fortigu nal( tulonini.

FRANCE.—The first convoy of ships of the line, frigate; and corvettes, twenty-five in number, has sailed from the ports of France, with 20,078 men and 365 horses on board, bound for Gallipoli. General Canrobert, in the Christophe Colombe forms the vanguard ; and probably the whole body has by this time reached Gallipoli. Every day, said the Noniteur of Sunday, a portion of the three hundred vessels freighted at Marseilles sets sail with cavalry, munition; and provisions.

Marshal St. Arnaud, the Commander-in-chief of the Army of the East, has issued the following "order of the day." "Soldiers—In a few days you are to depart for the East. You are going to defend allies unjustly attacked, and to take up the defiance flung by the Czar at the nations of the West. From the Baltic to the Mediterranean Europe will applaud your efforts and your success. You will combat side by side with the English, the Turks, and the Egyptians. You know what is due to comrades—union and cordiality in the intercourse of the camp, de- votedness to the common cause on the field of battle. France and England, rivals in other times, are now friends and allies. The two countries have learned to esteem each other while combating. United, they command the seas, and their fleets will feed the army while famine is in the camp of the enemy. The Turks and Egyptians have held out against the enemy since the commencement of the war. Alone and unaided, they have beaten them in several actions. What will they not do when seconded by your batta- lions?

"Soldiers ! The eagles of the Empire resume their flight—not to menace Europe, but to defend it. Bear them on once more, as your fathers bore them before you • and like them let us all, before we quit France, re- peat the cry which so often led them to victory—Vive l'Empereur!" On taking command of the squadron destined for the Baltic, Admiral Parseval-Deschenes also addressed an order of the day to the fleet.

The Honiteur of Thursday announced that Mr. Hubner, the Austrian Minister, bad presented an autograph letter from the Emperor of Austria to the Emperor Napoleon.

The Legislative Body have assented to a bill augmenting the contin- gent of 1853 by 60,000 men. The Moniteur denies that the Government intend to raise an additional force of 100,000 men ; and intimates that those called out now will probably be sent home again in the winter. After a very sharp debate, occupying two days, the Legislative Body adopted, on Tuesday, by 184 to 51, the report of the Committee giving the required permission to prosecute M, de Montalembert for the publi- cation of his letter to M. Dupin. There will consequently be a state trial. M. Berryer defends M. de Montalembert

TURKEY—The most recent intelligence from Constantinople is of great interest. The Sultan has taken the extreme step of dismissing from his post the Sheik-ul-Islam, chief of the Ulemas, not because he opposed the grant of privileges to the Christians, but because he refused his assent to a proposition of the Turkish Government that the property of the mosques should be declared the property of the state. The Times explains the effect of this act upon the present condition of Turkey. "The mosques and religious foundations of the Ottoman empire form im- portant spiritual corporations, exercising an independent, legal, and theo-

cratical power in the state. The Ulemas, or masters of the law and the Koran, are the sole possessors of the vast wealth belonging to these founda- tions; and at the same time, as the expounders of the faith and fundamentaf laws of Islam, they enjoy an authority to which the highest powers in the state have been compelled to bow. The insecurity of property under an arbitrary government, and many other causes, have induced l'urkish landowners from generation to generation to assign over the fee simple of their estates to the mosque; reserving only the usufruct to themselves and their direct male descendants. Land thus held by the mosques or religious corporations became vacoof, or, as it is termed in India, wukf, and is held for ever in mortmain. Such lands have hitherto been exempt from taxation and personal confiscation ; and this tenure has so increased and extended by the mere influence of duration and security in an empire where all other property is fluctuating and insecure, that full three-quarters of the soil of the Turkish dominions are said to be held in this manner. To dispossess these powerful corporations of landed property which they have held for centuries by the twofold bond of legal usage and religious veneration—to resume the direct authority of the Sultan over so large a portion of the lands of the empire, one-third of which was allotted to the mosques by Mahomet the Conqueror—and to defy the whole power which the Ulemas and religious orders may be able to put forth in defence of their vested rights—is certainly one of the boldest measures ever taken in a great emergency." Arif Effendi succeeds to the post of Sheik-ul-Islam. The Mussulman population of Constantinople have been much excited by the change ; and it is said that the old Turkish party declare it would have been better to have submitted to the Muscovites.

Even at this late date, we are still without precise details of the occu- pation of the Dobrudscha. Nothing would seem certain, except that the Russians crossed the Danube on the 23d and subsequent days, and esta- blished themselves on the right bank. But whether the fortresses of hiatschin, Tultska, Isaktcha, Baba-dagh, and Hirsova, have fallen into the hands of the Russians, as reported,—or whether they were driven to recross the Danube by the resistance at Tultska, and whether they suf- fered severely in crossing from Brailow, as is also reported,—it is impos- sible to say. One report affirms that the Cossacks had been pushed forward to Kostendje a port on the Black Sea, forming what may be called one of the flank posts of Trajan's Wall.

Neither have we any certain information of the doings of the Turks. Rumour asserts that they made successful attacks upon the Russians at Simaitza and Kalarasch ; and that the defeat of the Russians at Turtukai, recorded last week, is confirmed. They were demolished by the Turkish fire in trying to cross the river' and failed to reach the right bank. FromRolafat we have direct information to the 25th March. Nothing important had occurred there.

There is a story current, copied from the German papers, to the effect. that 4000 Russian troops were conveyed to a point in the Dobrudscha by steamers from Sebastopol ; and the German journalists waste much heavy wit at the cost of the allied Admirals. There is reason to believe, how- ever, that the Russian fleet has not performed any service of the kind. Another story is, that they have thrown reinforcements and provisions into their larger forts on the Circassian coast, and have abandoned and burnt the smaller. It is also said the burning was the work of the Cir- cassians ; and that these mountaineers recently fired by mistake on an English and French frigate at Abasia.

The insurrection has not as yet made much progress. Turkish troops have been sent to the disturbed localities. Fund Effendi is on the spot, offering what amounts to an amnesty to those who submit, and indemni- fication for loss out of the property of the rebel districts. Sir Henry Ward has visited Prevesa. The insurgents have undoubtedly been joined. by a large number of Greek officers who previously threw up their com- missions. M. Metaxa, the Greek Minister at Constantinople, has left that city.

GERMANY.—The German Powers have not yet arrived at any definite policy ; but some indications of the national feeling in Prussia have come to light. It seems that Baron Manteuffel and some of the other Ministers appeared before the Committee appointed to consider the loan propose; and gave explanations, none of them using the word "neutrality." The Minister-at-War is reported to have been the most outspoken; and the purport of his remarks was, that "cooperation with Russia, under pre- sent circumstances may be set down amongst impossibilities" that no one who harboured such a thought could have a spark of Prussian or Ger- man feeling ; and that, in fact, union with Russia would be nothing less- than an act of parricide towards Germany. The Committee have reported in favour of the loan, for these rea- SOILS— " Whereas, 1, in the present imminent danger of war, there can be no doubt as to the necessity of granting the Government the means required to enable them to uphold the honour and independence of the country, and protect the interests of the land ; and whereas 2, the Government of his Majesty has declared its intention to abide still further by the policy it has hitherto observed, and in union with the Cabinets of Vienna, Pans, and London, and more particularly in closest cooperation with Austria and the rest of the German States, to strive after the speedy restoration of peace on the basis of light and justice, the same as they are expressed in the protocols of the Vienna Conferences, while they at the same time reserve their liberty to decide subsequently on an active intervention,—we recommend to the Chambers to give their constitutional consent to the bill respecting the ex- traordinary necessities of the military budget for the year 1854, and also the raising of the pecuniary means requisite for meeting the same."

Whatever may be her intentions, Prussia is preparing for eventualities. The Prince of Prussia has been appointed General "Obrist" of the In- fantry; Prince Charles of Prussia, General-in-chief of the Artillery ; and Prince Adalbert, "at the earnest request of Russia," is named Admiral.

According to the Prussian journals, Duke George of Mecklenburg- Strelitz recently arrived in Berlin from St. Petersburg, bearing new pro- posals for peace, contained in an autograph letter from Nicholas to the- King of Prussia, probably in reply to the missives carried to the Russian capital by General Lindheim.

"In this reply," says the New Prussian Gazette, "the Czar offers to con- clude peace, and to evacuate the Danubian Principalities, if the rights which the Christian subjects of the Porte have recently obtained through the inter- vention of France and England are guaranteed by treaties; and if, in addi- tion, the fleets of the Western Powers abandon the Black Sea and the Bos- phorus. If this guarantee be accepted by the Western Powers and by the Porte, the Emperor of Russia declares himself ready to allow the rest to be settled by the means of negotiation in It COUPE% which might, for instance, be held at Berlin."

A telegraphic despatch from Vienna says that the Duke George brought " conciliatory propositions " ; that" Prussia perfectly approves of them" ; and that "Austria may possibly support them."

Austria continues to move troops to the Turkish frontier. It is im- possible not to remark that distrust and suspicion of that power are ex- pressed on all aides by the correspondents of the journals, some of whom have more than once shown that they possessed accurate information. It was said that Count Buol declared that Austria would regard the crossing of the Danube as a casus belli; but now that the Danube is crossed, the previous statement is explained away, by saying that Count Buol meant in the then circumstances—that is, before the Western Powers had de- clared war.

GREECE. —Diplomatic relations between the Greek and Turkish Go- vernments have ceased. On both aides the Ambassadors have been with- drawn. It is stated, that the French and English Ministers presented a note to the Greek Government on the 23d March, declaring that it will be held responsible for the rupture.

RUSSIA. —Intelligence from Russia consists mainly of rumours. The facts would seem to be that great preparations are made for the hostile reception of the British fleet at Revel and Oesel, where attacks were ex- pected. The story is revived that the Russians have conveyed rocks on to the ice along the passage to Cronstadt, so that when the ice thaws the channels may be obstructed. It is rumoured that the war is unpopular at St. Petersburg amongst the mercantile classes ; and that in consequence of the existence of this feeling the Emperor had forbidden the assembling of more than two persons in the streets. It is also said that the Russians have dismantled and evacuated the island of Aland.

SRAM. —The story of another scandal arrives from Madrid. It is said that Queen Christina has for some time been trying to bring about the marriage of a Coburg Prince with the daughter of Don Francisco de Paula father of the King Consort. Difficulties have arisen, and these are traced to the recent conduct of Don Francisco himself. For some years he has lived with Teresa Redondo, "a woman of infamous charac- ter," one of the "unfortunates," in fact. To avoid contamination, the daughters of Don Francisco -were removed from the Retiro, where he lived, and taken to the Palace. Recently he intimated to the King Con- sort his wish to marry the woman ; observing that there would be nothing more shocking in the transaction than there was in the marriage of Queen Christina with Seiler Munoz. The King Consort concurred with his father, and the marriage was declared. And this has broken off the Co- burg match. The Duke of Alba and the Countess of Montijo rather abruptly left Madrid on the 30th ultimo, for Paris ; why., is not clearly stated.

The state of Madrid is illustrated by an Incident which probably could occur in no other capital. As the guard were mounting at the Pa- lace, a cart was driving by ; the driver had stopped some way behind, and the foremost mule was passing on, when a soldier arrested it by stick- ing his bayonet into its nose ; the driver ran up to turn the beast out of the way, and a young officer cut him over the head with his sabre. Lord Howden, standing at his window next to the Palace, saw this brutal scene, and, rushing out, bade one of his servants take charge of the man ; and he sent a note to the Captain-General to say that he would come forward, if required, and give his testimony as to what had occurred.