The Press.
London, England, 1855-02-24 00:00:00

MOHAMMED'S CARPET.

Ox Friday the 26th ult., an imposing religions cere-
mony, which can only be seen every third or fourth
year, was celebrated in Constantinople. At intervals
of that length the carpet which covers the tomb of
the Prophet at Mecca is replaced by a new one, and
the sacred " cast-off" is then sent by the Chief
Mollah of the holy city to Constantinople, to be
placed in the chamber of relics in the palace of Top-
capon on the Bosphorus. On the day mentioned,
the last received of these precious fabrics was carried
in great state to its place of deposit, accompanied
by a grand cavalcade, Sultan,
composed of the the
Sheikh-ul-Islarn, the Grand Vizier, and all the high
functionaries of state. Bright, however, as was the
day, says the writer of a letter from Constantinople,
and glorious as appeared the ship-studded Bosphorus
and the opposite Asiatic shore, the latter fresh and
green-looking almost as in early spring, the pale,
emasculated face of poor Abdul-Medjid—looking like
the last of a doomed dynasty—struck the observer with
a feeling of sadness which not all the tinselled glare
of the passing cavalcade nor the loveliness of external
nature could lighten or remove. Apparently hardly
conscious of the homage rendered by the opening
crowd, the melancholy and feeble sovereign passed
slowly by, vouchsafing no more marked recognition of
his people's salutations than a calm, effortless smile,
which saddened, rather than gratified those on whom
it fell. A gorgeously-carved and gilded coach, drawn
by four splendidly caparisoned horses, contained the
sacred covering of the Prophet's tomb, and as it rolled
gently by, hundreds of the faithful bowed low before
the precious freight it bore.

MEI TING OF CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF PARMA-
ENT.—A very numerous meeting, comprising a large
body of Peers, and nearly two hundred members of
the House of Commons, was held at Lord Eglinton's
house, in St. James's-square, on Tuesday. Lord
Derby addressed the meeting at length. He alluded
to the line of conduct pursued by him daring the
late political crisis, and stated his views and opinions
generally upon the position and prospects of the
Conservative party. His lordship's speech was re-
ceived most enthusisstically; and a vote, expressing
the entire and continued confidence of the Conserve
tive party in their leader, was moved by the Earl of
Stradhroke, seconded by R. Palmer, Esq., M.P. for
Berkshire, and carri3d unanimously.
TEE CONSERVATIVE PARTY in Stirlingsbire will
bring forward Mr. Blackburn, as their candidate for
' the representation of the county. •

SATURDAY,

Sortip otorrtsponlltutt.

FRANKFORT, Feb. 20.

THE opinion here with the Russo-Prussians and
throughout Germany is, that the original edition or

the Palmerston policy proper has been " revue et
conigee," and that the bold principle of the "Re-
menus sum" has been vastly modified. Neverthe-
less the old Whig sponsor and Lord John Russell

are both Supposed to be adverse to that peculiar

phasis of Anglo•Germanism that does not consort
with the Whig doctrines of the Constitution, and not
in keeping with the quotations from Magna Charta.
Lord John Russell has a high reputation throughout
the Continent, and his name is associated by
foreigners with all the advantages of a free Govern-

ment, and of which, in that sense, he is a fitting
representative. But here his especial aptitude, as
Minister Plenipotentiary at the Vienna Conference,
ceases, and he is no match for the men he is about
to meet, neither is his colleague, Lord Westmoreland.

The "entente cordiale" with France was brought
about by, and is dependent upon, Lord Derby, Mr.
Disraeli, and the three hundred gentlemen of
England in the House of Commons who follow
those distinguished leaders. It is on this party that
Louis Napoleon counts for real support; it is this
party that alone, amidst the recent exhibitions of
political profligacy, commands respect on the Con-
tinent from its olden renown, and from the general
assurance of its unswerving integrity; it is of this
party that the Czar remarked within the month,
that, were it in power, the obstacles to peace would
be materially lessened, that he could deal with
gentlemen whose wont was synonymous with good
faith.

The French will be firm, and they have a further
care in the German question, in which, according to
the showing of M. Drouyn de Lhuys, they insist to
have a direct interest. The dishonesty of Prussia,
which precludes her from taking part in the Con.
ference of Vienna, unless she fulfil stipulated condi.
tions that must place her in a position distasteful
to Russia, increases the diplomatic difficulties which
a Minister more acute and less flexible than M.
De Buol Schonstein would not fail to turn to account.
Had M. De Buol a portion of the firmness of the
late Prince Schwartzenberg, whose force of volition
set aside Ferdinand, and placed Francis Joseph on
the Throne, the Russian question would have been
quickly solved.
Felix Schwartzenberg, aided by the Archduchess
Sophia, prevailed upon the placid Ferdinand and his
devout Empress Marianne of Sardinia to make way
for a young soldier. " Mein Kaiser," exclaimed the
Archduchess mother, and, turning to the army, she
added, "I commit your new Emperor to your care,
for believe me he is a genuine soldier." The genuine
soldier—and it was a truth—with his bold Minister,
after the revolutions of 1848 and 1849, were about to
read a practical and useful lesson to Prussia for her
excess of perfidy ; but the Czar, in a private conver-
sation with the young Emperor, prevented the in-
tended chastisement, and the latter was compelled to
conform to the will of him to whom he was indebted
for the preservation of his kingdom of Hungary.
The stern Schwartzenberg has been replaced by a
vacillating trimmer, by no means equal to the critical
emergency of the hour, and who has neither the will
nor the nerve to act with decision. The Czar
pointed out the Turkish provinces as fitting objects
upon which the military ardour of his young friend
the Emperor of Austria might find vent with pro-
priety. The advice was verbally given, and Austrian
troops now occupy the principalities. With these
important and private facts having immediate and
direct influence upon the councils of Austria,
neither England nor France can have diplomatic
cognisance at the conference. Yet they are
literally and strictly true. And the German
union, or disunion, remains behind a distinct and
separate embarrassment. Upon this point M.
Drouyn de Lhuys has been explicit, and his
simple words with their simple sense conjure up
something more than the phantom of a French army,
on or perchance beyond the Rhine, with another
Napoleon at its head. If Lord John Russell be
faithful to the olden declarations of the Whigs, he
will have no scruple in dealing with the shreds and
patches of the Congress of Vienna.
The parliamentary doings in England are not only
discussed here, but they are studied. The constitu-
tional cause is on its trial, and the opinion is fast
gaining ground amongst its supporters, that, in a
crisis, it is wanting in that prompt energy by which
alone danger can be averted from a nation. Even
the English chiefs, according to their view, are dis-
encumbering themselves of inconvenient principles.
They give two examples.
Lord Lansdowne, who in an earlier and purer day
of Whig existence was eager to do convivial honour

FEBRUARY 2421855.

to the "liberty of the press," and to declare that it
was not less precious than " the very air we breathe,
without it we die," has strongly animadverted on its
mischief in proclaiming the truth, that truth being
inimical to the well-being of his Coalition party.
This has been severely commented upon and brought
forward as substantiating the propriety of a censor-
ship, and the restriction of intelligence incommo-
dious to Government. The admission of Lord Lans-
downe is fatal to any argument with a German
Absolutist.
Again, Mr. Gladstone, in reply to Mr. Stafford,
lectured that gentleman on the mode of performing
his parliamentary duties, and distinctly admonished
him that it was a sacred obligation, on becoming ac•
quainted with Crimean disasters prejudicial to Minis-
terial welfare, to seek out and lay the intelligence
before the Ministers privately, and not to publish it
to the House of Commons and the public. Mr.
Gladstone is strict, even to prudery, in the ceremo-
nial observances of duty ; yet, in the case of a con•
stituency when personal interest comes into play, the
public obligation of a member to the electors is
ignored by him altogether. If the business of the
country is to be transacted privately out of the
house, without the disrelished publicity of the Com-
mons, the responsibility of members to their consti-
tuents dwindles to a nullity. Secrecy on one point
may generate secrecy in another, and the electors
would be deprived of any chance of testing the sin-
cerity of promises made at the hustings. But insin-
cerity is the very essence of Peelism ; it is by that
they live in the house and have their ministerial
being.
The telegraph of the Indipendance Beige announces
that a compromise has been made with Mr. Roebuck
on the committee of inquiry. If a solemn act of the
house, one involving the gravest culpability of
Ministers towards the country, is to be set at naught
and disposed of privately, according to the system of
Mr. Gladstone, the constitutional theory is worse than
a farce. J. E. L.

jortign ad Colonial 3nitiligmte.

FRANCE.

Paris has been agitated during the past week by
rumours that the Emperor Napoleon intended to visit
the Crimea in order to be present at the assault and
expected capture of Sebastopol. All the preparations,
it is said, were made for the imperial journey, and it
was even asserted that the Empress would accompany
him as far as Constantinople. According to the last
accounts, however, the trip is postponed, if not aban-
doned altogether. This change of determination, it is
added, has been brought about by the report which
General Niel has given to his Majesty respecting the
state of the besieging forces and prospects of the
pending campaign.
Lord J. Russell arrived in Paris on Tuesday, and
on the following day had an interview with M.
Drouyn de Lhuys, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Moniteur de l'Artnie announces that the Im-
perial Guard is to be increased by one regiment of
foot artillery, a sixth battery of horse artillery, a third
battalion of gendarmerie, and a fourth battalion each
to the two regiments of grenadiers and voltigeurs.
General de La Marmora, who is to command the
Piedmontese expedition, has arrived in Paris. It is
understood that the object of his visit is to come to
an understanding with the Governments of France
and England relative to the organisation of the expe-
dition. The general will stay but a very short time
in the French capital.
The new screw steamer La Bretagne has been
launched successfully at Brest. This vessel will be
mounted with 130 guns and is of 1,200-horse power.
The Moniteur of Tuesday publishes a report by
M. Magne, the new Minister of Finance. It announces
the reimposition of the duties on commercial receipts
and obligations as they existed before the law of
the 7th August, 1850, and states that with this aid
there will be a surplus of 4,000,000 francs. The ad-
vance of 30,000,000 francs made by the Bank having
been reimbursed from the proceeds of the recent
1 lan, the floating debtis at this moment nearly the
a ►me as last year, via., 897,1130,400 francs. The bons
du (Thor do not exceed 218,000,000 francs, nor the
f ,nds des caisses d'epargne 180,000,000 francs.
The Prefect of the Seine and municipality of Paris
gave their second ball of the season on Monday, at
thel Hotel de Ville.
T.ie new dogma of the Immaculate Conception
has been proclaimed with great pomp by the Arch-
h'sh'p of I'aris at Notre Dame, the ceremony being
rape %Led in all the churches in Paris.
GERMANY.

Baron Prokesch Osten, formerly Austrian inter-
nuncio at the Sublime Porte; will be the Austrian
special commissioner at the approaching diplomatic

The semi-official Austrian Correspondence con-
tradicts the statement that an Austrian loan of
15,900,0001., guaranteed byfEngland, is about to be
raised.

THE PRESS.

The Emperor of Austria has addressed a note to
the Minister of the Interior requesting that in place of
the festivities and illuminations which were designed
to commemorate the approaching accouchement of
the Empress, the money proposed to be thus spent
should be appropriated to works of benevolence and
to the relief of the Rom., who were suffering so much
distress from the existing dearness of provisions.
A fire broke out on Tuesday in the Imperial
Palace of Prague. At noon the conflagration was
subdued. The upper stories of the palace were
greatly damaged. Their ex-Majesties, who resided
in the palace, suffered no danger from the accident.

ITALY.
The following appointments have been confirmed
by the Sardinian Minister of War respecting the ex•
peditionary force :
- - -

General Commandiug•in•Chief—Alphonso La Marriora.
Head-quarters Staff— Colonels Patin, Avet, Itapallo ;
Aidesde•Camp to Commander•in-Chief, Captains Belbo, 2.
Generals Commanding Divisions—lst, General John
Durand° ; Chief of Staff, Major Casanova. 2nd, General
Alexander La Mamom ; Chief of Staff, Porrino.
Reserve—General James I)urando.
Commandants of Brigades Colonels Guistiniani,
Monteveochio, Mollard, Cialdini.
Commandant of Cavalry—Colonel Savoirous.
TURKEY.

Letters from Constantinople of the 15th state that
Baron Koller, the new Austrian Minister, had not yet
arrived. Baron Bruck was still in Constantinople.
Some Sardinian companies had arrived in that city.
Omer Pacha embarked at Varna on the 7th for the
Crimea, whither the principal part of his force hail
preceded him. Muhlis Pacha (Prince Stourdza),
remains at Varna as Omer's lieutenant.
A large quantity of wires for the telegraph with the
Crimea was landed at Varna on the 6th, and the
telegraphic communication with Schumla was ex
pected to be complete by the end of the present
month. .