forrigu ad Colonial.
FBANCE.-At a meeting of the Senate, on Monday, Admiral Hamelin took the oath and his seat. The bill calling out 140,000 men of the class 1854 was brought forward, and at once referred to a committee. General d'Hautpoul presented a report in favour of the measure, and it was adopted unanimously. It is stated that two Swiss Regiments are about to be added to the Foreign Legion ; and that Colonel Ochsenbein, the leader of the famous free corps in the Sonderbund dispute, will enter the French service and command them.
The Assembles Nationale publishes a commentary on the recent " slash. ing articles" in the Times ; and coming, as it does, from a source by no means well affected to England, it deserves more than usual attention. "It is not for us to interpose in this polemic, but after an attentive pe- rusal of the articles of the Times, and referring to the testimony attesting a part of the misfortunes, of which it makes a weapon by exaggerating them, we ask ourselves how the Earl of Aberdeen and the Duke of Newcastle can be rendered particularly responsible for what tikes place ? The Times re- proaches them in the strongest terms for not having sent soon enough to the Crimea the materials for a railway to secure the communications between the camp and the port of Balaklava during a long and difficult siege. Has the writer in the T'imes maturely reflected on the subject? Who expected a long and difficult siege ? Was not the Tunes, like so many others, the dupe of the story, spread throughout Europe on the faith of an unknown Tartar? Did it not think, and has it not frequently repeated its opinion, that Sebas- topol could not hold out, at the most, beyond a few weeks ? that five or six dates of opened trenches would suffice to render the breaches practicable, and !pen the place to the besiegers, even if it did not surrender ? . . . . It Is a poor calculation to underrate an enemy ; it would have been bet- ter not to have lost sight of the souvenirs of Eylau and of the Moskowa ; it would then have better known what it would have coat to beat the Russians. Can the Times boast of having acted with such prudence, and with having opposed to the general infatuation the counsels of a better- advised wisdom ? If we remember right, the Times was one of the first to extol the results obtained on the Danube, and to point out the weakness of the Russians. After the taking of Bomarsund, its voice was mingled with those which expressed astonishment at the facility with which that place fell before a handful of French soldiers ; concluding therefrom that what had before been thought of the real strength of the Russian citadels was illusory, and that their boasted ramparts would fell at the first shock, like walls of pasteboard. We were then in the midst of the preparations for the Crimean expedition. Who dreamt of a siege of several months, of a winter
passed under canvass on the summits of the heights which surround Sebastopol? If any one had then proposed to embark the materials for a railway
for the future requirements of the siege, be would have been laughed at. Once more we say that, without sharing in the general infatuation, the most clear-sighted may be, and have been, mistaken. The extensive character of the preparations made prove that a formidable struggle and a most energetic defence was expected, but no one thought of so long a resistance. The English Ministers, if they have been mistaken, have only shared in the almost general error ; an error which the Times has contributed its part to accredit, and it there- fore appears to us unjust to now make the responsibility fall back on them alone. As to the inferiority of the organization of the English army as com- pared with ours, no one can entertain any doubt on the subject; but can the present Cabinet be reasonably reproached with that ? . Such a military or- ganization as ours is not the work of a few months. It requires years of care and sacrifices to form such an army and organize all the services connected with it. We have laboured at it for thirty years ; we thought of it on the day following the disasters of 1815; and since that time the work has not been for a moment lost eight of. England, on the contrary, since the same period, has only occupied herself with her fleets, the extension of her com- merce and the reduction of taxes, in order to better the condition of the in- habitants of the great manufacturing districts. She has closed her ears to the representations of the men who had been the honour of her armies. The Duke of Wellington himself, notwithstanding the authority attached to his opinion, was not listened to, and things arrived at the point where we now see them. Had Lord Palmerston the great organizer, been a few months sinee-at the head of the Cabinet, What could he have done more than what has been effected? Would he have been strong enough to have organized another army in a few weeks, and to have established the necessary bond between all the different services ? Evidently not. That can only be the work of time."
THE Causem..—The telegraph last week correctly anticipated the only events of importance which had occurred at the camp of the Allies up to the 9th instant—the arrival and departure of Omar Pasha, and the recon- naissance in force by the French cavalry to Tchorgoun.
Fuller details of the great reconnaissance on the 30th December, made by upwards of 7000 men have arrived. Early in the morning the left wing of the Second Battalion of the Rifle Brigade, a regiment of Zouaves, the Seventy-ninth Regiment, and three companies of Marines, under Sir Colin Campbell, advanced along the heights to the right of Kamera - taking post on the crown of a rocky ridge overlooking the valley. Al the same time, a strong French force of cavalry and infantry advanced, partly to the village of Kamera, and partly over the hills, on which stood the Turkish redoubts. As they approached the Cossack videttes drew back, and the French burnt their huts. Continuing their advance the cavalry reached Tchorgoun, charged the Cossacks, who made only a show of resistance, and entered and burnt the place. While they were on the banks of the Tchemaya, the Russians opened fire from their ar- tillery; but the French, better posted, quickly silenced the Russian guns, and did some execution upon the troops. As it grew late the cavalry retired back to the lines, the infantry on the right making a correspond- ing movement. The loss of the French consisted of four killed and eighteen wounded; but they captured forty horses and twenty prisoners. The British troops did not fire a shot, but rested all day by the side of fires lighted on the hills. It was ascertained that the Russians had left only a post upon the Tchernaya. During the reconnaissance, three Rus- sian divisions looked on from the road leading to Mackenzie'e Farm. At night the fires of the enemy were seen on the Inkerman heights, as if the troops, dispossersed of their quarters at Tchargoun, had gone thither. Subsequently the Cossacks reappeared in the valley of the Tchernaya. A letter from Constantinople, dated January 11th, states that General Canrobert had directed the French Commandant at Constantinople to re- tain all troops there on their way to the seat of war. The writer con- jectures that the French General feels himself able to carry out his plans with the force in hand ; and in support of his supposition he tells the following story derived from the letter of a French officer dated the 7th.
"General Canrobert's popularity in both armies, you are aware, is un- bounded: he is seen, day and night, in every direction along the lines, in the trenches, tents, and posts of danger, fraternizing with his troops, and consoling them under trials and privations. Their patience is, however, al- most exhausted; and they all demand with one voice to assault the place. General Canrobert, in reviewing on a late occasion his heroic soldiery, was greeted by a general acclamation of Viva Canrobert!' and pronounced an eloquent oration, terminating with these memorable words—' Ne dites pas, mes braves, Viva Canrobert, mais Viva Empereur Is et que ee cri retentisse jusqu'au cceur de nos ennemia—dont is derniere heure a sonne! Vous crierez, Vive votre General, lorsque je me lancerai it. votre tete, et quo mon corps vous servira de drapeau sur is bridle. Si nous n'avons pas donne en- core l'assaut, c'est pour des raisin's particulieres i moi connues.' " The average of deaths per day would seem to be about 45. On the 5th instant, the sick and wounded amounted to 14,332. The weekly. average of sick sent down to Scutari was about 700. Convalescents were constantly returning ; but hitherto the balance had been against the army. The Morning Herald correspondent, writing on the 3ci instant, says that there were not more than 25,000 men in the lines; so that, if 54,000 have been sent out, 29,000 must have disappeared.
Some of the officers who burned charcoal at night, having incautiously closed their tents, were found dead in the morning. The latest date from the camp by letter is January 9 ; but no official despatch has been published later than the 6th. According to Prince Itenschikoff, nothing new had occurred down to the 17th beyond the nightly sorties, in which 9 French and 14 English had been made prisoners.
[From the London Gazette, Jan. 26.3
Lord Raglan to the Duke of Newcastle.
• Before Sebastopol, January 6.
"My Lord Duke—The weather has been so bad since I wrote to your Grace on the 25 instant, that I have not yet been able to disembark the Thirty-ninth, with a view of encamping the regiment; and it still remains on board the Golden Fleece, in the harbour. " The ground is thickly covered with snow, though not very deep. "All my endeavours are directed to the speedy disembarkation and getting up of the huts, which have now arrived in considerable numbers, and the establishment of the depot of provisions, which I alluded to in my last de- spatch, near head-quarters; which I am now enabled to do, with the assist- ance of the Eighteenth and Thirty-ninth Regiments, the first encamped near Balaklava, the last still sleeping on board the Golden Fleece. " There has been no movement on the part of the enemy. "I enclose a return of the casualties that have occurred up to the 4th instant.
"I have, &e. Rumex."
Return of Casualties from 29th to 30th December.
1st Royal Regiment of Foot-2 rank and tile wounded. 19th Regiment- 1 rank and file wounded. 38th Regiment-1 rank and file wounded. 47th Regiment-2 rank and file wounded. Total-6 rank and file wounded. Return of Camuslties from 31st December to 4th January.
- 1st Regiment of Foot-1 rank and file killed ; 1 rank and file wounded. 9th Regiment—I rank and file wounded. 21st Regiment-1 rank and file killed. 41st Regiment-1 rank and file wounded. 44th Regiment-1 rank and file wounded. 47th Regiment-2 rank and file wounded. 49th Regi- ment-1 rank and file wounded. 57th Regiment-1 sergeant, 2 rank arid file, killed; 2 rank and file wounded; 1 rank and file missing. 62d Regi- ment-2 rank and file wounded. 68th Regiment-1 rank and file killed. 95th Regiment-1 rank and file wounded. 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade-6 rank and file wounded. Total-1 sergeant, 5 rank and file, killed; 18 rank and file wounded ; 1 rank and file missing.
Return of Casualties from Oth to 71h January. 1st Regiment of Foot-1 sergeant, 2 rank and file, wounded. 21st Regi-
ment-2 rank and file wounded. 38th Regiment-1 rank and file wounded. 47th Regiment-2 rank and file killed.; 1 rank and file wounded. 55th Regiment-1 rank and file killed. 89th Regiment-1 rank and file wounded. 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade-2 rank and -file killed Total-5 rank and file killed ; 1 sergeant, 7 rank and file, wounded.
The usual accounts are even more gloomy than usual. It is impos-
sible to reconcile them on some points, such as the number of deaths per day, variously stated at from 45 to 100; on others, such as the severity of the weather, the absence of shelter, the difficulty of getting up pro- visions, there is considerable agreement. We extract some passages from the mass of letters which have been published. State of the Camp.—"The weather here, I .am sorry to say, has changed
sadly for the worse. Yesterday [31st December] there was a heavy fall,pf snow, and for twenty-four hours previous it froze hard. Towards the middle of the day it became guite warm, and the snow and ice disappeared. Today it is bitterly cold again. These sudden alterations, of the temperature affect the health of our troops most seriously, and render the communication with Balaklava, if possible, even ten times more difficult than before. The appear- ance of the weather quite justified the remark which, whether rightly or wrongly, is attributed to Prince Menschikoff,—that if the Allies in their present condition withstood his three great generals, January, February, and larch, they could resist anything. I almost fear to say how much truth there may be in such conjectures. Though it is now blowing half a gale, and the thermometer below freezing-point, our unfortunate soldiers are still in tents. No huts have yet been erected for the shelter of our men; and as far as we can judge from the condition of the roads, it will still be two or even three months before the poor fellows are under cover, or screened in any substantial way from the inclemency of the weather. The men and officers murmur sadly at this neglect. Only one or two winter houses have been erected, but even these are not nearly finished, and when finished will only accommodate 130 men. The French have been hutted these six weeks,
and so also have the Turks. It is only the English who still are in tents All last night [January 4] the cold was intense the thermometer standing at 14 below freezing-point. The strong North-east wind, which blew across the camp, chilled to the very bones, and scattered the snow like fine dust in all directions. A more dreary scene than that which the camp presented last night, it is almost impossible to imagine. The ground was frozen into hard deep ruts, which, filled with snow, were so many pitfalls, into which the unfortunate pedestrian stumbled at every step. Walking about in the blinding snow was difficult in the extreme, but stopping in your tent was quite out of the question. Such a night of misery and suffering, from sheer cold, the Allies have never yet palmed; though I fear, from the appearance of the weather, we must now look forward to many anch."—Morning Herald Correspondent.
"A crisis is coming. Unless the aid come quickly, which all experience
of the wisdom and energy of our military rulers forbids us to expect, a se- cond Moscow disaster is to be exhibited to the world. But this time British troops will make the snow their winding-sheet : the French will escape ; and honestly, for their prudent care and energy, do they deserve the immunfty. . . . . While you are struggling to collect for us tens and twenties of young recruits, fifties and hundreds of 3 our old soldiers are dying here. They are dying from starvation. I say it who know it—who know what amount of warmth and what amount of food are absolutely necessary to preserve strength and life in men exposed to the fatigues and hardships your soldiers before Sebas- topol are exposed to—that they have been left to die from starvation. For the last six weeks the rations issued have not been of a kind nor of a quan- tity to support strength or health. The clothing has not been sufficient to maintain the necessary vigour of the circulation. The means of 'cooking have not been such as to enable even the amount of food issued to be turned to a proper account : much of its nutritious 5ualities has been wasted. Your medical officers have pointed out the evils pang on.; they have written of- ficial remonstrances through the head of their An department, through general officers; but their communications have-not beenonoured even with a reply. And the men are now so sickly from dysentery and diarrhcea, from emaciation and debility, from diseases marking the advent of scurvy and dropsy, not to mention affections of the feet and, fingers, that we cannot send them away from camp fast enough."—Light Division Officer, Jan. 5.- "Last night the thermometer was 22° in a tent in which two men were
sleeping Luckily the men have been served out with drawers, socks,
great coats, and some with shoes Our sentries are served out with
gregos and eapotes, most useful coats, as they are very warm. We are now only twelve hours on picket, twenty-four having been found too severe. . . . . Our rations are certainly excellent. The cavalry lade their chargers
with food and bring it up to our Commissariat stores."—From an Ofror of the Forty-ninth, Jan. 5.
The Feeling of the Men.—" The men, I am sorry to say, just now appear to be much disheartened ; not at the enemy, for they are more determined in their hostility towards them, but at the prospect of enduring such a win- ter with so little to protect them against its inclemency. After all, one can- not be surprised at this feerm,e. The most indomitable spirits might well be discouraged at the scene which our camp presents, and the prospect of living in it. Not a single fire has been lit throughout our lines today : wood is too scarce, and even if it were ten times more plentiful the ground is too marshy and wet. Yet the men still get their rations of raw coffee beans, which they are expected to roast without are and grind without mills. Our cantonments are perfectly strewed in all directions with raw coffee."— Morning Herald Correspondent, Jan. 4. "The men all, I think," says the correspondent of the Morning Post, "seem to understand that they are fairly in for it ; and until knocked down either by Russian balls or sickness, push along with a most praiseworthy de- termination. I do not mean to say there is a total absence of grumbling, which is an Englishman's privilege under all circumstances ; but I do think there is even less of it than in more favourable times," Transport to the Camp.—"In order that the Commissariat may have a reserve nearer the front in cases of need, a depat of biscuit is being formed at head-quarters, and large fatigue parties are daily employed now on this duty. Two men carry a sack of biscuit, which weighs 112 pounds. The bag is slung on a pole, which the two men carry on their shoulders; and of a morning, the whole distance, about seven miles from Balaklava to the depot at head-quarters, you meet, amidst the usual crowd of pack-animals, guns, ammunition, &c., a continuous stream of Turks and soldiers of every description, alking along with bags of bisouit. Yesterday, large French fatigue-parties were also carrying out small cases of ammunition, and as you approached the harbour the road was nearly entirely blocked up with the living swarms."—Morning Poet Correspondent, Jan. 6.
Balaklaca.—" Although we had heavy rain and a general thaw before midnight last night, it was frosty again ere morning; and today we have a day if Feasible finer than yesterday. On the hills the ground is hard, but down here the mud and slop is past description. Overhead it is really quite like summer- so it is to be hoped, after all, we shall not suffer so much as was anticipated from the severity of a Crimean winter. The cold, I do not think, will prove so great an enemy to Us as the wet has done. There is still an immense deal of sickness. The usual bustle is going on here, and parties of men are carrying out some of the warm clothing that has arrived to the camp."—Morning Post Correspondent, Jan. 8.
The Siege.—"The siege, if siege it may be called, goes on, or rather stands still, as usual. The day- when the French made their reconnaissance in the rear at Balaklava, the Russian batteries fired heavily upon the French works, which replied with shell from the newly-mounted mortars. These missiles appeared to do tremendous execution, both in the town and among the ene- my's earth-works, and almost completely silenced the fire of the Garden Battery. All look forward with the greatest confidence to the destructive and final effects of our bombardment whenever we recommence. The weather now is our only enemy. However, if the frost should continue for two or three weeks, and plenty of fresh horses be sent up, sufficient supplies of ammunition may be forwarded from Balaklava to enable us to open fire again much sooner thanis generally anticipated. With horses to transport the huts, ammunition, and rations we should do very well; without them we can do nothieg."—Morning rations, Correspondent, Jan. 5.
Lord Baglan.—" A slander as untrue in itself as its publication is incom- prehensible has found its way here in-some copies of one of your contempo- raries. But for the indignation which has been occasioned by this foul calumny among both the officers and men I should not deem it worthy con- tradiction. At the request of many officers, however' I am induced to allude to it, only for the purpose of assuring you, which I do of my own personal knowledge, that so far from Lord Raglan not being visible to the army under his command, there are very few days indeed—be the weather ever so inclement—on which his Lordship does not ride round the camp, and satisfy himself of its condition by close personal examination. I am told that the correspondent of the journal in which these unfounded statements have appeared is about to take up his residence at head-quarters. If this be the i case, it is to be hoped that the movements of the Commander-in- thief will n future be reported with greater accuracy and less bad feeling. This gentleman, I happen to know, is allowed full rations as an officer on the staff."—Morning Post Correspondent,. Jan. 9.
French Beport.—" We are in full winter now. For the last few days the ground has been covered with snow. We bear up against this new enemy as hardily as possible, thanks to our overall boots and sheepskin coats ; but our poor animals suffer dreadfully. The horses and mules are dying .off, and we have lost a great number within the last few days. They are enjoy- ing themselves at head-quarters. Only fancy, an English nobleman has Lad the gracious idea of sending our Commander-in-chief an immense quantity of provisions, excellent wines, and exquisite preserves ; nothing was forgotten. This delicate attention cannot be sufficiently admired, and I can assure you that General Canrobert was much affected by it. Is not this the most extraordinary proof of the esteem and confidence that are felt in England for the military talents of the Commander-in-chief of the French army?"—Correspondent of the .Presse d' Orient, Jan. 5.
TIIRKEY.---TheVarna correspondent of the Daily News describes the Turk- ish army destined for the Crimea, as it appeared on the 3d of this month. "The troops are all in the highest spirits ; are delighted with the new clothing; and are shipped off in great numbers nearly every day for Eupa- toria, cheering and singing very gaily, and confident they are sailing to victory, plunder, good pay, and what not. I am certain their morale has .never been better. They are pleased at being relieved from their long inac- tion; and great numbers, particularly the Egyptians, are filled with the idea that once arrived in the Crimea they will be taken into English pay, and consequently find their pockets fall of guineas, and their knapsacks crammed with coffee and tobacco, in an incredibly short space of time. The fact is, Omar Pasha is taking with him the beat of his troops, both cavalry and in- fantry, the former in considerable force, and under the command of Sir Stephen Lakeman. I refrain, for obvious reasons, from giving any details as to numbers, and artillery, &o. ; but I must say, it will be the largest, best equipped, and best led army that Turkey has ever sent to a foreign soil since the long gone days of her glory. All the foreign officers in the Turkish service will be of the expedition : the troops are full of ardour. Omar Pasha has a great reputation at stake, a greater still to achieve ; and, altogether, I see every reason to believe that the army of the Danube will show itself worthy to fight aide by aide with the heroes of Alma and Inker- man."
GERMANY.-17p to the latest dates from Vienna, the negotiations had not been renewed. There was even a talk of the departure of Prince Gortschakoft; the lease of whose house had nearly expired. The position of Austria in relation to Germany and Prussia has re- Ceived an unexpected illustration by the publication of recent despatchee. On the 24th December, Count Buol wrote to the Austrian Minister at Berlin. It appears that the treaty of December 2 was communicated to the Cabinet of Berlin, and that the Xing of Prussia postponed any deci- sion on the subject. Austria, therefore, was limited to negotiations for the equipment of the German powers on the basis of the treaty of the 20th April and of the resolution of the Diet on the 9th December, accepting the additional article. By her agreements, Prussia was to mobilize 100,000 men in thirty-six days, and to place another 100,000 men on its Eastern frontier three weeks after calling out the former. The necessity for the mobilization of this force was at hand, in case peace were not established by the end of December.
" Russia is ready to take the field on her Eastern frontier, and can in a very short time concentrate her forces, now ready for action, so as to strike a vigorous blow at the empire. or making its appearance at the Upper Vis- tula, the Russian army requires far less time than is requisite for the equip- ment and concentration of a Prussian army 100,000 strong. If the fulfilment of Prussia's engagement to assist in defending Austria from all attacks is to be realized, it becomes under such circumstances more urgent every day that Prussia should have in readiness the military forces required for the purpose of common defence. Baron Hess is decidedly of opinion that the moment has arrived when Prussia should commence the mobilization of a part of her army according to the treaty. He declares that our forces sta- tioned on the Eastern frontier will not suffice, until joined by the 100,000 Prussian troops, for enabling him to commence the contest with the pros- pective certainty of success."
General Hess was of opinion, that for the present the 200,000 men sti- pulated in the treaty should be immediately mobilized, and concentrated at Posen and Breslau.
Count Buol expresses a hope that Prussia will coOperate with Austria in the Diet for promptly calling out the contingent which the Diet is bound to furnish ; and should Prussia at a later period accede to the treaty of December 2, both powers might make a joint motion in the Diet for esllieg out the whole grand contingent of the federal army.
Baron Manteuffel replied to this note, in a despatch to Count Arnim, on the fith January ; the purport of which we published last week. It set forth, that Prussia saw no necessity for the mobilization of her con- tingent, as Prussia could not believe that the Emperor of Russia contem- plated any aggressive proceedings, especially as all dispassionate men must have seen how sincerely he desired to make peace. Baron Man- teuffel also resented the exclusion of Prussia from the Conferences at Vienna ; insisted that Prussia is a great power ; and declared that the Ring was determined at all hazards to maintain his rights as a great power.
On the 14th January, nine days after receiving this missive, Count Buol issued instructions to the Ministers of Austria at the minor German Courts, clearly defining the position of the Governments.
"The instructions which were given to our Minister at Berlin to this effect, your Exoellency has learned by my communication of the 26th of December. It is evident from the reply now received, of which I have the honour to enclose a copy, that the views of the Cabinets of Vienna and Berlin are at variance. On some essential points the entire Confederation acknow- ledged the threatening state of affairs; but Prussia controverts the correctness of the decision of the Bund, on the ground of the reiterated assurance of Rus- sia—for which there is no guarantee—that she will confine herself to the defence of her own territory. We neither imdervaludeuch a promise given by a power involved in the war' nor the effect which it may possibly have on its limitation ; but no suolebinding, securing quality as should exercise any positive influence on the execution of the resolution taken by the Ger- man Confederation can be attributed either by the German Governments or by Austria to a promise which has been accepted by no one. If proof were necessary that Russia herself does not believe that her promise can be made subservient to the necessities of her military position, it might at this very moment be found in the conduct of Russia towards Turkey on the right bank of the Danube.
"Although we do not refuse to share in the hopes which Europe has formed from the concessions recently made by Russia at the conference held on the 7th, the object to be attained is still too distant—the opinions as to the practical accomplishment and the application of the four preliminary points may differ in such manifold ways, and the chances of war may exer- cise too much influence—for the Imperial Court to yield to the hope that in the preliminary results which have already been obtained it has in hand sure guarantee that peace will really be restored. " We appeal to the good sense of the German Governments, and demand whether they can deceive themselves by fancying that the situation of affairs has until now lost anything of that threatening character which the Bund itself recognized. His Majesty the Emperor, our illustrious master, considers it necessary to remain in a state of complete preparation for all contingencies ; and the approaching negotiations for peace will therefore, as long as the certainty of a favourable result is wanting, neither exercise any influence on the military measures of Austria, nor can they, in the opinion of the Emperor, be allowed to interfere with the engagements entered into with his Majesty's German allies for the attainment of common (mutual) objects. Such an attitude can but serve the interests of peace, and increase the chances of a favourable issue to the negotiations.
"It is our most firm conviction, that our German allies ought also now to place the whole of Germany. in a position calculated to command respect. It appears to us, that the interests of the German nation and its princes urgently require that Germany should, as well as ourselves, be sufficiently prepared for all possible contingencies. Whatever expression may in future be given to the resolutions of the Bend in its quality of a political power, we must again propose that whatever is requisite for the development of its military force may be eared for without delay."
Accordingly, Count Buol notifies, that the Austrian Minister at the Diet will propose that one-half of the several contingents shall be made mobile, unless it should be deemed advisable to call out the whole ; and that the Diet should immediately elect a Federal commander-in-chief.
But the Prussian Government has received a reply from the French Government The following has been published as a correct analysis, almost a verbatim copy" of a despatch from M. Drouyn de Lhuys to the note of Baron Manteuffel setting forth the claims of Prussia.
"The Cabinet of Paris beholds in the expose given in M. de Manteuffers despatches two distinct orders of ideas,—the one special to the relations of the Prussian Government with the Court of Vienna ; the other concerning the ensemble of its position in Europe. "On the first point, France is resolved not to interfere in questions which exclusively concern the German Confederation; on the second, the Cabinet of Paris is willing to explain itself. "The Cabinet of Paris does not pretend to contest with Prussia the rank she holds. Nay, more, during the last two years it has often reminded her of the obligations of that high rank of which she is so justly proud. But it feels it a duty to observe, that the quality of great power is permanent—it cannot be east off when it implies onerous duties, and be resumed when it only offers advantages. Privileges and duties of this importance are abso-
lutely correlative. The one is inseparable from the other. It is not to be
supposed that England and Austria take a different view of the case from France. But so much is certain—that France will never allow that a power which, from its own free will, took no part in the great events which are taking place in the world, shall afterwards maintain a claim to regulate the consequences thereof. The advantages arising from the war are only for the belligerent powers. And the advantages of the present (essentially moral advantages) consist in the right of participation, in the interests of Europe, in the regulations of peace. Prussia has not done anything as yet for that object. She has refused to proclaim her neutrality. That resolution does her honour. But, in reality, on what side is she ? If hostilities continue, will she be with or against the Allied Powers ? This is what no one can tell.
"Can Prussia reproach France for her confidence in Austria ? The lines of conduct have been very different. By a movement which she declares purely a strategic one, Russia evacuates the Principalities; Prussia imme- diately declares herself satisfied ; while Austria, on the very morrow of the day upon which that evacuation is communicated to her, exchanges the notes of the 8th of August with France and England. On the 28th of November Prince Gortschakoff announces the adhesion of his Court to the four points ; Prussia congratulates herself on having obtained the object of her efforts; while Austria signs the treaty of Alliance of the 2d of December with the Western Powers. On the 7th of January Russia accepts the inter- pretation of the four guarantees ; Prussia fancying the success of her policy complete, rejects the appreciation made Prussia, Austria of the treaty of the 20th of April, and refuses to call out her contingent ; while Austria spontaneously hastens to recognize that the case provided for by article 5 of the treaty of the 2d of December is realized, that the reestablishment of peace is not assured, and offers to comtine her plans of military operations with the Allied Powers.
"Is there a wish of maintaining that Austria finds in the alliance of the 2d of December advantages not shared by Prussia ? What are they ? This ob- -servation of Prussia doubtless does not imply an assent; but yet, as a pro- position is made to conclude a Prussian treaty, beside the Austrian treaty, it would be well to explain the exact meaning of the proposition. Was that the object of M. d'Usedom's mission to London ? That mission was wrapped im in so much mystery that its real object is not yet known in Paris. But the more endeavours were made to conceal it, the more were made to dis- cover it. All that has been discovered is, that Prussia exerted all her efforts to prevent the Allies from waging the war upon the vulnerable point of the enemy, and to prevent the passage of their troops through Germany. What did she offer as a compensation ? To place a corps d'armee on the Polish frontier—that is to say, that Prussia with one hand would turn aside the sword of the Allied Powers, and with the other cover Russia as with a shield. Might one not be authorized to suppose that M. d'Usedom had different treaties in his portfolio, and took out by mistake the wrong one at London— that which was to have been produced at St. Petersburg?
"The French Government has not the intention' you may be assured, of hurting the feelings of Prussia. It expresses itself thus in a loyal and sin- cere expression (epanchement); and if it desires its language to be heard at Berlin, it is in the hope to see Prussia at least give up a position in which, if it had been happy enough to see its efforts crowned with success, she would not have been today."
Telegraphic despatches from Berlin and Brussels state that Austria has addressed a further despatch to the Prussian Court, renewing the demand for mobilization. Another report takes this shape-
" Vienna, January 25.—Independently of the Austrian circular note of the 14th to the diplomatic agents, a confidential despatch has been addressed to them, of the same date. It reserves to the Cabinet of Vienna its eventual recourse to article 42 of the act of the German Confederation of the 15th May 1820, to the effect that if 11 question relative to the existence of danger be decided in the negative by a majority, those of the confederates who do not partake the opinions of the majority reserve to themselves the right to concert among themselves measures of common defence."
M. Baumgartner having resigned the portfolio of Finance, Baron de Bruck, the Austrian Minister at Constantinople, has been appointed to succeed him. Baron Koller, Austrian Ambassador at the Court of Han- over, will succeed Baron de Bruck. The new Finance Minister was the founder of the Austrian Lloyd's.
At the sitting of the First Chamber of Prussia, on the 16th, the bill -providing for the "admission to the Prussian coasting-trade of the vessels of such nations as admit Prussian vessels to their harbours on an equality with native craft," was adopted, almost with unanimity. In the report of the Committee on the bill, there were several passages frankly adopt- ing the principles of free trade, asserting that Prussia had only resorted to protection in self-defence, and characterizing the bill as a consistent advance in the politico-commercial course of free trade. But Herr van der Heydt, the brother of the Minister of Commerce, protested against these doctrines ; which, he alleged, had been smuggled into the report. He denied that Prussia had never supported the protective system : she had, on the contrary, always done so, where an interest was threatened or a nascent industry required support, as in the case of her cotton and iron manufactures. In these statements, however, the other speakers did not concur; but they maintained with the report, that protection had been the exception, not the rule of the commercial policy of Prussia. The measure is looked upon as a response to the British demand for re- ciprocity by the repeal of the Navigation-laws.
ItussiA.—According to accounts from Odessa, stated to be derived from official sources and documents, the number of men put hors de combat, from the 28th September (exclusive of the defeat of the Alma) to the 27th December, does not exceed 26,763, including prisoners taken, and deaths from disease or other causes not resulting from wounds. The following are the details :
Killed, or died of wounds 7301 Wounded 13,826 Prisoners 1617 Died of disease, accident, &c 4019 Total 26,763 It may be recollected, that when the question of adopting the Austro- Prussian treaty of the 20th April came before the Germanic Diet in July last, M. d'Oertzen, the Minister of the two Mecklenburgs, was the only dissentient ; alleging that the treaty was not in accordance with the spirit of the federal pact, nor with the position assigned to Germany as an European power ; and that subsequently M. d'Oertzen refrained from voting when the additional article was proposed. For this service, the Emperor of Russia, through Count Nesselrode, has sent his thanks ; telling the two Grand Ducal Courts "how much he appreciates their Roble attitude, in presence of a policy which, under the pretext of as- miring the return of peace, tends to make the present war a struggle which will embrace the whole of Europe." At the same time, the Em-
peror regrets that M. d'Oertzen did not prevail upon the Diet, when his
object was to spare Germany those complications for which the Cabinet of Vienna is labouring more and more to make it responsible. It is some- what ostentatiously added, that M. Budberg, to whom the despatch is addressed, must be aware that the Emperor of Russia " has always care- fully avoided any interference in the questions submitted to the delibera- tions of the Diet, and which are exclusively under its cognizance."
SWEDEN.—Prince Oscar, the second son of the King, is appointed Com- mander-in-chief of the Swedish and Norwegian Navy ; and Prince Nicholas Augustus, his younger brother, Captain of the Norwegian Rifle Corps. The army and naval (gun-boat) force of Norway are to be con- siderably augmented. Orders have been given to raise 1000 sailors. ITALY.—The King of Sardinia has lost his wife as well as his mother. The Queen, who had been but recently confined, died of puerperal fever on the evening of the 20th. She was the daughter of the Austrian Archduke Rainier, and was born in 1822. She was much beloved, and the public of all classes manifested the greatest anxiety during her illness. The Chambers were about to renew the discussion on the Convent Bill when the intelligence of the Queen's death reached them, and an adjournment at once took place. The priest party, seeing the death of the Queen fol- low so closely upon that of the Queen Dowager, do not hesitate to de- clare that they see in it "the finger of God." The Duke of Genoa has also been seriously ill, but is now better.
The Piedmontese contingent for the Crimea will be commanded by General La Marmara, and will be under the supreme command of Lord Raglan. Orders had been issued for a supply of warm clothing before it departure. A body of French cavalry recently passed through Tuscany ; and on the 16th, the Grand Duke, at the reception of Colonel Dumas, seized the occasion to testify the sentiments of warm friendship and admiration which be felt for the Emperor of the French and his army. He con- gratulated himself on learning that his personal intentions had been faith- fully acted up to by his subjects.
SPAIN.—In the sitting of the Cortes on the 14th, Marshal Esparter0 took the opportunity afforded by the bringing up of the report on the Recruitment Bill, to make a statement. The object of the bill was VS enable the Government to raise such a force as would, by the aid of vo., luntary enlistment, amount to 70,000 men.
"That force," said the Marshal, "is so much the more necessary, that the country will have to make a stand against the Carlists, who are quite prepared to burst out into insurrection, against the disturbers of public order, and against those enemies who may have evil designs on our Colonies. The Government hopes to be able eventually to do away altogether with the pre- sent system of a forced contingent ; but for the year 1855 it is obliged to ap- peal to the Chamber, and call on the Deputies to vote the bill, the report on which has been just presented."
It is stated in various quarters, that Cabrera and Elio are hovering on the French frontier, and that a Carlist outbreak is inevitable. The poli- tical troubles of the day are enhanced by the depressed state of trade, and the great lack of employment for the people.
The Cortes met on the 19th, to open the debate on the constitution. But before it could begin, the Ultra-Progressistas moved a resolution con, demning the Ministry for incapacity ; the speakers avowing that what they desired was the dissolution of the "Liberal Union." At the same time, they partially excepted Espartero from their censures. Espartero said that the views of the Ministry were his views ; that he would pay nd attention to popular impatience ; and that be would suffer himself to be killed in the Chamber rather than make concessions to the mob. Other Ministers uttered the same sentiments. General O'Donnell, tumingupon the Opposition Deputies, said—" You say we are not united : who are they that say it ? Why, Seiler Calvo Ascensio, who is a Monarchist, and Seiler Figueras, who is a Republican. Empower, then, these gentlemen to form a Ministry more homogeneous than ours." The resolutions were rejected by 138 to 69. According to the telegraph, Scilor Sevillano has resigned the Ministry of Finance.
INDIA Aim CHINA.—A summary of the contents of the overland mail was received on Thursday by telegraph from Trieste, dated January 24. "The dates of advices are—from Calcutta 20th, Madras 24th, and Bombay 31st of December. The mission of the Burmese Ambassador, it is fully tzs pected, will lead to a treaty.
"The deficiency of the opium revenue of the year is only If per cent of the whole Indian revenue. The Bengal Bank has again raised its rate of discount all round. Trade in India is dull, money is scarce, and freights are low. Exchange at Calcutta 28. "The latest advices are dated from Shanghai 5th, Canton 11th, and Hongkong 12th December. The Imperialists have recaptured four towns in the North of China.
"The town of Canton is in great distress, and all business is stopped. Exchange at Canton, 48. 9d. ; exchange at Shanghai, 68. 61/1. Teas have declined at Shanghai, but sales of silk are active."
AUSTRALIA.—By the Great Britain, which reached Liverpool on Wed- nesday morning, intelligence has been received from Melbourne to the 28th October.
Two subjects had much occupied the attention of the public—the Convict Prevention Bill, and a riot at the Diggings. In 1852, the Vic- toria Legislature passed a bill for the purpose of preventing the incoming of convicts at large under a conditional pardon ; and Mr. Latrobe as- sented to the measure. The Home Government disallowed the bill, be- cause it trenched on the prerogative of the Crown ; but when Mr. La- trobe received the order from the Colonial Office, the temper of the Victorians was such, in consequence of the recent outrages of convicts, that he did not see fit to proclaim the disallowance. Sir Charles Hotham, therefore, found the act in force ; and much anxiety was felt as to the mode he would adopt in dealing with the matter. His plan was at length di- vulged, and it consisted in the establishment of agents in the neighbour- ing colonies empowered to give certificates to convicts of good character at large under a conditional pardon. But this plan only aroused the wrath of the public ; who held a great gathering at Melbourne—from 7000 to 9000 strong—and expressed a very decided disapprobation of the measure. But, in the mean time, what says the Tasmanian Legislature ? In a petition to the Queen the colonists express a desire that "the con- vict element of their population shall be blotted out as speedily as pos- sible"; and they pray her Majesty that conditional pardons held by former prisoners shall be deemed to be unconditional, and that all pri-
goners, now holding indulgence and recommended by the local Govern- ment, shall without any condition be pardoned. Of the 13,000 convicts in Van Diemen's Land, 10,000 will be entitled to conditional pardons in two years ; but if the petition be granted these 10,000 will be liberated at once. The Victorians seem determined to keep out ex-convicts.
The riot at Ballarat is a case of Lynch law. A man was murdered near the Eureka Hotel ; the evidence before the Magistrate pointed to the landlord and his barman as the murderers ; but the Magistrate dis- missed the charge, on the ground that there was no evidence to sustain it. The "public," believing the man guilty, assembled, and set the hotel on fire. Mr. Read, a Commissioner, in vain endeavoured to calm the fury of the mob. It is recorded of hint that he harangued them from a window of the house—" his burning rostrum," the papers call it. The house and furniture were burnt ; but the lanilord and his wife escaped. Sir Charles Hotham instantly sent up a military force to discover and arrest the ringleaders.
It is remarked that the prices of all things have fallen ; but we are reminded that in many cases they were "fancy prices." Land, rent, building materials, and all imported articles, had become cheaper. Yet carpenters still got from 208. to 258. a day; labourers were "wanted at 108. a day " ; policemen had 128. and were found ; country stockmen got 651. a year and rations ; gardeners 41. 48. per week ; and domestic servants were well paid. There was a glut of imported goods, and there had been some failures, among small dealers paying high rents. The gold-production was steady at 40,000 ounces a week, at 4/. an ounce; making an export of nearly 8,000,000/. a year.
The telegraphic summary of the contents of the India mail contained the following advices from Australia- " Our dates are—from Sydney 20th, Melbourne 25th, and Adelaide 28th November, (nearly a month later than the latest. previous advices.) In Australia the predominance of imports over exports is excessive. The prices of wool are maintained. Supplies of tallow are active. Accounts from the gold-fields are steady and satisfactory. Price of gold at Melbourne, 78s.; at Geelong, 798. per ounce."
Previous page
