The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-16 00:00:00

MAY 16, 1857. jortign and golanial intelligence. FRANCE. THE Moniteur of Thursday contains an Irnperiai decree, dated Fontainebleau, 12th, extending the session of the Legislative Corps, which was to have closed this day, to the 28th inst. inclusive. The Grand Duke Constantine will take leave of the Emperor and Empress on Sunday, and proceed on a tour to Cherbourg. The Prince Napoleon is expected at Paris from Berlin by the 17th, to meet the King of Bavaria. The Prince left Berlin on Thursday, on his return to Paris, via Dresden and Munich. The King of Bavaria is already en route for Paris from Marseilles. The departure of the Audacieuse frigate, with the French envoy, Baron Gros, to China, is fixed by the Moniteur de la Flotte for the 15th of this month. A copy of the treaty of commerce between France and Russia, arranged by the Count de Morny at St. Petersburg, has arrived in Paris, and has been presented to the Emperor by Count Walewski. When it has been examined and approved in Paris it will be sent back to St. Petersburg to be con verted into a definitive treaty. di SE CI ti 01 1' 13 F 41 S it 1. K 1 11 se he re at fa W 4 ad dii th as (ii ke wl Co (lu Pr he tic eft th to of Si lii P 1 b n 1 F h L fc dl tc rE 0 ii C. 0 0 it h h I a 11 a 0 tl PRUSSIA AND NEUFCHATEL. The settlement of this que,tion is hourly expected. N. Walewski, it is reported in Paris, has expressed his hopes that the end of this week would bring such definite instructions to Count Hatzfeldt and N. Kern as would permit the signature of the final protocol of the conference. A Paris letter, in the Independance of Brussels, says : The last difficulties in the Neufchatel affair appear to have been got over. A telegraphic despatch, which has reached the French Government, has made known, as I am told, that the reply of King Frederick William is most favourable, and displays conciliatory sentiments. If lam well informed, the letter of Napoleon 111. to the King admitted that Prussia had a right to complain of an in- discreet publication of diplomatic documents, but never theless recommended her Sovereign to make concessions, as he could do so more easily than Switzerland, the Federal Government being restricted by the Constitution. It is known that it was the incident of an inopportune publicity which caused the King of Prussia to withdraw from the conference, and to present demands which placed in question all that the plenipotentiaries had done. It is probable that the King of Prussia has desired to let the honour of his return to ideas of arrangement (after the Helvetic authorities had been blamed for their indiscre- tion), and of his renunciation of the maintenance of the status quo, be ascribed to the Emperor of the French. On the whole, the news which has arrived does not.permit us to doubt that the work of the conference will be achieved. The Cabinet of the Tuileries has received the reply of the Swiss Government on the subject of the pub lication of the documents relative to the Neufchatel affair. The Federal Council is said to justify the publication which it made by the difference existing between the institutions of Switzerland and those of monarchical States. The Vienna correspondents of the German jour• mils persist in attributing a political object to the recent visit of the Prince Napoleon. The Gazette of Prussia denies that the visit had any pulitical signifi cance or importance whatever. The Prince during his stay at Berlin was the object of attentions, says Le Nord," lee plus flatteuses." The King had con ferred upon the Prince the Order of the Black Eagle. AUSTRIA AND SARDINIA. Letters from Vienna speak of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Austria and Sardinia as probable. Sir Hamilton Seymour, it is said, has been made the medium of conveying to the Court of Vienna the willingness of the Ministry at Turin to see the ordinary diplomatic relations resumed, Out as little credit is to be attached to this report as that of a Paris correspondent of the Ausbttrg Gazette, who states that Baron Hubner "is said" to have specified to Count Walewski the demands which his Govern ment is inclined to make on Sardinia. The Imperial Cabinet is content to leave Count CM - our entirely out of the questi ,, n, but it is of opinion that the Minister of the Interior (Ratazzi) and the Minister of Public Education ( Lanza) must be dismissed, " as it is those two statesmen who permit, if they do not encourage, that part of the press which is in the hands of the refugees, to commit such excesses." The situation remains precisely the same. Saidinia ha: made no advances, nor Austria any demands. The Emperor of Austria continues his tour through Hungary. His Imperial Majesty in his reply to the address of the primate and nobility, said It affords me pleasure to have been able to come again, in order to show this beautiful country to the Empress, and to examine in person into the condition and necessities of my well•loved Hungary. It is my continual endeavour to increase the general well-being of this country and of the whole of my empire, and thereby to satisfy my loyal subjects, The following is the text of the Emperor's Lotter to the Minister of Justice, granting a general amnesty :-- THE PRESS. Dear Baron de Krauss,—ln order to consign to eternal oblivion the political aberrations of a sad time past, and more particularly the revolutionary movements which in the year 1848 were directed against the existing order of things, I now, in the way of grace, remit all further punishment to all my subjects, being civilians, who belong to those parts of my empire which do not appertain to my Lombardo•Venetian kingdom, that have been condemned for high treason, rebellion, or sedition (paragraphs 58, 61, 68, and 7•i of the State laws), and are still imprisoned in this country. At the same time I ordain that no criminal process shall be instituted for the above-mentioned crimes com mitted before this present day, unless the accused shall have escaped the hands of justice by flight, and shall still be fugitives; and I do further ordain that all the penal ex aminations now carried on for the above•mentioned crimes shall be discontinued immediately. This act of grace shall also extend to the individuals included in the afore-mentioned category who have been guilty of one or more of the hereinafter named crimes or offences:—lnsult to Majesty, insult to members of the Imperial family, disturbance of the public peace (para graphs 63-66), exciting to sedition, as mentioned in para graph 300 of the State laws, or aiding and abetting in the commission of one of the above•mentioned acts. (Para graphs 212, 215, 217, 219, and 307.) Thus, all the afore-mentioned persons, whether impri soned for punishmentorfor examination, shall immediately be liberated. In respect to those individuals who have been guilty of other punishable offences, in addition to those which have been enumerated, you will proceed to a corresponding (entsprechend) diminution of punishment, agreeably to the instructions which you with these presents receive from me. You will take appropriate measures, so that this act of grace may immediately be made known to all those whom it may concern, and be properly carried out. 21tkNCIS JOSEPH. It is again rumoured that the Archduke William is to be appointed Governor-Genersi. of Hungary and Transylvania, instead of the Archduke Albrecht, his elder brother, with whom the climate does not agree. The Emperor was to come lip to Vienna on the 10th, in order to be present at the opening of the agricul tural exhibition, but he would return to Pesti► on the same day. RUSSIA. The Empress on Monday night was safely deli- vered of an Imperial l'nnce. This is sixth child and fifth son of the Emperor and Empress. A Russian envoy, it was reported at St. Peters. burg, would shortly leave for China charged with a special mission to the Court of Pekin. A frigate and corvette now fitting out at Cronstadt would accompany his Excellency. SPAIN. A private letter from Madrid, of the 9th, gives the following particulars relative to the project of recoil. ciliationbetween the Spanish Bourbons : The Count of Montemolin appeared disposed to recog• nise the legitimacy of Queen Isabella, his cousin, on con• dition that he himself shall be recognised as Infanta of Spain ; that he shall be indemnified for the property belonging to his father, which was confiscated ; that the arrears due shall be paid up; and that he shall be paid a yearly allowance corresponding to his rank as a Spanish Prince. On these conditions he will acknowledge the authority of the Queen, and thus admit the injustice of the war which his father waged against her. There is no doubt that these terms were not accepted at the Palace. The arrangement of the Mexican dispute is be lieved to be probable. The troops are all embarked at Cadiz, but M. Lafragua, the Mexican Envoy, has this week left Paris for Madrid, bearing satisfactory explanations. AMERICA. Intelligence from New York to the 2nd states that the Cabinet at Washington intend waiting for the next news from New Granada before they take any definite action relative to that country. . .. The foreign appointments are now under consider ation at Washington. The President has deter mined to replace all the United States' Ministers and agents abroad at the expiration of their four years' service. It is said that the President has determined to consider the whole state of the foreign relations of the Government about the middle of June, and that he has resolved npnn opening a new system of policy both at home and abroad. The steam frigates Minnesota and Mississippi, and the sloop of war Germanstown, are fitting out for the Chinese seas. _ _ The State Senate of Pennsylvania at Harrisburg has declared that the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case is a violation of the plain provisions of the constitution of the United Staff es. There was no doubt that Walker was in the last extremity at Rivas. A great discovery of guano upon the new Nantucket islands was reported. Mr. Reed, the Chinese commissioner, has gone to Washington to receive instructions. The Washington correspondent of the New York Daily Times says : Mr. Reed is to be charged with making a new treaty, but is not required to make it at Pekin. He will go there if permitted tor the purpose, but will not be instructed to 477 force his way in conjunction with the naval forces of Eng• land and France. He will be instructed to secure for American trade, besides the five Canton ports, access to various other ports, and also to the chief marts and centres of commerce in the interior. Whether he is also to be instructed to protect the opium trade is not settled. INDIA AND CHINA. The steamer Bombay arrived at Trieste on the 14th with the usual mails—from Bombay to the 17th of April ; Calcutta, April 9 ; Ceylon, April 19 ; and Hong Kong, March 29. There was no political news of any importance. A mutinous spirit still prevailed in the Bengal army, especially in the 34th Native Infantry. At Bombay the banks have again reduced their rate of discount one per cent. In Chiva nuthing of importance had transpired since the departure of the previous mail. The steamer Zenobia had arrived with troops from Madras. The Caradoc arrived at Alexandria on the evening on the sth instant, with Lord Elgin and suite, who left on the Bth for Cairo. ARRIVAL OF THE U.S. STEAM-FRIGATE "NIAGARA." THIS magnificent specimen of naval architecture dropped her anchor in the Thames, off Greenhithe, at an early hour on Thursday morning, having made her first trial trip from New York in eighteen days. The Niagara is of 5,000 tons burden. She is said to be the largest screw-steamer afloat, and the object of her visit to our shores is to receive on board a moiety of the telegraphic cable which is in tended to connect this country with the United States. The Niagara is commanded by Captain Hudson, and carries a crew of 500 officers and men. She is at present without her armament, for greater facility of shipping the cable, the second half of which will be carried out by her Majesty's screw steamship Agamemnon. Both vessels will proceed to the vicinity of Nova Scotia, where they will part company and commence paying out the cable, the Niagara towards New York, and the Agamemnon towards the United Kingdom. Both ships will be attended by screw tenders, for the purpose of rendering any assistance that may be required during the performance of their anxious and difficult duty. Captain Hudson, accompanied by Lieutenants Wells, Guest, and Boyd, landed at Gravesend as soon as the ship brought up, and came on to London for instructions. The gallant captain dined with the members of the Navy Club the same evening, at the Thatched•house Tavern. The Niagara is a beauti ful ship, and will no doubt excite very great atten tion among naval men, and all who are interested in the science of naval architecture. Curt ana Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family con. tinue at Osborne. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is making a tour through the English lakes. The - Court will return to Windsor Castle about the Bth of June. Her Majesty will entertain a distin guished circle of guests in the race week. His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constan tine, it is expected, will be included in the circle of distinguished guests on this occasion. Her Majesty will hold Drawing Rooms at St. James's Palace on Saturday, the 6th of Jane, and on Tuesday, the 23d of June, and a Levee on Thursday, the 18th of June. The ladies and gentlemen of the household only are expected to wear mourning. His Excellency the Russian Minister and the Countess Chreptowich have arrived at Chesham house from Paris, where they have made a sijour of some weeks since Easter. His Excellency Count Persigny is expected at Albert-gate in the course of next week. Valittral. A CABINET COUNCIL was held on Wedneslay at Lord Palmerston's official residence. All the Ministers were present. THE HON. CHICHESTER FORTESCEE 7 M.P. for Louth, has been appointed to succeed Mr. John Thia as Parliamentary Under• Secretary for Colonial Affa rs. THE RETIREMENT OF Mn. STEA.B.T WORTLEY from the post of Solicitor• General may be shortly expecte 1. THE PROBABLE RESIGNATION OF LORD PANMURE, so currently reported of late, is denied this week by the Post, which asserts, " authoritatively," that the rumour, in all its particulars, " is entirely devoil of any foundation." THE ANNUAL RETURN of the increase and dim nu lion in the public offices is printed for the year 1.- , )13. The increase of persons employed in 47 departm-Dt4 enumerated is bl 6, and the decrease 5,533. In salaries the increase is 264,0001., and the diminution 141,0004