The Press. — London, England, 1857-01-10 00:00:00

i JANUARY 10, 1857. at Frankfort, and his subsequent journey to Stutt gardt and Munich failed to engage any sympathy for the Swiss cause. On the Ist of January the reply of the Prince of Prussia to a deputation of the Cham bers was couched in firm language, leaving no doubt of the determination to appeal to arms in the event of the Federal Council persisting in its present course. Active preparations continue in the war department, and a prohibition has appeared for the exportation of horses, a large number being wanted for the country. The 15th of January is the day appointed for the mobilisation of the army. A report is prevalent that the powers whose signatures are affixed to the pro tocol of 1852 will address a collective note to the Federal Government pith a view to induce it to yield to a European pressure. Swiss deputies are made of stern materials, steeped in, and saturated with, over weening vanity. Colonel Barmann has returned to Paris, accompanied by M. Keon, a member of the Federal Council, on a special mission to the Emperor. A fresh proposal is about to be made to grant " an amnesty" to the Neufchatel prisoners, with which both parties are sure to be dissatisfied. Prussia wail have still the same cause of displeasure, and in yield• ing up the right to judge and to punish the insur gents the Swiss would be abandoning the principle of oonfliot. The report of the royalist prisoners having peti tioned the King of Prussia not to go to war with Switzerland, is incorrect. It arose from the follow• ing occurrence :—M. Pourtales Saladin of Geneva went a short time ago to visit his brother, M. Pour. tales Sandoz, at Neufchatel. He besought him to address the King of Prussia, and to lay the Swiss ease fully and fairly before him, with an entreaty not to refuse an honourable compromise. To this advice M. Pourtales Sandoz assented, adding that his cousin Fritz—M. Pourtales Steiger—was the only person who could apply to the King with any good effect. The brothers obtained permission, and re paired to the prison of M. Pourtales Steiger. He acceded to the proposition, and M. Pourtales Saladin, without loss of time, repaired to Berne, where he consulted the Federal Council on the steps to be taken. A letter was written, submitted to the Council, and agreed upon, and with this document M. Pourtales Saladin, in high satisfaction, returned to Neufchatel. But M. Pourtales Steiger was no longer of the same opinion; he had changed his mind, and declined to appeal to the King of Prussia in the manner desired, or in any way derogatory to his monarchical integrity. The affair thus ended, to the intense disgust and mortification of the Federal Council. It was suspected that some Prussian agent lurked in the vicinity, and was the principal reason of the royalists being transferred to the dungeons of the Chateau of Chilton. The trials are fixed for the 10th of January. At Naples a large quantity of powder in barrels was found in the excavated cellars of Pizzo Falcone, placed there.according to the Court version, in order to blow up the Jesuit College at Nunziatella. Arrests are of momentary occurrence. The prison of San Francisco is not sufficiently large to hold the bands that are brought up under escort and in chains from Salerno and Cosenza. A few days ago the police agents made a forcible entry into the Episcopal Seminary, and arresting a dignitary of the Church, with several of the theological students, hurried them into a boat, and conveyed them to the dungeons of Nisida. A " frate" also, of the name of Davino, on his arrival from the north of Italy, being suspected of bringing "carbonaro" intelligence, was arrested and placed in the underground cells of the Castle of St. Elmo. The town is reported to be a perfect desert, from the following circumstance :—A placard appeared on the walls calling upon every one to prepare for the calamity of an earthquake that was certain to take place in visitation for the sins of the wicked Neapolitans. At eleven o'clock in the evening of the same day, either from accident or design, the gas throughout the town and in the theatres was sud denly extinguished. The rush of all classes into the country is said to have been comparable only to a return from the Derby, but in lighter habiliments. In two hours Naples was empty. C. A. H. jot* an 4 dotonial 3ntelligerat. FRANCE. CONCLUSION OF THE CONFERENCES. THE Conferences assembled on Tuesday at two o'clock, and concluded the settlement of the dis puted points of the Treaty of Paris. The Aloniteur of Wednesday thus announces the terms : The representatives of the contracting Courts in the Congress of Paris assembled this day (January 6th) in conference signed a protocol which puts an end to the difficulties encountered in the execution of the treaty of the 30th of March. The Conference, with unanimous accord, has decided that the frontier shall follow the valley of Trojan up the river Yalpuck, leaving THE PRESS. Bolgrad and Tobak to Moldavia, and that. ltussia shall retain upon the right bank the town of Komrat, with about 300 versts square of territory. The Isle of Serpents is to be consi dered as belonging to the mouths of the Danube. The Conference recognises that it was the intention of the Con gress to re-establish by Article 21 the territories west of the new boundaries in their former situation ; and to conform to the intentions of the negotiators of peace, it has decided that these territories shall be annexed to Moldsvia, with the exception of the delta of the Danube, which will revert to Turkey. The Conference has decided, moreover, that the boundaries shall be settled and take effect by the 30th of March at the West, and that at the same date the Austrian troops and the British fleet shall have evacuated the Danubian principalities anti the interior waters of Turkey. The Commission of the Principalities will then be able to enter those provinces, and proceed to the execution of its mission. At the conclusion of its labours the Commission will report to the Conference, which is to meet at l'aris, ac cording to the terms of Article '25, in order to settle by a convention the final agreement between the contracting parties as to the organisation of the Principalities. The Paris correspondent of the Nord gives the fol lowing version of what took place at the first Con ference : The first Conference was held at half•past one o'clock, at the Ministry of Foreign All'airs. Count Wulewski took the chair. The second plenipotentiaries present were—Baron Brunnow, Lord Cowley, Baron de Hubner, Count de Hatz• fell. Marquis de Villamarina, and Mehemet Bey. The plenipotentiaries of the four great powers alone spoke. The plenipotentiaries of Prussia, Sardinia, and Turkey were silent by common agreement during the whole of the sitting. The sitting was opened by a speech from Count Walewski. The business discussed was the draft of the protocol and of the tracing of the new frontier line on the confines of the territory ceded to Russia in compensation for Bolgrad. As regards the evacuation of the Principalities by the Austriun troops, and of the Black Sea by the English fleet, it was touched upon but slightly. The discussion was calm, dignified, and courteous on all sides. You may rely upon the following as a correct statement of what took place, and of the point where the dith• culty lies. England is ready to evacuate the Black Sea as soon as the Special Commissioners shall have fixed upon the ground the line of the new Russian frontier. Austria consents to the same engagement. Russia is happy at the equitable intentions manifested by those two powers ; but as the Commissaries may take an indefinite time in fixing the boundary line, ougnt not a term—for instance, the lath of February—to be fixed for the completiou of their labour. Austria was the first to reply to this objection, and dis• cussed the point at some length. If Russia could state beforehand the period at which her commissaries would have finished their work, Austria could nut do so. It is mmeover impossible and imprudent to fix any stated period for work of that description, as one can never be certain of accomplishing it within the given time. The Conference might be convinced of Austria's readiness to evacuate the Principalities; it might, in that respect, place full conti• deuce in Austria. England ig of opinion that, considering the difficulties of execution, the simple engagement should be taken on either side to evacuate " as soon us possible." Russia replies, that there WAR a time when such a decla ration would have been deemed sufficient, but there were antecedents now which made a more categoric►l engage ment preferable. Austria dwelt upon the difficulty of evacuating the Princi• palities as speedily es Russia desires. In winter there are obstacles for an army not to be encountered by a fleet. This observation did not meet with any reply, and the point was generally agreed to. Russia, however, persisted in asking that some definite period should be fixed for the evacuation of the Principali ties by Austria, and of the Black Sea by the English squadron. The plenipotentiaries of England and of Austria then declared that they were without instructions on the point and must refer to their respective Courts. This was thought reasonable, and the sitting broke up. The mem- bers perfectly agreed upon all the questions in principle, and with the intention, or rather the firm hope, of meeting next time to sign the final protocol. Despite the rapidity of transinission of despatches by telegraph, all the points of detail were nut settled un Saturday. ASSASSINATION OF TILE ARCHBISHOP OF PARIS. The Archbishop of Paris was assassinated on Saturday last in the Church of St. Etienne du Mont. The circumstances of this distressing occurrence are as follows :—Monsignor Sibour, having assisted at the service of the mass in celebration of the " neuvaine " of St. Genevieve, in the Church of St. Etienne, after walking in procession fro:n the chancel to the sacristy, was in the act of turning :►t the door to give his benediction to the congregation, when a person near him suddenly rushed forward, lifted the cape of his robe, and crying out "A bas los Deesses," dealt him a heavy blow in his side with a " catalan " knife. The prelate, uttering a frightful scream that was beard above the pealing tones of the organ, fell mor. 31 tally wounded. He was taken into the sacristy, and, having received absolution from the Grand Vicar, M, Surat, died almost immediately. His last and only words were, Ali !le malheureux." The assassin was arrested on the spot. Upon being asked the motive for the heinous act, he replied that " he bad been unjustly suspended from his clerical office," and explained the words " pas de Deesses " by say ing, " I do not believe in the Immaculate Conception, I have preached against such foul doctrine, for which I have been suspended, and I desired once again to protest publicly against this impious worship." (" J'ai voulu protester une foil de plus contra ce culto impie.") The murderer is a Roman priest, named Verges. Ile was horn in 1824 at Neuilly sur Seine, of uncertain parentage, and was brought up for the priestly cflice by the cure of St. Germain l'Auxerrois, who lavishel upon him all the affectionate cares of a father. Having con ducted himself contumaciously towards his supe rior ho was sent for two mouths, en retraite, to a seminary in the diocese of Meaux. Afterwards he was appointed to the curacy of Servin. On the 11th of November last Verges was examined as a witness in a trial for poisoning, at the assizes of Melun, and, taking up the cause of the accused with headstrong violence, published a pamphlet defamatory of the judge and jury. For this offence he was removed from the curacy of Servin, and in revenge preached against the Immaculate Conception, for which he was finally suspended. Verges was taken to the pri son of Mara., where he is kept au secret. His con duct is wayward and excited. At times, when more calm and composed, lie expresses himself myste riously as to some future event; whilst at others he raves and utters the most blasphemous imprecations. It is certain that he has no accomplices, but many of' his irregular observations lead to the supposition of his having been connected with what is commonly termed " bad company." Since his suspension he is said to have visited Brussels. Mgr. Sibour was sixty-four years old, having been born in 1792, at Pont Saint Esprit, in the department of Gard. ln 1840 he resigned the benefice of St. Sulpice to become Bishop of Dique ; and on the 16th of October, Im-Ps, he was translated to the Arch bishopric of Paris. The deceased prelate was most amiable in the private relations of life, eminently liberal in his ecclesiastical opinions, and swayed by strong anti Jesuit tendencies. The murder has caused a great sensation throughout France. PRUSSIA AND SWITZERLAND. THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH PROPOSALS ACCEPTED. The following important communication has been received : " BERNE, Thursday. " The Federal Council of Switzerland, considering the new propositions which have been submitted to it by the Emperor Napoleon, and supported by the good offices of England, to be such as are acceptable to the Swiss Confederation, has decided on convoking the Federal Assembly of Switzerland for the 14th of January, to receive those propositions." A letter from Berne of the 3rd, in the Indipendance of Brussels, says. " The following is the most trust• worthy version of the negotiations for the pacific solution of the question. England, we are assured, completely Reproves of the last proposition made by the Emperor Napoleon, which is to this effect:— ' The Federal Council is requested to release the pri soners solely out of regard for the friendly sentiments of the Emperor. The Emperor, in return, engages to endeavour to obtain from the King of Prussia the complete renunciation of Neufchatel. Should tiro King of Prussia refuse to negotiate on this basis the Emperor will oppose any aggression on the part of Prussia against Switzerland, and will defend the independence of Neufchatel.'" The mobilisation of the Prussian army has been postponed till the 15th, and the trial of the royalist prisoners, on the other hand, to the 19th. The Governments of Wurtemburg, Baden, and Bavaria have countermanded the formation of corps of observation. The Prussian Government has also addressed a letter to the Courts of Europe, stating that so soon as the prisoners are liberated the King is ready to enter into negotiations as to the state of Neufchatel. The Swiss Federal Council has issued a proclamation to the people, in which, after giving a sketch of the cause of the dispute with l'russia,assures them of their earnest desire of concluding an honourable peace. It enjoins on the army discipline and humanity, and informs them that the country will jundertake the protection of their families. ITALY. The session of the Piedmontese Chambers was opened on Wednesday by King Victor Emmanuel in person. The King alluded to the participation of Piedinont in the war of the East, and declared that the Sardinian troops had behaved with the greatest gallantry, and merited well of their country : The Congress of Paris (aaid the King) has confirmed our alliance with France and England, at the same time that it reestablished our ancient friendship with Russia.