LATEST EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 264, 12 May 1855, Page 3

LATEST EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

At three o'clock, p.m., on Thursday, the 4th of January, the Southern Cross, the little vessel which is to bear the Bishop of New Zealand back to his diocese, and the glad tidings of the gospel of peace to the countless islands of the Pacific, was floated out of dock and towed down the river to her temporary mooring1 place below Blackwall. It was an interesting sight to see her committed to the waves under the personal superintendence of the Bishop, and in the presence of his friends and relations, some of whom will see his face no more; presenting:, as it did, a striking contrast to a neighbouring vessel, which started at the same time, with a crew of navvies, on a less peaceful expedition to the Crimea. The Southern Cross is a little schooner of scarce 100 tons burden, built by Messrs. Wigan and Co., of Blackwall, and costing from £1,800 to £2,000. The stern forms a roomy and comfortable cabin for the Bishop and Mrs. Selwyn, whilst the centre of the vessel is intended to serve as a school and home for the native boys whom the Bishop may select from the islands of his diocese, to train as future ministers and schoolmasters amongst their heathan countrymen. She is commanded by Captain Hector Nelson, and is intended to sail from Southampton on the 10th inst. The Bishop of New Zealand and Mrs. Selwyn, A. B. Hope, Esq., the Rev. E. Coleridge, W". Richardson, Esq., and a numerous circle of friends were present on the occasion ; and we understand that the Southern Cross left Blackwall the same night, vviih the Bishop on board, upon an experimental trip to Southampton. We will only add our heartiest wishes and warmest prayers for a blessing on her voyage and on the noble object for which she has been built.— Guardian.

The history of the war has arrived at a crisis. After much disaster, sustained with heroic endurance, the last accounts from the Crimea represent the camp, or camps, of the Allies to be fully prepared for the crowning struggle, and in daily expectation of the order to open fire on the town. The French had advanced their works to the end of the Quarantine Harbour, effecting a lodgment in what is called the Garden Battery, so as to cutoff all communication between that quarter and Prince Menschikoff's army ; new and extensive batteries had been mounted in front of the lines of both armies, carrying an enormous weight of metal, each gun being provided with 500 rounds of ammunition; scaling ladders, and all other requisite means, were in readiness ; and the troops were in high spirits, and " eager for the fray." It is not easy to form a very accurate estimate of the available force now in presence of the town. The daily waste from sickness and fatigue reduces the numbers almost as rapidly as they are reinforced by daily arrivals; but latterly the reinforcements increase, and the mortality diminishes, and the calculation, therefore, may be founded on a more hopeful view of things than could have been taken a few weeks ago. It is assumed by an authority not likely to exaggerate the strength of the combined armies, that at the end of December there could not have been less, exel#o;<ve of 'Turks, than 80.000 men, of which 55,000 were French and 25,000 English. We believe the estimate is below the fact ; and that at the beginning of the present month the whole force, exclusive of Turks, must have been at least 100,000 strong. The actual incidents of the siege since the date of our last number have been sufficiently numerous, but present no variety of manoeuvre, and were followed by no perceptible results. Night after night the Russians have attempted sorties, especially on the French lines, but were invariably repulsed. Sometimes

whole companies of them were slaughtered in the trenches ; at other times they were pursued np to the walls of the town ; and in every instance they were routed with loss. As the time was evidently approaching when the besiegers were preparing for the assault, these sorties became more frequent; hut it is clear, even from the ambiguous despatches of Menschikoff, that the Russians themselves were becoming aware of the increasing strength of the allied position, and of the hopelessness of attempting to damage it by midnight skirmishes. — Home News, Jan. 9. Reputed Mismanagement of Lokd Raglan. —It is not to be concealed that there has been great mismanagement somewhere in the arrangements made for the^ English army in the Crimea. The whole bUme, taking gradually a more and more tangible shape, has been concentrated finally upon Lord Raglan, who is charged with neglecting the interests of the soldiers, with a lofty indifference and reserve, in reference to the details of the service, never showing himself amongst the troops, and committing to an inefficient staff those responsible duties in which he should have taken a direct and active participation himself. These charges have unquestionably obtained a strong corroboration from a variety of letters written by officers in the camp, independently of the statements of newspaper reporters, which might or might not be considered authoritative in such matters. A. letter written by a field officer, who had received distinguished mention in Lord Raglan's despatches, has contributed, perhaps, more than any other, to confirm the general truth of these accusations. Since the news, however, has reached us of the improvement that has taken place in the circumstances of the troops, and of the immediate prospect of a successful termination (for the present) to the arduous and desperate drudgery of the trenches, the agitation has somewhat subsided, and the public seemed disposed to await the issue with a full trust in the capacity and courage of the Comraander-in Chief. The English character has rarely shown itself more admirably than upon this occasion. The people are willing to forget the calamities of the past | in a generous reliance on the vigour of the fu- ' ture. They hope that the errors and shortcomings of that gloomy period in which we lost more soldiers by want of forethought and proper precautions than by the fire of the enemy, will be redeemed by bravery and skilful dispositions in the hour of conflict; and we believe that their trust will be found not to have been misplaced.— Ibid. fhe Times of January 17 asserts that "the assent of th-j King of Sardinia to the policy of the Western Powers in the present war is not confined to the mere adoption by the Court of Turin of the protocols and treaties which have been left open by the high contracting parties for the acceptance of the other states of Europe. The Sardinian Government have resolved, with an energy which does them honour, and may well be contrasted with the irresolute policy of the Northern States of the continent, to take no half-measures in this quarrel. They were no doubt enabled by their geographical position to stand aloof altogether; but Count Cavour and his colleagues have thought that it was more conducive to the national interests of the monarchy to take an active and prominent part in this war. The result is, that Sardinia has not only acceded to the treaty of the 2nd December with, Austria. England, aud Fiance, but has also concluded a direct treaty of offensive and defensive alliance with the Western Powers, by virtue of which a corps of 15,000 Piedinontese troops will join the allied forces in the East. These troops are the descendants of men who have for centuries upheld the military reputation of the house of Savoy, and who have served with credit under Napoleon when their country was absorbed in the French empire. They are well known to be excellent soldiers, and they will, no doubt, prove a valuable addition to Lord Raglan's army, to which this division will be more particularly attached. The Piedinontese Government will not receive any subsidy of war from this country, but some assistance will be given it in the negotiation of a loan to meet the expenses of the expedition. Count Cavour has shown the extreme importance he attaches to the direction of the foreign relations of the Government at this crisis by taking that branch of the administration into his own hands; and it is already announced that communications of the highest importance will shortly be made to the Chambers now sitting at Turin. It is certainly a remarkable proof of the energy of the constitutional Government of Sardinia that, while it

is engaged in a formidable struggle with the whole clerical and absolutist party for the secularisation of the monasteries, it should take an active part in the general affairs of Europe, and commence its preparations as a belligerent Power." The Times further states that the Foreign Enlistment Bill was framed especially to enable the English government to employ "this contingent from Piedmont, and regrets that this object was not expressly stated by the English ministry, as such a statement would have disarmed much of the popular opposition to the measure. The Indian mail has arrived in town, bringing news from Bombay to the 14th of last month. The first item noticed by the correspondent of the Times is—" The China mai\ has brought us a report of a naval engagement in the Pacific, resulting in the capture by a British squadron of the Russian frigates Aurora and Dwina. No particulars are given. An American vessel brought the news to Shanghai." The same report was mentioned in a second edition of the Morning Post, as having been received at Paris, under date of Calcutta, Dec. 5, which is quoted by the Daily News this morning, with the addition that it is "certainly incorrect." Blockade of the Black Sea.—The Admiralty has notified that the Governments of England and France have decided that the blockade of the mouths of the Danube, and all the Russian ports in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azof, shall be renewed on the Ist February. Return of the Baltic Fleet to England.—ln the course of the past week the ships with a few exceptions, comprising the Baltic fleet, Teached the British waters. On the 18th inst. Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier disembarked from the Duke of Wellington in the Fire Queeu steam-tender at Spithead, and, with his flag at the fore, steamed up to Portsmouth. When off the saluting battery he left the Fire Queen in the Port Admiral's barge, and was steered to the town sally-port, alongside the Vic-toria-pier. Notwithstanding the severe inclemency of the weather (it had been blowing hard all night, and raining heavily all the morning), and the early hour of disembarking, a large concourse of the inhabitants of Portsmouth assembled on the Victorta pier (which was handsomely dressed in flags in token of welcome), and on the walls of the garrison to greet Sir Charles. These increased in numbers after he landed, and they cheered him most vociferously as he passed up the town on his way to the Port Admiral's, where he breakfasted. He was met by Lady Napier aud Colonel Napier at Portsmouth; they left by the Southampton railway in the afternoon. The gallant admiral looked in good health and spirits. Merry peals were rung from the parish church bells in honour of his safe return. The services of those ships mounting 90 guns aud upwards are required to convey reiuforcemeuts to the army in the Crimea, and every exertion is being used by the authorities to get them ready for the emergency. Of those ordered to Sheerness, the Cressy, Captaiu R. L. Warren, was the first to arrive at her destination!; tbe Majestic, Captain James Hope, C.8., next ; and lastly, the Royal George, 120, Captain Codrington. All were ordered into the fitting basin, preparatory to being docked in succession, to have their bottoms examined, copper cleaned, &c. For the purpose of lessenuing sufficiently their draught of water to admit of their entrance into the basin, it was necessary that a great portion of their guns, stores, and provisions should be removed aud landed at tbe dockyard. To effect this, the time allowed by the Admiralty was only two days, and the greatest exertions were necessary to accomplish it within thai period of time. The efforts of the officers to do so were cheerfully supported by the men, who worked with a good will from 7 a.m., until sunset daily. Sir Charlks Napier.—The late commander in the Baltic has been ordered to strike his flag, and has in consequence demanded a courtmartial. Misunderstanding has arisen between the Government on the one hand, and \ iceAdmiral Sir Charles Napier on the other,in reference to character ami the result of the operations in the Baltic, "a fact" it appears impostble longer to conceal It is said that Sir Charles Napier wanted to attack Aboo Hango, ami Revel, but could not obtain .permission. It is said also that he was opposed to the presence ot the Fve«ch troops at Bouv.usnud, deeming them, as the event proved, quite unnecessary, the seaman and marines from the fleets being quite competent !or die work. Other causes of

complaint and recrimination are talked about, of which we shall doubtless hear more. The Past of' January 10 states authoritatively (hat the intelligence which it published first on Monday, of the acceptance of the " Four Conditions" by Russia, has been confirmed in every point, and adds," The Czar, by this act, does not assent to every condition that the allies may think it necessary to insist upon hereafter; but he agrees to the necessary preliminary points on which alone negotiations can be based. Consequently, negotiations for peace f will be commenced at Vienna, between the Plenipotentiaries of England, France, Austria, Turkey, and Russia, as soon as the formal preliminaries shall have been completed. These, of course, include the commissioning of the Plenipotentiaries, the obtaining of the consent of Turkey, and the despatch of a representative on her part. All this can hardly fail to occupy at least a fortnight. We have every reason to believe that there will be no suspension of arms." The following is the report of the preparation made by the allies for the grand attack, given by the " Herald " correspondent, who writes from the English camp, under date of December 18 :— " The French have now ninety-eight new pieces, chiefly mortars, in position in their third parallel. Of course these guns are masked, and so well masked too that, as far as we can judge, the Russians have been unable to discover them. They have evidently a suspicion of their being unpleasantly near, and hence their,sorties to find them out. In the sortie made on the night of the 12th (mentioned in my last), they crossed one breastwork by surprise, and discovered a battery of five mortars, from which they were driven by the French before they .had time to effect mischief. Since that night, beyond an occasional skirmish of the out-pickets, nothing has been done, and from the unusual quietness of the enemy I imagine that something is preparing in Sebastopol. The position of all the French ordnance is most commanding, and certainly if it is to be done by powder, and shot, the French are justified in their assertions that they could level the town in twenty-four hours. There is not a single house or building, even on the north side, which their mortars cannot reach, and there is no precaution known to modern warfare, which can avert the terrific effects of mortar shells. A 13-inch shell exploding levels all ordinary buildings for a space of twenty or thirty feet round the spot. Shell fired from cannon hardly do as much mischief as cannon shot, even among men. Whether the final assault will prove successful or not, none can say ; but every one is perfectly certain that the fortY eight hours' bombardment will hardly leave one stone of Sebastopol upon another. Of course, when I say this I refer to the houses and smaller batteries. The large forts are bomb-proof, and will, therefore, suffer comparatively little, except in men. "The English support the French attack by a tremendous cannonade and bombardment on the eastern side of the town and head of the harbour. To enable this to be done vigorously all the guns on our batteries have been replaced by new ones, and an advanced parallel, containing eight guns, thrown up near the Ovens. This latter work is within 300 yards of the walls, and may therefore be considered as a kind of breaching battery. In place of the Lancaster guns mortars are mounted ; and also in our other chief batteries (viz., Gordon s, the Naval, and Green Mound) large mortar banks have been thrown up, and the ordnance placed. "The new work at Inkernnmn is neaily finished, and the greater part, of the guns' are placed ;21 English and 17 French heavy guns and mortars will command the harbour from this spot. Great things are expected from its five, which it is said must destroy the shipping in twelve hours. The battery, if properly served, ought certainly to produce results of some importance; but I imagine its range (nearly 2,000 yards) is too long to permit of much execution being done, especially to vessels, which, by moving to the mouth of the harbour, can increase the distance by 1,000 or 1,200 yards. " The small' cohorns' are to be moved into a little breastwork at the Ovens, and empbyed in throwing 5-V inch shell among the troops working the batteries, and into the nearest guard - houses and troop stations. These little mortars, which two mm can run away with with perfect ease, will certainly do as much service in this way as their larger comrades. Their range is not above 1,200 or 1,300 yards, but from the

Ovens at that range they can command most of the south side of the town, and nearly all the batteries opposed to the English. With these 'cohorns' are to be placed five or six light fieldpieces, for the purpose of destroying the formidable chevaux de /rise and abbatis, which surround the Russian batteries, and with these in the way no storm could ever be attempted. A rocket battery, it is said, will also be stationed at Inkermann, and in the batteries of our old right and left attacks. " In all—with French and English—we shall open with about 260 pieces of ordinance of all descriptions. With such means of attack we ought to do something towards rendering the place untenable ; but after the awful cannonade which Sebastopol stofld on the 17th of October, no one likes to be too sanguine. " As far as I can judge from carefully surveying, the external means of defence at the disposal of the enemy fully eqvial ouv means of attack. The whole plan is literally circle within circle of redoubts, all of which are grim and dark with cannon. Fortunately, the insane project of trying to destroy these earthworks is now no longer talked of. It is upon the town, and those in it, that we wish to produce an effect with our mortars; the trenches and redoubts must all be taken at the point of the bayonet. Russian Clemency. — Private letters have been received from Euglish governesses in Russia, which state that it has been intimated from high quarters that it is desirable for them to return immediately to their own country. Tbe cause of this measure is said to be, that the Czar thinks that, as the war will reduce a great many wealthy persons to poverty, their daughters ought to find employment open to them. As most of the noble {families are quite aware of what '; the gentleman with mild eyes" means by a hint, they have advised their governesses to take it—however unwilling to iose their services —while they have the opportunity of quitting in comfort, as by waiting for an official order they might have to do it with inconvenient haste, or possibly not be permitted to leave at aH, and be favoured with an opportunity of verifying their geographical studies under disagreeable circumstances.— Guardian.