The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-11-01 00:00:00

NoTEIS oF THE WEEK.

What is to become of the Duchy of Liman-
burg I This a question in which no very mo-
uaeutous interests are involved, but which
threatens to afford diplomatic occupation for
for some of the greatest powers of Europe.
The people of the duchy themselves, tired, we
imagine, of the suspense in which they have
been kept so lung, have voted an annexation to
Prussia. This is a proposition not likely to be
very offensive to M. Bismark ; but he cannot
accept it without some show of deference to
Austria. Ile has made a declaration to that
effect; but, with a tenderness of o3naideration
and a refinement of modesty which are truly
admirable, he adds that he will leave undone
nothing in his power "to meet the wishes of the
population, and produce a satisfactory state of
affairs."

The position of the Emperor of Austria has
recently been one of political embarrassment
and increasing difficulty. For some time rumours
have been current that Count Hochberg intended
sending in to his Majesty his resignation. Those
rumours are now confirmed, and Count Mena-
dorff-Ponilly has been summoned to the Imperial
council, and has taken the oaths of office.

The Emperor Maximilian has been making •
tour of the provinces of Mexico. He has been
everywhere received with tokens of popular
trust and affection. The chiefs of the hostile
faction are, one by one, making their submission
, to Ins authority, and his position may be now
considered to be fairly established.
The phases of the American conflict, view
them in what light we may, continue to shadow
forth darkness, despondency, and death ; and,
as the terrible details are given forth to the light
of day, men will scarcely credit that the mere
fighting for an idea, in itself of very doubtful
realisation, should have cost so much. Sin°e the
commencement of the war, the Northern section
of the Republic has lost, we are told in the New
York papers, two millions of men, and up to
June last sacrificed five hundred and twenty
million pounds sterling in treasure, apart from
the destruction of public and private property,
which of necessity swells this amount to, at
least, half as much more. And the war is still
being carried on at the rate of sight hundred
thousand pounds • day, or about £lO at each
vibration of the pendulum. So that, before the
term of the expiration f the presidency, in
March milt, it is computed that the debt will
arrive at something like eleven hundred millions
sterling. Used as we are in this country to •
great array of figures, to bend beneath the weight
of • national debt, the interest of which falls
like an incubus upon rising aenerations, still we
can scarcely take into conception so vast a sum
—so mmiy victims sacrificed in the vain pursuit
of a chimera. But how about the assets I The
Northern States boast themselves able to bear
the burden ; but the New York World on this
bead finds that the most favourable estimate,
taken in times of peaceful prosperity, the total
value of real and personal property in the loyal
iiteee--including two or three of very doubtful
allegiance- is no more than £2,111.200,1100. The
value i• wileiderabl) less at the present time ;
hot even if there were no depreciation, these
figures show that America, so far as the hort eru
States are concerned, is already mortgaged to
wore than half its worth. As for the payment
of the interest, it will be simply impossible, and
no amo.e man will expect to see it. The interest
will amount to about £66,000,000 annually
chile last year the internal revenue and the
customs' revenue of the Federal o,,vernment
reckoning both in gold, amounted to something
less than n 2,000,0110. We may therefore safely
predict that when the day of reckoning comm—
as come it must—" no effects" will have to be
written on the coffers of the national exchequer
—a bright prospect certainly for German bond-
holders and shoddy millionaires. As regards
the intelligence which has reached us during the
pest week from that unhappy country, it is still
of an unsatisfactory character—that is, battles
sad slaughter keep going en without any delnite
result being asbirrei. "The siiiiatio• asp

changed before Petersburg," is the brief report
from Grant's army; but one account says that
Grant has dismissed Generals Meade and Warren,
for calling in question the prudenoe of his recent
assaults upon strong Confederate position',
thereby throwing away thousands of lives.
Sherman's situation in Georgia is exceed-
ingly critical, owing to the Southern horse
having cut off the communication in the
rear by which he received supplies. One
paper even gives currency to the report that
Atlanta, in which lm is fortified, had, with these
corps, been taken by Hood. This probably may
not be correct; but it is true that the Confede-
rate situation in Georgia is improving, and that
Sherman is, in some sense, besieged in the very
city that he captured. Sheridan being unable to
drive Early any further, has been employing
himself in making of the fertile Shenandoah
Valley, with its farm houses, mills, and barns,
a howling wilderness. He has devaated the
whole country between the Blue Ridge and the
North Mountains, destroying 2,000 barns and
70 mills, which were filled with bay, farming
implements, meal, and flour. In retaliation for
shooting a subordinate officer, he burnt all the
dwellings within a radius of five miles where be
fell, yet the North, whose fiendish agent
Sheridan is, says it is a war for Christian princi-
ples! We in England are apt to wonder why
the American people do not put a stop to such
abominable proceedings; but we should re-
member that in that laud of universal suffrage,
vote by ballot, and republicanism, the Congress
is almost helpless, and President Lincoln may do
almost whatever he please, in defiance of the
people's re ores. u tati ves .
By the last Indian mail we learn that active
preparations are still making by the Europear
vessels at Japan, to enforce their right of
entrance into toe inner sea through the straits of
Simonosaki. The prince of Nagato, one of the
many potentates of Japan, objects to the passage.
The ambassadors sent from Japan to Paris, two
years ago, fully empowered to act, concluded a
treaty with the Emperor of the French, guaran-
teeing the opening of the sea within three
months. On returning, their treaty was repu-
diated, and themselves wore granted the permis-
sion to put themselves to death, according to
the custom approved in Japan, which, as loyal
subject' to his Imperial Majesty, it is believed
they did. This has caused a renewal of the ex •
pedition against Simonosaki, and a force is col-
lected to make a happy despatch of the Prince of
Nagato and his forts. Seventeen ships, manned
with European and American seamen; the
British contingent of eight ships, consisting of
the "Conqueror," and the " Euryalue," line-of-
battle ships, 3 frigate*, and 3 corvettes, armed
with Armstrong guns, are now gathered together
to try the merits of the question, and convince
the Japanese that they Sr. wrong.
The war in New Zealand, which the telegram
had given us to understand was ended, is still,
we regret to say, unsettled. Only one tribe of
the Maoris* have submitted ; but it is believed
that, on account of the way these were treated
by the Governor on their laying down their
arms, the others will in time be brought to their
1011111011.

The Emperor of the French left Paris on
Wednesday for Nice, to visit the Emperor of
Russia. The negotiation of the affair is said to
have been attended with'egreat difficulties, and
even some little mortification for the Emperor of
the French—the Czar having repeatedly declared
that he wished to maintain a strict incognito,
which was an indirect way of saying that he did
not wish to meet the French potentate. But
"so the end's gained, what signifies the router'
and Louis Napoleon has 'gained his end. The
Empress of the French was most desirous of
seeing the Empress of Russia, but the latter, for
some reason unexplained, showed even a greater
repugnance than she did in Germany, and on dit
it was to avoid one that the two Emperors have
met at Nice. The King of the Belgians left
Geneva on Tuesday for Nice, and it is said that
the King of Italy is likely to visit the place
during the interview of the two Emperors. No
political significance is supposed to be attached
to these meetings.
The Italian Chamber of Deputies was re-
opened on Monday, and was attended by a very
large number of members. The Ministers laid
on the table the Franco Italian Convention and
the diplomatic oorrespendence relating to it, to-
gether with • bill for the transfer of the capital
to Florence. There was some fear that the re-
volutionary party would take advantage of the
occasion to excite the people to • renewed de-
monstration against the transference of the
capital, and a military fora was in readiness to
supprees any outbreak, but no attempt was made
to disturb the public peace. On Tuesday the
Parliament was adjourned till further orders,
As it rely saseinliled the day before, and is not
customary to hear of Parliaments receiving
' "orders,' some supposed that Victor Emmanuel
bad done what many persons have long been
urging him to do—make a coup detat ; but the
adjournment was only to afford time to a com-
mittee to examine and prepare the papers pre-
sented by the Government, and on the general
question for which Parliament has been
assembled. It is believed that bath the Chamber
of Deputies and the Senate will pronounce by
a large majority in favour of the treaty
with France. It is said, however, that at
the bottom so much confidence is not felt
as is affected. At all events the decision of the
Parliament is not certain to be ratified, or, to
speak more correctly, it is certain not to be
ratified by the people. And the question is,
what will they do I Serious apprehensions is
entertained that, excited by Mazzini and Gari-
baldi, they will do or attempt something to pre-
vent the abandonment of all Italy's hopes, by
the renunciation of Rome and the acceptance of
Florence ss the definitive capital. Whether,
however, they can do anything more beyond
causing bloodshed remains to be seen.
If the semi-official journals of France are to
be behered, the French Emperor put an entirely
different interpretation on the Franco-Italian
treaty to that which has been adopted by the
public generally, and to that which the Italian
Government slimmed to be the real one—namely,
to take away the French from Rome on a decent
protest, and then let the Roman people cast
down the Papal Government and declare them-
selves annexed to Italy. The French Emperor,
it appears, has no intention of allowing the
Romans to do anything of the kind. He means
to withdraw his troops from Rome, but not to
let the Romans wring the city from the Pope.
He means to make Florence the capital of Italy,
not, as had been supposed, as • stepping-stone
to Rome, but sa the definitive capital. In other
words, he declare that the aspirations of the
Italians for national unity, with Rome as their
metropolis, shall not take place. This line of
conduct is boldly proclaimed in the Conshrie
tionnel and other Government newspapers, and,
what is more significant, by people whoae mission
it is to explain and defend, in society and else
where, the Imperial policy ;—nay, more, the
Emperor himself has made an emphatic declara-
tion that Florence is decidedly to be the defini-
tive capital of Italy.
Garibaldi's letter about the Franca-Italian
Convention has deeply wounded the French, who
are the vainest people upon earth. It is very
cutting to their vanity to hear a celebrated man,
whose sayings are listened to, and whose doings
are regarded by all Europe, speak with contempt
of an net of their Sovereign, and almost threaten
to expel their army from Rome, "not in two
years, but in two hours." If Garibaldi were
wise, he would be more measured in his language
respecting the French, for he has nothing to
gain, but much to lose, by offending them ; for,
although the Emperor acts somewhat crookedly
towards Italy, a large portion of the French,
high and low, are enthusiastic admirers of the
Italian cause.