The Express. — London, England, 1847-12-28 00:00:00

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Tan Dre—Denia. mls. Ant . ANAANAA MN IL TA-111. yew —IILANO.O ff WA ma . APAITOM If NM. pot 7. LONDON, TUESDAY, DEC. 28. wg cannot agree with Lord ELLESMERE, that a man of acute mind and great experience, like Mr. COBDEN, after having spent a twelvemonth in visit ing all the countries of Europe, and conversing with all the eminent men of those countries, does not know more of the disposition of foreign nations to attack us, than his loidship may know of a new mordant for calicoes. Instead of thus setting down Mr. COBDEN'S testimony as utterly worthless and irrelevant, we should, on the contrary, lay very great weight upon it; and his telling us that permanently peaceful and mutually lucrative relations can be ex tended between ns and our supposed foes ; nay, that they are extending, certainly does go a great way in allaying what appears to be a most unfounded panic. Lord ELLESMERE considers Mr. Ploou a greater authority than Mr. CosnaN there is no accounting for tastes. Instead of laying stress on Mr. COBDEN, Lord ELLESMERE appears to pay much attention to those foretgu vapourers, who, like similar personages amongst ourselves, merely , talk for the talking' sake. Listen to many Englishmen in society, and even in the columns of our respectable journals, when holding forth on the subject of Ame rica and Brother JONATHAN; and an inexperienced listener could not fail to suppose that JOHN BULL'S first propensity and intention was to go to war with the Yankees, and eat them, or at least, sweep them as pestilent and noxious animals from the face of the earth. Yet JOHN BULL has no such design ; and the Americans that would take fright and offence at these bursts of individual and ignorant spleen on the part of Englishmen, would be as green as Lord ELLESMERE, when frightened at the threat of the French emigrant, who could not possibly think of being friends with the English, until he had beaten them in a grande bettailk. _ . . Neither France nor England are governed by these rhodomontaders and street politicians ; the dominant and intelligent classes and persons in both countries have an equal horror of war—the English statesmen for financial reasons—the French statesmen, not merely for financial ones, bat for others infinitely more powerful and more incalculable. As the polities of Europe s c are at present mar shalled, we see France united with the weakest and most despotic power in it, viz., Austria, and for the avowed purpose of crushing the civil and religious liberties of Europe. Against this holy alliance England raises her protest and her pacific standard. All Germany is aiding with Eng land, whilst Russia is far from joining cordially with the new ultra-catholic crusaders. With even absolute courts thus wavering, England in her present policy has the liberals of all European coun tries with her—these of Italy, of Spam, and, we should say, of even France itself. Should the French government, therefore, persist in following up hostility to England on the present basis of the Guizor policy, the military and naval force of France should be accounted as nothing. It is so wrongly, so feebly, so anomalously placed, that its reviving hostility would be calculated to excite pity and con tempt, not fear. Mr. COBDEN is so far right, that if we avoid awakening any really discordant interest or passion between the English and French nations, we may defy the government or courts of either country to set us at variance. There never, therefore, appeared to tie a time when fears of French invasion were more groundless and more uncalled for. Still, we are far from denying that it would be most desirable to leave England in such a state and provided with sue,h capabilities of defence, as to deter foreign countries in mad moments from ta king rash resolutions. We do not however see any proposition made fur attaining this end, which wears the garb of feasibility or common sense. The plan of Sir JOHN BURGOYNE, developed by him in that jiamphlet, privately circulated, which contained the Duke of WELLINGTON'S letter, insisted on having three fortified ports, Plymouth, Ports mouth, ani Dover, with at least 10,000 men in each, so as with railroad communication to bring 30,000 men together to oppose an invading force. Ai the present state of our army does not admit the muster of even 6,000 men for any such purpose, of course there must thus be 25,000 or 30,000 men added to the army. Now, we begin by saying that this is absolutely impossible. The people of this country are taxed to the very limit of what they will bear in peaceful times—nay, beyond the limit. And uto raising taxes to pay 30,000 more men to meet such ima ginary danger as Lord ELLESMERE conjures up, we can only say that the hopes of parliament voting anv such sum are quite as vain as the fears of the French. They are mere moonshine, the one and the other. As to the fortification of our great naval depots, no one will grudge the sums requisite, although it appears to us absurd to erect fortifications, such as those around Portsmouth, which would require 60,000 men to man. As to Plymouth, we believe the money spent on it has been utterly thrown away, from the total want of either skill or common attention in the outlay. The money bad better have been in JOHN Boot's pocket, than been lavished on military jobs. Some increase in the scientific corps we believe requisite ; but as to an increase of the regular army, or a calling forth of the militia, or any expenditure in obedience to a senselem panic, we do think it a most egregious folly—a crying out of wolf when no wolf is near, and wasting the energies and vigilance of the country, for better reserved in their freshness for the crisis when it may come. The only plan for increasing the defensive capa bilities of our time must be one that does not entail expenditure, and which calls on the population to practice and prepare their own arms for their own protection. This most be done in the colonies, as well as at home. One necessary concomitant of such military dependence on the population is, certainly, the caring for that population, governing it on liberal and popular principles, looking to its material! welfare and content, as well as to its national educa tion, since we must look how the heads are stored, and the feelings affected, of those into whose hands we put arms. But we are brought perforce to this, being no longer able to pay for an army more mechanical and blind. There are a great many speeches, letters, and pamphlets on na tional defences. They all, however, set out with the mistaken supposition that England is what it was fifty years atro ; and that all it wants is a Priv, to get up a military excitement, with military loans and taxes. Bat that won't do. That game is played out Without quite another system, other ideas, other prin ciples, other means, politicians may as well hold their tongues about " national defence." MR. EDWARD BAINES is the most self-contented of controversialists. His trust is in figures. Nothing can be simpler than his method of determining the educational condition of a people or a district. Give him a sum total of inhabitants; a ditto of schools, with the numbers on their books, and he turns you out a fractional result, which represents, according to him, the state of education. If one county, A, have one in nine of its children at school, and another county, B, one in ten, Mr. BAINES is inexorable in the conclusion that A is better educated than B. He will not stand any refinements. It is idle to tall him that the children of B understand reasons as well as rules, those of A rules only ; that young Holm of B "is taught meanings ; " while young arras of A rests content with words. Away with 'soh quibbling. One-ninth of A's population ' ' only one-tenth of B's. Ergo, Ais a '.county than B. Fallacious as figures always are, their fallacy is no where more mischievous than in questions of education. I.uckily, there is no subject in connexion with which it is half so transparent It is, there fore, disheartening to finds, controversialist as intelli gent as Mr. E. Eames, contentedly leaning on this rotten stick—dealing the most desperate thwacks with this leaden sword, and violently disoontented with his adversaries, because they refuse to tumble down under blows which Mr. E. BAINES assures them are fatal. There are a certain set of painatakiag persons who keep up a continual correspondence with Lord JOHN RUSSELL, not through the usual channels of the penny or general post, but the columns of the morn ing newspapers. These epistles are characterised by the great length they run to and the little effect they produoe. The Lion of Judah is peculiarly constant in these serious e p istolary attention.. Mr. POULETT BCROPE and Mr. BERNAL OSBORNE kept np a very animated fire of such one-sided communication with Lord JOHN on Irish poor-laws and Irish relief. That mysterious correspondent " P." sends his lordship the contents of at least one mare's nest a week, through the same newspaper delivery. And lastly, Mr. E. BAINES has during the hat year taken to besieging the ear of the Premier with heavy batteries of educational newspaper artillery, charged to 'the muzzle with figures, which, in the hands of Mr. BAINES, are quite as " stubborn thins „ as facts can possibly be. There is ne escaping Mr. BAINES' statistics. They rain on you like the sugar-plums of an Italian carnival. You turn your head to escape the battery on the right, and receive the point-blank discharge of the battery on the left. So, after peppering us with the whole statistical small-shot of English educational blue-books, Mr. E. BAINES has mercilessly opened a heavy fire out of the reports of the Welsh commissioners, already noticed more than once in this journal. Mr. E. BAINES, as usual, scorns any other arm but figures. He proves, or declares that he proves, by these figures, the fol lowing conclusions : That since 1803, the number of day scholars in Wales has I increased from 21, 369, to 110,034 in 1846-7 that is from 1 in 26 of the population to 1 in 9. That mince 1818, the number of Sunday scholars has in creased from 24, 408, to 238, 740: that is from 1 in 28 of the population to 1 in 4. That the whole, or very nearly the whole of this astonish ing and perhaps unprecedented work of educational im provement, has been effected by the voluntary efforts of the people themselves. That one of the most striking features of the educational movement has been, the teal of the people for religious edu cation, and their determination that it shall be free from all dictation cn the part of the church or the aristocracy. That the Sunday schools are conducted with remarkable skill and effect, especially chow of the dissenters. That though nearly ode-half of the day-schools are main tained by churchmen, six-sevenths of the Sunday-schools are maintained by the diesenters; while probably nine-tenths of the people of Wales belong to the dissenting class. From these facta the following conclusions seem to Mr. E. BAINES irresistibly to flow; viz. : 1. That the Welsh are able to provide for their own education. _ . . 2. That they are doing it with the utmost rapidity. 3. That this education is far more valuable in all its moral and social effects, being thus provided by the people them selves, than if it had been provided by the government. 4. That, though no man who goes about with an open parse, begging men to accept his money, can fail to find re ceivers, yet there is every probability that government inter ference with education rn Wales would be rejected by the bulk of the people, who are decided nonconformists. 6. That if, under these circumstances, government aid to schools should be pressed on the Welsh, it will be justly be lieved that the real motive is a wish to counteract and un dermine dissenting principles, and to extend the dominion of the established church. . . . 6. That if government money should be given to church schools in Wales, while the majority of the people conscien iously reject it, that majority cannot fail to regard the act as a grow injustice. We have quoted Mr. E. BAINES'S summary of lead ing points, with the conclusions which seem to that gentleman to " flow irresistibly from them," in order that our readers may do for themselves what we cannot help them to do, namely, find out any logical connexion whatever between premise and inference. So far from making out any " irresistible" flow of the one from the other, we cannot at all discover the channel for causation to flow in. We do not see that the figures of Mr. Bsirixs' statistical summary supply any more proof of his practical conclusions than the number of subecribers to the Leeds Mercury of the abeolate wisdom of its editor. No mere statement of either the number or increase of their schools can possibly prove that the Welsh are able to provide for their own education. This goes to even Mr. E. BMNES'S statement of the in crease, which is proved by the reports of this year, as compared with the Kerry committee report of 1833. Bat the reports of 1833 are notoriously in complete, and not to be depended on as far even as they go. It is never an easy matter to get at trust worthy Welsh statistics. The race is prone to ex aggeratien, on any side which suits their easily heated prejudices. The reports of 1833 were compiled from returns furnished by overseen • and many smaller schools, especially private advent ure schools, were not included in them at all. On the other hand, the re turns of Messrs. SYMONS, LINGEN, and JOHNSON are the most complete that the strictest scrutiny could furnish. Nothing approaching to them in this particular has yet appeared in the depart ment of educationalinquiry. The means employed by Mr. SYMONS, and explained by that gentleman, in a letter in answer to Mr. E BAINES, published in another part of our paper, were such as to bring to light all schools, however insignificant, that could be found within his district. The other commissioners were equally minute and searching in their inquiries. Their returns give the numbers on the school-books, which may be stated as representing, on the average, one-third more than the real attendance, at the time of inspection. So that Mr. BAINES takes the returns of 1833, which give lees than the actual number of scholars on one side, and those of 1847, which give more than the actual number, on the other, and tri umphantly helps himself alone to his conclusion with these two erroneous premises. Bat, we repeat for the fiftieth time, statistics: are next to worthless in this inquiry. It is not on the number, but the nature, of schools that the education of a people depends. The question we want answered is not " hovri many Welsh schools are there," but " how many Welsh schools are there, and what is taught in them ?" Until quality is taken into account with quantity, we are not one step nearer to a know ledge of the state of education in Wales, though every dame's school have been scheduled, and not one broken-down day-labourer crams a dozen little Celts with unmeaning phrases from the English Bible, un chronicled in the official returns. We defy any unprejudiced person to read the re ports of MEWS. SYMONS, LINDEN, and JOEINSON (so undeservedly attacked by Mr. BAINES, as "unduly critical," and " wanting in justice, generosity, and considerateness"), without coming to condusione dia metrically opposed to the above quoted ones of Mr. R BAINES. We offer this defiance with the utmost con- I fidence. Bad as the education of English elementary schools may be, that of the Welsh day-schools is a caricature of it. The primary teaching of Merio- neth or Montgomery is a reduetio ad absurdum of that of Doreetahire or Essex. In the English day schools English children are taught to gabble over verses of the English Bible, and phrases of the Church Catechism, of which they understand as little as they can possibly understand. of any thing written in English. In the Welsh day-school, Welsh children are taught to gabble over verses of the English Bible, and phreace of the Church Catechism, of which they understand nothing whatever. The difference, per haps, is not very great. The glimmering of GILES SCROOOLNS is of very little more service to him, for purposes of life, than the utter darkness of Owert AP HEYS. What of intellectual life there is in Wales, is lighted and kept alive by her Sunday schools. In these the pupils are adults, and the language is Welsh. Their teaching fosters a mental activity among the Welsh waontry, of which no spark enlivens the Egyptian darkness of the Wiltshire or Dorset mind. It is true that this activity is kept up on food not par ticularly wholesome, on windy subtleties of Calvinistic dogmatic disputation, or exalted and morbid fana ticism, or Puritanic formality, to the exclusion of all training which has reference to life and its duties. But with all these drawbacks, the Sunday-school education of Wales is the only education in that country. We mean that it. is the only attempt to awaken the population to mental effort by the aid of teaching ; and this education, each as it is, is carried on in Welsh. Welsh education in En glish . is the most melancholy of the many mockeries which pa rade themselves very imposingly under the fallacious garb of Mr. E. BAINES'S beloved figures. WE by no means wish to anticipate the 4ndgment of the Court of Common Pleas on the liability of the Penineular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company as common carriers. If the company does not fall within that legal description, or if it shall be held that common carriers may refuse to convey passengers although they arc bound to accept goods consigned to them, the plaintiff in the action tried the other day at Guildhall will 1-se the fruits of the verdict; but no important public interest will be affected by the deci sion. We cannot doubt, however, that the more important doenine affirmed by the ruling of the Chief Justice, in " Bennett r. the Peninsular and Oriental Company," will, if questioned, be found as sound in law as it is consistent with true policy. It appears that in the course of last spring, at the time when the combined Mignelite and liberal forces were holding Oporto against the Queen's government, Mr. or Captain BENNETT, • known partisan of Don Moen, applied for a passage to Gibraltar by one of the company's ships then about to sail for the peninsular and Mediterranean ports. The company suspecting, whether justly or not does not appear, that Mr. Beserrr's real object was to undertake some Mignelite commission in Portugal;sent an agent expressly to Southampton to prevent him from em barking in their vessel. For this alleged breach of , their duty as common carriers, the action was brought. The issues raised by the pleadings were for the most part wholly irrelevant to the merits of the case. The special pleader, with that fertility of fancy which distinguishes his craft, set up a series of defences to the effect that the plaintiff had not applied for a pas sage, that he was not willing to pay for it, that the defendants did not refuse to convey him, and that there was no room in the vessel at the time. As all these allegations were proved, or admitted, at the trial to be utterly unfounded, we need not notice them far ther ; nor do we wish to discuss the more substantial plea which denied the common-law liability of the defendants as carriers. The real ground for the refusal to accept the plaintiff as a passenger was stated by the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, as counsel for this company, at the trial. Although in his address to the jury Sir J. JERVIS alleged that there were political reasons to justify the conduct of his clients, he would scarcely have attempted to rely on an argument so entirely unknown to the law, if there had not been a certain connexion between the company and the government, arising from the duty of carrying the mails, which is imposed upon it by its charter of incorporation. If the owners of the peninsular steam-packets are not common carriers, they may no doubt exercise an absolute discretion as to the passengers whom they convey or refuse. They may exclude tall men, or red-haired men, Spaniards, or Portuguese, and subject the Jew to a new dis ability, which would, we suppose, " christianise " their undertaking. If they have not such a discretion in all cases, they most take a Miguelite or a Spanish contrabandist on the same terms as if he was Mr. COBDEN, or the Bishop ofJERUSALEM. Nor can any contract with the government alter the duties of the company. It is not pretended that their officers hold the Queen's commission, or that the pendant flies at the mast-head of their ships. Their vessels are like mail-coaches on roads, or mail-trains on rail ways. They execute a special contract with the government, while they perform a general duty to the public. It is too much for a private association to claim the right of thrusting its fingers into the mess of foreign diplomacy on behalf of the English nation. If the Admiralty agent who takes charge of the mails on board the packets was to carry messages to persons obnoxious to a friendly government, there would be just ground of complaint ; but we really cannot undertake to close our public conveyances to all suspected emissariesof foreign rebels or pretenders. If it should appear that the company, not coming within the definition of common carriers, is at liberty to exercise a discretion as to the passengers whom it accepts or refuses, we still should think it right to complain, on behalf of the public, of its attempting to enforce any distinction on political grounds. We know of no right which the shareholders or directors possess to take cognisance of the respective merits of the different conflicting parties in Portugal, or any other foreign country. A moderado or an exalted°, a Cabralist or a Miguelite, has the same rights and constitutional standing in England. Helplessly as we are given up to the control of Downing-street in all matters of external poicy,we are not yet prepared to allow the packet-office at Southampton to represent English policy in the face of Europe. Foreigners can never understand the entire independence of govern ment which is possessed by our pablic bodies and commercial associations; and if they find that a well known and powerful company practically ..;den titles itself with a Portuguese party, they cannot be blamed if they attribute its con duct to the dictation of the English cabinet. The connexion of the Peninsular Company with the admi nistration of the Poet-office, would naturally strengthen the suspicion ; nor are we by any means satisfied that in the case of Captain Bensterr it would have been without foundation. We should be glad to know who suggested the spe cial interference of the packet agent with the supposed MIGUELITE. We can hardly 'oppose that the directors of the company are, more than the capitalists whom they represent, for the succession of the line of DON PEDRO, or for the maintenance of the charter. Their conduct, if not unaccountably officious, must have been suggested either by the Foreign office, or by the Portuguese Minister. In one case there might be some excuse for their readiness to support the go vernment policy ; but we know of no possible claim which: the minister of a foreign power can have to interfere with the free transit of an English subject, or of any passenger embarking at an English port. If the company acted in obedience to instructions from Dawning-street, we cannot but think that the interference with their ordinary course of business was a serious indiscretion. With a happy exemption from the detestable grievance of the passport system at home, we cannot reasonably be called upon to strengthen its efficacy, to supply its deficiencies in the countries where it prevails. It seems that the Por tuguese Consul-General had, by the instruction of his minister, refused Mr. BENNETT a passport. The Por tuguese government was therefore secured, as far as its own regulations could avail, against the intrusion of an unwelcome visitor. If Mr. Beexrrr could have landed in Portugal without a passport, the English government in interfering to stop his pas age was acting as a moet efficient police in the service of its ally. If, on the other hand, the passport was practi cally indispensable,there was no necessity forany addi tional precaution to exclude the supposed partisan of Doe Mmust. Every attempt to introduce a control over the free transit of passengers on the part of government ought to be as strenuously resisted when it is made in aid of a foreign power, as if there was an attempt to introduce it into our system of domestic policy. It is not the least evil of the attempt, whether made by a private company or at the dictation of the Foreign-office, to interfere with the political character of travellers, that a responsibility is incurred in all cases where the obnoxious function is neglected, as well as where it is exercised. If a political refugee or a suspected emissary is stopped in one case, any friendly power has a right to complain when a con spirator or an enemy is allowed to leave an English port without opposition. If we allow a Miguelite to be stopped to-day, we may be called upon to-morrow to detain a chartist or a progresista. Every act in aid of the government police of the continent will be an offence to a political party, and every refusal to interfere a breach of duty to an allied power. It is not a very dignified position for those who affect to interfere in the disputes of a foreign nation to find themselves unable to defend their conduct on any legal grounds. Not one of the pleas to the action of " Bennett v. the Peninsular Company" raised the defence of public policy on which the ATTORNEY. GENERAL professed to rely. If the attempt to enforce the passport-practice of Portugal was consistent with constitutional principle, it seems strange that it should not have been embodied in some allegation which would bear legal scrutiny. The right of re fusing a passenger on grounds of public policy is admitted on the face of the record to be non-existent as regards common carriers, unless a distinction can be established between the case of enger e and that of goods. Special pleaders are familiar with many subtle - distinctions, but even they cannot recognise the legal superiority of a Cabalist to a Miguelite. For the purpose of carrying oat the policy of the Quad ruple Treaty, or of the Foreign-office, they are com pelled to resort to pleas which raise questions on the law of bailment, or in defiance of the truth, to traverse the plain statements in the declaration of the pro eeedings as they occurred. We do not wish to complicate the question by con sidering the particular state of Portugal, and espe cially of Oporto, at the time in question. The ob jection to officious interference with foreign partisans would have been as strong if the Queen's party had L ibr alassted, THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 28, 1847. been indisputably iu the right, as when it was exer cised against a body of insurgents with whom a large portion of the English public felt a strong sympathy. The right and expediency . of interference by the English government in the intestine fends of foreign °pantries may involve many complicated considera tions ; but there can be no doubt as to the injustice and impolicy of petty and isolated attempts to support the police of a foreign government in its dealings with individuals. If the Peninsular Company acted on the suggestion of the Portuguese government it was un wa rantably officious ; if it acted at the dictation of Downing-street, it showed a weakoess, somewhat more excusable. It is also foreign to our immediate purpose to notice the absence of proof against Captain Emmert. It seems that he alleged that he was going to Gibraltar, an English subject to an English possession. There may, or there may not, have been good grounds to doubt his statement ; but there was no attempt, as there were no legal means, to disprove it. If the government possessed every right of interfering with foreign emissaries, it must possess some legal method of identifying them as such. Miguelitism may be come a legal disqualificatian in England; hut there must be some test of the new offence. Even a Jew cannot be excluded from parliament on the mere sus picion of Judaism. We hope it will be found that Englishmen may travel by public conveyances, at least till they are proved to sympathise with some foreign faction, which may for the moment be out of fc.vour in Downing-street. The Paris journal. of Sunday, with our usual cor respondence, have been received. They contain no French news of interest. The journals of Switzer land to the 23rd were received, but they presented nothing of prominent interest. The canton of Neuf chatel had tendered to the Vorort the fine of 300,000 f. Swiss, imposed on it by .he Diet; but only 121 f. being in specie, and the remainder in bills and notes of individual citizens of the canton of every class and condition, generally for small musk in some cases as low as 100 f., the tender was declined by the federal executive, and was generally regarded as an attempt at evading the decree. Sir Stratford Canning had given a grand dinner to the members of the Diet present in Berlin, and the members of the federal government, at which the Spanish minister was present. Private letters from Milan say that General Salim Soglio, Colonel Ellger, and his sons, late officers in the service of the Sonderbund, have been taken into the service of Austria. The Madrid mail of the 20th has arrived, that of the 21st being still due. All letters agree in de claring that the indications of a dissension between the cabinet and the moderado majority in the cham ber are becoming daily more evident, and that nothing is more probable than the resignation of General Narvaez and the succession of Senores Mon and Pidal to power. This would, as parties now exist, be a step towards the de facto reign of Queen ;Chris tina in the name of Queen Isabella. The moderados themselves, however, cause such statements to be contradicted by their agents. It is certain, never theless, that Narvaez is opposed to the impeachment of the late cabinets, at least in the form which the majority propose to give to that proceeding. The lettere which arrive daily from Italy continue to represent the kingdom of the Two Sicilies as being in a state of extraordinary fermentation. Petitions, signed by above 2,000 persons, were lately presented to the King, demanding the abolition of the present system of police and the liberty of the press. An other popular address had been secretly printed and circulated. A great popular demonstration wan speedily expected. A letter from Ferrara of the 16th appears in the Turin Gazette, to the following effect : At half-past four. p.m., the most eminent Cardinal Ciacehi returned from the beautiful heights of Pesaro. His return was unknown, it is true, but not altogether unexpected, for on his approach every heart throbbed with joy. As soon as his carriage appeared the surprise which the people first felt was changed into a cry of enthusiasm, and all endea voured to follow him and to be present on his alight ing to enter the palace assigned as his residence. ', He was then greeted with that enthusiasm which the multitude express so joyfully when they are moved, not by the insensate adulation of power, but by the view of every social virtue. And then the vivats, the kissing of his hands, the struggle to approach his person, formed a touching eight to him who delights in seeing the 'Wile and upright man, who has known the storms of life, endeavouring to hasten those destinies which are to restore liberty to his country. The crowd then dispersed, repaired to the places of public resort, entered the houses of private individuals to bring the glad tidings, to speak of his restored health, of his amiable 'land courteous manners, and to make known , above all things, that he had left his sweet and smiling retreat to come and attend to our interests and to our welfare; and in a few hours every window was illuminated, as if to prolong the happy day, while all hastened to procure musicians, and one and all ran to the palace, and broke upon the silence of the night by their cries of joy and by the band of music, which was stopped only by his own request. These popular demonstrations will be renewed to-morrow. But this is not all. It is true that his eminence brings us the glad tidings, the news we have so much desired, that the Austrians are to be withdrawn from our town and limited to the fortress, as on the 17th June. A letter from one of oar fellow-citizens, now in Rome, a wise man, and a warm patriot, which arrived yesterday, assures us that, at that instant, the order had arrived which commanded the withdrawing of the troops, as we have above stated, and that his eminence, the cardinal, was about to return to us. One of these two important things has proved true ; let us trust the other will be no less so. Letters from Rome, in addition to the information already given, that orders had been sent to Cardi nal Ciaechi to return to Ferrara, state that an order had been sent from the Austrian embassy, to General Radetaki, directing him forthwith to evacuate the City of Ferrara. Thu we may, at last, consider this as another fait accompli. AUSTRIA.—VIENNA.—INDIAN MAIL BT TRIESTE. —The first assembly of the delegates of the German railways took place lately at Vienna. One of the questions—the most interesting which was discussed by this assembly, composed of more than one hundred members, representing forty ad ministrations—was that relative to the transport of the In dian mail by Trieste. The representative of the Austrian Lloyd's veiled the attention of the representativ-c of the German railways more especially to the necessity on the part of the different companies of agreeing on the measures the most expedient to be adopted, in order to remove ei much as possible all those obstacles which might impede the rapidity of the trains, in whatever may concern—let, the diversity of custom existing among the managers of the rail ways ; 2nd, the diversity of coin, which changes at almost every step ; 3rd,_ the mut of passports in each state. This but question offen the most serious difficulties. Though they acknowledged that the adoption of measures tending to remove all these improvements was the only means of pro curing to the German railways the benefit, of the passage that the Trieste line affords the Indian mail, an advantage which would assure a considerable transit from the Mediter ranean to the ocean, to the prejudice of Francs, the repre sentatives were unable to come to a definitive arrangement relative to the dispositions which could at one, unciliate the interests of the companies and the exigencies of the states, I which, by multiplying formalities, impede the circulation on the railways. It wee acknowledged that this question was I deserving of a thorough investigation, and the solution of this important affair was postponed to another sitting. PRUSSIA.—BERLIN.—THE POLISH PRISON FR, M. DOUBROWBII.—M. Dombrowski haying been involved last year in the troubles which broke out in Poland was for tunate enough to escape Russian vengeance by flying into Prussia. There he was arrested and tried with the other I Polish prisoners. As, however, he could only be tried as I accused of disturbing the peace of a neighbouring wascountry,r- Ihe only sentenced to two years' imprisonment in a for trees. tress. Dombrowski had been temporarily set free, and had gone to his pro pe rty, situate in the Duchy of Posen, neat the frontier of Russia. There, it appears the Russian go vernment intended to have M. Dombrows ki carried off and conducted into Russia. This fact has already been stated by the Zeitsing Had, but had been generally disbelieved ; for, according to the mat elementary principles of the rights of nations, such a proceeding appeared impossible. We now hear from the most undoubted authority that some Cossacks, forming a part of a more considerable body of sol diers, have twine entered the estates of M. Dombrowski, in order to facilitate the execution of this project, but without success. As they have failed in their endeavour" to gain over the peasants, who immediately in formed the party concerned of what was going on, M. Dombrowski, advised by the Landreth, repaired to his &thee in -law, Count Laski ; and it is stated he is about to return to Berlin to undergo the penalty of two years' confinement pronounced against him, as he is now convinced that, for the present, liberty and non.isecurity were synonymous for him. The authorities of Berlin have sent five gensd'armee to the estates of M. Dombrowski, in order to attend to the safety of his person. The confirmation of what was at first cona dered an unfounded report has excited a groat and painful seasation in Berlin, and it is even probable thi s will have further consequences. It will be remembered the name of M. Dombrowski was affixed to the gibbet on the day when Pantaleon Potocki, with whom be was implicated, was executed ; but it may not be generally known that the fa vourite horse of M. Dombrowski, that which had caused hint to gain several prises at the rams and to which he was in debted for his evasion from Itnadan Poland, was killed at Warsaw, at the foot of the gallows. This feet can give us some notion of Russian justice. HAYII.—PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov. 18.—The Cham ber of Representatives met and proceeded to constitute itself on the 12th inst. M. Lahonth, of Guaira, was elected pre. sident by an absolute majority ; Mesas. Garddre and Hour telou were appointed secretaries. A deputation of nine members was then sent to the president, to intimate that the chamber was connitated ; an answer was returned, excrete ing the satisfaction with which the executive thief of the re public received the intelligence. A menage was sent to the senate to inform it that the chamber was in session, and the house adjourned.—On the 15th, President soulouque's message was transmitted to the chamber. It simply intimated that the extraordinary session now opened had been inevitable, no provision having yet been made for the expenditure of 1848. It added that the secre taries of stets would present their respective budgets with out delay. The secretary of finance then intimated that his budget would be presented in the course of the week. The rest of the sitting was taken up with a discussion on the position of some members who had accepted salaried appointments under government. The discussion was raised by Id Nelson Felix, and was aimed against M. Antonin. A letter from that gentleman was read, pining himself in the hands of the chamber, and reminding them : Fast, that his appointment as general of division was not recent, but dated from 1846, though events had suspencted the exercise of it; second, that be had aa yet drawn no salary. At the meeting of the 17th a menage was received from the president, along with a list of candidates, from whom three senators were to be chosen to fill vacancies. Messrs. Zarochel, Du vermean Trenillot, and Casimir Jean Baptiste were elected by large majorities. Each section of the five into which the chamber is divided then nominated one of its number to serve on a committee appointed to report on the cue of the members who had accepted salaried offices under government. The senate met on the 15th of November and elected hi. J. (Merges as its president. Messrs. Marion and Covin were chosen secretaries. The senate met again on the 16th and 17th, but nothing of interest transpired. On the Otis of November, at 2 p.m., the Haitian corvette Constitution, at anchor in the roads of Port au-Prince, was blown up. The cause was unknown. This being the second vessel of the state lost in this manner during the present year (the corvette Prdsidente was blown up on the 30th of June), a committee of inquiry was eagerly demanded. Two political prisoners were detained on board the Constitution. A rumour was spread that one of them had, in despair, blown up the vessel. It appears, however, to have been deemed impossible that he could have obtained access to the powder magazine, and, besides, his wife and children were on board.—A letter from Anx Cayes repro sents the cultivation of sugar as on the increase. WEST INDIA MAIL. We yesterday announced the arrival of the Trent at Southampton. She brought the following passengers: Capt. Viscount Chuston, from Demerara; Col. Torrent, Major Mackintosh, and Capt. Plunkett, from Barbadoes ; Mr. A. Cross, surgeon, R.N., Mr. Cuddry, assistant-surgeon, R.N., and Mies Ellis, from Mr. Smith, from La Guaira; Mrs. Davis, from Demerara ; Mr. Galls and Mr. Caine, from Trinidad; HoreCapt. Beauclerk, from Barbadoee; Mr. Human, from Martinique; Mr. and Mrs. Saundurr and three children. from Antigua; Mr. Melville and Mr. Bar rett, from Nevis ; Mr. Lamalue, Mr. Lang, Mr. Lomusgez, Dr. Myeng, and Mrs. Major, from Bt. Thomas; Captain La Forester, from Fayal. JAMAICA.—In this colony the money market was, at the time the mail was despatched, even more tight than it had previously been. One of the banks had advanced its 1 rate of discount I above its urinal rate of 6 per cent., and refused to negotiate bills having more than 60 days to arrive at maturity. Much difficulty was experienced in procuring bills of exchange for remittance by the packet. The Com missary -General, who accepted tenders for a and 1 per cent. premium, was unable to supply more than half the amount tendered for. The Colon ia l Bank drew at a per cent. discount for 90 days, and a per cent. premium for 60 days, but even from this source the demand for bills was unsatis fied. The Jamaica Bank drew for *a very limited sum at 1 per cent. premium for 30 days. and a per cent. premium for 60 days, while the Planters' Bank refused to operate. In the produce market no change had Occurred since the de parture of the previous mail. The legislature was in session, but no business of import ance had been transacted during the fortnight which inter versed between the railing of the mail packets. Jamaica had been honoured by a visit from " a crowned head"—the King of the Musquito coast as he is called. His Majesty is a stripling earned about by a Mr. Walker, ex-everythieg in Honduras, and now an agent of some kind or another for the British government on the Muaquito shore, who has undertaken to educate and civilise the young man. The court newsman of the Jamaica press (extemporised for the occasion) chronicled his Majerey's proceedings with due gravity told how he received and answered addresses from the legislative council and Hoes., of Assembly ; how he reviewed the militia ; bow he rode out to take the air and kept his seat, though a runaway hone came against him ; how he was present at a performance of the amateur Thespians of Kingston, the play being " Rolla" (we presume " Pizarro" is meant). His Majesty, we regret to state, was taken unwell about the time fixed for his departure. "We are happy," says the Despatch, " however, to be enabled to say that the indisposition is not of a very serirus nature." It was enough, however, to oblige him to postpone receiving the address of the council from the 22nd of November to the evening of the 23rd. Her Majesty's ship Alarm was at Jamaica, destined to convey "his Mosquitian Majesty" to Bluefields. The Carnival! Chronicle narrates a piece of interference with the coolie labourers on the part of the magistrates of Montego Bay, which looks very like unnecessary and vexatious meddling, and which has the further objectionable feature of appearing to be experimental with a view to similar in terference with the negro festiviti, s at Christmas The magistrates having been apprised yesterday that it was the intention of the coolies belonging to some properties nigh this town to celebrate some religious festival by procession through the streets of the town, a special session of the puce was immediately called and holden at the court-house at two o'clock, which was numerously attended. We are glad to learn that the magistrates, one and all, have set their face against the proceeding, and one of the magistrates in terested in the properties to which they belong undertook to intimate the same to these people, and at the same time to advise them to confine their orgies to the properties upon which they are located. We trust the same restrictions will be quite as applicable to the Christmas holidays " E. A. Harrison, Esq., son of the U. S. consul at Kingston, died there on the 18th of November. He was in his '!Bth year. He had arrived a few weeks before from New Orleans in the hope of regaining his health, which had been much impaired. The British and American ensigns were heisted half-mast on the occasion, and the American vessels in the harbour paid the same mark of respect to their young countryman. The office of provost marshal is, in all our West Indian colonies, one on which devolves duties of great importance, and which appears in all of them to require a complete over hauling and reform. The provost marshal's offices in Guiana has been an annual source of Jeremiads ever since we can reoollect, and that the Jamaica one is not immaculate will appear from the following comments of the Despatch, on a petition recently presented to the legislature by one of the deputy marshals : " The condition of the provost-marshal's office has been often made the subject of reprehension ; but no one has ventured as yet to propose any measure which could fairly be considered to strike at the root of those evils of which so much, and often such exaggerated, complaint has been made. Other offices have been inquired into, and their emoluments and their duties have been regulated by judicious enact ments ; but this, the most responsible of them all, retains its primitive condition, and all that honourable members have done has been to denounce it. It has been constantly de clared, both in and out of the house, that the deputies of the provost-marshal, or the majority of them, are systematically guilty of extortion and every possible form of corruption. It is no part of our duty to relieve them from this charge; that rate upon themselves; but it may be asked, have just and rational means been adopted by the legislature to keep them honest? Heavy responsibilities and arduous and expensive duties must be counterbalanced by a corresponding emolument, or the strong probability is, that recourse will be had to illicit means of making the office support the officer. And if this be the case with thsdeptities of the provost-marshal, as their offices are at present regulated, how, we ask, can any one be surprised We have been generally adverse to the placing of judicial officers, heretofore paid by feel at the cost of the private suitor, upon the public for remuneration ; but there are considerations bey ond the mere question of economy. The provost-marshal is an indispensable officer whose re sponsibilities are of an incalculable nature. His sta ff of deputies must be maintained under all circumstances, arid in all times ; and the safety of the public as well as his own security requires that thou deputies should, so far as they can be obtained, be men of character, respectability, and probity. It has been said that one source o the dishonesty of certain of these deputies has the rent exacted from them by the provostmarshal ; but there is some misconception on this pint. The provost , marshal's revenue (inconsiderable as we believe it to be at the present moment) is derived from there rents, which, to a muck larger amount, were formerly paid by the deputies, tsgether with a bonus varying from 5001. to 1,0001., acoord ing to the value of particular districts. Business, however, now scarcely yields this revenue to the provost-marshal from the legitimate perquisites of the deputy, and as it were I to render the latter still less able to make his office honestly equal to his rent and to his own reasonable suheistence, the house has done its but to reduce hie just dues for arduous and costly duties necessarily performed in the discharge of his office, and under heavy penalty. in ease of de fault. We have been led to these observations by the perusal of the petition of Mr. A. S. Lyon, which we this day extract from the Votes ; and it really seems very difficult to consider the allegations of this document without arriving at the conclusion that fair play is not done to these officers. We take it to be an universal principle that no public servant should be required to per. form duties without remuneration. Now, in what light is the warning of jurors to be held? It is beyo n d d ou bt a public duty, performed by an officer who is unremunerated. If the provost-marshal were a salaried servant of the public, I paid a given sum, no matter what its amount, for the dia -1 charge of the duties which belong to hie office, the claim of his deputies for the discharge of • public duty which necessa. rily devolves on their principal virtues officii, would be tril -1 tenable. But the provost-marshal receives nothing from the public. He is paid by specific fees for the discharge of sped ' fie duties, those fees being payable by private individuals on the execution of process issuing at the instance of ot di dt nd exigencyxuuex ample. ci exten d in g trivial individuals. epw: e xa c te d :we po bend l Th i b en tj o e ti . nue suw W odo a i mo y lt : i7 rbe g ali enm s2 ie lue d th "nlan fow e r n ithin eft: edi c t e tao r a t b d y di o p i r g ui tha th" bthli ct ec t for the public gratui pirithT to ak us:y .th w eo hi fp c : h .tio , : :n toton th oy e fal sa e is.tL o . fAyas:pdrireasva:Wn, and e i n x. - Kin,gston, compelled by law to summon various juries for public jarisprudence in three j year to the number of 1,200. It there is necessarily heavy expels', monly just to ask a man to do not do it—and then to refuse t the public revenue, whilst y from making him just rem, this is holding out • pretniu the corruption of which so In some districts the countm service of jury notices cannot fal hundred square miles. Hurst, for the duty, and the duty is There is real injustice here, and does not do to throw the blame (a office must be kept op, and that are at present regulated by the would be advisable at once to ph one permanent or certain looting ere lung, become a matter of grav meantime fairness demands a just not be denied, and we hope that i tition the house will see fit to CI deputies of tho provost marshal g no public officer ought to he re duties without remuneration." TRINIDAD.—The genera this colony during the fortnight m of the Wit mail, will sufficiently extract from the packet summary —" Our modern reformers have monstrations of late, in political I commercial distress is Britain I political and social horizon, whic hension. Trade hu been dull, a Foods have been coming in. A 1 the market; but we du not ob very extensive even in this wa making fur the approaching Chri not looked forward to generally in former years. Money is still bills are not much in demai rules rather high, 482 dots. vale during the fortnight have various quarters. Provisions with the exception of one sill flour. It is now about three we been received ; and we understaa is now selling at 16 dollars per I lumber and live cargoes of fish report, besides some provisions ft islands. Five vessels from Brit are reported inwards; and one o way of Madeira, hu brought a c number of our immigrants from few more from the other islands, Ist of January to stand thus: 1,8 children—total, 2,999. We hart produce .to notice, sugar, moles ing as they were a fortnight sin( however, have been despatched, and of coffee 926 lbs. The we variable and rather wet. Theist dry, however; but therein' no sayi Some meetings of coneiderabl, held. The most important wen ber, for the purpose of consider Curtis's colonial railway. The r addressed in favour of the soh governor, and several members Mr. Bur nley alone attempted tc The following resolutions speak Resolved: "That the general &dm eista — b — lialiOsent of railway r7oriMitrn - k - ati that these advantages are applicable it Trinidad; and that thin meeting is pn to cooperate in any undertaking wb vantages"—" That this meeting is of extensive trade in the timber of this foreign maximal, will form a 'source pany, and which can only be attoinal way company upon the plan laid dove the most cordial thanks are due, and l= su ltight lion. Lord Ilan* r e 'on in attending this meelii proteeMng' s evinced by his lordship." The other meetings alluded to the Trinidad Spectator: " The Trinidad Literary Art anniversary ; and we rejoice to k now put forth in earnest, resusciu praiseworthy energies. Althom rather too fully occupied with oth fully as we have wished, yet we h rest in it; and now that a better mation is about to spring up, we to time, as we can find oppertui befire the public, so as to excite tl co-operation for its success. At ject is advertised for discussion of is hoped there will be • full att learn that arrangements are belt of lectures on various subjects, interest and influence in various s " The Wesleyan methodists be 111g11 in this island during this wee last night was numerously attend' addresses were delivered on the oe great praise for the efforts put fort throughout the world?' WINDWARD ISLANDS the exception of an expiated coati of Assembly there is ne politic Mr. John Hampden King, son of one, a barrister, is candidate for Mr. Goodridge, a liberal. The Barbados Mercury, in its speaks favourably of the weather "The rain has been daily and the Wand is fully saturated ; mos that so favourable a November ha many years. The canes have it the worm has been partially deft tion of vine plant appears to t cially the yamb, the yield of rain which may favour the sent month. The eddoe crc corn was greatly put back it effects of worm, but u this has no phnt has been completely freed of no doubt of a fair return being o Indian corn has been lost in some by the worm soon after it sprung enabled to ascertain, a short gene the same time, in particular distri will crown the success of the hus description is very scarce. The time, were destroyed by the. woi only to assist in making manure o the principal occupation in mi the opening of cane holes, tb to them, and any preparatory mencement of next year's sugar have net yielded the retun considering the favourable weatl parte of the island the cattle are I manufactured on smell sugar e t a is offered occasionally In the city. —very few—plantations a small qr consumption, will be manufacture fore or very soon after Christmas. meneement of the crop nothing is continues as favourable as it has b February or March next year, a gr doubtedly be made, for from all It tion that the canes are vigorous ir promise well. Staves for the mi are being carried up in abundance necessary plantation supplies, boi from the hands ef the smith, and evincing itself on the highways." The same authority speaks thus " We are never inclined to des observe the most deepondintsympl But from all the evidence which forced to the conclusion that bruin net been the slightest impronmen step has been taken in all snunact daily sale of the merchant is a ma And all :these unfavourable cire (plums of a lengthy period of de eight months, su cce eded by a prof country for the sugar manufactu . Ferment to the agriculturist, wl3( duly expenditure in money wages results may attend hie efforts. 1 things is also induced from th money for unrestricted circulation inhabitant!. their energy is kept searches in vain for a awn in whi St. Lucia.—The only news in is that the court of inquiry into t Torrens, lately the officer admi there, and Mr. Chief Justice Redd vestigation after a fortnight's hard denee nor the decision of the a Padadiunt,with singular bad test comments Cm its publication of r partisan spirit, on the evidence as of which is before its readers. TIM HINDOSTAL—The Oril packet Hindoetan , Captain Lewis, yesterday, and landed her mails ni Brady, RN., Admiralty-agent. 20th. The Hindman reports th Southampton on the 7th, did not the 20th, haying taken thirteen di owing to the tempestuous weather. with no damage. She was to lea' the 20th, and would no doubt alto and may be expected at Southamp Hindustan also reports the safe a Paths, which took out the India n accident end return of the Brio. SHIP ON FIRE IN THE Lc noon yesterday, the barque Jarnac, Docks, was disoovered to be oa fir posed to have occurred from swk in consequence of the activity dipla the damage was confined to the a and sails were alone damaged, whi of the dock, was truly providential ELECTIONS FOR MARRIAOI day three young women, educated Mr. Mr. Rainey, the celebrated brews Ram, were elected to receive the m each, for good and virtuous condo bliahment. These marriage portic order of the benevolent founder o