The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-23 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS. Emu:rt.—We regret having inadvertently given currency, in the PitEss of last week, to the report of the death of Admiral Gosselin. The gallant officer, we are happy to say, continues in the enjoyment of excellent health. In " The Week " of our last number an absurd typographical error was overlooked. " Collins " was printed iu lieu of Collier, and " Quinn " instead of Phiun. It is impossible to acknowledge the mass of letters we receive. Their insertion is often delayed owing to a press of matter, and when omitted, it is frequently from reasons quite nude pendent of the merits of the communication. We cannot undertake to return communications of which we do not avail ourselves. Communications should always be legibly written, and on one side of the paper only. If long it increases the difficulty of finding space for them. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publica tion, but as a guarantee of his good faith. Advertisements sent from the country must be accompanied by a remittance or a reference for payment iu town. ozzlit lortgg+ LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1857. POSTSCRIPT. (By Submarine Telegraph ) PARIS, Friday Night. Prince Napoleon has returned from his journey in Germany. The operations against liabylia commenced yesterday. The French troops amount to 26,000 men. A desperate resistance is ex pected. Closing prico of French Funds.—Throe per Cents. for account, 68fr. 83e. NAPLES AND TILE WESTERN POWERS. The Times Paris correspondent (second edition) writes as follows : I have already mentioned that the King of Bavaria was said to have undertaken, either at the instance of his royal brother of Naples, or spontaneously, to intervene as a friend between the latter and the Western powers. I hear again from various sources that not only is such the case, but that the chances of an arrangement are fair. The Nord denies that the King of Bavaria has been " auttio. riscd "to take any such step. It is (very probable that there is no official intervention, but it appears certain that he has had several confidential communications with King Ferdinand, and that lie has broached the subject since his arrival. I cannot say what concessions the King of Naples is disposed to grant, or whether the friendly offices of King Maximilian will bring about a reconciliation. DENMARK. The Danish Government has sent a reply to the two last notes addressed to it by the Governments of Austria and Prussia respect:ng the Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg. The reply is laconic. It simply says that the King of Denmark, desirous of taking into consideration the representations made to him by Austria and Prussia, will convoke the States of the Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg towards the end of August next. The Danish note is dated 13th of May. SWITZERLAND. The Grand Council of Berne has voted the Con stitution in principle unanimously, 45 votes were given for the immediate revision, and 25 for it, after a certain delay. In a wood near Berne the body of Colonel Gevret, ex-commander of the Foreign Legion, has been found. He had blown his brains out with a pistol. AUSTRALIA. The Australian Auxiliary Steam-ship Company's mail ship Istamboul, Captain Coles, the first of the line from Plymouth, arrived yesterday morning at Plymouth from Melbourne, having made the passage in seventy-nine days. She left Port Philip Head on March 3 ; rounded Cape Horn April 2, and crossed the line April 27. She has 120 passengers, and brings about 45,0(K) ounces of gold. Her Australian intelligence is anticipated. A court-martial commenced sitting on board the Victory flag.sbip in Portsmouth-harbour on Thurs day morning at wino o'clock, to try Captain H. }lyres, C. 11., and Mr. Cavell, the master of her Majesty'a ship Exmouth (screw 91), for getting that ship ashore on the morning of the 19-th instant near the Lizard. The evidence is not yet concluded. Mr. Thomas G. Baring, M.P., is reported by the Globe to be Sir Robert rcel's successor at the Admiralty. THE PRESS. LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE. HOUSE OF LORDS. TESTAMENTARY JURISDICTION The house went into committee on the Probates And Letters of Administration Bill, and passed its numerous clauses after some prolonged discussion of various amendments. The bill was then ordered to stand for third reading. DULWICH COLLEGE. The Dulwich College Bill was read a second time, and referred to a select committee. Their lordships adjourned at eight o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS. THE BALLOT. Mr. H. BERKELEY gave notice that he should early after Whitsuntide, with a view to testing the Govern ment with reference to the Reform Bill, bring on his motion of the ballot. THE INDIAN AItMY. Sir J. RAMSDEN, in reply to a question from Mr. Henley, who referred to the recent mutinies in the Indian army, stated that means had been discovered for obviating the necessity of the soldier having to bite the cartridge when loading his musket. THE ADMIRALTY. A new writ was ordered to issue for Falmouth in the room of Mr. T. G. Baring, who bad become a Lord of the Admiralty. LEGISLATIVE HOLIDAYS. Lord PALMERSTON, replying to Mr. Walpole, said that on Monday next he should move an adjourn ment of the house over Tuesday and Wednesday, on account of the Queen's birthday and the Derby day, and on Friday he should prcpose a further adjourn. ment until the Thursday following, for the Whitsun tide holidays. TORTURE IN INDIA. On the motion that the house on rising should adjourn until Monday, Lord CLAUD HAMILTON inquired what steps had been taken to put an end to the practice of torture in the Presidency of Madras, and whether any inquiries were proceeding with reference to the subject in Bombay and Bengal. Mr. VERNON SMITH remarked, that all the papers would shortly be laid before the house, and would show that great pains had been taken to suppress the disgraceful practices in question. THE DOWRY OF THE PRINCESS ROYAL. On the question that the house should go into committee on the dowry to be granted to the Princess Royal, kr: ROEBUCK called upon the house not to forget justice to the people while displaying their gene rosity to the Sovereign. He recommended the grant of a gross sum in place of any annuity for life. Lord PALMERSTON entreated the house not to express any premature opinion upon a proposition which was not yet before them. The house having gone into committee, The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, after entering somewhat at large into a history of the revenues surrendered, the debts incurred, and the marriage dowries obtained by various scions of the Royal Family since the accession of the house of Hanover, referred to the admirable example of economy shown by her present Majesty, and the forbearance she had practised from any application to the public purse even for those expenses of national state and ceremony which former Sovereigns had been accus tomed to ask Parliament to defray. Following precedents, which he cited, established in the reign of George 11. and George HI., the Government intended to propose a grant, partly by way of annuity, and partly of a sum to be paid as dowry to the Princess Royal, the amount of the former being 8,000/. per annum, and that of the latter 40,0001. Mr. ROEBUCK repeated his recommendation to limit the grant to a single capital sum. An annual grant would, he was convinced, be merely an annual grievance, and he proposed an amendment to that effect. • The amendment was seconded by Mr. W. WIL LIAMS. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER recapitulated the details of the various annuities formerly paid to members of the Royal Family, which had dropped in since the accession of the reigning Sovereign, end which amounted to 256,000/. a year. After a few words from Sir C. NAPIER, Lord JOHN RUSSELL contended that the provision proposed by the Government was judicious in its arrangement, and not extravagant in its amount. Mr. BAss, Mr. CLAY, and other members having spoken, Mr. DISRAELI expressed his hope that the house would not by a division destroy the grace of a liberal and loyal act. The discussion was continued ; but ultimately Mr. ROEBUCK withdrew his amendment, and the resolution for granting the 8,000/. was agreed to unanimously. THE SL?VE TRADE. On the motion for going into Committee of Supply, Sir G. rEcnxu, called attention to the insufficiency SATURDAY, of the means hitherto adopted to suppress the slave. trade on the coast of Cuba. _ Admiral WALCOTT deprecated the employment of British sailors upon a service which he knew from experience to be extremely unhealthy. Sir C. WOOD believed that the best means of stop ping the traffic in human beings was to increase the number of steam cruisers off the coast of Africa. Sir J. TRELAWNEY and Mr. KINNAIRD having next made some remarks, Lord PAtairmsToN said that communications had been interchanged between the Foreign-office and the Spanish Government on the subject of the Cuba slave trade, and the most satisfactory assurances were received from the Madrid Cabinet. Orders for the suppression of the traffic had been sent out to Cuba, and every effort would be made to insure their being duly obeyed. THE GERMAN LEGION. Mr. ADDERLEY called attention to the excessive expenditure incurred in disposing of the German Legion by locating them on the Cape frontier, and to the impolicy of thereby continuing and extending a charge on the revenues of this country in order to relieve the colonists from the defence of their own frontier against Kaffir invasion. Mr. LABOUCHERE adverted to the difficulties which had so long been experienced, and the expenditure incurred, in defending the Cape colony from the Kaffirs. For this service he submitted the German Legion were well adapted, since they were not required for the Russian war ; and in computing the charge of transporting them to the Cape, it must be remembered that the force was left on the hands of the Govern ment, and could not have been disposed of without serious cost. The entire expense arising from their location in the Cape colony would not, according to his estimate, exceed 00,0001. Sir DE LACY EVANS complained that the Germans, who had never seen a day's service, were better treated than British; soldiers, who had borne the brunt of the war. _ _ After some further remarks from Major WORTLEY, Colonel SYKES, and Mr. O'BRIEN, the house went into committee of supply. THE PRINCESS ROYAL. A vote of 40,0001. for the Princess Royal was pro posed, and agreed to. The remaining votes belonging to the Naval Estimates were then brought forward, and the discussion of various items chiefly occupied the remainder of the sitting. The house adjourned at half-past twelve o'clock. ELECTION PETITIONS. THE Globe of last night publishes the following as a correct list of all the petitions, and by whom pre sented, with reference to the general election of 1857 : MAYO—Lieutenant Colonel Higgins. CAMBRIDGE, BOROUGH—Robert A. Shafto Adair, Esq. ATHLONE— Hon. H. Handcock. HUNTINGDON, COUNTY—Edward Fel lowes, Esq. ROCHDALE—EIectors. SLlGo—Right Hon. J. A. Wynne. PONTEFRACT—Benjamin Oliveira. WARE. HAM—J. S. W. S. Erie Drax, Esq. MARLBOROUGH—W. D. Lewis, Esq. GREAT YARMOUTH—EIectors. WARE. SlAM—Electors. MAIDSTONE—EIectors. SUNDERLAND — Electors. MALDON—G. M. W. Peacocke. OxFoan— Electors. ATHLONE—Electors. TEWKESBURY—EIectors. Smoo—Electors. LANARK—George Were Irving. TOT NESS—J. Thompson Mackenzie, Esq. BURY—Electors. LElTRlM—Electors. BEVERLEY William Wells, Esq. TAUNTON—Electors. FINSBURY —Electors. LAMBETH-- Electors. IlonmlN—Electors. DovEH—Electors. MOUTH—G. M. Butt, Esq. GALWAY—Electors. BATH — Arthur Edwin Way. CAsHEL—Electors. MALDON— Stephen Clarke and others. LANARK—Alexander Dundas Ross Wishart Baiilia Cochrane. WEYMOUTH—EIectors. BRIDPORT—WiIIiam Unwin Heygate, Esq. IPSWICH — Henry John Selwyn, and Henry Oxford and others. FAL KIRK—WiIIiam Forbes, Esq., and James Russell, jun., Esq. CLARE—Sir John Forster Fitzgerald. DitoottEDA —Francis Brodigan, Esq., and Henry Bagnell and others. SLIGO, COUNTY—Electors. HUNTINGDON—CharIes Lewin, Jonathan Rogers, and John Moyer Heatbcote, Esq. ATH LONE—John PETEnnoaocoH—aeorge Ham mond Whalley, Esq. BEVERLEY—Thomas Southwick and John Ramahaw. SLloo—Thomas Cowan and Patrick Far mil. QUEEN'S COUNTY—Electors. PORTSMOUTH—Thomas Ellis Owen and Electors. TAUNTON—Electors. Ipswicir —Electors. CHATHAM—Electors. LYMlNoToN—Electors. SANDWICH—EIectors. BIM - WORT—Electors. GLOUCESTER , —Thomas Eycott and James Haines, and Electors. NEw- CASTLE•UNDER-LYNE -- Electors and John Riley, Esq. STAFFORD, COUNTY—(Northern Division)—Electors. " Bribery" and " Treating" are the principal grounds alleged iu most cases. The Beverley petition against the return of Mr. Glover (printed yesterday morning) alleges that he had not the requisite qualifications at the time of his election. The petition recites that Mr. Glover was an insolvent debtor in Ireland in 1849, and that sny property he might be entitled to is vested in the officer of the Insolvent Court. Mr. Tile's seat for Bath is claimed by Mr. Way, who says that the majority of three against him was colourable only, and was brought about by disquali fied persons being permitted to vote. lie also alleges bribery and treating against the sitting member. 506