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hundred ; but authentic statements are at a discount . We will do what we can to give the reader a rational , idea of the question as it stands . But first we call his attention to the ' following document—the last note sent by Count Kesselrode to Constantinople : — " St . Petersburg , May . 31 , 1853 . , " Sib ,- —The E mperor , my august master , has just been informed that his ambassador has been , under the necessity of leaving Constantinople , in consequence of the peremptory refusal of the Porte to take towards the Imperial Government of Russia the smallest engagement of a nature to reassure it of the protective intentipns of the Ottoman
Government with regard to the orthodox worship and churches in Turkey . - ¦• ¦ '" It is after a fruitless sojourn of three montns ^ -aiter having exhausted , by word of mouth and by writing , all that truth , benevolence , and a spirit of conciliation could dictate—it is , finally , after having endeavoured to meet { manager ) all the scruples of the Porte by successive modifications , to which he had consented in the terms and the form of the guarantees which he was instructed to demand ¦—that Prince Menschikoff was compelled to take the determination which the Emperor learns with sorrow , but of which he could but entirely approve .
" Your Excellency is too enlightened not to foresee the consequences of the interruption of our relations with the Government of his highness . You are too devoted to the true and permanent interests of your sovereign and his empire not to feel a profound regret in prevision of the events which may follow , and the responsibility of which must rest entirely on those who provoke them . " Thus , in addressing this letter to-day to your Excellency , my only obieet is to put it in your power , in so far as it is still possible , to render a most important service to your sovereign . Place once more the real situation of
affairs before his highness ; explain to him the moderation and the justice of the demand of Russia ; the very great insult done to the Emperor by opposing to his intentions , which have constantly been friendly and generous , unfounded mistrust and inexcusable refusals . " The dignity of his Majesty , the interests of his empire , the voice of his conscience , do not permit him to accept such proceedings in return for those which he has had , and still wishes to entertain , with Turkey . He must seek to obtain their reparation , and to provide against their recurrence in future . .
" In a few weeks the troops will receive the order to cross the frontiers of the empire , not to wage war , which it is repugnant to his Majesty to undertake against a Sovereign whom it has always please'S- him- to consider a sincere ally , but to obtain those material guarantees until the moment when , brought to more equitable sentiments , the Ottoman Government will g ive to Russia the moral securities which she has in vain demanded for two years through her representatives at Constantinople , and , in the last instance , by her ambassador . < 4 The draft of the note which Prince Mensehikoff
presented to you is in your hands . Let your Excellency hasten , after haying obtained the consent of his Highness the Sultan , to sign that note , sans variantes , and to transmit it without delay to our ambassador at Odessa , where he still sojourns . " I earnestly hope that at this decisive moment the counsel which I address to your Excellency , with the confidence with which your enlightened views and patriotism inspire me , will bo appreciated by you and by your colleagues in the Divan ; and that , in the interests of peace , which we ought all to be equally desirous of maintaining , it will be adopted without hesitation , and without delay . lam , te , NESSEMtODE .
t It is not our business hero to comment on this State Ea per ; but it is impossible to avoid noticing the posifcivo es it contains . When Count Nesselrode , writing in the name of his despotic master , characterizes the conduct of Prince Menschikoff and thereby the Russian policy at the Porte , as a fruitless exhaustion of truth , benovolence , and a conciliatory spirit , declares that the amicable and generous intentions of Nicolas havo beon met by mistrust , and follows up a badly concealed menaco of war by a hypocritical expression of a desire for peace , —then wo feel bound—oven horo- ^ -to protest against such language , in the name , not of truth only , but common decency ' . ¦
As far , then , as wo can ascertain the facts , they stand somewhat tljus : the prospects of war are as groat as over , and no kind , oi faltering is discernible at St . Potorsburgh , although the report is "ktin current that the Emperor haa met with great opposition from his oldest and wisest councillors . Up to the 16 th of Juno , the Russian forces , stationed along the Pruth , had not crossed that river , but from time lo time we have had reports by the gossiping telegraph , that they had . Assurances had beon given that no step would bo taken until tho messenger who bore the last note of Count NosBolrodo to Constantinople had roturncd to St . Potersburgh ; nnd it is calculated that he could not have reached the Russian capital before tho 24 th Juno . And it is jupt . possible that tho troops on tho Pruth havo now received orders from heiid-quurtora . " If , " « ayS tho Times , " as wo must assume , the Emperor of Russia commands his armies to cross tho Pruth , he will
place himself in a fresh dilemma . ' Tho territory of tho Principalities must either bo regarded as Turkish territory , or na the territory of a Bomi-indopondent Prlnco called ' tho Hos ' bodar . ' If it bo Turkish territory in , tho full sense of tuo word , then tho entry of tho troops is an act of invasion , an act of war , wlljich gives rise to tho incidents of war , and in parfcioular , in thin caso , suspends' tho operation of tho Convention of tho Straits , and opens - thorn , with tho concurrence of tho Porto , to tho shipa-of-wor of forei gn Powers . If tho Principalities bo not ptriotly . TurkiBU territory , but tho dominions of a Christian vassal of tho . Porto , then tho invasion which is intended to coovco the 1 orto falla with all ite weight on tho hoods of anofchor pooplo . What rendors such a > proceeding moro illogical « ud absurd is , that tho Emperor of Russia , having put forward a claim to tho protection of tho Grook Ghriatiano m tuo ottoman Empiro , makes thouo identical Grook
Christians his first victims . The Principalities are altogether Christian ; they have a distinct Administration under a Christian Prince ; they requireto . 0 further protection ; they are already virtually dissevered and emancipated from Turkey : yet this is the territory and this , the people which the Emperorof Russia . threatens to seize , by way of establishing his . preponderating / authority , over a Manomedan empire ! Turkey * will protest * against that act , and she would be entitled to regard it as a continence .
ment of hostilities , because she is bound to endeavour to protect her Christian subjects in the Principalities from foreign invasion . Put , in reality , the occupation of the Principalities , though a flagrant act of violence and injustice , would leave the case just where it was before inrelation to the essential interests of the Ottoman empire . Those unfortunate . provinces would simply receive * the blow aimed at Constantinople , and theEmperorof Russia would have gained absolutely nothing of his spiritual demands . " " . ; . . -. ¦ -. " ¦¦ : ' ¦ - '!¦!¦' ¦ ; '¦ '¦ : ' ' ¦ ¦ . '¦ ¦ ¦¦ .. . •'; ' ¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ '
Meanwhile the combined fleets , numbering now twentyeight sail , were still" in Besika Bay "; and it is said , that the firman ! permitting of their passag e up the Dardanelles had been received ,. subject to contingencies . By the order of the Emperor of the French , Vice-Admiral Hamelin has been appointed to the command of the Mediterranean squadron , ra the place of Baron Lasusse . It is said that this measure is caused by the delay of which Admiral Lasusse was guilty in his . progress to the Bay of Besika , where he arrived twenty-four hours later than the British fleet . Another reason assigned for this change is , that
Admiral Lasusse is the senior of Admiral Pundas ; and that Hamelin , his junior , has been appointed , in order that the British Admiral might command 'the -whole fleet . " - . ' .. ¦ . " ¦ ' . ¦¦ ¦ . : . ' ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ • ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ •• ' ¦ " : " ¦" : M . Balabine left Constantinople on the 16 th , with the final answer of the Porte . Omer Pasha had strongly posted his army along the Balkans . Armaments were going oh in every direction ; and it is stated Persia has voluntarily offered aid to the Porte . ^ With regard to the opinions and intentions of the continental states , it is said that Austria and Prussia remain neutral . Some more pacific articles appear in the French
papers . , , , . The following , from the Wanderer ,, of Vienna , has some interest . < f M . Manteufffel , the Prussian Minister , is still free from any engagement towards Russia . The words of Frederick II .. , are not forgotten , to the effect that aa soon as the Russians ^ were masters of Constantinople , Konigsberg would be theirs in less than two years after . In fact , the ; Sound has not been called since his time , anything but the Dardanelles of the North . In addition , no man can shut his eyes to the tendency of the reigning house of Russia to introduce itself into the Germanic
Confederation in its quality of Sovereign of the Duchies of Holgtein and Lauenburg , over which it pretends that it will have to exercise power after the death of Prince Christian of Glucksburg . The danger for the future fortune of Prussia is consequently imminent ; and that is the reason why the ; cabinet of Berlin would be rnosfcunwise to remain neutral in . the Eastern question , in place of lending its ai , d to Turkey . " , P . S . —This morning , positive information has reached London that , on the 25 th of June , the Emperor of Russia ordered the troops to cross the Pruth .
Austria has patched . up her relations with Switzerland That is the only fact of moment connected with western Europe . , Erratum . —By . a clerical error , M . Prosper Merim £ e was , last week , called an eminent " orator" instead of an eminent " writer . "
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OUR NATIONAL DEFENCES : FLEET AND ARMY , TnEBEare signs of power and of life in the state and . preparation of our navy . The squadron we mentioned in detail last week is still at Spithead . It is , at present , under two flags ; The Duke of Wellington 131 , Agamemnon , 91 , Blenheim , 60 , Hogue , 60 , Ajax , 58 , Edinburgh , 58 , Odin , 16 , Sidon , 22 , Encounter , 14 , and the Nerbudda , 12 , fly the white Ensign , the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrano , K . C . B ., the Port-Admiral . The Prince Regent , 90 , London , 90 , Impcrieuse , 60 , Amphion , 34 , Highflyer , £ 1 , and the Leopard , 12 , fly the blue ensign , being under tho orders of Rear-Admiral Corry . The fleet continue with their lower yards down and topmasts struck , which gives the ships a very peculiar appearance
-Regarding tho reception and treatment of seamen , Bomo recent regulations introduce reforms . All boya under the ago of eighteen who hereafter enter tho navy aro to bo required to enter into an engagement , according to tho form prescribed , to serve Her Majesty for n period of ten years' continuous nnd general pervjice from the ngo of eighteen , in addition to whatever periods may be necessary till they attain that age . If above tho ago pf eighteen when entered , they nre to bo required to engago for ten years' continuous and general service from tlio date of first entity . The sum . ' of 40 * ,,
which irt now required aa iv \\ outfit for boys on their first entry , is * for the future to bo dispensed with . All boya of good character nnd conduct , whether entered for continuous service or otherwise , inuy bo permitted to purchase their discharge at any period of theft * sorvice . Tho rates pf purchase run from 8 Z . to 12 / . Tho circular 1 j « h been joyfully received by all cIhssos of seainon , petty officers and wnrrant officers , nil of whom will reap considerable benefits , both in personal comforts ' and pecuniary matters . Tlio treatment of shipwrights , in tho ItoVal
Dockyards , on the contrary , seems impolitic , the wages gfcrea being top , Ixwvv Several shipwrights- who have left Sheerness are nov ? working at Northfleet , on the river Thames , and are reeeiving 8 * . per day , being insured two years ' work , with the offer of their working extra hours during the summer months , byvvhich they earn from $ * . to %$ . 6 & per , day . : Several other shipwrights are preparing to leave the Sbeerness yard . , Tb ^ . f ollowing is the account of the English fleet now at Besika : —; . ; -. / - ' , ¦ Vessels ! :., Class . ' ¦ . ¦ Captains . <*»«• Britannia ,.,. line , flag ... Carter ... ¦ •*» » Trafalgar I .. ditto ... Greville ... 120 Albioir' . : V ; ' ditto ... Iiushington .... 90 Rodney ... ditto .... Graham ... 90 Vengeance ... ditto ... lord Russell .. ;"• 84 Bellere-phon ..., < . , ; , £ . ditto « n I ** d Paulet ... 78 Arethusa , .., * . * ' frigate ... Symonds ; .. ... 50 Retribution ... steamditto ... Drummond ... 28 Sampson ... ditto ... Jones ... 16 Tiger ... ditto .. . . Giffard ... 16 Niger ... ditto ... Heath ... 16 Furious ... ditto ... JJoring - ... ; , 16 Fury ... . corvette ... Tatham .... 6 Firebrand ... ditto ... Parker ... 6 Inflexible .. ; Woolrige ... -6 Wasp ... Bcretvsloop ... lord Hay ..., 14 Modesto ¦ ... ditto ... 'Lord Goinpton . 18 ' : ' ' ¦ ¦ ¦ ' . ¦ \ l-. .- \ . - ¦ : ''" ;^ " -: ;; - - " - ^ > v . V - ¦¦ ¦ ' :. ¦ ¦¦ . " ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ . ¦;¦ 774 [ The French fleet at Besika Is fewer in number of ships , but greater mnvunber of guns . The following is _ a list :-r- ¦ ¦' ¦" .. .- .. ¦ .. /¦ ' / . ;¦ ' ¦; ' . ' ' . ' . . ' . .. ' ¦ ¦¦ ' ¦ . ¦' Yessela . Class . Cap&inB . Guns . Ville de Paris . ; . line , flag ... Penaud ... 112 Vahny ... ditto w ... Serval .... 120 Mdntebello ... screw ; ditto ... Favin Leveque . 120 Heniry IV . ... ditto .- . * Jehenne ... 100 Nappleon ... ditto ... Dupouy ... . 90 Bayard ... . ditto ... Fabre . ... 90 Charlemagne ... ditto , > v < Ohebannes ... 80 Jupiter ... ; ditto ... Lugeol : \ -, ' ..-- «? 80 Mogador ... . . frigate ... Fortuneijton .- . * . 16 Sane ... " ditto ... Vauhello ... 14 Magellan ... ditto . ... Magre ... 14 Caton ... corvette . ..., IJegras ... 6 . '¦ ¦¦ ' ' ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ' ' ¦ ' ¦ \ ' ' .. ' ' : ¦ ' " -. ' ' 842 Besides these , the French have , " afiried and ready for sea , " the ! Friedland , 120 ; ' Jena , 90 ; Austerlitz , Jean Bart , Marengo , JDuperre , , I ) uguescelin , 3 The ^ shipsare all xeady for action . ; Ail the furniture is struck below > officers having their carpet bags and hammocks alone in \ their former cabins . Shortly a ^ er " the union , of the fleets , Admiral Dun ^ das with his captains paid a visit to Admiral de la Susse , and invited him with all his commanders to a grand dinner , to be given 6 n the 20 th . The other arm Of our war force is showing its spirit ? and skill at Chobham . On Salurjday there was a brilliant field aay . ; The men went through many manoeuvres ' - — -, crossing narrow bridges in face of an enemy , retreating with speed and in good order , changing-front / and went through all the manoeuvres with great steadiness and satisfaction ., On Monday , the troops took possession , after ^ several great move-i mpnts and frequent repulses , of High Curley ^ ridge of hills four , miles from Chobham . On Tuesday , the day was stormy , and nothing worth notice took place at the Camp . On Wednesday , there was a brilliant sham fight . But on Thursday it , rained bard , and the Queen , whq had gpne to the display , was disappointed-The troops ,. manoeuvred for some time in the rain . ¦ In the middle of July , the regiments at the Camp will be entirely changed- It is also intended , it is said , to make the militia take the place , in garrison , of the / regiments stationed at tho Camp . Th fl men at Chobliam keep up both their health and spirits . Tent-life ? is not nearly bo . uncomfortable as it is apt to be considered , and from the profound silence which reigns an hour after tattoo has beaten , and all have turned in for the night , it is reasonable to suppose that deep and refreshing sleep is not denied to the present occupant © of Chobhoni-common . The hum of voices diea gradually away , till tho sharp challenge of the sentries , or the sighing of the wind alpng tho heath , are the only uounds that break upon the ear . Within each tent the » soldiers lie to the number of thirteen or fourteen , their feot towards the polo in tho centre , from which they radiate to the circumference . It is curious to peer in upon them thus settled down for the ni ght * with their arms and accoutrements all stowed away under , the one > scanty covering . Tho tents may leak a . little when , tho rain first sots in , but they soon become quite watertight , and they are , exceedingly wurm when properly closed . , No lights aro allowed in tho « o occupied by the men , and therefore when night falls tho whole encampment has a ghostly-white appearance , with which tho tall , black , spectral-looking Bontry-boxea well accord . After tattoo , pickets from the different regiments in which men arp missing go out in search of them , and scour tho drinking and dancing booths , which have sprung up like inuBhrooms on tho common .
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. 630 " " '¦ : ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ '• j ? HJj ' ;; I / . E -Ajft jg- R . .....:....... - _; . l .:. ^^ . J . ' / 'tj ^^ ap ^ ir ' ' '
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Leader (1850-1860), July 2, 1853, page 630, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1993/page/6/
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