The Express. — London, England, 1852-01-05 00:00:00

2 earpreoll. TO CORRESPONDIN TS. A Mari Idttlea eT " The rapes." eiaftWata the tame eveabers Ow psiOeselba . " pettheled every Timmisy ead Friday elght. to Item Mem Laments Unsaid ter " The Repreea" Usits• R•wilar yore. mast eV be et lb. Oft% 10. Ileaveetreavet. by Tye Velma ea the day yabileetbea. HIGH WATNN. AT LONDON BRIDGE. Der—ldeestmL UR !AL Altman. ItIL PA. Ilmesaeaw—Yeratad. IL Ida Alberases. IL im. LONDON, MONDAY, JANUARY 5. A 11111 TORT of French Te Dennis would be a most curious and startling record of human inconstancy sad religious prostitution. Amongst all the ques tionable instances of solemn thanksgivings offered in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, that which has just taken place is the most flagrant parody of a religious rite, the most degrading mimicry of adoration per formed by the representative of a defrauded nation. The chief fact, for which the l'ae.sitwer of the Republic went to bow to las Maker, was, Lis having obtained the votes of between seven and eight millions of French to sanction his demand of the imperial dictatorship. Of the :11 millions of French, however, one-half are female; whilst of tho male portion, one-half the number are under 21) years of age, as all censuses show. Take away the in vall and the aged besides, and you must suppose that every male Frenchman above 20 actually de posited his vote, which is impossible to believe. Tho victory of universal suffrage is thus,—like the battle of the boulevards,—a humbug. A Te Dews in the middle of the nineteenth cen tury, and in the metropolis of France, for the triumph of a hair-brained adventurer over all the liberties which Frenchmen had acquired by their many revo lutions, is a piece of impudence and sacrilege, and an snachronisni withal, of which no governing body of men could, it might be thought, be guilty. We have never heard of conquerors in civil war returning thanks to Heaven for having spilt the blood and fettered the limbs of their countrymen for their own individual profit. That church pays dearly indeed for its marriage with the state, when obliged to cele brate and sanctify each act of political turpitude as it triumphs, without a feeling of moral justice or in dependent right. It is unfortunately true, however, that France is broken up into castes, which have ceased to feel for the common weal. And this, indeed, is one of the solutions of the fearful enigma. The clergy form a caste and an interest apart; and BONAPARTE or HoestioN, republic or despotism, is all one to it, provided it do but thrive and be in the ascendant. • Mostat•starat has plainly said so. As it is with the church, so with the army. It forms a caste apart, and evidently ards the present state of things as • profassmal triumph. There, pro perty has made itself a class apart; so have intellect sad education. t.O have the earners and the work men. None look to the ship, but to the rank and advantige of position that each holds in it. And all are capable of :team at • common shipwreck, which would semirigid* ea overweening nval, no nutter what the anew et deutesettes to all. Sixty years p this war of classes began in Prance, sad has esatinued with more er his acti vity ever Anse. Seek clam has la turn. It is no peat wonder Clidrbated the Jess =ant nththe es the French clergy, sesehaten, the Premise/key, eleseli, witlist Soy peleadeated, hare setts re of se ober nesse prenmenst than force. The commenhb daring One ematle of 1848, the clergy nadir Cilium the Inn% the esitliery sow, employed intimidation and ; = b ea ue st: s we are sorry to my, did all the doss Loris Nwrocatner list elee- Ohm. The mph, is. that when the caletitritiottal rad the ithellestual portion of the nation pined tipper heed. eel win @dewed to bap it tren 1830 ghlen se pen t am, did sot st. nseof this =ameed inevasable emote throu all a love esti weihnstandbg of the pnaciple and "irides of emmdeadenel 3prernmeat There ia no system of nis that bee ~pi ampparted itself with out es sepia ides randomly fitted to it. Who annum ism insert us ashen= whnh each of us receives of loyalty, shape& he oar national liberty, end kbeer of them A feriae. shove all, ✓equires an education edepleinsis. Ike whet painsthey take in the United Stales Dal in Panes se dendeant Glen ere gemnnuesee rear leek the pins he educate at interest thelesple. What thee the weed mesa to the lhassia puma It nem amens is Peek Corm= se bis sempare in the provinces. Whet is his idea et the leghtinielt ne• way f Loots XVIIL winded in hie genq whir at the ran of the allied arMs.. Whet hillsides at censtitutioaal seeneelty ? Louts-Psnares gain a Spanish prisms ruling hems by dwell ming 101. of annual contrihniene. melting woe 130,000 votes and imposing Unes that wen es ewes" to the peasant es the ranks mai the Osaka ei the last century. What is hie Wesel the empire P U is made up of Aunedits and Warsego, where thee were most prism bathe Freashesan sad where he payed leen far then. That which is at the root of all the evil now de • is not per venue= he the Pith character, igesesae I it is net s law et sisney, Ist a want Inewledp et wild libnly nil he mod phenols@ ad rashes emit se based et nehlettaz i eit be i male and unload seek indigensalis s the eeithihne et Loots-Puns aimed themselves in flemerieg the animal hie kr the Bottarame. The ibeshiess Onsantwo hag ism marked thin Lager. He lamented that NAPOLI!" . . laving opswitsi is this wadi with sapressisslsil fir m er during his Ids, ada blisessed it b b obarase. The bad of &dainties wide fiat &wad r a tapin' ha hes asestriss shah eau The peeled obis= masts, thst st spikedibb sod babe ft with &bobs bib ea neve is darns= bleb b ire g =11: radly sfelFaz is be wirier • keel ef bliay. beediest ea Se iiist iamb of banes same. ss to istellaseall, meal, and rasing yeagrow. WO desk se an lobe ben tbamains Ir *dr bednity to it wilt as bilis dpsib seisa at at ▪ seas end seerowfah idea se sign essaardal war meadailmhsilao at the eased. ass blase te seggrosa: It CbUINZINI rlt the assossity of caciz a t i li e s lesliswessa d Ismagartimo is A samodtodosollas might have kw:Zia awls is rams more wholesome way than that of the Walls at Versailles with his explaith Tres edsoation, that best fitted to instrut a people whisk has a right to be tree, omits in the working ot legal administration. But the usessakg awl ot LOW& PlialPPl and his statute= waste kW the mynas& destroy the zoonicipelities aollity the jury, give as Whence to any local body of . proprietors. They laboured to concentrate powe r the heeds el the protects and the other ca r s'. ea it their adios sad their aim was no other than to prepare for a return et the empire. The Medias that. has& that madonna ad the re mat NW poolowailligelisesigewesmats el Fraraz that Loma Nammam ariletadal pews by a se q stasr aillui :td=lt met Mari to shales a wheel et the old MM. sistrathm I , llsylkiat ready made to his brad, power, dam Isom its. No atter mashdamy aaa is armd err may than that which Loafs !mu _ _ ms whilepretending to intrados' a seasdhidemal system 'Ms France. We ham jest a Isom in the itoMieur, ejectiag the too lart erai r l anoallsn et the ail mmicipahty, anA Man their plasm with loser atlas. And Loom Nero- Laois doss this by as sew kw of his own, bet by the law whole the ahamber of Louts-Parrarrs aril the National Awash* • the ropablis itself laid down. Ostragesms mod kadimillear fa Louis NA tomes tyranny, M ma at hut plead that he has load all the imams mad hatrimisats of it ready ashismed, and ha M his Mai Tee three moat ellen _of Paymen of the Force% Vise-Peouleine of the ftlet dTens, en Uner-liewetery of Ihreign Albin de set is thew seine give Lord Join Ronan, the sem eirewathwang hie gmerweent. Forlll thew es he they en at _best wily ewberdlwate poets, and rbell% Milektnew weste—sed the Gentry ex pels—is the onsedew et esperiar mew to high oaks, sad wet law* the nig up, however creditably, of three idea/ enemies. His oohing is new wow owneally large ; and to add nether member to it in the person of the new Payneeter tithe Fame, is, to as a military phrue, tutthrowing sway powder end shot. But it (sly imp, it is unwieldy. Of its liens members one-half at least are—either from age or in firmity, or from want of natural ability, or public confidence,—incumbrances on their colleagues. Such people as Lords Mt Nro and BaouonTort are useless— and worse than useless. Lord Corr au ue s SOEOCII sor as a reformer of the law has failed, and as an equity judge does not carry any great weight with the profession. Session after session the CHANCELLOR of the Exclitutm• has more and more exp osed his financial incapacity, and to that defect he has lately added commercial unpopularity. Lord (lime, despite his great ability for office, has had has success to the Colonial Department than even those predecessors whom he used to criticise so mercilessly; Sir GEORGE GREY hes all the hereditary defects of his family, and his administrative powers are now seriously impaired by, it is feared, an in curable complaint; the Whig cabinet has never been much sided by the bun/tune:nee of Mr. Fox 111stri.e; whilst great age has diminished the activity of Lord LANSDOWNE, whose consistent and generous libe rality throughout a long and most useful career are an honour to his order, and one of the credits of whiggery. His age, in the House of l'eers, may be needed to support Lord GRANVILLE'S youth; but very little persuasion would induce him to retire to honourable repusc—if by his retirement the ministry could be mended. It is vacancies in some of these offices that are needful to repair the weaknesses of the RUSSELL cabinet ; and if its head cannot realise that fact, it is in danger of tumbling to pieces of its own weak news. The liberal party are, of course, deeply in terested in keeping it on its legs until the contents of the new Reform Bill are opened, and, if satisfac tory, until that measure shall have become law. But scarcely could a large measure of reform preserve for a lengthened penud such a cabinet. A not incon siderable portion of those who now support Lord JOHN would almost prefer a return to the opposition benches in the House of Commons rather than go on as at pre sent voting with a government in which they take so little real interest. It is indeed the opinion of not a few that a course of opposition is almost neces sary to reconsolidate the liberal party itself; to in fuse into it definite and precise objects and ends; to develop the ability which it possesses, and to eman cipate it from influences which in office have injured,—it not wholly suspended,—its powers of usefulness. The ministerial journals tell us that by a late re tirement Lord Jolts ltussxm. asserted his own pre dominance over the cabinet. Now that he has done so once, he can easily find motives for repeating the act; he has just now ample and sufficient oppor tunity of doing so; and wo will do several of his colleagues the justice of supposing that they do not requite any exercise of the PREMIER'S authority to enable him to choose their successors. Lords Misr° and BROVOUTON must know and feel their own in- competence; Sir GEORGE GREY will not persist is keeping the Home-office when in another position he could, more agreeably to himself, be far mow useful to his friend Lord Joax ; Lord GREY might lend the Lords without continuing to be a Secretary of State ; office cannot long be indispensable to Mr. Fox MAULE; Lord CARLISLE could be more service- able to his friends out, than in, the cabinet; and if a strong hint should be necessary to Sir CUARLIN WooD, he hu relations enough in office to save Lad JOHN the pain of himself giving it. The difficulty is not, then, the men in office, bat who to replace them with. The policy of the pre sent government has been such as to suppress and keep under the ability of the really li beral party. That party has, even now, in parlia ment, jest as much capacity and power as any other in the state; but the course pursued by Lad JouN RUSSELL has left it idle. Men have either preferred silence to opposition, or—having followed the bent of their own liberal inclinations, and won public esteem fur their services,—have been brought into collision with a government which their principles naturally led them to support. And Lord Joan RUSSELL and Sir Omuta GREY by their pausal conduct on such occasions bars Ismsmild the die. cords of the party by whisk a they thasmolves exist as ministers. if the of the liberal party be an obieet of the its. to sok ma, --to liberals enjoying the pahlhemallisaeov—he ought lira to torn for new colleagues • Few of them, or of their clam kimorally, sw vdmilsat, turbulent, ins =.3le pastas; between heat and Lard Joni at kart dare ought be be no inossaeiloshis digresses. of opinion i thoplavoimporisass of piddle Alio sod parik= „ hode Or/ are sa dewed. too, with 014 4 -40 1 0 Y" fig la the, do he pile el--they ban right f the gehte sif parliamentary gormand hs worth a "sir) ice. And who is it doh warm allow Lord /Gull Rueszu. is Inks to =WM, Le- them P Ws hams Osamu Indio Pußtes! no eta whiisSese tied ability, he liberal is gilded dwa the rail Mho& Is whoa we anode, hqp wed hag igegendes the people or far i ralar masoasai Irma, suit Piatic, s p ub ties mot on et whom would probably be red used abseil be vacate his seat by the sessplmiso d alba Lord GoD WOE will list, it is said, have Sir JAMES GRAHAM for Ripon again; and Dr.M•Nau.s declares no one shall sit for Liverpool who will sot take the "No Popery" pledge. So that the chances myths& ths two Ihrsmost Peelites would, if they joined the govanomat, he without seats in the House of Chnssima A patty Rasta& this would be by way at aoseogthaalari a mhostry. Parliamentary pverassal seder the Assent. ad minim:ado. his set had Mr play. A professedly liberal goraramont has net had the full confidence of the MGM piety ; and Load Jona has extorted from it, by his own post poresaal services,— a support for sons of his soMagoss which, being insin cere, has had a tendsasy to demoralise the party, and to split it up into sections. And now when an ty,—and a asaanity t too,—for improving =rs i me*, his organs are instructed to depreciate the nbility of the liberal party; and,—still requiring sad imairimg ea its sugppiat e --orge . hint . to send for miss et ao pawn ship hemgad opinions, and little =l4to roots to kin roma This, we say, is parliammitary goversasat. Tess lest India mail iskrms as that a squadron mid* et a a slop it war, sad a sassamr, Las soiled tram iAiWftb- to &mead satislostisa from the Ermine foe "diadem is towards our mends and mistisses„ is =t a t treaty. The squadron is to take menden et the town at Reaseim and hold it wadi fall reparation be made. Ranges& is about 10 mills teem the month of ow et the neatest rivers et ladle, the Irawadi, winkle hero kr comas et thalami's' berthas, and br 400 miles et its mares kr these et small Mae, especially steemsre. The ph's itseff risme fres the river vide to a eemidsmsW elemitlea. and the less -13161 bet, Wag an kiwi. is At ka spinet ea Aside emmay, but the whole navigatisa el the Irawadi up to the capital, which is the awe thing s =aying that it esemmads the Maslen et the We have me dealt, thee, if their owe be a good one, that the lodie (grummet has now fallen on the right way et a houtigieg the Dimes& la 1824 ws sertainly esetrived is moisture a great war with a little mei. &gist when we were base. Whittle at every plat. that war we se madly wasted lam femme thaa tweetyysmi purism of the gross remase at the soisetry we gnashed would amount to, while we lilt the be... of some 10,000 of oar or Whew Indian subjects in the inh to soil. The late Sir TnoitAs Mimeo—and he was a very competent witness --mad to say that of all the enemies we W ever gematered in oar Indian caner of war sad emomet, the Birmese were the least warlike. He admitted that t he y were dexterous pioneers; that they skilfully wielded a pickaxe and a shovel, but could make nothing of sword ugurv. We penetrated 400 miles int o th e of their country without once meeting seek a resistance as we had been used to in India at a single mad fort. After a three years' contest with this insolent, yet pusillanimous nation, ws ought to know that if we must have a war with them, it will be our own fault if we make it a costly one. Their country is of commercial advantage to us, and may be made more so, for it has some five millions of consumers, and the greatest supply of the best navy timber in the East; but its conquest would, without reference to political expediency or morality, be ridiculous: for, however easily made, it would assuredly not pay the cost of occupation. THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 5, 1852. PRANCE. OATII OF ALLEGIANCE TO LOUIS NAPOLEON. PARIS, SATORDAT EVIKINO. The constitution is expected to appear on Monday. For the present the idea of assaming the title of Em peror has been dropped. It is a fact, nevertheless, that on Thursday night it was determined to push on for the empire without drawing breath. More moderato counsels have, however, prevailed since; find Louis Napoleon will content himself for the present with the title of President of the Republic. Others say that ho will nesumo that of Prince-Regent of the Republic. Ono of the difficulties which stand in the way of tho President's proclamation of his title as Emperor is obvious. Is ho to call himself Napo- leon 11.. or Napoleon 111. ? If he assume the former title, he ignores the imperial right of the late Duke do Iteichstadt, and hence his own heredi tary claim. If ho assume the latter, he flies in the face of the European cabinets, by ignoring the p vernments which were established in France under their auspices and by their treaties. This embar rassing question is said to have reconciled Louis Napoleon to the maintenance of his present title. His civil list is to amount to 12 millions of francs. I have now to announce to you a very important fact, which will make an immense sensation through out France. The oath of allegiance to his person is to be established for public functionaries of every order. The elections to the corps legielatif have been again changed from direct to indirect. At pre sent I hear that this chamber will be chosen in their own body by 36,000 electors named by universal suffrage. Owing to the changes which take place daily in the determinations of the highest councils it is impossible to announce anything as definitively fixed before one sees the actual decree in the Mons ieur ; but these, I am assured from an excellent source, are the latest resolutions of the President and his most intimate advisers. It is reported that at the same time with the constitution there will be published a decree embodying the proposition of M. Cretan, for the repeal of the laws of banishment against the Bourbons. I announced to you some time ago that a marria ge was on the lapis between the President and a Prin tees of Sweden. You willhavescen thisnowsconfirmed in the German papers. The princess in question, a descendant of Gustavus Vasa, King of Sweden, now resides in Austria. She is about the President's age, and passes for possessing a dowry of 100 millions. lam now able to throw some light on the results of M. do Persigny's visit to Brussels. The Belgian government, I hear, has consented to the extradition of the socialist representatives, but not to that of any others who have taken refuge on the Belgian terri tory. The demolition of the fortresses will not be granted. I learn, this moment, that the Belgian ministry is on the eve of dissolution, owing to a difference of opinion between the members of the cabinet on the subject of the demands of France. I have already de scribed in a previous letter what these demands were. M.Rogier, President of the Council, vras of opinion that the propositions brought by M. de Persigny ought to be rejected as to the extradition of refugees, and the imposition of severe restrictions on the press, as well as with regard to the demolition of the for tresses. M. Teich differed with M. Rogier, and thought that the socialist refugees ought tobe given up ; and that it was desirable to curb the license of the press. The King was greatly perplexed, but in clined to favour the opinion of M. Teach. The Elyske, if I am rightly informed, is to be restored to the family of Murat, in the person of Prince Lucien Murat, son of Joachim. the former King of Naples. M. Kisseleff, the Russian charge d' affaires, was the only foreign minister not present at the Te Dews. He is confined to his house owing to a wound in his foot. M. Kisseleff proposed to be carried to Notre Dame in a litter, bat was dissuaded from so doing by his physician. He was represented by his chief secretary, Prince Kourakin. Five judges of the Court of Caseation were absent from the ceremony at Notre Dame. On Monday the President will give • grand ban quet of .500 covers at the Tuileries to the delegates sent from the departments to be present at the cere mony of his installation on the Ist of January. Terrein do Laroque, a knight templar, who has worn the ribbon of th at order without molesta tion since 1834, has just been tried for illegally wearing a decoration. His counsel urged in vain that many ex-representatives, and among them M. Clary, were knights templars, and habitually . wore the decoration. The court held that the wearing of any decoration not legally authorised was prohibited by the code, and sentenced M. Lasagne to pay a fine of 30 francs and the costs, excusing him only from imprisonment upon the ground of the miti gating circumstances. The proscription of the press in France has given an extraordinary impulse to publication in Belgium, where it is proposed to print a great number of pam phlets, which could not possibly, under present cir cumstances, issue from the press at Paris. The speculators who have set this enterprise on foot under take to smuggle the pamphlets and journals so pub lished into France with as much certainty as Geneva watches are brought clandestinely over the Swiss frontier. In the 23rd regiment of the line, garrisoned at Meta, two sergeants have been arrested, and con ducted to the tort of Bitche. Two others have been arrested and imprisoned at Mets. Two more have fled; and two are broken. Similar facts are said to have 'scarred in other corps garrisoned in the same tows. All these arrests have arisen from the dia -1 esateet expreassit at the way in which the soldiers were *bilged to vote. The ifoniteur du Loiret announces the arrest at Briars, on the 30th ult., of M. Dupin, commander of the National Guard of that place, and cousin of the ex-preeldent of the National Assembly. The metallic reserve of the Bank of France has fallen half a million in Paris, and nearly the same amount in the provinces. The discount-accommoda tion has increased half a million in Paris, and about two-and-a-half millions in the departments, the amount of the former being 55,467,8701, and of the latter 74,733,771 fr. The advances on French stock have increased from twelve millions to fourteen millions. On the side of the liabilities, the notes in circulation have increased thirteen millions, whilst in the departments they remain nearly as they were. The account current of the treasury has declined &e ared-a-half millions, the present amount being 52,188,125 fr. Ordinary accounts-current have in creased three quarters of a million in Paris, and one million in the branch banks, the amount of the former being 117,271,670 fr., and of the latter 30,296,482 fr. The whole amount of the metallic re serve, at present. is 3771 millions, to 6041 millions of notes in circulation. The adjudication of the Lyons to Avignon Rail way took place this day, at the hotel of the Minister of Public Works, in the Rue St. Dominique St. Ger main. Two tenders only were presented—from the company of Seguin, Reuther., and from that of the Forgo Masters. The former offered to reduce the subvention of 60,000,000 f., which the state was to grant, by a sum of 10,051,000 E, and the latter by 11,000,000 E In consequence the Lyons to Avignon line was declared to be duly adjudicated to the com pany of the Forge Masters, otherwise the former company Talabot. The awastitsotionsel says :—" The Russian minister at Paris has handed to 111. de Turgot, Minister of Foreign Affairs, an autograph letter of the Czar ad dressed to Prince Louis Napoleon, in which the Em pia. of Russia congratulates the President of the Republic on having served the cause of civilisation by the great act of the 2nd December." At the Bourse, the Five per Cents. rase 60c., and closed at 104.60 ; the Three per Cents. rose 1 fr., closing at 71.40. Railways were well supported. Orleans roes 22.00. Rouen, 20 fr. SUNDAY EVXWINO. The Pays contains a remarkable article by M. do la Guerronniere in which we receive the first inti mation that Lo uis Napoleon intends to dispense with the usual official notification to foreign courts of his re-election, as a step below the dignity of France. The President intends to let the result of the elec tion of December 20 and 21, be communicated by the ordinary channels of diplomacy. Whenever a revo lution has occurred in France tt has been usual to make the same accepted by foreign courts in a mode humiliating to the nation. - Louis Napoleon might have emp lo yed either extraordinary and spo vial envoys to announce his re-clection, or the am bassadore already accredited at foreign courts. The meet dignified course he can take is to do neither. " This," says the Pays," has nothing menacing for foreign governments. But it is well to show to Europe that if the new power counts upon the friendship and loyalty of European cabinets, it counts before all upon itself ; and its confidence in the re spect of treaties and in the sincerity of alliances of d or new is only the confidence of stiength." The following decree appears to-day in the Muni. tear: I. Coin. of gold, silver 'and copper shall bear on their lace the effigy of the l'resident of the lit public, with the inscription " Louis Napoleon Bonaparte." On the reverse shall be graven the wards " Republique Francaise," and in the middle of a wreath of oak and laurel leaves the value of the piece and the year of its coinage. 2. The edge of pieces of 20 francs and 6 francs shall bear these words in relief, Dieu protege la France." 3. With regard to the weight and alloy of coins, the provisions of the decree of I May 3, 1848, are maintained. The llfonitear Parisien contains an article in favour of re-establishing the titles and orders of hereditary nobility. Two fresh battalions of chasseurs de Vincennes are to be raised, and organised under the orders of General Forey. On Friday night the police effected a great many important captures, chiefly of persons affiliated to secret societies, who exercised an influence on the events of February. Among others, one Barbaste, the comrade of the notorious Farah', was arrested. One of the prisoners attempted in the Rue de Harley to make his escape, but wan shot down by his escort, and so badly wounded that he is not expected to live. The municipal council of Le Puys, capital of the Haute Loire, havieg refused to appoint a delegate to the ceremony of Louis Napoleon's installation, on New Year's-day, has been dissolved. M. St. Ferriol, one of the six Montagnard representatives of the department, has been arrested. The municipal councils of Briondo and Langone, towns in the Haute Loire, have been also dissolved; and at the latter place the national guard has been suspended and disarmed. The constitution will be published in the Monitebsr of to-morrow. It is at this moment printing at the Imprimerie Nationale; and the strictest precautions are taken to prevent the leaking of surreptitious proofs. Unless some important change should be re solved at the last moment, I understand that the promulgation of the new charter to-morrow may be regarded as certain. You will observe that in the above decree for the coinage Louis Napoleon does not assume any quali fication whatever. The suppression of his official designation as President of the Republic is regarded as a highly significant fact. The old title is thrown off like an old coat, previous to assuming the impe rial purple. M. 'froplong, first President of the Court of Ap peal, has declared to his brother judges that the pre sidency of the senate had been offered to him but that he had declined the office, saying that he wished to remain a lawyer, and to stand aloof from political life. M. Barocho was, 1 hear, greatly chagrined that this distinguished poet, which he had marked out for himself, should have been offered beforehand to M. Troplong. But the vice-president of the Con sultative Commission is not expected to entertain any scruples on this account should the presidency of the senate be offered to him, as is highly probable. Whatever may be the organisation of the legisla tive body in the forthcoming constitution, it is cer tain that its power must be virtually null; for whenever it opposes the will of the President he has only to appeal to a plebiscite to set aside its deci sions ; and seven millions of French adults will be ready to drown the voice of the parliament, and arm the executive with the means of its destruction. The ball of the Hotel do Ville last night was a very dull affair. The President was not there. The members or the diplomatic corps appeared for a short time and retired. Very few ladies of distinction were present. The failure of the soirée is partly attributed to the impending retirement of M. Ber ger, which is now certain. On l)ec. 30, a court-martial at Lyons, of which Colonel Ambort, of the 2nd dragoons, was president, condemned the following individuals to death for rebellion against the public force: MM. Garay, pro prietor, ex-assistant to the Mayor of Lyons ; Rome gon, proprietor; Julien, farmer; and Houstain, pro prietor. I have not heard whether the sentence has been executed or not. The same court-martial sen tenced a garde champetre, named Astier, to 20 years' hard labour, as an accomplice, for having given an asylum to 1101140 of the other prisoners, who had fired upon the gendarmes. The CeneNtaionttel says that the companies that have long been in treaty for the concession of the railway from Paris to Lyons have come to an under standing among themselves, and have agreed to the terms proposed by the Minister of Public Works. The concession of this important line may therefore be e x pected speedily to follow that of the Lyons and Avignon. Many people are now sanguine enough to hope that the whole line from the British Channel to the Mediterranean will be open within four years. Besides Dupin, four magistrates of the Court of Caseation were not present at the 7b Dews at Notre Dame. These were MM. Hardonin, Pataille, Mo reau, and Itenouard, all of whom were judges of the High Court of Justice on tho 2nd, and the last, pre sident of the tribunal which then pronounced the decheance of the President. The two other judges, who completed the High Court, have made their peace with the Prince, whom they condemned as an usurper, and attended the ceremony of his installation. Five or six legitimist judges of the Court of Appeal also abstained from the solemnity. It was observed that no judicial corps joined in the acclamations at the conclusion of the service. The absence of M. Cousin, the celebrated philosopher,. was generally . remarked: As a member of the superior council of instruction, his attendance was looked for, and greatly missed by the new court. This remarkable abstention is I attributed to M. Cousin's dissatisfaction at the sup pression of the chair of philosophy at the Ecole Nor male ; which is regarded as a preliminary to the ex tinction of philosophic teaching in all the colleges. I understand that Xing Leopold, in his interview with M. de Persigny, explained that it was only pos sible for him to expel such of the French re fugees from Belgium as had been condemned by justice for some offence ; but that he could not regard the democratic members of the late assembly as falling under this category. M. Felix Pyat, upon whom sentence was pealed by the High Court, Leopold was ready to regard in this light, and, as a criminal condemned by the tribunals of his country, to expel from Belgium. M. de Per signy has returned to Brussels, on his way to Berlin, and has had fresh conferences with the Belgian Bing and ministers relative to this and other subjects of negotiation. Dronyn de rHuys has set out upon his =salon to one of the great northern courts. It is reported that liberty has been offered to the prisoners at Ham, upon condition of their quitting Prance, and not residing in Belgium. A "communicated" article in the Masitesr states a false report has been spread, to the effect that the recent importations of gold into licence have occa sioned corresponding exports of silver. To contra dict this allegation it publishes the following custom house returns from Jan. 1 to Deo. 20,1861 : OOLD. OILTI2. TOTAL. Frame. Francs. Priam Imports Exports Exam of imports as conspired with exports 101,699,500 83,943,200 185,642,700 According to this table, silver, so far from dimi nishing, has increased in France within the above period to the extent of 83,943,200 fr . REDUCTION OF SHIP DUTY AT HAMBURO.—A meeting of the burghers took place here on the 29th De cember, when it was proposed that the ablp-duty upon all vessels unloading in the port of Hamburg should be re duced to Os. and 4s. per 6,0001b5. This would reduce the duty to the sum now levied in the Altona port, where, con sequently, an immense number of vessels go to unload their burdens and take in fresh cargoes. According to the pre sent number of ships which now come to unload here, this city would probably lose about 150,000 marks a year. B u t, the experience of the preference given to Altona, induces the expectation that, considering the peculiar advantages of our harbour, the revenue of the city will not suffer any de triment, but will in all likelihood be considerably increased by the proposed reduction. RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER ?111 VISTULA.—The Rus sian government au taking contracts for iron in the English markets for the construction of the Vistula and other royal SPAIN. MADRID, Dec. 28. The Gaulle publishes a Royal decree, ordering the construction, at the public expense, of a railroad between Antiques and Almansa. The works are to be put up to public auction. The government will create the number of shares necessary for the execu tion of the enterprise, at 6 per cent. interest, and I per cent. for a sinking fund, and issue them by de grees when required fur the payment of the works executed. The following is an extract from the budget of l 852: BUDGET OP ZIPZNSTA. Royal Palace Legislative body Presidency of the Council of Ministers Ministry of Foreign Affairs 10,114,204 Ditto Orate and Julia* 38,826,369 Ditto of War 280,167,776 Ditto Marine 86,150,570 Ditto Interior Ditto Foamed, 57,616,901 Ditto Fames Arrears of salaries sal asterai 31,807,1191 Eapenees of justice 169,642,673 budget of the clergy Rods ~043,4 A Extraordinary credits 16,708,000 Honors or Maestri'. Direct contribuiicins -- - ---- --- 407,349,189 Indirect do. Customs Fanned taxa (telseese, reit, ile.) Lotteries Tetentry Ministry of Foreign Affairs 597,800 Do. Grace and Justice Do. Interior 28,536,768 Do. Fomento Do. War Do. Marine . Revenue from Ursa ass Rea The amount of reproductive expenditure to 171,671,051 The vacancy in the Order of the Golden Fleece caused by the death of the Prince of Peace, has been filled up by the appointment of the Marquis de Al eanices, grand major-domo of the king. The progresiata deputies are about to hold a meeting to protest against the publication of the tariff, without its having previously been sub mitted to the consideration of the chambers. A Cata lonian deputy has resigned his scat. General Aupick yesterday gave a grand banquet to all those who had taken part in the preparation of the literary treaty between France and Spain. M. Baroche, junior, leaves for Paris to-day, to submit to his government some trifling modification in the treaty. Dtc. 30. General Espartero has written a letter of congra tulation to the Queen upon the birth of the Princess Royal. It is not true that the garrison of Madrid was under arms on the night of the 27th. It is said that Lord Bowden will leave Madrid should the news of Lord Palmerston 's retirement be confirmed. It is not yet known whether the minister will sum mons the tortes to obtain its authorisation to collect the taxes. ITALY. PIEDMONT. TURIN, Dec. 30. The Pitchnonteac Gazette publishes the law recently passed, authorising the government to collect the I taxes for the month of January, ltis2. The Senate has adopted the Military Conscription Bill by 43 to 10. The Chamber of Deputies, after a short debate, has adjourned to the 2nd inst. the dis cussion on the treaty of commerce with Austria. The Risorgimento thus remarks on the recent ministerial change in England: Lord Granville will continue the mission of his prede cessor, at the same time that he will avoid all acts calculated to wound the susceptibility of other governments. Lord Granville and all the ministry will persist in that liberal and progressive course which reconciled to England the sympathy of all civilised nations, and constitutes the prin cipal basis of that moral authority and political influence she exercises on the Continent. The acceptation of Lord Palmerston's resignation can have no other importance, no other political signification, than this : The English govern ment has proved that it considered it necessary above all to live in good harmony with the other governments of Europe. It consequently consented to • personal sacrifice, in order to remove, with the person of that minister, all pretest of incessant vexation. JAN. I. The Gazette publishes the treaty of commerce and navigation between Sardinia and PortugaL GENOA, Dec. 31. Baron Alphonse do Rothschild has arrived here from Marseilles. GERMANY. A telegraphic despatch, dated Vienna, Jan. 2, an nounces that the Emperor has abolished the funda mental rights sane Pined by the constitution of March 4, 1848. The institution of juries is also abo lished. The Imperial decrees enacting these mea sures are accompanied by others, in which the founda tions of the future organisation of the State are defined. The Constitution is to be altered in a con servative sense, and with due consideration for all preponderating interests. A civil and penal code will be gradually introduced into the Crown lands. The district functionaries and governments will appoint committees of conservation, selected from Imembers of the landed proprietary and the commer cial classes. The same authograph letter in which the Emperor accepts the resignation by . M. Krause of the post of Minister of Finance, nominates him a member of the Council of the Empire, and confers upon him the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold. The senate of the free town of Bremen convoked the burgesses on the 30th ult., for a secret sitting, in tending to propose substantial modifications in the civic constitution. The burgesses assembled, but re- I fused to deliberate and vote with closed doors,where upon the senate accepted this decision as rejection of their proposals, and the meeting broke up without result. Brunswick has joined the number of the states that have entered into engagements for the reciprocal extradition of offenders. The Duke of Nassau has issued a proclamation against all societies formed for the purpose of influencing public opinion, unless such shall have been authorised by the v• vernment. M. Lex is the new premier. M. Faber the minister of the interior in Nassau. The Thurin gian states of the Zollvcrein have declined to send a delegate to the Vienna customs conference. The Leipsie Gazette of the 20th ult. states, from Berlin, that the ministers have agreed to propose certain modifications of the Prussian constitution to chambers under form of a bill. The plan is to maintain the chambers, but to reduce their powers to those of the states. TURKEY. The Courrier de Marseille, on the authority of • letter from Constantinople dated Dec. 17, states that the great piece of news there is that the Sultan has attended the solemnisation of the marriage according to the rites of the Roman catholic church between the son of M. F— with the daughter of the Prince of B—. The report had long been spread that the Sultan intended to be present at this ceremony, but no one would believe that a thing so unprece dented could take place. The Sultan, however, arrived at the nuptial mansion without ceremony, escorted by two horsemen only, and followed by a few domestics. He was received with gratitude by the clergy and the family of the bride and bride groom. A throne was prepared for him, and after he had taken coffee and smoked the sacramental pipe the ceremony commenced. His Majesty stood up the whole time, saying that he ought not to hear the name of Almighty God called upon in any other position. A letter dated Constantinople, Doe. 17, says Like the rest of the civilised world, we were on the 15th Jut. thrown into a state of commotion by the receipt, rim Odessa, of the events of Paris. The Porte, in particular, is mightily pleased at the tidings, as it is hoped that the new cabinet will pursue a more liberal lino of policy as regards the Holy Land question than the system of the late ministry, which by all is deemed harsh and crushing. The policy of the French cabinet on this the most crabbed and disagree able affair Eastern diplomacy has ever had to handle, is evidently the offspring of a morbid sensibility about reli gious influence, which it pretends it has a right to enjoy by virtue of a treaty. Indeed, much as France pretends to con sult the welfare of the Ottoman empire, its own interested purposes are apparent beneath the flimsy veil. Besides, who will believe in the sincerity of an assumed sympathy for reli gine. rights? The Porte is naturally envious to avoid all mis. understanding with the French cabinet; but at the Caine time it is not powerful or strong enough to resist the me. naces of Russia. I cannot conceive the motives which ac tuate the French government to be so interested in perpe. tuating bya system of vexation the ill-feeling which already exists to such an extent between the religious creeds of the East and the West. And what is secured by this system? Why, the triumph of Russia, the enemy of liberty, and in • word the success of those who aim at the final dissolution of the Ottoman empire. The hostile tone of the French cabinet has caused much disgust here. It is a singular contrast with the just and impartial language held by Sir Stratford Canning-in endeavouring to bring about a mats quo of the question. Never has foreign diplomacy ahown such stir as iu the above guistion. To give you a list of the interviews would occupy half a column alone. The most important of all is an interview M. Lavalette had last night with the Minister fur Foreign Affairs, with whom he remained closeted till punt midnight; nothing, so far, can be picked up of what is going on for the present oppor. tunity, hut it is supposed that the affair is adjourned until events once more assume an appearance of permani nt GAO quality in France. A company is on the eve of being or. ganised for constructing a railway lode (en this city nod Adrianople, and a number of wealthy individuals have come forward for the support of the enterprise. From up pearancem, however, it is not likely that the Porte will, for the present, by undue concessions, facilitate an introduction into this country of railways, to be laid down with foreign capital. Projects here are often brought forward, nominally succeed, and are in reality abandoned. For instance, a few years ago l'era was to he lighted. The lamps were fitted up, the oil and wick prepared, and then Caine a stoppage; by an order of the government the lamps were removed, and after a lapse of time again brought forward, and there they dangle in the.• wind without the least chance of ever being illuminated. The same impediments would probably stand in the way of foreign railways. GREECE. The Arejsbury Gazette has a despatch dated Athens, 23rd December, stating that Lord Palmer ston's memorandum was debated for five days belbre the Chamber of Deputies. The opposition supported Lord Palmerston's views; but the ministry received a vote of confidence upon the close of the debate. TILE lONIAN ISLANDS. The following is an abstract of the decree dinsulv ing the lonian parliament: After reciting that the object her Britannic Majesty has in view in dissolving the parhument in a modification of the existing constitution, tieciiig that the reforms introduced two years ago in the constitution of 1817 have utterly failed in producing the good effects anticipated, and that, with the best intentions on the part of the governmnt, and the most sincere co-operation of a majority of members in the late assembly, little or nothing ha. been done for the benefit of the people, the Lord High Commissioner declares that it is I her Majesty's desire to see a well-regulated system of con ' stitutional liberty established in the islands, and that he is consequently authorised to propose certuiu modifications to the next parliament, with a view to remove whatever stands in the way of the fair operation of the late consti tutional changes, "provided always the result of the neat elections be an assembly disposed to accept her Mei, sty's liberal concessions in a proper spirit." The modi fications proposed are,-1. The substitution of an annual to a biennial session, iu order thus to put an end to the die mentions between the Senate and the Assembly concerning the constitutional right of the Senate to make regulations having force of law during the recess, witii the consent of the Lord High Commissioner. 2. The modification of those articles, which regulate the present organisation of the Senate, in order to increase the responsibility of its members, and to regulate its duties. 3. Thu addition of a fifth judge to the supreme council of j us ti ce , i n or d er to enable that body to decide all cases by an absolute majority, instead of by the casting vote of the President of toe Senate and the Lord High Commissioner. 4. The per. minion to introduce a hill for the better regulation of the powers of the local government. d. The sub stitution of powers defined by an act of parliament to those now exercised under the name of the Iligh- Police, in virtue of art. 4, sec. 2, ch. 7, of the Constitution, which the Lord High Commissioner will recommend her Majesty to abrogate, provided the lonian parliament be disposed to join with him in the adoption of measures " which the experience of the last two yearn has proved to be ind i spensable."—"These," continues the document, " are the great and pacific changes which a powerful sove reign offers her people under her protection, at a time when popular rights, rapidly uud violently obtained in 1848, are as rapidly disappearing all over Europe. The fate of these islands is now in the hand' of the lonian people. By a wise exercise of the power with which it is invested by the constitution, it may combine peace in the into with security from foreign aggreasion, encourage ment to commerce, improvement in agriculture, a better system of general education, the use of its native lan guage in all public affairs, wise ecouomy in the adminis tration of the commonwealth, and the most perfect liberty of discussion with the adoption of every measure which may practically tend to improve its social condition." The Lord High Commissioner then concludes with expressing a hope that such real and palpable benefits will not again fall a sacrifice to anarchical factions ; ho adds, that although he has very extensive powers for the purpose of upholding the rights of her Britannic Majesty, and punishing those who might presume to infringe them, but that he cannot do the good he wishes without the co-operation of a parlia ment emanating from the free choice of the lonian people. lie trusts the next parliament will cordially co-operate with the senate for the good of the country, but declares that should that not be the case, or should new insurrections break out, tho responsibility of thu consequence shall Lie with the people, not with him. ATLANTIC AM) PACIFIC JUNCTION. A correspondent says :—" Among the passengers on board the Amazon, whose departure from Southampton waters ' on her fi rst voyage to central America. was noticed in our last paper, we find the name of one of' the deputies to the Congress of New Granada, who returns to the seat of authority at Bogota, as one of the commissioner of the Atlantic and Pacific Junction Company, of Lime -street, empowered by them to negotiate with that goverment some modifications in the very important concessions which were recently granted by the legislature of New Granada to the agents of the company in reference to the construction of • ship canal. The transference of the decree anthoriaing these principlu, is now held by the secretary of the committee. In the same vessel Mr. Eliot Warburton is embarked. The interest excited by his last work entitled Darien,' will be enhanced, when it is known that the author has resolved on making himself personally acquainted with every part of that district, whither it will be recollected the illustrious Paterson, the founder of the Bank of England, led the Scotch colonists in 16'.18, and with whatever refers to its topography, climate, and resources; but especially in familiarising himself with th e fi ne clam of In who inhabit those localities; and by whom no Euro peans are more respected or esteemed than the English. The committee have taken advantage of this favourable occasion for initiating, through so admirable a medium, a friendly understanding with the several tribes of aborigines within whose territory the channel of the company's Grand Canal is formed—s mission which, by reason of his known zeal and philanthrophy, no ono could be found better qualified to fulfil than Mr. Warburton. " During the last year the committee have been silently, yet ardently prosecuting the vast enterprise of constructing an inter-oceanic passage through some part of the New Grenadian territory. An engineer whom they have em ployed has surveyed the proposed line of route, a report of which—proving the feasibility of the passage, and a map of the district between Rio &trate and the Pacific, has been forwarded to the Foreign-office. " Why a work of this magnitude, involving so many ad vantages to the trading interests of the world, should yet belong to the future, is a question that seems to be not too easily answered. They who could accomplish it if they liked, inquire, as an apology for inertness, Why do not government undertake this? The very best answer to such objection is, that the government has bound itself by an international compact nut to do it. By a late convention between Great Britain and America, commonly called the ' Bulwer Treaty,' it is stipulated, in its very first article, that the government, quoad a govern. meet, will not intermeddle in any such works, whether it be ship canal or other mode of inter-oceanic communication : ' The government of Great Britian and the United States hereby declare that neither the one nor the other will ever obtain or maintain fur it self any exclusive control over the said ship canal.' And so chary of governments has been the legislature of New Granada, that in the decree to which reference has already been made, a special provision appears fur the non interference of governments in any shape : Art. 42. Tho company shall not be permitted to cede this privilege, either by sale or any other motive, to any government or foreign nation.' Any enterprise, whether small or great, is never better done than when left to the genius and con trol of private and individual adventure." LETTERS FOR TURKEY, MOLDAVIA, WALLACHIA, AND SERVIA (says • Post-office notice) will in future be forwarded through Belgium and Prussia unless otherwise specially addressed. The rates of postage chargeable on such letters will remain as before, the only alteration of the existing practice being that the special address, hitherto re quired for letters intended to be sent by way of Prussia, will be no longer necessary. ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAtLwalt.—As public attention has lately been directed to the absence of this indispensable medium of communication on the west of England districts, it may be mentioned that in a month or two there will be an unbroken range of tele graphic communication from London to the Lands End. The wires have this week been completed on the Great Western Railway from Paddington to Slough, and are being carried to the palace at Windsor. In another week they will be finished up to Reading, and some hundreds of men are now employed in running them on between Read ing, Bristol, and Exeter, where they will unite with those already in existence between Exeter and Plymouth. It is also intended to establish the telegraph in connexion with this line over the whole of South Wales. NORM BRITISII RAILW.tY.—A movement in con nexion with the affairs of this line is being made to carr7 out remedial measures fur its better management and walk*. - e'en call cold eng men Butt edit hold giou few pros and chic the bee nib] lit] oou thu frei one is 1 wh bw Na the by iis bei hal in IN .-