The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-10-21 00:00:00

ijoreign anD Colontal Intatigcncr.

FRANCE.—Various rumours have been cirenl ding
through Paris of an approaching change in the Ministry
upon the Roman question. The Petrie takes upon
itself to state that there is no foundation whatever for
those reports, and, futherniore, that the sole qnestion
agitated in the Cabinet was that of the election.%
which the Emperor has formally declared will only
take place at the period fixed by the constitution.
The Aerie is mot very good authotity for anything;
but we believe it may bus taken for granted that the
Roman question has not led to any actual rupture in
the Cabinet, whatever differences of opinion upon it
the exist there. It seems quite certain that M. de
Lavalette will not return to Rome. Rumour assigns
ilk post to a politician of the most decidedly
Eltramontano character.

M. Thouvenel 173-I:;:igned, and U. Drouyn de Lhuys
reigns in his stead; and other changes are spoken of,
including the resignation of M. Fould and M. de
Fersigny. What does this mean ? The question is
more easily asked than answered, hut we are afraid it
means no good to Italy. The new Foreign Minister is
not supposed to entertain such liberal views on the
Roman question as his predecessor, and there is but
too good reason to think that the supposition is well
founded.

ROSR.-THE EE-QUEEN OF NAPLFS.-The ex-Queen of
Naples has fled (coin her husband, and sought refuge
in an Augsburg nunnery, as a protection against the
treatment to which she has of late heing subject. Thus
ends the short career of the heroine of Gaea, the
female champion of legitimacy, and the recipient of so
many wreaths of laurel from the hands of an admiring
nobility. Ugly rumours had long been afloat at Munich
respecting • marked disseusion between the Royal
couple, and it was noticed that, while the court re-
mained in the town, the Neapolitan ex-Queen kept
herself secluded in a neighbouring chateau, steadily re-
fusing to participate in the pleasures of that society of
which she had been a brilliant and lively member only
• short time since. Last Monday week the courtiers
were startled by the news that the ex-Queen had sud-
denly disappeared from the palace of Biederstein,
giving the slip to her Neapolitan attendants, and leav-
ing behind her no trace of the direction in which she
Lad gone. A few hours later the mystery was solved.
The Ring of Bavaria, it appears, as the chief of the
dynasty to which the unhappy lady belongs, received a
letter from his Royal cousin, intimating her intention
to retire to Angsbury, and spend the rest of her days
among the pious sisters of a convent.- As for bey
motives in taking this desperate step, none were pro-
bably contained in the letter, the King and the court
being long acquainted with the series of circumstances
finally resulted in her flight. From the very beginning
of her marriage, it is said, she found it a hard task to
respect a husband who, owing to his natural defects,
proved as little the consort of a queen as the father of
his people; and while everything went wrong at the
court and in the country, the young lady, who is hardly
out of her teens, and of a nature keenly alive to the
enjoyments of youth, found herself fettered in the iron
gyves of a Spanish rerestonkl, which did not allow her
to breathe without permission, and reckoned it a mortal
sin to sneeze without a couple of ladies-in-waiting to
assist. And this clrentoniel her husband kept up. even
after every other attribute of royalty had vanished.
On the very day of hor arrival at Mnnich, the ex-Queen
furnished an occasion for public scandal by addressing
a former lady-in-waiting whew she chanced to meet in
the hall of the Royal Palace., Instantly one of her
saffron-coloured Neapolitan countess-duennas pounced
upon the Royal victim, screaming out, in the presence
of the levueys and valets, "Your Majesty, you forget
yourself. As similar scenes became more frequent 1
in the course of her stay, public sympathy with the
beautiful princess, once being aroused; was not long in
tracing out the sad realities of her position. She had
left Rome against the will of her husband. She had
declared, on her arrival at Munich, that nothing would
induce her to return to Rome and the intolerable I
society of the man to whom she had been banded over I
by the pride of an ambitious mother. The Count and
Countess of Trani, brother and sister in law of the
King, were sent after her to shake her resolution ; but
although their efforts wereassistedby the remonstrances
of her Bavarian family, the Queen remained firm, and
even warned her relatives that she would prefer taking
the veil to having any further communication with
Neapolitan royalty. Finding herself pressed harder
and harder, she took the first step towards the irrevoc-
able decision, and actually ran away to offer herself as
a lay sister to the famous convent of the Ursulines.
The day after her hasty departure the Kim," and Queen
of Bavaria paid her a visit in her self-elected asylum.
lier mother, too, called, but with no satisfactory result.
Attempts are now being made to cut off the King of
Naples from all intercourse with his stepmother, whose
baneful influence is alleged to have essentially con-
tributed towards the sad derangement in the family
relations. The Queen Dowager, a daughter of the cele-
brated Archduke Charles of Austria, and second wife to
Bombs senior, has long been notorious as the worthy
consort of her deceased spouse.
AMERICA.-FEDERALB RECROSSIDIG THE POTOMAC.
PROPOSAL TO HOIST THE BLACK FLAG. -The Etna
on Tuesday brought New York intelligence to the
4th inst. At this date two battles were imminent—
one in Kentucky, where Buell's army was reported
to be drawn up in line of battle twenty miles from
Louisville, and the other on the Potomac, which had
been again crossed by the Federal army. M'Clellan's
forces were on their way to Shepherd's Town, near
which town General Lee "has made preparation to
meet the enemy." The proclamation of President
Lincoln has fairly electrified the South and from
the proceedings that have taken place in Congress,it
would appear that the South is discussing
retaliatory measures hitherto unheard of—some
members having gone so far as to urge that they
should hoist the Black Flag and declare every
citizen in the Southern Confederacy as a soldier,
authorised to kill every man found on Confederate ,
soil in arms against the Southern Government. In
the North there is a diversity of opinion
on the proclamation, the loyal governors
having declared in its favour, while the World
maintains that it is the greatest mistalie of the war. ,
At Wall-street, which is brohably the best teat of '
public feeling in the North, " the excitement
continues," and gold is up to 22 premium.
- -

THE RECRUITING SERGEANT AND THE PARSON.—The
New York correspondent of the Times tells an amusing
story about an Trish recruiting sergeant of the Federal
army and the Rev. H. W. Beecher. Pat had a theory
that every man who incited others to fight should be
willing to fight himself, no physical impediment pre-
venting. Meeting the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher in
the street, and knowing how vigorously that gentleman
blew the war trumpet from the pulpit, he waved the
"star-spangled banner" over his bead, told him he was
a recruiting officer in want of sturdy, able-bodied men,
such as he, and asked if he would take the bounty.
money and enlist. Mr. Beecher was highly indignant
at the outrage, and replied, "No, you ought to know,
air, Ido not want to enlist. You are a scoundrel for
asking me to do so." With logic peculiarly Hibernian
Sergeant Fitzgerald contends in print that by this
behaviour the Rev. Mr. Beecher "insulted the flag, and
discouraged enlistments." He holds, moreover, that
such language was unbecoming in a preacher of the
Gospel and an American citizen, and calls upon the
Government to have him closely watched, with a view
to his incarceration. Mr. Beecher had on the previous
day proclaimed from his pulpit, amid the applause of
his audience (for he encourages both laughter and
applause at the "points" and "hits" of his sermons)
that the Constitution of the United States was an
"antiquated parchment of no value," and that lie did
not desire the restoration of the Union as it was,
"because such a Union was a monstrous outrage on the
rights of man."
FEDERAL LOWS /N MaarLatrn.—The Times corre-
spondent says there is A rumour whispered about in
every circle, though not permitted to appear in the
newsnapers, for fear of discouraging enlistments, that
the losses of M'Clellan in killed, wounded, and missing
amounted to the awful number of 34,000 men. Dis-
appointed of aid in Maryland, General Lee and Jackson
determined to withdraw into Virginia and possess them-
selves of the valley of the Shenandoah. General
endeavoured to defeat their purpose by
capturing or annihilating their armies in Maryland. In
that object he failed, with stupendous loss, whether it
were 14,000 or 34,000, achieving nothing to end the war,
and only affording a new proof of the fact, sufficiently
obvious before, that both parties to the deadly strife
are equally brave and obstinate, The usual lull in the
war tempest has followed, and when it will again be
broken no one can prognosticate. M'Clellan cannot
move without reinforcements ; the reinforcements
cannot move without arms, which the Government are
unable to supply, either from the home or the European
market; and there is consequently a dead lock, which
is far more likely to be brought to an end by a new
aggression on the part of the Confederates than on
that of General M'Clellan.

EMANCIPATION AND ARMING OF NEGROES BY TFIE
SC/CUL—A few additional items of American intelli-
gence were brought on Monday, the most '' sensational"
of them being a statement to the effect that the Con-
federate Government was about to emancipate 400,000
negroes, and arm them against the Federal Govern-
ment. This would be a reply to Lincoln's proclama-
tion with a vengeance. It is stated that a large
number of people in New Orleans were about to take
the oath of allegiance to the Federal Government, in
order to avoid the penalties of the Confiscation Act,
which the vigorous Butkr is rigidly enforcing. The
Federal war department had determined to recognise
the rebel government once more, by agreeing to an
exchange of State Prisoners,
THE INCOME TAX IN AMERICA.—A very handsome
sum vnll be realised to the Government (says a New
York journal) from the tax upon the salaries of
members of the House of Representatives. Each
member is taxed six dollars a month, or 72 dollars per
year. The Speaker, whose salary is double that of a
member, will be taxed 144 dols. The next house will
consist of 197 members and 7 delegates—in all 204.
The aggregate amount realised from this source alone
will be 1,216 dole. a month, or 14,529 dols. a year. The
yearly amount of reveLue derived from taxation of
salaries of employes now in the House of Representa-
tives will be 17,438 dols. 860, which amount will be further
augmented during the session of Congress by taxation
upon salaries of additional employes.
PRESIDENT LINCOLN AND MAJOR KEY.—The cor-
respondent of a New York journal supplies the follow-
ing interesting account of an affair which has created
considerable discussion on the other side of the
Atlantic : " Major Key, who is brother to Colonel
Key. of General M'Clellan's staff, was attached to
General Halleck's staff on General M'Clellan's re-
commendation. Some few days after the battle of
Antietam, an officer asked Major Key, as one likely to
be well-informed, what was ' the reason of our army's
neglecting the military axiom which says that a beaten,
crippled, or retreating enemy is always to be pursued.'
To this Major Key responded, that the immediate
destruction of the rebel army was not the programme.'
It would be better, he said, to let the war linger on
indecisively, and with advantages to both sides, until
the end of Mr. Lincoln's term, when it could be settled
on a compromise which would save slavery.' The
officer to whom these remarks were made paid no par-
ticular attention to them, such utterances being unfor-
tunately too familiar in certain circles of the army ;
but in the course of • casual conversation with a
member of the Cabinet—Secretary Chase, it is said—
he mentioned the programme' as one of interest, con-
*Work% the authority on which it had been put forth.

The matter, with commendable promptness was im-
mediately laid by the Cabinet officer *fore the
President, who instantly caused the officer uho had
repeated Major Key'a conversation, to be sent for.
Astonished at the ser'ous turn thing were taking, the
officer appeared ; and, on being cross-examined, though
reluctant to injure Major Key, was obliged to give the
whole conversation, the substance of which was then
reduced to writing by Mr. Huy, the President's private
secretary. Major Key was then sent for, and appeared
before the President in compan• with the officer to
whom lie hail first spoken. The minutes of the
alleged conversation were then read to him, and he was
asked had lie been guilty of imputiug any such
motives to General fil'Clellan. To this Major Key re-
sponiled, stating that lie hail undoubtedly used the
language alleged ; after which lie commenced launching
out. into a general vindication of the sacredness of the
institution of slavery, and the justifiability of the
policy of inaction, or any other policy, which had for
its object to preserve it. 'Stop, sir,' interrupted Mr.
Lincoln; 'I have not sent for you to discuss with you
the abstract question of slavery, its sacredness or the
reverse. But lam clearly of opinion that no officer
can wear slionlder-straps under my, commission who
does not believe in the policy of winning decisive
victories wherever they are to be had. You may go,
sir; you shall hear from me.' Thus terminated this
extraordinary interview. Notification of the case was
immediately sent to General Halleck, and next morn-
ing the order appeared giving Major Key permanent
leave of absence from duty, and allowing him his
whole time in which to consider the futility of pro-
grammes' and the uncertainty of the favour of princes."

ITALY.—HEALTR OF GENERAL GARIBALDL—The
condition of Garibibli, judging from letters that have
been recently received in this country, seems to be
such as to give rise to serious &allay on the part of
his friends. One correspondent, writing on the 12th
ult.' says :—" I regret to say that all the reports which
can be relied on agree in representing him SA very ill,
suffering much pain, and being very much depressed,
both mentally and physically, and quite bent on his
scheme of going to America, with all his followers and
sons, and fighting in the cause of liberty. I fear it is
but too likely he Alfly never leave Varignano. After
all I have heard, I despair myself of his recovery. He
is evidently very weak and low, and they seem to allow
him to get worse by not prescribing seine and the
stimulants which I feel convinced in England would be
recoinmended in such a case. He never does drink
wine, I an, told, when in health, and will not touch it
now. Zanetti thought ill of his general health
*lien he last saw him, though he did not think the
wound in • state which would render ammitation
necessary. The sea air is considered so bad for him
that the doctors talk of removing him whenever lie is
well enough to bear being carried by men • short
distance. I got him asked whether he would like to
see an English' surgeon again, and his answer was that
on no account would he cast such a slur on his country-
men again; he had accepted once, but nothing now
would induce him to show such want of conli lence in
his present doctors; and, indeed, I believe they are
very good ones, and certainly most disinterested, As
they never receive a farthing for their services, and
Prandina has left a large practice to attend upon him.
The account of the Bristol meeting is gone to him to-
day, and I am sure will please him much."