The Press.
London, England, 1857-02-21 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Mr. LowE, in reply to Mr. Blakemore, stated that
her Majesty's Government bad no intention to in-
troduce a bill this session on the subject of agricul-
tural statistics.

Mr. BLAKEMORE gave notice that on as early a day
as possible, before Easter, he should call attention
to this subject.

iortign dorrtsponbtuct.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 10.
BELGIUM is verging towards a political precipice.
The ultra-Roman partisans, having a majority in the
Chambers, are forcing upon the Government the
realisation of their factious views, preparatory to
organic changes in the Constitution. The stealthy
Jesuit of Belgium is thus advancing, and advancing
rapidly, in power, at the expense of liberal Catholi-
cism. This is not a Protestant country, therefore
there are no special opponents to Belgian Ultramon-
tanism belonging to that section of religionists. The
struggle is between the conscientious and liberal
Catholic and the Belgian Jesuit. In the first place
the Jesuit demands the exclusiveness of public
teaching. The debates that are taking place in the
Chamber of Representatives openly reveal their ulte-
rior object ; then will come the measure of electoral
reform, by which the lower class of voters will be
subjected to the control of the Priest, as the Reform
Bill of England placed the people under the yoke of
the Whigs ; and next in succession will be promul-
gated a law to curb the liberty of the press and
establish a Jesuit censorship. This is the march of
events in Belgium, and the immediate consequence
it is not necessary to state.
An Imperial ukase has announced the concession
of the Russian railroads to a company entitled
"La Societe des Chemins de fer Busses." The pro-
moters of the undertaking are—MM. Steiglitz and
Co., bankers, St. Petersburg; Hottinguer and Co.,
bankers, Paris ; S. A. Fraenkel, banker, Warsaw ;
Baring Brothers, London ; Hope and Co., Amster-
dam ; Turneysfen, Paris ; Mendelssohn and Co.,
Berlin; E. Pereire, J. Pereire, B. H. Foul(' and
Fould-Openheim, Mallet Brothers, Baron Selliere,
J. T. Uribarren, Desserts, Mussard and Co., A.
d'Eichthal, Frederick Greininger, and Casimir Sal-
vador, Paris. The principal board of direction is to
be at St. Petersburg, and is to consist of twenty
members, one half of them to be Russians. Another
committee of nine members is to hold its sittings at
Paris to superintend exclusively all foreign or otherwise
non-Russian interests. Capital, 275 millions of silver
roubles, in shares of 125 silver roubles; 500 francs,
134 Prussian thalers, 238 Dutch florins, 20/. English.
The company engages to construct, within a period
of ten years, four trunk railroads, with branches to
Warsaw and liOnigsberg, connecting the Baltic with
the Caspian and Euxine seas. The lease of the com-
pany is for a term of eighty-five years, but at any
time after twenty years from the completion of the
railroads the Russian Government may cancel the
lease, and take possession of the establishment, upon
payment of a fixed sum and a further rent annuity
to be determined upon. Five per cent upon the
subscribed capital is guaranteed by the Russian
Government ; and the proprietors on their part are to
pay to the Government, " a titre de cautionnement,"
five per cent upon the nominal capital, and a further
five per cent upon the gradual issue of scrip, the first
instalment of which, seventy-five millions of silver
roubles, has been already taken and pail up. Any
commercial advantage accruing to Russia—especially
one that will bring her into a more immediate rela-
tion a ith the rest of Europe—will be for the general
benefit, and belie the anti-Russian fallacies that are
industriously propagated by the Whigs of England,
to serve base and party purposes. The names of the
promoters of this gigantic enterprise are calculated
to insure credit ; but to a casual observer, and after
reference to the map of Russia, the capital does not
appear to be commensurate with the extent of the
engagement.

Prince Stirbey, the agent of Austria, has peremp-
torily forbidden the introduction of any journal or
publication into the Danubian principalities that
favours the Moldo-Wallachian union. Several
persons have been already arrested for baring in
their possession a number of the Nord—especially
the one quoting the note of the Monitcur on the
subject of the Principalities. This has given the
gravest offence to the Austrians. Henceforth, to
have the Nord and Moniteur. in the judgment of
Prince Stirbey, is positive evidence of conspiracy.
Against whom? In the Treaty of Paris it is stated
tbst a Divan shall ba summoned by the Sultan to
take into consideration this very question, among
others, for the better government of the Danubian