The Press. — London, England, 1856-01-05 00:00:00

t JANUARY 5, 1856. mark the possession of her West Indian islands. Upon what terms this guarantee will be granted by England and France has not transpired. The island of Bornholm is mentioned as having been offered to the Western powers as a naval depot for their Baltic fleets. SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. The serious illness of Marshal O'Donnell has suspended all Ministerial arrangements for the present. The bill authorising the establishment of a new bank, in connection with the Credit Mobilier of Paris, had been read in Cortes by Senor Bruil. The capi tal of 259,000,000 reals is to be divided into 240,000 shares, of 1,900 reals, or 500 francs, each. The capitalists of Madrid have proposed the creation of a national bank of credit. The British Minister, Mr. Howard, had his first audience of the King of Portugal on the 19th ult. His Majesty, in reply to Mr. Howard's address, ex pressed his wish that the two nations should not only continue united by interest, but, " above all, by a similarity of institutions." _ TURKEY AND EGYPT. The fall of Kars has created an immense sensa tion in Constantinople. Omer Pacha was blamed generally for not having attempted its direct relief by way of Erzeroum, instead of by an uncertain and ineffectual dank movement. The Porte, it is said, was seriously considering the question of super seding the Sirdar. Selim Pacha, the commandant at Erzeroum, was to be brought to a court-martial. The Viceroy of Egypt had received Lord Canning and suite with marked honours. A serious insurrection in the lledgaz, among the Arabs, threatened to expel the Turks from the coasts of the Red Sea. INDIA AND CHINA. The overland mail, with dates from Calcutta to Nov. 22, Bombay Dec. 3, and Hong-Kong Nov. 15, brought icttlligence that the Santini' insurrec tion was not yet suppressed, although martial-law had been proclaimed, and strong forces were quar tered in the districts. _ _ The Burmese Embassy had returned to Rangoon without much result ; the King cleverly evading every endeavour of Major Phayre to conclude a treaty. The capture of Herat by the Persians, although not authenticated, was generally believed at Bombay, and regarded as likely to involve us seriously in sup port of Lost Mahorned. The religious war iu Oude had been brought to a close by the defeat of the fanatics by the royal troops, and the death of Ameer Ahi. The Legislative Council of India had refused to repeal certain clauses of an act of 1855, in com pliance with instructions from the Board of Control. Lord Dalhousie was at Rangoon, and was not expected to resign his position as Governor-General to Lord Canning before the Ist of March. UNITED STATES. The usual mail, with dates to the 19th and :Zilth, from Boston and Washington, brings intelligence that the House of Representatives had still been unable to elect a Speaker. Sixty-four ballotings had taken place without any result, and a motion that the highest number should be elected was about to be brought forward. The Washington correspondent of the New York Journal says, that the President lately assured a member of Congress he should have two messages to deliver to Congress. Two proclamations had been issued by the President ; one against the Nicaragua filibustering expeditions, in which the citizens of the United States were called upon to discountenance such "criminal under takings ;" and a second, announcing that Newfound land bad complied with the reciprocity treaty. From Mexico advises state that every intrigue was being used to prevent Alvarez giving stability to his Government, and fresh revolutions are daily appre hended. FOREIGN MISCELLANEA. - - ---- - THE MARQUIS DE FORBIN - JANSON, lately sent by the French Government to Jerusalem for the pur pose of inquiring into the encroachments made at different times by the Greeks upan the Holy Places belonging to the Latins, has at length accomplished his mission, and is now on his way back to France. During his stay at Jerusalem the Marquis de Forbin- Janson was decorated with the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by the Latin Patriarch, who is the Grand Master of that Order. M. DE FONTON, the Russian Minister at the Court Of Hanover, has arrived at St. Petersburg. Imme diately on arrival M. de Fonton had an interview with Count Nesselrode. COLONEL MANTEUFFEL'S visit to Dresden is stated to have been w ith a v i ew t o i nqu ire how far the Saxon and Bavarian Governments were resolved to support the Austrian propositions at St. Petersburg. THE ARREST AT HAMBURG OF MR. CAMPE, the head of a leading publishing firm in that city, for having in a work upon the Courts of Germany pub lished the "secret history" of that of Mecklenburg- Schwerin, has caused a serious ferment in the city. VII: THE PRESS. PRINCE AUGUSTUS OF WURTZXBURG is mentioned in the Vienna papers as about to undertake a special mission from Berlin to St. Petersburg. The Prussian Government, although not disposed to support fully the Austrian propositions, is stated to be willing to resume its former endeavours at mediation. COUNT MussrEn, according to the Post Ampt Gazette, on his return to Berlin, not, only brought au autograph letter from the Emperor Ale der 11. to the King, but a note from the Empress Dowager declaring that Russia is disposed to enter into nego tiations on the basis of the pratocol of April, 1854 ; she would, however, insist upon the new rights granted by the Sultan to Christians not preju dicing the ancient privileges possessed by the Greek Church. TUE EMPEROR ALEXANDER, in reviewing some troops lately trained to guerilla warfare, was so pleased at their appearance that he gave orders forthwith for the organisation of one company of similar troops to each regiment throughout the Rus sian army. THE FIRST RAILWAY IN NEW SOUTH WALES was opened from Sydney to Paramatta on the `27th of September last. His Excellency the Governor• General and an immense concourse of people at tended the ceremony. The railway, about sixteen miles in length, bas been upwards of three years in completion. I'HE GREAT QUESTION of superiority between English and Arab horses was tested at Cairo in the middle of last month. The race was run between all English mare and an Arab horse belonging to Haleem Pacha, when the former thoroughly beat the latter. The distance was eight miles, and the time occupied by the mare Ist minutes, over a rough, gravelly, and sandy road. The same race has been offered for the last two years against all England, for 10,000 sovereigns, with the same horse, and not ac cepted. The Egyptian princes were convinced that their Arabs could not beaten by English horses. The late 'Viceroy, Abbas Pacha, offered to stake any amount up to 150,000/. on his own horses against any others that might be brought to run, but im posed such ridiculous restrictions upon the riders that the offer was never taken up in England. AT THE ENTRY OF THE GUARDS INTO PARIS on Saturday last, among the shouts and vivas of the crowd the Siecle asserts that " Vivo la liberte " was frequently heard. " Vive la France," which is con sidered synonymous by the people, and not seditious by the police, Ras the most prominently heard along the lines of spectators. THE DANISH GOVERNMENT, in order to prove that it does not wish to protract the conferences on the question of the Sound dues, fixed the time of meet ing for the 2nd inst., instead of the 20th, as was at first decided. A circular to this effect has been sent to the Governments interested in the question. INTELLIGENCE OF THE FALL OF KARS was received with unbounded enthusiasm at St. Petersburg. On the 16th ult. there was a solemn military procession, exhibiting the captured colours, and other trophies, through the city. Salvoes were fired from the guns of the citadel, special Divine Services celebrated in all the churches and cathedrals, and a grand banquet Was given in the evening, by the Emperor, at the Winter Palace. THE CABINET OF SWEDEN, it is believed, will shortly address an important circular to its foreign agents defining the future foreign policy of the State. PRINCE CALIIMAKI, according to late intelligence from Constantinople, is about to be appointed Otto• man Ambassador at Vienna. Coast Wfra.Ewsio, at Paris, has lately signed a convention with Directors-General of the Belgian, Spanish, Swiss, and Sardinian Telegraphs, regula• Ling the tariff, and effecting important reductions in the charges for despatches by those telegraphs. THE VILLAGE DISTRICTS IS GREECE are stated to be overrun with organised bands of robbers. The inhabitants are pillaged, the women violated, the men murdered or cruelly maimed, and the troops of the Government utterly unable to cope successfully with the banditti. THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON is reported to have addressed a private letter to Admiral Hamelin, Minister of Marine, expressing a desire to see the French navy prepared to furnish in the approaching spring "at least twenty-five mortar-boats and 150 gun-boats, instead of the five vessels of the former and twenty-five of the latter which have been env. ployed up to this time.' GENERAI. TODTLEBEN, on his return to St. Peters burg, has been treated with marked honour and distinction by the Emperor and the Court. At the banquet given to him by the pupils of the Engineer School, the Grand Duke, the inspector-general of that branch of the service, proposed the health of the "Russian Vauban," and proclaimed him to ba the greatest warrior in the empire. PRINCE MENSCHIKOFF, whose retirement from public life to the seclusion of a convent was so often asserted last year, has just been appointed military governor of Cronstadt. The appointment is regarded at St. Petersburg as a marked triumph of the old war party in tho councils of the Emperor. ~s, ,g THE DUKE OF SOTOKAYOR, formerly Spanish Am bassador at London and Paris, and whose name will be remembered in connection with our disagreement with Spain in 1t44, when as Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs he sent Sir Henry Bulwer his pass. ports, and ordered him to quit Madrid in forty-eig:q hours, committed suicide on the 26th ult., by sho-t•ing himself in the head. The cirsurnstances of hk death were extremely painful and singular. He is suid to have been suffering most severely from gout. PRINCE PASKIEWITCH, it is now stated, has hopes of recovery. Although not entirely out of danger, the brave old general is enabled to attend in some measure to the duties of his post. COUNT MUNSTER, military representative of Prussia at St. Petersburg, who lately arrived at Berlin on leave of absence, does not return to his post. Various reasons are assigned for the count's resigna tion. Colonel Von Bergh, or Colonel Manteuffel, both notorious for their Russian predilections, are spoken of as the probable successor of Count M unster. A RUSSIAN SECRET MISSION TO PARIS IS stated to have been lately very happily executed. A Russo- French merchant, accompanied by his Russian partner, arrived about three weeks since at Lyons for the purpose of buying silk stuffs for the Imperial palaces. The partner proceeded on to Paris, and opened business with no less a person than Baron Seebach, the Saxon Ambassador. For some days this mysterious merchant was watched regularly to Baron Seebach's hotel, when suddenly all trace of him was lost. Baron Seebach immediately held several interviews with the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the 10th had a special audience of the French Emperor, and shortly after left Paris for Dresden and St. Petersburg. taut ant lastion. Her Majesty and the Court have remained at Windsor (tiling the week. Her MAjesty, on New Year's-day, accompanied by the whole of the Royal Family, witnessed in the Riding-house the distribution of the annual royal gifts. In the evening her Majesty gave a concert in St. George's-hall, at which Mehul's sacred drama of Joseph was performed by an orchestra of nearly 140 executants. Mine. Clara Novello, Mr. Sims Reeves, and Mr. Weiss were the principal singers. The performance was con ducted by Mr. Anderson, the director of her Majesty's private band. A new English version, with recita tives to connect the various scenes, and ren'ler the whole available as an oratorio, was written expressly for her Majesty by Mr. W. Bartholomew, the music of the recitatives being composel by Mr. W. G. Cusins. The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred came to London on Wednesday, and visited the Duchess of Gloucester at Gloucester-house. Their Royal High nesses afterwards attended Mr. Faraday's lecture at the Royal Institution, and then returned to Windsor. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Edward of Same Weimar, and Prince Ernest of Leiningen have been on a visit to her Majesty during the week. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge returned to town on Thursday evening. -------- Prince .Ernest of Lciningen took his departure from Windsor on Wednesday, en route for the Continent. Prince Gustavus of Saxe-Weimar has arrived at Windsor, on a visit to her Majesty. The Duke of Richmond has left East Lodge, Croodwood, for a few days. His grace is expected to resurn to East Lodge early next week. The Duke of Hamilton left town on Thursday, for Nice. The Duke of Newcastle arrived in town on Thurs day, from Windsor Castle. The marriage of Sir Robert Peel, Bart., M.P., with the Lady Emily Hay, is postponed until the 17th inst. The Duchess of Wellington will celebrate the event by a grand breakfast in the Waterloo Gallery at A psley -house. Mr. William Rose, brother of Major-General Sir Hugh Rose, is about to form a matrimonial alliance with the lion. Miss Thellusson, daughter of the Lady Rendlesham, and sister of the Lady Wal • siogham. The Earl and Countess of Elgin have retunied to Broom-hall, Fifeshire, from visiting the Earl of Mansfield at Scone Palace, near Perth. The noble earl was to be presented with the freedom of the city of Glasgow yesterday, and entertained at a ban quet in the evening by the civic authorities. Viscount Palmerston arrived in town on Thurs day from Broadlands, and proceeded in the afternoon to Windsor on a visit to the Queen.