The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-03 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

other. Although no great liking is felt for Prussia,
the majority of French statesmen would be delighted
to see her gain the day (without bloodshed, how-
ever), if only to curb the insolence of the Swiss de-
mocracy ; but amongst the ordinary public a certain
degree of sympathy is felt for Switzerland.
This being New Year's-day, is the great annual
holiday of the French. The streets are crowded
with people hurrying to and fro to visit friends and
acquaintances, leave cards, and make presents ; for
such is the way in which the day is celebrated. The
shops, especially those of bonbons, are thronged with
purchasers, and the boulevards are covered with
stalls. The Emperor is holding grand receptions at
he Tuileries.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 30.
A TRIAL of unusual interest, and of a certain im-
portance, is taking place in this town. In 185.2
Count Liedekerke was robbed of 10'2,000 francs-
-50,000 in gold, and the remainder in bank•notes.
'The Countess Liedekerke had previously lost jewels
and other articles of value. Some of the servants
were at first suspected, but their innocence had been
incontestably established, and the matter remained
involved in mystery. About the time of the robbery
a person of low birth, yt.t of good education, had
been engaged as preceptor to the young count, and
OD quitting the situation, of his own accord, still pre-
served intimate relations with the different members
of the family and their servants. After a visit "au
premier," "Fitzjeames " dived below, where ho was
cordially welcomed by the " sujets." Subsequently
the tutor married, bought a house, and travelled.
He occasionally gambled at Aix-la-Chapelle, Spa,
Hombourg, and Wiesbaden. His losses at these
places were known ' • but his gains, which in the
long run he declared to be large, have been denied
by the croupiers of the respective establishments.
The open possession of property without evidence of
its derivation attracted notice, and afterwards raised

suspicion. Upon this Vervaert has been accused
and put upon his trial for the robbery, committed
four years ago, in 1852. The presumpt►ons may be
strong against him, yet there is not au atom of direct
evidence of the fact, and the points most adverse to
him have been extracted from his examination by
the president of the court. He was called upon by
the judge to give an exact description of the dress
he wore on the particular day in 1852, even to the
carrying an umbrella; and the slightest counter-
evidence, dependent on memory alone, has been set
down to his prejudice. It is utterly repugnant to
English law and an English idea of justice that a
man should criminate himself ; and if the propriety
of the principle be admitted, the " question" and the
rack, resting upon the same justification, will not be
far off. The fate of the accused depends simply
upon the bare possibility of being guilty without a
particle of proof. According to the system of Eng-
lish jurisprudence no conviction could be obtained
upon such insufficient evidence. The jury, by a
majority of seven to five, have this moment found
Vervaert guilty, and the judges have unanimously
concurred in the finding.
A publication has lately appeared entitled " Le
Protestantisme Beige, par un Beige," the last
chapter being headed, "Liberty of Conscience." Of
all the epochs familiarly cited as the most happy in
former times, is that of the reign of Albert and
Isabella. It was said to be the golden age of
Belgium. This state of political beatitude did not
prevent the most rigid persecution of those daring
to arrogate to themselves the rights of conscience.
Extirpation of heresy and heretics, " quocunque
modo," was an act of piety and faith; and the author
retai►s with exactitude the several trespasses against
civil and religious liberty, which have found apolo-
gists in the Ultramontane professors of Belgium.
The tortures inflicted on two ladies of Brussels,
named Rempaerts, with their servant, Anne Van-
derhove, are given with exactitude. Their con-
demnation for demanding the right to judge fur
themselves was carried by the casting vote of the
clement Archduke Albert, and, having received sen-
tence, they were buried alive in the field called
Vannheyveld. Having been placed in a pit, the
priest called upon them to abjure their heresy, and
upon refusing, the earth was shovelled in until it
reached their waists, shoulders, and neck, and, finally,
the executioner beat out their brains before the
assembled multitude. The persecution of Helsen,
a Catholic priest, recorded in this work, is of recent
date. He performed the Roman offices in the vulgar
tongue, and for this innovation, with others contrary
to the order of his diocesan, he was tormented until he
died, mad, in a convent of Louvain. The Protes-
tants in Belgium amount to about 20,000 ; hardly
more than the number in Antwerp in the year 1559.
So small a number in proportion to the population
might be permitted to dwell in peace; but the mis-

chief of having bibles in their possession, with the
power of disseminating them without official
hindrance, is a serious complaint against them, and
is the reason of the Ultramontane party endeavour-
ing to usurp, by authcrity, the exclusive education of
youth, whet, the Bible would be prohibited as the
scouree of corruption and heresy.
The Federal Assembly met at Berne on the 27th,
when the President opened the session with a speech
more calculated to excite popular ferment than to
induce a sober and statesmanlike consideration of
the matter in dispute. In the circular of M.
Stoamptli addressed to the cantons, bearing the date
of Dec. 22, attention is directed to salaried agents
who are endeavouring to propagate a revolutionary
spirit in favour of Switzerland, and are appealing to
foreign nationalities for active assistance. These
proceedings are censured in the following words :

You are cautioned especially against fraternising with
these political refugees, and you are hereby instructed to
tell them that they should refrain from taking any part in
political demonstrations, for in case of disobedience they
will be immediately expelled from the Swiss territory.

In the teeth of this pompous insincerity, at a public,
and patriotic dinner at Geneva, General Klapka, the
Hungarian patriot, offered his services amidst great
cheering, and received the compliments of General
Dufour. Generals Lamoriciere and Bedeau have
followed his example. Klapka bas nut been sent
out of Switzerland, and the Revue de Crenive expa-
tiates largely and with gratitude on tho offer of the
republican generals of France. The frontier cantons
of Switzerland, especially Geneva, teem with political
refugees, a large number by whom are already
enrolled as volunteers in the Swiss corps. A meet-
ing has also been held of the students of the
University of Geneva, fully one-third being foreigners,
when they decided to enrol themselves in a corps of
volunteers, to be called " The Battalion of Students."
And this offer of service received cantonal approba-
tion. M. Escher, of Zurich, has been elected presi-
dent of the National Council. A political committee
of eleven members has been appointed to examine
and report upon the message of the Executive
Council on the Neufchatel conflict. It consists of
MM. Escher, of Zurich ; Gonzenbach, of Berne ;
Dufour, of Geneva; Frog, of SoleurA, ; Hunger-
buhler, of St. Gall; Blanchenay, of Vaud ; Styger, of
Schwyz ; Stehlin, of Basle ; Planta, of the Grisons ;
Pfyffer, of Lucerne ; and Keller, of Aargau. The
committee is also armed with power to make pro-
positions, and, in fact, to decide upon those that are
submitted by foreign powers, so that the solution of
the dispute with Prussia is within its special pro-
vince. All the members are persons of character
and standing. M. Salignac Fenelon, the French
Minister, has presented another message to the
Federal Council, based, however, upon the former
condition agreed upon between the Emperor of the
French and Count Hatzfeldt, at Biarritz, that of the
release of the royalist prisoners. M. de Krudener,
the Russian Minister, warmly supported its provi-
sions. A meeting of the diplomatic body had pre-
viously taken place, when the proposition of M. de
Fenelon was generally approved. The Diet of
Frankfort sent a special message, that a delegate of
the Swiss Confederation might be nominated to
confer with the Diet on the means proper to prevent
hostilities with Prussia, and to arrive at a pacifio
solution. M. Farrar instantly departed upon this
mission. A message, also, has been received by
telegraph from Colonel Barman, the Swiss Agent
at Paris, notifying that fresh propositions had been
made, which he was anxious, personally, to lay
before the Federal Council at Berne. The answer
was " Venez." In the meantime the royalist pri-
soners have been removed from Neufeha:.el to
Lausanne, on their way to the Chateau de Chillon.
They are now in the safe keeping of the Confedera-
tion itself. There is every reason to hope that this
unwise ebullition, which has assumed an importance
not due to such an act of extravagant folly, will be
settled without causing serious disturbance. It will
not be the fault of the Swiss republican journals, if
they do not prevent such a desirable termination. They
threaten an invasion of the territory of Baden, if
permission he given for a passage of the Prussian
troops ; and the Government of Wurtemburg has
formally protested against the presence of a Prussian
army in Germany. The antipathy of Wurtemburg
to Prussia, and its subserviency to Austrian views,
dates from 1850.
M. de Kisseleff has forwarded to St. Petersburg the
new project for a rectification of the Bessarabian
boundaries. This fresh proposal, in separating Bolgrad
from Russia, gives in exchange a larger share of Molda-
via ; but the terms do not allude to any question of
barter, and merely treat the matter as a consequence
of the Congress of Paris. The Nord observes—" On
pent done, des it present, censiderer cocaine terminee,
au profit de la paix, cette seconde phase du Congres
de Paris."
The Emperor of Austria has at last accepted the
resignation of Marshal Radetsky, and the Archduke
Ferdinand Maximilian, now at Brussels, is to by

Viceroy of Lombardy, and General Count Gunnlay
will have the command of the forces.
Orders have been sent from the King of Naples
not to carry into execution the sentences against the
Sicilian insurgents. The usual severity, however, is
exercised on those who have been lately incarcerated
in Calabria. A suspicion that the late explosion was
a concerted affair in connection with the Calabrian
conspiracy, has caused fresh arrests. Among others
is a judge named Christo, a man of character and
consideration, who has been imprisoned for the
crime of having been a fellow-student with Melano,
when both were being educated for the Franciscan
" Sottana." C. A. H.