RUSSIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 314, 3 November 1855, Page 6

RUSSIA.

St. Petersburg letters to the sth, in tbe Hamburg Neios, says the Synod of St. Petersburg has presented an address lo 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 tbe Emperor has received this address. A letter from Poland states that the landed proprietors ftovn-Volhynia aud ibe 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 camp? 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 ahme, and the five recruitings have consumed 180,000,000. Berlin, Wednesday. June 20.—Advices from Konigsberg state that an Impeiial ukase orders that baptised Jews, who have hitherto been exempted,shall furnish 30 recruits for every 1,000 souls to the Russian army. The Times says, the article in the St. Petersburg Journal of the llth, on Count Walewski's ! circular, can have no effect on the policy of the i 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 loth Sept. next the recruitment that had been ordered in the government of Ekiterinoslaw. In order, however, to accelerate the recruitment ordered in the sixteen other governments of the empire, it is decreed: That all the exceptions which have been hitherto admitted are now annulled. 2. That iv the towns and villages the men shall be taken to tbe age of 37. 3. That the commissions of recruitment are authorized to take even only sons, if it should he found necessary to do so, to complete ftbe number of men demanded. The Imperial ukase, decreeing the formation of the Cossack militia, maybe considered as the creation of a germ' from which the intended mobilization of the Cossack races may eventtually spriimr. The provisional Hetman of the Cossacks, Khom-.rloff, is said to be actively engaged in organizing the Tsehetmoir and Don Cossacks, so as to place these irregular bul serMceable 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 Rive Dniester, will probably at some future time b reclaimed from their hitherto perfect barbarism and laiiubt the blessings of a comparative ci vilizalion. By an order ofthe day published in the journals, the Emperor, after a second minute inspection of the fortifications of Cronstadt, has declared himself perfectly contented with the defences ofthe place, and especially mentions the new lunettes, the batteries of Lisy-Nose, the " tongue of hind,"of Croustadi and Fort Paul, which be considers impregnable. The Times' Berlin correspondent has been assured that Prince Gortschakoff has telegraphed to the Emperor to the effect that, now that bis supplies of provisions are pnvlly 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, bay had become scarce ; and that he in this despatch begs for instructions as to whether he may proceed to give battle to die 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, lias arrived. The letters brought by it state lhat no hostile movement bad bpp»i attempted against either place, but that both were in daily expectation of a bombardment.' They were prepared for it. GeneralSiewers, the commander-in-chief of the Baltic army, is alternately at Riga and Revel, giving orders according to eirenmstauces. General Grabb, with the staff, is at Revel. The whole line of coast is occupied by numerous corps of irregular cavalry ; and tbe infantry divisions are spread overtbe country, at about a mile distance from the shore. The artillery, which is very numerous, is nearer; whilst four regiments of hussars and lancers, 1,000 each, are echeloned between Polangen and Revel. One infantry division, with a number of field nieces, is stationed in a camp below Riga, and another near Revel. Everybody expects both places to be speedily bombarded, in spite of these defensive arrangement*. A letter from Odessa, in the Constitutionnel, dated the 3rd instant, says— "The intelligence of the successes of tbe allies 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 tbe Sea of Azov ; but now they have lost pverything. Tbe levees of tbe military governor of New Russia and Bessarabia, Count Stogoiioff, which take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, are now almost wholly attended by unfortunate petitioners, imploring assistance, which be is unable to render. If you could but read all that tboiT petitions represent, you would immediately say lhat Odessa is reduced to tbe 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, tbe 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 the city has been declared in a state of siege, we are compelled to pay all tbe costs which these arrangements, the police of war, necessarily create."

Episode in the Mamelon.—The following rather curious episode it said to have taken place at the Mamelon Vert:—The soldiers employed in constructing the batteries suddenly perceived a Russian sub-officer aud three soldiers coming towards them. Their appearance caused some surprise, for they seemed to have risen from under ground, and it was found that they had actually done so. On quitting the Mamelon Vert the Russian commandant left them in the powder magazine, with orders that they should set fire to it the moment tbe French entered. These noor men,.not feeling any inclination for a flight into air, even in company with a number of their enemies, took care not lo execute this order ; and after remaining in their place of concealment for about 15 hours, and feeling the pangs of hunger, they extinguished the matches with which they might have done such mischief, and quietly came and asked for something to eat from the new possessors of the premises.