The Express. — London, England, 1850-01-17 00:00:00

ante enweoo. OUTGOING MAILS. Ths mails for Gibraltar, Malta, Gn yes, the I oaks Islands, Mope, Ceylon, India, and Ch', eta Southamptos, will be made up on the teenier of Jos. 19. no math via Marseilles, to the blediterraasen, Bee. Ceylne, ladle, Hoag-Soot, La, will be mad* up ea t h e eveniog of Jan. 24. The nails for British North Americo sad the United States will he made up on the evening of ho. 25. The mails for Lisboa, Bras, end Gibraltar wall be made up oa Jan. 27. TM West India Mails, ioelodisi Bermuda, Martinmas, Meman, Handierus, Now Orleans, and Illszioo, end 'li:shading Moos for Madeira, St. Juan-tholfiewreirna, Now Granada, Chill, end Peru, will he made np ea Feb. 2. Tie Mani for Moder* the BraeUs, and Basso Aree,will be made up patio evening el Feb. 4. MOOR •QTR AT LONDON 141111DOlL Tar nah —/Arahnsg. 4h. go. Alterhom. 4h. 41 , .. 1.4-sheso*-111441A141. MN.. AllAnsea. 4 I. Iheh LONDON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 17. --- Fame a multiplicity of symptoms we are warranted to hope that the government arrangements " for pro moting emigration." as they are fttietilialy will have to undergo, during the approaching Win= of parliament, a thorough sifting. 'Mr. SIDNEY HER. szter's benevolent effort in behalf of the distressed needlewomen, the etforts of the Society for the Pro motios of Emigration, and many other simultaneous independent movements show that the emigration question has taken a strong hold of the oatmeal imagination. Tee machinery of the central department of colo nial government in Downieg-street is, take it for all and all, as comical • state engine as the wit of man ever devised. but the excrescence, the pa w rasitical plant or fungus, which has of late years grown out of It and maned the de-eignstion of the "Colonial Land and Emigration Commission" is infinitely the most curious thing about it. The Colonial-office governs the colonies. True, there are ministers reinicing in the titles of Colonial Seeretaty and Coder Secretary. but they are managed by the office, no: the office by them. They are placed osteesibly at the head if the Office which acts as vice roy over them. They come into their plat s in the routine of piny seniority, without knowing anything about the col inks, and they step out of them, on the path of upward promotion or downward dismissal, be fore they have time to learn anything. While in place, they do as the Office bids them. Now, the Office et composed of a number of clerks, who know nothing of the colonies beyond what they find in the despatches of governors, which it is their business to arrange, sad register. and sometimes abridge or amalgamate into memorials. They are registrars, and nothing more. Of any knowledge of the men and communi ties with whom they have to deal, or with the prin ciples °politics and commerce, they are utterly inno cent. The Colonist-office is an attempt to govern by the art of book-keeping. This is absurd enough, but the Colonial Land and Emigration Board is a greater ab.nrdity still. Some dozen years ago the colony of South Australia was founded under an act of parliament, upon the prin ciple that no waste land was to be conveyed in pro perty to private individuals except by sale, and that the produce of the lard sales, or the greater part of it, was to be employed to pay fur tree passages to the colony for labourers. The comMilliioLers under the act for managing the affairs of the colony got into difficultiel; government took the colony into its own hands; and the commissioners became govern ment officers. Tue Colonial Office extended the prin ciple of land sales and free passages to all the other Australian colonise and talked of doing so to the colonies of the North American and West Indian groups, and the Cape of Good Hope. The commis sioners of land and emigration tor the colony of South Australia were promoted, in title at least, to be commissioners of land and emigration for the colonies generally. Superintendents of emigrants at the day; ent ports had been appointed some time be fore ; they were placed under the direction of the new board. • But the dis sell of lands in our Nor:h Ame rican colonies had previously been vested in the local governments. In most of the We.t India colonies the lands had been all granted away, and foe the rest each an emigration of free labourers as was contem plated in setting aside the land fund to provide free passages for emisrants of that clam was out of the question. The commissioners were, de facto, re stricted to the Australian C.donies, and, with regard to them they were co-fiued to the duties of register ing correspondence, and tarnishing reports when called upon by government. The management of colonial Lail and land funds was retuned by the Office. Of the manner in which the waste lands in our colonies have been managed or mismanaged, and emi gration dealt with, we shall speak hereafter. It is an important coneiderstion, but one which does not fall in our way when discussing the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners. The functions of these gentlemen may be briefly described. When any application is transmitted from a colony relative to lands, or emigrants, or any matter therewith connected, a letter is prepared in the Colo nial-office, signed by the Colonial Secretary, and transmitted to the commissioners of colonial lands and emigration. 'Ms letter rehearses the application made, states that the colonial secretary thinks so or so about it, and asks the opinion of the commissioners. The commissioners. after • decorous pages, return an answer recommending the course to be pursued which the letter signed by the Secretary has shown them they are expected to r.commend. Au answer to the application num the colony is then issued from the Colonial-office in the terms of this recommenda tion. To carry on such correspondence, to look out and arrange documents when a blue book is called for, to get up an annual report of the number of emigrants to the colonies, and the sums realised by land sales, and to return unmeaning answers to com plainants of misconduct in emigrant ships or appli cants for information about the colonies, are the du ties of the commissioners of colonial lands and emi gration. The staff maintained for the discharge of these onerous duties is sufficiently large, and sufficiently wall paid. There are a secretary and three com missioners, who are paid, respectively, 8001., 1,0001., 1,1001., and 1,200!. a-year, with " sundriee." They have 12 clerks with salaries ranging from 801. to 4001. per annum, and their " contingencies" amount to seedy 9001. a-year more. Altogether the ant of this board, as aopeara by the miscellaneous atheists of 1849, amounts annually to 13,4511. a which the lion's share, or 8.0001. a year, goes di :sew:lto the salaries and expenses of the staff. The of this money, be it remembered, is charged to the maw country : and let so me what the mother genatzy gets for it. Thismay be made to appear by °aspiring the amounts of mosey raised for land sales and the number of egolgreats sent to the colonies, with the disbursement sad forwarding of which the commissioners have nothing to do, with the sums expended upon their establishment The fends raised by the gale of waste lands in the gaieties betwees the years 1843 and 1848 inclusive samensted to somewhat less than a quarter of • minks. We have the return in one of the latest reports af the essemadimens. It is as follows : 1843 ttl44 Mb 160 1227,666 • Doris( Ow one period, how many emigrants were Ma oat to the eol,)&te ? Here is a return of the alpsties to Anstralia and New Zealand : 1843 1 1 8 844 41 . B3O 1348 Bo that for each pesos sent out—men, women, and children, toAetbse--the Colonial Land Find would appear to have paid at the rate of more than 281, per head, or twice u much as these emigrants could have been Weep out fur as steerage poweregers in any of the vessels which sail weekly from the ports et the United Kingdom ! But the truth is that the greater part of the land fund is ramrod to pay the saiseise of government officers in the event of the SOl _IN. raining rusty, and refusing the supplies. It appears from this account that the people of iii=are paying no less than fourteen thou meni a par to maintain a board which does mit taU. charge of the expenditure of an annual average ma of 60,00 W. On this calculation every And:slim I 1 i'l . 1 tt k i t fi t 1 , ,I. , : .1 ti i , .i i t .. THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 17, 1850. FRANCE. goveramout. Lay deeneastration of them mudded prin iiples wig* disguise their real climates' varier everdoss mimes uglier the appssrance of a polideal sad 11011111 sys tem, :Usage sad consequently hostile to the eamaitstit.n, and all sets misdated to cause the spread of nosh princi ples, are, ea the pert of ears charged with pabile instrsetton, sad with the morel and religions edusatiem of the oblates of the people, rave faults which call tor your Boyars atten tion, cad the application of the powers whisk me mauled ou yos. The minister then detail' the measures which the prefects are to adopt, in order to exercise a strict surveillance over the schoolmasters 1 among others, he recommends that they shall thesselvi s, so far as pos sible, see the schoolmasters, examine their situation, ascertain their wishes and wants, and show them that the government is anxious to promote their welfare, whilst insisting on the strict diachargeof their duty. In his circular to the rectors, the minister directs them to lend their co-operation to the prefects when called on, to point out to him the schoolmasters worthy of recompense, to watch over the functionaries engaged in secondary instruction, and by strict discipline to prevent them from emb arking in political agitation, or otherwise wandering from the line of their duty. To the schoolmasters the minister sends a copy of the law, and explains the nature of it. He says that families expect front them not only ability in teach ing, but that their example shall justify their lemony, that their private lives shall be exemplary, that their relations with the authorities of the commune shell be becoming, and that they shall show constant respect to order. PARIS, TVISDAY. HALT-PUT i . P .r. The feuds rose to-day at the Bowes is a very marked manner. Two cause; tended to this result ; the orrtainty that the Pups will return to Rome, cad the favourable result of the returns of receipts from indirect taxes for the year 1849. These returns show an improvement in the receipts of 1849 over those of 1848 of 67 millions. Other new. which I have ob tained will probably, however, put an end to there favourable symptoms. In addiunn to the loan of 160 millions which the Emperor of Russia is negotiating, lam positively informed that the Czar has given orders to MM. Turneyeen, agents of MM. Sleight: in Paris, to sell the too millions sterling of stock that he has in the French funds. The same order, I am further informed, has been given to the agents of the same house in London. It is well known that the Russian government has taken measures for stopping all public works in spring, even the yolks of the crown are to be sus pended, and all financial resources are to be placed at the disposal of the Minister of War at St. Peters burg. I cannot venture to predict, but is it not pro bable that this news will have an unfavourable ttfi ct on the negotiations of the London market? These signs of Russian poverty are certainly offering little in ducement to the English public to risk their spare capital fn the hands of the Cz sr. In addition to the fact of the Pope's proximate re turn, I may inform you that six millions of the papal loan have already been negotiated and obtained. The officers of the French mercenary legion have been appointed, and received money for recruiting 7,000 ten at once. The Pope's nuncio here has taken all the necessary steps in the matter. Paris is encased in a tbick coating of snow, through which no news can penetrate, insomuch as it has blocked up (ihe snow, not the news) many of the approachesto the capital. . Barthelemy de St. Hilaire has been again this afternoon speaking at great length against the bill on public instruction in the chamber', and it is expected M. de Montalembert will speak, but he had not done so at post hour. There was a large meeting lest night at Count Mole's, in the Roe du Fanbourg St. Honore. You will perhaps be .nrprised to hear that the moat pro minent member of the party was M. Thii rs. This statesman declared positively that M. de Broglie, M. de Montalembert, and M. Berger might rely upon him for giving them his sincere and earnest support in carrying out the bill es proposed by the committee. The 3fonsteur details the comparative receipts of indirect taxes for the years 1849 and 1848, mentioned above: 1849. 1848. nomstration duos, de. 184.381,000 168,752,000 Stamps 32,738,000 30,905,000 Corn 72 000 624,000 Sundries French oolonial augers 2,6601,000 Foreign sugars Indigenous *non 23,675,000 22,824,000 Potable liquors Ball dues (« streation ) 13.1 t dues (consumption) 7,688,000 6,682.000 Customs, savitalioa, as. Tobsoco salsa Gunpowder sales Pablie carriages and other in direct taw 35,394,000 80,880,000 Letters, and duty on sanding money Passengers by manes postal 1,471.000 1,561,000 Ditto by wising 1,440,000 1,210,000 701,716,000 676,790,000 The receipts of 184 S comprehend the two-thirds of the duty on salt which were suppressed in 1849, and which gave a sum of 42,228,000 f, so that the real amount of increase is 87,151.000 f. It must also be borne in mind that the receipts of the post-office show a diminution of nearly 11,000,000 f., owing to the re duced rate of postage. The whole augmentation is 4,000.000 f. more than was estimated in the budget, the improvement being principally apparent in the registration dues, stamps, customs, and the duty on potable liquors. " In a council of minister'," says the Union, " held on Sunday at the Rysee, under the presidentship of M. Louis Bonaparte, it was decided, report says, after a sharp discussion, that the expedition to La Plata should not take place, as originally projected. Ac cording to the rumours in circulation yesterday at the Assembly it would appear that, on the observe, ions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who foresees great difficulties, the majority of the cabiret has decided that negotiations with Roos should be resumed, and that the ambassador sent to Buenos Ayres should be supported by a thousand marines only. It appears certain that the government has renounced all idea of sending to Monte Video the two thousand infantry and the two squadrons of cavalry which were to form part of the intended expedition." WIDNISDAT, 6 P.M. The debate of yesterday is remarkable, inasmuch it shows the general view of dislike and mistrust with which tee bill on public instruction is regarded by the country. (See the report annexed.) To-day M. C4lll2lir Perier announced that the report on the treaty of commerce end navigation esseluded with Belgium was ready, but that the ratification being fixed for the 1 i tL, it would have been impossible for the Assembly to vote it in time to sable the government to comply with that formality. He had accordingly requested the minister for foreign affairs to apply to the Belgian government for a fur ther delay to accomplish it. The Assembly decided that the discussion of the batty should elks place immediately after that on public instruction. M. Leon Faucher said, that public opinion was be ginning to be seriously preoccupied with the slow ness of the parliamentary 'abeam Reproaches bad been addressed to the Assembly by the journals; he would not inquire with what intention or interest. It was of importance, however, to the consideration, ho mer, and authority of the Assembly not to justify those reproaches. He accordingly considered it his duty to caution his colleagues before any warning should come from abroad. The com mittee on the budget had been of late the object of many attacks, so anxious was the public to know the real financial situation of the country, and if a period is to be put at last to increasing deficits. Numerous committees laboured little and badly, but he believed that the delay was chiefly owing to the bad system adopted by the committee. The chairman had announced that he would present the report on the expenditures on or about the 20th of January. He asked him if he could realise his promise? The three-twelfths would be exhausted before the estimates could be voted, and the minister would again be obliged to demand provisional credits. M. Brayer pleaded in excuse the great difficulty and importance of the labour of the committee on the budget. It was impossible to display more zeal and application than its members had done in the accom plishment of the arduous task confided to them by the Assembly. They expected in the coarse of the evening to come to a definite decision on a question involving numerous and important interests--he meant the Paris and Avignon Railroad. The accounts of that department we e not yet entirely examined. The committee would require a week to complete that task, and ten or twelve days more to put in order all the documents and prepare the report. The committee of inquiry on the tax on potable liquoura assembled yesterday under the presidency of M. Thiers, and decided on a series of questions to be addressed to the chambers of commerce. The finance department has already . furnished numerous docu ments, !particularly relative to the foreign laws on duties on potable liquors. The committee will assem ble again on Friday next. The committee on the proposition of M. F. de Saint-Priest relative to usury yesterday aimitted the principle of it, according to which the isolated fact of usury is sufficient to constitute a misdemeanour. It proposes to inflict the penalty of imprisonment in case of repeated or habitual acts of usury ; it refuses to the lender a direct action before the correctional police, but grants him an intervention in the cor rational trial instituted by the law authorities. The minister of public instruction has addressed circulars to the prefects, rectors of collages, and com ma& asisasialasters, on the law on primary instruc lissi mess* adopted by the National Assembly. In hie *sir le the prefects, the minister says: • semillaiable rimsber of achoolinuters have been mis be.m.a he events we have paned tannish, sail Ibs switolsa of wool peeulisr to their sduation. imasoiso of all UMW law confided to your patriot -lis • bin dim boos or Oa true line of their duties. ilallehmilmare not Asedese se fulfil a political rule. You Imo eoonisse of dos kiwi to amend from tam; but you oat ail pm* *lll ever to mks an attitude hostile to the emigrant in 1645 was made the pretext ler chatting; the tax-payers of Great Britain more than 151. for salaries and expenses to the shoo emigration commissioners and their staff! Oa an average the chief commiesioner's salary may be taken at nearly 11. per head per emigrant , whilst the whole commission sack u much as 71. per head for every mu, womsn, and child they forward from Great Britain to Australia. The board of Woods and Forests is not worse than the board of Colonial Lend end Emigration. The hosed o bfot Woods end Fortr screened more embezzle ment, they did not do less for their pay. And the board of Woods and Forests have not been made the instruments of imposing noneoes nary expenses upon poor emigrants, and have not systematically treated poor t migrants with contumely and harshness. The Awed +lion for promoting Re form in Colonial Iliverument propose as one of their objects the transference to the local legislatures in all the colonies of the management of the waste lands within them. It is to be hoped this point will be early and urgently pressed upon parliament next MN aim, were it only to get rid of the iron job of an offensive and do-nothing board, and to rave the • country at least 14,0001. a year, now mischievously , wasted. The representatives of the various railway boards, held. it will be seen, their adjourned meeting yester day, and resolved not to intr :duce any audit bill into parliament. This determination is, on the whole, a wise one. For, firstly, the plan they had prepared was, as we have repeatedly shown, far from perfect. Secondly, it did not receive such cordial and energetic support from their constituents se, to use the appro petale language of one of the resolutions, was " need ful" for its suce 'slut promotion ; and, thirdly, because it was felt that, in t e present temper of ' railway proprietaries, any audit plan prepared by directors meet be open to su.piciou. T he se, most people will regard as sufficient reasons for the course adopted. Ner an we see much force in Mr. Cnsaxss Russzu.'s objection to that course, via, that the withdrawal of the scheme would involve the derelio tiou of the directorial pledge, to be this session =with a substitute for Lord MONTTAOLZ'I sod impracticable measure of last session; inasmuch as duertors are themselves only represen tatives and delegate", and unless their constituents enable them to fulfil the pledge given on their behalf, it is not the directors bat the shareholders who are to be blamsd. The directors gave their shareholders an opportunity of performing their engagements, and in doing that their duty terminated, unless armed with powers to go further. But there is, it teems, no intention of giving Lord Morrinsot.e the means of saying that the pledge in question has been violated: for the directors only abandon their scheme on the understanding that their shareholders will themselves prepare • bill of their own on this important question ; and already a com mittee of North-Werern proprietors u', Mr. GLYN stated, cccupied with a shsreholders audit plan ; already, Mr. Leine; told the meeting, the Brighton board had resolved to a-k its proprietary to appoint a similar committee; and this suggestion of stirring up shareholders themselves to action was approved by every railway chairmen who spoke yes terday. Now, if the North Western committee can only have the outlines of their scheme so far advanced es to be laid betore the various other companies at their approaching meetings in February, and, if at those meetings, similar committees are appointed to co-operate and act in unison with the North Western committee. we can haruly doubt that ere Easter • very sufficient Audit Bill will have been introduced into parliament, and will long before the August meetings have become the law of the land. Towards the eucces-ful preps, ati.in of each a mea sure, Mr. EDMUND DENISON made a very practical, and, at the same time, • novel suggestion yesterday. Admitting, with the advocates of government inter ference, that the independent appointment of auditors was necasery, Mr. Desisoe proposes that the ap pointment should rest neither with the proprietors nor with the government, but should be made by a committee of high mercantile atehority in the City of London, preside 4 over by the Governor of the Bank of England. To appreciate the fel value of this eng gestion, reference must he mad , to the small number of the proprietors of a railway company who now take any real interist in its management or any active part in the public discus-ion of its affairs. Thus, for instance, Mr. RUSSELL stated that, in spite of all the pressure put on his constituents on this very audit question, he could only extract replies from 600 per sons out of a corporati:n et:insister gof no fewer than 5,600. As then it is very clear that at public meet ings a small minority of the companies only attend, so it is most desirable that some security should be taken to preserve the absent mej. rity from the domination of the present majority ; and in the appointment of auditors, or at least ef accountant., no better security could probably be taken than that recommended by Mr. DENisoN. The member for the West Riding made another important statement. It came, he said, within his knowledge, that ministna were not desirous of esta blishing a government audit; that they regarded railway undertskino as mercantile affairs to be, se a general rule, managed on ordinary mercantile pris es ; and that they admitted that nothing but • r2pird of thoee principles in their administration justify government interfering to protect these wronged and injured by such disregard. These, Mo. DENISON repeatedly, emphatically, end advisedly said, were the views of the government on the quo- I lion of railway audit; and they are the oely sound views that can be entertained by ear one who appreciates the constitutional system sag freedom of action under which the country has risen to its present commercial greatness. But these views, so far hues encouraging any laxness of audit, ought to amulet the stringency of an audit system. The application of the atoms of individual capital to the onstiostios of great public works by means of joint do* companies with limited responsibilities is justly :mded as one of the greatest triumphs of the modern of political economy; and it is due to the character of that science to vindicate it from the imputation that it ha• in this, one of its chief practical uses, en inherent and an irresistible ten dency to dishonesty and mismanagement. If this imputation could only be once fairly established, it would almost follow as a cons. ermine that economical science was injurious to the working of our constitu tional system by rendering centralisation indispen sable to its honest operation, and by encouraging the government to interfere in everything. Few ought, therefore, to take greater interest in working out a system of independent audit than economical students and the free trade party generally. It is for tones end ultra-protectionists to advocate govern ment control and rupee vision. The result of yesterday's meeting menu likely to confer, what we have always required and pointed out as meet the sheet objects of sound railway policy, greater power on the shareholders. With increased powers they will take increased interest in their com panies; and it only needs augmented interest cal the part of shareholders very greatly to improve railway ProPortr• MORITA? ROBBER? AND ATTEMPTED MURDER AT Noma liatizime.—Hobert Qalbraith sad Joha Wien, two Memo derstasts, eppri 'leucite at a lodgerhoose ht the wow ea Tuesday lan, the Bth eat., broeskt be e Isi ßula rliserth Shields inseetretes, charged with beer Goa sersed in • highway robbery end attempted mode spun the penes of Mr. Vetch, a railway clerk at the &weeds sad Berwick railway wades is that tows. Mr. Veiteh appeared is Conn, and gee his evilest*. On Saturday morning, the 29th ult., he left his home at about halt-past de, ta i 'reloaded to his elite by way of the New-eut. Whim he get hail way up that road he was sleeked by two lies, a till gas, sad one mu -h oho ler sad stonier. They lusealtad him down, bat he recovered, sad felled the skeeter Ems. The other then Nude a plunge at him with a amp inetramest, from which is warded ft o ff , he reseed a mere gash is the palm o f his hand. Daring the seells, the short. r recovered, sad tha two scoundrels then made a desperate attack apes kin, got him down, and at tempted to cut hie throe, bat is eosettinence of the thick ness u • shawl which he had shout hissed', were prevented from biltlethm a fatal eased, though they aide a large in idea in his doable chin. They ratted his pockets es soya reign, tea halt-crowns, • foureenay piece, and • threepenny Mem, awl Mutt ran away. Re wea 'sheeted with less of bleed, hat reemered sots after, and crawled down to the New Qnsy,where he was met by a man who took him hem" Ha Meld aotewear to Oalbraitit, bat thought that Wars tumbled the shorter man who attacked him. They wen remanded for a week to allow the sa opportunity to prove ea ofibi.—Nentoserk Guirdiss A TUT RAW MATRRIAL.—Mr. Disraeli mays that the lasi is the laadlore's raw material ; sad so it is. But leader* haves asses ewes meow is the neat of thee fumes whim they delude Into ermisaing to pay estooder Etats leader the hlisoless hope of a re-saasualat of the lora laws.--Psmod. advice. The 19th semeso mem awwito it, and if it mod said its smarm it *veld raise . taWe eventualities. It placed the reesmineat is the eaeristy. The imembli Was at this tints in a state of great agitation. K. VlatOß Hums moldered that he had a right, when a bill was presented mita he regarded as k it e bite danger, to closely examine it—(renewed interruption ;— and his in tentions ought not to be suspected. last year de fended order when it was is peril, as he sow defended liberty when it was threatened. Was this the kind of bills that were to be produced ? Was Fromm to be attested in her onward course ? The intention was to petrify human thought. (Laughter.) "in this age of diseoveries," said the hon. samater is ematiusioa, "yam proclaim immovability; you pause on the road like men fatigued—fatigued with glory, genius, seienee, and knowledge ! Do you not see that everything is inlenevenest around you, and advances—you want to stop short (" No !so !") I declare to you, that if you repel propos you will hays fresh revolutions ; and to such men as deny the truth of that assertion, I reply by the declaration that the earth turns round. I shall vote against the bill. (Tab speeds, delivered with great violence of ges ture, was loudly applauded on the Left.) The sittiug washeenekt to a ekes at • goatee to soma. GERMANY. BERLIN, JAN. 13. One of not the least important sides of the new improvements proposed by the King of Prussia in the octruyed and revised constitution of December 5, is, that the hold of Prussia upon the German states she has embraced in the league of May 26, will thereby be greatly loosened, and a material advan tage be given to Austria. at a moment when Prussian policy demanded that the cabinet of Vienna should be by all possible macs debarred from regaining its lost influence in Germany. The ascendancy of Prus sia in Germany is so visibly the natural tendency of events tact nothing but the most fatal series of blun ders on the part of the court can keep the country back and weigh down its buoyancy. One of those blunders has just hien commit , ed. On the eve of the meeting of the Erfurt Reichstag a sigeal instance of faithlessness and muta bility of purpose is exhibited by the monarch with whom the grand contract for the constitution of the lesser confederation is to be made, and into whose hands the supreme power is to be confided. An ex cellent excuse has been thus furnished for allowing such states as were with difficulty restrained from imitating the defection of Saxony and Hanover from the League, to detach themselves. In the meantime, the Federal Commission at Frankfort, are, I under stand, preparing measures for restraining the parlia mentary activity of Saxony, Hanover, Wurtemberg, and Bavaria. The tr;a' of the members of the National Assembly who attempted to carry out the decree refusing taxes, will come on before the jury court here on the 4th of February. Forty persons are accused of instigating rebellion, among whom are many of the most noted speakers in the Assembly, such as Bucher, Boding, on Berg, lichul/ze-liehtsch, Schulze-Wanaleben, Pilet, Hildenhagen, Babzer, Wollheim, Krackrugge, Bauer•Kr , to.chin, Schramm-Striegau, Zorn, and Siebert. The indictment is divided into general and specific charges. The first part describes the common offences of all, and the last the single offences of indi viduals. Fur tee rest, the facts are already suflici •:itly well known, and the repetition of them here would be wear , snme. Yesterday the students turned out in a score of sledges, with no end of plumes and ornamental trap pings, scouring up and down the streets. and looking like a Ituasian invasion. After they had sufficiently satisfied the curi'sity of the citizens by displaying their costumes and equipages in the main streets, they drove to a tavern in tke Thiergarteo, where they breathed their steeds, whetted their whistles, and roared their glees; end then they flared up afresh, thretving the city at a furious rate until nightfall. The little caps and open throats, braided jackets, and gay borsecbths, lifted with the wind, flew up and down and about, scattering the snow in grout glory, until extinguished by envious night, when the frozen charioteers descended into their wonted kririps (beer cellars) to drink and sing again. It is u-uel ou these occasions to sport fancy coetumes: but yesterday nore appeared. Such vanities are going out of vogue here as elsewhere. PO RTU';AL. THE QUEEN'S SPEECH. The 0611..1 Com. auy'm steam packet Iberia, Capt C. F. Burney. arrived a'. S,uthampton yesterday, and larded her ma 14 under the charge of Lieut. W. I'. Newenhnm, R N., Admiralty agent. We gave a lum inary of the news in our impression of yesterday. tt , r -re Gin.altar, Jan. 4th; CAI; sth; Lisbon, 9 h; Vigo, 11th. Amoneq her cargo are a few packages of specie. the arrival of the Iberia has been delayed by heavy northerly gales in the Bay of Biscay and on the Spanish coast. The Cortes opened on the 2nd, when the former Spe_kcr was re-elected. The committees are in favour of government. The lallnwirg is the Queen of Portugal's speech at the opening of the Chambers which she delivered in pars n, end which was wren in a second edition of yesterday's Express : " Worthy Peers of the Kingdom, Gentlemen Depu ties of the Nation,—The public tranquillity, for the cone-lidatien of which your loyal co-operation has efficaciously contr'buted, has not been disturbed N'l.oo the lest legislative session. It behoves us to thank Divire Providence for having saved these kingdoms from the scourges which have so much afflicted other countries. " My relations of friendship with foreign potentates continue to income cloee: - . " An agreement hes been concluded between my government and that of hie Majesty the King of Den mark, by which the Portuguese flag is considered. in the passog • of the Sound, as that of the most favoured nation ; in the same respect the Danish flag is ad mitted into the yids of Portugal. " co•ttor•nity with the principles of a just reci procity, my goverment has arranged that our mer chandise, imported into the ports of Russia under the Portuguese flag, be exempt from the payment of 50 per cent. beyond what is marked in the general custom-better. duties, and Portuguese ships relieved from the differential dues which are paid in that king dom upon tonnage. " By virtue of the authority conceded by the law of the 25:h June, 1849. and taking into consideration the elsims of some foreign governments, that law has been extended to the Swedieb, Dutch, and Belgian flags. " Tranquillity has been preserved in the colonies, and ie that of At gola, a new colony of Portuguese emigrants from Brazil is already established, which gives the mist flattering hopes of pros perity: but I • m sorry to have to acqnaint you that the establishment of Macao was the theatre of two attempts against the sovereignty of my crown, and ega•ret V e rights of the people. My govern ment liss already taken the necessary measures to se cure the integrity of the establishment, the sove reignty t f the crown, and the national dignity and decorum; and has also made the necessary claims, which, I trust, will be considered, that due reparation be obt• ined. " My government will render you an account of the use it has made of the different powers entrusted to it, and will as well acquaint you of the means it had adopted to improve public credit, and meet the public expenses. " Tne estimates of the receipts and expenses of the state must be laid before you, and several proposals tending to improve some branches of the public ser vice, and some laws which experience has shown to have been deficient " Worthy Peers of the Kingdom, Gentlemen De puties of the Nation,—At this solemn moment, in which I feel the mast lively pleasure in being sur rounded by the representatives of the nation; it is my duty espicialiy to recommend to you, in accord with my goverment, to consider the true situation of the country, and adopt efficacious reme dies, in order to establish the organisation of the public revenue upon a solid and definitive basis." Our correspondent writes as follows: LISBON, JANVART 9. I have this time again to report an increase in the revenue,—that is to say, that in consequence of the frauds being stopped, the revenue of the Sete Cane produced more in the month of December by 1,1001. than it had in the corresponding month of toe pre vious year, while the amount of embezzlements are swilled twins?. Paganina to upwards of forty contos. The committee of inquiry is still examining into the state of the offices. A circumstance has happened at Oporto that has excited general indignation :—A person, named An tonio Augusto Teixera de Vuooncollos, an anplo,ye under the junta of Oporto, who signalised him self by a small work on the union of the two extreme parties, Miguelite and Septernbrista, sod who was created a viscount by the junta, got introduced into a highly respectable family ; he seduced the wife, receiving from her money to supply his prodigality; at length she re fused to comply with his exactions; determined on revenge, he wrote an anonymous letter to the hue band; the latter showed it to his wife, who recog nised and declared the author. A duel was about to be fought between the husband and the seducer, but the latter absconded. A tragical event wound up this affair. During the altercation of the wife and the husband, two children were desired to go into the garden, not to be witnesses of what was going on; they were forgotten, and when, at 11 o'clock at night, they were searched for, one was ;heady dead with cold, the other not expected to live ; while the effect it bu had on tke husband has ben to confine him with dangerous illness. I most state that the receivers of newspapers here are subjected to a kind of exaction which requires re. dress—the clerks in the office open the papers, loose the addresses, put them sometimes together by wrong sheets, and charge double postage. It is hoped that if the press notice this it mty attract such attention P as will cause the evil to be discontinued. The exportation of port wine duricg 1819 was 43,043 pipes : 24,629 to Great Britain ; to the rest of Europe, 3,390; to Portuguese placer, 496 ; the United Rates, 4,921 ; the Braz , ll, 3,627; to other countries and colonies, 3,976. Portugal produced in 1813 a million of pipes of wine and thirty thousand of oil. The wine, brandy, and oil dealers are obtaining bet tor prices than of late. Since my last, the Hogue, Thetis, Arrogant, Lean. der, Encounter, Conflict, and Scourge, all of them war vessels, have arrived in the Tagus. The ophthalmia is prevalent here among the troops, especially the Queen's Grenadier', many of whom have lost their sicht. A deputy having called upon the ministry for an account of the public money, the Finacce Minister promised tolay it before the house, taking that °era. sion to say that he would not stop payment and de clare a bankruptcy, but, relying on the SUCCESS his measures had hitherto had, particularly as to the credit of Lisbon bank notes, he should continue, and presented his report, by which, however, it appears there will be a deficiency of about 2,000 coutos upon the year. The condition of the northern provinces is shortly to be brought before the consideration of the deputies, as well as the use government made of the (1 seretion ary power given to it relative to the Bir of Oporto and the public roads. Some prisons in the north have been broken open and a set of desperadoes liberated, who, it appears, gave a bold front to the troops, but being small in number they will soon be overcome. It is said mea sures are being adopted t., prevent arms being landed. Exchange on London, 54 ; c]iscount of Lisbon bank notes, 17. All government securities rising. 4 highest. Lovett. Closing ——— 3 per Gents. I-67 67 65 37 73 37 90 37 70 47 SO 3 par Cants. Is 5 do. New Lam s• ss o te par OPAL 9 2 "26 s• w o .. I pie Puts ....... - 73 26 ~ o a:wheelies:on Lottoos.; Ni days, 7.3 40 ; " 16 470,45 274 Bide. n, lis, 1960 Ds. 6, 1942 Do. 44 .....•••••• 91i „ Treasury Bonds 4 „ Do. Bank Mona ... 2330 .6 If Boom.—Paris and °eke's, 120; Ports sad Bonen, 393; Sown and Haw% 34760; Avignon and Mannino., 217 50; Stranboarg and Basle, 113; Grimm and hoedown, 413; Northern, 463 75; Paris sad blembourg. 360; Tears and Nantet, 275; Mos:derma and Troyes, 115; Cahn and Montpellier, —; Bt. Germain, 410; Ter sank' (right bank) 943 75; Orleans and 1 lemon, 333 75. PARIS, lan. 10. Pot - limey. Opening 1 .... 3 •• • Foe Account NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.—TunDAy. The general discussion on the organic law relative to public instruction was continued; and, alter M. Barthe lemy de St. Hilaire had concluded the remarks which he had left unfinished the day before, M. Ferias, Bishop of Langres, amended the tribune, and in en ricqu• at speech stated what would be the conduct of the clergy on this occasion. In the mune of his speech, the Limnos of LANGRES said— Yon tell us that our co-operation in this matter will be valuable for the tranquillity and security of the country. We believe your words for your sincerity is not doubt= by us, end a man whom high intelligence and noble character we so omen respect, DI. de Falloux, has affirmed the same. In such a situation, we have only a word to reply, and that is— We are ready to aid you in doing good. But do not assert that we have aphid for the mixed position which is given us—do not say that a favour is conferred on us. I conjure you to bear in mind during this discussion that the church demiseds above all things is lull liberty—the liberty to do es much good as possible, the liberty of its worship, or its instruction, of its works, ef its alms ; what the church asks is not the favour of taking part In your schools, but of opet.ing its own. By your-bill, you ask us to aid you in keeping yours. We reply by agreeing to the rude labour which the new position pre pares for as, and it is in that sense that I accept the bell. Yet, in consequence of the gravity of the question, I cannot descend from the tribune without having made certain re ........... The first is that the bill so= always preserve certain provisions adopted by the committee , _ and which appear indispensable for religious liberty. The second is that doctrinal decisions adopted for instance with respect to pupils destined to teaching, adopted, I say, by the Ideal committee, sewn when the bishop may be there represented, shall sever be supposed to shackle the conscience, nor inter fere with the concise& of the bishop. in their cure of souls The third is that u this is a new path on which we sre en tering, and as we cannot at present calculate with accuracy all its effects, if experience shall happen to demoastrate that these effects ere contrary to their faith, the bishops shall be at liberty to withdraw. Ir, on the contrary, as I hope and as you yourselves firmly believe, and as is certainly poe able, your bid effects the good of tire country—inseparable is my opinion, from the well-being of religion—the bishops and the clergy will give you most dowel), sod without any secret thought or reservation, their full support. (Approb . duo.) Oa thus terms, and with thou red rvatiens and explanations, I accept the bill. (Renewed approbation.) K. VICTOR Hvoo said that at that advanced hour he should bring what he had to say into the shortest possible space ' • but be nevertheless thought that the Assembly ert.uld grant him the necessary time on such an important question. In his opinion, the certain object to which the bid ought to tend was that gratuitous instruction was obligatory. Gratui tous instruction was obligatory in the first degree, and in all degrees. (Laughter.) Obligatory primary instruo don was • right of youth, a right mura sawed than the right of living, and which was confounded with that of the state. lie wished to have an extensive public instruc tion given and regulated by the state. He wished that its startiug point should be the village school, and that it thould rise as far as the Institute ; he would have the gates of science set wide open to every capacity. He would not hays a com mune without • school, not a town without • college, not a chief town without • faculty. (Interruption.) He wished that France should present a vast ensemble, • sort of network of intellectual workshops. France 'hooka present a vast net work of intellectual workshops, • group of gymnasiums, of colleges, and of libraries, witaout say solution of continuity. He wished that the heart of the people should be placed in constant communication with the bridge of France. He was aware that the solution of the prob km contained en important financial question, but it the hour bed not been so advanced he could have shown, by entering into details, that he perfectly understood it, and those who interrupted him would have been compelled to be silent. He should, however, now look at the question in its real point of View. He advocated freedom of instruction with the surveillance of the state, bat by the state exclu sively laical, as was understood and wished for by M. Cluaxot. He would not admit as the personification of the state any men who had an interest either of conseienee or of policy drama from national unity. He would not introduce into the councils of surveillance either bishops or delegates of bishops. Ho wished for the complete separation of church =duet*, for that would tend to the interest of both Toe present bill would be nothing but • weapon the more given to the clergy. The tendency of the bill was to place the country in their hands. He was one of those who wished for the amelioration of the condition of the people. it was the duty of all, whether poets or writers, to turn the attention of the people towards a better world. He would, therefore, ardently support any plan of religious in struction, but he wished for the religious instruction of the church, and not that of • party ; he wished it to be sincere, and not hypocritical; he washed the object in view to be heaven and riot earth. He would not hove the professor'. chair invade the altar, nor would he have the priest inter few with the professor. He would open the eye of the laical state on the seminaries, and, until the day when education should be completely free, he would not have it watched over by the clergy. The bill proposed he rewindu a strategic one ; it was the chef d'onsore of the clerical party. He could not personify that party ; he did not see it in the Assembly ; he did not see it in the government. God forbid that he should be suppmed to make allusion to the Bishop of Langres, but ..• could not help expressing his distrust at tne clerical party ; he would not entrust it with the development of the rising generation he would sot confide to its hands the mews welfare of Frew*. The btll had one great fault—it said one thing and did another. It was like the usual plan of the government, every time that it forged • chain it called it liberty ; when it de-reed • peceeription it gave It the name of an amnesty. In the remarks that he had made, he did not mean to confound the church with the clerical party, for the latter was the disease of the former. The clerical party was an ancient one ; it had a pest of several conturits,• it was it whisk dluove red that truth wee but ignorance and error. Its history was written in that of all the progress of the human mind, but it was written at the back of the page, It was it which put Campanella seven times to the torture for having affirmed that the number of worlds was lotions. It was it which imprisoned Steam persecuted Columbus, and =sainted.= Passel, and Holier,. It bad long sought to pet a band on the human mind. And now it would be master of public instruction ; but there was not a post, • philosopher, or an emi nent man that would accept it. There was a book which appeared to be the emanation of human united with divine wisdew which people called the Bible, and yet there had been popes who bad dared to primeribe that book, and this petty claimed liberty of instruction; but the liberty which it really wished for was that of not teaching. (Approbation and laughter on the Lett) The clerical party wished to instruct, and it would be therefore well to look at what it had done for centuries when Italy and flpsin were in its hands. Thanks to it, Italy, that mother of nations, of posts, of genius, and of the arts, now knew not how to read. Spain had lost her rank among nations, but it was use that she had gained the inquisition, an astabliehment which Lime in that Assembly bad wished to re-establids (Interrup tion.) He rejected the bill bemuse it ciamaged Flinch feelings—bseauee It degraded instruction, lowered the level of science, and debased the human mind. He was one of those who felt the blood mount to his forehead whenever France experienced a diminution el territory, as ia 1815, or • diminution of intellect, as It was now wished to impose es her. He would give the clerical party • little serious advice ; Let it beware of the darkness caused is men's minds by the shade of the surplice. On the 11.Mht—It is instating to the catholic faith. On the Left.—He is right is what he says. M. Leo LABORDI.—It is infamous On the Left.—He demi not speak of priests. On the Right.— Whom dose he allude to, Men, when he talks of the surplice? M. V. Hutio.—The clerical party was alarmed at social ism ; it saw the waves rising, and it imsgma that it will have eared society when it shall have combined material mist. ance with social hypocrisy and placed a Jesuit wham, there is not a gendarme. (ff:plosion of marmus, and pm longed bravos on the Leit.) Let it, however, Lem to SPAIN. MADRID, JAN. S. The Gazette of to-day contains nothing of any importance. In the Chamber of Deputies U. sitting was nearly taken up in the reading of the different resqlutions of which notice was given by their authors. 'f oat to be brought forward by Bermudez de Castro will give the opposition an cpportunity of doing the ministry much damage in public opinion. Another motion will be brought forward by :Moron and Gonzatz Bravo. The progresista deputies, Galvez Canero, Sanebez Silva, and Muchada intend to move Lir a TC. duction in the estimates to the amount of 108,004/"3 of reels, namely, 9,400,000 in the royal palimony, 48,000,000 in the estimates of the home and flaws department!, and 30,000,000 in that of war, the rt. duetion of the standing army to 70,000 men with 10,000 gendarmes. The discussion upanGonzrl Morcu's motion was gone on with. The deputy Polo cot eluded the speech he had begun the day be'ore, re. petting the arguments he had then u-ied. As all the ministers, except that of the marine, were abaent, the latter made a short reply. in which it was evident that he had not mastered the subject, after which s deputy of the ministerial party, the Senor Morel°, made • long and rambling speech, the principal ob ject of which appeared to draw out the sitting till LI usual hour of the house's breakkg up, fur, tt votic had taken place there would have bi en a majorl against the minister, as an unusual number of minis• terialtats happened to be absent. THE COLONIES. We are given to understand that ministers cc:- template a bold innovation and great improvemtc: in our colonial policy. They have, atter mature deliberation, arrived at the conclusion that justice and expediency alike dement: the concession of entire self-government to the colonies in local affairs. They inten , i to reserve to the central imperial government the exercise only of t hose lute tions which are indispensable to unity of action in the foreign relations of the empire. And it is understoci that they are prepared to intimate to the coknlid their intention to withdraw the troops from every one of them that will make the necessary arrange menu', and take upon itself the cost of its defensive establishments. Whether these contemplated reforms will be a:.• nounced in the royal speech, or in a ministerial dt chtr.tion emitted at an early period of the seasio:, seems yet undecided. THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS. MANCHESTER, JAN. I'. We have the singularity to poems* a real novr:7 here. Atter enjoying ourselves almost ad lib. upon roar. beet and plum pudding to evince our respect for Christum and New Year's days, we have an establishment 0nn0.4 which not only threatens to banish the beef eaters, but u pluck the very suet from our puddings. We have had Vegetarian eating house opened. Tare ceremony of hour warming was performed yesterday, and the treat ear this casino was presided over by the excellent microber at its neighbounng borough, Mr. Joseph Brothert..n. Toe bet. gentiemen was sup e orted by the Messrs. Hervey and Tyke. the well known cotton spinners of that firm, and there were also a great number of ladies present. The company. deed, mustered so strongly as to fill two rooms of the es:e blishment. Whether t. ey were all abstainers from uncut food on principle i r come there trom curiosity is anotta question. Here is the bill of tare ; Carrot and maccaront s..ups ; savoury omel.ts and fritters: roast potatoes; boiled turnip', potatoes, eau ill were, it l beet-root; stewed celery and onions; tried hut:ehd baked potato pie; apple tans; rice puddings; presents. etc. Mr. Brotheron addressed the company when the feast ily over, and congratulated them on an establishment so mu wanted in Manchester having been opened. lle said number of vegetarians was en the increase, and espressa his conviction that could people be shown bow moo aim healthily and happily they might live on vegetab.es and , inat than en flesh twat, the cruel practice o te.diu; ,:nararus for slaughter would receive a cheek, and iu tone be dik . continued. Other members of the company also IPA , some length on the subject. The annual distribution of prizes at the Managed Royal School of Medicine and Surgery took pl..ce at tO. Town•hall yesterday a ft ernoon. Mark Philips, EN., oar 3 the late memben for this borough, 'nest led, and there ma t present the Lord Bishop of M eech, ster, the Moot .1 ' Manchester, Mr Brotherton, M.P , Mr. Alenndir dear!• M I'., and a good many of the leading merchants sad als nufazturers of the town. The annual meeting of the Idauchester Licensed tusllers' Protection Society was he'd this afternoon houseof Mr. Towers, the Queen's Hid, when Mr. Blida!• the president, retired, and Mr. Horrocks was elected is t 2 place. From a report read by Mr. Redford, the veer . f it appeared that there were 2m.) members, of whom :.t) paid the guinea subscription of last year, and the two; concluded its labours for tie pastyear with a balancers hag . :' of 1241. la the last session of parliament, the committft pointed to watch the progress of bills affecting the 'Ono! of licensed victuallers had nothing to do, and the. neon! of the society had turned its attestiou obtaniang.6l7 members, with the view of making up their fund as wit!' balpoesliinibleentiootf a ben e volen t heaminntnte fu ui n re d d by the rules for the 01 DEATH FROM FALLINO ON A SLIDE.—On MOOdii an inquest was held at the /Loyal in fi rmary. Manchester. the body of Elizsbein Oreenwood. On New fears deceased and her daughter were walking over the A' Bridge, when deceased slipped down upon a sli.Y vr tsch been made upon the pathway. She had b, en, at plio' o l period of her life, injured in the leg, and the fall asitho lt , the old sore to such a clever, that she died in ettsofeet: The surgeon gave it as his opinion that death had Wl': stderably hastened by the fall acting upo. the °h i bni i.,"o The jury returned aby of lEttl two airriag— on a slide."—.llwachosterßzwainer.