EUROPEAN NEWS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume III, Issue 110, 6 September 1854, Page 3

EUROPEAN NEWS.

Otm Naval Reserve.-— A full account has been given of the poivcrlul fleets winch have been designated for service in the Black Sea and the Baltic. We do not suppose that they will prove inadequate for tho hot work they will have to encounter ; but even if they do, and supposing that both of these magnificent fleets should be destroyed, we have ample material in our" home ports to supply tluir places. From our ships in reserve, and building, we could form a nr.val force fur surpassing (hat which any other nation in tho world can boast of having afloat. We have in reserve at the four ports of Portsmouth, Devonport, Chatham, and Sheerness, no loss tlinn IGI voisols ol tbo " effectiva ships of the Royal Navy," und these estimated tv eatry not losa than 0,807 guns. 13endc3 tbc»e, top; we have a goodly uumber of naddlo wheel and.

-2£

irevui T-ut <t- m era &mrvrnmmi tmian ira.«m.BM!Juau tber small cmft. Though some of tho voi«Hs may nil, without considerable repair lie in a slate to send tn sea, >et most of them aie excellent nea poing vessels -far superior, indeed, to anything limsinn — nnd could be fitted out for service on very short notirc. Then we have vessels building— s at Portsmouth, 7 at Devonporr, 1 at Shecrnem, <i at Chatham, 11 nt Pembroke, iat Deptford, 4 ut Woolwich, find 1 at Millwnll —Portsmouth Paper-

An Amhiiican Piuvatkeii in the Channel. Intelligence has been received by tin* Admiralty, that an American clipper, tho Gropcshot, has captured a French merchant ship oft tlie Lund's End, The. Grapfthot cleared ont of New York, on the 23rd of March, for St. Thomas's with 1500 paukflgoo on boaid, professed ly of hardware, bet really containing 500 muskets and supposed to be bound to Finland, and failing debarkation, then for the IWe'li'CT.incon— London " Herald"

Russian War Steamers at Valparaiso. — By the arrival of the Pacific mail at Southampton on S-aturdny (29th April) we learn that tho Russian frigate Dinna was at Valparaiso, and that the Au. rora (the Russian frigate thnt fitted out in Porto* mouth a few months' since) wns daily expected ; 'llio English Admiral, Renr-Admirnl Price, wns anxiously waiting for tho declaration of war, as be doulitlr^nly wiihrd lo diipoic of tho Russians without delay. His flag-ship is the President, 50 gun frigait:, which Would be more than a match for ci« Ihcroflhc Russian frigatei, whilst he has also with him, but on detached duty mostly, the Ampht. trite, 21, Dido, (8, Ncreu'>,32, ntoro ship at Valparaiso; Trinoomnlee, 21. and Virago, (i, paddle sloop. In addition to these, the Pique, 40, is on her way after the Aurora. She! left Madeira for the south on the 23id of March.

England and America. —The New York Herald referring to tho lcxolutiou of the British Government as to neutral vessels in the impending war, says " this new treaty may be well regarded an tlic most practically valuable to ua of all the catalogue of our commercial diplomacy of the last half century. Thus we shall be enabled to coutemjilutu the terrible melee in Europe, with compara. tive composure. Our commercial ships, in all articleß not contraband of war will be tho common earners of the belligerents. The impetus thus given to our transatlantic currying trade will impart v stirring activity to our shipyards, lumbermen, and all other branches of industry inteicstcd in rommcrco and navigation. The general effect will rxtend to all the industrial inttireits of the country. More than this — in the prog rein of the European convulsion, poor old Spain may tumble to pieces, and be parcelled out among the victorious panics, leaving Cuba without opposition quietly to fall into o ur pomssion." How Russia is to bd EprECTUAMY Cihi-pled 1

[From tho Economist.]

If wo do not: intend tbc war to be both an endless nnd a fi iiitleta one, wo oiuit so conduct it as to leave Russia no lor per formidable ; to rescue Germany from her influence, nnd to miike it in future an effectual burner ugninit her ; to enable Turkey (we, her allies, having command of the Black Sea) to hold her own in future quarrels ; and nt once to rcflcnp from the danger of her assaults nnd intrigues both our TC.istcrn Empire anil our Western civilifintion.* To do anything short of this trill bo wpsting blond and treasure to no purpose. To hove entered upon wnr without being prepaid! to do thin, would imply a short (ightedness, an imbecility, or a feebleness, and insincerity of will, of which our Ministers cannot he suspected. How, then is this to be done ? Austria and Prussia, it is well known — even the Governments, much more the people,— deiiro earnestly the repression and dimiuutim of the colonial Power which overawes nnd menures them, though they chirp not actively take part in the endeavour to rcniino thit object. It would even be well worth their while to consent to the rf-'stnbliihmont of tho Kingdom of PoUnd for that purpose— for the purpose of erecting a barrier between them and Russia ; and Austria in nr.iil to be willing to surrender Gallicia in favour of ruch n scheme. But let that pnsi ns uncertain, How h Russia to be effectually crippled and disabled from future mischief ? By depriving her of her more recent and unssnimilatcrl conquests, and icstoiing them to the Powers from which they have been torn. Georgia must be rescued and replaced, nnd Ciiciiinia inniiitainLdnn an independent hairier, to keep Kussis for ever on thiß side of tho Caucasus Tho Ciunca mum be tnken also, and Sebastopol [itormrd at any cost. And tho navy sheltered there mptured or destroyed, Bessarabia longs for the day of her emancipation, and would most probably riic on lbs first thorough disaster that happened to the Runainn arms, if assured of the faithful nnd permanent support of the allies, Tho Danubian Principalities mult be freed from tUo curse of Russian occupation and of Russian protectorate for even Finland must bo restored to Sweden, and the Jules of Aland Imuit be held eiilie: by Sweden or Englandi If these things are done, Russia will cease to be formidable ; and whether she accepts a peace or not, will be a muticr of no moment whntivtr. She will have rctnip;rntcd ri century in powrr and influence. She will no longer be a sc« rioiis prril to liberty and civilisation; Austria, Prussia, nnd the smaller German States, doprived of her moral and material nid in their crusade Egainst freedom and enlightenment, mujt enter on o new and more suitable and jugaciouß coumo And Turkey, relieved fiom the awful incubui (hat has parolyned tier for so lonfj, will have an opportu." inly of fhowing what amount of vitality and capacity for prngrca she possesses ; and if she must lull fioai inherent feebleness and unimprovability, at least her foil will not be to the profit or aggrandisement of a I'ower to tho full as dark and brutal ns herself. These are unquestioiiabl great achieve* menta— difficult and costly. But if they are at once necessary and possible— and vie have con' vtrscd wilh few statesmen of nny country who do not behevo them to he both — all we have to con« nider i« the best and promptest means of affecting tlicm< It wo creep out of tho war without doing all this, we shall bavc been very culpable in rushing into it. If wo dream of doing all this by feeble efforts, by languid movemonts, by small armies, by temperate hostilities, wo shall deserve discomfiture as certainly as we shall ensure it.

The seizure of two poire of marine steam engines on the premium of Messrs. Napier, of Glasgow, baa been announced since our last. On this sub-

ject the Morning Herald of yesterday says ;— We nre in a position to state that all these seizure* are mere matters of arrangements between the Admiralty nnd the contractors. Thcro it not a firm either in England or Scotland of shipbuilders or engineers that is not British 'to the back bono.' Tliey entered into contracts with the Russians long before any dispute was contemplated with Russia, but the moment complications ensued, and theie wns any chance of war, both shipbuilders and engineers were communicated with, and the British sliipbuildeis and engineers at once gave tho Admiralty a copy of their contracts. Mr. Pitcher of Northfleet, hnd two shiprt building ; Messrs. Perm and Co., of Greenwich, had one pair of engines to build of 350-hor'iO power; Messrs. Maudsley and Field had tWo pairs of engines of 259-horse power ; and Napier, of Glasgow, had two pairs, of 450 and 500-horso power. It was demanded that all these on the declaration of war, should be confiscated, and wo may state that tho machinery lias been dpi proprintod to British men of-uar, and tbc government have very properly authorised tho paymciil of the balance of moneys due to tho shipbuilders and engineers on the contracts ; and we shall have the satisfaction of eeclng both ships and engines bearing celebrated names on the Royal Nnvy Li»i."

Professor Wilson (" Christopher North ") died at Edinburgh on Monday morning 3rd April. Ho expired at bis house in Glouecster-placo at a few minutes after midnight. In May ho would have completed his 69th year. The funeral of Piofe6sor Wilson took place at the Dean Cemetery Edinburgh. The Lord Provost and magistrates, and ihc members and heads of the various scientific mid literary institutions, attended. The final restingplace of the proat Christopher North (soys the North British Mail) is in a very fine nnd prominent situation of the most picturesque of our modern cemeteries. It exactly face; tho tomb of Francis Jeffrey j so that, slightly to niter the words of Sir Walter Scott wilh reference to the tombs of Pitt and Fox—

Drop upon Jeffrey's tomb the tear— 'Twill trickle to his rival's bier.

Tho number of letters, conveyed between tho United States and Europe during the last year by tho British and American mail steamers was 4,600,000 The number of neswspnpers, 1,380,000.

Abbas Pacha, the Viceroy of Egypt, has ordered the construction of a branch railroad to Abbaseyeh his residence on his road to Suez, about four miles from Cairo; and it ia believed he will eventually extend the line to his second palace in tho Desert, at Dar-el-Boyda, which is halfway to Suca. We arc outhoiised to itate thnt Lord Clarendon ban intimated to ono of our most distinguished coreligionists, that tho privcleges to bo obtained for the Christiana in Turkey will he extended to the Jewish subjects of the Porte.— Jewish Chronicle.

The Peninsular and Oiicntal Steam Navigation Company have added another ship to their noble fleet, tho ocreiv steamer Simla. She is 335 feet long, (a few feet shorter than the Himalaya) 39 ft. fi inches broad, and 28 feet in depth. The Simla ia an iron vemel, and wm built at Glingow. The directors of the above company have just issued a notice to the shippers to various parts of the world by their steam Bbips, thut In conscquonce of the continued enhancement in tho price of coals and tho rates of coal freights, and in other items of expenditure connected With the nnvigution of (heir steamer'!, tbcyaro under the necessity of increasing tho rates of freight, which are in future to be charged 60s. per ton measurement to Lisbon and Gibralter, instead of 50s. as heretofore j and OOs. per ton to Malta, Alexandria, Smyitin, and Constantinople, instead of 60n. no heretofore.

A letter written from Malta, by Sergeant Major Tliwailcs, of tbc 27th icgimcuC, stated that the soldiers' wives who ucconipanied their husbands thither had begun to regret having left their homos, and it was thought thoy would not be allowed to proceed further.

Aldcrmnn Thompson has died possessed of, it ia said, a million and a half of money. The Countess of Beclive, his only child, will inherit his large property. The following story is told by the Pressc: — Some years since the Emperor Nicholas, acting birmelf as "cicerone," conducted an English admiral over the fortifications of Cionßtadt, when the following conversation took placo;— " You will admit Adminil, that this is a magnificent foi tress, and as impregnable as Gibraltcr ?" " Oh, Bire, no fort but Gribralter is impregnable."' " What then is your opinion of Cronstadt?" "It ia a good fortienn, and one difficult to tttke." " Yes, doubtless, difficult." "It could not bo done with 15 thipß." "Could it be done with 20?" " Nut easily." " With 25 ?" "It would take a fortnight." " With 35 ?" " Oh, your Majesty, 15 hours !" A decree of the Senate of Hamburgh, prohibits tho ixport of articles contraband of war. Similar decrees have been issued at Lubcck and Bremen.

The New York Herald soys — " It is reported, whether truly or not, that several Americnns, headed by eX'Alderman Wesley Smith, jun., of this city, nccompnnicd by a Russian Officer, left in the Baltic, on her last outtvard dip to engage in a contract with Russia to destroy British and Fiench ships of war that approach near enough to Rusnan ports by means of Taylor's nubmarino armour and Colt'il submarine battery. They bnvo also au invention called the a vessel with iion bows, armed with long sharp iion beaks, to break theiides of hostile ship*. It will be propelled by steam, which drives a wheel in her bottom. It is so arranged that jets of scalding water are thrown from tho vcstcl on all attempting to board her. The progress of the Ruyal Staiwn Force of Great Britain is wonderful. England posbeancs more marine ste«m power in her royal navy tban all tho Imperial stoam fleets of the world combined could furnislu A few years sinco we possessed only somo H,OOO lmrte power, but on the Ist January, 1854, the British navy included no lees than 202 steam vessels of all classes, whilst the nominal steam power of machinery in those ships represented more than that of 55,300 horses, with a reserve of 2,000 horse-power available for other royal ships. This information is from undoubted authority.—" Standard."

Neither naiiing ships nor pnddle mcnsof.wnr, will in future be built in the royal dockyards. All we understand, arc to be screws, anil btcps are to bo immediately taken (or renewing and nunplyiog tho fleet. °