RUSSIA.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XIV, Issue 602, 24 October 1855, Page 2

RUSSIA.

St. Petersburg letters to the sth, in the Hamburg News, says the Synod of St. Petersburg has presented an address to the Emperor, earnestly praying him to show himself more disposed towards conferences of peace, so far as the political interests of the State would permit. It is not known how the Emperor has received this address.

A letter from Poland states that the landed proprietors from Volhynia and the Ukraine continue to flock to Warsaw in anticipation of serious disturbances in these districts. The movement was at present directed against the popes. A detachment of from 300 to 400 recruits is said to have revolted while on their march to the East, and joined the malcontents. It appears that the Russian soldiers who have been prisoners in the French and English camps in the Crimea, propagate on their return ideas the most subversive of Russian rule.

It is stated that the Russian treasury disburses 2,000,000 roubles a day for the army alone, and the five recruitings have consumed 180,000,000.

Berlin, Wednesday, June 20th. — Advices from Konigsberg state that an Imperial ukase orders that baptised Jews, who have hitherto been exempted, shall furnish thirty recruits for every thousand souls to the Russian army.

The Times says, the article in the St. Petersburg Journal of the 11th, on Count Walewaki's circular, can have no effect on the policy of the belligerent powers, whatever effect it may have on a certain portion of society on the continent.

An Imperial ukase, which has been published at St. Petersburg, postpones to the 15th September next the recruitment that had been ordered in the government of Ekaterinoslaw. In order, however, to accelerate the recruitment ordered in the sixteen other governments of the empire, it is decreed : That all the exceptions which hare been hitherto admitted are now annulled. 2. That in the towns and villages the men

shall be taken to the age of 37. 3. That the commissions of recruitment are authorized to take even only sons, if it should be found necessary to do so, to complete the number of men demanded.

The Imperial ukase, decreeing the formation of the Cossack militia, may be considered as the creation of a germ from which the intended mobilization of the Cossack races may eventually spring. The provisional Hetman of the Cossacks, Khomuloff, is said to be actively engaged in organizing the Tachetmoir and Don Cossacks, bo as to place these irregular but serviceable light cavalry corps in such a state of discipline that they may be, by-and-by, incorporated with the regular heavy cavalry in the south/ These men may be said to be born in the saddle, and, as they have been accustomed all their lives to settle their disputes on horseback, these wild tribes, sons of the extensive steppes between the Caucasus and the River Dniester, will probably at Borne future time .be reclaimed from their hitherto perfect barbarism, and taught the blessings of a comparative civilization. By an order of the day. published in the journals, the Emperor, after a second minute inspection of the fortifications of Cronstadt,« has declared himself perfectly contented with 5 the defences of the place, and especially mentions the new lunettes, the batteries of Lisy-Nose^the " tongue of land," of Cronstadt and Fort Paul, which Re considers impregnable. The Times' Berlin correspondent has been assured that Prince Oortschakoff has telegraphed to the Emperor to the «ffeet that, now that his supplies of provisions arej)artiy cut off-and partly rendered extremely difficult of attainment, 'he cannot undertake to hold Sebastopol for longer ' than a certain short space of time mentioned by him ; that, above all things else, hay had become-scarce ; and that he in this despatch begs for instructions as to whether he may proceed to give battle to the besiegers in the open field, for the purpose of relieving the fortress. The ordinary post from Riga to the 7th June, and from Revel to the Bth, has arrived. The letters brought by it state that no hostile movement had been attempted againsj; either place, but that both were in daily expectation' of a bombardment. They were prepared for ' it. l General Siewers, the commander-in-chief 6f the Baltic army, is alternately at Riga and Revel, giving orders according to circumstances. General Grabb, with the staff, is at Revel. The whole line of coast is occupied by numerous corps of irregular cavalry ; and the infantry divisions are spread over the country, at about a mile distance from the shore. The artillery, which is very numerous, is nearer; whilst four regiments of hussara and lancers, 1,000 each, are echeloned between Polangen and Revel. One infantry division, with s number of field pieces, is stationed in a camp below Riga, and another near Revel. Everybody expects both places to be speedily bombarded, in spite of these defensive arrangements. A letter from Odessa, in the Constitutionnel, dated the 3rd instant, says — " The intelligence of the successes of the Alließ in the Sea of Azov has given us- a terrible and unexpected blow. The few merchants here who have hitherto kept together the remains of their fortunes, are engaged in victualling the army, and the greater part of them had ships and stores in the Sea of Azov ; but now they have lost everything. The levees of the military governor of New Russia and Besßarabia, Count Stogonoff, which take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, are now almost wholly attended by unfortunate petitioners, imploring assistance, which he is unable to render. If you could but read all that their petitions represent, you would immediately say that Odessa is reduced to the last point of distress. And there is, too, a general opinion that this city will shortly become the scene of events which will accelerate its total ruin. Indeed, the preparations made by the authorities are quite sufficient to show that they are expecting a general bombardment. Corps of firemen have been organized ; several batteries have been reconstructed ; vehicles are ready to carry away into the interior the public treasures and the archives of the State ; and as the city has been declared in a state of siege, we are compelled to pay ail the costs which these arrangements, the police of war, necessarily create."

Russian Accounts ot the Opebations in tot Sea of Azov. — A supplement to the Invalide Bvtss publishes the following r — "Aide-de-Camp General Prince Gortschakoff has seat by telegraph, from Nicholaieff, the following despatch, dated Sebastopol, 20th of May (Ist of June) :— • On" the 15th (27th) of May, the enemy was at Berdiansk, and burned two houses there, some coasting vessels, and a large portion of the grain stores. On the 17th (29th) of May, a squadron of sixteen vessels of war appeared in the vicinity of the Straits of Genitchi. The enemy sent a flag of truce on shore, to demand all vessels and stores belonging to the Crown : this having been refused, the squadron opened fire, and set fire to some ships and the stores of grain situate on the beach. A round of grape from two of our field-pieces, placed near the straits by the Emperor's Aide-de-Camp, Prince Lebanoff ROstovsky, forced the enemy's gunboats, which were setting fire to the ships, to- move away from th* coast. On the following day, the 18th (30th), ths enemy did not attempt anything against Genitchi. From 17th to the 20th May (29th of May to Ist of June), nothing of particular importance took place before Sebastopol or upon the different points of ths Crimea occupied by our troops.' "