The Press. — London, England, 1855-12-29 00:00:00

DECEMBER 29, 1855, question. On the departure of General Canrohert, private envoys arrived to probe the extent of evil to Germanic interests, and to neutralise their effects by countervailing propositions. German journals as serted that no treaty had been in question; that the signature of such supposed treaty was a fable, re. Tiled the acute Times, made merry at the altic expeditions of Napier and Dundas, and boasted of being, by virtue of their disingenuousness, the privileged carriers of the increasing traffic of Russia. The treaty of November 21 was proclaimed, and the telegraphic despatch announcing the fact scattered confusion, broadcast, throughout the Confederation. Many reasons contributed to this dismay. The neu trality of Germany had been of the didactic kind. It was solemnly respectable, or a ff ected so to be, and was phlegmatically undisturbed of mien, because it believed danger to be afar. The minions of the Prussian Cross had made their sinister calculations of disaster, and gloated over the expectancy of re verse to the allies. But they had miserably failed. That "fontanelle de sang" in the Crimea—that wasting and waning strength of the allies—described by M. de Bismarck Schonhausen to be the measure of German safety—has not worked out the prophesied end. Two hundred thousand men are in the Crimea, fresh for action, and only awaiting the opportunity, and now—in determination to carry on the war with vigour—preparations are made for the seizure of the Baltic. The treaty of November 21 contains two clauses, simple and direct in language :-1. That his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway shall not cede any portion of his territory to Russia—" aucun droit de piturage de peipe on de quelque autre qui ce soit." 2. That any proposition from Russia, whatever it he, shall be forthwith communicated by Sweden to England and France; and that, in resisting any act of aggression by Russia, Sweden shall be supported by the military and naval forces of France and Eng land—" suffisantes pour co operer avec les forces navales et militaires de S. M. le Roi de Suede." In a warfare of this kind every port in the Baltic would be at the disposal of England and France, neutrals, or non-neutrals. It cannot be imagined that the drivelling of a puerile " mezzo termine" would be hearkened unto for an instant, when op posed to great interests and affecting greater nations conflict. Every port would be occupied or block aded, and the mouth of every river be hermetically sealed. This menacing danger, " ripe and real," has awakened the German with a start, and he sulkily contemplates the result of his unworthy conduct. His position of mediator is shown to be valueless from want of potentiality, and his neutrality is not cared for. There is more than probability—the fact is not doubtful—that the November treaty bears the germ of one of far graver consequence ; but, should the present one only remain in force, without other addition, the change of power in the Baltic is thoroughly effected ; fcr neither Russia nor Prussia will be independent for the future in that sea. Bo marsund has ceased to be; one shore of the Cattegat belongs to Norway; and Heligoland, at the mouths of the Elbe and Weser, holds Hamburg and Bremen in its clutches. With an assumption of indifference, not happy in spirit, the Russian and German organs treat lightly of the stipulations between the con tracting parties. " Actuellement, en effet, ce traite est peu de chose si non rien. On aura beau faire et beau dire, le seul resultat de cette entente etablie entre les trois Gouvernements, c'est d'assurer la neutralite de la Suede." And then it is said immediately afterwards, "Le Roi de Suede avu consacrer par la France et par l'Angletrere la delimitation actuelle de sea Etats; il a recu la promesse du contours ankle de ces puis sances, pour le cas ou it serait attaque." This is not a neutrality, but a positive protectorate, with a right of interference, the principle of which is engrafted in the first clause, upon express contingencies. Russia can take no step in regard to Sweden, territorial or, in a certain sense, commercial, without reference to the allies. This ir a direct contradiction to the re mark of simple neutrality. " La neutrality de la Suede depend de la Russia qui, dans la pensee seule des Gouvernements de France et d'Angleterre a l'intention d'user de violence envers une nation avec laquelle elle eat dans les meillurs termes." To reply to the words, "la pensee settle," the King of Sweden said to one in whom he could confide, " Treason is before, around, and behind me ; I cannot speak or move without every word and' action of my life being reported at St. Petersburg." "II m'en vent et mime—qui sait r"lhe " qui salt' is rather mistrustful of safety, and not in strict accord with the expression, " meillurs termes," the intrinsic worth of which shall be straightway tested. "Alex andre avait dit au Ministre de Suede QUATRE JOURS avant 'invasion de Finlande, ' Dieu m'est temoin qua je ne desire pas un seul village dans les etats de votre maitre." And after the act of spoliation the same Alexander continued, "De malheureuses et regrettables circonstances m'ont amene a dormer 6. mon empire une nouvelle frontiere. Le mal est fait. Son mil etait humide, a ce bon Prince, en prononcant rj J THE PRESS. cetta oraison funebre.—Revue des Deux hfondes. Charles John understood the quality of that tear, and replied without circumlocution :—" Je dois me pro noncer contre l'executton du projet pour la portage de la Suede entre le Danemark et la Russie." i L It cannot be denied that Charles John was a man shrewd and able, and still less can it be doubted, after the publication of the " Souvenirs de l'Histoire Contemporaine de la Suede," that the King entertained a suspicion to the last of the covert designs of Russia upon Sweden and Norway. And with this fact estab lished in the absolute, let M. de Bismarck SchOn hausen, with the other politicians of the Diet, if they so please, feign to hold cheap the treaty of November which sets at rest the project of Peter and Catherine. What said the fifth clause of the will of Peter, that will the injunctions of which have been faithfully and Orientally obeyed in 1853?- 5. Prendre to plus qu'on pourra a la Suede, et savoir se fair attaquer par elle pour avoir pretexts de la aubjuquer. J. E. L. SIENA, Dec. 24. THF. Jesuit journals have spread the report that petitions are everywhere in course of signature to the Governments of Tuscany and Naples, for the benefit of a Papal Concordat, similar to that betwixt Austria and Rome. There may be some truth in the Jesuit attempt to make it appear that a popular desire exists on the subject, but it is on the other side, and the people everywhere in Tuscany and in other coun tries would resist the introduction of any sacerdotal tyranny that would place the executive, bad as it might be, in subjection to an ecclesiastical tribunal. A certain degree of liberty, however slender, is pos sessed at present, which makes the secret introduc tion of bibles into the country a matter of profit. Biblical " contrabandisti" have been created by the sound rule in political economy of demand and supply, and these have a constant provision of bibles ready to be conveyed according to order. In the Cascine of Pisa there are several farm establish ments of the Grand Duke, and the carriage labour is performed by camels, bred and reared in the ad jacent pine forests. Long strings of these animals are daily met in the avenue to Pisa, laden with wood, corn, or oil, and other farming produce. On a recent occasion, a sack in the open panier of one of the camels became unstitched, the contents dropped in the road, and amongst the corn appealed an Italian bible, not single in its evangelical mission. The affair got bruited, and the outcry was great. How ever, the Testaments escaped detection at the " Porta al Mare," and, as the facts were stoutly denied, the drivers were not punished, from a want of proof. The spread of Protestant education by means of the Bible is far more extensive than is supposed in England, and the women are amongst the principal converts. These, too, for the most part, belong to the middle class, and are indefatigable in their crusade against the priest. if once the Roman loses the direction of the household, his game is lost. The Red Republicans continue to follow the directions of their chief in London. Unable to cope with their enemies in open warfare, they have a ready and bidden recourse to assassination. One of the most unscrupulous agents of Cardinal Antonelli was the well-known " Gennarachio " of the Sanfe dist& party, and to these are committed the more particular or the more abominable atrocities of the " hautes oeuvres " of sacerdotal and Roman persecu tion, without limit or reservation. Charged with an amount of secret crime, or acts of " sante fede," that would have sent a battalion to execution, he still pursued his Roman avocations without fail and without remorse. He had lately performed one or two actions of unusual barbarity in the service of the Immacolata, and several families had been de prived of the presence of some well-beloved face through his instrumentality. Gennarachio was coming out of the dark street in Transtevere, lead ing to the " Ponte rotto, when he received a " colfo di coltello" between the shoulder blades, and he dropped without uttering a word. The blow must have been given with great force, as it went through the folds of the mantle, yet reaching the vital part in stantly. There can be no pity at the late of a man without heart or compunction, who had caused the unjust death of many, and ruined families, and had torn asunder the dearest ties of domes ticity; but the act of murder remains the same in guilt, and proves the abettor of it to be the enemy of civilisation. It is this foul evil that Mazzini has prompted, that be has encouraged and justified, which makes every honest man turn with disgust from such iniquitous republicanism. It is this sore, this damning blight of arch-democracy, that para lyses the efforts of the Italians for constitutional liberty, and induces them to submit to the spoiler rather than sanction the infamy of republican crime. Whilst London holds the triumvirate of assassins, the cause of Italian regeneration will stagnate. M. T. A. 1235 3ortign ad goictnial InitUigenct. FRANCE. The Swedish treaty has supplied the principal topic for the French papers during the week. The view generally taken is, that it has been framed, not so much with the intention of preventing any future encroachments of Russia, as to show that power that the neutral policy of Sweden is at the least consi derably modified ; and that, should the war continue, circumstances may occur which will render all fur ther hesitation on the part of the Scandinavian powers impossible. The Debats, in an article upon the prospects of peace, asserts that while France, having by the war regained her ascendancy and iniependence of action, is naturally desirous of peace, to consolidate these advantages, England, on the other hand, be lieving that Russian supremacy is destroyed in Europe, fears that she will turn all her efforts to the East, and accepting the challenge of Russia in Asia is determined to carry on the war. "The war," says M. St.. Marc Girardin " is regarded in France as a purely political war, undertaken for the interests of Europe, and not as a popular or patriotic war. The entry of the Imperial Guard into Paris this day had given rise to an article in the Constitu tional, recalling the imposing ceremonies upon several similar occasions at the conclusion of the various great wars under the first empire. AUSTRIA. The Oat Deutsche Post of the 21st contained en article, supposed to emanate from high authority, upon the subject of the propositions carried to St. Petersburg by Count Esterhazy, iu which the funda mental conditions of peace consist of a material pro tection of the Turkish frontier on both land and sea sides, with a political protection from any encroach ments possible to be deduced from existing treaties between Russia and the Porte. That Count Ester hazy is the bearer of an ultimatum is rejected by all the Vienna papers. The Vienna Presse says : He is simply commissioned to communicate to the Russian Cabinet propositions which may ultimately lead to peace. A perfect understanding prevails between Vienna, Paris, and London, but a reject►on of the pro posals now made will hardly immediately lead to the direct participation of Austria in the war. Austria will make another political demonstration before she resolves on taking a step of such extreme importance. The Oesterreithische Zeitung, though denying that Austria will insist on the complete destruction of the Russia strongholds in the Black Sea, and the cession of a part of Bessarabia, says that she will imperatively demand "the neutralisation of the Euxine and the right to send consuls to all the ports of the sea," but concludes by asserting that " up to the present moment Austria has not pledged her self to enforce the conditions of peace as they now stand with the sword." PRUSSIA. The statements that Prussia has already seconded the proposals of Austria at St. Petersburg are gene rally denied at Berlin. Count Esterhazy had an in terview with the King on Thursday last. The budget of Prussia for 1856, which has just been submitted to the Chambers, estimates the re ceipts at 118,864,071 thalers, the ordinary expenses at 113,308,218 thalers, and the extraordinary at 5,555,853 thalers. The Communal Bill, which the Prussian Govern ment has just presented to the Chambers, proposes that mayors and other municipal functionaries shall be elected for life instead of fur six or twelve years as heretofore. RUSSIA. An ukase of the Emperor has been issued grant ing an indemnity to the civil and military function aries of Poland who, in 1830, wore dismissed by the Insurrectional Government. This ukase, moreover, authorises all individuals compromised in political affairs to re-enter the service of the State. A r(imour existed in Berlin that Russia had con cluded a convention with the United states with re spect to the purchase of ships of war. In Finland the utmost rigour is put in force to prevent the inhabitants leaving the country. At St,. Petersburg.Lhe most gigantic preparations continue to be made for an ensuing campaign. The great military council sits daily, the fortifica tions of St. Petersburg and Moscow are decided on, and the utmost activity reigns in every department, , civil and military. THE PRINCIPALITIES. Prince Ghika, Hospodar of Moldavia, leas ad • dressed a rescript to the Administrative Council, at Jassy, recommending the total abolition of slavery within his dominions : At a time when all Europe, observes the Prince, mani fests so lively All interest for the principalities, and occu pies itself upon the regulation of their future condition, it is the duty id* our country also to take a step in advance. Slavery has for a very long time been abolished in every civilised nation of the Old World. The Moldavian princi: vilifies alone have made slavery a part of their sodel ...:v.