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iare been sent back . Sir Charles Napier has just signalised : 'Xads , —War is declared . If they come rot we will meet them ; if not , we will seek them ; indr depend on a sharp and quick fire * Sharpen four cutlasses , and all is our own . " Unhappily the signal was rather bungled , and we have not got the exact words . Such , is tlie spirit of it , and all the slips have manned the rigging , and cheered violently . "
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i ^ Though somewhat behind the telegraphic announcement , yet we are sure our readers will gladly peruse the following account of the reception of the « tar declaration by the fleet , written by an officer of the Duke of Wellington ,, and published in the Plymouth Mail . The date is April 4 : — " At noon to- day the Old Duke looked as if she was dressed for a holiday—she was covered with flags , forming a general signal to the fleet which had anything but a-holiday Signification—it was theC ^ mmaudt-r-in-Ctolef's declaration of war , and ran . word for word , as follows : —
" - "' Lads ! War is declared , with a bold and numerous enemy to meet . Should they offer us lattle , you will know what to do -with them . Success depends on the precision and quickness of your fire . Also , lads ! sharpen your cutlasses , and the day is your own . ' ; r "The Blenheim , Captain the Hon . F . T . Pelhain , immediately answered , ' Beady and willing ; ' the Neptune , Captain Sihitk , * Beady ; ' and every ship manned her rigging and gave three such cheers as are seldom heard in those waters . Ourselves and all the ship's company were then called upon deck , and Commodore Seymour read the signal to us ; and thejntien ; were beginning to follow the example of the other ships , when the old admiral came forward , and , leaning over thfl -nram raflunir .
said"Now , my lads 1 You have just heard what the commodore has saio to you , and all I have to say is , you most he cool and collected— -dpu t throw your shot away . A shot fired in the . air or the water is of no use . Make every one of them tett ; we have quite a different system now to what we had in the last war . ¦ ' I have no doubt some of you have been in action before , but it will be different to what yon . have been accustomed to ; but Admiral Chads showed yoD-the , other day : that a shell bursting between decks is not sot dangerous as you imagine , and > f one comes on your 4 eck , you xpost lie : down , and it won't hurt you more than
the common , splinters of an ordinary action . Should we meef the Kossian fleet at sea , as I dare say we shall , you well know low to dispose of them . We will now man the rig ^ ng ; and , give three cieers for the Queen . God bless-her ! ' ~™^ nie m en rushed to tEfe rigging and eave three times three for the Qaeen and one cheer more , and three for the Commaader-in-Chief . This vras followed by the rest of the fleet , and . peal after peal came floating over the waters , until the most distant sounded like the echo of the other . Hands were piped down—men under punishment were forgiven , and an extra glass of grog given each wan at supper time . "
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- THE ABMY . .- At . the . latest dates all the troops , except . the Guards , had sailed for Gallipoli . . Nothing could exceed in heartiness the . entente ccrdiale between the french and British soldiers at Malta . They marched about arm-in-arm , unable to converse except by signs ; and the Frenchmen , nothing loth , had to lifter that peculiarly English greeting and symbol Of friendship , the interchange of liquor . Writing on the 3 iafc of March , the Times' correspondent , at Malta , gtye $ an admirable description of the Zouaves , and their reception there : —
comprised the general officers , Lord Lucan , and Brigadiers-general Airey and Buller ; four troops of cavalry , 17 th Lancers and 8 th Hussars , several strong detachments of infantry , and some troops of artillery . The cavalry it would appear , are to be sent by sea , after all , and in sailing vessels . In all the towns through which the troops march to points of embarkation they are received with the greatest enthusiasm .
" The Zouave ( who was an object of some curiosity to us all ) wears a sort of . red fez cap , with a roll of cloth at the base , to protect the head ; a jacket of biue cloth with red facings , decorated with some simple ornaments and open in front sp as to display the throat ; and a waistcoat , or under coat , of red comes down to the hips . Round his waist a broad silk sash is folded several times , so as to keep up the ample pantaloons and to support the tack . The pantaloons , of scarlet cloth , fit close over the hips , and then expand to the most Dutchman built dimensions , till they are gathered just below the kuee in loose bagging folds , and almost look like a kilt . From the knee to the ancle the leg is protected by a kind of greaves , made of stout yellow , embroidered leather , laced * ( with black stripes ) down the back and descending over the shoe . The whole costume is graceful , easv .
and picturesque . The men ( natives of France , and not Arabs as many suppose ") are young smart fellows , about 5 feet 6 inches in height , burnt to a deep copper tint by the rays of axi African sun , and wearing the most luxuriant beards , moustaches , sand whiskers ; it is , however , hard to believe these fierce-looking warriors are Europeans . The Phtton and another vessel arrived yesterday with Zouaves from Africa and the usual-freight of horses , and the streets were full of men in BCarlet and blue uniforms walking armin-arm together in uncommunicative friendliness , their conversation being carried on by signs , pointing to their throats and stomachs , to express the primitive sensations of hunger and thirst . In most cases the men saluted the foreign officers as if they were their own , and the greatest cordiality existed among them . "
The allied army at Gallipoli was 5000 strong , at the latest date ; but it is probable that the whole fprce at Malta , together with some thousands of French troops , known to be on their way , have binder ! by this time . The newspaper reporters complain of the want of wood , water , and shelter , at the point of debarkation ; and telL all sorts of stories about tows between General Canrobert and the Pacha of Adrianople ; but the General himself , writing to the Frenoli Government , is not only silent about the rows , but expresses his satisfaction at the accommodation provided . The departures from England this week have
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The launch of the Cossack screw steam-frigate > pierced for thirty guns , with oue large pivot-gun , all on the upper deck , and built for the Emperor of Russia by Mr . Pitcher , shipbuilder of Northfleet , took place on Saturday , at half-past two o ' clock ; she was towed up the river on Monday . She appears a remarkably finely built vessel , on good lines . She has the figure head of a Cossack , and when rigged will hare a similar appearance to the Highflyer , except that she is apparently longer . The Commissioners of the Admiralty gave notice at Lloyd ' s on Monday , that they required an additional number of transports , of from 650 to 800 tons burden , for the conveyance of troops and stores to the seat pf war . They are to be hired for four months certain . Tfie Commissioners have
determined not to take up any vessel for transport service that has discharged a cargo of guano . The launch of the Royal Albert , . , screw steamship ,. has been postponed to Saturday , May , 18 when it will take place in the presence of the Queen , Prince Albert , and other members of the Royal Family . The ceremony of naming the ship will be performed by the Princess Royal . The exact number of persons , who visited Woolwich dockyard on Monday , to go on board the Royal Albert , vraa 11 , 156 . The numbers who visited the dockyard on Tuesday appeared to be greater .,
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MR . UBQTJHAKT AT MANCHESTER Mb . IThquhart issued an address , to the Manchester people , calling upon them to meet him at the Corn Exchange , to hear his opinions on the causes and ob . jects of the war . About a thousand people assembled , and Mr . Alderman Heyveood agreed to preside , on condition that free discussion and fair hearing should be permitted and given . - At the outset , Mr . TTrquh&rt read a letter from . Mr . John Bright , expressing the views of that gentleman . Mr . Bright says that . he differs entirely . from Mr . Urquhartexcept in condemning the war—and therefore could not attend the meeting . The remainder of the letter , " received with mingled cheers and hisses , " was aa follows : —
Mr . Urqubart's speech , as reported in the Times , vas to the following effect : — He said , the result of oar sending troops to the East must be that the / English contingent of 25 , 000 men would take Constantinople , while the French would get possession of that padlock , of the Turkish empire , the Dardanelles ; and that , in fact , the troops sent to the East were sent for a Russian aid . ( Cries of " No , no . and buses . ) Did the meeting object to his entertaining an opinion ? Our troops would never fight the Russians ; we should require a head to fight the Russians . They were fighting against a necromancer . It was a body righting against mind . God had given power of body to the English , capacity of mind to
Russia . And did they think that the relationship was changed because they had the power of moving armies ? He would tell them this—that the whole of these events were planned by Russia long ago . Let them not think that the matter was to be decided upon the Danube . People here were listening for the thunder of guns in the Dobrudscha ; ' while , in Turkey , they were waiting fpr the indications of thought here . Mr . Urquhart drew a retrospect of the past wars between Turkey and Bussia , dwelt on the danger of revolutions in Europe involved in the war , and our own danger in reference to India , and on the secret correspondence by which our Ministers had entered into a bargain with Bussia for the partition of Turkey . A gentleman inquired when that bargain was made ?
Mr . Urquhart : When they got the English Government holding secret communications with the very power to resist whom its whole policy was directed , what could be the object of concealment ? If it was not that there had been infamy , the men must have been fools . It was his object to excite their attention to the fact that they bad been bought and sold . He took these means to save himself with them , and he was labouring to save both them and himself . He might have sold them if he liked , but lie was determined to save them . This , then , was the bargain—Constantinople for Bussia , and Egypt and Candia for the English . Mr . Urquhart said , the Great Napoleon might have had the same bargain , and read his statement , made at St . Helena , to that effect . { The speech was interrupted by cries of impatience , laughter , and incredulity , about equally mingUd ?)
The Chairman decided that Mr . "Watkinsamendment was not an amendment ; but the meeting solved the difficulty about dealing with it , by expressing a -wash to have both motion and amendment , and accordingly carried each of them . A third resolution was carried , to the effect that an association be formed in Manchester for the purpose of acquiring and disseminating constitutional and diplomatic knowledge ; and this concluded the proceedings .
" I believe the war to be altogether unnecessary , and that nothing can be said either for its justice or its expediency . I believe , further , that after having permitted this country by a series of blunders to drift into war , tbe Ministers who have chiefly spoken on the subject , with the exception of * Lord Aberdeen , have misrepresented the facts of the case , and have thereby misled public opinion . With regard to the professed objects of war , I believe them to be impossible of attainment , and that Russia , in her wildest dreams of ambition , never imagined so many calamities to Turkey as have been brought upon that devoted country in a single year by the friendship -which our Government has professed towards her . It is a melancholy circumstance that tie English public—hot examining , and not reflecting —accepting , with a child-like simplicity , the declarations of statesmen , whose only present bond of union is a
partnership in , the guilt of this war , and relying on the assertions of a press , more anxious for a trade in newspapers than for truth , should give their sanction to proceedings as much , opposed to their own interests as they are to every principle of morality . Our countrymen fancy they are fighting For freedom , because the Russian Government is a despotism ; they forget that the object of their solicitude is no less a despot ; that their chief ally , but the other day , overthrew a republic , and imprisoned or expatriated the members of a freely elected Parliament : that they are alternately coaxing and _ bullying Austria ( whose regard for freedom and justice Hungary and Italy can attest ) to join them in this noly war ; and that the chief result of their success—if
employ itself in comprehending them . " Mr . Pare seconded , and Colonel Cbesney supported this motion . Mr . Richardson , as an amendment , moved that the resolution reflected on the intelligence of the people of Manchester ; but it was negatived . A second amendment was moved by Mr . A . Wat kin , to this effect : — " That this meeting , concurring in opinion with the great majority of the British people that the war with Russia in defence of Turkey is a just and necessary war , desires to express its earnest wish that the war may be carried on with the utmost vigour , and continued until the power of Bussia shall be reduced witbin such limits as will be consistent with the peace and safety of the World—{ loud and general cheering )—and that , in furtherance of this view , the restoration of Poland , Hungary , and Italy to the state of independent nations , having free institutions , is greatly to be desired . " { Renewed cheering . }
success be possible—will be to perpetuate the domination of a handful of the followers of Mahomet , from among millions of Christians , throughout the provinces of European Turkey . Ther « was a time wlien it was fashionable to have sympathy for Greece . Now Athens is to be re-occupied by English and Trench troops if a strong anti-Turkish feeling is manifested there . Five years ago English Liberals wished success to the insurrections in Italy and to the war for independence in Hungary . Kow the efforts of the Greeks for freedom are pronounced ill-timed , and we , who are sending our fleets and
armios to perfect their subjugation to the Turks , are the best judges of tho moment wlien their fetters should bo struck off . The people , or a portion of them , aro drunk with a confused notion of fighting with Russia . They confound the blowing up of ships and tho slaughter of thousands with the cause of freedom , as if there were any connexion in matters wholly apart . I cannot hopo to change this feeling , and fear ycu cannot . Time and oxp « rionce alono will convince them , perhaps -when too late , that a great national crime lies at their door . "
The first resolution— "That it is not safe to enter into war , without a thorough knowledge of the circumstances "—was adopted . The * second was proposed by Mr . " William Coningbam— " Tliat the English p eople having been indifferent to its external relations for many years , it is expedient that it now
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ADDBESS TO THE RUSSIAN AJRMT . The Polish central democratic committee begs to send a copy of the subjoined address to the Russian army to the editor of the Leader , and expects from his well-known sympathies its speedy insertion ; an expectation we should be sorry to disappoint ; . —
THE FKEE RUSSIAN COMMUNITY TO THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS IN POLAND . Brothers , —At last the Czar has succeeded in calling down war upon Russia . His colleagues , fearing their peoples more than any other enemy , have in vain shuffled back and made every concession . He has succeeded in provoking them to a contest . He has had no p ity for Russian blood . But we , Russians and Poles j exiles in the land of the stranger , we shed tears at the recital of these exorbitant levies , of these heavy surcharges imposed upon the people , of our soldiers harried on by thousands to a useless death .
To die for a just cause is noble . It is for this that man ' s heart contains courage , fortitude , devotion , love . But to perish without serving one ' s fellows for a caprice of the Czar , that is indeed pitiful . The whole world compassionates the lurks—not from sympathy with them but because their cause is just . They are attacked , and they have indeed the right of self-defence . And our poor soldiers ? They shed tlieir blood in torrents , light valiantly , heap the ground wilh their dead bodies , and no mnn , save us , laments their fate , no man appreciates tooir
bravery . Tho Czar says that ho ia defending the orthodox church . But it is not attacked ; and , if tho Sultan has oppressed it , ¦ wh y then has the Czar kept biJent since 1828 ? The lot of Christians , adds tho Czar , is hard in Turkey . We have nev « r heard that the Christiana in Turkey aro more oppressed than tho peasants arc with us , especially those , who , by tho Czar ' s command , aro given in bondage to tho nobles . Would it not be better to begin by freeing the slaves at home : those , too , aro orthodox , und , what io more , they are Russians I No ; tho Czar defends no cause , bo has no good object iu
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V 364 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
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Leader (1850-1860), April 22, 1854, page 364, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2035/page/4/
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