Alexandria Gazette

Americans in Russia.

"American genius," says a late letter from Russia, "rules the hour at St. Petersburg A legion of accepted war inventions are under careful trial in the way of experiments besides an infinite number that have been declined as impracticable or unsuited to the present exigencies. The experiments are conducted with the silent thoroughness of Russian tactics, yet it is known that two, if not three, motive powers of Yankee origin are in course of scientific test and comparison. One who ought to know, tells me that some hundred thousand dollars are being expended in trying their application to coast defences. A gigantic rocket (or rocket and shell combined) has occupied the attention of the engineers for the last five weeks. and after no less than seventeen failures, has come out so successful, that a foundry or workshop is to be built immediately for constructing these terrible missiles--the like of which, a scientific officer assures me. has never traversed the air. This is a combination of a late French with a new Yankee invention. The most striking of all the plans for next summer's work is purely Yankee. and novel in all its features. though what they exactly are, is locked in the unrevealing breast of the Emperor and his sworn officers. -I only know that it is a submarine battery for coast defence, and that all the officers here believe it will easily and infallibly destroy every hostile armament that dares to approach their harbors.'