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Leader (1850-1860), 17th June 1854, Edition 1 of 1, Page 560, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      THE WAR . Bxceht Russian movements to the rear and reported mpvements of the Austrian troops carry the war oa to more extended fields . It is remarked that simultaneously with the cessation of active measures against Silistria three things have occurred . First , the Buasians have established a tete de pont , at Kulnaja , a little below SUistria , to serve as a means of retreat ; next , the Prince Paskiewitsch has removed his head-quarters to Jassy , where he was to be on the 13 th instant ; and , thirdly ,, that small bodies of Hussions on the Sereth had made

      retrograde moyfenaenta . These smalL matters , dexive their importance from two facts ; the arrival of tfie trench , and British north of the Balkan , and . the march of the Austrian * in great force from the Danube into Transylvania , ana the concentration of a great army in and near Gallicia . Probably there are not less than 200 , 000 Austriaiis in line stretching along the rugged mountains of Traaisyly ^ nra , looking out over the Principalities and the Bukowina , and gathering in masses in the lowrer lands of Moravia and Gallicia . On the other hand , the Russians are certainly In force on

      the Austrian frontier , menacing Moravia , looking into Transylvania , and ready to overrun the Bukowina . Either Pjrinee Paskiewitsch , therefore , anticipates a ? movement of the Austrians in his rear , and is about to escape as fast as he can , or he is about to evacuatei ; he Principalities for political reasons ; or he is establishing a new line of operations , in anticipation of the ; combined movement of the allies . At all eventg bei i $ strengthening his communications with th ^ -p ^ a ^ iar ^ ny . posted between , the frontiers of Mpl ^ y ^ and Ifflrarsaw . It is to Austria we must loo ^ lwfethe next move . ; ... . : v ¦¦ ' ¦ - .- ¦ ¦• • to at

      No ^ hange appeals have taken place Silistria or . at Schumla . : 3 ufc the authentic reports from Varna announcing the arrival of the light division there on the 30 th ftnd 31 st of May , and its subset qu ^ encainpment ¦ ¦¦ - %% Devoa , a place thirty 'miles ijrom , ^ ic ^ SM j ^; ^| & f ^ | he British troops , horse , foot , and atpffe ^ at ^ iiow in line , make us feel certain that in ^ Ifew days there will , be some definite news of opeiratipas in . ' the front , for , of course , a far larger contingent of French must be on the spot by this time . ¦ ¦ ¦> ¦ ¦ . ¦ . - ' . ¦ ' ¦•;¦ - : - ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦

      We have no news of the progress of affairs in Lesser "Wallachia ; but we may be sure the troops operating there have not been withdrawn , as reported / to form a division at Rustchuck for operaiitigapon the besiegers at Silistria .

      Untitled Article

      fi -j .... ; CONr / IN ^ NTALi NOTE S . TWO ; events at Constantinople , subsidiary to the war , bat importanVin themselves , call for notice—3 diplomatic dinner given liy Lord Stratford , and a review at Scutari for . the gratification pf i-he Sultan . Lord'Stratford ' s dinner , was attended by the Duke of Cambridge , Rescind Pacha , Habit Pacha , and the new Grand vizier , probably the first time that a Grand Vizier ever accepted an invitation given by on a of the members lof the diplomatic body ; a notable breach of Turkish etiquette . The dinner lasted until a late hoar , and several toasts were given . Keschid Pacha proposed the Queen ' s health , and Lord Stratford de Kedclifle that of the Emperor of France . Baron de Brack , in proposing the health

      of ipa Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge , made a very remarkable speech , in which he wished success to the allies in defending the integrity and independence of the Ottoman empire . The review took place at Scutari . The troops were under the command of Lord Raglan . It was a very hot day , and the troops were under arms waiting four hours for the Sultan . There were on the field three regiments of Guards , two Highland regiments , five of the line , the 17 th Lancers , and som « artillery ; in all abont 10 . 000 men . The Sultan , relaxing from his usual sadness and gravity , seemed much pleased and really astonished at the novelty of the si ght . The troops all marched past his Imperial Majesty . The Lancers , with Lord Cardigan at their head , who looked the

      very picture of a cavalry omcer , especially attracted his attention , and he expressed himself highly gratified by tha sight . *• ' When Abdul Medjid arrived on tho ground . " says the correspondent of the Morning Chronicle , " a rather oxtraordinary occurrence took place , especially so for this loyal land . A dervish stepped out from amongst the crowd , and , approaching the Sultan , shouted something . I was not near enough to catch the words , but , from the effect th « y produced , I conclude that they 'were the contrary of complimentary . I was afterwards told that ho called him ' Giaour Padishah . ' The cavasses kid hold of this bold and impudent fanatic , and he was harried off tho ejroand amidst a shower of kicks and cuffs , one man dragging him along by the neck , whilat others belaboured him behind

      in a manaer which was truly piteous to behold—an example to dervishes henceforth . I do not know whether the individual in question was a dancing dervish , but I am vouch for his being « howling one . " We have some direct testimony respecting the condition of the cavalry and artillery at Scuturi , from a Prussian officer , who viaited their quartern . Ho says , " the cavalry is first-rate ; you could not see by thoae horses that they had been for weeks on bourU ship . There they etood , combed and woll-fed , pawing tne clean floor as if they were at home hi their old-quarters . They seemed ns if born for the charge . Whoever , liko myself , has seen the KuBBian cavalry in the fl « ld may well prognosticate favourably for the British ,

      if engaged with equal numbers , even without taking the superiority of the English horseman into consideration . " Tne only fault we find is , that the horses are , " if anything , too big and too strong , " and that the men are forced to shave . In the field , he says , the razor is the- arm wliich most troubles a soldier . He is pleased with the arms of the men , hi ecstacies iwith the harness of the cavalry , and thinks that the artillery are too well horsed . He feels certain from his knowledge of the British cavalry and artillery , that he can look forward to every success in the present war , whilst his " knowledge of the enemy ' s artillery by no means prognosticates such a result . " So much for the Prussian . Let us now hear no small '

      matter of complaint from the Timescorrespondent respect ing the tools supplied to the troops : — " It may be as well to let the authorities know that the tools issued to the meii are all . but useless . The ¦ hatchets , bill-hooks , and axes furbished to the men of the various regiments W 4 uld be much more serviceable if they would only cut , but they tave yielding edges , which obstinately refuse to keep sharp or straight . . ¦ The soldiers complain of them loudly , and it will not make these : utensils one lit more useful to produce bushels of certificates or letters from generals , commissaries , or toolmakers , declaring that nothing could be better . Let them come and try to chop wood ( to boil their cooking tins ^ with them , and the authorities will soou alter their opinions as to these Government supplies . No one who

      ha¬had practical experience of camp hie can imagine the annoyance caused b y such a circumstance as this , or the real discomfort it originates in carrying out the details of a life under canvas . In the same way that most indefatigable and in valuable body of men , the Sappers and Miners , are impeded in their labours not only by the tools they have being frequently indifferent , but , what is worse , by the want of the implements which they ought to carry . " [ This is the echo ofm complaint which-was loud and long during the Peninsular war . j An explanation of it is given by " Bernard Gilpin , an . edge-tool manufacturer , " in a letter to , the Times . He states that the prices given under the Government contracts are 50 per cent , below what articles of good quality can be supplied at , so as to leave the manufacturer a profit of h per

      cent . . A retailer of- sundries , who has established himself at Gallipoli , and who has dignified himself with the title of " merchant , " has made a rapid fortune , which he owes to the artistical talents oi a captain of the French -staff . The retailer being in want of a sign , the captain painted him ; the figures of a Zouave and a Highlander , each in the full uniform of his corps ^ each with a glass of wine in the one hand and grasping his companion by the other , in the act of trmquer-ing with great cordiality . This picture , though rather nastily sketched , and though not particularly brilliant in some of its details , has had the most decided success among the soldiers of both armies , and has produced a

      greater arid better sensation than would hare been accomplished by the paintings of the greatest masters whose works are preserved in the Louvre or the National Gallery . There has been a-run on the picture . Turkish pashas , English officers , and Armenian merchants have proposed to purchase it at any price , but the fortunate possessor has refused to part with it , and has announced his determination to transport hU sign , as a trophy and the origin of his fortune , to Varna , or wherever else the allied troops may take up their quarters . , Here is a curious picture of the Turkish army from the clothing ; point of view . On the morning of the 24 th instant . Omer Faiz Pacha , the military governor of Varna , ordered all the officers of his garrison down to the saluting battery on the sea line . They " fell in" to ranks , and marched down

      two and two by battalions , to the wonder of any Europeans who saw the manoeuvre . The officers ranged themselves up by ranks opposite the parapet , upon which stood the Pacha . His Excellency , who was dressed in a p ilot cloth peacoat and drab pantaloons , addressed bis audience . He said that foreign troops , their allies , were about to come to Varna ; that particular orders must be given to all sentinels to salute officers af the foreign armies as though they belonged to the Turkish army ; that every feeling of friendliness must be shown to the troops ; that they must live together as one family ; and much more to the same effect , which was " inaudible in the gallery . " The motive for making the harangue was most excellent , and the address redounds much to the credit of the Pacha ; but the manner of it strikes a European eye as ridiculous . Even a civilian , in

      England or in France , would look upon a bod y of officers marching down two and two , and occasionally marking time , as if they were in a strong tideway , and couldn ' t make head against it , as rather a ludicrous sight . But with Tqrks it is still more so , owing to their want of uniformity of dress—one officer likes drub pantaloons , another white withpink stripes , a third light blue , and so forth . Among the Egyptian officers Borne appear to think that a coffeecoloured cout is the most martial garb they could 4 doptothers black with braid all over , even ' down to / fho " firiiall of tho back . " Motley ' s your only wear" for you-f Boldior , they think . It is therefore rare to see two dressed quite alike . The Turkish clothing regulations , if such a codo exists for the army , must bo rather a curious work .

      Untitled Article

      No further light has been thrown upon the meeting of the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia at 'letichen . What they conferred about , and what thej did not confer about , we are not informed ; but tho Moniteur tells ua that " tho Austrian Government congratulates itself with respect to the results of the interviews at Tetschen . " Tho results here referred to are as yet unknown . Not so the resolutions adopted by the representatives of the eight petty states that met at Bam berg . The most prominent are , first , the strong expression of a desire that a more conciliatory , or , in plainer words , submissive and deprecatory tone should bo employed towards Russia than pervades tho documents of which copies have been laid before tho Germanic States ; secondly , that an unequivocal acknowledgment should bo made of the eminent services rendered to Germany by tho Emperor Nicholas and Russia during many \ ejirs ; thirdly , that it should bo notified and declared by all

      German States that they cannot admit the equity of calling . upon Russia to evacuate the Principalities without , at the same time , demanding the simultaneous evacuation of the Black Sea , Turkish wators , and territory by the land and sea forces of France and England . It is further resolved that the court should render then * adhesion to the Austro-Prussian treaty dependent upon the admission and satisfaction of these reserves , that the same shou-ld be adopted as the expression of the will and sentiments of the Confederation , and that a standing committee of the diet should be appointed to watch over the march of events , and take part , in the name of the Confederation , in all negotiations for the attainment and arrangement of peace sow or hereafter .

      Referring again to the Moniteur , we are told that " the Cabinets of Vienna and Berlin are agreed as to the reply to be made to the objections of the Conference of Bamberg , arid as to the means of obviating the dfficulties which those objections excite . Colonel Manteuffel is about to set off for St . Petersburg , and will be the bearer of a despatch from the Prussian Cabinet in support of the summons addressed to Eussia by Austria . The Moniteur quotes the following story from the Frank fort Journal : — " It is asserted that the Emperor of Austria expressed himself in the following manner , in presence of the Duke pf Gotha : I give you my word that if the Emperor of Russia does not evacuate the Principalities , I will declare war to him . ' The Duke having ? asked if he might reneat the «« % * fcV J ~**( X 1 * JLU *? 4 SUA . 9 UAV 1 U ££ CkO * LX >\ A A * 1 IC UllgllV ICUCal | fj& 9

      words , - the Emperor replied , ' You may repeat them to whoever would like to hear them . " It is also said that the instructions of General Mayerhorer are calculated for a proximate rupture of peace . " Austrian . troops are marching with all expedition to positions in which they effectually menace the Russian line of operation . The 9 th , 11 th , and 12 th corps of infantry , and the 1 st corps of cavalry , composed of twelve regiments of heavy horse , are already in Transylvania , under command of the Archduke Albrecut , who has removed his headquarters from Semlin to Hermannstedt . On the confines of Servia there remains only the division of Count Coromm with the usual regiments of military border colonists , or Grenzer .

      The 11 th of June was observed as the festival of the Prince of Prussia's " Silver Wedding , " that is to say , the 25 th anniversary of his marriage-day , the demonstrations on the occasion have a political significance , as being understood in the country in the sease of demonstrations against the Russian party . On the lLth the Prince remained at his chateau of Babertsberg , near Potsdam , apparently to avoid demonstrations on fhe part of the Berlin people ; but on that day the whole Ministry and the officers of the army paid their respects to him . In the evening Berlin was illuminated . On the following morning lie was serenaded by a society of amateur ladies and" gentlemen . Later in the day he received about seventy deputations from the provinces and the local committees of" the National Dank ( a fund for erecting a sort of Prussian Chelsea . Hospital ); and

      it was remarked , that a very numerous deputation came from Pomerania , the stronghold of the Russian party These provincial deputations -were followed by deputations from every municipal corporation throughout the kingdom , with the Ober-burgmeister or Burgmeister at his head , and an inevitable address . Among these Berlin distinguishes itself by an offering of a votive tablet of solid- silver , on which is chisselled in bos relief the portraits of the princely couple , with a legend commemorative of the occasion engraved by the side and / around them . The tablet is said to -weigh 2 cwt ., and to be worth 12 , 000 thalers . Cologne presents an album , consisting of 80-odd woiks of the most talented artists on the Rhine . This book is supported on a silver stand , like a camp-stool , and' is stated to have cost 13 , 000 thalers .

      Orders have been issued by the Central Military Chancellery that the troops which have to occupy the frontiers of Galicia must be in tbeir positions by the 19 th of this month . Provision is made in Galicia . for 120 , 000 men and 40 , 000 horses . In the Austrian army there are 63 fusilier regiments , consisting of one depot and four field battalions . Each of the field battalions has 1278 men ; consequently , each regiment consists ( without the depot battalion ) of 5112 men . if we multiply 6112 by 63 , we have a total of

      322 , 056 men . The term of military service is eight years , and , after the men are discharged , they enter the so-called u reserve" for two years . Th « whole of the reserve , wliich is equal to one-fourth of tho regular standing army , has now been called out . Within the last few days an order ii as been given to form a grenadier battalion , 800 strong , oot . tho best men in each regiment , and to fill up the vacane ' in the other battalions with men taken from the reserve . The 63 newly-formed grenadier battalions will consist of 60 , 400 men .

      Every city throughout the kingdom has presented 1000 thnlers to the National Dank ( it being understood that this is peculiarl y agreeable to the Piince ) , every town 600 , and every hamlet 260 thalers . Next followed deputations from all the various public bodies for charitable or economic purposes with which the Piince is connected as patron or otherwise , and all imaginable trades' societies . The courts of law decided at the eleventh hour in sending a written address , and not appearing in person ; tho Academy of Sciences appeared by its senate and professors ; the University was represented by tho rector and deacons . The last waa nn indistinguishable swarm of lady deputations , wlioso name was legion , presenting all sorts of carpets , embroidery , silver wreuths , andeverything that could be possibly twisted or turned into a connexion with the subject of the day ' s commemoration . Tlie Prince and Princess inet with a capital reception in tho evening when walking iu their garden .

      Untitled Article

      P $ O THE LEADER . I Satubj > ay ,

      Untitled Article

      Tlie Greeks 6 eem to hnvo settled their affairs for tho present . The new Ministry , -which now only awaits the arrival of Muvrocordato , has issued a proclamation , framed witli the very best feelings towards the Western Powers , and calling on tho people to remain strictly neutral in the

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), June 17, 1854, page 560, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2043/page/8/