EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 258, 21 April 1855, Page 3

EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

ENGLAND. The Queen opened Parliament on the 13th of December, with the following speech from the Throne. ' " My Lords and Gentlemen, " J n%u e ca^e(^ y°" together at this unusual peiibd&Vthe year, in order that, by your assistance, I may tuke such measures as will enable me to prosecute the great war in which' we are engaged with the utmost vigour and effect. TnU assistance I know will be readily given ; for I cannot doubt thnt you share my convictiorfof the necessity of sparing no effort to augment tny forces now engaged in the Crimea. The exertions they have made, and the victories they have obtained, are not exceeded in the brightest pages of our history, and have filled me with admiration and gratitude. " The hearty and efficient co-operation of the brave troops of my ally, the Emperor of the French, and the glory acquired in common, cannot fail to cement still more closely the union which happily subsists between the two nations. " It is with satisfaction I inform you that, together with the Emperor of the French, I have concluded a treaty of alliance with the Emperor of Austria, from which I anticipate important advantages to the common cause. " I have also concluded a treaty with the United States of America, by which subjects of long and difficult discussion have beeu equitably adjusted. '' These treaties will be laid before you. " Although the prosecution of the war will naturally engage your chief attention, I trust that other matters of great interest and importance to the general welfare will not be neglected. " I rejoice to observe that the general prosperity of my subjects remain uninterrupted. The state of the revenue affords me entire satisfaction ; and I trust that by your wisdom and prudence you will continue to promote the prov" press of agriculture,, commerce, and manufactures. ** Gentlemen of the House of Commons— " In the estimates which will be presented to you.l trust that you will find that ample provision has been made for. the exigencies of the public service. " My Lords and Gentlemen— "I rely with confidence on your patriotism and public spirit. I feel assured that in the momentous contest in which we are engaged you will exhibit to the world the example of a united people. Thus shall we obtain the respect of othci nations, and may trust by the blessing ot God we shall bring the war to a successful termination." Autogkaph Letter op the Queen.—f From the Morning Post). —Perhaps since the commencement of the campaign no document has found its way to the public so gratifying in its nature as that which we here subjoin. The earnest expression of Her Majesty's anxiety for the brave men who have been wounded in the service of the country will have the best effect in the army; it will console the unfortunate who have already suffered; and animate to increased exertion their comrades who have hitherto escaped the accidents of war. The letter was addressed by Her Most Gracious Majesty to Mr. Sydney Herbert, and 'through' him to Mrs. Herbert, by whom it was transmitted to Miss Nightingale :— " Windsor Castle, Dec. 6, 1854. " Would you tell Mrs. Herbert that I begged she..would let me see frequently the accounts she receives from Miss Nightingale, or Mrs, Bracebridge, as I hear no details of the wounded, 'though I see so many from officers, &c, about the battle field, and naturally the former must interest me more than any one. ''Let Mrs. Herbert also know that I wish Miss Nightingale' and the ladies would tell these poor noble wounded and sick men that no one takes a '.-wanner interest or feels more for their sufferings, or admires their courage and heroism more than their Queen. Day and night she thinks of her beloved troops. So does the Pripe. "Beg Mrs. Herbert to communicate these my words to those ladies, as I kno'Y that our sympathy is much valued by these noble fellows. (Signed) " Victoria." The RRVKNOE.--T.he---" Globe"' says the accounts for the Quarter ending sth of January, show an increase of £1,000,000 upon the quarter, and about £2,000,000 on the year, and considers the returns satisfactory.

The VotuNTEKE Regiments or Militia.— It is understood that the three first regiments of militia that will proceed on foreign service are the Monmouthshire, the East Essex Rifles, and the South Staffordshire, as they hare volunteered some time since. The stations to which they will proceed nre stated to be Australia and New Zealand for the Monmouthshire and South Staffordshire. The Essex Rifles will be sent to Malta, and as others may volunteer, the lonian Islands and Gibraltar will be partly garrisoned by them. THE WAR. Further progress had been making in the siege of Sebastopol, but principally in extending the lines and solidifying the approaches. A great bombardment was to have taken place for 48 hours oil the 26th, and preparation* to that effect were going on rapidly on the 25th, the day of the last departure from the Crimea. The troops were full of confidence, and had been lately reinforced. Eighteen^ thousand Turks had landed at Eupatoria, the advanced guard of 46,000 under the command of Oiner Pacha, which was to create a diversion in the rear of the Russians. To oppose tiiis force, the army under Genera] Lipraudi had marched, leaving the ground iv front of the English unoccupied. This was almost become necessary, as by extending our lines we had cut them off from communication with the fortress -and from their supplies of provisions. The Russian troops in the country were beginning to feel the wants of supplies, the more as the hurricane which caused so many disasters among our shipping had destroyed and damaged all their principal magazine!;. Forty thousand French troops were on their route to the seat of war, and daily expected. On their arrival and that of the Turks, it was supposed that the grand attack would be made, and the 16th of January was fixed on for that purpose. The approaches had been driven within the outworks, though at the expense of considerable labour, especially on the French side, as the works have, from the little depth of earth, to be cut m the solid rock. Several attempts had been made by the garrison to intercept the approaches, but as the ground was not mined—the nature of the ground preventing such defences to be rapidly formed—the Russians were invariably repulsed. A railroad had been constructed from Balaclava, and a small engine sent out to run upon it. Immense numbers of wooden houses for both French and English, had been continually shipped in Southampton, though the contractors were unable to get them completed as fast as required. Some thousands of the inhabitants have left Sebastopol, to take refuge in Simpheropol. The approach of the allies within the second line of defence, having left them no place of safety within the walls, the whole town being destroyed, with the exception of bomb proofs. The Quarantine battery is abandoned, and the guns removed back to the ships. The Russian array of Sebastopol is threatened by a danger which becomes every day more and more formidable, —a scarcity of provisions. It is positively stated that a famine prevails in Southern Russia, and that the victualling of the Russian armies is so badly managed that only the corps which are stationed the nearest to the depots receive any provisions, while those at a greater distance are left to their fate. The garrison of Sebastopol already feels the effects of this serious state of things, and the strength of the soldiers becomes exhausted in the works wiihoutj being, renewed by sufficient food. The want of meat.'is replaced by a profuse allowance of spirituous liquors, which, liowevev, cannot last long, and its use, instead of causing enthusiasm, only causes a kind of-le-thargy. The measures adopted by the allies to procure supplies are well carried but. Large quantities are sent from Austria on account of the French and English commissariat, the results of which will be to secure the army of the Crimea against any scarcity of. provisions. An American jVjew of tub Battle of the Alma.—No man who has a drop of AugloSaxon blood-.in his veins will read of the conduct of the British troops at Alma without a thrill of admiration. The real brunt of the battle fell upon them, and it was the'most trvin" that can occur in military operations. To cross a deep and difficult lord in the very face of a tremendous fire of a hundred pieces of artillery, to form on the opposite bank where the ground was most broken ami encumbered, to struggle up steep heights under a .murderous sweeping-

shower of grape, round shot, shell, canister, case shut, and musketry, to march steadilj on, though platoons and companies were mowed down like grass, and to sweep away the Russians from a position of such extreme strength, was an achievement that it took Saxon stamina to execute. It was not impetuosity, the impulsive enthusiastic ardour which characterises (he more southern races, which effected it. That probably would have been unequal to the purpose, for that kind of martial spirit is especially subject to panic, and would have hardly escaped it in such an extremity. It was cool, calm, determined, unfaltering iron energy which won this battle—that quality which as signally marks the race in war as in peace. The French had the easier part to perform of outflanking and turning a wing. They did this under considerable difficulty in their own gallant style. The Russians fought with undeniable resolution. They did not leave the ground until absolutely compelled, and they displayed that steadiness in retreat long their most distinguishing characteristic. Few such'defeats have ever occurred in which the loss was so small in prisoners and captured guns. The spirit with which the Russians fought is best attested by the 6000 dead and wounded they left on the field of battle. In view of the fact that, according to the latest accounts, their force amounted to 35,000 men; and considering too the less exposed character of their position, this is indeed a remarkable proportion, and reflects quite as much credit upon their fortitude as upon the efficiency of their enemies. The entire body 'of the allied troops outnumbered the Russians; but owing to the peculiar character of the ground, only about 30,000 of them were actually engaged. There were two entire divisions of the army which scarcely lost a single man. We give up our columns this morning to t!ie details of this tremendous engagement. It has been more than a generation since accounts like these have figured in newspapers, and they cannot fail of being read with extreme interest. Lord Raglan's despatch is written with conciseness, clearness, and elegance, and, in dignity and freedom from everything like gasconade, forms a marked contrast to the rhapsody of St. Arnaud. Ope rations have not yet fairly commenced upon Sehastopo), and the tenor of the last advices makes it manifest that this stronghold will not be carried without the most desperate fighting. The fleet, upon the aid of which, in the:work of bombardment, so much reliance has been placed, have been rendered utterly unserviceable by the closing up of the harbour, and the whole plan of operations by the land force has in consequence been changed. It is useless to anticipate results.— New York Courier and Enquirer.