The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-12 00:00:00

officers in , the Crimea, and although it has heal
found sassmary in consequence to send e. acme of
the juniors, almost before they had comeclets# the
'levier marls of instruction in military 'field works
at Chatham, it appears from the Army List that
there are at present nine officers of the corps seconded.
They are thus apportioned-1 colonel, 3 lieutenant-
colonels, 4 captains, and 1 second captain. Two of
them see abroad as governors, two in London on the
Railway Commission, one is inspector of the Welsh
roads, two are employed in Dublin, one in the Mau-
ritius, and cue on special service in Turkey. Now,
although it may be conceded that the two
governors—Sir W. Rain and Sir W. Dxtusox—
' are in positions where they are quite as
useful as they would probably be on ac-
tive service, the same remark does not apply to the
younger officers. The two Railway Commissioners
may find opportunities of turning to good account
I their practical experience when the Balaklava rail-
, way is completed; and judging from the reports of
our special correspondent in the Crimea an efficient
I inspector of roads would be quite a godsend to Lord
RAGLAN. The places of the five seconded officers,
now at home, could be easily filled from civil life,
1 and probably without any additional expense to the
I public. However that might be, it is surely most
desirable to secure the services of so many experi-
-1 snood officers in the legitimate sphere of their duties,
L instead of being obliged, as at present, to send out
! very young men, who have all their experience yet
I to acquire.—Daily News.
1

FRANCE.

DZIMINT OP TEI DAILY EERIE.)
PARIS, TIIIIBSDAY DISKING.

The Monitour de r Armes announces that the army
of the East is about to be newly organised. It will
consist of two corps dramas and a corps of reserve.
The two corps will be commanded by General Bos-
quet and General Pelimier. The latter general,
now in Algeria, where he has greatly distin-
guished himself, has been ordered to the Crimea
to assume his new command. I understand that
tke full complement of each corps (Parma is in-
tended to be 40,000 men. General Canrobert will
continue to be the commander-in-chief. There are
reports that he is likely to be made a Marshal of
France, but I think it improbable that this dignity
will be conferred upon him before the taking of
Sebastopol. Lord Raglan's promotion during the
course of the present campaign can hardly be con.
sidered a parallel case, Canrobert being a very young
general.
General Niel, who
just been
himself at the
siege of Bomarsnnd, and hasust been appointed an
aide-de-oampto theEmperor,leftParis last evening for
the Crimea. Some people infer from this circumstance
that if the war continue the- Emperor will go there
himself. However far-fetched this inference may be,
it is certain that the French Emperor has long been
preparing himself for the assumption of the supreme
command of an army in the field in certain con-
tingencies.
Brigadier-General Mayran is promoted to the rank
of general of division, and appointed to succeed Ge-
neral Bosquet in the post vacant by the promotion
of the latter to a higher command.
The Sentinells of Toulon, of the Bth, says The
Milan left yesterday with 200 men of the 14th regi-
ment. The Tonnerre has also left, having on board
a number of wooden barracks for the army of the
Crimes. 1,000 men belonging to the 14th regiment
' have marched into the arsenal to-day, to embark on
board the Duperre line-of-battle ship.'
Admiral Hamelin has arrived in Paris.

The applications for the new loan are so numerous
that it is probable the demands will exceed very
greatly, if not double, the five hundred millions.
' Although the precise state of the negotiations at
Vienna is somewhat mysterious, I believe I may state
with certainty that the instruct ions sent to the French
and English ambassadors at Vienna are that peace
will not be made until Sebastopol is taken or sur-
renders.
At the Bourse the opinion that peace was at hand
was much less in favour, notwithstanding a tele-
graphic announcement that Vienna Metallics had
again risen considerably. The Rents fell 83c., closing
at 137 fr. 100. Railways and all other securities were
also much lower.
A recent letter from Sebastopol states that the
General of Division Morris, the commander-in-chief'
of the French cavalry in the Crimea, bad left Baidar '
at the head of several battalions and squadrons, for
the purpose of making a reconnaissance as far as
Yalta, following the Corniche road.

ITALY.

FESTIVAL IN HONOUR OF THE MADONNA.

(FROM Tl 3

THE DILTLY BENS.)

NAPLES, JAx. 2.

The city ham, for the last week, been turned
upside dowa is getting up. a fete and proces•
non in honour of "Maria Vergine." The streets and
purlieus of Naples have been cleaned out as they
never have been since the halcyon days when our
beloved (big) brother, the Emperor of all the Russian,
condescended to visit this humble rein of absolutism.
Whether, as then, coachmen were ordered to put en
round hats and long-tailed coats, and Lazzaroni to
imprison their unaccustomed feet in leather, I
know not; but everything was done to give the
external aspects of decency to the city. The
king it appears went on foot from his palace to
the church of Gam Vecchio, whence this extra-
ordinary procession started. The cardinal, bishops,
and clergy led the van—then came the gigantic doll-
like image of the Madonna, followed immediately
behind by His Majesty, supported by generals on
either side. The Hereditary Prince, supported by
his two uncles, then followed—the younger sons of
the King succeeded—then came a line of royal car-
riages, and the whole was closed by cavalry and a
train of artillery. In this way the procession made
the round of old Naples, returning, after four
hours walking, to the spot from which they had
started. Her Majesty and a large assemblage of the
court were at the windows of the palace, and all
Naples was out to witness this distinguished act of
royal devotion. His Majesty was so much overcome
by his feelings that he was frequently seen to wipe
away the tears which rolled down his pions cheeks.
Would that but one tear had fallen for Poerio and
hundreds of others who at this hospitable season are
pining within dungeon wall.. What is the meaning
of all this? I asked of a sharp looking man, who had
been a curious spectator, "Why, sir," was the reply,
" two religions had a lite' with the Pope as to whe-
ther the Madonna was immaculate or not, and now
his holiness has decided that all 'religions' are to
believe in her immaculate conception." So important
an event was not likely
.to be passed over in Naples,
and hence the great religious demonstration which has
just been made. To the man of thinking mind
it cannot but be matter of surprise that the 19th
century has been chosen for so broad an assertion of
Papal infallibility, and on a dogma which has for so
many centuries been permitted to repose in uncer-
tainty. dome incredulous minds, too, are apt to
think that the decision of the Pope was imperfect, in-
enamel as it did not establish the immaculate concep-
tion of all the ancestry of the Madonna. Those
who know Naples, however, will not be so much
surprised at the puerilities practised here. I believe that
there is quite as much koavishness as folly in them,
andthat, like the "panem et circenses"for the Romans,
these are provided to amuse and to divert public
attention from political refleetioes. In fact, the great
effort is here to emasculate the public mind and reduce
it to complete subjection to the priesthood, and so long
as that subjection continues, there are no hopes for
the reformation or resurrection of Italy. What an
insult is it to the best interests of man, that whilst
Europe is shaken to her foundations, by the mighty
political events of the day, the whole of the south of
Italy is drivelling about subjects which ought to
have slumbered under the cobwebs of antiquity! On
the 6th of January a much more imports& rat will