The Press. — London, England, 1858-11-06 00:00:00

THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 6,1858. actually carried him off to prison. Inquiries were made into the matter, and one young Turk impri soned in irons to make him reveal his accomplices ; the others, although apprehended, were set at liberty within two days. anb (Colonial 3nttlligent. FRANCE. MONETARY SCHEME. There is no news of much importance from Paris. Public attention is still absorbed by the scheme of converting the Four-and-a-Half per Cent. Rente into a Three per Cent. one. The Emperor, who ins erroneously stated to be ill, has left for Corn pi4ne. THE POPULATION. An official return gives some statistical details relative to the increase of the French population. In 1851 France contained 35,078,628 inhabitants, and in 1856, 36,038,364. This increase, however, is far from being divided equally over the whole country, the department of the Seine having by far the greater share. The population of that department in 1806 wag 546,856 ; in 1836. 909,126 ; in 1851, 1,053.256 ; and in 1856, 1,171,346. In the arron. disaemtnt of St. Denis there were in 1806 42,984 inhabitants; in 1836, 110,057 ; in 1851, 233,792 ; and in 1856, 356,034. The arrondissement of Smut% contained in 1806 39,925 inhabitants ; in 1836, 87,708; in 1851, 135,511 ; and in 1856, 197,039. The increaee in Paris has been 11i per cent. in 50 years ; 25 per cent. in 20 years ' and 11 per cent. in 5 years. In the department of the Seine the augmentation has been 174 per cent. in 50 years ; 56 per cent. in 20 years; and 21 per cent. in 5 years. If this movement should continue, not in a geometrical, hut an arithmetical proportion, while France in 1906 would contain only 38 millions of inhabitants, the department of the Seine, that is to say Paris, would reckon neatly 5 millions, or one-eighth of the total population of the country. . . PRUSSIA. THE NEW MINISTRY. The following members of a new Prussian Minis try have been appointed :—Prince Hohenzollern Sig• maringen, President of the Council ; M. Scbleinitz, Foreign Affairs ; M. Betbmen•Hollweg, Public Instruction ; General Bonin, War. The rest of the present Ministers are to he dismissed as soon as the arrangements for supplying their places are com. pleted. The Prince of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen, who is mentioned as having been called by the Prince Regent of Prussia to form a new Administra tion, is the father of the young Queen of Portugal. He abdicated his petty sovereignty a few years ago in favour of the King of Prussia, the bead of the house of Hohenzollern, and obtained by the King's order the title of Highness, with the prerogatives of a junior prince of the royal family of Prussia. He is a lieutenant-general In the Prussian service, and commandant of the Dusseldorf military division. He is hrother in-law to the Marquis Pepoli of Bologna, the grandson of Murat, King of Naples. The Prime Hohenzollern Sigmaringen is understood to be a member of the moderate liberal party. AUSTRIA. THE ARMY. The following is the strength of the Austrian army .—There arP twelve corps d'artnee, each of which is composed of two infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade. Each infantry division consists of four regiments of the line, of a battalion of Chasseurs or frontier troops, and of two batteries ; a cavalry brigade is composed of two regiments and of one battery of horse artillery. In case of need, Austria Can bring into the field about 427,000 men; that is, 270,000 soldiers of the line, 20,000 cbasseurs, 30,000 Croats, 15,000 cuirassiers and dragoons, 35,000 lancers and hussars, 45,000 artillerymen with 1,300 guns, and 12,000 engineers, pioneers, sappers and miners, /cc. SPAIN. THE SPANISH FLEET. The Peninsular Correspondence of Madrid sa3s : "Great activity prevails in the principal naval arsenals of this country. The Spanish navy, wl ich has 5 steam frigates and 18 smaller vessels more than last year, is being augmented as fast as the state of the finances will admit. It now consists of 4 screw steam-frigates, 1 of 50 guns and 300 horse Power, 1 of 35 guns and 360-horse power, 2 of 31 guns and 360-horse power each ; 9 screw-steamers of 1 gun and 80 horse power each; 3 paddle steamers, 2 of 16 guns, and 1 of 10 guns, and of 500- horse power each ; 26 sloops of 6 guns and of different power—in all, 42 steamers of 292 guns, and 8,910-horse power. The sailing vessels are 2 ships of the line, 2 frigates of 42 guns, 1 of 32. In addition, 1:1 corvettes ar e bei n g built, 2 of 30 guns, l of 24,1 of 20, 1 of 18, 6 o f 16, 1 of 12, and 1 of 10 Ms. The number of sailing vessels will therefore be 41, mounting 560 guns." TURKEY. OUTRAGE ON A FRENCHMAN. _ A letter f rom C onstant i nop l e, i n t h e G aze tt e du gitti, details the particuleri of an outrage committed a French gentleman at Buyukdere by some larki, while he was quietly seated near a fountain. .che police stood coolly by and made no effort to aid " I M: and after his assailants had left him they TURKISH OUTRLOE UPON SIR HENRY BITLWER. The correspondent of the Daily News gives the following account of an outrage recently perpetrated upon the English Ambassador, Sir Henry Bulwer, in the streets of Constantinople : On the '29th ult. Sir H. Bulwer was the object of an outrage in the main street of Pera, which has created a considerable local sensation. Attended by a black groom, his excellency was riding down this narrow thoroughfare, when he met one of the Court carriages filled with ladies, and escorted, as usual, by a troop of eunuchs and palace servants. As these lumbering vehicles filled up nearly the whole width of the street, Sir Henry's groom called out to the coachman to draw a little to one side to let his master pass. The coachman, with the usual insolence of these palace menials, replied. that he would not move an inch for a Giaour, and kept on till Sir Henry was in imminent danger of being crushed against the side of the adjoining house. Seeing this, the groom struck the near carriage horse, to turn the vehicle aside, whereupon the driver returned the blow across the shoulders of the former, who, showing fight, was speedily beset by the armed servants and eunuchs in attendance. As short work would have been made of the poor black if left to the mercy of these ruffians, Sir Henry rode into the melee to the rescue; but although the groom and the bystanders called out to the palace people that it was the English Ambassador, it was not until, I believe, more than one blow had fallen upon his excellency that the spectators succeeded in putting an end to the outrage. During the latter part of the squabble the confusion of the scene was enhanced by the discordant screams of the veiled occupants of the carriage, who, to do them justice, however, en couraged their myrmidons right loudly with shouts of Aferim ! aferim ! (Well-done, well done) till they beard that the object of the indignity was the redoubtable English Elchee. Fear of the result then took the place of vixenish glee, and the encouraging laughter gave way to screaming orders to desist. The principal actors in this disgraceful outrage have, it is said, been severely punished ; but till something more than dogging and an apology is exacted fur these brutalities, which are of frequent occurrence even in the heart of this Frankish quarter, their pampered perpetrators are not likely to practise better manners. As it is, their praetorian insolence is beyond all toleration. BOSNIA. THE INSURRECTION. The Austrian Gazette of Vienna says :—" Accord ing to the last accounts from Bosnia, the insurrection of which the signal was given in the Nabia of Gra daschatz has already wretchedly ended. The cavalry garrison of Gradaschatz and a corps of Turkish volunteers, hastily collected, surprised the Christian insurgents in the environs of Wranjuk, and massa cred a great number of them ; the rest of the Chris tians succeeded in escaping beyond the Save. Another band of insurgents is in the country between Modric and Osezani, but as they are ill-armed, and as Turkish regular troops are marching against them from all directions, they will probably soon be dis parsed." INDIA. GOVERNMENT TELEGRAMS. Two telegrams, one received at the Foreign-office and the other at the India•house, which communi cate the prominent points in the Bombay mail now on its way to England, have arrived during the week. The dates are to October the 10th. In Oude several affairs are reported as having taken place with the rebels, in all of which the latter were routed with great slaughter, and with little loss on our side. They are still in great numbers, however, and, says the telegram are ravaging the country. Lord Clyde was preparing for the Oude campaign. With respect to Central India, the remnant of the Gwalior rebels was still uncaught. tinder Untie Topee, they had retreated from Scrooge upon Esaughur ; and the very morning of the day on which Brigadier Smith came up to that place they had evacuated it, with guns and elephants, and made for Chundaree. On the 2nd of October they made themselves master of it ; and there they remained when the mail left. A combined movement was in preparation to hem them in. Another slight Bheel disturbance had taken place in Candeish. The Vectis, with the mails from Bombay, arrived at Marseilles at eight o'clock on Wednesday morning, and left for London at ten. The passengers remained in quarantine until Thursday morning. THE BRITISH EXPEDITION TO JAPAN. SOME letters, which supply additional information of considerable interest, are given in the Times. A writer, under date of August 13, describe; Najasaki, the port at which the Dutch have been settled for two hundred years, as one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. The Dutch inhabit a small island connected with the town by a bridge, to which island they were till lately rigorously confined. 'l4e parrative proceeds:— 1079 They, as well as foreigners, are now allowed to walk at pleasure about the town and into the country. Every where foreigners are received with the greatest civility by the people . There are two Emperors of Japan, one the spiritual, the other the working one. The former lives at Miaco, and is the descendant of the old race who were turned off the throne by the ancestors of the reigning Emperor. The spiritual Emperor has nothing to do with governing the country, and is partly looked up to as a heavenly being, one condition of which is that everything he wears or uses is destroyed each night, and new clothes supplied the next morning. It is to prevent any one using the sanctified i t , menu. The reigning Emperor lives here, and is elected, but in what manner I am not sure but I believe by the princess. It appears a mere nominal election, for the son regularly succeed• the father, and has done so since his ancestors usured the throne. I believe the descent of the s p;.tual Emperor can he traced, names and dates, with nsattY of the branches of his family, for 2,r)00 years Th.: country is held by Princes, who owe feudal duty to tie reigning Emperor, who obliges them to reside for sit dienths in the year at Jeddo, with their families, ( hang the other six months he allows them to visit their vetates,out keeps their families hostages in Jeddo. Fr a restrains them, and the practice is intended to preve..i. the Princes from obtaining too much influes.se ore: the people. It is difficult to discover what the lb ilitary system of the empire is, but that is must have one power of bringing an immense number of men into tie field is beyond doubt — they have numerous and well-appointed batteries. Nagasaki, and everything Japanese, bears a striking contrast to everything Chisese. You cannot be five minutes in Japan without seeing it is a progressive nation—the country towns, houses, and people all show this. The streets sre wide and paved in the centre, houses open throughout on the ground floor, with matting, formed in frames, fitting neatly all over the rooms. On this they sit, sleep, and eat ; everything is kept scrupulously clean. Behind each house is a small garden, with a few green shrubs, and occasionally a fine tree. Cleanliness seems one great characteristic of the Japanese—they are constantly washing in the most open manner. To our great surprise, as we wandered the first day through the streets, we saw two or three ladies quietly sitting in tubs in front of their doors washing themselves with the utmost unconcern, traffic and the business through the street going on past them as usual. We understood afterwards it was a general custom. The Japanese are eager for knowledge. Never was there a people more ready to adapt themselves to the changes and progress of the world than they are. It is curious that while some of their customs are what we would deem rather barbarous, and while they are ignorant of many common things,— while they still rip themselves up, and shoe their horses with straw because ignorant of any other method, they have jumped to s knowledge of certain branches of science which it has taken nations in Europe hundreds cf years to attain. At Nagasaki they can turn out of their yard an engine for a railway or steamer ; Japanese captains and engineers command their men of-war, of which three are steamers ; they understand the electric telegraph; the make thermometers and barometers, theodolites, and, 1 aneroida. Their spyglasses and microscopes are good, and very cheap. They have a large glass manufac tory, which turns out glass little inferior to our own. They have a short line of railway somewhere in the interior, given by the Americans. Many of them speak Dutch, some English, all anxious to learn. Everything is done by themselves, and when it is considered that it is not much more than ten years ago since they made this start, the advance they have made in that short time is perfectly wonderful. Another letter, under date of Sept. 2, describes Jeddo. It is stated that the town stretches for miles round the bay, covering more ground than London, and that the population is between two and three millions : Jeddo, without exception, is one of the finest cities in the world ; streets broad and good, and the castle, which includes nearly the whole centre of the town, built on a slight eminence. There are three walls or inclosures round this quarter. Within the inner, the Tycoon Em peror arid his heir apparent live. The houses of the princes and nobles are palaces, and you may imagine the size when some contain 10,000 followers. They are built in regular order, forming wide streets some forty yards broad, kept in perfect order ; an immense courtyard, with trees and gardens, forms the centre of each inclosure, in the midst of which is the house of the owner : the houses containing the followers, servants, stables, &c., form this large inclosure. They are built of one uniform shape. The gateways leading to the courtyard are exceedingly handsome, of massive woodwork, ornamented with lacquer and other devices. From the road that leads by the moat to the second wall is one of the finest views I ever recollect seeing—on one side the Gulf of Jeddo, with the high hills rising beyond, while on the other is a portion of the great city of Jeddo with its trees and gardens, pie turesque temples, and densely crowded streets, extending as far as the eye can reach towards the interior ; then there is a view of the trees and green fields in the distance, far away beyond the thickly built suburb ; bat the most striking view of all is that close by, the well-kept green banks of the second defence, rising some seventy teat from the broad most below, with grand old cedars over a hundred years of age growing from its sides. The fine timber, the lay of the ground, the water-lilies in the moat, the grandeur, good order, and completeness of everything, equal, and in some ways far surpass, anything I have ever seen in Europe, or any part of the world. We made an expedition into the country. The cottages were surrounded with neatly clipped edges, the private residences as well railed and kept as any place in England. The same complete ness and finish exist in everything. The botanical gardens are very good, and well cared for; good nurse Ties of young pines, cedars, •itc.