The Press. — London, England, 1856-09-06 00:00:00

lortign dorrtsponbtate. BRUSSELS, September 3. THERE are few towns in Europe that have been more embellished of late years than Brussels. Those who remember the old fortifications, and the swampy ground around the sandhills, where now appear the handsome streets of the Quartier Leopold, would hardly recognise the locality of former years. Amongst the more prominent of the recent edifices erected in the Fauboarg de Schaerbeck, are the several convents. Fashionable religion in Belgium demonstrates itself, and is as it were divided betwixt "le !riche et le remords." "La Lionre " trespasses, and flies " en retraite," where penitential flagellation can be performed fittingly and with proper precau tion. These asylums for sorrowing spirits are strangely increasing. Whether it he that Leonine transgressions multiply, or that the demands of the Jesuit become more menacingly importunate, it is certain that the establishments of the " Dames de Marie " and others are springing up in every direc tion. Tn the " Rue Royale exterieure," opposite the Botanical-gardens, a stately house with extensive gardens, lately belonging to M. Vixquain, has been purchased at tho high prico of 150,000 f., for a reli gious community of ladies, "que l'on dit d'etre cette des Jesuites." The large sums that have been extorted from dying penitents are employed in this manner. At " les eaux de Spa," where the " Lionnes Ultramontaines " migrate during the summer, and disport themselves covet the Ardennes after a fashion that often leads to the "retraite," much sensation has been caused by the premature death of the young Earl of Shrewsbury. Masses have everywhere been said for his soul, and the event has been regarded as " a heavy blow and great discouragement " to Anglican Romanism. At a Riman reunion in the "Champignon," erected in graceful and conjugal recollection of benefits received and conferred at Spa, the conversation turned upon the great loss sus tamed by the Catholic party in England from the deaths of Mr. Bastard of Kitleg, and the Earl of Shrewsbury. The fact may be mentioned simply as a proof that in this hotbed of J sultry and ultratnon tauism not an occurrence takes place in England, referential to Catholicism, but is scanned minutely to ascertain its value. Even in the same compa ratively remote district masses are regularly, although privately, celebrated in conventional establishments for the conversion of heretic England to the Catholic faith. _ _ The letter of the Cayenne convicts to Louis Blanc is said to be exaggerated. When these persons were first transported to the " Isle du Diable," they were allowed full liberty under the usual and necessary precaution of being guarded. Attempts at escape at last. became so frequent, that they were con demned by the magistrates to hard labour. It does not appear that upon an aggravation of offence corporal punishment was ever inflicted. Solitary confinement, and a curtailment of rations, were the common chastisements for offences against disci pline. During the great heats of summer only two out of 181 convicts died, which shows that there was no want of sanitary care on the part of the colonial officials. Of those; who signed the memorial to Louis Blame, Pelletier, Cayet, and Sodoani were re leased convicts (forcats liberes) ; Dessaller, Priol, Dore, and Aill'and, were old offenders, and had been repeatedly condemned to prison Oa bagne); and Frison and Labrousse have been pardoned since the transmission ot the letter. The majority of these exiles were the very offscouriogs ot the French prisons, and not likely, anywhere or nuclei any system of treatment, to be otherwise than ill conditioned and disorderly. Those who preached the baptism of blood, and drank the toast of the guillotine, can hardly be accounted the friends and brothers of mankind which they pretended to be. Within the last month the Gazette de la Croix, at Berlin, the devoted agent of the Emperor Nicholas during the late war, has been notably severe in its strictures upon Russia for not having taken an active part in defence of Ferdinand of Naples and his Go• Nernm en t. It also has pointed out the necessity of calling England to account on this subject. This journal is the champion of the ancient order of things, in a feudal sense, and supports avowedly a policy of retrogression. The question of the principalities each day be comes more difficult to solve. From the simple desire of future possession, Austria and Turkey THE PRESS. have agreed to adopt the same policy, and to oppose the junction of the provinces under one Government. But the steady conduct of France, not slow to per ceive the advantage of preventing an Austrian pre dominance on Danubian waters, and disinclined to grant powers to the Porte to the which it can lay no claim, keeps the Austro Turkish faction in check. Fuad Pacha, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, has addressed an official note to the Turkish Minis ters at the several Courts represented at the Con gress of Paris, declaratory of the determination of the Sultan to oppose the union of the Moldo•Walla chian principalities. In a note also to the English and French Ambassadors, Fuad Pacha lays claim to the provisions of the Tarm-Russian treaty of Adria nople, 1829—t0 the Island of Tchetal, in the Danu bian delta. The reply of the ambassadors intimates that every thing given up by Russia in that district will be annexed to Moldavia. This has caused great displeasure to the Porte. The Turkish NI iiiisters are not correct historians. By the treaty of 1460—between the Porte and Mircea and Vlad, Hospodars of Wallachia —and that of 1511, with Prince Bogdan, of Moldavia, the independence of Moldavia and Wallachia was incontestably acknowledged, subject to the "suze relate " of the Porte. The hospodars were to be elected for life, and to belong to the Roumani nation; but subsequent and internal dissension gave an opportunity to the Porte to usurp power* which the principalities were too feeble to resist. Nicholas Mavrocordato was the first Greek Phanarist sent to Wallachia by the Porte in 1716, and since that time the office of hospodar has been publicly sold to the highest bidder, like the former crown of Poland in the days of its unhappy nationality. In 1710, Russia, by treaty, recognised Moldo Wallachian in dependence and integrity, and in 1737, at the Con gress of Niemerow, proposed that the principalities should be placed under its protection. The attempt was again made at the Congress of Folkschan in 1772, and by the treaty of Karnadji it is in direct evidence that Russia has never deviated from her recognition of Moldo-Wallachian nationality. The fifth article of the treaty of Adrianople, quoted by Fuad Pacha in proof of the legality of Turkish demands, expressly states :—" The principalities having been placed, by capitulation, under the suze rainty of the Sublime Porte, and Russia having become guarantee for their good treatment, it is understood that all the special rights and privileges that have been agreed to in that capitulation shall be strictly observed." This would seem to settle the question of the principalities, and goes to show that by capitulation they bargained for and were guaran teed by Russia distinct privileges and a separate Government. At Milan steps are being taken by the Govern ment against the freedom of the press. The Echo DlUtz Borsa has been threatened with extin2tion, for holding principles and making observations con trary to the systems of the Governments of Austria and France. This is a strong measure, when it is seen that the governmental press of Au-tria, edited at the same place Milan, indulges in the strongest ani madversion upon the Government of England, and publicly asserts that its example, as a parliamentary and representative system, is a standing evil and a per petual incitement to the political insubordination of continental Governments. The garrison of Como has been reduced, and the troops withdrawn from thence have been sent to Leven° on the Lago Maggiore. At Milan the troops have been augmented from 12,000 to 20,000 men. From a late return there would appear to be enrolled in the Austrian army 12,000 Jews and 500 officers, besides non-commissioned officers and surgeons of that people. The visit of M. de Bach, Austrian Minister of the Interior, is closely con nected with the affairs of Lombardy. Atter remain ing three days at Milan he proceeded immediately to Venice. The real object of his mission is to examine narrowly the existing relations betwixt Lombardy and Piedmont, and the state of public opinion bearing upon the questions of representa tive government and Papal supremacy. The Mar chese Cantono, Sardinian Minister at Vienna, has obtained leave of absence for an indefinite penod, and the business of the Legation is transacted by M. Fortis, the secretary. The Piedmontese bishops have memorialised the Holy See for permis sion to read the journals that are under pontifical ban "until the liberty of the press shall be re-e-tab lished in Piedmont under the protection of Papal censure." These terms are singular, and the assump tion of fact strangely at variance with practical truth. Hardly less preposterous is the demand for the specification of a line of conduct towards those who are disobedient in Piedmont to the Papal ordon nence respecting the property and privileges of the Church " until there be a change of government," such change always understood to be under Aus trian superintendence, and the safeguard of an Austro-Papal concordat. Mazzini, after the miser elle failure of Orbitello, where, through his direct in strumentality, a few more of his compatriots were victimised, hits launched his republican invectives against the Prince and Princess Murat, now residing SATURDAY, at Aix-les-Bains, in Savoy. The crime of the Prince Murat consists in his reprobation alike of republican principles and the law of the dagger. In reply to these immoral and sanguinary aspirations, M. mi Far, in his " Diplomatia o Questione Italiana," and M. Montanelli, in the " Revue de Paris," on the "Parti national Italien," assert constitution alism to be the only path that the Italian reformers can pursue with safety, and that the example of Piedmont is worthy of all honour and imitation. Liberty, they say, must first be achieved, and then be assured under constitutional guarantee, which affords security that republicanism has ever failed to provide. General Baumgartner has succeeded in quieting the displeasure of the Duchess Regent of Parma and her Ministers by conduct somewhat less brutal than that of his predecessor, General Crenneville, but it must not be supposed that the "entente cordiale" goes farther than appearance. Nothing except un conditional submission to Austrian and military authority will satisfy that ambition which presumes to claim a sole predominance in Italy. At Florence a Protestant, lately converted to the Catholic faith, lay on the bed of death. In his last confession he refused to acknowledge the doctrine of the Immacu• late f)onception, and persisted to maintain that the Sovereign Pontiff and head of the Church was Christ Jesus, and not the Pope of Rome. After the avowal of such anti-Roman heresies, the sacraments were refused by the priest, and he died full of piety and faith in his Saviour, and under an accumulation of curses from his Roman confessor. Hit widow was summoned before the ecclesiastical and civil authori ties, and ordered to produce " the Book " which had again perverted and lost the soul of her husband. That book, tilt Bible, accursed so called by the Roman priest and the magistrate of Florence, was not forth coming in order that it should be burnt, and the body was refused the rites of sepulture. At night four gendarmes forcibly took away the coffin or rough box which they had provided, an I buried it in a hole out side the walls with every mark of ignominy. Great activity prevails in the collection of subscrip tions for the Alessandrian cannon. The lists of sub scribers are publicly circulated, and the Marehesi Giro Capponi and Ridulfi, with the advocate Leopoldo Galeotti, solicit assistance and money in defiance of the disapprobation of the Tuscan Government. The bankers of Leghorn hold large deposits in their hands, and the demonstration everywhere has been popular, moderate, and determined. It is held to be a declaration against Austrian rule in Italy; and the Tuscan Ministry, divided amongst themselves, are unwilling to challenge public opinion upon a point that would be the cause of instant and armed dis affection. The position of the Ultramontane Minister?, Landuc i and Buonarotti, has not been strengthened by the published insolvency of the. Papal Govern ment. The financial report made by Monsignor Ferrari, the Papal Minister of Finances, recites that of his predecessor in office, M. Angelo Galli. It there appears that the receipts of the Exchequer were 11,539,082 scudi, and the expenses 13,212,804, leaving a considerable deficit. M. Ferrari has diminished in a slight degree the excess of expenditure over income ; and the present report shows the receipts of 1855 to have been 12,699,279 scudi, with an expenditure of 13,700,775. There still remains a large deficiency, pith the interest of the public debt reaching the high sum of 4,714,243 scudi. Without largely increasing this debt, the Government cannot pay its present standing army, much more embody that further and necessary addi tion on the removal of the foreign legions. On this subject the towns of the Romagna steadily insist. The expenses of foreign auxiliaries are reducing the Romans to bankruptcy, if that state be not already arrived at; and M. Bernardi has been sent to Bologna to ascertain the intentions and probable chances of opposition there and elsewhere to the Government. It is said that the result of his mission has been most unsatis'actory, and that the determination not to pay taxes voluntarily during the Austrian occupation prevails throughout the Romagnese provinces. To add to this complica tion of affairs, the French Government has made known that its army will not be permitted to remain much longer at Rome, and the withdrawal of one foreign army will entail that of the other. It was proposed by M. Farina, the Minister of War, that the sums saved by the departure of the foreign troops should be appropriated to meet the expenses of the increase to the Roman army. To this, how ever, Cardinal Antonelli peremptorily objected, for the reason, amongst others, of a national army br ing insufficient to maintain the safety and good order of the country. This was an awkward admission, and led to a warm debate, that ended in both Ministers expressing a desire to abandon situations so unpro ductive of public and private satisfaction. The Pope refused to accept the resignation of M. Ferran, and M. Farina also continues in office, having incon testably proved to his Holiness that less than present expenses of foreign occupation would In creole his army to 18,000 men. At present the