The Press. — London, England, 1856-08-09 00:00:00

748 Sortign e:orrtspoubtitte. BRUSSELS, August 0. TIM meeting of the Emperor of Austria and the Kings of Prussia and Saxony at Toplitz was some thing more than a reunion de famine. Each day the affairs of Germany are gating more involved. Setting aside the personal friendship subsisting be tween the monarchs of Prussia and Saxony, it must be kept in mind that the latter is a bigoted Roman, viewing with favour the Austro-Papal Concordat, whereas the King of Prussia is discontented at the treatment received by the Protestants at the hands of the Austrian prelates. This must have been a subject far from agreeable to discuss. By the late conduct of Austria and Prussia towards Denmark, those countries have committed themselves to act adversely, unless the Holstein and Lanenbourg duchies are treated with greater—that is, German — justice. It is maintained by Austria and Prussia that the Danish Government has no authority to promulgate a reformed and general constitution without a direct appeal to the States of Holstein and to the equestrian order and " Landschaff" of Lauen bourg for their opinion and consent. By the nego tiations with Denmark in 1851, Austria and Prussia are placed in a dilemma with the Confederation by being compelled proprio motu to assist the Garman duchies, a proceeding that might bring them into collision with Russia. Hanover, also, is an un settled State, the Government and tho Chambers being at continued variance; and the presence of M. de Benkendorff at Stutgardt raises the question of Russian influence in Central Germany. Then, again, the state of Spain, where a suspension or sup pression of constitutional government has taken place, cannot fail to have attracted attention, more particularly since a Catholic tone has been given to the movement by the Austro-Papal journals. The proximate alliance of Prussia to a constitutional and Protestant kingdom, de facto et de jure, will have made its king pause before joining in the Roman hallelujah. There might have been, also, remi niscences of the private meeting at Olmuts between the late Emperor Nicholas and the Emperor Francis Joseph, when certain opinions and expressions regarding Prussia and its sovereign escaped from the young Emperor that doubtlessly must have been unpleasant. It was, therefore, an awkward moment for the Emperor to petition the King of Prussia to join Austria and the Porte in dissenting from the proposition to unite the Danubian principalities. An allusion may have been possibly made to the corona tion of the Emperor at Vienna as "Emperor of Austria," a title that conveys a meaning sinister to the influence of the house of Hapsburg in Germany. In Italy the last struggle of Mazzini has been fatal to his hopes. The insurrection of Carrara com menced by a proclamation of young Italy, published in the Italia e Popolo Italians, brothers,—Both the people and governments of Europe pity our fallen state. The spirit of battle per jades our beautiful country from one end to the other, and the nations await in expectation for the unfurling of the Italian flag. Fifty years of martyrdom assure the victory. It is the cry of national life—of Italian life—that you now hear from the Appenines. It is the cry of anathema against the tyrannies of Austria and foreign domination. Let the brave hearts of Italy respond to this call, one and all, and with one bold effort Italy will be free. (Signed) THE ITALIANS or LUNIOIA.NA. Carrara, Ju1y,113.56; About a hundred young men, amongst them lads of fourteen and fifteen, under the command of a Spezian, named Ratti, passed the frontiers, and met near Ortouro, in the duchy of Modena. They seized upon a depot of arms, broke open the custom house, robbed the strong box of its contents, and destroyed the telegraphic wires of Sarzana and Massa. They then marched onward, and ware confronted by a regiment of Modenese gendarmerie at Ortouro. The engagement did not last ten minutes. The in surgents were beaten at all points ; some were killed, others fled, and about thirty were taken prisoners. On the intelligence of an insurrection, MM. Ratuzzi and La Marmora went to the King of Sardinia at the Castel di Pollenza for orders. Troops were de spatched immediately to Genoa, a regiment of " bet. ■aglieii" marched to Sarzana, and steamboats were appointed fur the conveyance of military detach ments to Spezia, and to blockade the coast. The prisoners loudly exclaim against the treachery of 'Mazzini, for having certified to them that Massa, Carrara, Leghorn, and Lucca were in open revolt, and that the movement had been concerted generally throughout Italy. Mazzini had the audacity to go privately to Turin, and from thence to Genoa, in search of republican reinforcements; and everywhere his concealment was connived at and aided by Jesuit priests. Whatever may be the defects of this repub lican leader, his personal courage is of the highest THE PRESS. order, amounting to rashness ; an attribute of which his colleague in the triumvirate, Kossuth, is singu larly deficient. But Mazzini is losing his col leagues. He is even deserted by Garibaldi. The latter has signified his adherence to the late de claration of Daniel Manin, and his readiness to adopt Sardinia and its constitution as the example and the home of Italian liberty, constitutional and anti republican. This formerly democratic leader having amassed a little fortune in the guano trade of South America, has purchased the island of Capiera, on the Sardinian coast, which he has improved and fer tilised. Having something to lose, with impaired health, an uneasy conscience, and sounder views, he has publicly abjured the doctrines of republicanism in a circular addressed to the inhabitants of Vol tagio, wherein he confesses himself a convert to the system of a constitutional monarchy. At the same time he asserts that constitutionalism is utterly in• consistent and impossible with the present arrogant predominance of the Roman Catholic Church. This advised declaration of opinion, arrived at after a practical experience of a revolutionary republicanism, has a sterling value. A movement is taking place amongst the Austrian troops in the Romagna. Fresh detachments are pouring into Ferrara and Bologna, with parks of artillery. At Bologna the soldiers have been con fined to their barracks for three days, and are in readiness for service at any moment. All respect for the constituted authorities is abandoned, and the Austrian officers conduct themselves as in an invaded and conquered country. General Marini, Austrian Ambassador at Naples, is pressing the King and Government to give way to the remonstrances of France and England. The withdrawal of the English Minister, Sir W. Temple, has alarmed the Cabinet of Vienna, and the lan guage of Austria is becoming peremptory. A divi sion amongst the Liberals has alone prevented an insurrectionary and general movement. The know ledge that the Western powers will not permit an Austrian army, under any circumstances, to occupy the Neapolitan territory, has given confidence to the constitutionalists. In Sicily there exists the most perfect unanimity of opinion, and that island may be reckoned as for ever lost to the King of Naples. Upon a recapitulation of all these occurrences in the Italian peninsula, it may again be repeated that the assertion of the English Government, that Italy was approaching a stets of tranquillity, which would authorise the withdrawal of the foreign legions, is insulting to the Parliament of England. The organisation of the free-trade commission— ,' lc congres des reformes douanieres "—to assemble at Brussels in September, proceeds rapidly. M. Charles de Brouskere, the present Burgomaster of Brussels, who has ever assiduously sustained his views on this subject, and was the mainspring of the agitation on this great international question in 1847, will be precluded by the nature and duties of his present office from being president of the commis sion. It must not be forgotten, however, that it is to his individual exertion and determined perse verance that the principles of free trade are about to have a European solution. The Duke d'Harcourt, M. de Lamartine, and M. Dufour Dubergier, Presi dent of the Chamber of Commerce at Bordeaux, and others, have announced their intention to be present. Hambourg has taken up the cause warmly, and the Allgemeine Zeitung, the Gazette d'Augsbourg, and the Gazette Autriehienne, Ministerial organs, with out affirming their adhesion to the doctrine of free trade, yet assert the importance and the necessity of discussion, which is in itself an admission of failure in the present restrictive system. Holland, Den mark, and Switzerland are favorable, and Sardinia is prepared to combat the views of Austro-Lombardy, Rome, and Naples. It may be remarked that the several countries where the Austro-Papal Concordat has met with Ministerial favour, are governmentally excessive in their opposition to free trade. Un restricted commerce is necessarily accompanied by freedom of opinion, and the Pope, with his satellite of Naples, has deemed such a reform in commerce to have an heretical tendency. This will account for the non compliance of the Romanists in Belgium to aid in unshackling the trade of nations. The fact is worth recording. The affair of Vely Pacha against the Nord is now before the " Tribunal de Premiere Instance de Bruxelles." The following is a relation of the occurrence, for the publicati3n of which the Nord has been prosecuted by the Turkish Pacha : Vely Pacha, son of Mustafa Paella, formerly Ambassador of the Porte at the French Court, and now Governor of Candia, took with him from Paris a young and pretty "Lorette," who, for a certain consideration, consented to occupy a position in his harem. Whether the " demoi selle " revolutionised the odalisques by inculcating Western ideas inconsistent with the state of absolute seclusion— whether the Pacha became jaded in his caprice—or whe ther there was a case of personal infidelity, is not known; but it is certain that the unfortunate girl was strangled according to Turkish usage. By the Turkish law there must be a " reclamant," other than a Crown prosecutor; and, as the Consul of France had not official cognisance of SATURDAY, the circumstance, or declined to interfere, the matter was allowed to drop as of common occurrence, and of which the befitting place of chronicle might be the page of a Byronian romance. For this " odious calumny," M. Lenient', the advo cate of Vely Pacha, demanded satisfaction ac cording to the article 307 of the penal code of Belgium. The indictment was laid against the printer, M. Greuse ; but M. Victor Capellemans, a person of high intelligence and education, fear. lessly avowed himself to be the editor of the paper, and to have translated and transcribed the letter re ceived from the correspondent of the Nord at Con stantinople, as also to have written the leading article of the 18th of April, 1850, reviewing and com menting on the atrocities of the case. . . The object of insisting on the prosecution of the printer alone was to obtain a summary judgment, and thereby to avoid the publication of details. M. Capellemans, with ample means at his command, will justify the alleged libel ; and, as the murder is a sad reality, all that Vely Pacha and his advocate can possibly do, will be to plead that the crime was committed without his order, " Sans connoissance de fait." The trial is fixed for August the 18th. C. A. H. fortign anti Colonial 3nttiligente. FRANCE. The Afoniteur of Tuesday contained the following official announcement with regard to the army of observation on the Spanish frontier : Spain being pacified, the Emperor has given orders to suspend all movement of troops towards the frontier. The Moniteur also announced that the Emperor would return to St. Cloud on this day, the Ath inst., and that his Majesty did not expect to be again absent before the 15th, on which day the nand official receptions would be dispensed with. The vague nature of this announcement has given rise to much speculation in Paris as to the real state of health of the Emperor. The rumour, also, of an interview within the next few days between his Majesty and the Emperor of Austria has revived. .... The elevation of Marshal Pelissier to the rank of duke has been officially announced by the Moniteur. The Marshal, upun landing at Marseilles, received the letter from the Emperor conferring the dignity. Marshal Pelissier arrived in Paris on Tuesday, and set out at once for Plombieres by special desire of the Emperor. The Councils General of France, it is anticipated, will be shortly summoned. The question of " Free Trade," it is also said, will bo submitted to their decision. The measures of O'Donnell, in Spain, are univer sally praised by the French papers. A letter in the Moniteur regards the coup d'etat as a very fortunate thing for Spain, since, from the weakness of Espar tero, the democratic party, during the last two years, had made most dangerous progress. The energy of O'Donnell, it was hoped, would effectually check democratic tendencies. The SiPele, this week, calls attention to the contrast exhibited by the rapidity with which the allies have executed the treaty of Paris on their part, and the slowness of the Russians to imitate their example. It is not satisfied with Lord Palmerston's statement, that "it is not to be supposed that the Russians will destroy fortifications, which the Turks would surely reconstruct as soon as they came into possession of Ismail and Reni," bat thinks that Russia has delibe rately destroyed the works, in order to inflict a pecuniary injury upon Turkey, which, in the dilapi dated state of its finances, is ill able to find the millions necessary to repair the damage. The Siecle also comments on the delay offered by Russia in the restitution of Kars : in 1829 Kars was given up to the Turks without difll• (sully, but, according to recent dates from Constantinople, that town still remains in the hands of the Russians. We cannot accept the various pretexts offered by Russia, and are of opinion that the latter obey a premeditated plan, which, it is hoped, will result in imposing on the minds of the Asiatic populations, by affecting a disdain for the Sultan. The capture of Kars was the only success obtained by Russia in these two years of warfare against the Turks, and she, perhaps, wishes to exaggerate the importance of her problematic success. AUSTRIA. The Emperor arrizi;CTceplitz on the 30th, and held interviews with the Kings of Prussia and Saxony. The Emperor returned to Vienna the neat day, and was to start on a fresh tour on the 4th. His Majesty's destination was kept a profound secret. The Vienna correspondent of the Nord emphati cally denies that the interview at To.plitz had any political motive or result : _ On m'assare meme de bonne source (he writes) qu'il ny a pea ice dit uu mot qui ait rapport a des questions politiques precises. The evacuation of the principalities was progress ing. Head-quarters were removed from Jassy on the Ist.