The Press. — London, England, 1857-01-03 00:00:00

JANTJAILY 3, 1857. Sortign 6orrtspoubenct. (From a Correspondent.) P.m's, January 1. THE Conference met yesterday to--iu the words of the official Moniteur—" put an end to (mettre fin) the difficulties which have arisen with respect to the interpretation of the Treaty of Peace." It had been expected that the plenipotentiaries would have been able to get through the work before the end of one sitting, especially as not only were the precise terms of arrangement between the different powers agreed on, but the very protocol setting them forth was drawn up ; but one, perhaps two, or three more sit tings, will, it appears, be necessary. The basis of arrangement come to is, that Russia shall give up Bolgrad, the delta of the Danube, and the Isle of Serpents to Turkey; but that she shall receive in exchange a slice of Moldavian territory on the Upper Yalpuck, comprising between eighty and one hundred thousand square acres, and a small town of the name of Comrad. The English Cabinet for some time resolutely refused to consent to any terri torial indemnity being given to Russia ; but the French Emperor insisted on it, not for the sake of the territory itself—for to such a vast power as Russia a few thousand acres, more or less, of an ill cultivated province, are of not the slightest conse quence—but that the Conference should not have the appearance of condemning her for mauvaise foi, as it would virtually have done, had it deprived her, " purely and simply, " of Bolgrad, to which, according to her view of the treaty, she honestly thought her self entitled. The Conference was to have met last week, but was unable to do so owing to the non•receipt (from accident, it is said) of the definitive sanction from Russia of the conditions of arrangement. This sanction arrived on Sunday, and it was intended to have the Conference assemble on Monday or Tues day, but, to the astonishment of everybody, Lord Cowley demanded, it is said, that the meeting of the Conference should be postponed for a few days in order to afford him time to transmit it to London and learn the views of her Majesty's Government upon it. To any further delay, however, the French Govern ment manifested the strongest repugnance, and ac cordingly our ambassador, after setting the telegraph to work, consented, in compliance with instructions from London, to a meeting being held yesterday. In thus acting, of course Lord Cowley only obeyed his instructions; but the new attempt to cause delay— an attempt, be it remarked, which seemed to imply that the sanction of Russia was not bona fide—is universally considered in our political circles ungra cious and undignified. When once the final protocol about the Treaty of Peace shall be signed, England will be " invited " to withdraw the fleet from the Black Sea, and Austria her troops from the Danubian principalities. Austria, 1 am told, has given formal assurances that she will recal her forces immediately. The English Cabinet has been less explicit, but it is taken for granted that it will recal the fleet without any further delay. As all pretext for denouncing Russia on the Bol grad affair will in a few days be removed, and as on the other hand Russia earnestly protests that she has no intention of encouraging Persia in hostility to England, it is hoped in the high political circles of this city that the English Cabinet and its newspaper organs will lay aside the vehement hostility to that power which, since the cessation of hostilities, they have thought fit to manifest. This " attitude " on their part causes greater uneasiness on the Conti nent, and especially France, than you would perhaps be inclined to believe. Only yesterday I heard a great dignitary of State, who is also a distinguished statesman, declare that it was one of the principal causes which keeps Europe unsettled, and casts such gloom over the immediate future. Nay, more ; he seriously informed me that it had had great effect in inducing the French Government not to think of making for the present an extensive reduction in the army which, for the sake of economy, it had pro jected. Touching the Swiss affair, 1 understand that the news which has last reached the Government is not so favourable as it was a few days ago, the Swiss Go vernment and Confederation being decidedly less conciiiatory. I have some reasons to believe, too, that the Government has learned a fact which annoys it exceedingly, namely, that two of the exiled French generals, Lainoriciere and Bedeau, will in the event of hostilities be appointed to the command of corps d'armie by Switzerland ; also that the Hungarian refugee, Klapka, who has become a naturalised Swiss, will obtain the command of another corps. After all, however, I find that nearly all men of Foli tical weight think that the dispute between Switzer land and Prussia will be patched up somehow or THE PRESS. other. Although no great liking is felt for Prussia, the majority of French statesmen would be delighted to see her gain the day (without bloodshed, how ever), if only to curb the insolence of the Swiss de mocracy ; but amongst the ordinary public a certain degree of sympathy is felt for Switzerland. This being New Year's-day, is the great annual holiday of the French. The streets are crowded with people hurrying to and fro to visit friends and acquaintances, leave cards, and make presents ; for such is the way in which the day is celebrated. The shops, especially those of bonbons, are thronged with purchasers, and the boulevards are covered with stalls. The Emperor is holding grand receptions at he Tuileries. BRUSSELS, Dec. 30. A TRIAL of unusual interest, and of a certain im portance, is taking place in this town. In 185 . 2 Count Liedekerke was robbed of 10'2,000 francs -50,000 in gold, and the remainder in bank•notes. 'The Countess Liedekerke had previously lost jewels and other articles of value. Some of the servants were at first suspected, but their innocence had been incontestably established, and the matter remained involved in mystery. About the time of the robbery a person of low birth, yt.t of good education, had been engaged as preceptor to the young count, and OD quitting the situation, of his own accord, still pre served intimate relations with the different members of the family and their servants. After a visit "au premier," "Fitzjeames " dived below, where ho was cordially welcomed by the " sujets." Subsequently the tutor married, bought a house, and travelled. He occasionally gambled at Aix-la-Chapelle, Spa, Hombourg, and Wiesbaden. His losses at these places were known ' • but his gains, which in the long run he declared to be large, have been denied by the croupiers of the respective establishments. The open possession of property without evidence of its derivation attracted notice, and afterwards raised suspicion. Upon this Vervaert has been accused and put upon his trial for the robbery, committed four years ago, in 1852. The presumpt►ons may be strong against him, yet there is not au atom of direct evidence of the fact, and the points most adverse to him have been extracted from his examination by the president of the court. He was called upon by the judge to give an exact description of the dress he wore on the particular day in 1852, even to the carrying an umbrella; and the slightest counter evidence, dependent on memory alone, has been set down to his prejudice. It is utterly repugnant to English law and an English idea of justice that a man should criminate himself ; and if the propriety of the principle be admitted, the " question" and the rack, resting upon the same justification, will not be far off. The fate of the accused depends simply upon the bare possibility of being guilty without a particle of proof. According to the system of Eng lish jurisprudence no conviction could be obtained upon such insufficient evidence. The jury, by a majority of seven to five, have this moment found Vervaert guilty, and the judges have unanimously concurred in the finding. A publication has lately appeared entitled " Le Protestantisme Beige, par un Beige," the last chapter being headed, "Liberty of Conscience." Of all the epochs familiarly cited as the most happy in former times, is that of the reign of Albert and Isabella. It was said to be the golden age of Belgium. This state of political beatitude did not prevent the most rigid persecution of those daring to arrogate to themselves the rights of conscience. Extirpation of heresy and heretics, " quocunque modo," was an act of piety and faith; and the author retai►s with exactitude the several trespasses against civil and religious liberty, which have found apolo gists in the Ultramontane professors of Belgium. The tortures inflicted on two ladies of Brussels, named Rempaerts, with their servant, Anne Van derhove, are given with exactitude. Their con demnation for demanding the right to judge fur themselves was carried by the casting vote of the clement Archduke Albert, and, having received sen tence, they were buried alive in the field called Vannheyveld. Having been placed in a pit, the priest called upon them to abjure their heresy, and upon refusing, the earth was shovelled in until it reached their waists, shoulders, and neck, and, finally, the executioner beat out their brains before the assembled multitude. The persecution of Helsen, a Catholic priest, recorded in this work, is of recent date. He performed the Roman offices in the vulgar tongue, and for this innovation, with others contrary to the order of his diocesan, he was tormented until he died, mad, in a convent of Louvain. The Protes tants in Belgium amount to about 20,000 ; hardly more than the number in Antwerp in the year 1559. So small a number in proportion to the population might be permitted to dwell in peace; but the mis chief of having bibles in their possession, with the power of disseminating them without official hindrance, is a serious complaint against them, and is the reason of the Ultramontane party endeavour ing to usurp, by authcrity, the exclusive education of youth, whet, the Bible would be prohibited as the scouree of corruption and heresy. The Federal Assembly met at Berne on the 27th, when the President opened the session with a speech more calculated to excite popular ferment than to induce a sober and statesmanlike consideration of the matter in dispute. In the circular of M. Stoamptli addressed to the cantons, bearing the date of Dec. 22, attention is directed to salaried agents who are endeavouring to propagate a revolutionary spirit in favour of Switzerland, and are appealing to foreign nationalities for active assistance. These proceedings are censured in the following words : You are cautioned especially against fraternising with these political refugees, and you are hereby instructed to tell them that they should refrain from taking any part in political demonstrations, for in case of disobedience they will be immediately expelled from the Swiss territory. In the teeth of this pompous insincerity, at a public, and patriotic dinner at Geneva, General Klapka, the Hungarian patriot, offered his services amidst great cheering, and received the compliments of General Dufour. Generals Lamoriciere and Bedeau have followed his example. Klapka bas nut been sent out of Switzerland, and the Revue de Crenive expa tiates largely and with gratitude on tho offer of the republican generals of France. The frontier cantons of Switzerland, especially Geneva, teem with political refugees, a large number by whom are already enrolled as volunteers in the Swiss corps. A meet ing has also been held of the students of the University of Geneva, fully one-third being foreigners, when they decided to enrol themselves in a corps of volunteers, to be called " The Battalion of Students." And this offer of service received cantonal approba tion. M. Escher, of Zurich, has been elected presi dent of the National Council. A political committee of eleven members has been appointed to examine and report upon the message of the Executive Council on the Neufchatel conflict. It consists of MM. Escher, of Zurich ; Gonzenbach, of Berne ; Dufour, of Geneva; Frog, of SoleurA, ; Hunger buhler, of St. Gall; Blanchenay, of Vaud ; Styger, of Schwyz ; Stehlin, of Basle ; Planta, of the Grisons ; Pfyffer, of Lucerne ; and Keller, of Aargau. The committee is also armed with power to make pro positions, and, in fact, to decide upon those that are submitted by foreign powers, so that the solution of the dispute with Prussia is within its special pro vince. All the members are persons of character and standing. M. Salignac Fenelon, the French Minister, has presented another message to the Federal Council, based, however, upon the former condition agreed upon between the Emperor of the French and Count Hatzfeldt, at Biarritz, that of the release of the royalist prisoners. M. de Krudener, the Russian Minister, warmly supported its provi sions. A meeting of the diplomatic body had pre viously taken place, when the proposition of M. de Fenelon was generally approved. The Diet of Frankfort sent a special message, that a delegate of the Swiss Confederation might be nominated to confer with the Diet on the means proper to prevent hostilities with Prussia, and to arrive at a pacifio solution. M. Farrar instantly departed upon this mission. A message, also, has been received by telegraph from Colonel Barman, the Swiss Agent at Paris, notifying that fresh propositions had been made, which he was anxious, personally, to lay before the Federal Council at Berne. The answer was " Venez." In the meantime the royalist pri soners have been removed from Neufeha:.el to Lausanne, on their way to the Chateau de Chillon. They are now in the safe keeping of the Confedera tion itself. There is every reason to hope that this unwise ebullition, which has assumed an importance not due to such an act of extravagant folly, will be settled without causing serious disturbance. It will not be the fault of the Swiss republican journals, if they do not prevent such a desirable termination. They threaten an invasion of the territory of Baden, if permission he given for a passage of the Prussian troops ; and the Government of Wurtemburg has formally protested against the presence of a Prussian army in Germany. The antipathy of Wurtemburg to Prussia, and its subserviency to Austrian views, dates from 1850. M. de Kisseleff has forwarded to St. Petersburg the new project for a rectification of the Bessarabian boundaries. This fresh proposal, in separating Bolgrad from Russia, gives in exchange a larger share of Molda via ; but the terms do not allude to any question of barter, and merely treat the matter as a consequence of the Congress of Paris. The Nord observes—" On pent done, des it present, censiderer cocaine terminee, au profit de la paix, cette seconde phase du Congres de Paris." The Emperor of Austria has at last accepted the resignation of Marshal Radetsky, and the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, now at Brussels, is to by