The Press. — London, England, 1857-03-28 00:00:00

306 The title of Prince of Neufchatel will remain attached to the Crown of Prussia. The benevolent institutions at Neufchatel shall be maintained and guaranteed. The revenues of the Royal domains shall continue to be paid to the King for four years. The produce, which amounts to abcut 100,000 f. a year. will serve to indemnify the Royalists for the sacrifices and losses they have under gone. His Majesty renounces the maintenance of the bour• geoisies. Switzerland will have to proclaim a general amnesty, and the Royalists compromised since 1815 are not to be molested on any grounds whatever. On Tuesday the third conference was held to receive and consider these propositions. The con ference met again on the ensuing day, when Dr. Kern, the Swiss envoy, was admitted, and presented counter propositions on the part of his Government. From the nature of the discussion upon these pro positions the concluding conferences and the final settlement of the question will be further delayed. The Budget of 1858 has been presented and read. It shows an excess of receipts over expend►ture to the amount of 25,000,000 of francs. M. de Rayneval, the French Minister at Rome, is about to return to Paris on leave of absence. The plan of a Ksbyle expedition has been arranged• Marshal Randon leaves for Algeria next week. TURKEY AND THE PRINCIPALITIES. The evacuation by the Austrians of the Principa lities is completed. General Marziani and his staff quitted Bucharest on the 23rd for Giurgevo and Vienna. Sixteen thousand Turkish troops are echel loned on the frontier for the protection of Turkish interests. Sir Henry Bulwar, G.C.8., the British Commissioner, with the French, Sardinian, Austrian, and Turkish Commissioners, are at Bucharest. In Basily the Russian Commissioner was daily expected from Vienna. Admiral Lyons, aid his squadron, up to the 20th, remained in the Bosphorus. The Kangaroo affair has resulted in numerous arrests of Hungarian and Polish emigrants in the service of the Porte—among others, in that of Baron Stein. M. de Boutenieff, the Russian Ambassador, has presented a formal complaint to the Porte, and a special commission to sift the whole affair has in consequence been appointed by the Sultan. The intelligence from Tuabs, Circassia, up to the 26th, is to the effect that the entire population are animated by the most enthusiastic determination to maintain their independence. Mehenied Bey (Bangya) was acknowledged commander•in-chief at a solemn ceremony at Tuabs, attended by the princes, nobles, and deputies from the Circassian Diet. AMERICA. Mr. Buchanan's Presidential inauguration took place on the 4th inst. We have given his address elsewhere. Lord Napier had been warmly welcomed at New York by the Chamber of Commerce. A great sensation had been created by the deci sion of the Supreme Court in a slavery case, that of " Dred Scott." It was to the effect that the plaintiff, Dred, being of African blood, was not a citizen of the United States, and therefore was not competent to sue in a court of the United States. The seven Democratic judges pronounced for the slavery of Dred, the two Whig judges for his freedom. THE ADMTNISTRATITE REFORM ASSOCIATION have issued an address to the electors advocating consti• tutional reform, vote by ballot, extensiou of the suffrage, S-c. &c., and calling upon the people in their personal paroxysm for Lord Palmerston not to listen to any declaration in favour of any particular men or any particular Administration, but to re member a higher duty due to their country, and to return to Parliament Administrative Reformers. This singularly inconsistent address concludes with a definition of an efficient representative : To be an efficient representative, something more is required than merely to hold certain opinions. A high standard of moral worth and intellectual power is necessary for hlm who desires effectively to perform the duties of a representative. The flippant declaimer, the noisy and fluent speaker of a hustings oration, does not, by his ready utterance and unblushing audacity, thereby prove himself to be worthy of the confidence of his countrymen. If a man have proved himself by his past life to be diligent in the inquiry after knowledge; if he have given proof of his moral worth; if he be a strict adherent to the cause of truth, he may be • worthy representative, though not possessed of the ready fluency of a practised debater, or the artful sophistry of a trained advocate. Distrust, we beseech yo.:, all who trust to the power of corruption and bribery. He who buys you will sell you. Money em ployed to purchase your suffrages is money employed f o r the purpose of obtaining • money return. A seat in Par• liament bmght from the people is almost invariably sold to the Minister. THE BARNSLEY Prr continues to be flooded with niter. Some weeks must elapse before the pit can Le em , ied, as the fire is not yet considered to be sufficiently extinguished. Large subscriptions for the poor collier families continue to be received by the authorities of the colliery. THE PRESS. COLONISATION IN TURKEY. THE Government of the Sultan has decided upon throwing open Turkey to European immigration. The following decree, stating the terms upon which colonisation is offered, has been published at Con stantinople : - - _ I. The colonists shall first take an oath to be always faithful to H.I.M. the Sultan, and to become subjects of the empire without the least reserve or restriction. !:.). They shall submit to all the present or future laws of the empire. 3. In common with all the other subjects of the empire the colonists shall be protected from all impediments in the exercise of the religion that they may profess ; and they shall enjoy, without any distinction, the same religious privileges accorded to all the other classes of the subjects of the empire. If, in the localities that shall be assigned to them for settlement, there be sufficient chapels of their persuasion, they can there perform their devotions; but, if they should form new villages, they shall solicit and shall obtain from the Imperial Government permission to build such chapels as they may stand in need of. 4. In those provinces of the empire that may be deemed suitable for their settlement, they shall select, amongst the disposable lands in the possession of the Government, the most fertile and healthy, and such a portion shall be as signed to each as he may require for the exercise of agri culture or of any other trade. 5. The colonists who shall establish themselves in the disposable lands belonging to the Government—lands which will be granted to them gratuitously—shall be ex— empted from all land tax and personal contribution during six years, if they settle in Roumelia, and twelve years if they settle in Asia. 6. In lice manner the colonists shall be exempted from military service, or its equivalent in money-payments, in Roumelia for six years, and in Asia for twelve years. 7. After the expiration of these periods of exemption, the colonists shall be subject to all contributions and duties, on the same footing as the other subjects of the empire. 8. Colonists shall not have the power to sell the lands that shall be granted gratuitously by the Government until after a space of at least twenty years. 9. Such as, before the expiration of that period, may wish to quit the country and cease to be subjects of the empire, shall restore their lands to the Government. And they shall equally be obliged to give up to the Government, without any compensation, all the buildings that they may have erected on the lands, as such buildings will no longer be considered as their property. 10. The colonists shall recognise the authority of the Caza or Sandjak of the villages or hamlets where they may settle and they shall be governed by these officials, and protected like the other subjects of the empire. IL If, before the expiration of their terms of exemption, these colonists shall be obliged to change their residence and establish themselves in some other part of the empire, they shall be permitted to do so; but the period of their exemption from all contributions and duties shall always date from the time at which their original land was granted to them. N. These zolonists must not have been guilty of any crime in their own country, nor even be of doubtful chit. raster, but honest people and agriculturists or artisans. And the Government reserves to itself the right to expel from the empire such as may hereafter commit any crime or pursue evil courses. 13. As i: is proposed to grant to each of the families that may wish to resort to Turkey as colonists as much land as may be suitable to its means, before they set out they must draw up and submit to the Legations or Consulates of the Imperial Government in foreign countries—where there may be any—registers, in detail, of their names, quality, means, the amount of their capital, and their professions. And it is decreed that each family must possess a capital of at least 00 gold Medjidiyes (about 1,350 francs, or 541. English sterling). 14. As well on their departure from foreign countries as on their arrival in Turkey, the Consuls of the Sublime Porte abroad, and the Imperial authorities in the interior, will grant to the colonists the necessary facilities for the transport of their effects end baggage. Their passports will be delivered to them gratis by all Ottoman Consuls. Nevertheless, the Council of Tanzimat finds it necessary that on every occasion on which families desirous of settling as colonists in Turkey shall present themselves, the Im perial Government shall be informed of the intention at least two months beforehand, in order that, conformably with the resolutions already adopted, there may be time to point out, in the provinces of the empire, the lauds suit. able for distribution to the colonists, so that, on their arrival in Turkey, they may not have to suffer from loss of time and fatigue. Consequently, instructions in this sense will be given to the Representatives and Consuls of the empire abroad. Corrtspoithnte. HERTFORDSHIRE ELECTION. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—The coming election for this county bids fair to be carried out with more bitter feelings than on any former occasion ; and I am ono of those who advocate fair play, and think that this unhappy divi sion has been mainly brought about by those gentle men—Whigs, Radicals and Conservatives combined —who have endeavoured to settle amongst them• selves (without consulting the electors) who should be the lit and proper representatives for this county. I find there is a very strong feeling that our late member, Sir H. Alen; who has served us faith fully for the last eleven years, has been unfairly treated, and induced to leave himself bound by any SATURDAY, resolution that might be come to at Hatfield, on Thursday, the 12th instant, as to the withdrawal of one member It has been represented to me by Sir Henry Men' that, on reflection, and taking into conside ra ti on hi s seniority, he felt dissatisfied with the power he had given, and immediately on reaching h3me the same day he forwarded a special message to the committee renouncing his assent. _ _ With these representations before them, I feel that the committee are bound to explain to the electors on what day and hour the deci,ion was arrived at to deprive Sir Henry of his seat in Parlia ment, and also remove those feelings of distrust which are at present entertained by the electors as to the business of the meeting having been pre viously concucted.—l am, sir, your obedient servant, A CONSERVATIVE ELECTOR. 26th March, 1857. LORD PALMERSTON'S POPULARITY. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—lt cannot have failed to strike anyone eltg takes an interest in public affairs, what a frequent topic of discussion in every society at present the respective merits or demerits of our Prime Minister afford, and how singular and incongruous are the opinions held on the subject. On all sides we have it dinned into our ears that Lord Pelmerst6e is immensely popular—and it may seem very rash in anyone to question the truth of this assertion ; but before giving it my assent, I should like to inquire what evidence we possess of his lordship's great popularity. The late House of Commons very recently expressed its opinion with regard to his policy; and we know that a fortnight ago he did not possess the confidence of the representatives of the people. It remains to be seen whether in a new Parliament his position will be improved. The result of the present appeal to the country (in as far as we can yet judge) does not warrant the belief that when Parliament assembles he will have added materially to the number of his supporters. If we were to rely, perhaps, on the garbled reports which appear in the Times, we might be led to fancy that such a result was probable ; but, as that paper has chosen to constitute itself the special organ of Lord Palmerston, these statements must be taken merely for what they are worth. In as far as this town is concerned, the undoubted result of the election will be the return of two Conservatives in place of one who represented us in the last Parliament. If we turn from Parliament to the press we do not find there such an overwhelming unanimity of opinion in favour of Lord Palmerston. Though the majority of the London daily papers have chosen to express their disapproval of the late vote of the House of Commons on Mr. Cobden's motion, still we do not find the majority of the provincial press regarding it in the same light ; and I am convinced that had the constituencies been allowed longer time for reflection a great change of opinion would have occurred with respect to that vote ; and that, when it comes to be viewed by the country in a calmer mood, it will be regarded not only as one of the least fac tious, but one of the most disinterested and honour able ever recorded by that assembly. There is another matter also to be considered in addition to the question of popularity, and that is, the grounds on which rest Lord Palmerston's claims to public support. Lord Palmerston has been a distinguished mem ber of every existing Government for the last half century, with, I believe, but one exception ; and yet we do not find his name individually associated with any great or useful measure which, during that long period, has obtained the assent of Parliament. It is true that until lately his attention has been almost exclusively confined to foreign affairs, but it will puzzle those who excuse him on this plea for having done nothing else, to show that the success which has attended his efforts as Foreign Secretary is suffi cient to account for any great degree of popularity, for our foreign relations is proverbially the thing which the people of this country know and care least about, and even were it otherwise there never %%as a topic on which there exists a greater diversity of opinion. The chief cause of the present cry of " Lord Palmers ton," is undoubtedly to be found in connection with the part he played in the conduct and conclusion of the late Russian war; and, without at all agreeing with those who contend he was the only man who could have brought that war to a satisfactory termi nation, I will not deny that he is entit►ed to some credit on that score, though I am of opinion that, whatever Prime Minister bad held the reins of office at that time, the result, in all probability, would have been substantially the same, for the country would never have listened to a cessation of hostilities until Sebastopol had fallen; and when the capture of that fortress took place it was felt that our honour and military reputation, which were staked on the result, had been vindicated, and, Russia being left power less and exhausted, peace was the inevitaole _ result.