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Leader (1850-1860), 17th September 1853, Edition Town of 2, Page 894, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      and we know that M . de Brentano is absent from Vienna on a mission of persuasion to those capitalists in London and Paris who usually supply the sinewa of war . The last reports from Constantinople are extremely warlike and threatening . Preparations for war are indefatigably pursued , and the Mussulman spirit is thoroughly aroused . The modifications demanded in the Vienna Note , and which Russia ' refuses , are evidently regarded . as of capital importance , and there seems little probability that the Pbrte will be induced by any amount of diplomatic pressure to yield another step to Russia . Indeed , so roused is the Mussulman wrath , andrso loud and bitter are the complaints at the pusillanimity of the Divan and the desertion of the allies , that it would be impossible for the Sultan to recede even were he disposed . A new manifesto to the population was even talked of at Constantinople , and it was only at the request and solicitation of the ambassadors thnt . it was rnsnvvfid . This manifesto would be an

      appeal to arms . In the meantime , the sudden return of M . Argyropoulo , interpreter to the Russian Embassy , had caused a sensation . M . Argyropoulo had had interviews with the Ambassadors ; but the purpose of his re-appearanco had not transpired . Omer Pacha ' s army is in the highest state of efficiency and impatience . In a recent despatch to his Government , he wrote— " My army , like the Romans of old , do not ask what is the strength of the enemy , but where he is to be found . " We may expect hourly to receive telegraphic information of the outposts of tlie two armies having engaged . It is probable that the scimitar will cut the knot which diplomacy has taken so many months to tie . On the 30 th ult ., the Sultan inspected the Egyptian troops , and was highly pleased with their martial appearance . The French Ambassador was present .

      General O'Donnell had returned from Schumla to Constantinople . Another levy of 80 , 000 men -was proposed ; and Abbas Pasha had offered to send 15 , 0 ) 00 men . in addition to his former contingent . There were rumours of Lord Stratford de Redcliffe ' s dissatisfaction at the position imposed upon him by his Government , and of his request to be relieved of his post . On the other hand , the Russians have been strengthening their position in the Principalities . Letters from Bucharest , dated the 4 th- iiist ... mention a review of the Russian troops by Prince G-ortschakoff . The Hospodar , Stirbev , had received an invitation to attend , but sent an

      excuse . The Kren Zettung , the Russian organ in Berlin , hints that Russia will demand her" expenses" for the occupation : — " People are occupied in putting forward the possible claims of Russia to indemnification for the occupation « of the Principalities as a bone of contention in the way of a definitive settlement of the Eastern question . There can scarcely exist a doubt that Russia considers herself justified in claiming indemnity , and if it be her will to enforce it , it will neither be withheld by articles in journals , nor even by the fleets now in Besika Bay . "

      For two or three daya the police had to exert themselves to remove the placards which are posted on the walls of Constantinople during the night , calling the people to arms against the Russians , and reproaching the present Ministers with pusillanimity for attempting to amend the Vienna draft , instead of rejecting it altogether . This is a mode of procedure quite unexampled in Turkey , and greatly contributes to the popular excitement . The Earl of Carlisle has just left Constantinople for Bagdad . Prince Gortschakoff , after a grand review , issued an order of the day , complimenting the troops on their fine appearance , and concluding with these words :- — " Russia is called to annihilate Paganism ; and whoever shall hesitate in this holy mission , shall be annihilated like the Pagans themselves . Long live the Czar ! Long livo the God of the Russians !"

      The Generals of the Jh ] tat Major of Prince Gortschakofl are talking of a letter that Oinor Pacha addressed to the Cominander-in-Cliiof of tho Russian army , stating that the Russian gunboats approached too near the fortifications on tho right bank ot the Danube , and recommending that orders should be given to prevent this , lest the Turks were compelled to fire on them . Princo ( Jortschakoll wrote on the back of the letter— " a den coups des canons on repondra par des coups des canons . " A correspondent of the UTomhuf Chronicle deseribos tho position of tho Turkish troops at , Varna : — IlustslMuiIr , on ( lie Danube , Au £ . \' A .

      I succeeded in arriving at Varna at about two o ' clock on tho day after leaving Constantinople . The Turku havo erectod immense fortifications at Vanm—so immense , indeed , i \ b to render the plnco indefensible , except by a garrison of from 12 , 000 to 15 , 000 men . It is said that tho Russians got the present plan adopted by intriguing with tho person who superintended the defences of Varna , and I can well believe that it ; was the work of the enemy . Tho defect is that it is nearly twice tho extent , necessary , which more than doubles tho diflieultios of defonco . I remained ono day at Vnrna , and set oil" on the following morning , stopping at night at a miserable khan , fifteen miles from the sea shore , and arriving at Sclmnda at seven o ' clock in

      tho evening , tho distance from Varna being about fifty miles . I havo seldom neon a , more beauj . ifiil and fertile country than that between the Black Sea and Hehumla . Tho soil is surprisingly fertile , and Micro are immense quantities of grain standing in the fields , but I wan told that tho teams necessary to got'it . in had all been pressed into tho service of the Government , and large quantities mtiHt rot in consequence . The next morning after my arrival at Schuinla I called upon his Excellency Oinor I ' aclm , who received me with the greatest courtesy ; and upon my expressing a desiro to hoc ilio troops and defences of tho place , ho ordered horses for Ufl , and went with us an orderly ottioor and nn escort of cavalry . Yoii- can form oomo idea of tho ox tent of tho fortifications when I tell you that wo wcro from olovon o ' clock in tho morning until

      five in the afternoon riding from battery to battery , and that we even then did not visit more than half the works erected and in progress for the defence of the place . Seventeen forts are at the present moment in course of construction . Schuinla is naturally strong , occupying the bottom of a ravine with high hills on three sides of it , upon which are strong batteries , and the entrance of this cut do sac is guarded bj a cordon of field-works and batteries , occupying tho arc of the circle from the base of one hill to the base of tlie other . By this you see that the place is susceptible of a very vigorous defence , and Omer Pacha seems to rest the wholofate of the war ( should there be one ) upon the strength of Schumla . Besides the soldiers , he keeps more than 2000 country people employed

      upon the works , who are constantly under his own superintendence . But why Le should rely so much upon the defences of this place is strange to me , as , from all I could see , it would be impossible to supply the army with what it wants for its daily consumption for a very long time . There is an abundance of grain everywhere . In any point of view it is a mistake to suppose that the fate of the war would be determined in any important degree by the fate of Schumla ; and Omer Pacha , in the event of the Russians crossing the Danube , will have his forces so divided that the Turkish army may be beaten in detail . The country will swarm with Cossacks , cutting off the supplies of Schumla , and shutting up Omer Pacha , so as to compel him to surrender . In the

      meantime , the main body of the Russian army may cross the Balkan , and march on Adrianople . The true policy of war , I think , would have been for Omer Pacha to have concentrated the main body of his army at some central point—say Rasgrad or Belle—and thus be able to fall upon the Russians with his entire force . By his present dispositions , Omer Pacha could not concentrate , as far as I could judge , 50 , 000 men on any one point in ten days . It is unnecessary to say what the result must be with such dispositions . There are Turkish and Russian detachments of troops at twelve different points along the Danube , from Toulcha ( near Ismail ) to Widdin , watching each other across the river . The difference between the

      Turks and the Russians in this is , that the latter have placed small bodies of troops along the river in this way , to decoy the Turks into the trap of setting ^ large bodies of troops to watch them . For instance , at ( xeorgova , opposite this place , there are _ about 1500 Russians , with 6000 Turks on this side to watch them ; and so it is throughout . These Muscovites seem cunning fellows ,

      Untitled Article

      . ~ INDIA AND CHINA . The following are the facts of the Indian news : — Burraah is quiet . Great famine prevails in the province of Rangoon . The old King of Delhi is dying . The British Plenipotentiary in Hong-Kong has advised the English not to meddle with the Chinese war . The operations in China arc isolated ; skirmishes without results are going on , but the insurgents are still advancing . The American commodore has bought in the island Bozian , in the Japan seas , grounds for deposits of coal .

      Untitled Article

      AUSTRALIAN ROMANCE . A touching story of real life is told in the country papers . About eleven years ago , long before the gold discovery in Australia had startled the people of England , and tempted from her shores some of her best and worthiest sons , a silk manufacturer of Manchester having failed in business , quitted his native country for that distant colony , leaving behind him a wife and two children . To a sensitive mind there is no change so bitter as one from affluence to poverty , and so keenly did Mrs . M . feel thia , that she determined to leave the scene of her former prosperity , and accordingly camo to Liverpool , hoping amongst strangers to hido her altered circumstances , and find a living by industry for herself and children . By the application of her needle she endeavoured to keep gaunt famine from her now humble hearth . Time flew on , and although her husband had promised to write and inform her of his success in his struggles in his upliere so new , and cheer her with hopes of returning fortune , no such tidings came , but after an absence of two years and a half , intelligence reached her that he had died in a strange land . Unused to the rough labours of life , this was enough to fill with despair and dishearten the most courageous . The presence of her children , however , nerved her to fresh exertion . But tlio unfortunate seldom find friends , and those liUle articles , the wreck of other and better days , ono by ono went to find bread for the

      starving children . Even clothes were sold to meet the demands of a heartless landlord ; but , in the meantime , tlie . stranger in Australia had prospered , and not only written to hi . s faithful wife , but sent her remittances , which never reaclfyd their destination , her whereabouts not being known , Every article of furniture had been sold by Mrs . M , and there ncenied for her and her children but the last resource of tho friendless , when tho former unsuccessful merchant arrived in England a wealthy num . Through a chain of circum . stances , tho Kiin ' oring wife and mother was discovered , and onco again raised to aMiu'iieo ; for , beside * 14 , 000 / . which was showered into her lap , large possessions in Australia aro now hold by her husband . It only remains to add that the now happy family uro about proceeding to Australia ; but tho tiilo may bo relied on aa ono of tho

      strange things told m connexion with that colony and the eventful histories of families . -

      Untitled Article

      COUNTRY PARTIES . The Earl of Stradbroke and Sir Fitzroy Kelly TO ^ r . chief speakers at ah agricultural dinner , which took nlao last week , after the show of the East Suffolk Association Lord Stradbroke referred with satisfaction to'ttie . " increa of the wages of all engaged in industrial pursuits , and aa enjoyment of luxuries by the humbler classes , which pre viously were unknown to them . " Ho also showed the ne ' cessity of checking emigration , and the only feasible war to effect this would be by "improving the dwellings of th& poor , and by erecting them in the vicinity of those places where their labour was required . " Sir Fitzroy Kelly wa * fresh and novel in his counsel : he advised the farmers torely on their own efforts . He also advised increasing and . making permanent the comforts of the labouring classes " I entirely agree with those who think that no prosperity can exist in any community unless the labouring classes are well kept , well provided for , and made contented . Among the principal sources of gratification with which I have viewed the late change—the late happy change in ; the situation and prospects of the agriculturists , the greatest , perhaps , has been , that it implies of necessit y a great improvement in the situation of the poorer classes . As long as they can obtain wages enough to procure not only actual subsistence in the necessaries of life , but now and thea what they have hitherto rarely enjoyed—comforts andi luxuries—so long we need not dread either disturbance or revolution , however much they may take place in other countries ; so long will that connexion subsist between * high and low , rich and poor , employer and employed , which tends to the happiness and stability of nations . "

      The Royal Bucks Agricultural Association met on Wednesday , for their twenty-first anniversary dinner . There was a ploughing match , and pi « Lzes were given to labourers , Mr . Disraeli attended , but made no political sign . He spoke a dull speech , which reads like a bad sermon . Among : the prizes given by the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer we find " 21 . 10 s . to 'William Lambourne , of Rateli ye , for having had born to him in lawful wedlock eleven childi'sn , and brought up nine without parochial relief ; " and two . other lesser sums to labourers who had not been so productive .

      Untitled Article

      THE BARNSTAPLE BRIBERIES . The Barnstaple revelations are of the plainest kind . Mr . Saville , a solicitor , makes a complete confession . At first Mr . Brembridge refused to spend any money , and Mr . Saville reports the consequences . " I went to Marsh ' s about half-past ten next morning , being sent for , and'saw Mr . Petter , Mr . Marsh , and Mr . Young ( committee-men ) ,, who told me that a man upon whom they depended had plumped for Lord Ebrington , and they drew the inferencethat bribery had then commenced on the opposite side ; . I said , ' If that is the case , and the other party believe we have no money , I will let them see that we have some . ' I told them not to pay any more that day , and went awayr to get some more money . I went to my office , where I had 420 ? . in sovereigns left out of the 600 Z . given to me by Mr . Brembridge . It was not unusual to have 400 sovereigns in my office . I put about 200 sovereigns in my pocket , and carried them to Mr . Petter . I did not count the sovereigns , as they were in packets , but only , openedl them to show that they were gold . Mr . Young saidlsomething about 5 Z . or 6 / . a vote , but I did noi mteiadi any money to be given that day , but only to bo shown , that it might bo known we bad money . An hour afterwards ! I got a message from a man named Gveenslade , that ho ' wanted some money particularly , and I sent him 201 . After the poll was over , Mr . Potter told mo that ho had not a penny loft out of tho 200 ? . I was also told by two or three , voters that' Tom-so-and-so' had beon paid , and they thoug ht . it very hard that they had not . Tho next day I no sooner put mv foot in tho street than I was attacked b y voters at

      every yard , who said that 'Dick , Tom , and Harry had . been paid , and that they would be paid likewise , or they would split upon Dick , Tom , and Harry . ' I then made up . my mind that a sum of money , sufficient to pay "" " penscB , should bo put in tho hands of Messrs . letter ,. Marsh , and Young , and at onco went to the bank , and ! drew 1100 ? ., which I gave to Mr . Young . The next day Mr . Young told mo it was not sufficient , and I gave Jiiw 200 ? . more . On tho following Monday I heard that sov ™ u hungry men were still unsatisfied , and that about ¦> W' - moro was wanted , making 1800 ? . in tho whole . 11 | 1 CU told Mr . Brembridge what had been done , and that gen tieman , al I hough very angry , paid mo tho money . Alt <> £ /» " ° 1 received from Mr . BVembridgo 2187 / . ; in addition w which Mr . Broinbrideo himself paid for the polling-l )""" ' )( IlhI

      and a printer ' s bill of about 30 ? ., and some other » s l ^ I believe that at , tho last election no promise of money w ^ given by any authorised man , and that ; the l , nWJbeen spent in ' hush-money' rather than bribery . . o £ - details of this general bribery appear from th " , ° " " j 0 It individual witnesses . For inntanco , Mr . J . W . n ^ j ^ silversmith , appeared in tho witness-box , and oxpreH < - wish to correct , hi . s evidence of tho preceding day . ll " initted now having assented to tho entry of his llftm ° b | lt anything which might bo passing after tho . elec " » ^ fit ill a-RKortod his brother i 1 enry had received theWJij "' t ()( l After a long nnd painful scene of equivocation , no ft "' ¦ he took

      , n freeman , nearly HO yearn of ago , b y trade « * nftrt ' , ' f () ro just cut , his throat , through fear of being onmmonea ^ ^ Iho commissioners , his muno having boon given i , jIlfj list of Ihh relative , Mr . George Tyl <> OJaydon , n ftU ( l beon paid 0 ? . for his vote on behalf of Jlr « 1 IlUI [ , 7 , (;( , in-JfraHor , and ho having sworn positively before- - flQ mitteo of tho Houho of Commoua that he luul rccu "

      Untitled Article

      894 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 17, 1853, page 894, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2004/page/6/