The Press. — London, England, 1856-01-26 00:00:00

JANUARY 26, 1856• THE PFRSIAN GOVERNMENT regard their quarrel with Mr. Murray as one so purely personal that the official Gazette of' Teheran latAy stated, although the British Ambassador had thought fit to haul down his flag and leave the country, the relations between the two Governments were not at all affected. It is believed that the mediation of the Turkish Govern ment has been sought, and that Lord Stratford de Redcliffe has been consulted with a view of bringing this ridiculous affair to an amicable termination. THE CABINET OF ST. PETERSBURG has determined to declare itself in a note on the state of the discus sions relative to the frontiers and the reciprocal pre tensions of Russia and Sweden. The treaty lately concluded between Sweden and the Western powers may be regarded as the cause of this proceeding on the part of Russia. THE COUNTESS DANNER, the King of Denmark's morganatic wife, has not been raised, as was ex pected, to the rank of duchess. There was a report that the countess would be proclaimed Queen, but the late rescript of the King announcing his marriage with the countess as morganatic "for the present and for future" would seem to set that question at rest. THE GREAT GERMAN MUSICAL FESTIVAL in honour of Mozart's birth will this year reach its hundredth anniversary. The most magnificent preparations are already being made all over Germany for next 27th of June. A symphony, two concertos, two operas, and a cantata, all original MSS. by Mozart, are about to be given to the world for the first time by Herr Andre, the son of the publisher of Offenbach. The genuineness of the MSS. is undoubted. AT NAPLES an attempt is being made by a Man chester manufacturer to induce that enterprising people to grow cotton. The soil in many parts of the coast between Lecce and Brindisi, and between Castellamare and Torre del Aununziata, is stated to be admirably adapted for the growth of cotton ; while our consumption in England of some 915,20 0 ,000 lbs. every year, shows that we could afford to buy up all that Naples could give us. The speculation may not be bad, but we doubt if the Neapolitans have the en terprise to enter upon it, or the energy to carry it out. THE COUNTESS DE NEUILLY, the venerable ex- Queen of France, is in a very serious state of ill health, such as to justify every alarm on the part of her friends. She is at present surrounded by her family at Nerri. THE CARNIVAL SEASON at Turin, Rome, Naples, and over Italy generally, is being celebrated with great brilliancy. At Naples there was some hope of a political amnesty, but his Majesty of the Two Sicilies is inexorable. His wretched prisoners groan out their agonies in their Neapolitan dungeons, while the King smiles and the Court declares "il re asso luto" to be the best of monarchs. Whether they would be KS willing to declaie his Government the most pleasant to live under is doubtful. THE AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT is at present said to be carrying on an angry correspondence with the Vatican upon the use made by the Catholic clergy in Lombardy of the powers granted by the Concordat. Having invited the general principle of interference by the Pope in the domestic government of his em pire, the Emperor of Austria appears surprised at its application. GENERAL PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFY has resigned his command in the Crimea to General Luders, receiv ing in lieu the appointment of Governor of Poland. Great reforms in Poland are spoken of'. The country is to be divided into three Governments in stead of five, the chief towns being Warsaw, Lublin, and Radom. The governors are to unite the civil and military powers, and are to remain subordinate to the Governor General of the kingdom; while the finance department is to depend altogether on that of St. Petersburg. GENERAL WILLIAMS AND HIS STAFF, according to letters of the Bth ult. from Tiflis, had arrived there from Kars, and met with an extremely kind recep tion from the Russian authorities and people. A large house has been given to them as a residence, while horses and carriages are placed at their dis posal for rides and drives within certain limits. On the previous Sunday they were present at a dramatic representation in the theatre of the town, and upon entering the house were warmly applauded by the audience. _ . THE EMPEROR of: AUSTRIA first announced the intelligence of Russia's acceptation of the proposals at a private Court ball on the evening of the 16th. His Majesty is said to have entered the room in the highest spirits, and, saluting the company, exclaimed with much animation—" We have received good news: Russia concedes everything! " A COURT BUFFOON, one of the last of his class, died on the 3rd inst. at, Constantinople, at the age of 121 years and 7 months. Said Effendi had served four sultans as jester, and, notwithstanding his ad vanced age, the venerable old gentleman was frequently called up by the present Sultan and ordered to say witty things and perform antics, both of which he did with remarkable success to the ast, THE PRESS. THE NEGOTIATIONS UPON THE STATE AND FATE OF THE PRINCIPALITIES Will open very shortly at Con stantinople. There is a rumour, originating in Berlin, that an Anglo French army of occupation will, in the event of peace, replace the Austrian troops in one, if not both principalities. M. TaorLoso, the Paris journals state, was not the author of the article in the Moniteur upon the Legislative Senate. M. Perron, Chef de Division of the Alini,ter d'Etat, is suspected as the wr.ter of the article in question. COUNT DE MORNY, it is reported in Paris, will be the representative of France at the coming peace conferences. M. de Morny is well known as being a strenuous advocate for peace. THE CZAR ALEXANDER is reported to have lately made use of the following expressions, relative to Germany and the Western powers. " J'ai les Alle mande en pttie, les Anglais en haine, et les Francais en admiration." THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BASTONADE aS a means of punishment for acts of rebellion, vaga bondage, inendicity, &c., in Prussia, has been pro posed by twenty members of the extreme Right in the Prussian Chamber of Deputies, who have presented a project of law in favour of the motion. THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON, at the late review and distribution of medals to the Crimean troops, now in Paris, when passing in front of the Zouaves of the Guard, was presented with a bouquet of violets by the son of a cantiniere of the regiment, a boy of abort seven years of age, and already wearing the Zouave uniform. His Majesty bent down from his horse, and, touching the child with his hand on the cheek, said—" Thank you, my little friend ; go and take your bouquet to the Empress," pointing to the balcony where her Majesty was seated with her ladies, and then proceeded with his inspection. "But how em I to get to the Empress?" said the little messenger, in great embarrassment. " I will show you the way, my little man," said a deep voice near him ; and the boy, looking tip, perceived that it was the tall drum-major of the Zouaves who had volun teered to serve him as guide. The tall man then took the boy gravely by the hand, and in a fewk minutes, by the imperturbable repetition of " By order of the Emperor, a bouquet for the Em press," they soon arrived near her Majesty. The Empress accepted the flowers, embraced the little boy on each cheek, asked him his name and those of his parents, and appeared delighted with his present. At last the child, after having been caressed and kissed by the ladies, returned with his tall comrade to the court below. He was asked a thousand questions, but all his faculties seemed to be concentrated in the one fact of his interview, as his constant reply was—" The Empress embraced me." @Ma IMO fas4ion. Her Majesty and the Court continue at Windsor. The Queen, attended by the Lords and Ladies in Waiting, has taken daily drives in the neighbourhood of the castle. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent arrived in town on Tuesday, on a visit to the Duchess of Gloucester. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess and Princess Mary of Cambridge arrived at St. James's Palace on Tuesday, from Windsor Castle. The Count of Flanders left Windsor Castle, en route to Dover and Ostend, early on Monday. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, attended by Colonel Tyrwhitt, arrived at the castle on Thursday, on a visit to the Queen. A dramatic performance took place in the St. George's-hall on Thursday evening, upon which occasion the Merchant of Venice was performed before the Queen and Court and a distinguished company. General de la Marmora, Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, and Captain Sherard Osborne, have been on a visit to her Majesty dining the week. The Earl and Countess of Erroll have arrived in Eaton•place, at the residence of Mr. James Duff, M.P., from Scotland. The Earl of Munster has taken a mansion at Rutland-gate. The marriage of Sir Henry Meux, Bart., with Miss Louisa Caroline Bruilenell Bruce, eldest daughter of the Right Hon. Lord Ernest Bruce, M.P., took place at the British Embassy, at Paris, on Saturday. The Duke of Leeds has left the Clarendon for Hornhy Castle, near Catterick, Yorkshire. The Duke of Rutland remains for the present at Belvoir Castle. The Earl and Countess of Mountcharles have arrived in town from visiting the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey. Lord and Lady Edward Fitzalan Howard have ar rived in town from Arundel Castle. Sir James Graham, Bart., M.P., and his three sons, are at present staging at Bonnie, Windermere, 79 olitxcal. COLONEL SMYTH, M.P., at the first state dinner of the Lord Mayor of York, last week, in returning thanks for the city mem bets, touched upon the great question of the day, and expressed himself strongly in favour of a vigorous prosecution of the war, until we had securely gained the objects for which we went to war. He sincerely trusted that the rumours of peac3 might be true ; but we might have to endure another year's war, which if vigorously pressed would so cripple and damage Russia, as to obtain for Europe that. peace which would alone justify the sacrifices we have made : In my humble opinion (continued the honourable mem ber), British skill and British bravery would alone accom plish this object, if properly directed ; but, in conjunction with our brave allies—the French, the Turks, and Sar dinians—we cannot fail. Let us determine that the war shall be prosecuted in earnest. Let my countrymen think with me, that half measures and frequent negotiations for peace—especially when those negotiations are conducted through the medium of neutral States until lately notori ously predisposed in favour of Russia—only tend to give increased confidence to our enemy, to frustrate the objects we have in view, and to prolong a contest which, for the honour of England, can be concluded upon no terms ex cept such as will give a prospect of lasting peace and future tranquillity, by securing the independence of Turkey, the free navigation of the Black Sea and the Danube, and the perfect liberation of those States which have equally cause to dread Russian aggression and Russian protection. Sir W. M. E. Milner, Bart., regarded the Austrian proposals with suspicion, and looked forward with confidence to the next campaign, when we should bring Russia to such a position as would compel her to accept the terms of honourable peace. THE READJUSTMENT OF THE INCOME TAX WSS the subject of a meeting at Birmingham last week, at which Mr. Muntz, M.P., Mr. Scholefield, M.P., Mr. C. Sturge, and other influential persons, were present. Mr. Muntz, in moving the first resolution, descanted freely upon the peculiarly oppressive na ture of the tax, which compelled merchants and tradesmen to show their books and expose the situa tion of their affairs, in order to prevent them being overcharged. Mr. Scholefield, M.P., pointed out the oppressive nature of the tax, which included all property derived from different sources under one head, and suggested the capitalisation of income as the only means of arriving at a fair decision on the subject, and of drawing a just distinction between incomes derived from industry and from inheritance. A resolution expressing an opinion that the present mode of levying the tax was oppressive and unjust and should be rectified, together with a memorial to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and a petition to the House, were then adopted. THE MANCHESTER COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATION held their annual meeting on Monday at Manchester. Mr. Aspinal Turner, the president, addressed the meeting at some length, calling attention to the cheerful sub mission with which the Manchester people had borne the sufferlngs entailed by the war, though he ad mitted that to operatives, employment having been constant, the year had been tolerably prosperous. With reference to the Peace, Mr. Turner expressed a hope that we should not be deprived of the advan tages of the Black Sea trade, now thrown open by the war, and concluded his address by pointing oat the signs of progress visible in India, though be feared we had not the right men in authority to de velop the resources of that magnificent country. Itittrogolit an. RAILWAY REFORM was the subject considered at a most influential meeting of shareholders, at the London Tavern, on Tuesday last. Mr. W. Malins took the chair upon this occasion, and addressed the meeting at some length. The railway world, ex plained Mr. Mahns, was divided into three classes— the employes, the preference share and debenture holders, and the ordinary shareholders, who after all the rest were paid took what was left, if any, and if not, went without. Everybody connected with rail roads, remarked Mr. Malins, had done well except the ordinary shareholders. The object of the meeting was therefore to form such a permanent association of the last class as should, by its weight and united action, obtain for ordinary shareholders that influ ence in the management of their property and in terests as clearly Was their right, instead of confining them to a simple half-yearly attendance upon the directors, without any power whatever of control, or voice in the management of their affairs : It is imagined (said Mr. Malins) by people in general that the management of railways is so difficult that men are scarcely to be found who are capable of conducting them with success; but that is an opinion in which I do not participate. I believe that the same straightforward business habits which are applied to carrying on the vast commercial concerns of this country may be with equal success applied to railway affairs; and that your proi.erty could be made highly and fairly remunerative. What we want, therefore, gentleman, is a careful and constant vigl