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LONDON CORRESPONDENCE.

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SOMETHING LIKE A FOSSIL.

THE EXPERIENCE OF A TICKET-OF-LEAYE…

MILITARY DIVORCE CASE.

THE GREAT FIRE AT BRUGES.

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ATTEMPT TO SjdOOT fHEfMASTER…

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1-,..... WILLS AND BEQUESTS.

THE KAFFIR WAR.,;; --,ARBIVAL…

THE NEW POPE. .

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THE EASTERN QUESTION. |I

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THE EASTERN QUESTION. | THE HOPES OF THE HELLENES. An Athens correspondent says: Great hopes are now placed in the success of the insurrection in Thessaly, Epirus, and Crete, and the feeling is pin- ing ground that rather than submit to the inevitable consequences of the new .situation, if unaltered, Greece should assert the rights of Hellenism, even by again sending her army over the bor jer. The army is now increased by the second class «f army is now increased by the second class «f reserves, and, besides, many battalions of rifle volunteers are forming. The insurrection having! now spread all over Thessaly, where the Turks have retired into the fortresses, while Epirus and Crete are rapidly rising, being already under the rule of an insurrectional Government, it is believed that the Greek population, aided by the Hellenic army, will be able to cope in those provinces, even single-handed, against Turkey. THE RUSSIANS AT STEPANO. The Grand Duke Nicholas arrived at Sbefano on the morning of the 24th with the Sultan's consent. He was received at the railway station by the Greek I clergy and Raouf and Mehemed All Pashas. The Preobraschensky Regiment and a detachment of Cossacks, under General Schukoff, together with a special company of troops, escorting the Grand Duke, entered the place, which was evacuated by the Turks. THE AUSTRIAN VOTE OF CREDIT. Tbe Times Vienna correspondent, under date Feb. 2ocb, says: In thn Cabinet Council held under the presidency of bis Majesty, and in which, besides the three common Ministers, the Austrian and Hungarian Ministers took part, the question of whether a vote of credit should be asked from the delegations was dtéided in the affirmative. The decision, how- ever, was merely <»ne of principle, the "exact form of the credit to be demanded and other parti- culars having been reserved for subsequent agree- ment. Previous to the meeting of the delega- tions, which is fixed for the 7th of next month, another Cabinet Council is to come to a final resolu- tion on these points. As regards the form, the present inclination seems to be to follow tbe Eng- lish precedent, and make the demand general without specifying mobilisation or any other I measure as its object. The money is to be granted to enable .the Government to take those measures which may beeome necessary to guard against surprises, which, in view of the precarious position of things, seem by no means out of the question. A*'to the sum, a credit of 60,000.000fl., or about £ 6.000.000 sterling, seems to be • contemplated but, as before said, the final decision of these points has been deferred. This delays as well as the circum- atancetbat the meeting of the delegations has only been axed. for a fortnight henctf,1fould seem to indi- cate that the precise sum and the particular form of demanding it will be made dependent on the future turn of events in the East, not less than on the result of the pourparlers both with the Powers and with Russia, especially as to the Conference and all the questions connected therewith. DISARMAMENT IN BOSNIA. With, the view of re-establishing peace in Bosnia, the Porte has ordered a general disarmament both of the Mahomedans and Christians in that province—a measure which, if carried out, might be successful in its object and even induce a return of the refugees from Austria and Servia. The Beys there, however, are not at all disposed to comply with this order, It as having been instigated by Ottoman Effendis from a desire to encroach upon their privileges and reduce them to a level with the Mahomedan landowners in other parts of the Turkish Bmpirea AT GALLIPOLI—SETTLING THE NEUTRAL ZONE. A correspondent at Gallipoli, dating Feb. 25th, says A meeting was arranged to dAY between Sabit Pasha, commanding here in place of Suleiman, and a Russian officer at Examili, eight miles beyond the mu tT ,e8» fco settle the limits of the neutral zone. T^Russmns having advanced some fourteen miles on this side of Charkoi, the limit prescribed by the armistice, alarmed the population. Five kilometres will now divide the outposts of either army. Since Sabit took command the defence works have been strengthened and improved, and a chaussie parallel to the lines made from sea to sea. A strong occupies the lines. The health of the camp is good, but small-pox rages among the refugees in the town, numbering ôOO. The Agincourt, Hotspur, and Oygnet are here, Admiral Oommerell in command. The Swiftsure is in the Gulf of Xeros. THE SURRENDER OF WlDlN. The surrender of Widin, a telegram from Bucharest stateq, has, been settled between the Roumanian com- mander and the Turkish general. The Ottomans marched out with arms and baggage before the ,Koum»nian army, which then entered the fortress, The town has liIuffèred much from the bombardment. The Christian and Roumanian inhabitants, number- *u!?itive8 from Plevna and the environs or "idin, not fewer than 70,000, gave the victors an enthusiastic reception. A few days before the armistice was concluded a deputation of leading inhabitants begged the Governor to out a Btop to use- less conflict. THE POLITICAL BAROMETER AT ST. TV, TV a PETERSBURG, The Times St. Petersburg correspondent, writing on the 25th ult., says: Tiie political barometer is rising to-day. Some people who habitually take a very gloomy view of the situation speak confidently about the prospect of an amicable arrangement witti England. With regard to the British fleet in Turkish waters, the modus vivendi announced by Lord Derby is considered satisfactory, though it is strongly con- demned by many outside the official world. In official circles it is maintained that the agreement does not at all affect the principles announced Prince Gort- cnaKoffin his despatches concerning an eventual occupation of Constantinople but I have reason to believe that for the present there is no intention of sending troops into the Ottoman capital. Apart from political considerations, it is thought that for sanitary and other reasons it is better that the troops should remain outside the city. THE INSURRECTION IN THESSALY. *Zr\tim>S ^rrespondent, dating Surpi, Feb. 28, says, -lne engagement here on Monday was brought on by an attempt on the part of the Turks to surprise and capture a body of Greek infantry 4000 strong, witn a battery of field artillery under the command of Skander Pasha, a Hungarian, who marched at mid- night and surprised the van, numbering about 400, rpvl Lw ?8 and Basdeki, west of Macrinitza. ? r »t six in the morning, and was watched from the houses of Volo till five in the even- ..Turkish volleys and the deliberate fire • ^^rgente being heard without inter- mission. The position of the insurgentl/ pdsted be- • 'i? 1!ocfJ on the side of a steep mountain, was much in eir favour, the Ottomans being massed together 1 u lmea- The insurgents held the enemy in fvfj? ^Lfour' *nd then broke through and took up potion ab the Monastery of Si EUfes, from berore whiehiihe Turks Anally retired. The guns of thè castle and of » man-of-war supported the Turkish • cen"nander of an Italian despatch boat bour remonstrated, and telegraphed to Balomcafor an ironclad, which arrived next day. curing the action wo.nen and children supplied the msiu-gents with cartridges and food. cult to give precisely the Turkish losses, especially as the wounded were concealed and are being only gradually brought in, but it in stated by men m the Turkiah service at more than 600. The lMUJlMtilfHt Sixteen killed and eighteen wounded. Of ten naif-naked bodies which were brought in on mu es, nine were shockingly mutilated, one being that of an Italian. Skander Pasha telegraphed to the Oommandant of Larissa that they had gained a vic- tory but witb great loss. The courage and steadiness of the insurgents are admired by the Turka. Taxea r?>en levied on the villages of Macrinitza, and flour 18 of which are now allowed to buy corn and dour. rp. T. PEACE CONDITIONS. 0/),, e ltrn*s Vienna correspondent, under date Feb. 24th, says: The news from Constantinople still re- presents the position of things as uncertain and rather critMai. Several versions reach us about the peace conditiona. confirming the statement that Bulgaria is to be of much larger extent than Drojectedby the Con- ferenoe, reachuur even down to Salonica. The report that the Russians had demanded part of the Turkish ironclad fleet, which has always been suspected, is likewise confirmed. The cession of the vessels would form part payment of the war indemnity. The Sultan il 880Id to be more averse from granting this part of the Russian demand than any other/which seems natural enough, as its concession would involve the disarmament of Turkey by sea as she has been dis- armed on land—a matter of all the greater import- ance now, when, by the organisation of Bulgaria, communication by land with the remaining Western K r°^?CeS A -European Turkey will be almost barred. Another report as to the cession of a naval sration to Russia comes back again persistently, only the accounts vary as to where that station is demanded. According to one version, it is in the Sea of Marmora, another makes it somewhere on theBosphorns, while a third has it that the Bay of BMKOB, opposite Therapia, would be ceded for Russian purposes. The war indemnity is stated to be five milliards of francs, of which one milliard would have to be paid at once by a loan to be guaranteed by the revenue of the new Principality of Bulgaria. The Roumanians, Servians, and Montenegrins are to parti- cipate in this war indemnity, irrespective of the terri 1 torial aggrandisement they are to receive. The cession of Armenia is mentioned among the peace conditions, but it does not seem clear whether this is to be reckoned under the head of war indemnity. MORE DESPATCHES. Further official despatches respecting the affairs of Turkey have been laid before Parliament. On the 18th Prince Gortschakoff informed Lord Derby that the Russian Government maintained its promise not to occupy Gallipoli nor to enter the lines of Boulair, and that it expected in return that no English troops would be landed on the Asiatic or European coast. This engagement was entered into, the British Go- vernment at the same time stating that it was pre- pared to extend the engagement to the Asiatic side of the Straits upon receiving an assurance from the Russian Government that it also would not occupy that side of the Straits. The assurance was given on the 21st. ALLEGED SECRET TREATY. The Pera correspondent of the Times says: Facts tend to show that the Turkish policy had become dis- tinctly Russian, and to justify the strong suspicion, amounting in many minds to conviction, that there exists between Russia and Turkey a secret treaty which M. Onou, now at Constantinople, is charged to nego- tiate. The Turks, no doubt, embraced Russian policy from no love of Russia, but because, embittered acd disappointed by the desertion of the European Powers, especially England, they had no alternative. They were, further, astute enough to see that it, gave them their best chance of embroiling the Powers with their enemy, but whatever they may say to English- men about their willingness to join England against Russia, and whatever hints they may throw out about their readiness even to defend the lines at Constanti- nople, they cannot be depended upon, even though they may not be deliberately insincere. If they did not actually join with Russia, they would at least refuse to fight against her, partly from a natural weariness of the war party, partly from a national tendency to submit when overthrown. Hence those Englishmen who are endeavouring to bring about a rupture of tbe negotiations are playing a dangerous game for England, un- less they can count upon Austria, as to the policy of which country they have not here in Con- stantinople any trustworthy information. Between Hungarians and Slavs at home, and between philo- Turks and pLilo-Russians here, Count Zichy is in much the same embarrassing position as the Turks, between the English fleet and the Russian army. He therefore oscillates so much from one side to the other that each claims him for its ova. His philo-Turk friends declare most positively on his own authority that Austria will go to war rather than consent to the Russian conditions, while his philo-Russian friends declare no. less positively, also on his authority, that Austria is, still ia Record with Russia and Germany, and has ho serious intention of fighting fta Turkey. TURKISH PRISONERS IN SERVIA. The English and Prussian Consuls-General with their wives visited the Servian fortress, when the two ladies distributed a large quantity of tobacco among the Turkish prisoners, who appeared to be in good spirits. They are for the future to be sup- plied with the same rations as the Servian soldiers. Among them are Nizams, from Asia Minor, Roumelia, Bosnia, and Albania. There are also Ponaks — i.e., Bulgarians long ago converted to Islamism—who, speaking the language of their race among themselves, are only able to mutter their prayers in Turkish. The officers have separate rooms. A bimbashi (a major) is even allowed apartments to himself. A Servian officer accompanied the visitors through all the rooms and a dragoman was present to interpret between them and the pri- soners. The latter are allowed to write to their rela- tives, and the Servian Post-office transmits their correspondence gratis. They are nearly all fine-looking men. WHAT RUSSIANS AND TURKS SAY ABOUT ENGLAND. An Adrianople correspondent says: There is now a sincere desire for peace, and most officers with whom I have conversed deem the war over. At the same time, the general remark is that everything depends upon England. Russians and Turks alike express their inability to understand the policy of the English Government. One of the latter nation compared it to. a conjuror's card trick, whenfr with apparently one card only in the hand, he manages to show, to two or more persons a card which each has previously selected; "and so," he added, "we wanted and believed in English assistance, and the Russians believed they saw no intention to inter- fere, but it was all deception." I overheard some Russian officers at a restaurant discussing the position of affairs and the probability of English interference. One of them remarked, We crossed the Pruth and the Danube, and England waa silent; we took Plevna andatill England spoke not; we. crossed the Balkans and victory succeeded victory, yet England remained taciturn. Now, therefore, when we have finished, and Turkey is completely defeated, why should she speak?" General IgnatieS assured me that the question of the Dardanelles would not be raised by him, but ia to be reserved for settlement by the European Powers. THE POLITICAL SITUATION AND THE CONFERENCE. The Times says Lord Beaconsfield, in the House of Lords, expressed with moderate confidence a hope that the termination of the terrible caiamities-of the war was at hand, or might be contemplated at least with a probability of its occurrence." It seems to be agreed that the place of-meeting of the Conference is to bÐ Baden, and, but for the dilatory plea said to be put forward by a Power alluded to, but not mentioned by Lord Derby, the Con- ference might be opened early in next month. If no unreasonable delay is interposed, the exact time of tiieeting i. a matter of comparative indifference, pro- vided that no attempt is made in the meanwhile, on the principle of beati possidentes, significantly empha- sised by Prince Bismarck, to withdraw from the cog- nisance and control of the Conference matters which must necessarily be referred to it. In this connexion it is not without significance, though the coincidence was doubtless accidental, that Lord Derby's exposition of the present situation was immediately followed by the second reading, on the motion of Lord Beaconsfield, of the bills based on the vote of credit lately passed by the House of Commons. Whatever the original purpose of that vote in the mind of those who were responsible for it, whatever the objections of those who originally opposed it, the country is now agreed that, as circumstances stand at present, the Govern- ment is entitled to all the strength and support which can legitimately be derived from it. Lord Beaconsneld's exposition of the purpose of the Go- vernment last night was, as Lord Granviilesaid, calm; and temperate. A Conference is about to meet; it i must have one of two alternatives issues—that is, it must end in a prolongation, and, therefore, probably in an extension of the war, or, as all Europe hopes, and no Power more fervently and sincerely than England, in a durable peace. Oh either caM every Power interested will have deli- cate questions to deal with and complicated in- terests to adjust, and will need to speak not only with all its legitimate influence, but with no hesitation as to the purpose of the people it represents. The country is now united in a far more real sense than, as wenow know, the Cabinet was united when Parliament met. It will support the Government in its policy all the more firmly because that policy has been declared and is fully understood.

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'''"JS PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

A MODERN MIRACLE. I

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