The Press. — London, England, 1857-11-07 00:00:00

part or those in authority. He ventured to say that there were many concurring causes of the insurrection, and he thought great misapprehension had arisen from confound ing the immediate causes with the remote ones. The first great cause wa the system of aggression pursued in reference to surrounding States, commencing with the fatal expedition to Cabul, and terminating with the Per sian expedition. The annexation of (Dude was an event of . the utmost moral importance in reference to our position in India. The King of Oude, indeed, went away quietly; but he made an appeal to the Queen of England, and on the failure of this appeal began that fermentation of opi nion which in the result was fatal to the allegiance of the Bengal army, the greater portion of which came from Oude and sympathised with its inhabitants. When the Persian expedition left India it might naturally have been expected that the Persians would endeavour to rouse the Mahome dans of India to resistance, to an attempt to throw off the British yoke ; and it was at this time that the great maga zine of Delhi was left exclusively in the poi.session of native troops. Another cause was the injury which had been done to the religious feelings of the natives of India. He acquitted the Government of any desire to convert the people of that country ; but they were not the less criminal in having given cause for apprehensions on the part of the native population. It was now manifest to all that this outbreak was not what the Government first styled it, a mere military mutiny, but what Mr. Disraeli had termed it—a revolution. It was a revolution attempted in the only manner that was possible in India, namely, by the native armed forces transferring their allegiance from the East India Company to the Emperor of Delhi. That revolu tion, however, would fail, and this not only from the valour of British troops, but because we had not completed oud work of the destruction of the native princes of India, anr because those whom we had yet spared had proved our firmest bulwark. Whilst he entertained the strongest feelings of horror and detestation at the atrocities which had been perpetrated, he must express his great regret that any person in this country should have recommended a course of revenge end retaliation to our soldiers which would disgrace our flag and dishonour our army. If it were true, as he had seen stated in native papers, that an officer having been fired upon in a village which he entered alone, immediately ordered it to be burnt down and de stroyed some 300 men, women, and children, he (Mr . Ayrtonj must say that he could not sympathise with the feelings of such a man. He had been much pleased to see the proclamation issued by Lord Canning on that subject, although he confessed it seemed to him somewhat im practicable. It was to be hoped that our reconquest of India would not be followed by what was recommended on certain platforms, namely, a determined attempt to compel the natives of India to adopt our religious system. Unless the natives of India were allowed to follow their own notions on religions subjects, we should find the posses sion of that empire a drag upon our prosperity and a danger to our greatness. foreign ad Colonial 'lntelligente. FRANCE. The telegraphic statement last week announcing the death of General Cavaignac was confirmed on Saturday evening, and by a further statement that the body had been brought to Paris, and given a public funeral that day. The streets were much crowded, and upwards of 12,000 persons followed the funeral. General Cavaignac died from an aneurism in the heart. He had long suffered from disease of the heart, and so late as the 17th of July last, in writing to a friend, M. Seuard, he said that he passed his life " between a sense of palpitation and suffocation," and, making a calembourg upon his malady, remarked, " I perceive that nothing in this world is less grand than a grog cccur." On the decision of the family an address was delivered over the grave. Before the funeral was concluded, the Pre fect of Police was thanked by a member of the gene ral's family, on the ;Art of Madame Cavaignac, fr r all the consideration which had been shown her and her family. The Moniteur de l'Artne announces that the Minister of War has just called out 42,000 men of the class of 1850. The Presse observes that this is only about half of the contingent voted, and there fore infers from the fact a corroboration of the hopes of a general disarmament which are now entertained in many parts of Europe. The Emperor and Court continue at Compeigne. It is expected that the Bank of France will raise its rate of discount. THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 7, 1857. letter from Frankfort, in the Augsburg Gazette, says : We can confirm on good authority the fact of an Eng lish note having been delivered at Vienna on the subject of the Duchies. The fundamental views of the English Cabinet on this question are not modified, but it begins to consider as well founded the majority of the complaints of the Duchies, and is disposed to co-operate in the steps adopted for redressing their grievances. It appears, ac cording to this note, that England has sent agents to the Duchies to inquire into the rights and pretensions of Hol stein and Lauenburg, anti that the result has been favour able to the Duchies. The Svenska-Tidning of Stockholm, the semi official organ of the Swedish Government, contains in its number of the 28th ult. an article which warmly defends the Danish Government against the two great German powers, and which declares that it is necessary to unite closely the efforts of the three Scandinavian kingdoms, in order to resist energetically the intervention of the Germanic Con federation in the internal affairs of a country which is subjected to the sceptre of an independent king dom. This article (says a letter from Stockholm) has caused a great sensation, as the belief is that it has been approved of by the Government, and that it expresses the views of the Prince Regent with re gard to the relations of the United Kingdoms with Germany. According to an official communication, the affair of Holstein has been referred to a com mission. Hanover has demanded that the provi sions of the Constitution of Holstein, in su far as they may be opposed to the federal law, shall be declared not obligatory if Denmark persist in sup• porting them. This demand has also been referred to the Commission. The question is assuming a very serious aspect. PRUSSIA. The King of Prussia continues to improve, though slowly, in health. His Majesty went out on the 30th ult. for the first time, and walked for a few minutes on the terrace of the Palace of Sans Souci with the Queen and the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg. His Majesty repeated his walk the next day for a little longer time. Herr Von Niebuhr, the King's private secretary, is gradually recovering his health. It is expected that he will be able to attend the Finance Commis sion next month. BELGIUM. The Ministry have placed their resignations in the hands of the King. M. de Brouckere, one of the leaders of the Liberal party, has been intrusted by his Majesty with the task of forming a Ministry. The names of the future Cabinet are given as fol lows :—M. H. de Brouckere, Foreign Affairs ; Liedts, Interior ; Faider, Justice; Quolin, Finance ; Itenard, War; but this is considered premature, as later reports state that M. de Brouckere has not suc ceeded in forming a Cabinet. The result will pro bably be that a temporary and merely administrative Cabinet will be formed, as the general elections take place next June. DENMARK AND THE DUCHIES. Most of the German States (says a letter from Berlin) have notified by telegraph to our Government that they adhere to the measures projected by Prussia and Austria in the Holstein question. A AUSTRIA. The Official Gazette announces the imposition of a tax upon newspapers of one krentzer (41 centimes) per sheet. The same impost will apply to foreign journals. SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. There is no intelligence of any political importance from Madrid. The political programme or manifesto of the new Government was hourly anticipated. Narvaez was making great efforts to regain the con fidence of the Court. The Madrid journals of the 30th ult. confirm the statement made by the London and Paris journals that Mexico has accepted the mediation of England and France in the dispute with Spain. A despatch from Lisbon announces that the number of cases is less considerable, but that the proportion of fatal results is increased. TURKEY AND THE PRINCIPALITIES. A further change of Ministry, it is reported, is not improbable at Constantinople. 'the details of the recent proceedings of the Divans ad hoc convoked in Moldavia and Wallachia to ex press the wishes of the people upon the future government of these countries, have reached us. In Moldavia, on the 19th of October, the Assembly met. The following is the official account of the result of their proceedings. The Divan assembled in full costume : This 19th day of October the Assembly of Moldavia, instituted by the Treaty of Paris, for the purpose of ex pressing the wishes of the country relative to the future organisation of the Principalities, impressed with the feeling that the first desire of a people is to exist; that that existence must be assured as one of the great family of nations ; that such has been the aim of our nation for the last five centuries ; that the Principalities have always preserved their political and national existence by treaties concluded between their princes and the Kings of Poland, Hungary, ttc.; that the preservation of their droilx de souverainele was the main feature of their treaties in 1393, 1460, 1511, and 11134. Tuat they have never abdicated their autonomy and right to independent government; that these treaties have not been annulled by any subsequent public act, but have, on the contrary, been consecrated, formerly as well as latterly, by various acts of the great powers, viz.:— Treaty of Adrianople—Conferences of Vienna—Cir cular of Ministry of Emperor Napoleon, 23rd May, 1853 —by the Ottoman Porte itself, in the headings of various State papers—as also in the Conferences, 11th February, 1856, where " elle continue de nouveau les privileges et immunites dont les dites Principautes ont join depuis les capitulations qui leer ont etc accordees par lea Sultans Bajazet et Mahomet II." Considering that these treaties recognise and confirm, not only privileges and immunities, but also a right to an independent and national government, as specified in Art IV. of Treaty of 1511—." Moldavia shall be governed 1081 by its own laws and institutions, without the Porte being' allowed to interfere in any way :" Considering that the Treaty of Paris has not only sti pulated nothing against our ancient treaties, but has recog• nisei' and confirmed an independent national adminis tration to the Principalities, liberty of legislation, an armed national force and a line of frontier defence, and pro mised them for the future an organisation in accordance with the rights and wishes of the nation, placing them at the same time under the collective guarantee of the Euro pean powers: Considering that the Treaty of Paris, as well as our own capitulations, only limits the extent of our organisa tion by the condition of not infringing the rights of the Sublime Porte, as laid down in our treaties, rights which the Roumans have always respected, and will always re spect, in their entire integrity : Considering that it is indispensable to give full force to the necessities and wishes of the nation, in order to end the sufferings, abuses, and internal discords that have paralysed the development of the country, and in order to establish peace and prosperity : Considering that the most important and most general wish, the desire born among past generations, inspiring the present, and which, if granted, will constitute the prosperity of the future, is the union of the Principalities into a single State, a union indispensable, legal, natural ; for we form but one people in Wallachia and Moldavia, homogeneous, identical, more than any other nation of the same origin, name, language, religion, history, civilisation, institutions, laws, manners, fears and hopes, interests sus necessities, the same frontiers to guard, and the same mission to fulfil: Considering that we desire this union, not for the pur pose of attacking rights or threatening the peace of others, but in order solely to assure our own ; that this union will be a voucher for peace to the Sublime Porte as well as to the neighbouring States : Considering that the union is inscribed in our " Regle ment Organique," Art. 425, c. ix.; considering that it is necessary, in order that the union produce the expected results, to establish a Government powerful and stable, re spected at home as well as supported abroad by the great family of reigning houses, and that a similar Government cannot be obtained by the vicious system of elective and deposable princes who, according to every historical proof, have only produced anarchy by the rivalries and ambitions of the frequent and numerous candidates, only feebleness and corruption by their abuses and nepotism, and, above all, only occupations and wars, by the fact of the separation of the two countries, and of the subjection of the princes to foreign pressure : Considering that the Principalities require equality in point of national dignity and position, and that they ought to return to their primary institution of an hereditary sove reign, as in the palmy days of the Radon Negrou and Bogdan Dragosch families, and place at their head a foreign prince, chosen frein among the reigning dynasties of Europe, to the exclusion of neighbouring States, so as to avoid extraneous influences : Considering that, in order to obtain this principle, which is to put an end to past evils and open a new era to our country, the Roumans renounce the rights that they possess by virtue of their treaties to elect their own chief, and delegate the nomination of a foreign prince to those illustrious sovereigns who have taken in hand the destinies of the Principalities : Considering that, in order to unite as soon as possible the new dynasty with the Roman people, it is necessary to educate the successors of the sovereign in the dogmas of our holy Eastern Church; considering that the prince must be surrounded by all possible guarantees of peace, one of the principal of which is the neutrality of the Prin cipalities, recognised already by Art. 20 and 27 of the Treaty of Paris ; that a General Assembly, representing more or less perfectly our country, has always been cus tomary therein ; that, in short, the rights of the Principali ties, as contained in the treaties, their union under a foreign hereditary prince, guaranteed by the neutrality of our territory, sustained by a legislative power composed of all the vital elements of society, can only be available when those principles have been placed under the salutary and all-powerful guarantee of the great European powers : The Assembly ad hoc of Moldavia, following the route indicated by the Treaty of Paris, that is, the expression of the wishes of the country before God and man, and in fall security of conscience, only regarding the rights and in terests of the Rouman nation, declares the first and greatest wishes of the country to be-1. Respect of the rights of the Principalities, and particularly of their auto nomy, according to the tenor of their ancient treaties with the Sublime Porte in 1393, 14(10, 1511, and 1031. '2. Tte union of the Principalities into a single State under the name of Roumania. 3. A foreign hereditary prince, elected from among the ruling dynasties of Europe, whose suc cessors are to be educated in the religion of the country. 4. The neutrality of the territory of the Principalities. 5. The legislative power to be confided to a general As sembly, where all the interests of the nation shall be represented. All these rights under the collective guarantee of the powers, parties to the Treaty of Paris. These points were carried by a majority of 12 against 2; the minority were represented by M. Balsch and the Vicar of Rouman. In Wallachia, after the election of the presidents of the various classes, M. Constantin Crezzulesco, on the '2oth of October, requested permission to make a " proposition of urgency." He said : That the Rottman nation, impeded in its development by the existing despotism and predominant. illegality, felt the necessity of a radical reform in its constitution, as well as the urgency of the seven European powers guaranteeing the autonomy assured to this country in their treaties ab mallow. This guarantee would only be efficacious when the country obtained at the same time an organisation polo •-•