government mainly owes the accomplishment of this gigantic enterprise. The Governor- General in Council requests that he will embark on board the Governor-Ge- neral's yacht from Cbandpal Ghaut, on Monday the 15th instant, at six a. en. ; and directs that on his way to the packet he shall receive as he passes a special salute of thirteen guns from the ramparts of Fort William!' At a public meeting held in Calcutta, a subscription was opened for the purpose of obtaining a bust of Colonel Cautley, to commemorate his success.

CANADA.—Lord Elgin returned to Montreal on tha 9th June. On his way from Washington, he acceded to an invitation from the municipal authorities of Portland, the capital of Maine. The Mayor and Corpora- tion of that city met, and were presented to him at Boston, and accom- panied him thence in a special train. On their arrival salutes were fired ; the militia, headed by their band, turned out to greet the British Govern- or; and, escorted by a great throng of people, he proceeded to the Town- hall, where an address was presented to him. Subsequently he was en- tertained at a banquet ; when the health of "Queen Victoria, God bless her," was drunk "with nine times nine and three times three." Lord Elgin proceeded to Montreal by railway.

WEST INDIES.—The Atrato, which arrived at Southampton on Thurs- day, brings us papers from Jamaica to the llth June. Great excitement prevailed in the island, in consequence of the depreciation of the paper currency. The issue of "red checks" had long been in disrepute, when last session the Legislature passed a bill ordering a further issue of 52,0001. to pay public servants, then living on credit. Embarrassment was predicted, and endeavours were made to defeat the issue. On the 6th June, several shopkeepers banded together and resolved to receive the twenty-shilling note at nineteen shillings only. The British Government loan is looked for anxiously, to relieve the island from her difficulties. The most painful news relates to the cholera ; which has broken out nut only in Jamaica but at Barbadoes. At Bridgetown, in the latter island, 700 persons died within eleven days. The epidemic is chiefly confined to the lower classes.

From British Guiana we learn, that the Governor had visited the estate of Mr. Luckie, and had cut the first bundle of rice grown in the colony.