The Express. — London, England, 1847-11-01 00:00:00

'ffit Orpregg• MAILS. Tay malls for New South Wales, can Diemen% Um% and Nan Zesaaad will be made ep ow the everdag of the me Nevenher. The Weft India MIK INMAN, those Ow Menkm asneeree. eel the tierereeh, will be made tip OS amilmiat Me Smenter. The overlent umblefer 011welber. likaa.lksma tbe brim Lieu* =Adm. CeTinV ine Derni 4 en& and cum fasnentherapton, mode ap on membneetlbe me Ifevembee. The reeile Ix &Mb It NMI' Mad" Ilmweelh awl the United Mane, val be male op an the main GI the Int Illenember. The mane ise Om Smile. lbel Mem Plebetldonee ,Ineo. Parma the , 1114Z eg . 11111411 4 a d ttrallatalla um y vUI aia The anaelml demi milk via Memento, to the Mediterranean. an. Orfloa. MAR. Mai hoe& be, will be °We ap ca the maths Rh Noe The meile for %lin Oporto, When, Madeira, Caen; end Gibraltar WM b. wade up on the morning of the Bth November. at dr (Hke,lo, I Wass., n ... a n... for Tto ItooTroo. Loodoo wcoolot me, nut I gm.. ty Two &Mock oo the au of pabilestia 111011 WATS& AT LON DON•BILIDOIL Tan sas• S A 5 59 9..... rat*. 9ssi e. 2.31[0....-.ll.ThAg, mt. past 9 afterwraa. It mu. par W. LONDON, MONDAY, NOV. 1. \ pamper landlords and capitalists ? Is no mite to fall from the rich man's table to feed those whom fortune has placed more aeart from the high road to wealth ? But more : for this crime of having received high wages during a pressing demand for labour, the workman is now to be looked upon as undeserving of pity, after the works which occasioned the demand for labour have been brought to a stand still. " One good result of the present crisis," says the Times correspondent from Liverpool, " is the stop page of railway works." Thousands, it ia acknow ledged, will, by this stoppage, be thrown out of employ; but, adds the smooth-penned narrator, " their employers find that they had undertaken more than they could execute." Certainly, if every engine is to be set to work to cry down the useful works provided for these labourers, and put it out of people's power to continue them, such will be the result. But even in this case there is an appeal. The real employer of these men is public opinion. Public opi nion, and not the opinion of journal or of party, de cides on the merits of railways. To this the labourers have a right to appeal, and their friends have had the right to contend that this appeal shall not be tampered with. This is the meaning of the battle that has been fought against the Restriction Act, and which bas been gained. Men are now no longer scared from investing in legitimate securities by the fear of a clique in Parliament-street. Government has been obliged to acknowledge that in this free country the fates of all classes are indissolubly linked together. The lowest cannot be hurt without injuring the highest. The interests of the labourer and capitalist are one. It was a clever trick, worthy of the compass of the school from which it emanated, to seek to press all the earnings of the country into the service of the fundholder. In order to carry the price of Console up to 100 it was only necessary to abeorb the floating capital, to which the labourer, the machinist, the en gineer, the man of science, looked for bread. To abstract one farthing from this vile destination was to endanger the cause in which the Times and its friends had staked reputation and success. Railroads might be extinguished and naccies might starve, but with Console at 100 the Timcs and its political econo mists could afford to laugh at the ruin they had canoed. They could dine with the fundholder instead of the director; whilst for the labourer they had had the union kitchen whitewashed and ventilated. THE conduct of the French government towards the Swiss diet and executive is certainly an example of the most barefaced and scandalous bullying, that the minister of a constitutional state could be guilty of. French interference in Spain, however liberticide and unwarrantable, had still its excuses ; its marriage of the Queen to a nonentity of a husband, its subjection of the constitutionalists to a military and self-called moderado party , ILd had at least the intelligible though very pretext of supporting French interests, BM the maintenance of an ultra catholic and Jesuit party in Switzerland can not tend to advance the interests of France ; on the contrary, it strengthens the natural enemies of France and of French ideas, both in Switzerland, and in Italy, and in Germany. The German liberals, even some of the German powers, stand aghast at what Franco is doing. They ask each other, can it be that France and Austria have renewed an ultra catholic league, for the maintenance of the old religion of the middle ages in all its bigotry, extravagance, cruelty, and non-education? For such are its characteristics at Lucerne. The Grand Duke of BADEN has shown his sense of this by refusing to join Austria and France in drawing a military cordon round the frontier of Switzerland. Such a protest, made in so marked a manner, will give the duke much deserved popularity. Had France even the pretext which it has in Spain, of supporting a moderado party, or a party calling itself moderado, the policy would not be so incon sistent. But the interference of France is on behalf of certainly the most extravagant and outrageous party in Europe, in comparison with whom the Carlists of Spain are liberal, and MONTEMOLINO himself a moderado. So utterly at variance with the age, its humanity, I its love of education and intelligence, is the conduct of the Jesuit party in Lucerne, that this said party could of itself not hold a moment against the diet and against public opinion in Switzerland. The Sonder bund could only have been formed under the influence of France and Austria; and but for the en couragement of France, Lucerne would not think for an instant of resisting a solemn decree of the diet. France now interfering, in order, as M. Gutzor alleges, to prevent a civil war, is a piece of burlesque impudence; for no other person excites that war, and renders it possible, than M. Gutzon himself. But war, and civil war in Switzerland, more se rious than an attempted surprise or coup de main, ap pears to us too absurd to credit. Lucerne it is now hopeless to surprise, whilst a few hours would bring to its succour the whole of the male population of the forest cantons. Friburg would be almost as difficult to attack from the side of Berne. The Vaudois could alone attempt it, and they do not seem equal to the task. To attack any portion of the forest cantons themselves, with winter in these regions already commenced, is what Berne durst not have thought of. We still, therefore, remain incre dulous on the subject of the war. And we are strength ened in this opinion by the Diet's appointment of three very moderate men to be the general and the lieute nants of their proposed army of occupation. Basle was said, at the last moment, to have offered itself as arbiter between the contending parties. We repeat, u e do not see any aim in this war. The reduction of Lucerne itself would not enable the Ber net. to liberalise its government. Whilst the suc cessful resistance of Lucerne, tinder the patronage of France, would only render Louis PHILIPPE and.M. Guizor responsible for all the monstrosities of Jesuit rule in Switzerland, as the triumph of CEIRIiTINA in Madrid renders the same minister and sovereign re sponsible for all the doings in the Spanish capital. We must say that our Foreign-office seems to neglect its duty in not having an experienced diplomatist accre dited in the present critical period to the Swiss Vorort. Mr. PEEL is a dashing, spirited young . man; but he wants altogether the years, the experience, and the weight, necessary to give due importance and effect to the counsels of an English envoy at Berne. Mr. PEEL can, no doubt, fitly deliver the messages, and execute the orders, of his principal in Downing-street. But to wield influence of himself, to take upon him to decide or recommend in doubtful circum stances, and, even in not giving advice, to exercise a salutary and pacific influence on the vorort—all these are duties not to be expected of the years, standing, or character of Mr. PEEL. Lord PALMERSTON leaves him where he is, no doubt out of compliment to Sir ROBERT. We should, however, prefer paying any other compliments to a respected name than those made at the expense of great European interests. Of all the men on Lord PALMERSTON'S list of diplo matists Mr. PEEL is perhaps the last who should, at the present moment, be chosen for the poet of Berne. With the exposure of the hollowness of this notable scheme we may hope that all efforts to renew such scandalous proceedings will cease. It has been de monstrated 'xi sufficient satisfaction that although the usury laws may be suspended, it is a vain attempt to keep up both interest and capital in the same market at the same time. if accumulated earnings are refused free and unobstructed investments at home, they will go abroad, rather than submit to be locked np in an unproductive shape in the English funds. The difference will be, that if restrictive and other troublesome acts of parliament drive capital out of the country, the foreign manufacturer, landholder, and labourer will have the benefit of it instead of their English competitors. That the intelligent communities of neighbouring countries will spurn at such a boon is not to be ex pected. No sooner shall it appear evident that all they have to do is to keep order at home to secure an influx of British capital, than they will forthwith ' set about reforming their households. Their govern ments will even aid them with constitutional forms if I revenue is to be got by conceding them, and the Times and its friends may then console one another as best they may, and lay their heads once more together as to how the price of Consols is to be bolstered up ' to 100, when the labouring man cannot earn 3s. 6d. per diem. WE animadverted the other day on the conduct of the Irish catholic prelates in defeating the govern ment scheme of education for the middle classes. The conduct, however, even of the catholic prelates most hostile to the plan, is tolerance and enlightenment, compared with the behaviour of the clergymen at Warrington, in the heart of merry and ignorant Eng land. On account of the stoppages of the mill near that town, and the consequent destitution of so many of the working class, a committee was ap pointed to organise the means of supplying the dis tressed artisan with toed. The expediency was at the same time shown of occupying the mind arid improving the character, as well as satisfying the hunger, of the operative out of work. It was proposed, accordingly, to establish an industrial school, as also to teach in it reading and writing in the books of the Irish national school. Hereupon, the Rev. Mr. RICHARDS objected to the plan altogether. If reading and spelling were taught, he declared that it must be accompanied with religious instruction ; but as instruction in the religion of the established church was impossible, owing to the number of sects, he should oppose the teaching of anything beyond a mechanical art. In a committee of seventeen, nine voted against eight, that there should be no teaching and of the nine, six were clergymen of the established church, one was a clergyman of the Roman catholic religion, and two were laymen. Refraining from more comment at the present, we shall merely subjoin the following remarks from the Manchester Guardian The Warrington committee have thus deliberately re solved that, if a boy cannot be instructed in those theolo gical dogmas which they respectively deem essential to sal vation, it is best that he should remain altogether ignorant; unless he is at the same time to study the church catechism, or to be indoctrinated with the principles of Papal infallibi lity, he is to be debarred from learning to read or write. We do know that such principles as this once found favour in the Roman church, thougll they are now disavowed by the most enlightened end emthent of that communion ; but we were not prepared to believe that they would receive the support of all the clergy of the protestant establishment in an English borough containing 20,000 inhabitants. We will not use the terms which, in our judgment, would alone sufficiently mark the conduct of the majority. It is impossible to calculate the amount of good which a few weeks' interaction might afford. Young men might thus, in a period of enforced leisure, have their minds directed to useful and interesting studies, which would afterwards have preserved them from debauchery and crime. Bat seven ministers of the gospel thought it not inconsistent with their sacred calling to resist any proposal to extend the humanising influences of knowledge, and pro tested in the name of religion against any encroachment on , the domains of ignorance, dwlpation, and vice. And, further, in the circular which we have copied above, Mr. Richards solicits support for his motion, as being " in favour of godly and religious education r" if the rev. gentleman de sired to expose Christianity to ridicule and odium, he could not have taken a surer step to accomplish his purpose. He tells the public that to prohibit the teaching of reading, writing, and arithmetic, to unemployed factory boys, is somehow connected with the promotion of " godly and reli gious education." The working classes have learnt that knowledge is power; with what feelings, then, will they regard a religion that condemns them to that ignoranos which they feel to be a hamiliation Time are people whose sympathies are only to be awakened for distress on a great scale. But with each, even magnitudes of suffering are relative and not absolute quantities. This is especially the case with our contemporary, the Times. The Anti-Corn Law League became a great fact the moment some great lord subscribed 5001. to it. Before that memo rable epoch it was only a little fact ; at first ignored, afterwards scouted, then ridiculed, but finally ap plauded. So it has been with the recent pressure it was doubted, and held up, as a matter of course, as a necessary and just retribution for over-trading or over-dining, or for extending profitable investments that had a tendency to make the funds and other fa voured investments decline in price. All at once a new feature in the panic was displayed. The value of money in trade t hre atened to interfere with the value of money in mortgages. Bills were certainly, on the authority of the Times, not equal to gold ; but in So- LONION'a opinion, if they pay eight per cent. they are still worth considering. The transfer of capital began in England. A noble duke has been named as the first aristocratic victim. We now hear of Scotch letters and Irish judgment mortgages being ransacked out of the strong boxes of men in the City, and most menacingly placed in the list of disposable assets in the stock account. Had the Times received a timely hint of this state of things, we should have seen it waver before last Saturday. Like some huge collier, that we have noticed while discussing a Greenwich dinner, backing its topsails with its helm hard down, and jib snivering in the breeze, all in time to avoid a collision with some Queen's ship anchored in gloomy . grandeur in the stream,' orders with trumpet voice would have desired the ready pens of inditers of leaders to go upon another tack, and beware of falling foul of the blouse of Peers. The pressure would, at an earlier date, have been recognised es a great fact, and per haps the measure of relief that has been administered, might have even been recommended with all the can dour and warmth of novel conversion. There is, however, one portion of her Majesty's lieges who, not being great people, excite but little sympathy in that quarter until they reach the union workhouse ; we mean our laborious countrymen in the manufacturing districts. Having duly exerted itself to bring them to that asylum, we must de the Times th r ostio to confess that it cares about their board wide they are there. Bat, as long as the asst is doing his best to keep himself out of the wakes, precincts, and to maintain himself independontlyand honourably , he need expect no sym pathy. To fi nd employment u 3 denounced es a crime. To pity his distress is jeered at as mischievous compassion. We are told that one of the sins of the extensive railroad investments has been to raise wages. " What folly," it is added, "to pay men 4s. and as. 6d. per diem, who were before the Leania satisfied with 2s. 6d. and 35." Does the Times, Olen, in its inno cence, suppose that this country gets rich merely to WE lately spoke of the operation,—as a corrective of such negligence or misconduct as may endanger public safety—of the law of last year, enacted on the abolition of deedande. The positive design of the new act, according to our understanding of its clauses, appears to be as reasonable as was the negative passed at the same time on a system inherited from a diffe rent state of society, that has been perverted of late years to erroneous uses by coroners' juries, in a man ner tenting to the gg of individuals, and to the prejudice of law. The declared purpose of the Acci dents Compensation Act, as set forth in the preamble, was to supply the existing want of a means of obtaining redress by an action for damages, from any one who by his " wrowidul act, neglect, or default," may have mused the death of an other person. It empowers his survivors to bring an action and recover damages, in all such cases as would have entitled the party injured to maintain enaction himself, had the injury not been absolutely fatal to life; the intention being thus plainly limited to au thorise the recovery of damages, where the accident can be proved to result from the doing, by the party against whom the action is brought, of something that he was bound to have avoided, or from his omit ting to do something it was his duty to have done. Within these bounds, the principle of the law is perfectly sound, and is likely to produce wholesome effect/. Any attempt to strain it fur ther would deserve, we think, a very different character, arid lead to objectionable consequences of various kinds. There have already been some in stances of such attempts; a disposition has been shown by common juries to apply the law in a way far beyond its proper intention, and, as it appears to us, in a manner wholly at variance with plain jus tice. Some remarks, therefore, may not be out of place on the line which may be fairly drawn to dis tinguish between the grenade of liability in such cases, and those belonging to the class of mere acci dents, for which no one can be justly made charge able. It will beproper also to point out the iniquity of carrying reuponotbility even beyond the further THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVE MG, NOVEMBER 1, 1847. class of casualties, by inflicting damages in cases where the sufferer alone has been to blame for his mis fortune. A recent instance of this wrong will be cited to show that in questioning such an interpreta tion of the law, we are not dealing with fanciful or merely possible abuses. In applying the new law of accidents, there may arise in the minds of common people, a confusion of its design with that of the old deodand system, which will be best got rid of by pointing out the respective principles of each. The original notion of a deodand was that of a sacrifice made to the Supreme Being, on the occurrence of any fatal mischance, by the owner of the implement, animal, or other thing that had been the immediate cause of death. All acci dents whether arising from what we call " chance," or fr om visible default or evil intention, being equally ordained by the Almighty, there could be no idea suggested of a discrimination of special causes, when the purpose was of an offering to the ruler of all causes. Very different is the case when we come I into the region of law, and have to deal with those acts of omission or commission for which only man is justified in making his fellow-man responsible. From these, all events that, humanly speaking, may be termed accidental, must be wholly excluded. Those only . can become the object of just advertence by law, whicn arise from some breach of what can be reason ably shown to be a duty or obligation • some default under a liability that ought to have be en known and acted upon, before the misfortune, and in consequence of the neglect of which it can be proved to have taken place. The deodand regarded the calamity, per a', ir respectively of its moral causes, as an occasion for an offering to Heaven. Law deals with the agents only when a calamity happens by human fault. This distinction between different kinds of casual ties will perhaps be best shown by examples from matter of fact. A chimney of sufficient workmanship, and in good condition, is blown down in some hum cane (like that of 1838), and by its fall kills a pas senger in the street. In a hard post, the iron of a woodcutter's bill snaps asunder while he is chopping timber, and one of the fragments, flying off, mortally wounds some one standing near. A child steals into a neighbour's mill unseen by the owner, and is crushed to death while playing with some part of the ma chinery. In all theseceses there might, under the old system, have been a deodand levied ; but no one will say that the owners of the chimney, of the axe, or of the mill, would now deserve to be made responsible in law for a misfortune in each case purely accidental. The storm could not have been prevented ; the flaw in the iron foreseen ; the miller could not be expected to hinder a child from getting into mischief during his absence. Where blame cannot be cast, responsi bility bas ne place whatever. It is only when casualties can be traced to a cause that it can be proved to have been the duty of some person to guard against, that any liability, whether to punishment or to demands for compensation, can justly fall upon him from their consequences. The owner of a furious bull, for instance, is fairly liable for all the harm the animal may do, if it escapes from an ill-fenced paddock into the high-road, or if it be suffered to graze in fields crossed by a public footpath. He is not so, however, should the beast gore a tree passer, who clambers over the paling of his straw yard. Again, a man may be justly made account able for any evil that happens from his use of unsafe or insufficient materials, where others are apt to be injured by their giving way; or, on the same principle, for mischief in a business affect ing the safety of others, done by a servant wham he has not properly instructed in his duties, or has reason to know is reckless, dissolute, or incapable. But he is not so, if an accident happens from any un expected flaw or failure in materials to all appear ance of ordinary and sufficient quality, after he has taken due care to secure a good material ; not so, if a sudden act of misconduct should prove a servant, whom he had every reason to suppose trustworthy, to be unfit for his place, or if the agent should muse some misfortune by ono of those blunders or defects of judgment to which all human beings are liable. To make any one responsible for the effects of casualties, actions of others, or their defects of character, beyond the point of caution which reasonable attention and sufficient care might have been justly expected to reach before the erent, would be to punish man for wanting the attributes of Deity. And, as we have said, in no case where punishment would be unjust can it be otherwise than an injustice to compel the payment of money damages to survivors. This principle, we apprehend, is not sufficiently understood by jurymen, some of whom seem to think a verdict for damages may be given in all cases where a coroner's jury in former times would have imposed a deodand. In a trial at the last Surrey Assizes, damages were given against a railway company ander the new act, where the claim for non liability was still stronger than in instances of pure accident only. The man ARMEWORTII, whose widow reco vered the damages, was killed while at work on the South-Eastern line at Meretham. After filling his waggon he chose to climb to the top of the load, and was jerked from this place by the start of the engine with the ballast train, and thrown under the wheels. On this waggon the man had no right te ride, and knew that in riding on it he was disobeying orders given by the managers for the plate-layers' safety. It appeared in evidence on the trial that they were strictly forbidden to ride on the earth waggons, and that an empty truck was attached to each ballast train, expressly, for their use and security. This order ARMSWORTH met his death by transgressing, for the trivial purpose of saving a moment or two in getting his waggon unloaded. Nothing unusual had occurred in the way of starting the engine—nothing to make it probable that the man would have been otherwise than quite safe had he but obeyed the rules issued for his safety. In spite of all proof that ARMSWORTII was the author of his own death, the jury granted heavy damages against the company, who seem to have done all that could have been expected of them, to prevent the accident. Now if such were to be the usual application of the I I new law, it would be no salutary check on impru dence, bat an engine of much wrong and extortion, the action of which cannot be in any way beneficial. It would become too dangerous to employ labour in any kind of work requiring caution, if the employer, after taking sufficient care to preserve his workmen's live, is to pay dearly for every instance in which a wilful fellow runs obsti nately upon his own destruction, in defiance of ex press orders—if, in sho r t, the muter is to be made accountable for calamities that nothing but om niscience could foresee, or omnipotence prevent. Such an interpretation of liability flies in the face of every principle on which a man or body of men can properly be deemed liable for the misfortunes of others; and to abuse the law in this manner can only tend to bring it altogether into discredit, while the precautions that would necessarily have to be taken against the injuries canoed by such a misuse will be apt to tell pret y heavily against the very parties the law was t designedto protect. No thing, indeed, is ever gained by departing from equity; and in this claw of cave the effects of the deviation would very soon make themselves felt, if juries should attempt to turn what was meant as a fair safeguard into an unjust imposition. They have shown a propensity of this kind in more than one instance of late, where the defendants have been a railway company. In an action tried at Durham the other day the jury insisted on giving damages, in spite of an express charge from the judge to the effect that the injury was proved to have arisen from the plaintiffs own imprudence solely. The Paris ,journals of Friday and Saturday are much occupie d with a pamphlet of M. Capefigne, de dicated to M. Guizot, in which the author advocates very strong retrograde doctrines, among which are restraints on the freedom of the press, and the partial abolition of trial by jury, and with the letter of M. Dufaure, in which that deputy refuses to preside at a reform banquet, not conceiving such demonstrations calculated for the attainment of the objects of the party with which the hon. deputy is identiSed. The ministerial journals disavow the soft impeachment im plied in the dedication of M. Capell&ue's pamphlet, on the part of M. Guizot, and the opposition journals deal rather roughly with M. Dufanre. These are polemics which, however interesting to the habitues of the cafes of the Boulevard des Italians, would offer but few at tractions here. Friday being the seventh anniversary . of the pro! sent cabinet to power, a dinner was given on the occasion by the King at St. Cloud. In the course of the raven years, however, the Guizot cabinet his undergone so many mutations, sustained so much loss, of matter rejected, corrupted, or decayed, and re ceived such various accessions, that it would be as dif ficult to establish its identity as that of the boots, which were so often repaired that no part of the ori ginal pair remained on the legs of the wearer except the tope. The editor of the National has appeared before the jugs d'instruction' and been informed that the seizure of that journal of the 21st ult. took place on account of one of its articles containing the offenoes--lst, of having caused the blame incurred by the acts of the government to ascend to the King; 2nd, of havi”; attacked the form of 'governor-Li, established by the charter of 1630; `3rd, of having been offensive to the royal person; 4th, of having adhered to another form of government than that which is established. Another ministerial movement has taken place at Madrid. The advices we have received to the 25th ult., announce that General Narvaez has resigned the portfolio of foreign affairs, and is succeeded by the Duke of Sotomayor, former minister at London; and that the ministry of marine, held ad interim by General Cordova, Minister of War, is given to M. Beltrando de Lis. Narvaez still retains the presidency of the council, without a portfolio. Christina has recommenced her system of intrigue and political mischief. It was reported that Gen. Serrano had sent in Lis resignation of the captain-generalship of Granada, but that it had not been accepted. Letters from Turin of the 23th ult. mention some popular disturbances, which ended in the arrest of some of the people. The agents of the police, assisted by the carbineers, interfered, and dispersed the people without serious consequences. Letters from Rome of the 20th announce the return of Cardinal Ferretti to that city. Count Brewton had arrived at Rome, en route for Naples. N. Pacheco, the Spanish ambassador, had arrived, and Lord Minto was hourly expected. The Nourelliste of Marseilles gives a letter from Naples, dated Oct. 21, in which the moat deplorable picture of the condition of that country is given. The Baron Longobucco, one of the chiefs of the Cala i brian insurgents, had been taken, with nine of his companions. The King was reported to have I ordered the baron to be shot and his companions put in irons. Jean Andre Romeo was then the only surviving chief, and where he was no one knew. The unfortunates who had been outlawed in Sicily, by General Landi, and for whose assassination a reward of 300 ducats per head was offered by the government, had escaped from the country, the people preferring to the rewards the risk of their own lives for aiding their escape. The insurrection in Calabria was said to be virtually suppressed, the numbers of the royal troops being incomparably greater than any force the insurgents could muster against them. These letters deny that the ministers San-Angelo and Del carretto had advised the King to adopt a policy of reform. That advice was only offered by the minister Pietrocatells, who withdrew from the royal councils when the King declined to adopt it. The King is reported to have said that the government was a sim ple and pure monarchy, and such he intended it should remain. The Prince de Joinville left Genoa on the 23rd for Spezzia, after having visited the King of Sardinia at Turin. A letter from Florence of the 19th, published in the Augsburg Gazette, states that the Duke of Mo dena has caused possession to be taken of Fivizzano, and has sent there troops and field pieces. A letter from Florence of the 22nd says: "The cession of Fivizzano and Pontremoli continues to excite an in creasing agitation at Leghorn, Pisa, and the mountains of the Piatojese. Armed volunteers to the number of 2,000 are ready to lend a vigorous assistance to the threatened provinces. There has been an imposing meeting held in the mountains at Radda, at which M. Goiters Vozze, M. Fabrini, M. Lkini, and other influ ential orators, spoke with great effect—so that all present swore to die, if necessary, in the defence of the provinces. The Tuscan government, however, holds out a hope that it will be able to repurchase Pontre moll and Fivizzano." The Patric of Florence of the 22nd positively announces that the Sardinian govern ment has consented to a customs league with Tus cany and Rome, and that definitive negotiations have been entered upon for the purpose. The same journal also states that Portoferrajo, the capital of Elba, one of the strongest fortresses in Europe, is being put in a state of defence by order of the Tuscan government. The Alba of Florence states, on the authority of a letter from Carrara, in the duchy of Modena, that on the 17th a great number of persona cried " Long live Pius IX." as they were passing the guard-house ; whereupon the sentinel shouted "To arms!" and the dragoons threw themselves on the people, who, however, redoubled their shouts. The soldiers then discharged four shots at the people, and wounded a workman ; another man was arrested, but soon released by the people. The whole town became alarmed, and the police imprudently caused the drums to best, surrounding each drummer by four soldiers, with their muskets presented to the people. Their march was greeted by kissings, by pistol-shots, and renewed shouts in honour of the Pope. In the evening, patrols traversed the city, but the population continued to cry Virats ! and to show a determina tion not to be intimidated. Troops arrived from Massa in the night, bat no fresh disturbance took place. The Patria of Florence, of the 23rd, confirms the entrance of the Modenese troops in the territory of Fivizzane, by the village of Gallitano. The same journal states that the French ship Jupiter has cast anchor in the port of Portoferrajo. The following are the decisions taken by the Swiss diet in the sitting of the 24th ult.: let. To complete en efficient force of 50,000 men, to be put under the com mand of General Dufour. 2nd. That the troops to be raised by the several cantons shall be maintained at the common charge of the confederation, being, in fact, esteemed federal troops. 3rd. That the execu tive government be authorised to raise, by loan or otherwise, the funds necessary for the due mainte nance of the army and for the prosecution of the war. 4th. That the general-in-chief bo authorised to aug ment the above force of 50,000 men, if he shall con sider that circumstances require an increase. These troops are to constitute the regular army, and are exclusive of the reserve and the landwehr, which will continue at their respective homes unless they shall be required for the internal service of the cantons. The regular army is to consist of five prin cipal divisions, the Bernese, under Col. Burkhardt; the Vaudois, Genevese, and Neufchatelais, under CoL Rilliet-Constant ; the Soleure, Arpin, and Bale, under CoL Donate ; and the Zurich, Schaffhausen. Thurgau, St. Gall, Glaris, and Appenzell, under Cols. Ziegler and Gmur. A sixth diviaon from Tessin and the Grisona will forma corps of observation in the south, under Col. Luvini. The correspondent of the Journal des DEbats (who is a fiery partisan of the Sonderband) affirms that on the 24th, at the secret session of the diet, General Dufour objected strongly to the form of oath pro posed to him as general-in-chief of the federal army, and that a dialogue marked with much vivacity arose between him and some of the members of the diet, at the issue of which the transfer of the command to come less scrupulous officer was mentioned, in which the general signified his ready acquiescence • but that on the next day he intimated to the diet that he had re-considered the matter, and took the oath accord ingly. The deputies of the Sonderband abstained from attending the session of the 24th (Sunday), bat appeared in their places at that of the 25th, which was also secret. M. Amrhyn, who has been chancellor of the confederation since 1831, has resigned, in con sequence of his objection to countersign ordonnances which may have for their object an armed attack on his own canton (Lucerne). It was expected that the regular army, with its materiel, would be completed and ready for active service by the sth inst. The hostile demonstration made by Schwytz against St. Gall, has been speedily repressed by the prompt and energetic movement of the neighbouring cantons. Three battalions marched to the capital. Glaris pat a battalion under arms, and a corps of 3,000 men of Zurich, supplied with artillery, marched to the frontiers of Schwytz and St. GalL On this display the Schwytzers immediately withdrew, and all was tranquil. The Fribourgers are *ported to have lost all energy. Their soldiers show no confi dence, and desertion and emigratien are exten sive. A cordon militaire rs being established on the frontier of the confederation by Austria in combination with France, Bavaria, and Wurtemberg. The Grand Doke of Bsden has declined joining in the measure. The diet had suspended any . potive measure in relation to the Sonderband until it should have re ceived the report of the commissioners whom it had sent to the cantons of the league, and who had not all arrived at Berne until the 20th. Their reportsare expected to be presented on the 27th or 28th. A report was prevalent at Berne, that at a secret session of the grand council of Neufchatel and Bile-ville, it was decided that these cantons would co-operate with the majority to enforce the dissolution of the Sander bund. In that case the majority would be 14 whole cantons and 2 half ones against 7. La Prase states that three agents of the federal govantiient had left Berne for Frankfort to open ix foliations for the loan voted by the diet. The same journal reproduces the report of a settlement of the difference by the mediation of the government of Bileville, the question of the expulsion of the Jesuits being waived, but does not claim much credit for it. We have received the Berne journals of the 28th, but they add nothing material to the above intel ligence. BERNE, OCT. 26. I wrote to TOII yesterday morning from Bile, giving a general outline of the social elements engaged in this straggle, and the relative attitude of the cantons. To get into the thick of the fight, I left that peaceful and thoughtful locality,taking the direction of Soleure. Here the order of the diet for marshalling the whole posse emit atus R as everywhere in active execution. The road offered groups of peasants hastening to head quarters, firelock on shoulder and pipe in mouth. At cottage doors along the route were to be witnessed parting scenes between mothers, sisters, and sweet s hearts, with the wailing of children ; farther up the I mountains, in the midst of a snow-storm, stern faces could be seen confronting the tempest and grasping their weapons, bent onwards ; military waggons moved briskly along. The storm subsiding, up rose the moon, but still it glittered on masses of muskets in motion ; and from every Bast-li4 on the roadside throughout the night, lights gleamed, and the sound of patriotic songs broke in rough chorus on the ear of the traveller. Soleure is a strictly Roman catholic canton, and, I pray you mark this feature in the business, that your readers may understand the fallacy of thinking it a religious quarrel. Jesuits are a mere pretext : the real question at issue .is the dismemberment or the consolidation of their common country, and no por tion of the anti-separatists are so earnestly opposed to the league of Lucerne as the Homan catholic' loyal to the national diet. On arriving hire this morning, I find that, yes terday, the diet had held a sitting with closed doors; and, from what I can gather, most energetic measures had been determined on. Six generals of division have been commissioned, and as many camps organised at the various points of simultaneous attack—viz., from Soleure, Argau, Appenzell, Tessin°, Berne, and urich. Lucerne will have to meet this combined movement from every point of the compass. That canton can raise 27,000 front its whole population, and expects about 20,000 allies from the aggregate of the moun tain sovereignties ; but there are scarce 7,000 regular troops among the whole, and little or no cavalry or artillery. The forces of Friburg cannot join, as they are effectually cut off by the intervening powers. So they will have to fight it out against about 60,000 men rallied for the diet, of which near 20,000 are marching regiments, and supported by a strong park of guns from the arsenal of Berne. The task of diplomacy is at an end. The European powers can no longer meddle with this family quarrel, 1 and the Swiss themselves of every party have made up their minds that nothing will do but phlebotomy. It will be a short and decisive affair, when it comes off; for these sturdy folks are not like your Por tuguese or Spaniards, who keep manmuvring for months looking at each other, and never coming to the scratch. I shall look into Friburg to-morrow, and see what is going on in the camp of the separatists. I said that diplomacy's game is up. Indeed, how the great powers seriously intended to combine their efforts for quiet issue of the matter is a riddle : their various representatives keep aloof from each other, not in metaphor or sentimentality, but actually and geographically. Austria has, in a fit of dudgeon, withdrawn the seat of its diplomatic operations to Zurich, no doubt to be nearer Vienna. Prussia has gone thither also in the person of its envoy. Sar dinia keeps its ambassador at Lausanne southwards, and the Pope, by ancient usage, has his resident nuncio at Lucerne, France, and England, being here on the spot, but not for that the nearer in joint opera tion—rather the reverse. The French view of the question, as expounded in the Daats, is now com pletely at variance with what it was a few years ago. Then it insisted on making the objectionable residence of Louis Bonaparte in Thurgau a federal question, and got his expulsion ordered by the diet. New, it says that the residence of the Jesuits in Lucerne, far more objectionable, does not concern or depend on the diet's will at all ! However, one thing is very plain, viz., that the great powers are either too timid or too much afraid of one another to take any serious step in the pacification of Switzerland. The fact of their ambassadors living so far apart is conclusive of their repugnance to act in concert, and looks as bad in the eyes of the world as the arrangement so much deprecated by John Gilpin in the case of his wife : Lord' how the folks would stare, If I phonic' dime at Edmonton, And she should dine at Ware I Onr own envoy, young Peel, has given general satisfaction by the straightforward advocacy of the Diet's supremacy, and though the 71tnes thunders on the other aide, for reasons well understood, the people of England see the matter pretty clearly. That the rights of conscience have nothing to do with the fostering of Austrian influence and intrigue is very plain; and that no nation can go ahead, unless there exist a central controlling power to impel it forwards, in spite of all retrograde efforts exerted internally to retard and impede its progress. CONSTANTINOPLE, 0rr.13. The note addressed to the Greek government by the Emperor of Russia, condemning the line of conduct they have pursued in the difference which exists between them and the l'orte, is merely intended to cajole the Turks into a belief in the sincerity of his professions of friendship ; for it is a proceeding entirely superfluous as far as regards the ministry of King Otho. Matters bad already been prepared is Greece ; the Russian party had came into power ; and, as I informed you in a former letter, had addressed themselves to the government of the Emperor, praying his intervention. Palamedes, the only man in the new Greek ministry not de voted to Russia, has been dismissed ; and Metaxa, the chief of the Rug= party, had been appointed ?resident of the council. The influence of France fell with Coletti. Austria from being disregarded is now despised for haring failed in its negotiation for the arrangement of the Turco ' Greek question ; and England is hated for the part she has taken in the events of the last six months. It is therefore evident that Ramie is the only power in a position to under take the settlement of the present question. It is for this that Russia has waited, and that now she comes forward to reap the fruit' of her tortuous policy. In 1843 when Sir Stratford Canning, aided by Baron de Bourqueney, obtained the abolition of the law which con demned relapsed renegades to death, it was stipulated thst for the future, in all questions of conversion from the Christian to the Mussulman faith, the ambassadors of England and France should, if they thought proper, have a right to interfere. Lately at Damascus, a Christian girl of great beauty fell in love with a Turk. As a difference of religion prevented their union, the girl consented to embrace Islamism ; for a like act on the part of her loser, were he so inclined, would be punished with haunt death. The mother of the young Christian, who was adverse to her daughter abandoning her faith, reported the case to the English consul at Damascus, who took up the case so warmly that he induced the Pecha to withhold his consent from the ceremony of the recantation till instructions should be received from Constantinople. Lord Cowley, on receiving the report of the consul, laid the circumstance before the Porte. The girl being of tender years, the British minister contended that she could not form an opinion upon such a matter as a change of religion, and that she ought to act in conformity with the wishes of her mother, her natural guardian. The Turkish government refused to admit Lord Cowley's view of the case, but Ponsented to summon all the pvties concerned to Constantinok;!e. The same finnan which recalled Kismil Paths, the late governor of Syria, ordered him to bring the girl with him k the capital. On her arrival she was placed in the harem of Em: Effendi, the first dragoman of the Porte, upon whose too susceptible heart it appears her beauty made such an impression that the affair was very near becoming much more complicated. The virtuous zeal of the British minister, however, prevented any tender catastrophe, for before the fair Christian Gould rivet the chains she had flung over the Effendi, she was summoned to the Porte, to account for her actions in love and religion. M. Pisani, the venerable Brat dragoman of the British embassy, attended on the part of Lord Cowley, to see the examination con ducted with fairness. His presenoe, however, was opposed bethe minister of foreign affairs, on the plea that, as the was a rsyah, no foreign representative bad a right to terfere. M. Piaui, however, not only succeeded in mist ing at the examination, but also rescued the girl from the hands of the unbelievers, sidled her in triumph to Theremis, where she now resides in quiet with her mother. It was only when Lord Cowley threatened to take the case before the Sultan that the Porte consented to have the girl brought before them. Lady Cowley and her ladyship's children leave this on the 17th nut, for Paris HOLLAND.—THE IlAcuz, Ocr, 29.—The Jour de la Haye announces that the tolls on the Rhi ne f or die iss. portation of grain, corn, and dry vegetables ( fruit, & t.) been suspended by royal decree until the hlst of b tfti o; 1847. The Minister of Finance hu just notified to all th,, empLoyi , s in the taxation and customs departments that punished say extortion or any drawing u p of illegal receipts will b e in the most exemplary manner, and with ent say clemency bang mandmted, Cbt Court. WINDSOR, SUNDAY.—The Queen held a p r i, Council at one o'clock yesterday afternoon, at the Cesa, It was attended by Prince Albert, the Marquis of Lae*, (Lord President), Lord John Russell, Sir Quires G, n i Earl Grey, Sir Charles Wood, the Earl of Auckland Land Campbell, the Right lion. H. Labouchere, the Moo" si Clanricarde, Earl Spencer, and the Duke of Norfogs„ the council, parliament was ordered to be farther pror nn ii from Thursday, 11th November, unto Thursday, ISth Nov. and a proclamation was issued summoning p ar li ament te for the despatch of public business, on the said Iht Noveat ber.—Mr. James Stephen was, by command of the Qu a, sworn of her Majesty's most honourable Pri vy C ouncil, and took his place at the board.—The Hon. William Huhu % was the clerk of the conked in waiting. The Queen ea r , audience to the Marquie of Lansdowne. The 4 Morley and Mr. R. Ormsby Gore were the fad and Groom in waiting. The Marquis of Calvin,* Earls Auckland and Spencer, Lord Campbell, George Grey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it It lion. H. Labouchere, and the Hon. W. Bathurst, from town to attend the council by a speoial tr o i t; on 6 . Great Western Railway The Duke of Norfeis tmeelkil from his seat, Arundel Castle, Sussex. Earl Grey am en d from Datchet.—A dejeuni was served to the nobleman ati gentlemen present at the council. After the Pricy Con& the Marquis of Lansdowne left for his seat, Illwood.linl accompanied by the Marchioness of Land mat Th i Marquis of Clanricarde, Earl of Auckland, Lord Cullom, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Hon. W. Mun, left, and returned to town by a special train, on the G m , Western Railway. Lord J. Russell took his depart.. his residence, Richmond-park. The Duke of Norfolk ~ turned to Arundel Castle. Earl Grey, Earl Speneer,guo . Grey, the Right Hon. H. Labouchere, and th e Right lion J. Stephen, also left the Castle. M. Van de Weyer left yesterday morning. The Prince of "Wales, Prince Alfred, the Primes ! Royal, the Princess Alice, and the Princess Helena, toy their usual airings yesterday. The Bishop of Oxford arrived yesterday eve:til l at the Castle, on a visit to the Queen. A portion of a gold service of plate, for his Ala. jesty the King of the Netherlands, was submitted to ids Royal Highness Prince Albert, by Messrs. Hunt sad Hoe kell, yesterday. His Royal Highness was pleased to el ma his approbation. Her Majesty and his Royal Highness Prince Albert, the ladies and gentlemen of the court, and the &gon e household, attended divine service this moraine in the psi. vats chapel of the Castle. The sermon was preached by the Bishop of Oxford. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge left town yesterday, to honour the Duke of Rutland with &visit, at his residence, near Newmarket, His Excellency M. Mosquers, Envoy Extraon nary and Minister Plenipotentiary of New Granada, trios. acted buninees with Viscount Palmerston on Friday erening. Earl Grey returned to his residence, at Datchet, on Saturday evening. DEATH OF COUNT MENSDORFF.—lntenigence of the decease of the prince consort's cousin reached the castle on Friday afternoon, just after the return of his Rom Highness from a shooting excursion in the Greatuuk, with Lord John Russell. Her Majesty and the Prnte dined is private that evening; her Majesty's visitors, including the Belgian minister, the Marquis and Marchioness of Liss. dowse, and Lord John Russell, dining with the OH label., of the royal household. There were no musical performances on that evening, or yesterday, when the Queen and the Prince again dined in private. The bands of the Horse Guards and Grenadier Guards were commanded not to per. form on the eastern terrace as usual. MEETDIO OF PARLIAMENT. A supplement to the Landon Gautte, published on Saturday evening, contains a proclamation proro7u,ng ment from the 11th to the 18th day of November next, on which day it is commanded to assemble " for the despatch of divers urgent and importaat affairs." COLONIAL-OFFICE.--James Stephen, Eq., one of the Under-Secretaries of State for the Colonies, is about to retire from the duties of that office, which he has diachsreed for so many years with unsurpassed zeal and ability. kr. Stephen is entitled, by length of services, to his retiring pen sion, and fully merits, in addition, all the honours that can be duly conferred upon him.—Obserrer.—it will be seen by the Court Circular that Mr. Stephen was on Saturday sworn in a member of the Privy Council. MARYLEIIONE VESTRY.—On Saturday, a meeting of the vestry took place, for the purpose of considering hr. Standford's motion respecting the influx of Irish pitmen into the parish. After some details on the subject set forth by Mr. Standford, a discussion arose, and he agreed to poet pane the matter till next Saturday.—THE LIGHTING OF MARTLEBONE wont Gas.—The vestry clerk read the me morial from the Western Gas Light Company, establithedst Renal Green, requiting the permission of the vestry to lay their mains throughout the parish of Marylebone.—Mr.Can rose to move the appointment of a committee. Ile consi dered this subject one of great importance to the public. The high price of gas in the metropolis had long been a matter of complaint. Whilst in London they had to pay 7s. per thousand cubic feet, in Birmingham and Manchester it mu obtained at from 3s. 6d. to 4s. per thousand cubic feet, and although that was the case the companies wen enabled to pay a dividend of ten per cent. Even in L,ndon the companies who sold gas the cheapest paid the largest dividend. Competition in gas was much wanted in Mary lebone, for its effect was proved in the fact that in the out ward of St. George's, Ilanover-square, where there wu com petition, the Imperial Company charged but 61. per thousand cubic feet, whilst in Marylebone they had to pay 7a—Mr. Glazier seconded the motion.--Mr. Soden supported the committee, as be thought the most beneficial effects might result to the rate-payers by their putting themselves in com munication with the managers of the Western Company. —Mr. Bell bad expressed his doubts last week as to the statements put forward by the deputation that the gas pro s.ed to be supplied by this Western Gas Company was both purer and stronger than that supplied by any other. He had since made it his business to investigate the data upon which the chemists whose names were mentioned had ar rived at their conclusion, and he had pleasure in stating that their conclusions were correct. There could be no doubt that 'such gas u that proposed would not only be very supe rior in regard to purity, but in strength of light also, to that now produced.—Mr. Potter cautioned the vestry how they lent themselves to any scheme which might prove a mere bubble, and the object of which application might be to make um of the vestry as a tool to raise their shares in the market. He did not mean to say that such was the cue with the Kensal-green company, but he reminded the vestry that such a thing had been done on a previous oeca sion.—Mr. Miehie supported the motion, and, after some further observations, the resolution was put and carried, and a committee was appointed.. ASTURIAN MINING COMPANY. —An adjourned general meeting was held on Saturday, at the offices in Austin-friars. Mr. Prath presided. T he directors com menced their report by expressing their regret that the con dition of the company did not yet warrant them in declaring a dividend. The delay had amen from the failure of one of their retorts a few days after it was set in motion ; and sub sequently, when the evil was repaired by a new set of iron retorts, the death of one of the Spanish workmen, and the illness of another, induced the alcalde of the village to put a stop to the whole of the mercury operations. It had, however, since been ascertained that the man died from natural causes, and the directors had just heard that the in junction had been withdrawn. The effect of the stoppage had been, that, instead of being able to deliver to the Spanish government 3,0001. or 4,0001. worth of mercury, as might reasonably have been expected, not more than 2,00 W. worth had been sent in. In the mean time the directors coo tioued to receive moat favourable accounts with regard te the condition of the mines. The ore increased in richness as a greater depth was attained ; and a large furnace was being constructed which would enable them to distil several toes at one time, with little or no danger to the workmen. It could not, therefore, be doubted that by the commencement of the year a considerable sum would have been realised, and as the last accounts from Santa Firms showed • clear profit of 7001, that sum would be added to the produce of the quicksilver to form the basis of a dividend. A letter from Mr. Lambert, the manager, gave a gratifying account of the condition of the blast furnaces; the first iron was made on the 20th inst., and there was every reason to hope that by the end of the year a considerable sum would be realised from that department. The most important part of the works would be finished before the close of the year. It might be thought desirable to limit the expenses for that purpose, but as the present wan the best season for working in Spain, they con sidered it unwise to allow any delay at a time when the stream of gold which !tad been as long flowing from the pockets of the proprietors, vow about to change its direction. Among the liabilities of the conloan; was 7,000 1 , Wahl.° their b!inkere., which would become due on the 11th of No- vember; and the directors considered thst they Muld not ask for a renewal of their bills except under the fluai.:' t f es of another call of if. per share, which, for the Convenience : 4 the ipropristors, they would make psayable iwo instal ments of 10s. each. The number of shares on wh!alstill last call had not been paid was 2,260. The report IMP adopted after • long conversation among the several of whom questioned the necessity for • P a r = Mining that if the shareholders who had not paid the het call were threatened with the forfeiture of their dams, 001 would certainly pay, or at any rats the shares mid be put into the market and sold. On the other ebbs at was urged by the chairman that the latter course was In expedient, as in the present state of the market, the sham could only be sold at edged loss to the smarmy. it was arranged that the shares should be hehits4:ol . o apes by the 30th of November, end it at be drm deesteadiag that in dm event at bolas cede to a sizialaat exteat, the mead at the peat mil would Rat b sekteed. was stated Ow there were st prawn SAO ohms dike emapany=med M, and that nall" 8 4 60 . 1 Mal* Pftage with Seri and some Snob capttakists to take Om up at par. With regard W . tb W til B ! 1 16.