The Press. — London, England, 1857-07-18 00:00:00

s 702 TO CORRESPONDENTS. We cannot undertake to return communications of whioh we do not avail ourselves. VIIV 43ricGoxi+ LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 18, 1857. POSTSCRIPT. Of the Italians who were at first arrested on the serious charge of conspiring against the Emperor's life, and who are still in prison, one or two have avowel their guilt; the others deny it. In the course of the investigations conducted by the autho rities no complicity has been brought home to any of the French refugees of note in England. The conspiracy is Italian, and essentially Mazzinian ; and the object assassination. A commission of inquiry is sent by the Government to Italy to collect further inhumation as to the extent of the plot. This will retard the trial, which will take place before the Court of Assize instead of the High Court of Justice. The United States mail steamship Ericsson, with advises from New York to the ith, was off Holyhead at 8.30 yesterday morning. Intelligence has been received from Constantinople to the 9th. The Presse d'Orient affirms that the island of Perim belongs to Turkey. An engagement had taken place in the plain of the liouban, between Sefer Pacha and the Russians. The loss on both sides is declared to be considerable. His Imperial Highness Prince Napoleon WAS expected to arrive from the manufacturing districts at Liverpool on Thursday night. The Reine Hortense is expected to leave Liverpool this day for the Isle of Man and the north-east coast of Ireland. SWEDEN. A letter from Sto•liholm of the oth says : The discussion in the Diet on the chapters of the budget relative to the army and navy has terminated by a vote of the four Chambers favourable to the demands of the Government; the representatives of the nation, gene rally so parsimonious, hosing shown more liberality than the Ministry had hoped for. All the credits allowed to the war department exceed those fixed in preceding budgets. The Swedish Chambers have perfectly well understood the change which has taken place since the Eastern war in the political situation of Sweden and Norway, as regards their powerful Northern neighbour. Sweden, in breaking off het' alliances of 1 , 411, to contract as she did on the '2lst of November, a closer one with the two great naval powers of the Test of Europe, has felt the necessity of being prepared in her new position for any eventuality that may arise. The system of defence and fortifications drawn up by a mixed commission of engineers and officers of the staff will be definitively carried into execution in conse• (pence of the above votes. As to the army, it is about to receive a fresh organisation, which will allow of an impos ing force being always available. The greatest activity now prevails in all the naval dockyards. A certain number of the heavy and unwieldy line-of-battle ships are to be put out of the service. and replaced by others on the model of the best in the French and English navies. The innu merably fleet of gunboats, which on former occasions have rendered such important services to Sweden, are also about to have considerable improvements made in their system of armament. The land and naval forces of Swetten and Norway will be very shortly in a condition to stand the first attacks of a powerful enemy. LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE. HOUSE OF LORDS. AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE. Lord BnoroHAN moved an sdiress to the Crown on the subject of the African slave trade in connec tion with the measures adopted by the French Government in respect thereto. The noble lord sup ported his motion by recapitulating and commenting upon a detail of circumstances which bave already obtained general publicity, and undergote discussion in both Houses of Parliament. The Earl of CLARENDON, after att explanatory speech, assented to the address. The Earl of MALME4BURV having spoken, and Lord Baouemat replied, the motion was agreed to. CRIMINAL LAW. The series of bills, eight in number, introduced by the LORD CHANCELLOR for the consolidation of various branches of the criminal law, were passed through committee. Other bills having been advanced a stage their lordships adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMON'S. The house met at noon, and going into committee, accomplished some progress with the Lunatics (Scotland) Bill, and the Burial Acts Amendment Bill. THE PRESS, JUL! 18,1857. The house resumed at six o'clock. BATH ELECTION. Mr. HORSMAN reported from the Bath Election Committee that Mr. Tite was duly elected. NEW WRIT. On the motion of Lord H. VANE, a new writ was ordered to issue for the borough of Woodstock, in the room of the Marquis of Blandford, who had become Duke of Marlborough. PARLIAMENTARY OATHS. Mr. Diu.wyN, in compliance, as he said, with a general request from his parry, postponed the reso lution of which he had given notice, respecting par liamentary oaths. BATH tr.EciinN COMMITTEE. On the motion that the house on rising should adjourn until Monday, a lively and somewhat per sonal discussion arose respecting the ciretimstaticPs under which the committee on the Bath election had adjourned two hours before the usual time on Thursday. Lord llurghley charged Mr. Horsman, the chairman of the committee, with having inter rupted their proceedings in order to attend a politi cal meeting. Mr. Horsman replied, anti the subject was pursued by Lord Galway, Mr. J. Fitzgerald, Mr. Roebuck, and other members. Ultimately the debate languished, and other topics attracted the attention of the house. SCREW STEAMERS. Admiral DuscomsE recommended the employment of screw steamships of the line iii conveying troops to India. ---- Sir CHARLES Woon explained the reasons which rendered that class of vessels unfit for the transport of troops. Sailing ships would, he thought, make quicker voyages ; and he intimated his intention of asking before the session closed for a vote, giving leave to levy 2,000 additional seamen. ADMISSION OF JEWS TO PARI.I.kIIF.NT. Lord JOHN RUSSELL inquired what course the Government intended to pursue with respect to the bill which he intended to ask leave to introduce, namely, the Oaths Validity Act Amendment Bill. The noble lord was proceeding to remark upon the nature and purport of his measure, when he was interrupted upon the point of order, and therefore contented himself with asking whether the Ministers could give him a day for the discussion of his bill. Lord PALMERSTON remarked that the days of the session were numbered, and many important mea sures still hung on hand. He could not name a day for the proposed bill, until the Ministerial bu siness was further advanced. INDIA. Mr. DISRAELI, after remarking upon the gravity of the circumstances that had lately occurred in India, and on the delay in producing the official papers connected with the subject, inquired when the do cuments would be ready, and on what day the Government were willing to have the quzstion discussed. Lard PALmEnsTox said that the papers were pre paring and would be issued in a few days. As another overland mail was due in the conre of next week, which would in all probability bring very im portant intelligence, he proposed to take the Indian debate on Monday week. This arrangement was accepted by Mr. Disr,AErr, and the discussion was ordered to stand for the day named. THE 3IILITIA. On the motion for going into committee of supply, Mr. BENTINCK called attention to the defenceless state in which the country would be left after the departure of so many regiments to the East. He asked whether the militia were to be called out. Lord PALMERSTON believed that an ample force would remain for home defence, without incurring the cost of embodying the militia. INDIAN RAILWAYS. Mr. WILLIAMS moved, as an amendment on the motion for going into committee, a resolution to the effect that the slow progress of the East India rail ways involved dangers to the military occupation of India, and retarded the development of the industrial resources of that country. He attributed the dela • chittly to the interference of the East India Coro• pany with the railway works, and entered somewhat at large into a detail of facts bearing out that alle gation. M.N. SMITH observed that as the East India Com pany guaranteed five per cent. interest on the capital expended, they were justified in interfering with the execution of the lines. That interference, he main tanned, did not pass the point of prudence and necessity. Mr. 61111 TURD declared that the attacks on the iailway companies and the East India Company were altogether unfounded. Mr. GILPIN recommended that freer scope should be given to the action of private enterprise in India. Some further remarks were offered by Mr. Ayrton, Mr. Platt, and Mr. IVillcuighby. The amendment was then negatived without a division, and the house went into committee of traPPIY. THE PERSIAN WAR. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved a resolution granting 500,0001. towards the expenses incurred in the Persian war. Glancing at the poli- tical occurrences out of which the war had arisen, and explaining the financial arrangements that had been concluded with the East India Company, Sir G. C. Lewis stated that in addition to the vote now asked for a further sum of 300,0t01. was computed to be required to defray all the cost of the operations in Persia, 400,0001. for the war in China, and 100,0001. for the additional naval charges. These outlays, he said, the Exchequer was quite rich enough to supply. Since his budget statement in February, the position of the revenue had improved by 2,800,0001., partly by augmented receipts and partly by retrenchments in expenditure. To that extent, therefore, the Exchequer was better supplied than he had ventured to assume at the commencement of the last session, while the new charges he had just mentioned, together with the sum paid for redemption of the Sound Dues, and the vote for the dowry of the Princess Royal, amounted altogether only to 2,210,0001. Mr. WALPOLE showed that very different estimates • of these war charges had been before presented, all of which had proved delusive, and expressed much doubt whether the computations they had just heard would prove better founded. Sir E. Perry, Sir D. Colebrooke, Mr. Ayrton, and Sir H. Willoughby having spoken, Mr. GLADSTONE commented upon - the rapid growth of war estimates. Those for the China war would, he apprehended, prove equally expensive. Adverting to the original cause of hostility at Canton, he cha racterised the transactions there as u'.terly flagitious. The right hon. member proceeded to criticise at various points the financial policy of the Government in relation to their war expenditure. Mr. MANGLES said, that although the 500,000/. now asked for was to b 3 paid to the East India Company, they had already advanced all the money, and more, on British account. • Lord J. RUSSELL asked how the operations at Canton were to proceed in the absence of the troops who had been stopped en route and retained for service in India. Lord PALMERSTON viewed with total indifference the censure of his China policy. Mr. Gladstone and Lord John Russell might continue to think the trans action at Canton flagitious, but the people of England had endorsed a totally opposite opinion. Mr. DISRAELI contended that the people of Eng land hail been deluded. At the election they were told that the Chinese war would be carried on with vigour, but now it appeared that there was not even a war to prosecute. The Prime Minister still main tained that there was nothing but a local difficulty. The discussion, which became considerably con. fused and assumed a personal character, was con tinued for some time. At last the vote was agreed to, as were the following votes of 400,0001. for the war in China, and '2,00J seamen fur the increased naval force. The remaining business was disposed of, and the house adjourned at two o'clock. AN ESCAPE FROM DELHI. TrtE Times published yesterday a very interesting letter from a lady at Delhi, w:io narrowly escaped the late massacre. The letter was dated Urnbalah, May IR, and, after giving a few brief details of the first alarm on the 11th of May, continues : The Brigade Major (Captain Nicolls) sent his carriage to me and told me to go to his house at once. About six o'clock in the evening the order was given to retreat. We got into Captain Nicolla' carriage, and put in as many others as we could, and drove one pair of horses for fifty miles, expecting every minute to be pursued and killed, and we were told a regiment had left Umbelluh and was cutting up whatever came in its way; so that unless we turned off the road we could not escape. [They were evidently on their way to Umballah via Kurnaul.] This induced some to go off to Meerut, but we did not know what to do, as there was danger there. However, the report proved false, and we arrived safe at Kurnaul the next morning. Here we were told that we must leave at once; but I felt so exhausted and ill that I could not stir further, so that half our party went on and the rest re• mained till evening. We left Kurnaal about nine o'clock, as we could not get horses sooner, and it was with the greatest difficulty we managed to get on at el, L— being obliged to threaten to shoot any one who refused to give us assistance. When we arrived at Thwa nessur (a dawk station on the Umballah real) we halted liar a couple of boars' sleep, and to get a change of convey. , ance. We stopped with the Assistant Commissioner ; jbut before we had rested two hours we were alarmed by being told that a regiment of sepoye were come to attack us. We had to fly from the house, and hide as best we could, under the bashes, dc., in the garden; and I kept dear baby in my own arms tie whole time until morning, when Europeans were seen, and the cause of alarm proved to be regiment of Irregular Cavalry marching to Umballah. We could get no conveyances to go on with until the after noon, when we left for Umballah at about six o'clock in a cart drawn by coolies. The party consisted of about ten, and we met with great difficulty on the road, for the natives were so unwilling to assist us. We arrived at Umballah on the morning of the 14th, at about eight o'clock, gaiter fatigued and worn out.