The Press. — London, England, 1855-12-22 00:00:00

DECEMBER 22, 1855. HAN 0 V E R. The elections for the Second Chamber are over. The Liberal party have triumphed in all the large towns. M. Stuve, the former Premier, has been re• turned for Osnabruck, and M. Elissen, leader of the Radical party, for Celle. RUSSIA. The following Imperial ukase, addressed to the Minister of Finance, has been issued by the Im perial Government : To provide for the extraordinary expenses which ac tual circumstances impose upon the Treasury of the Em pire, we have authorised you, conformably to your propo. sition, to conclude, through the medium of the commercial house of our banker, Councillor Baron Steiglitz, of St. Petersburg, a loan of 50 millions of silver roubles, on the eo iditions confirmed by us, and we order you consequently to make the following arrangements :- 1. This loan is to be inscribed on the ledger (grand tivre) of the public debt of Russia as the sixth loan at 5 per cent. 2. For this loan notes shall be issued of the Imperial Commission of the Sinking Fund (inscriptions) to the bearer ; each note to be for 500 silver roubles. 3. This scrip will bear an annual interest of 5 per cent., dating from the Ist October of the present year. To each note 20 coupons will be attached, on the presen tation of which the interest due will be paid to the cor responding time. 4. Tile pay went of this interest will be made for each halfyear due, from the Ist April to the Ist June, and from the Ist October to the Ist December, and there will be paid for each coupon at St. Petersburg, by the Com mission of the Sinking Fund, 12 roubles 50 copecs silver, ' or else through the medium of the bankers, Steiglitz and Co., 23 florins 60 cents. of the Netherlands, or 26 marks 10 schelings 11 pfennings of the Hamburg Bank. 5. On the expiration of the first ten years of the loan, new coupons will be issued for the scrip then in circu lation. 0. The sinking (amortisement) of this loan will com mence in 1858, and for this object a special fund will be assigned, totally distinct from the other loans, and which will form each year two per cent. of the nominal capital of the loan. This sinking fund, which will increase from the interests become disposable by the redemption of scrip, will be employed to buy up the scrip at the current rate (au coura) as long as it does not rise above its nominal value, that is to say, above par. Atter twenty years, namely, dating from 1875, the Government reserves to itself the right of paying the scrip of this loan, which may then be in circulation, at the rate of its nominal value. LThe original is signed by the proper hand of his Majesty the Emperor.] ALEXANDER. St. Petersburg, Nov. 26, 18:55. Translstion approvetl.ll NESSELRODE. Chancellor of the Empire. The great council of generals and Ministers have commenced their sittings at St. Petersburg. The activity of every military department of the Govern ment is spoken of as incredible : enormous prepa rations are being made for the defence of Cronstadt and St. Petersburg, and the various departments of the army and navy are narrowly scrutinised, to pre ♦ent frauds on the Government or the misapplication of means. R. The Grand Duke Nicholas returned to Odessa on the sth, for the purpose of distributing the Sebasto pol medals to the remains of the defenders. ne insurrection in Little Russia continues to spread, and causes serious uneasiness to the Govern ment. Strong divisions of troops have been sent into the country to suppress it with vigour. PRUSSIA. Count Munster retuned to Berlin, from St. Peters burg on the 18th, with a letter from the Emperor of Russia, in reply to that of the King. The contents of either letters have not transpired, although it is generally credited in Berlin that Count Munster was the bearer of a pacific entreaty from the King to the Emperor. The Russian Loan, undertaken by Mendelssohn's house, will not be issued till after the turn of the year. The Berlin portion is about 5,000,0001. SWEDEN AND DENMARK. The ratification of the treaty has taken place be tween Sweden and the Western powers, by which Sweden engages not to cede nor to exchange with Russia either territory, pasturage, or fishing-grounds, on the one hand; an d the allied powers, on the o th er , engage to defend Sweden against Russia, should the latter treat the conduct as a breach of neutrality. It is stated that a secret article of the treaty concludes also an offensive as well as defensive alliance. The Danish commission on the Sound dues lately received a letter from the United States Government, refusing to accept the rights put forth by Denmark, and objecting to send a representative to the con gress. The note, however, admits that Denmark has gone to considerable expense for the construc tion and repair of the different lighthouses for the guidance of vessels in passing through the Sound. The United States, in consequence, declare their readiness to pay their part of an indemnity destined THE PRESS. to cover these expenses, and are also disposed to contribute for the future to the expense of those lights. " The settlement of these two points may," adds the note, "be made the subject of a separate convention between the United States of America and Denmark. ITALY. The Chamber of Deputies of Turin, in the sitting of the 12th, adopted, by 00 votes to 11, the bill on the provisional budget of 1850. The Minister of War afterwards brought in three bills—one for the levy of seamen in 1830, the second for the admission of hydraulic engineers into the corps of artillery and eng►neers, and the third on the pensions of retired medical officers of the army. The Tuscany affair has been finally settled. The Grand Duke has expressed himself anxious to be reconciled with the King and Government of Pied mont ; and it has been hinted that the objection to Signor Cassati was entirely inspired by Austria. The Government of Piedmont is by no means satisfied with the conduct of her Majesty's representative at the Court of Tuscany in this affair. SPAIN. General Gurrea's resignation of the important appointment of Captain-General of Arragon, has produced a good deal of sensation. It is expected that an interpellation on the subject will be moved from some member of the Democratic party in the Cortes. Major-General Falcon is gazetted as Captain-General of Arragon in place of General Gurrea. The Government had accepted the advances of the Credit Mobilier. M. 013zaga, it is believed, will retire after Easter. The Cortes have granted the authorisation de manded by the Government to collect the taxes in 1856, conformably to the budget of 1855. The Espana states that the indemnity of 600,000 duros for the Black Warrior affair has already been paid to the United States from the treasury of Havannah. A royal decree opens a credit of 1,000,000 reals to the Minister of War for the expenses of the mobilisation of the national guard. Lord Howden has remonstrated strongly against the attack on the English ship Vailiant, in the Tan gier waters. AMERICA. ------- - The Canada, with the usual weekly mails, arrived on Monday, bringing intelligence of the opening of the thirty-fourth Congress, but, owing to the non election of a Speaker on the first day, the President's message was not read, and the Canada sailed without receiving the document. The " British question" was not exciting much interest, and was believed to be capable of a satis factory arrangement. From Mexico intelligence brought nothing but news of disagreements between Alvarez and the military chiefs, while Santa Anna's friends were intriguing actively in support of their cause. AFFAIRS OF NAGPORE. WE noticed a fortnight back the harsh usage to which the widows of the late Rajah of Nagpore have been subjected by the Government of India. While efforts are making to place their case fairly before the British public, and to obtain justice for these help. less women, the Government agents at Nagpore are endeavouring by every means in their power to in. duce the lances to sign a document renouncing all their rights, and thus giving up the memorial which has been drawn up on their part. A trustworthy letter from Nagpore of the 28th of October, 1855, states :-- The Commissioner here, having only helpless women to deal with, uses every means (even of an indirect nature) to get them to sign a Baxeenamali ) a certificate renouncing all claim of right) for the purpose of opposing by this docu ment any representations that may be made to Parliament on their behalf. lint their Highnesses continue firm in their resolve not to be dissuaded by the arts of the Com missioner and his native scamps. The Commissioner proposed to Jemal Oddeen and others to force their High nesses to sign by catching their hands and laying them on the paper. Jemal Oddeen said that this could only be effected by some one of their Highnesses' nearest rela tions. For this purpose, Nana Aheer Row was chosen as a fit person, but he said, to the great disappointment of the Commissioner, that if he ventured to act as he was re quested he would certainly be beheaded on the spot. The Commissioner conceived another plan to effect the removal of her Highness Banks Baee from the palace, i.e., Nana Aheer Row pretended as if he was dangerously ill, and all the ceremonies usual on such events were duly performed, whilst on the other hand very pressing solicitations were made to her Highness to come and visit him on his death bed in his quarter ; but her Highness was wise enough not to yield to these entreaties, but only sent a certain sum of money to defray the ceremonies, with kind expressions of her feelings towards him ; and the rogue, seeing that he could not succeed in his plans, the very next day was ob served to visit the Commissioner at his residence. The Vazeer Seevorow breathed his last on the 13th in stant. The cause of his sudden death is purely attribute ble to the unjustifiable conduct of the Commissioner, because, when some of the nobility were confined on the 21st of August last, the C om missioner intended Leo zonfine also the Vazeer ; but he was prevented b strances of Jemal Oddeen, who represented that such a step would be dangerous to the State, and therefore the Vazeer was only warned by the Commissioner not to inter fere in their Highnesses' cause ; but in his stead a confi dential l'iloosuilde (secretary), by name Nana Teekish, was confined, which the poor Vazeer took so much to heart that he sickened and died in consequence. FOREIGN MISCELLANEA. COUNT NESSELRODE, it is stated at Berlin, has addressed a circular to the representatives of Russia at those Courts which have proposed peace. The contents of this circular have not yet transpired, but it is rumoured to resemble much the same views as Russia expressed at the Vienna Conferences. THE AUSTIIIAN CREDIT MOBILIER closed its sub scription lists on the 14th, a day earlier than the programme promised. A great deal of irritation was caused in Vienna by this breach of faith on the past of the Direction. COUNT DE MONOES, of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived at Vienna on the 12th with despatches from Paris. THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON, on his last vis►t to Calais, was informed of the humble efforts of a commissary of marine to educate the children of the fishermen, by opening a school, to the support of which he devoted half his salary, while each of the fishermen set aside for sale one fish from their daily catch as an offering on their part. The Emperor, hearing of these mutual efforGs of commissary and fishermen, said, "I also will give my fish," and, on returning to Paris, sent 12,(X)0f. as an endowment to the school. M. CONTE, Secretary of the Spanish Legation at Naples, lately died, within a few days after succeeding to the post upon the death of M. Ruez d'Arana. THE NEW !LAW UPON THE AUGSBURG AND HELVE TIAN CONFESSIONS has been submitted for approval to the Emperor of Austria. It is said to secure Protestant interests in Austria. A SCARCITY OF GUN FLINTS IN RUSSIA threatens serious consequences to the Government. A Vienna and an American firm have both failed in their con- tracts. SIR HAMILTON SEYMOUR delivered his credentials to the Emperor of Austria on the 12th. The recep tion was extremely gracious. M. NIEBUHR, Private Secretary to the King of Prussia, has been struck with sudden blindness. COUNT WIELHORSKY, formerly Chief Secretary to the Russian Embassy in London, has lately died of typhus at Simferopol, where he was sent by the Empress of Russia to distribute gifts, /c.c., to the wounded. THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH, it is stated, will, in the spring, pay a return visit to the King of Sar dinia at Turin. THE RUSSIAN REAR-ADMIRAL GLASENAP has ar rived at Stockholm. His Excellency is to be attached as naval commissioner to the Russian Legation. THE A US TRIAN ARMY is to be armed entire l y with Mime rifles. Four years are allowed to be the period before the armament will be complete. A commis sion has also been issued to inquire into and examine the state of the. artillery. GENERAL KOVALEVSKI, the Russian commander, has died at, St. Petersburg, from the effect of the wounds he received at the assault upon Kars. THE KING OF PRUSSIA has conferred the Order of the Red Eagle of the first class upon the Turkish Ministers for Foreign Affairs and of War. PRINCE METTERNICH, the younger, is to succeed Count de Kuefstein as Austrian Minister at Dresden. The Count de Kuefstein goes to Madrid. THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT lately purchased 1,500 cavalry and artillery horses in Hanover. A Russian general officer made the purchase, and on the 12th inst. they passed through Tilsit, en route to the Ru men depots in Poland. THE PAPAL PRISONS in 1854 contained 13,000 prisoners, a large proportion being for political crimes. The returns for this year have not yet appeared, but the number of prisoners is stated to be much augmented. COLONEL OLIVIERL one of the leading Italian men of 1848, and formerly a most distinguished soldier in the service of the Argentine Republic, has returned to Buenos Ayres, where he met with the must enthusiastic reception. THE EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA had a narrow escape of her life on the 13th, the horses of her carriage taking fright, dragging the coachman from the box, and dashing through the street at a tremendous pace. A carter, seeing the danger of the royal car riage, drew his cart right across the narrow street, and checked the horses. The Empress, with great presence of mind, immediately got out, and a private carriage passing at the moment, the owner placed it at the disposal of her Majesty, and in person drove his Imperial mistress back to the castle of ofbargh.