The Express.
London, England, 1863-12-26 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 21

t confine itself within the resources of the Budget, and
' learn to resist the seductions of glory, and be con-
tent with an honourable and profitable peace, in
order that the finances of the State may improve,
and the millions wasted in distant expeditions be
spent in promoting wealth and prosperity at home.
With segard to the amendment proposed by M.
THICEB end the principal members of the Opposi-
tion, restricting the issue of Treasury bills for 1864
to 100 millions (instead of 250 millions) of francs,l
the Report accepted it in principle, but proposed to
postpone the consideration of any such restriction
the discussion of the Budget for the year—that
is, after the present loan should have been effected.
It would be difficult to exaggerate the significance
of a Report drawn up by • member of
the Government majority in the name of a
committee entirely composed of members of that
majority, and insisting in these stringent and posi-
tive terms upon a policy of peace and retrench-
ment. The discussion on the amendment to
the Report, to which M. Tams brought all the
unsurpassed authority of his large experience as a
responsible statesman, and his masterly clearness
and vigour of exposition as a financial debater, was
throughout an unanswerable argument for peace,
of which M. Tarsal declared himself a decided par-
tisan ; an honourable peace, and a policy of
caution and reserve, in preference to little and
unprofitable wars and headlong adventures, and to
a declamatory, theatrical diplomacy affecting vast
and vague ideas, and suggesting the possibility of
tremendous errors and fatal issues. M. Tarsal
told the Chamber that he could see no French
interest involved in any of the great pending Euro-
pean questions—" except, perhaps, the Danish ;"
—at the dangers of which, by the bye, M.
DRODYN DE Lauri, offended at the failure of
the great Napoleonic nostrum of a Con-
gress, affects a somewhat spiteful satisfaction.
This, however, is a detail. The manifest im-
portance of this discreet and searching speech of M.
Tames in moving his amendment to the Report
on the Loan, and of that Report itself, is the un-
equivocal testimony which, responding to public
opinion out of doors, majority and minority alike
have given in favour of peace. Let the Legislative
Corps, under the auspices of the Opposition,
or rather of the statesmen who give to the Liberal
minority of thirty, • power which no mere num-
bers can command, persevere in this calm and
resolute course of resistance to the caprices of •
solitary will, and to a policy of surprises and
adventure*, and they will do more to raise thel
moral dignity of their country, and to secure to
the government of their choice the confidence of
Europe, than all the dazzling schemes of a Con-
gress of Princes, or a Conference of diplomatists,
with limited or unlimited liability, assembled in
Paris to proclaim NAPOLEON the THIRD the
Emperor of the Peoples, and Paris the capital of
the civilised world.

THE verdict of the Court-martial upon Colonel
CRAWLEY has given intense satisfaction in superior
military circlet. At the same time it has created
new difficulties for the authorities who are answer-
able for the administration of the army. Those

official persons must be the first to perceive that
if it was necessary six months ago to prove to the
great body of common soldiers and non-commis-
sioned officers that flagrant injustice on the
part of officers was not and would not be
sanctioned at the Horse Guards and the War-
, office, it is far more important now that a ver-
dict has been given which appears to many to
imply that, in the judgment of a military court,
there is nothing so very culpable in the treatment
to which Isi.xy fell a victim. People are asking
—lf a man like LILLE; who had served his coun-
try long and well, and who was distinguished by
merit, can be thus treated, what protection is there
for the average soldier I In the eyes of ordinary
people a gross outrage has been committed, and
the British army could better afford to lose a
battle than to lie under the imputation of
being a service in which the highest per-
sonal desert is insufficient to prevent a man from
caprice or arbitrary power. It is very certain
that a great wrong has been done, and it is now
more important than ever that, since the first at-
tempt to bring the guilt of it home has failed, it
should be renewed with better guarantees of
SUCCBIIB.

The necessity of taking further measures for vin-
dicating the reputation of the army as a service in
which just and fair treatment may be looked for
by its humblest members, is so completely de-
monstrated by the proceedings at Aldershott,
that we need not go beyond the limits of the
trial to find additional reasons for that course.
But if anything could increase the necessity it
would be the arguments which have been used,
not to defend Colonel CRLWLEY, but to oppose
the public sentiment out of which the demand for
the recent Court-martial proceeded. When Sergeant-
Major Lnsgr's countrymen at home heard that he
had been obliged to complain to the Mbow court
that by the harshness of his colonel a sentry had
'been placed at the door of the room where his
sick wife was lying, and within two feet of her,
the statement awakened but one feeling of indigna-
tion. But now it has been stated, and the statement
has been read by our soldiers all over the country,
that this is not a sentiment proper to be indulged
with reference to the wives of sergeant-majors.
The feeling springs, it is said, from false deli-
cacy. " Privacy is a relative term ; a sergeant's
" wife is not accustomed to the same sort of
" privacy as a fine lady, and to say that Mrs.
LILLIE'S modesty was wantonly insulted be-
" cause a sentry might possibly havemeen her lying
" in bed if he chose to look through the lining
"of a tchick 'or the folds of a curt-in appears to
"us absurd." This is a matter in judging of
which the British public needs no assistance. Pri-
vacy is indeed relative to many things, but
womanly modesty is not relative to rank. Only the
pen of the lamented author of "Theßook of Snobs"
could do justice to the suggestion. We leave it
to the manly feeling of Englishmen. In jusline to
Colonel CELAvrLET let us add, that he has said
nothing of the kind, but has expressed himself
strongly in the contrary sense. But since the plea
that the claims of female modesty can only be ad-
mitted on behalf of the officer's wife has been
made in justification of the Aldershott verdict, and
since there is danger that the verdict itself may
be understood as countenancing that opinion, it is
more than ever important that the opinion and
feeling which govern the administration of the army
in the highest places, and make themselves felt in
every battalion whether at home orist the extremities
of the empire, should be strongly marked. The
action of the War-office and Horse-Guards at this
conjuncture will be followed with the closest ob-
i nervation, and upon the direction it takes and the
spirit by which it is animated will depend for years
to come the sentiment with which the service will
be regarded by the people.

REPRESENTATION OT EAST SOWIZSZT.—It L said
to have bees determiner! that Mr. Ralph Neville GM-
vale sad Mr. Richard Horner Paget shell be brought for-
ward u easdidetee for the Easters Division at Sonterset
at the nut general election.

ebt Court.

OSBORN& Dm 23.

Yesterday afternoon by her Majesty'a command
the children of the workmen and labouren OS the Osborne
estate wan iuneinbled in the earrants' hall at Osborne,
where a Chrishnu-tree, with presents, was armpit
At half-past 4 o'clock the Queen, accompanied by the
whole of the Royal Family, proceeded to the hall, and
emulated by the Royal Family distributed the presents to the
children, which consisted of articles of wearing apparel,
books, toys, &c.
Afterwards her Majesty in the mime manner gave the
labouring men and women great coats, blankets, he.
The ladies and gentlemen in attendance, and the Rev.
G. Prothwo and Mrs. Protbero were present.

This morning her Majesty, the Prince and Princess of
Wales, Prince Alfred, Princess Helena, Princess Louise,
Prince Arthur, Prince Leopold, and Prince Leiningen at-
tended at Whippiogham Church. The Rev. G. Prather°
officiated, and administered the racrament of the Holy
Communion.

Prince Leininpn arrived yesterday on a visit.
Prince Arthur arrived yesterday, attended by Major
Elphinstone.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge en-
tortaioed their Royal Highnesam the Durham of (Ambridge
and the Princes@ Mary, at dinner last evening, at Glouces-
ter Homo. Their Serene Highumane the Prince and Prin-
ces@ Edward of Saxe Weimar and a select party were in-
vited to meet their royal highnesses.
_ _ _ _ _

The Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury are
mitortainhig a large party of friends at Hatfield Homo,
Herts. The noble marquis and marchioness do not intend
to me a county ball tbis season, but will receive a suc-
cession of gouts until just before the assembling of par•
liament.

The Earl de Grey returned to town on Thursday
from stayine with the shooting party at Earl Cowpees mat
is Hertfordshire.

Viscount and Visoountess Palmerston are sur-
rounded by a family party at Broadlanda, near Rommy,
Haab.

DEATH OF THE DEAN OF ST. PATRICE'S.

(IT =craw ITU:O6AM )
DUBLIN, DEc. 26.

The Dean of St. Patrick's died last night, after
a short illneee. He was flfth eon of the late Esrl of Long-
ford, and brother-io.law of the late Dula) of Wellington.
Dean Pakenham was in hie 76th year.

LATAT INTELLIGENCE.

THE FEDERAL ARMY IN HOLSTEIN.
PUBLIC EXCITEMENT.
(nom otrz owl coamoronarr.)
HAMBURG, Dim SC

The plot thickens. To-day the Federal troops
marched into Holstein at different points of the
frontier, and the Danish soldiers retreated north-
wards. The latter, yesterday, evacuated the
frontier town of Wandsbeck, about two miles
from this city, and scarcely were their backs
turned when the Schleswig-Holstein tricolour-flag
—blue, white, and red, in horizontal equal stripes—
in fact the Dutch national flag turned upside down
—began to appear on every house. At 1 o'clock
about a thousand of the citizens assembled in the
market-place for the purpose of proclaiming the
Prince of Augustenburg as Duke of Schles-
wig-Holstein. The proceedings were opened by
an impressive speech from a lawyer of the
place who called the attention of his hearers
to the importance and even danger of the
times, and exhorted all those to leave the
meeting who were not fully prepared to risk their
life and property in the approaching national
struggle. The address was received with enthusi-
astic cheers, but not one man went away. At 2
o'clock the prince was formally proclaimed as
Frederick VIII., Duke of Schleswig-Holstein ; a
protocol of the event was drawn up on the spot,
and signed by those present, and a telegram sent
off to the duke apprising him of what had hap-
pened.
Troops continue to arrive. Yesterday the Hano-
verian brigade crossed the Elbe, slept here, and
marched ou this morning. A battalion of Saxon
infantry also arrived by a special train, and this
morning proceeded to Attune., where they were
received with immense cheering as liberators.

In the meantime the excitement is nowhere
greater than here at Hamburg. In a former letter
1 mentioned the fact of the formation here of a
" Schleswig-Holstein Association," which, however,
was suppressed by the Senate, as it was only a
cloak to oover a recruiting office. It was a very
spirited but dangerous act of the Senate, as at
that time the Austrians had not arrived, but for-
tunately it went off well. Since then the asso-
ciation of gymnaata—the German Turners--
in the suburb of St. Pauli, have been exercising
every evening with the intention of forming a free
corps for the invasion of Holstein. When this
came to the knowledge of the authorities, Mr.
Senator Rucker, who is the " patron " or
governor of that suburb, immediately prohibited
it. This called forth the interference of the
Schleswig-Holstein committee, who proceeded to
the senator and had an interview with him, but
without being able to obtain a relaxation of the
order. In great dudgeon they have just issued •
proclamation, a Dopy of which is lying before me,
whilst hundreds are being posted up at the corners
of streets and in other thoroughfares. In it they
give an account of their interview with the senator,
in which he told them "that the general in com-
mand of the Austrian troops had given him orders
to atop the military exercises of the ' Turners,' or
else he should be obliged to do it himself by order-
ing his men to fire on them." This has tended to
increase the general excitement prevailing here just
now.

Accounts have this instant come in from Wands-
beck, stating that the Danish coat of arms has been 1,
torn down from all the public offices, and been
replaced by those of Schleswig-Holstein. Also that
the royal officials, including the head of the police,
have been driven away, and the local treasure
seized, though there was not much money found,
as the Danes for some time past had sent it to a
place of safety.
The Federal Civil Commissioners (the Saxon
Privy Councillor von Konneritz, and the Hano-
verian government councillor (regierungsrath )
Nieper) have issued a proclamation, dated from
Biichen in Lauenburg yesterday, announcing their
arrival and that of the Federal troops, for the
purpose of defending the rights of the Duchies,
but without prejudice to the question of
the right of succession, and calling on the inhabi-
tants to act peaceably, and consider them as the
legally constituted authorities in the Duchies for
the time being.
The Saxon General von Hake, commander-in-
chief of the Federal troops in the Duchies, arrived
here last evening from Dresden, and has fixed his
head-quarters for the present at the Hotel de
PEurope..

A meeting of members of the Holstein Diet was
to have been held yesterday at Altona, to take into
consideration the state of affairs in the duchy,
but, as it was prevented by the Danish authorities,
they adjourned to Strait's Hotel on the Jungfern-
stieg, in this city, where, of course, no opposition
could be offered. After deliberating for three
hour, it was decided by a majority to send an
address to the Germ►n Diet, praying not to delay
recognising the rights of the Prince of Augusten-
burg as the legal hereditary Duke of Schleswig-
Holstein, and to enable him as soon as possible to
undertake the government of the Duchies." About
fifty members signed the address, the minority of
fifteen declining. _ _ .

The Copenhagen Illustrated Journal gives the
following pedigree of Prince Frederick of Augua-
tenburg on the maternal aide :—" Toren Matthie-
sen, bell-ringer of the church of the Trinity, at
Copenhagen, born 1653, died 1740, married to
Miss Marian Niel ; Matte Matthiesen, married-
1, Peter Dorn, tanner ; 2, Major Dorn ; and $,
Admiral Ulrik Kaas ; Frederick Christian Kaas ;
Johanna Henrietta Valentine Kass, married to
Christian Count Danneakiold Samsoe ; Louil,e
Sophie, Countess Dauneskiold Saeusoe, married to
Duke Christian of Augustenburg ; Frederick, Pre-
tender.

Morn%

THE MINISTERIAL CRISIS IN DENMARK.
HAMBURG, Dec. 26.

Ad vices from Copenhagen received here state
that Sweden advocates the withdrawal of the No-
vember constitution.

It was believed that a ministry would be formed
by Baron Scheel Plessen, Her Von Criminil, and
Count Moltke.

The King observed yesterday to the officers of
the army and navy that he hoped still to preserve
peace in accordance with the constitution.
It is said that his Majesty will visit the army on
Monday.
It is stated upon good authority that the for-
tress of Rendsburg and the tits-du-pont of Fried-
richstadt will be evacuated, the latter being rased.

THE FEDERAL EXECUTION.

ALTONA, Dsc. 25, Evimmtn.

The Federal civil commissioners have issued
a proclamation stating that Altona will be
their seat for the transaction of business.
The reports hitherto sent to Herr von Ploen at
Copenhagen are henceforth to be forwarded to
the commissioners. Prayers are to be put up in
the churches only for the government, its counci:-
lore, and servants.

The Danish troops leave Neumnoster to-day.
Duke Frederick has been proclaimed in Pinner-
berg, Elmehorn, and Glitokstadt.
A meeting of deputies from all parts of the coun-
ts, is to be bald at Elmahorn on Sunday.

BAR DOMINGO.
CADIZ, Dlc. 25.
A steamer his arrived here with news from Elan
Domingo to the 7th instant.
The capture of Azua was shortly expected, which
would terminate the insurrection.