The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-27 00:00:00

DECEMBtR 27, 1856.

Workflow that the organs of the retrograde party have
taken advantage of the note in the Monileur to represent
it otherwise than what it is, viz., a simple declaration of
neutrality. They have professed to see in it a declaration
of war, and one journal has gone so far as to insinuate
that no arrangement can be made so long sa the present
political organisation subsists in Switzerland. We suspect
that the principal object of the Conaliirdionnel is to throw
a little cold water upon this exultation. But its article
appears to us to be open to more than one tbjection, and
we shall return to the subject, contenting ourselves with
observing now that the distinction drawn between Switzer-
land and its Government appears to be utterly unfounded.

The Assentblie demands that, whatAV,er solution of
the question takes place, England be hot permitted
to mediate ; bnt it is generally believed in {'aril that
the Federal Council of Switzerland has accepted the
mediation of England.

The Moniteur of Monday contained a report of M.
Would, the Minister of Finance, upon the budget
of the civil list for the year 1857. He comments
upon the extraordinary circumstances of the past
year, which occasioned the disbursement of large
sums in charity and acts of munificence; and ob•
serving that this unforeseen expenditure has absorbed
the whole of the surplus which remained from the
civil list of the previous year, he recommends the
Emperor to restrain his liberality within the limits of
prudence for the future.
The Pays explains that the publication in the
Moniteur of M. Fould's report is called for by
" false assertions," repeatedly made in foreign jour-
nals, to the effect that the Emperor's civil list was
burdened with debt, and that he had even called
upon the public treasury to provide for his liber-
alities. _ _

There is a rumour of an approaching visit of the
Grand Duke Constantine to Paris, on his return from
Nice, to which place he is to conduct his Imperial
Consort on a visit to the Empress Mother.
Count de Morny is expected in Paris from St.
Petersburg next week. Preparations are making
for his reception at his official residence of the Corps

lagislat if.
The two Government candidates—M. delgesie and
M. de Guillanmin—hive been returned for the vacant
seats in the Corps Legislatif.
AUSTRIA.

The Emperor and Empress were to leave Vienna
for Milan on the 27th.

The Cardinal Archbishop of 'Vienna has consti-
tuted the ecclesiastical tribunal, authorised by the
Concordat, for the matrimonial affairs a his see. It
consists of a president, who is Mgr. Zenner; of a
vice-president, the mitred Abbot Columbus; six
effective councillors, two substitutes, and three other
officials. The tribunal is to enter on its functions on
the Ist January.
A semi-official article in the Augsburg Gazette of
the 17th takes up the question of the continued
occupation of the Principalities. The writer plainly
says that the army of occupation was left in Moldavia
and Wallachia because Russia displayed a disincli-
nation to fulfil some of the conditions of the treaty
of Peace. When the St. Petersburg Cabinet has
ceded BAgrad and the Isle of Serpents there will no
longer be a motive for occupying any part of the
Turkish territory, " and consequently the battalions
of Austria and the vessels of England will be with-
drawn."