The Press.
London, England, 1855-05-12 00:00:00

tprtign cartspontnut.

BRUSSELS, Wednesday.
AT the latter end of last year there were three
Russian agents in this place—the Princess Lieven,
M. de Kisseleff, and M. de Creptowitch. They
fulfilled to the letter their several missions. Each
was distinct from the other. The princess bad
passed many years in England—had been intimate
with its leading statesmen and the Great Duke in the
time of George IV.—had been admitted to their
most intimate councils—had been a party to their
State secrets—had mastered the minutest intricacy

of our national statistics, military, political, and com-
mercial—had a son educated at Harrow—tinged her
Greek orthodoxy with a Protestant colouring, and
persuaded even the Great Duke and the lesser Aber-
deen that Russia fraternised heart and soul with free
and generous England. She went to Italy to recon-
noitre, and praised the "Eroe di Lancastro." On
returning to England she found it safe, well packed
and directed for Russian use, "duce, duce," and then
took up her residence at Paris.
The revolutions of 1848—the French Republic
and the Empire—were watched with attention by
the Princess Lieven and M. Kisseleff, and with-
out doubt they conveyed incorrect information to
the Emperor Nicholas. The incorrectness was not
as to common fact, but related to the motives and the
state of parties. The late Emperor Nicholas himself
is the authority for this assertion. Lord Palmerston
had been dismissed ; Lord Derby had been defeated
by a coalition of Whigs, Radicals, and Peelites; the
Coburg policy was in the ascendant ; and Lord Aber-
deen, the friend of Nicholas, was Premier. The
dislike of the Whigs and Peelites to the Emperor
Napoleon had been expressed by three of the (loan.
Lion Ministers—Lord John Russell, Sir James Gra-
ham, and Sir Charles Wood—and was shared by
Lord Aberdeen, who wanted the sincerity to avow it.
The insecurity of France, the alleged repugnance of
England, under Lord Aberdeen, to the empire, and
the overt leaning of the Ministry to Russia, were
reported to the Emperor Nicholas without comment.
Relying upon this fallacious intelligence, he deemed
the moment had arrived to carry out his designs upon
Constantinople. He was deceived by the Princess
Lieven, M. Kisseleff, and M. de Brunow, and these
were deceived themselves. The princess and M.
Kisseleff came to Brussels, where was stationed the
Muscovite and unscrupulous Creptowitch.
The Belgians are easily imposed upon and led,
especially by such practised adepts as Russian diplo-
matists. Besides, no people are more anxious to
seize an opportunity of offence as those who are
under obligation to others. The Belgian obligations
to France and England were for her actual inde-
pendence—the acknowledgment first, and then the
protection of her nationality. The Russians found
the ground ready for their operations, and they com-
menced by securing the Independence, the Echo, and
the Etoile. The first of these journals is purely
political, and ably conducted, has a European circu-
lation, and is approved and permitted at St. Peters.
burg. A large number is forwarded there daily.
The second is the Journal de &deli, wherein no
opportunity is lost to vilify and traduce England and
the English ; and the third, following the same course,
circulates amongst the middle classes. Antianglicism,
antigallicism, and the elevation of Russia as the tute-
lary power of Europe, form the spirit of the Belgian
press.
Organised companies of Red Republicans of all
nations are embodied at Brussels. Their communi-
cations with London and Paris are constant and
well known to M. de Creptowitch. The Russians,
who are here for a purpose, give themselves out as
political refugees, which they are not. Amongst
them are several ladies, who follow their avocation
with care and assiduity, are rarely seen, yet acquire
with unfailing accuracy the knowledge of everything
that passes. The " haute politique" of Russia has
no scruple; it teaches, and the Greek Church
teacLes, that crime committed in its necessary ser•
vice for the interest cf the viceregent of God, the
Emperor, does not deserve that name, especially if
successful and for the one purpose. The bravo
patriot constitutes himself a martyr, the Muscovite
assassin seeks canonisation, and M. de Creptowitch
promises it to him at small cost. Mazzini, in his
proclamation, exhorted the Italian Republicans to
exchange the sword for the dagger. M. de Crepto-
witch creeps noiselessly and whispers with more
effect. Suspected persons are constantly on the
move betwixt Brussels and London. On the Thurs-
day in Passion-week, and before the arrival of the
Emperor in England, certain parties lett here and
met others by appointment at Dover from Jersey.
They proceeded to the metropolis. The attempt of
riaoori, a professional assassin, was without doubt

THE PRESS.

planned for London, and from the indigence to which
he was reduced at Paris to his comparative affluence
when in England, it is easy to establish the source
from whence he derived his infamous wages. No
one knows the whereabouts of the imperishable
fountains of corruption better than the Princess
Lieven and M. de Creptowitch. On the day before,
or on the morning of the attempt—for he has stated
it both ways—Pianori was visited by two women, and
when he fired the shot a low carriage was in waiting
close to the spot with the door half open. At the
moment he was overpowered and secured the door
was shut from within by a female hand, and the car-
riage drove off rapidly.
The Princess Lieven, on her parole of non-inter-
ference, has returned by Imperial permission to her
old quarters at Paris, in a failing state of health.
M. Kisseleff is at St. Petersburg in close attendance
on the Imperial Councils, and M. de Creptowitch, the
Muscovite, sly, cautious, enterprising, unscrupulous,
and faithless, except with assassins, awaits fresh com-
binations, and is ready to avail himself of any agent
whom the powers of darkness—namely, Ledru
Rollin, Mazzini, and Kossuth—may furnish for his
use. And Brussels is the head-quarters of the bar-
barism. _ _

E. R.

FRANKFORT, May 8.
THE attempt to assassinate the Emperor Napoleon
still monopolises public attention. It has been
reported authoritatively throughout Germany that
an Austrian prince, S , on retailing the
news of the attempted murder to another Austrian
noble, added—"and unfortunately without effect,"
to which the other replied, " Quel dommage."
The " Maisons Princieres " of Austria beginning
with the nineteenth letter of the alphabet are—
Salm, Shoenbourg, Schwartzenburg, Solms, and
Strahremherg, and it will be proper to know which of'
them, or whether all, individually, collectively, and
nationally, have espoused as a legitimate and direct-
ing creed the foul canons of assassination.
Some Germans of respectability lately arrived from
Russia affirm that at Moscow, I ver, Kharkoff, Kazan,
Kieff, Tamboff, Saratoff, and other places, the Papas
of the Greek Church are, from the altar, exciting the
population in favour of the war, or holy crusade,
against France and England, and lay it down as a
primary act of duty upon every Russian, and one of a
religious office and sacrament, to aid in expelling the
infidel from Europe, and to re erect the Cross on the
cathedral of St. Sophia. They cease to designate St.
Sophia a " mosque," and lay claim to its possession
by the Czar as the imperial and pontifical inheritor
of the holy and orthodox empire of Constantinople.
That is to say, they insist on the patriarchal posses-
sion of Constantinople by the Emperor of Russia;
they declare it to be an inherent right of the Impe-
rial Crown; and the recruits on receiving benediction
are enjoined to fight for the Viceregent of God, and
to expel the infidel from the holy Byzantine
dominion. There is no disguise on the subject, for
the Russian population is publicly instructed by the
priests to consider Constantinople as having been
taken by force from those whom the Czar singly and
solely represents. These bishops proclaim that the
right of conquest must be held generally to constitute
a title, or it must not. If Poland is to be recon-
structed as a kingdom in respect to ancient right and
custom, which the Emperor avows to be his intent,
a parity of right gives the Byzantine empire to
Russia. It is thus that the bishops and priests pre-
dicate and teach—the people hear, and the people
obey. What possible chance of peace can there be
on a permanent and secure basis, when the Russian
people, one and all, the entire Tschin and serfdom,
adopt this creed, political and religious as the gospel
and catechism for their infant children. The
Russian priests, more or less, to their credit, reject
the paraphrases which their diplomatists use.
The Polish question, and the levy of a Polish and
Finnish batallion by France and England, have
caused fresh hesitation on the part of Austria, and
have sobered, from terror the faithless and disho-
noured sovereign of the grand duchy of Posen. On
wisely deciding, for his own sake, to be crowned King
of Poland, the Emperor Alexander has checkmated
Austria and Prussia. He has nothing to fear, they
have everything to dread. He cuts openly as a bold
potentate, without fear of consequence ; whereas they
shrink and prevaricate as petty larcenists at the bar,
who dare not hold up their hands from fear of afford-
ing former proofs of convicted guilt. Prince Peter
of Oldenbourg, a German and relative of the P.omanoff
family, has been sent by the Emperor of Russia on
a mission to the German princes. He is brother-in-
law of the neighbouring Duke of Nassau. The
object of his particular embassy is to reassure the
German princes of the paternal regards of Russia
towards them, And to etarautee them, by promieel

SATURDAY,

against the effects of any ill-temper from Prussia or
Austria. Under any circumstances, Prussia will be
a gainer by the war. She has greatly increased her
power in Germany, and she will not lo&e her
sovereignty in the Crimea and its dependencies.
The terms offered by Lord John Russell are
unwelcome evidence of the fact; and it is but just to
say that M. de Bismarck and M. Osten-Prokerscb,
and all the Dietic authorities, speak of him as the
" bete noir" of England, and in terms of supreme
contempt. If, say they, the propositions he made
and was disposed to make at the Conference were
sincere on his part, there was no excuse for him to
have betrayed the Ministry of Lord Aberdeen, and
the offer of Austria, to which he was not opposed, of
two English and French frigates to confront and to
check the navy of Russia in the Euxiue, was mo.
delled upon the proportions of his powers mental
and physical. Treachery is indefensible at all times,
even for the accomplishment of a great object, but
when the purpose is personal and lilliputian, the evil
done is only worthy of the kennel. The Roman
Catholic crossings, genuflexions, and adoration of
the Host, with the other harlequinade recreations of
Lord John Russell at Vienna, publicly reported by
eye witnesses, have been received with shouts of
derision by the German latitudinarians and free-
thinkers—and they are the mass.
The retirement of M. Drouyn de Lhuys, and the
evident displeasure of the Emperor Napoleon against
the acts of Lord John Russell, are not calculated to
strengthen the English Ministry. The meeting at
the Guildhall, London, with the other in the City,
coupled with the forthcoming motion of Mr.
Layard in the House of Commons, and another by
Lord Ellenborough in the House of Lords, under
general approbation in England, and with that of the
friends of the old country everywhere on the con.
tinent, augur unfavorably for the Whig Govern.
ment. J. E. L

jou* anh sit plata! 3ittellipact.

FRANCE.

On Saturday last the Emperor received the de-
spatches charged to present the address voted by the
British residents and visitors of Paris on the occa•
sion of his Majesty's escape from attempted assassi-
nation. The Duke of Bassano, Grand Chamberlain,
introduced the deputation. The address was signed
by 409 persons. His Majesty expressed his grati-
fication on receiving such a testimony from the
English in Paris.
M. Dronyn de Lhuys, lath Foreign Minister, has
resikned, in consequence, it is reported, of the pro-
ceedings at the late Vienna Conference. Count
Walewski, French Ambassador in England, has been
appointed to succeed M. de Lhuys, and was sum-
moned to Paris by telegraph on Monday. M. Per-
signy is to be the new representative of France at
the Court of St. James's.

The Emperor has granted a pension of 4,000 f. a
year to Madame Bizot, the widow of the General of
Engineers, who was killed before Sebastopol.
The reigning Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha arrived
at Paris on Saturday, and on the same day dined at
the Tuileries. The Emperor paid a visit to his
Royal Highness on Sunday at the hotel of the Prince
de Chimay. The Duke has since arrived in London.
Immediately upon the receipt of news from the
Crimea that the fire before Sebastopol was suspended,
the French Government sent orders to Marseilles for
the embarkation of a new siege-train, consisting of
nearly three hundred heavy guns.
The new loan of seven hundred millions is under
the consideration of the Council of State. It is
thought that it will come out on the system ofobliga-
tions and primes.
The Moniteur publishes the returns of the gross
receipts of the French railways during the first quar-
ter of 1855. They amounted to 49,444,706 f., and,
compared with the corresponding period of 1854,
exhib•t an increase of 0,301,100 f. The average length
of road worked during the first three months of 1855
was 4,077 kilometres, or 570 more than in 1854. The
receipts per kilometre increased from 9,787 f. to
10,572 f., thet is by 785 f., or upwards of 8 per cent.