The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-15 00:00:00

LATRST INTKLLIGENCJIL

PRUSSIA.

THE MINISTERS AND THE CHAMBER.

Subjoined is the text of the letter addressed to
the President of the Prussian Chamber by all the
members of the cabinet on the subject of the late
dispute :

Berlin, May 11.

In the sitting of this day the Minister of Wei found
himself obliged to repel personally offensive expressions
from several deputies, because the President had not repre-
hended them, and was interrupted when doing so by the
President. The hon. minister invoiced the constitutional

right of the ministers, but his representations were not at-
tended to, and he was even ordered by the President to be
silent The ministry think it necessary to examine the
conduct of the President, on account of the important* of
the principle involved. According to Art. 80 of the con-
stitution, the ministers have • right to be heard in the
chamber as often as they expreis the wish, and likewise
each of the chambers can call on any minister to appear
before it. According to Arta. 78 and 84, each chamber
regulates its discussions and discipline, and the members
cannot be held responsible elsewhere for opinions expressed
by them in their plans. Those articles of the constitu-
tion—Lad they are the sole ones affecting the matter—
subject only the chambers to the discipline established
by the regulations, but suppose the strict enforcement
of such discipline, by excluding in view of the regu-
lations the application of the usual penal laws against
any illegal assertions that a deputy may utter. The minis-
, tem are not protected by the same privilege, and for that
reason are not subject to the discipline of the chamber.
The course the President has followed in this day's sitting
is in roodadiction with the principle' of the constitution.
The President, invoking the pretended disciplinary attribu-
tions which belong to his office, has interrupted ► minister
sod imposed sienna on him. If Art. 60 of the con-
stitution gives the chamber the right to demand the
presence of the ministers, the correlative right re.
suiting for the ministers is that they shall be
always heard. But this right becomes illusory
if the President arrogates the faculty of limiting the minis-
ter's liberty of speech. fio long as this pretension shall be
maintained, the ministers will not be able to Will the obli-
g►tion of being present at the deliberations of the chambers
when the latter may desire it, as the obligation is only
imposed on the supposition that their duties will be com-
pletely respected. The ministry will therefore abstain from
all participation in the deliberations of the Chamber of
Deputies until it shall have received from the President
the declaration demanded by the present document, that
the illegal coarse followed to-day against a member of the
ministry shall not be renewed. (Here follow the signatures
of all the ministate)

A duel has been fought near Strasbourg between
Count Schleinitz, formerly Minister for Foreign
Affairs, midst presentlfinister of the Royal House-
hold at Berlin, and Colonel de Lain, maitary
envoy at the court of the Tuileries. The colonel
was wounded in the chest by a ball, and it is feared
that he will not survive. The incident has caused
considerable excitement in Berlin.

THE FRENCH IN MEXICO.

The Patrie of to-day publishes the following :

The G&W reports of the recent militar► cremate in
Ilexioo reached Park yesterday. They confirm the informa-
tion already received from various warms of the attack
and capture of the city of Puebla. According to our private
advirea, our troops, at the latest date, were in poreasion
of the town, with the exception of two forte, against which
the attack was not to be directed, as the occupation of all
the other positions of the enemy rendered the surrender of
those forts inevitable.

Despite the supplications of the inhabitants, the Mari-
am garrison, commanded by General Ortega, had re-
solved to withstand the siege ; and the resietanos it made,
secordins to the reports of those who took part in
that desperate straggle, was as energetic as it was.coursge-
ous. Street by street, house by house, our sadism ,emulated , mulated
by that heroic ardour which is common to them, had to fight
their way. The streets were barricaded, the houses,
coated with earth, formed so many forts, sgaioet which our
artillery was obliged successively to direct its fire.
Thanks to the skilful plans of General Foray, and
to the maintenance of order during the advance of the
besiegers, whose real it was at times necessary to re-
strain, our losses have not been, happily, in proportion to
the difficulties which arose at every step. The artillery, '
under the able direction of its brave colonel, recently pro.
mated to the rank of general, spare i its fire as much as
possible, as well to prevent the desti action of the most
populous portion of the city, where the inoffensive inhabi-
tants had sought shelter, as to economise in some measure
his ammunition, which had been procured at great cost of
conveyance. The precision of aim remedied in some degree
the relative want of shot and shell, and the part played by
the artillery in this sanguinary combat deserves, in this
point of view, the highest praise. Let us hasten to add
that General Ll4llllited, of the artillery, where death had
boss reported, is only wounded. He wu struck by a bullet
is the forehead, and, though the wound is cartons, no fears
of a fatal issue were entertained when the last despatches
left This is the only general officer who has been wounded.
Among the superior officers one colonel only received • slight
wound in the shoulder.

The number of prisoners taken by our forces is considera-
ble. Our officers, actuated by that generous spirit which
elegy, animates them, endeavoured to ovoid as much u pos.
dble the effusion of blood in the houses which fell into their
hands. Nevertheless, it was found necessary to blow up
many of the houses, which had been traesformed into iso
many fortresses, and to bury the defenders inside, who held
out to the last, in their ruins. The composition
of the garrison of Puebla has again corrobo-
' rated the assertions of all the correepondences which
represented the majority of the Mexican populatioo as
favourable to European intervention. The Mexican flag,
or rather the flag of Juarez, counted among it, defenders
deserters from General Prim's army, Eoglish men, Americans,
and a great number of cosmopolite soldiers which the Euro- '
peen continent provides in all adventurous wars. The
presence of these various elements explains in part the
unexpected resistance which has been made.
Passengers who left Vera Crux by the last steamer are of
the opinion that io the week which would follow the de•
gesture of the cour:er the complete occupation of Puebla
must have taken place, and that the inhabitant', protected
against the mercenaries who had joined General Ortega's
army, most have received our troops with cordial hospi-
tality.

The account given in the Constitutionnel is some-
what vague, and is much more brief. It says :
The oourier from Mexico has bronzht glorious news.
Sinop the commencement of April our troops had gained a
footing in Feeble ; and, if the town wu not yet completely
in our hands, at least our troop. entered it on the Slat of
March, after a victorious assault, and were every day
making further propene.
They entered the city on the north-west aide, and on the
3rd of April advanced against the toadied redoubt in the
centre of the town, no as to attack it on two sides at once.
The various fortified works of Morelos, Carmen, S•
Pablo, and others had surrendered ; the first fire of reel&
awe having ceased, it no longer seemed doubtful that the
I complete ow:patios of the town would shortly follow, and
consequently lead to the surrender of Forts Loreto and
Guadeloupe.

(IIZOTER'II TELEGRAMS.)
MEXICO.
REPORT OF GENERAL FORXY.
PARIS, MAT 15.

The Munster, of War and Marine have received
despatches from Vera Cruz to the 16th April, which
have been published to-day.

The documents include a report of GeneralForey,
dated 2nd April, and a journal of his operations
till that date inclusive. After six days had been
employed in cutting trenches, Fort St. Xavier was
carried by assault, notwithstanding a vigorous
resistance by the Mexicans.
During the night of the 31st March and the suc-
ceeding day, the troops occupied several blocks of
houses, among which was the Convent Guadalupita
The troops continued to advance without much
lore by means of trenches, and by.blowing up walla.
Preparations were being made to take the Cathe•
drat on the 3rd April, which is the highest point in
the city.