The Press. — London, England, 1856-03-08 00:00:00

I MARCH 8, 1856. FRANCE. being made of the completion of the peace iminarie%, there was an outburst of thanksgiving, a jubilant imprecation that things might yet come to pass, that even if war were not continued gun of England might be paled, her mirk lep g:ned, and her prestige injured. When high and lay States, such as England and Russia, solve differences on the battle-field, there is just for lamentation. When they are reconciled in imal esteem and unimpaired honour joy should great, as that of a mother " when a man m born the world." That this is not the case in Bel _ is very little to the credit of the national :haracter, and gives evidence of a want of that -nerosity of sentiment by which high-minded nations are influenced even in their hour of conflict. E. R. SIENA, March 3. Lowea Italy is in the hands of the brigands. They tercise control to such an extent that even the - hesitate to take their ordinary evening drive, le mure," an hour before sunset. Police pro tection, in the Roman and Neapolitan States, has ceased to deserve the name—the " sbirri" being the fathers, sons, and brothers of the " assassint." A - of things so thoroughly disgraceful cannot last, under the existing rule the Roman and Neapo executives have no means of remedy. The 'ucated and wealthier clasßes withhold moral assis from a governing power that is evidently in a of transition. to ex-Queen Christina and the Duke of Rian- are about to repair to Rome on a speculative 'lesion, connected with the Civits Vecchia and other always. The commercial interest has triumphed last through the exertions of the banker Torlonia, ' the Pope is obliged to act in opposition to his lion that railroads are an invention of the heretic ie downfal of the Papacy. attempt is being made in Tuscany to introduce 'apal Concordat. It is firmly resisted by people all classes, as the measure would be far more igent than in Austria. The Government of that. itry is already at issue with the bishops ; but in uscany the ecclesiastical would supersede every authority with governmental consent. The of Italy is a freedom of commercial exchange other and distant States. Corn, oil, and wine, riches of the earth, freely exported, with free im portrtion in return, would soon work out a better of things. Any one conversant with Italian i is aware that the trade of Italy is gradually ,ing; but if once commercial and agricultural Tests can be made to flourish, the unshackled rers of wealth will immediately unloose the itical bonds of industry. M. T. A. !ortign and 6olanial Snttllipte. oPENING OF THE FRENCH CHAMBERS. Legislative Session was opened by the Emperor 'rson, on Monday, in the Salle des Marechaux, Palace of tho Tuileries. At a few minutes one p.m., a salute of 101 guns announced the iencement of the ceremony, and shortly after riiperor, accompanied by Prince Jerome, and preceded and followed by the great officers of State the aides-de-camp in attendance, entered the The Emperor, having requested the assembly . seated, took his seat upon the Throne. The iperor then, in the midst of profound silence, wered the following 'EECH FROM THE IMPERIAL THRONE. M. les Pairs, MM. lee Stnateurs,— last time that I summoned you to meet, grave _les weighed upon ne. The allied armies were ex. bausting themselves in a siege, in which the stubbornness defenders made success doubtful. Euroie, uncer• seemed to await the issue of the struggle before :laring herself. sustain the war, I asked a loan which, although it appear excessive, you voted unanimously. The price of provisions menaced the labouring classes general discomfort, and a disturbance in the mone• system gave ground to fear the slackening of business the diminution of employment. Well ! thanks to your and to the energy displayed in France and in England .mks, above all, to the support of Providence—these igers, if tl•ey have not entirely disappeared, are for the ' part dissipated. . great deed of arms has since decided a desperate niggle, unparalleled in history, in favour of the allies. opinion of Europe from that moment has been more shown. THE PRESS. In every direction our alliances have extended, or have become more firm. The third loan has been supplied without difficulty. The country has again proved to me its confidence by sub. scribing a sum five times larger than I required from it. It has undergone, with admirable resignation, the auffei ings inseparable from dearness of provisions—sufferings which, nevertheless, have been mitigated b 3 private charity, by the zeal of the corporations, and by the millions of francs distributed in the departments. An tvrival of foreign corn has now produced a considerable fall in the price of food ; the fears arising from the disappearance of gold have faded; and never has labour been more active, never have the revenues been so large. The chances of war have reawakened the military spirit of the nation. Never were there so many voluntary en• listrnents, nor so great an ardour among the conscripts. To this brief statement of the situation, facts of a high political signification must be added. The Queen of Great Britain, desirous of giving a proof of her confidence, of her esteem for our country, to render our relations more intimate, visited France. The enthusi astic welcome she met with must have convinced her how deep were the sentiments inspired by her presence, and that they were of a nature to strengthen the alliance of the two nations. The King of Piedmont, who, without looking behind him, had embraced our cause with that courageous im petuosity which he had already shown on the battle field, also came to France, to consecrate a union already cemented by the bravery of his soldiers. Those sovereigns were enabled to see a country formerly so agitated and disinherited of its rank in the councils of Europe, now prosperous, peaceful, and respected, waging war, not with the momentary delirium of passion, but with the calmness, justice, and energy of duty. They beheld France, while sending 200,000 men beyond the seas, at the same time convoke all the arts of peace at Paris, as if she wished to say to Europe, " The present war is only an episode, for me ; my ideas and my strength are in part always directed towards the arts of peace: let us neglect nothing to understand each other, and du riot compel me to throw all the resources and all the energy of a great nation into the lists of battle." That appeal seems to have been heard, and winter, by suspending hostilities, favored the intervention of diplo macy. Austria resolved upon taking a decisive step, which brought into the deliberations all the influence of the sovereign of a vast empire. Sweden entered into closer connection with England and France by a treaty which guaranteed the integrity of ber territory ; finally, advice or entreaties were sent to St. Petersburg from all the Cabinets. The Emperor of Russia, who had inherited a position he had not created, appeared animated with a sincere desire to put an end to the causes which had occasioned this sanguinary conflict. He resolutely accepted the propositions transmitted by Austria. The honour of his arms once satisfied, he did honour to himself also by complying with the distinctly expressed' wishes of Europe. To-day the plenipotentiaries of the belligerent and allied powers are assembled at Paris to decide upon the condi tions of peace. The spirit of moderation and equity which animates them all must make us hope for a favorable result ; nevertheless, let us await the end of the conferences with dignity, and let us be equally prepared, if it should be necessary, either again to draw the sword or to extend the hand to those we have honourably fought. Whatever may happen, let us occupy ourselves with all the means proper to increase the po'ver and wealth of France ; let us draw still closer, if possible, the alliance formed by a participation of glory and of sacrifices, the reciprocal advantages of which will be brought into still stronger relief by peace. Let us, finally, ac this solemn moment for the destinies of the world, place our trust in God, that He may guide our efforts in the sense most conformable to the interests of humanity and of civilisation. The speech was received with loud cheers, and, after the administration of the usual oaths to recently elected senators, the ceremony concluded. The effect of the speech upon the public mind in Paris was at first one of disappointment from no positive result of the negotiations being announced, but the general tone of the speech was, on the whole, considered satisfactory. The French journals have not commented much upon the speech. The Debats considered it as conciliatory, and of a nature to con firm the hopes of peace. The allusions to the English alliance and the gallantry of the King of Piedmont have been much remarked. The budget for 1857 was presented the next day to the Senate. The budget shows receipts exceeding by 19,220,000 francs, and expenditure exceeding by 96,770,630 francs, the same items in the budget of last year. The excess cf receipts is estimated at 15,417,348 francs. The announcement of the IndeTendayee Belpe that the " preliminaries of peace, including the cams belli, were definitively signed on Satur• day," has been denounced by the Pays and Patrie on authority as altogether false. The seine journals on Wednesday affirmed distinctly that the signature of the preliminaries was a diplomatic formality. Some jokes were also made about Lord Palmerston's want of memory. 225 The Empress Eugenie, since Wednesday, has remained in her apartments. Her accouchement is daily expected. The programme of the ceremonial to be observed at the birth and baptism of the Imperial children is prepareil. AUSTRIA. Several conferences, at which were present Sir Hamilton Seymour, Viscount Serres, and the Turkish Chsrge, Tan Bey, have lately been held at the hotel of Baron Werner (the locum tenons of Count Buol). The memorandum of Baron Prokesch on the practical application of the reforms projected in Turkey, is believed to have been the subject under consideration. The occupation of the Principalities by the troops of the three powers is also said to form one of the questions at issue; and that Baron de Werner has been charged by Count Buol to draw up a plan to that effect, in conjunction with the Western powers and the Porte. The decree of the military conscription for the empire of Austria for 1856 has been published. Of the 86,000 men forming the total, 6,977 fall to the share of Lombardy. The long looked for appendix to the Concordat has at length appeared, in the shape of a letter ad dressed by the Archbishop of Vienna, as plenipoten tiary of the Emperor, to the Cardinal Viale Prela, Papal Internuncio to the Austrian Court. The letter is of great length, and confirms the Concordat in every point. Article 9, which relates to restrictions to be placed on the freedom of the press, says : The suppression of books dangerous to religion and morality is a matter which concerns Church and State, and his Majesty the Emperor will do all in his power to keep such books out of his dominions. He will, therefore, take care that, in order to curb literary audacity, the laws— which are not wanting in the necessary severity—shall be carried out with proper vigour, and that the greatest attention shall be paid to the wishes of the bishops in this matter. tion bf prelimi and a 113 coin the Al 9 ..ned, mighty their t cause f mutual be gre into tl gium i charam genera. nations LOWER exercis ladies 1 "fuori : tection, ceased fathers state of yet und li tan e educate tance f state of The tares a mission railway at last and th opinion for the An al a Papal of all stringer country Tuscan other t want of with otl the ricl portatie order o affairs per ishil interest powers politics OPI THE Le in pers( in the 1 after or co (mei the En precede and the hall. to be s E m pen deliver( SPE 1113 The I anxieties haustin; of the a lain, se declarin To at might a high pr with gel tary cyst and the aid, and —than] dangers most pa A gr t struggle The o Openly 8 RUSSIA. The Abeille du Nord says that the greatest confi dence is felt at St. Petersburg in a favorable issue of the negotiations. At the same time a new levy of twenty-three men in every 1,000 is stated to be in contemplation as a measure of precaution. The retirement of Count Nesselrode from public affairs in evi nt of peace is considered certain. M. Meyendorff, Baron Brunow, Prince Gortscha koff, are named among the probable successors. TURKEY. The great measure of reform was promulgated by an Imperial firman at Constantinople, on the 21st of February, with extraordinary state. First, all privileges and immunities formerly given to the Christians and other communities under the Porte are again confirmed. The decree then details the different measures by which equal rights are granted to all the subjects of the Sultan, of whatever religion they may be. In civil rights there will he a com plete equality between Mussulmans and Christians, the latter being subject to the payment of different taxes. Any denomination (such as "rayah") of a nature to express the superiority of' one race over another is expressly forbidden both in public docu ments and in private conventions. The patriarchs are to be chosen for life. The clergy will receive a fixed stipend, and the Church property will be managed by an assembly composed of persons of that religion. There will be mixed tribunals. Edu cation will be free, but under the surveillance of mixed commissions. Other reforms are announced, as, for instance, the right granted to provincial and communal councils t. take the initiative in grants for public works ; as also the establishment of banks, in order to regularise the monetary system of the empire. A million copies of the decree of the Sultan have been distributed throughout the empire. In order to relieve commerce, which has been de ranged by the heavy fall in prices since peace be came probable, the porte has removed the prohibition to export corn, as far as relates to the ports of the Mediterranean, of the Archipelago, and of the Gulf of Venice DENMARK. The opening of the session of the Supreme Coun cil of the Kingdom of Denmark took place at Copen hagen on the Ist instant, with the usual ceremony. The Hereditary Prince and the whole Court accom panied the King, who made a speech on the occasion. After thanking tha Almighty for the maintenance of peace, the King expressed the hope that Providence would continue to preserve the country from the evils of war. Tfie speech concluded with the announcement that no important project would be brought forward in the present session, but that an eNtraordinary session would be convoked sh(ttly. The reasons for the acquittal of the Danish Minis ters are thus stated :—The legality of the res( lution relative to the armaments is not contested ; the accusation of high treason being therefore un founded, the tribunal is not called upon to decide on the utility of the armaments.