The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-11-09 00:00:00

TRADES' VOLUNTEER COIMPANIES•

We understand that the watchmakers, a very largo.
and intelligent class of artisans, and several other trades

are about to form companies from amongst themselves
to brigade with one of those diVisions already in
existence and duly inaugurated, instead of endeavouring
to form companies of their ,owa—a system which has
been much condemned by those placed in the highest
official authority. It is generally understood that the
watchmakers will avail themselveS of the opportunity
of brigading with the 15th, that division having become
exceedingly popular
.from the neatness of its scarlet
nniform and the many high eulogies passed upon it for
its military and soldier-Jilw . bearing (in all. occasions
wheri it has appeared in public: .

FOREIGN TICPTELLIGENCE.

FRANCE.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Thursday, Nov. 8.

Some most important items of intelligence re-
garding the situation of Matters in China at the
date of the departure of the latest courier; appeared
in the evening papers last night. Despatches
have been received from Shanghai, stating that
Kwei-Lang, the mandarin appointed.to report to
the Imperial Cabinet, and Hang-Fou, the Viceroy
of the province of Tchyli, named by the Court of
Pekin conimissiohers extraordinary to conduct
the negotiations ford tiCatt. of .peace vo .the:
ambassadors of France and England; arrived.
Tien-tsin on the 6th September ; and it is asserted
that the treaty is to be eigned,in that city, and
ratifications exchanged in the capital itself,
according to a special ceremoniel which
was itself to he made the subject of negotiation,
and, of a separate. convention. This prograniMe
does not strike me as being by 'any means satis-
factory ; and it is devoutly to be hoped. that Lord
Elgin will not allow himself to be foilda of Ili'
purpose of settling the terms on which our futuid
intercourse with the Chitiese is to be conducted,
on a basis that can never again be disturbed.
Count de Persigny has come up to Paris, and
leaves for England to-day, to be present at the
banquet td-nlotrOW. The Petrie states that it is
assured that the rePregentatii-es of the different
Enroliean PowerS who have been invited
• the
feast, are all to accept the invitation ; thereby
shoiving, if the statement be true, that they had
not hitherto done so, which is rather remarkable,
considering the long invitation which they
received.- The fact is, I have reason to believe,
that most of them declined, and that pressure of
various kinds has been used to induce them to
recall their refusal:

The Calis6 of Freaidis IL is hourly becoming
more and more desperate, Nt.iiich is probably,. the
reason why the siniller German are hovt.
manifesting so many demonstrations of syniridtlii,
towards in the absence of any material
aid, the:King of Saxony-, for instance, has chosen
the present occasion as the fittest for conferring
on-the King of 'the TwoiSicilies the deCoratiOti Of
the domestic order of the House of Saxe, and
he has transmitted the insignia of the order to
Gaeta, by the hands of Count Kleist. This
pitiful prOceeding will not, however, have much
effect on modifying the gravity of the Royal
recipient's present position.
Among the different projects which have beat
talked of for the solving. of the Roman questioni
there is one in which it is proposed to constitute the
capital of the Christian World, into a " free.city,
as the only possible means left of withdrawing it
from the influence of the Piedmontese invasion.
The idea, it is said, belongs 'to M: de Pet'signYo
and has .been by him strongly enforced on the
Emperor's. consideration. If there be any real
intention on the .part of his Majesty to endea-
vour to have effect given to the proposal, 'it
will'of course alter the determination. which, it
is said, that his Holiness had again seriously
entertained, of leaving Rome. .
The Emperor has entrusted M. Ernest Renan,
member,. of the Academy of Inscriptions and
Belles Lettres, with a mission, having for its
object, the search for inscriptions and antiquities
in Phenicia. His Majesty has been so good as t°
make arrangements for defraying the expenSes of
this mission on the usual scale of munificence.
At the request of the Minister of Public Instruc-

tion, the IVlinister of Marine has placed at tho

disposal of M. Renan a certain number of instru-
ments which will enable M. Renan to accompany
the results of his enquiry with important topo-
graphical observations. _ _

The Bourse yesterday was calm, and there were
no transactions of any importance. The price
of Rente varied from 69f. 75c. to 69f. 90e.

ITALY.

MILAN, Nov. a.
As I had anticipated -in' my letter of the `2od
instant, the telegram has already brought you
the news of the operations of the army against
Capua, and the determination of Victor Emma'
nuel to give battle to the BoUrbOnia forces which
had retired beyond :the Garigliano. The capita'
lation of Capua, with 11,000 prisoners, you °'
course already know, as no doubt another tele"
gram has informed you that General Sonnaz
taken the iron bridge which crosses the Garig-
liano and made upwards of 150 prisoners. The
royalists have• since fallen • back. noon Gaeta,
and the Piedmontese have crossed the ricer:
It is no* beyond all doubt certain that
the unfortunate young King will be either
obliged to surrender himself into the hands of
Victor Emmanuel or take refuge on board an
English, or French frigate, and thus for the Pre"
sent put au end to this unjustifiable war on the
part of the Piedmontese. To enter into the sub"
Jed of probable events which are likely to follow
this apparent unity of Italy is a theme too long
for this letter, especially as the present is to b°
dedicated to other matters. Without subscribing'
to the principles or letter of,Montalembert, w°
Englishmen may criticise and laugh at it as
much as we like, but there is nevertheless a large
amount• of truth in seine of the accusations he
brings against Cavour. I do not wish to question
eo the wism.of the policy adopted by our Cabinet
in regard to Italy, but I cannot divest myself of
•,, V.."
see and deeply regret the course at present Or;
sued by England, which in the end can only lead
to the gain of France and Piedmont, and the ulti:
mate damage of England. The intervention 01
the French Admiral Barbier de Tinan is to us
somewhat incomprehensible, but I believe it t°
be, only another move in the game, which 15
perfectly understood between the French EraPe"
ror and Cavour.
The great rapidity and importance of the polt
tical events of this country have precluded 111 Y
giving before this a few particulars to your:
musical readers of the result of Achille Peri,
opera, " Vittore Pisani." This work, although,
•new for Milan, has been already given at some 01
the principal theatres of Italy, and with that hapPl
success which has marked all the works of this
talented composer. The 'great success that this
opera met with on the first evening of its repreee°'
tation has not, like many of our new works, beel
an enthusiastic ovation from a packed house of
the composer's and publisher's friends, inspiring
hopes of fame and pecuniary gain for a nightuf
two, and then at every subsequent representatian,
the poor composer to have the mertification °lc;
witnessing the cold reception of his work, and ths
not upfrequent tumult of hisses and other sie
of disapprobation from a less partial and disl,u;
terested public.. The fume of incense may shad
for a' short time an idol of plaster, but when
,f
disappears, the deception is but too apparent 0
all. Within the last seven years, that is frs
1853 to 1860, we have had in this city upward5
of forty new operas, which is a proof that theri."o
no lack of study and application among tf'sre
Italian Masters ; but to produce a work ab°,io
mediocrity to please a musical and critical pu°l,
like the Milanese, and to take rank among,
great composers of their country is no easy tailo
We.have scores of young composers in ItalY)s° to
can write a very good polka, waltz, or conoe'r;
for the piano-forte ; but for one of these Yolf..y
men to write an entire opera, and invest his .w°'„f
with all those charms and sublime inspirations
passion, emotion, and dramatic effect which eftlio
stand the ordeal of the severe criticism of ea
impartial and intelligent public, that has be,,
accustomed from their boyhood to hear P"of
best works of the most celebrated maestri
14,
Italy,' is not within the capacity of evesdo
aspirant for musical fame. This fact is
tCP
patent, that instead of having our reperto_q,
enriched with twenty or thirty out of the f°4lo
or forty-five operas that have been broUght beloreo
the public, we have not more than two or tll,Ol
that can really be classed as works of any 01
merit. I have already explained in several ofe4
former letters, that with the immense facihroa
for study, advantages of climate, poetical
imaginative character of the people, as we'tbitt
the liberal patronage of the Government, to
we have so few really good composers, in sera.
mentalists, and singers. To return to the °P_. of
The libretto of Vittore Pisani is founded on miti'do
the most interesting episodes of the old Ve.necipal
Republic, introducing to the public the prig' „jog.
scenes of that splendid city, and the actil.` iii
enthusiastic character of the Venetians, whic • nt
the present moment would, of itself, be 13111?itlie
to ensure the sympathy and applause 001,,,'00.
public, independently of its merit, as a workbol_o.o.
siderable ability. Vittore Pisani cannot
pared to the same composer's opera of Gar_ oa
which was expressly written for the Scalcola:ot.
produced last Carnival, but by some unnetion.
able reason, not until the last week of the,s:raorc
.Peri in his Pisani, has identified hiraseil% own
with the style of Verdi than relying that
skill and individuality, the consequence 10