The Press.
London, England, 1856-11-01 00:00:00

A despatch from Trieste, Oct. 29th, states :

The intelligence from Bombay is to the effect that the
English expedition against Persia will probably not proceed
to the Persian Gulf; the Shah having, it is said, yielded
to the demands of Great Britain.

The usual mails with dates to the 22nd Sept.
from Calcutta, 3rd Oct. frnin Bombay, 12th Sept.
from Hong Kong, and 25th July from Melbourne,
have arrived this week. The intelligence brought is
of slight political importance. India is generally
tranquil. The preparations for the Persian expedition
were being pushed forward with vigour, but it was
not anticipated that the troops would really leave
Bombay. Later intelligence announces the submis-
sion of the Shah to our terms. The Paris papers
of Wednesday contained the following :

The French Ambassador at the Court of Persia has ar
rived at Teheran, on his return from Constantinople ; and
it is said that his Excellency had prevailed on the Shah to
make peace with England.

The preparations for the English expedition to the
Persian Gulf was nevertheless continued, and on its side
Persia was fortifying Herat, a Frenchman named Huhler
directing the works.

Two great afflictions have fallen upon India with
respect to domestic affairs,—the cholera and floods.
From the Punjab to the valley of the Ganges nothing
but tales of loss of life and property and universal
suffering are heard. The cholera broke out in Agra
in May last, and in a few months slew upwards of
16,001) people. Thence it struck the native cities of
Rajbootana, Bhurtpore, Kurnaul, Ferozepore, and
finally concentrated its strength on the cantonment
of Mean Meer. One-third of the European artillery
perished in a fortnight. Men died two hours after
seizure. No certain statistics have yet been pub-
lished. but a very moderate calculation gives the
total loss of life at upwards of 9U,000 persons.
With respect to the floods, a correspondent
writes :

The rains this year have been universally severe. The
downpour in Affghanistan was unprecedented, and in
August its effects began to be visible. The torrent of
water which at this season rolls down the water system of
the Indus gradually increased, then overtopped the banks,
and then burst on the plains with a force which swept
whole towns from the face of the earth. The canton.
ment of Naoshera, only half built, was carried away. The
great cantonment of llehra•Ghazee Khan was totally
ruined, the sun-burnt bricks of the building melting in the
flood. The Lund, or dyke, which defends Leia burst, and
Leia has disappeared. The loss of life has not been in
proportion, four thousand or five thousand villagers not
counting for much in India; but the destruction of pro-
perty is incalculable.
The Governor-General continues at Calcutta. The
subscriptions for the West Loan had not been
filled up.

From China there is no news of importance.
From Melbourne the gold production for the fort-
night ending July 10 amounts to 58,508 ounces—a
higher average than usual.

From the Cape intelligence up to the list August
has arrived.

The news from Kaffirland is not encouraging. A
"witch doctor," timhlakaza, has roused the religious
feeling of the tribes to the highest pitch by prophesy-
ing a great convulsion of nature. and the restitution
to the Kaffirs of all their lost lands, cattle, and pro•
perty. Great excitement exists at Cape Town, as
Kreli, Sandilli, and the principal Kaffir chiefs, aro
known to be under the influence of Umlulakaza.
The Government had issued a proclamation to allay
apprehension, but every preparation for war was
being made, and every precautionary step taken, in
case of a Kaffir inroad.

SNrURDAY,

EARL FORTESCUE ON ITALIAN RELIGIOUS
FREEDOM.
EARL FORTESCUE, Lord Lieutenant of Devonshire,
presided at the annual meeting of the Devon anti
Exeter Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible
Society at Exeter on Tuesday, and delivered an
eloquent speech, in the course of which he made
the following observations upon religious freedom in
Italy :
I must be permitted to observe, in conclusion, that
heard with peculiar pleasure from my hon. friend, Mr.
Sillifant, the statement he made, and which, if I mistake
not, is the result of his own recent observation, that with
respect to the security and freedom now enjoyed by the
long persecuted Church of the Vaudois, which we may
consider as the foundation of all Protestantism in Europe
—I say it gave me peculiar satisfaction to hear that, after
all the persecution which that primitive Church has had
to endure during more than five centuries, it is at length
established on a firm basis, enabled to perform its rites in
security under the constitutional Government of that brave
and good nation, Sardinia—whose army lately stood beside
us so gallantly, and covered themselves with glory in the
recent struggle in the Crimea, not for the sake of advan-
tage to themselves, but for the sake of justice and right,
for the sake of' upholding the weak against the strong. I
say, to me, as a lt.ver of civil and religious liberty, it is
cheering to find the liberty of that Church has been estab-
lished under the good and constitutional Government of
Sardinia—a Government which, be it recollected. all
Roman Catholic as it is, and surrounded by countries more
perhaps than any other under Papal influence, has neverthe-
less set the example of saying, of itself, to the Roman
Catholic Church, " Thus far and no further may you exercise
your authority in ecclesiastical matters. but you shall not
interfere with the freedom of our civil tribunes." These are
the doctrines which have been held in Sardinia, and these
are the doctrines which I trust, under God, will always
find favour. It has, therefore, been peculiarly gratifying
to me to hear what I have to-day with respect to the
security and the immunity granted to that Church ; and I
venture to hope, from what we see with respect to the cir-
culation of the Scriptures in Sardinia, that the circulation
of our Protestant Bible there will not have fallen upon an
unfruitful soil, but that true religion, under the advantage
of a constitutional Government, and from the example of
that country, will gradually but surely spread over the
misgoverned but benighted States of Italy ; and though I
cannot at my age hold out to myself the prospect of seeing
this result, yet 1 do believe it is allotted to the younger
men amongst you to see that Italy will yet acknowledge
and appreciate the advantage of a free Government and the
still greater blessing of a pure religion.
The noble earl then resumed his seat, and the pro-
ceedings terminated.

COLONEL P. S. BROOKS, so celebrated for his
assault upon Mr. Sumner, has made a speech in
South Carolina in view of Colonel Fremont's elec-
tion. He said :
I am by no means confident of the election of Mr.
Buchanan. I think it probable that John C. Fremont may
be the next President. With the platform upon which he
goes into power, with 80,000,000 dollars at his control,
with the army and navy at his command, what is to be done
to you when all these elements of power are in the hands of
a dangerous bad man ? I tell you, fellow-citizens, from the
bottom of my heart, that the only mode which I think
available is just to tear the Constitution of the United
States, trample it under foot, and form a Southern Con-
federacy, every State of which will be a slave-holding State.
I believe it, as I stand in the face of my Maker—l believe
it on my responsibility to you as your honoured repre-
sentative, that the only hope of the South is in the South;
and that the only available means of making that hope
effective is to cut asunder the bonds that tie us together,
and take our separate position in the family of nations.
I speak on my individual responsibility ; if Fremont be
elected President of the United States, I am for the people
in their majesty rising above the law and leaders, taking
the power into their own hands, going by concert or not
by concert, and laying the strong arm of Southern freemen
upon the treasury and archives of the Government. I
speak for myself; I do not say what I do not intend to
do. If you, people of the Fourth Congressial District,
50, 100, 500, or 1,000 of you, intimate to me that you want
me to go with you, my life, my fortune, my reputation,
shall be at your service.

MARSHAL CLAUSEL, in the first expedition against
Constantine, was accompanied by a now celebrated
Arabic scholar, who, then a young man, acted
as bis secretary, and was not at that time so accus-
tomed to be under fire as he has since become.
The marshal, when he came in view of the city, rode
forward with a slight escort to obtain a nearer sight
of the place. Every gun that could be brought to
bear was immediately fired at him. " Avez•vous vu
Toledo ?" asked the marshal, turning to his secre-
tary. The secretary did not answer, for he was at
that moment watching with some interest the course
of the shot, and looking askant at a Spahi who had
been rolled over close to him. " Avez-vous vu
Toledo ?" repeated the imperturbable marshal.
Again no answer, and again, " Avez-vous vu
Toiedo ?" "Ma foi, mon general, dans ce moment-
ci je ne me rappelle pas." "Ah, bah, si vous avez
vu Toledo "—and he went on to explain the points
of resemblance and distinction between the two
places.

NOVEMBER 1, 1856.

LONDON AND THE COUNTRY IN A FOG.
THE INTENSE FOG which enveloped London and
its neighbourhood on Wednesday and Thursday un-
happily gave rise to several severe accidents. Several
persons in attempting to cross the roads were knocked
down and run over, and on the South - Western
Railway two fatal accidents happened. The signal-
man at Wimbledon, Houghton, in crossing the rails
was knocked down by an express train and killed on
the spot, while a similar accident occurred at Wands-
worth. Coroners' inquests were held on Thursday,
and verdicts of " Accidental death " returned.

Much damage and inconvenience was also expe-
rienced on the Thames, and a total suspension of
river traffic took place, while that on the different
lines of railway was much retarded.
Among the many minor accidents on the railroads
not connected with loss of life, but occasioning a vast
amount of inconvenience, was one which happened on
Wednesday afternoon on the North-Western line. A
goods train, with two disabled engines, was approach-
ing Wolverton about half-past three p.m., when the
draught engine suddenly became uncoupled and ran
forward down the Ashton incline. After going a
certain distance the engineer stopped the engine,
reversed it, and returned at a gentle pace to meet
the train. He had miscalculated the distance so
heavy a train would run of itself, and consequently
a violent collision occurred, by which all three en-
gines and several leading trucks were thrown across
both lines cf rails. Assistance soon arrived from
Wolverton, but the difficulties of clearing the line
were enormous, owing to the accident having
occurred in the midst of a deep cutting, where it was
impossible to topple over any portion of the wreck,
the situation rendering it imperative to get every-
thing afresh upon its wheels and drag it away, or
attempt the Herculean task of raising it up a steep
embankment some thirty-five or forty feet high.
The up and down trains soon began to accumulate
on each side of the accident, and some conception
may be formed of the interruption occasioned to the
traffic when it is stated that at one time during the
night there were no fewer than nine passenger
trains detained on the up line and thirteen or four-
teen coal and goods trains, while on the down line
there were seven passenger trains and twenty two
coal and goods trains stopped at Wolverton. Up-
wards of one hundred men, under the orders of the
superintendent at Wolverton, were soon at work,
and about midnight the down line was cleared,
but the up line was not in a fit state
for traffic till one p.m. on Thursday.
The passengers for London were hence extremely
unfortunate—the great accumulation of trains one

upon another rendering it impossible to carry on
both up and down traffic over a single line at the
same time with any degree of safety, and it was not
nniil an early hour on Thursday morning that the
first of the up trains passed through Wolverton for
London. It will be readily imagined that, detained
through the whole of a most inclement night in a
situation where it was utterly impossible to obtain
refreshment of any kind, the pangs of hunger were
severely felt by the unhappy passengers. The more
daring passengers out of some of the trains found
their way to Wolverton, where the whole supply of
provisions was speedily consumed. Expresses were
sent to Newport Pagnell and Stoney Stratford, ana
other places to obtain more ; but many passengers
failed in getting even a piece of bread, and a biscuit
is described by the guards as having been worth a
sovereign, to such a state of hunger were many per-
eons reduced. The passengers by the various trains
were detained from six to ten and twenty hours be-
yond their time. The driver and stoker of the goods
train were both seriously injured.

THREE SMART SHOCKS OF AN EARTHQUAKE were ex-
perienced in Alexandria at three a. m. on Sunday, the
12th. The oscillations were from north to south.
The second shock is said by those who carefully
marked the time to have lasted 55 seconds. The
dogs which infest the streets howled fearfully, fled,
and were seen no more that night. The European
inhabitants abandoned their houses and assembled
in the great square, the men in dressing gowns and
the ladies in their nightclothes. Among those who
wept bitterly were Mademoiselle Rachel and her
sister. The earthquake was preceded by a noise
like that of distant thunder, the sky was bright and
starlight, and the sea perfectly calm, but the air was
excessively hot and oppressive. The inhabitants,
having remained more than an hour in the square,
and finding no repetition of the shock, returned to
their dwellings. All the mischief done in Alexandria
by the earthquake is confined to the walls of several
houses rent, and to a quantity of china and glass
broken. Accounts from Cairo state that four houses
were thrown down by the shock, and 134 damaged ;
au persona were killed and ten wounded.

THE PRESS.

6out Int laston.;

Her Majesty the Queen and Court continue at
Windsor. H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge has
visited her Majesty during the week.
His Excellency the French Ambassador and the
Countess Fersigny have also been on a visit at the
Castle.

His Excellency the Bavarian Minister and the
Baroness de Cetto have arrived in Hill-street from
Brighton.
The Duke of Devonshire has arrived at Brighton
from Lismore and Devonshire-house. His grace is
in improved health.
Colonel Ignatieff, aide de-camp to his Imperial
Majesty the Emperor of Russia, has arrived at Far-
rance's hotel, from St. Petersburg.
The marriage of Sir Charles Pigott, Bart., and Miss
Mary Louisa Carew was solemnised at St. George's,
Hanover-square, on Thursday morning.