RUSSIAN PREPARATIONS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 593, 1 February 1871, Page 3

RUSSIAN PREPARATIONS.

[Pali Mall Gazette.] A correspondent, who is intimately acquainted with Buasia, writes to us as follows : — Since August last the Russian Government have been busy buying up steamers at S. t. Petersburg, and these of a suitable description to be used as Black Sea transports. Troora in large numbers have been moved down to the south, to such an extent that some of the Moscow papers called attention to the fact J>y publishing something like the following : — " Every day five trains of troops are leaving for the south, and the ordinary passenger traffic is interfered with." This was followed by a contradiction from the railway company of the following jesu-

itical description : — " The newspapers i are informing the public that large quantities of troops are daily being sent southwards, and that the regular passenger traffic is being interfered with ; this is not true : the passenger traffic is conducted as usual." They did not deny, however, that the troops were being" sent. When I was last visiting the gun manufactory at Perm I found it very busy casting steel cannon. Asking for their various destinations, I found them to be Kertch and other places on the Black Sea. The monster gun made there, which perhaps few people have heard about, was also destined for the Black Sea. When in St. Petersburg in August, I received a letter from Moscow in which was the following: — "All the people here are talking of Russia's intention to break the Treaty of 1856 ; great preparations for war are being made, and all the railways are busy making ammunition and ambulance waggons," &c. And upon going to Moscow I found this was the truth. How did the United States pay Russia for the purchase of her American pos- ; sessions ? If lam not misinformed, a large proportion of the sum went to pay for ships of war ordered in America ; and are not these vessels at this moment in the Black Sea ? The Russian army is at the moment worth nothing for fighting, and poorly armed, but they have some war ships that will astonish us; and so great was their desire to get the best arm posBible for their infantry, that, having invited every nationality to exhibit their guns, St. Petersburg became so full of these patentees that, when enquiring of the porter of the house, " Who is that gentleman ? " the answer was, " Oh, one of those men with a gun !"

Postages is Fbancb. — A correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says : — " On and after the Ist of November, the French postage stamp bearing the Emperor's head will no longer be accepted at the post offices in any part of France. From that dato we ar» to haTO new stamps, on which will be a figure of the Republic, with the old legend of 'Libery, Equality, and Fraternity," engraved beneath. Even as it is, postal stamps are difficult to be had here, and my demand for ten francs worth to-day at the General Post-office produced almost a panic amongst the employees. With an average Frenchman, writing a letter is an unusual and solemn event, in which the use of a stamp of more than five or ten centimes ia almost unheard of. As to employing, as newspaper correspondents must do with their heavy letters, three, four or five stamps of thirty centimes each, they look upon it as the act of a maniac, or an Englishman — which in the provincss are almost synonymous terms. Nbwb raosi Nancy. — A special correspon- | dent of the Daily Telegraph, passing through Nancy on the 6th October, writes : " The only news I have been told by officials here is that Mayor returned this afternoon from Epinal, whither he had gone the day before to try and come to terms with the chief of the Franca-tireurs who killed the two Prussian gendarmes at Flavigny and Versailles, and captured six more alive. At you know, the two mayors of these villages were taken prisoners, and it was intended to shoot them today. The M*yor of Nancy has been successful to fur that the prisoners will be restored, and the two mayors consequently will escape death. Meanwhile the houses in which the murders took place have been razed to the ground. Three eminent engineers, of waterwork speciality, have arrived from Uorinanj to set the great Rhine-Marne Canal, which the French had blocked up to the detriment of their own trade, going again. The taxation here has been regulated equitably, the Germans keeping up all tho local institutions, such as lunatic asylums, schools, refuges, &0., out of the rates. Tribunals of justice hare been established for criminal and civil cases. The French administration were invited to continue their functions at their former salaries, but declined to act because the German authorities required them to head their acts "In the name of the law," while they insisted on the formula, " In the name of the French people." The fact is that people here, official and non-official, are out-and-out Frondeurs. Their worst feature is, that, while they hitherto hare been thoroughly for Napoleon, they can now find no words severe enough to revile him— particularly the high officials, all of whom, however, continue steadfastly to wear the decorations they received from him. One of the traits in the French which the Germans despise most is thoir foul-mouthed ingratitude towards the ex-Emperor." Maravilla Cocoa.— For Breakfast.— The Globe Biiys "Various importers and manufacturers have attempted to attain a reputation for their prepared Cocoas, but wo doubt whether any thorough success had been achieved until Messrs Taylor Brothers discovered the extraordinary qualities of ' Maravilla ' Cocoa. 'Adapting their perfect system of preparation to this finest of all species of tho Theobroma, they have produced i an article which supersedes every other Cocoa in the market. Entire solubility, a delicate aroma, and a rare concentration of the purest elements of nutrition, distinguish tho Maravilla Cocoa above all others. For homooopatliß and invalids we could not recommend a more agreeable or valuable beverage." Sold in packets only by all Grocers, of whom also may be had Taylor Brothers' Original Homoeopathic Cocoa and Soluble Chocolate. Steam Mills — Brick Lane, London. — Advt.