The Press.
London, England, 1856-06-28 00:00:00

patign 6orresponttutt.

BnussEr.s, June 25.
THE editor of the Nation, has been condemned
at the "Cour d'Assizes" of Brabant to a year's
imprisonment and a fine of 1,000 f., for a libel
against her Imperial and Royal Highness the
Duchess of Brabant. The libel was contained in
the following words :

We shall not be advancing anything new when we state
that Austria is urging and assisting France in her pro-
jects against the liberties of Belgium. But what the
country ought to be made acquainted with is, that Madame
the Duchess of Brabant is the most active instrument at
the Court of Belgium in favour of this Austrian policy.
The Nation states a fact respecting Austria which
is true, and connects this fact with the Duchess of
Brabant, which is not true. In the latter statement
consists the libel, leaving the first unanswered and
Anything more stupidly weak and superlatively
unjust than this attack on the Imperial Princess
can hardly be conceived, excepting always her
defence by the Procureur du Roi.
The Duchess of Brabant is in her "premiere
jeunesse "--handsome, amiable, and accomplished—
and wherewithal gifted with a freshness and be-
nignity of disposition that attracts by the force of its
truth, as it wins by the suavity of its grace. Edu-
cated far from the turmoil of a Court, and taking
pleasure in pursuits appertaining to a country life,
the Princess has happily escaped the opportunity of
becoming acquainted with the dark subtleties that
warp, and the darker deeds that deface, the charac-
ter of political intriguers. One glance at that
radiance of youth and beauty in its joyous candour
would have satisfied the most suspicious of the
malice and preposterous folly of the libel. And this
is what the Procureur du Roi should have said, but
did not say, the sum total of his panegyric on this
bright and handsome lady being, "Mme. la Duchesse
s'occupe d'autre chose que de questions constitu-
tionnelles." The gallantry of an Attorney-General
of England would have treated the matter in a far
different manner.

But there were topics in the speech of the Pro-
cnreur du Roi that require notice. When in April,
1855, it was stated in THE PRESS that Belgium was
"a hotbed of republican conspiracies," the truth of
the assertion was indignantly denied by Belgian
journals of every shade of politics. It is now ad-
mitted officially by the Procureur-General in a Bel-
gian court of justice that the Nation is, and ever had
been, the organ of the Red-Republicans in Belgium ;
that it is in immediate relation with the " Marianne "
conspirators in Brussels, London, and France ; that
it publishes, by authority and directly, the notices
and orders of the London triumvirate, Felix Pyat,
Rongee, and Jourdan ; and that an active corie-•
spondence exists betwixt the Red-Republicans of
Belgium and the London Committee of Democracy,
presided over Mazzini, Kossuth, and Ledru
This is a tardy, albeit conclusive, acknowledgment of
the correctness of THE PRESS in its former state-
ments ; yet the existence of these conspirators and
conspiracies would have been pertinaciously denied,
had it not consorted with Belgian interests to avow
them. The present prosecution was a proper act of
severity. At the same time it must be rememb 'red
that if the Belgian Government is keenly olive to the
indignity of a froward insult upon the Duchess of
Brabant, other Governments, when the graver de
linquency of assassinating a reigning monarch is
counselled by the same Belgian journals, may have
just reason to be offended. .

The Procureur du Roi quoted with honest pride
the declaration of M. Vilian XIV. that any organic
change in the Belgian Constitution would be firmly
resisted ; and this Ministerial determination, lite-
rally adhered to, would be as unpalatable to the
"parti pretze" as to the Red-Republicans. The
clerical party have openly adopted the principles
and the language of the ultramontane Univers. In
connection with the project of the "etablissements
de bienfaisance," or convents; the following sanctifi-
cation of mendicity has been set forth and accepted
as an act of faith :

The Church (of Rome) sees in mendicity a rare virtue
leading to perfection, and approves, honours, and sancti-
ties those who make a vow of poverty. The venerable
servant of God, Benoit Lazare, was a beggar, a voluntary
and determined beggar—young, able-bodied ( valide), and
capable of gaining his livelihood instead of begging his
bread ; but he obstinately refused to work (refusait obstine-
ment de travailler) and would only hold out his hands to
beseech fur alms; yet by begging he was pursuing the path
of tree holiness (la voie de lit saintete ), an action of
grace that is repugnant to • the political philosophers of

ATURDAY,

the nineteenth century (qui rcpugnc it la sagesse du di:.
neuvieme siècle.)
Further :
This good saint Lepeaking of a mendicant friar, after-
wards a canonised bkhop) was the same who demanded,
insisted, and executed (faisait executer) those laws against
heretics [by fire and faggot] which wrongly seem to per-
sons of the present day to be so hard, so excessive, and to
some even so odious.

And this clerical party in Belgium, in the teeth of
sly.ch an avowal, claims the exclusive education of
youth. The Indiperulance thereupon justly re-
marks, "11 s'agiraitd'un pari contre la raison."

At Jassy an association has been formed consisting
of the rich boyards, the high functionaries of
Government and persons of property, to concert
measures for the union of the Moldo-Wallachian
provinces. It is called the Moldavian Society, and
in the meeting of the 6th June the following proposi-
tions were adopted :
That, as according to the stipulations of the treaty of
Paris, a European committee has been appointed to inform
itself of the wants and desires of the people of Moldavia
and Wallachia, and to report thereon, and which said com-
mittee will shortly assume its functions in this country,
the present meeting, convened by general consent and
authority, adopts the following resolutions as expressive of
the desires of the Moldavian people :

1. That the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia should
be united under the government of a prince belonging to one
of the reigning houses of Europe, and that the capital of the
country be hereafter decided upon.
2. That for the promotion of this object it is expedient to
establish newspapers and journals,—to issue pamphlets she w-
ing the advantages of such union—to send delegates into the
several districts to circulate such journals and publications, and
to establish local committees to ascertain the names of those
favorable to the measure.

9. That the Provisional Government about to be named shall
be appointed in conformity with The organic regulations of the
state, and that any departure therefrom is hereby declared to
be in violation of the rights and privileges of the country.
4. Tll4 in respect to the Divans convened for the purpose of
collecting the opinions and wishes of the country, the Molda-
vian Society proposes that the said Divans shall be elective, and
to arrange the mode and details of election a committee shell
be formed consisting of M.M. the Vornik Kostaki Harmuaaki,
the Vornik Demetraki Italet, Beaade Nicolai Suzo, Colonel
Kogolniezan, and the Vornik Kostaki Rolla, to draw up regale-
tkns, and the said committee shall submit its report to the
Moldavian Society.
5. That as the interests of the society demand that a direct
communication with the Roman population of Wallachia. M.
the Postelnik Alexander shall be depute.' by the society to pro-
ceed to Wallachia for this specific purpose. That at the next
meeting of the society on the 11th of June, the president,
secretary, and other officers of the society shall be appointed.

In his speech to the bishops at the termination of
the Synod, the Emperor Francis Joseph formally
promised a literal obedience to the Corcoraat. But
the prelates themselves are not agreed with the
Government upon the interpretation of the eccl. sias-
tical treaty, neither are they of one accord amongst
themselves, and have therefore referred the case to
Rome. The Hungarian bishops are firm in their
resistance, for the " Curate nieces " have exercised
an influence that will in the end set the Papal Con-
cordat at defiance as regards their peculiar position
in the ecclesiastical arrangements of Hungary. It
has been determined by the Synod, at the instance of
Archbishop Rauscher, with the approval of Cardinal
Viale Prela, that the universities of Vienna and
l'esth are to be under the immediate control of
Government, that they shall be absolutely Roman
Catholic to the exclusion of non Catholics, that no
professor shall oe appointed or pupil admitted to the
privileges of the university unless he belong to the
Roman faith, and that the present professors and
pupils not belonging to that creed shall be dismissed.
Against this act of intolerance Count Leo Thun,
Minister of Public Justice, has strongly and indig-
nantly protested. Not less obstinate are the ultra-
montane bishops in their resolve to persecute and
root out Protestant heresy in the Austrian dominions,
to which they attribute the origin and the success of
revolutionary doctrines.
Unceasing anxiety is evidenced by the Gazette
Autrichienne and the Ost Deutsche Post to persuade
their readers that the journeys of Princes and
Ministers are mad.', solely stud simply, for the sake
of amusement. On the arrival of the Archiluki
Maximilian at Hambourg, two hundred telegraph •
despatches awaited his arrival. The classification of
this correspondence, asserted to be non-political, into
scientific, gossiping, and amatory pigeon. holes, must
be amusing.
The circular of Count Buol on Italian affairs, is
treated with little respect by the Governrcents of
Europe, and least of all by the German principali-
ties, upon whom it was intended to produce a strong
effect. With an instinctive dread of Prince Gum-
chakoff, Count Bowl has given the Russian Minister
to understand that the tripartite treaty of the
15th of April had for object, not to secure
Austria against Russia, but to bind France and
England especially to a maintenance of the pre-
sent state of Europe, whereby the preservation
of the Austro - Italian dominions became an
immediate corollary. England has been trammelled
CI arendonially, and however ardent be the aspirations
of the people in favour o Italian independence, they
will be confined to parliamentary expression without
any possible result. France is bound to Anstrial and

■.I

JUNE 28, 185 G.

England will follow France. Yet are they both
equslly engaged to the integrity of constitutional
Sardinia; and in this consists the difficulty with
which Austria has to contend. It is the only hope
of ameliorating the fortunes of Italy by the force of
circumstances rather than by the generosity of allies.
Count Thun has not succeeded in bringing about
a good understanding betwixt the Regency of Parma
and General Crenneville. The general demanded
the power to arrest any one whom he might please,
on suspicion. Upon this many of the chief families,
friends of the Government, prepared to retire into
the Sardinian territory. An appeal was made to
General Radetzky, who decided in favour of
General Crenneville; but the Duchess Regent held
firm in her support of Prince Soragni. It is re-
ported that the Count de Montalembert is about to
publish a pamphlet on the affairs of Italy, in answer
to the speeches of Lord Palmerston and M. de
Cavour to their respective Parliaments. A reply to
the late observations of Lord Derby in the House of
Peers would be more to the purpose, but not so easy
to shape. The arguments of M. de Alontalembert
are said to lay down as a primary condition the
supremacy of the Pope in temporal power, and his
spiritual infallibility; in fact, that the error to which,
by common consent, the evils of Italy are attributed,
is, in Roman truth, and no other, the foundation of
her greatness, and ought to be the source of her
happiness.

Carrara has been placed in a state of siege. Pla-
cards has been distributed containing praises and
vivats in honour of Victor Emanuel, and the Italian
tricolor, the colours of Savoy, bad been exhibited in
treasonable bouquets. This was sufficient cause for
six hundred soldiers to be despatched from Modena
to take possession of the town, and to place it under
the rigours of military law. At Spezzis., in the Sar-
dinian territory, the house of a Red-Republican of
Faenza was searched by the troops, intelligence
having been received that lead to the beliet of
Mazzini, or one of his principal agents, being con-
cealed there. Mazzini has no intention of selling
his property in Liguria, and leaving Europe for
America. That is merely a blind to cover his pre-
sent movements.

The Capo bandit Lazzarini, who is permitted by
Cardinal Antonelli to ravage the legation of Ra-
venna, lately seized upon the Signor Antonio Rampi,
one of the wealthiest inhabitants of Solarolo. He
brought him to a neighbouring wood, treated him
civilly, and producing pen and paper requested him
to draw au order on his "fattore " for 3,000 colon-
nati. The draft was carried by a peasant into the
town, and after a short delay ho brought back 200
napoleons, being all that could be found in the
house at the moment. Lazzarini forthwith pro-
duced a proper stamp "en regle," and took a note of
hand for a further remittance. He then, with many
compliments, and the offer of a "bicchier di vino
di Madera," set Signor Rampi at liberty. There can
be no doubt that the order, sooner or later, will be
presented for payment, probably through a banker;
and that, notwithstanding any protest or appeal to a
court of law, the money will have to be paid. Car-
dinal Antonelli, in remembrance of his father, will
not permit an interference with the paternal profes-
sion, and will hold that the restoration of Signor
Rampi to freedom was a proper and valid con-
sideration.

The King of Naples has again returned to his old
pastime of political persecution. On Monday, the
9th of June, a special commission was issued for
the trial of prisoners accused of having issued pro-
clamations of Mazzini, and for having in their pos-
session versions of the speeches of M. Cavour in the
Sardinian Chambers. The accused, for the
most part, were shopkeepers and persons of
resnectability. As the day of trial was known
to the counsel and friends of the prisoners, the
court was crowded. Secretaries of legation, and
others connected with the several embassies, were
present, much to the annoyance of the police. An
attempt was made to adjourn the proceedings with
out success, since no valid reason could be adduced
for such a course, and the presence of so many
strangers of rank and position made this outrage
on justice hazardous. The publicity painfully con-
founded the Crown lawyers. This fresh out-
outburst is attributable to the persuasion that Eng-
land, the only country feared, is bound to inaction.
in the ca:e of Italy by the tripartite treaty of the
13th of April. This is advanced generally by the
Papal and Neapolitan despotists, and has given a
reaction to the Austro-Papal party that will shortly
conirnit itself to extreme measures. Certain it is
that the vacillating and equivocal conduct of the
English Ministry is working infinite mischief. They
counsel reform to the potentates of Italy, and when
that reform begins to show its existence by popular
movement, they call it revolution.

C. A. H.

THE PRESS.

(foreign anb Colonial 3ntttligtutt.

FRANCE.

The Emperor of the French leaves Paris for
Plombieres, so soon as the bill settling 600,000 f.
Rentes upon the heirs of the late Queen of the
Belgians, the Duchess of Saxe Coburg Gotha, and
the heirs of the Duchess of Wurtemburg, and the
Modified Tariff Bill, shall have passed the Legisla-
tive Chambers. The new tariff changes the thirty
five per cent, ad valorem duty upon woven cotton,
and woollen goods, to spec'fic duties hereafter to be
fixed, and for wearing-apparel fixes a duty of forty
per cent. ad valorem. Under the head of "Chymical
productions not classified," it is declared that products
resulting either directly or indirectly from the decom-
position of salt will pay in addition the duty to which
manufactured salts are subjected, in virtue of the
decree of the 17th of March, 1852. The new duties
thus proposed will, it is thought, appear amply pro-
tective to those branches of industry which employ
the various raw materials taxed.

Another bill, relative to the pensions accorded to
the great functionaries of the empire, declares that
the maximum cannot excebd 20,000 f. a year.
The Emperor is said to have expressed his dis-
satisfaction at the delay that has taken place in the
winding-up of the affairs of his new Ambassador to
St. Petersburg, M. de Morny.
_ . _

Count Orloff has returned to Paris from Mont-
pellier.
The Duke de Nemours is reported to have written a
strong letter complaining of the presumption of the
Count of Paris, in disavowing the entente cordiale
between the Bourbon and Orlean families.

A report just made to the Corps Legislatif states
that the supplementary credits over and above the
budgets Noted, for the years 1854, 1855, and 1850,
amount to 1,400,717,2831. 35c. Of this sum
1,229,890,278 f. 6c. were for the war. The remaining
200 millions were for "sundries." It appears that in
the three years mentioned seventy-six of the extra
millions have been expended "in supplying the
deficiency of food, relieving the misery of the popu-
lations, and multiplying public works." The Uni-
versal Exhibition of 1855 cost 11,000,000 f.
An interview between the Emperor Napoleon and
the Emperor of Austria this autumn is rumoured.
The Inapendance Beige, speaking of the matter,
says :
There is no doubt as to the constantly increasing inti-
macy between the Governments of France and Austria,
an intimacy for the attainment of which, we must admit,
the Cabinet of the Tuileries seems hitherto to have made
more concessions than that of Vienna ; first of all, on
the Italian question, and after that about the Danubian
principalities. Doubtless in so acting the French Go.
vernment is following up some object that is not yet very
clearly indicated.
AUSTRIA.

The conversion of the National Debt into one
uniform scrip at five per cent., and the ultimate
reduction of the interest from five to four per cent., is
said to be under the serious consideration of Baron
Bruck at the present moment.
The question of the Danubian principalities still
greatly occupies the Government. It is confidently
reported that the commission will not meet till the
evacuation of the principalities is completed. Sardinia
and Prussia will be represented in the commission.
The reason why Austria is so averse to the union of
Moldavia and Wallachia would appear in a late
authoritative article in the Augsburg Gazette:—

The world does not need the formation of a second and
modern Sardinia between the Danube, the Pruth, and the
Carpathians.
On the 18th the Emperor gave audience to the
cardinals and bishops of the empire. The Cardinal
Prince Schwartzenberg addressed the Emperor, con-
gratulating him on the conclusion of the Concordat,
and stating that certain additional requests would be
brought under his Majesty's notice. The Emperor
replied :
The glory I aspire to is faithfully to discharge those im-
portant duties which God has imposed on me. One of the
first of my duties is to do all in my power that the Con-
cordat may be most exactly realised. Nlhatever you may
lay before me in reference to this great work will be grJci-
ously received and carefully weighed. It will be most
agreeable to me to comply with your wishes whenever cir-
cumstances permit. ( Desideriis vestris, übicunque rerum
adjuncts sinant, obsecundare, gratissimum mihi erit.)
Count George Esterhazy died at Berlin on the 24th,
after a severe illness.

The French Ambassador, M. de Bourqucney, was
received by the Emperor with great ceremony on the
21st.

PRUSSIA.

Frince Frederick William, it has been decided,
will proceed to Moscow in August, to represent his
uncle the King at the Emperor Alexander's coro-
nation.

The King has returned to Berlin from Stuttgardt.

RUSSIA.

Lord Wodeliouse, Envoy Extraordinary and Minis.
ter Plenipotentiary of England, arrived at St. Peters-
burg on t.lpzi 17t11.

A./
-..—
Fifty thousand of the Imperial Guard are en march
for Moscow, where 10 1,000 additional troops are con-
verging. The military fetes at the coronation will
be on a magnificent scale.
The reconstruction of Sebastopol as a mercantile
town is designed. The Augsburg Gazette says on
this subject :
The treaty of Paris only interdicted the re-establishment
of maritime arsenals for men-of-war, but, so far as the
docks and yards were concerned for mercantile vessels,
nothing interdicts their re-establishment; and the works
will be restored on a gigantic scale. The Russian Go-
vernment knows well that, from its position, Sebastopol
cannot become a good commercial port, but circumstances
compel it to establish such a port there, in order to have
dockyards at all. New fortifications on the south will be
first constructed, as a complement to those of the north,
and then the dockyards, houses, and inhabitants will
follow.