The Press.
London, England, 1856-08-30 00:00:00

FOREIGN MISCELLANEA.

THE SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH between; America and
Ireland promises to be effected. A cable has already
been laid down from the northern point of Nova
Scotia to Cape Ray, Newfoundland, a distance of
eighty-five miles, and this will be extended across
Newfoundland to SL John's Bay, whence the ocean
distance to the west coast of Ireland is 1,640 miles.
Meanwhile the small steamer Arctic, despatched by
the United States' Government to make soundings
between these two points, has left Newfoundland on
the 31st of July, and arrived at Queenstown, Cork,
having satisfactorily performed the object of her
voyage, so that the next step will be laying out the
cable.

THE REPORTED VISITS OF THE EMPEROR OF THE
FRENCH to various parts of Germany, Switzerland,
&c., were not without some ground. A letter from
Berlin this week says :

in the mouth of May a young French ph)sician, of high
repute with the faculty in Paris, arrived at Carlsbad, and
consulted one of the most skilful pathologists of this place,
described very accurately the symptoms of his patient, all
of which pointed distinctly to an affection of the liver, and
inquired if the Carlsbad waters were well calculated to give
his patient relief, giving, at the same time, the distinct
intimation that nothing but the absolute certainty of a cure

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would induce his patient to resort to that place. The young
French physician, on leaving Berlin, proceeded to Vienna
and Prague, for the purpose of consulting further medical
a ithorities in Austria. In the latter part of last July the
physician whom he had consulted at Carlsbad received a
costly snufflxox from Paris, with a few lines from his
French medical colleague, requesting his acceptance of it
as a token of acknowledgment for his professional advice ;
he would probably guess for whose benefit the service had
been asked, but the consultation had, he grieved to say,
been unproductive of any result, for our Emperor is re-
stricted by political consideration even in the choice of
a spa."
THE famous mot of Bordeaux, "L'Empire c'est la
Paix," is not, as most people suppose, the expression
of the Emperor Napoleon's ripened judgment, founded
upon a consideration of the political situation of
Europe in 1852, but of much older date. M. Bel-
montet, at the late Bonapartist dinner at Paris, ex-
plained this. In 1833, a short time after the death
of the Duke de Reichstadt, the young prince, Louis
Napoleon, was invited to a little town in the duchy of
Baden, on the lower lake of Constance, and nearly
opposite to the Chateau of Arenemberg. There, in
Rudolfszell, secret emissaries from several sovereigns
were, according to M. Belmontet, sent for the pur-
pose of learning the real political opinions of the son
of Hortense. M. Belmontet had the honour to ac-
company the prince in a "little boat, with a single
waterman," but which frail bark carried " Cesar and
his fortunes." In returning, the prince confided to
M. Belmontet that the sovereigns of the north of
Europe, feeling distrustful of the duration of Louis
Philippe's power, and " doubtless " foreseeing the
inevitable revival of the empire, were anxious to
know what Louis Napoleon's ideas were, and that he
had told them that the re-establishment of the em-
pire could not but consolidate friendly relations be-
tween France and the powers of Europe; that, having
received the "baptism of glory," France bad now
only to fructify the institutions created or strengthened
by the Emperor, and to improve her material and
moral position—in a word, that " l'Empire c'etait la
paix," but " a peace great, solid, and durable by
reason of its own strength."
THE AUSTRIAN FORTRESS OF POLA, commanding
the entrance to the Gulf of Venice, threatens to be-
come the Sebastopol of the Adriatic. Strangers are
quite as jealously kept out, and very little as really
known of the result of the eighteen millions ex-
pended by Austria within the last three years in the
construction of this first marine military arsenal. A
letter from Turin this week says :
With the exception of Gibraltar there is not a more im-
pregnable fortress in Eurone than Pola, not only from its
position, but from the art and science with which it I.as
been constructed. It commands the entrance into the
Gulf of Venice, and into that large bay in which Venice is
placed. The water to the very shores is so deep that
vessels of large burden can approach in safety, and the bay
is sheltered from every wind that blows, and so extensive
as to harbour an immense fleet. The neighbouring hills
are crowned with enormous batteries, armed with guns of
the heaviest calibre. The numerous islets are turned
into forts similarly armed, so that there is not perhaps in
all Europe a more formidable fortress and arsenal than
Pole. Austria during the last three peals has spent more
than eighteen millions of francs, and, besides the impreg-
nable fortress of Pols, has constructed three docks, where
she is now building and equipping men-of-war. She
has enlisted into her naval service officers of every nation,
but principally Prussians, Swedes, and Norwegians. All
along her side of the Adriatic are fishermen engaged in the
Tun fishery ; as soon as the sons of these fishermen attain
the age of fifteen they are drafted into the Austrian marine,
a .d in a few years will become first-rate seamen.

THE RUSSIAN VICE-ADMIRAL VON ULASENAP is still
very carefully inspecting all the Norwegian mari-
time establishments and arsenals; " from these
elaborate measures of precaution and surveillance
(sap; a letter this week from Sweden', the rest of
Europe way measure how apprehensive Russia is
of Sweden attaining an amount of defensive strength
that would relieve her from all fear of her overpower-
ing neighbour." In the meantime the Swedish jour-
nals continue to repeat with great pertinacity the
confident statement that the Russians are com-
mencing the conversion of the Island of Kaskoe,
known to he very suitable for the purpose, into a
fortified maritime establishment. General von Berg,
who was there at the latter end of last month, se-
companied by two engineers, is understood to have
inspected the works already in progress there. The
Swedes profess to dread the future Kaskoe more
than they did the past Bomarsund.
JEWISH DISABILITIES IN RUSSIA are by no means
yet removed. Some Jewish passengers lately
arriving at Odessa were not allowed to land there,
although their passports were in perfect order, on
the ground that Hebrews can be admitted only when
somebody will be answerable for them ; and, as thee
persons had no acquaintances in Odessa who would
undertake for them, they were obliged to return to
Constantinople. That all the Jewish disabilities are
not yet removed is evident from the statement in a
letter from Berlin this week.—

The Emperor has ordered the Jews in every govern-
ment to depute five of their number to proceed to St.
Petersburg in September, and form a conference there,
for the purpose of discussing what changes are desirable

824

in the political striding of the Jews, and to lay their
proposals at the foot of the Throne. is regards the
competence of Jews to fill offices under Government
on attaining the degree of Doctor, which I lately re-
ported as having been conferred on them, it is stated
m a recent explanation from Russia that the service of
the Government is still reserved for the nobility and
such ranks of Christians as are otherwise entitled to
study at the Universities; and according to an old law
Jews also, who may be baptised and enter the Orthodox
Greek Church, are by that course made eligible ; the
only alteration in their favour that has been spoken of
lately with anything like reality is the admission of un-
baptised Jews to study in the medical school about to be
opened at Warsaw.

CARDINAL ANTONELLI when informed the other
day of the proceedings of the Municipal Councils of
Bologna and Ravenna voting petitions to his Holiness
for the removal of the Austrian garrisons, and for
giving effect to th 3 municipal law of 1850, said,
ironically :—" Ah t hanno dunque imparato dal Con-
gremo di Parigi a scrivere memorandum: si vivolga no
a quid Congress°, puchi le Toro demands vengano
esandite." (Ah ! they have learnt then from the
Paris Congress how to write memorandums : let
them go to the Congress to get their application
granted.)

THE RIFFS have found a champion in the person
of our late vice consul at Tripoli and Tunis. M.
Dupuis, in a letter to the Times this week, denies
that the Riffs as a nation—and they are a powerful
nation—are all pirates and cut-throats. It is merely
the coast tribes, like our own Cornish wreckers fifty
years since, who look upon every wreck as a windfall
and make the most of it without much respect for
meum and tuum, and the half-drowned crew, who are
either knocked on the head 4,1' sold into slavery. M.
Dupuis very justly remarks that on the attempt of
Prince Adalbert to land, the Riffs could not divine his
motive, and it does not appear that any attempt at
parley was made. He does not argue much result
from any expedition to the coast, which presents
admirable facilities for defensive warfare, which has
never yet been conquered by caliph or emperor, and
on which countless thousands would be summoned
in defence :

But what number of men must be employed ? Could
it be a small army, however brave ? Yet how support one
which would raise the war•whoop of Ed'Deen amid popu•
lationa untold, and bring the Djahid on its traces? The
thought alone would seem to be as preposterous as if the
West of Europe, just reposing from its toils in protecting
a principle, were to reverse the order of things, and raise
a crusade against that principle; and this for trifling in.
tenets, which, if general, may be secured without it, or
can only be so secured. It is no drawback from the glory
acquired by France to say that the capitulation of Algiers
was the effect of the jealousy, or fear of the Dey, to employ
110,0(X) Kabyles, mostly cavalry, who solicited to be led to
the field; nor disparagement to those masterly manoeuvres
whisk enabled a French commander to surprise an army of
observation at Islay in time of peace.