—as soon as intelligence is received that the Court of
St. Petersburg has acquiesced in these decisions. In
consequence of the many and various relations existing
between Turkey and the European states, the Sublime
Porte considers itself in every respect entitled to be
admitted as a member of the European federation, and,
conformably with this situation it will be requisite to
confirm and complete the treaty of 1841, and this result
it awaits with entire confidence in the good offices and
solicitude of the great powers. Forty days ought to
suffice to make known the decision of the Russian
cabinet, and the Sublime Porte solicits its august allies
to direct their attention to that object. Finally, with a
view of ensuring to all classes of his subjects the blessings
of justice and security, his Majesty the Sultan is most
anxious to see in full vigour the enactments of the
Tanzimat—and to introduce into all departments of
state the requisite reforms and ameliorations—and to
this end, has deigned to issue orders for considering and
completing that most important object. This circumstance
I feel most happy to announce, and it will afford,
no doubt, the highest satisfaction to the friends and
well-wishers of the Ottoman empire.

(Signed) "MUSTAPHA RESCHID."

A letter from St. Petersburg, in the Cologne Gazette,
dated the 18th inst., gives the following account of the
state of public feeling in that capital:—"Drunk as the
lower classes of the people are here with victory, the
unexpectedly obstinate resistance of the Turks, and the
gallantry they have displayed in battle, have produced
a feeling of discouragement in the higher and highest
circles; that feeling has increased since the fleets of
France and England now render the sending of troops to
the Turkish coast of Asia Minor impossible. The
Emperor himself is so enraged against those who urged
him on to quarrel with Turkey, those who by
misrepresenting the national feeling of the Principalities and of
the Christian population in Turkey persuaded him that
a general insurrection of the Rayahs would follow close
upon the appearance of Russian troops at the Danube,
that an attack of apoplexy has been several times
apprehended. The danger of such an attack is increased
by the fact that the Czar is compelled by the force of
circumstances to conceal his indignation against those
whom he would now much rather send off to Siberia
than tolerate near his person. Not a single ally he can
depend upon is on his side; he runs the risk, by a
protracted war, of taxing the powers of a thinly-peopled
country too far—of invading the reserve funds—of
laying his hands upon the capitals of credit institutions
—and this for objects the attainment of which is after
all hardly possible. These, then, are the reasons why the
threatened declaration of war did not follow the entrance
of the combined fleets, and why in its stead Kisseleff
and Brunnow have been instructed to demand a written
declaration from the French and English governments
respecting the means they intend employing for
preventing a collision between the Turkish and Russian
naval forces, as likewise a blockade of the Turkish
ports. The ambassadors are, for the rest, instructed to
demand their passports only in case impediments should
be offered to the free passage of Russian ships from one
port to another in their own dominions. In addition to
this, I hear also that the Austrian cabinet is advised of
Count Orloff's intended arrival in Vienna on a
confidential mission of the Czar's, and that from there he
will repair to Berlin, Paris, and London. This intended
mission is conjectured to have for its object the
settlement of the Oriental question in a peaceable manner
with the Four Powers. From an authentic source
I have been given to understand that an answer from
here has not yet been sent to the proposals forwarded
from Vienna, and which were made by the Porte for
opening negociations of peace. No answer will, in fact,
be sent, until the question of war between the Czar and
the Western Powers shall have first been disposed of."

The nobility of the Chimbiric government have sent
43,000 silver roubles to purchase 500 horses for the army
in the field. The Czar wrote upon the cover of the
written document containing the bequest, the words
"extremely thankful." The nobles of the Tambow
government have sent 500 artillery pack-horses as a
present to the throne, receiving in return the royal
thanks. The Vice-Admiral and Commandant of the
war port Sebastopol, Staniew Kovitsch, has received
the order of the white eagle. The Court Gazette, amidst
other matter, publishes a letter from Dresden, where
the Russians who are staying there had kept the
Emperor's name-day with great pomp at the Saxe
hotel. During the banquet toasts were drunk to the
Czar, the victories of Russian arms, to the army and the
fleet. "God preserve the Czar" was sung; and lastly,
there was a vivat for the King of Saxony and the absent
Russian envoy.

Extensive warlike preparations are making in the
various ports of France. A letter from St. Malo says:—
"An order has arrived to make a levy of all the seamen
of from twenty to forty years of age, who have not
passed through four years of service. The only
exception to this measure is to be such men as have been
dismissed from the service within the space of a year."
The extraordinary levy of sailors has produced a
considerable sensation among the maritime population. A
letter from St. Valery-sur-Somme, in the Courrier du
Havre, says:—"The levy of sailors of from twenty to
forty years of age, who have not served four years, has
commenced here. This measure has spread consternation
among the boatmen who carry goods from St. Valery
into the interior." A letter from Toulon says:—"If
we may judge from the fitting out of the Vauban, the
Cacique, and some other steam-frigates, we are arriving
at a new phase in the Eastern question, and the arrival
of the aide-de-camp of the Minister of Marine is a proof
that rigorous measures are to be resorted to. The
storehouses of the arsenal are supplied with the necessary
stores for sending 40,000 men if required, and that
force could be assembled in a month; 20,000 men can
be quartered at Pignans, Cuers, La Vallette, Solliès,
and Hyères, and an equal number between Avignon,
Lambesq, Orgon, Aix, and Marseilles, so that by
embarking them simultaneously at Marseilles and at this
port, an expedition of 40,000 men could be very soon at
sea." At Brest the armament of four ships and six
frigates is being actively carried on, while at Cherbourg
a levy of 300 shipwrights has been ordered for the
completion of the Tilsit, which, it is expected, will put to
sea on the 1st of April.

The trial of the Opera Comique and Hippodrome
conspirators closed on the 16th inst. The court over-
ruled an objection taken in the course of the argument,
that, with regard to those prisoners who had been tried
on the graver charge some time since, the present
prosecution was a second trial for the same offence. Only
four of the prisoners were acquitted. The remainder,
thirty-six in number, were found guilty of belonging to
a secret society. No sentence was passed upon those
who are already condemned to transportation. Of the
remainder, five, viz., Bratiano the Wallachian, Furet,
Watteau, François, and Alavoiné, were found to be the
founders of the society, and were sentenced to three
years' imprisonment, with fines of 500f. each. The
others were sentenced to a year's imprisonment, with
100f. fine. All of them are besides deprived of civic
rights for five years.

The Queen of Spain's accouchement took place on the
5th inst. The child, a daughter, died on the 8th.

The Austrian finances are stated to be in a very
embarrassed condition. It appears that the budget
for 1854 will show a deficit of 45,000,000 florins
(£4,500,000) on the ordinary service, and 50,000,000
florins (£5,000,000) on the extraordinary; a result
which fully accounts for the refusal of the eminent
bankers at home and abroad to enter on a contract for a
new loan with the Austrian government.

The Reverend John Cook Richmond, a citizen of
the United States, duly furnished with passports,
travelling in Hungary, has been outraged by the
Austrian authorities. He was forced to leave
Kecskemet, on the 28th December; and in the night, while
resting at Felegyhaza, his room was rudely entered by
soldiers, who broke the door down and threatened to
shoot him dead if he did not instantly rise. He showed