Original Correspondence.

Taranaki Herald, Volume III, Issue 115, 11 October 1854, Page 3

Original Correspondence.

TO THE EDITOR or TUB " TARANAKI HERALD

Sin —In reply to the untruth stated 'innocontly no doubt' by Captain L<«ingii) his letter published In your last issue, allow us to state thut the 20 hogsheads of beer consigned to 119, were, in compliance wilh the advertisement alluded to, distinctly marked with a stencil plate New Plymouth, and if the first intimation of their destination received by Cnptain Laing was upon his signing the Bills of Lnding he has nobody 10 blame but himself or his Officers.

Captain Lning likewiie alludes to one of the cargo boats being 10 miles away from tbo bench (at Waitara) the boat wus taken there for tbe pur' poieof loading the Schooner " Titan " and was in our charge for that purpose. Ho appears to bo ignorant of our maxim *' first come, first served " or thinks became ihe Eclipse is 400 tons burden nnd the Titan only 160 that the claims of the latter arc to be sacrificed to tlia former.

lie appears likewise to think that the interests of Ins vessel were hurt by one bout being at Waitara, whorens the rcvirse was the case ; two of the boats left on the town beach were stoved whilst communicating with the "Eclipse' 1 in comcquence of the regular Europenn crew having stmcli, and tho new hands obtained to work them being inefficient. The third would probably have shared the same fair hml we not used our influence wilh the nativcß ofWaitx.M and pursusded some of tbcm lo leave their poiqioc plunting for the purpose of discharging his vcastl wnii the remaining bast. CUHTIS & WATT.

By the Overland Mail from Auckland we have received our files of the Geelong Advertiser to the Bth ultimo — from which we extract tho following important intelli • gence -.—. — ■ENGLISH NEWS. To the lOtii July. The steamer Madras arrived off Queenscliff on Tuesday evening at sunset, with th£ English mail of of 10th of July— the transmission having been accomplished in the unprecedented short period of 57 days. The Mail for Geelong was landed at Queenscliff, and a portion was forwarded during the night. The news, although embracing a period of twenty 'five days, is, however, not very important, so far at least as respects the movements of the allied troops and armies.

The intelligence is i-pon the whole satisfactory j for although nothing important had been accomplished either by the sea or land forces of the allies, it is evident that plans are being slowly but surely matured for decisive operations on the Danube, as well a 9 against Cronstadt and Sebastopol. It would seem, from a perusal of the papers before us, that Sir Charles Napier had been sent into the Baltic with express orders not to attack stone walls — and as ttiere^ seems to be no other object for him to attack — none of the enemy's ships being come-at-able, he has of necessity remained inactive. This inactivity would speedily be at an end, for, in reply to a despatch from him, desciibing Cronstadt, submitting a/ plan of attack, and asking leave to go/jo work, the British Government held a s^nes of Cabinet Councils, the result of wbic/u was the despatch of a company of engineers, and joint operations with France/ for the transport of troops to the Baltic. / In due time, theiefore, we tar^y expect to hear the result of a systematic attack on

Cronstadt. / Th& next matter of importance is the retreat of the Russians, i^elter-skelter, from before Sihstria, particulars of which will be found in another co/ umn . fiomarsund, inj,' ue Baltic, had been twice

bombarded. The Russian account of the fiist attack states that the English steamers had been successfully repulsed, the Russian loss being, as usual, "inconsiderable."

Some accounts describe the results of the first bombardment, which lasted eight hours to have been inconsiderable j others, as having caused the Russians a loss of 800 men. The second bombardment is stated to have taken place on the night of the 26th June ; to have lasted eleven hours, to have been executed by 14 steamers, and to have done grt-at damage to the fortifications. It is said that couriers have brought intelligence to the French and English Missions in Stockholm, that the fortifications have been destroyed, and that troops were being landed at the time they left the scene of action.

The Russian? answer to the remonstrance of the German powers has been published at Berlin. It is as follows :—: —

1. Russia approves and accepts the common protectorate assumed by the Four Powers over the Christian subjects of the Porte, %. Russia binds herself to the evacuation of the Turkish territory, if the Engliili and French also go out, and the Austnans do not go in. _

3. On statcgical grounds Russia must necessarily retain the line of'the Sereth. 4. Russia is willing to enter into negotiations for peace? if security is gi*en her that no prejudice will accrue to her thereby'

5. Further concessions arc not to be expected of Russia. The Prince of Montenegro lia9 at length come to his senses in spite of Russian intrigues and his promise to declare waagainst Turkey, Prince Daniel has considered it advisable to mako his peace with this Government, and has sent a most reapeclful despatch, in which he says Montenegro will remain neutral, and carefully avoid anything which would give offence to Austria.

The policy of making an attempt upon Cronstadt was under discussion in the Cabinet Council. At the Council held on the ]st July, a request was submitled for per mission to allow Sir C. Napier with the fleet under his command, to attack Cronstadt. Sir J. Graham, with the Duke of Newcastle, attended a privy council, on the 3rd to consider the same application ; and although the lesult has not transpired, the piompt embaikation of the Trench troops, under co distinguished an officer as General Baraguay d'lhlliers, and the despatch of Brigadier Jones, and a company of Royal Sappers and Miners, from Chatham, leave little doubt as to the answer sent to the galJant Admiral in command of the Baltic Fleet. The Dauntless, screw steam frigate, which brought the application, is now on its way back with the answer.

Orders have been rrceived at Boulogne, and other ports in the channel, for the embarkation of 10,000 troops for the Baltic. The attempt to negotiate a Russian loan^ has failed,