The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-23 00:00:00

FRAUDULENT BREACHES OF TRUST.

The ATTORNEY GENERAL, ill moving for leave to
bring in a bill to make fraudulent breaches of trust
criminally liable, remarked upon the anomaly peculiar
to English law, which divested theft and robbery
when accompanied by breach of trust—that was,
when the act was rendered most odious and
abominable—of their criminal character. Sir It.
Bethell then adverted to the various definitions of
felony known to our law, and gave an outline of the
clauses by which he proposed to bring the frauds
committed by trustees within the reach of punish-
ment as criminal offences. Among other forms of
trusteeship which he thus hoped to repress was that
exercised by the directors or other managers of joint-
stock companies, fur whose behoof he intended to
provide that the promulgation of false accounts, the
making falso entries, ike., should be treated as
criminal frauds. Incidentally, the Attorney-General
mentioned that he had now perused the evidence
given respecting the case of the British Bank, and
had determined to institute a prosecution against the
directors of that establishment.

The motion was agreed to, and leave given to
bring in the bill.

JOINT-ETOCK COMPANIES.

The ATTORNEY GENERAL then moved for leave to
bring in a bill to amend the Act 7th and Bth Victoria,
cap. 111, facilitating the winding up the affairs of
joint-stock companies unable to meet their pecuniary
engagements, and also the Joint-Stock Companies
Winding-up Acts, 1848 and' 1819.

Leave was obtained to introduce the bill.

A motion by Mr. MARJORIBANKS, that the Com-
mittee on Contracts ( Public Departments) do consist
of seventeen members, instead of fifteen, was opposed
by Colonel Boldero, and supported by Lord Pal-
merston.

After a short conversation the house divided, when
the motion was carried by 130 to 83.

NOTICE OF MOTION.
THURSDAY.

Mr. J. B. Sxtrtt•—that early 4fter Whitsuntide he should call
the attention of the house to the causes which impede the ap-
plication of British capital and skill to the development of the
troductiva powers of India, and should move that it was expe-
dient that the house should direct its attention to the best mode
of effecting that object.

THE NEW HEADING-ROOM AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM
was closed to publics view on Saturday last. The
number of visitors during the seven days of public
access was extraordinary. On Saturday, May 9,
8,713 ; Monday, 11th, 18,605; Tuesday, 12th, 13,611
Wednesday, 13th, 30,169 ; Thursday, 14:1i, 16,218 ;
Friday, 15th, 37,380; Saturday, 16th, 27,694. The
gross number of visitors during the seven days' ex.
hibition was 162,489. We can only add to our
former account of this remarkable structure and in-
comparable reading-room that the further arrange-
ments and facilities for the accommodation of the
readers are equally good. The general management
of the great room is placed under a superior officer
of the Museum, charged with the special duty of
assisting the readers in their researches. In a
central situation, all will have easy access to him
and to the catalogue tables. The booklresses
under the galleries within the public room are filled
with a large library of reference for the use of the
readers, comprising most of the standard works in
the various branches of learning, and an extensive
collection of dictionaries of all languages, biogra-
phical works, encyclopaedias, parliamentary histories,
typographical works, &c,

THE PRESS.

lortign and Colonial 3nittligentr.

FRANCE.

The departure of the Grand Duke Constantine
from Paris to the south of France, and the arrival
from Naples of his Majesty the King of Bavaria, are
the most important events connected with the French
Court during the week. His Majesty will remain in
Paris till the close of next week.
Colonel Bertrand, who accompanied Prince Napo-
leon to Berlin, arrived in Paris on Sunday with
despatches for the Emperor.
According to a Berlin letter in the Augsburg
Gazette, hi was decided during the visit of Prince
Napoleon to the Prussian Court that the Emperor of
the French should be invited to visit Berlin at the
end of the simmer.
The Moniteur of Sunday last published a despatch
from Constantinople of the 16th inst., announcing
that the Treaty of Peace between Great Britain and
Persia was ratified at Teheran on the 14th of April,
and despatched to Bagdad on the 17th of the same
month. .

Baron Gros, it was expected, would leave Paris
yesterday on his mission to China after an audience
of the Emperor.
The Cour Imperiale, after a long deliberation, has
delivered judgment in the affair of the Docks Napo-
leon. The sentence of imprisonment against MM.
Cusin, Legendre, Duchesne de Vere, and Berryer, as
pronounced by the Tribunal of Premiere Instance, is
maintained ; but the fines to which they were con-
demned are reduced.

AUSTRIA.
The constant assertions of the German papers that
Sardinia is ready to take the initiative in a recon-
ciliation with Austria are incorrect. The represen-
tatives of the French and English Government at
Vienna and at Turin are using their best endeavours
to gpromote an arrangement, but at present affairs
remain much in statu quo.
In the third week in June the Emperor returns for
a few days to be present on the 18th at the fete of
Maria Theresa held in commemoration of the battle
of Kollin, in which the Austrian!), under Count Daun,
defeated the Prussians under Frederick the Great.
The Prussian Minister, Gaunt I)'Arnim, and the
military attache, Colonel Kameke, have both left
Vienna on leave. An intimation of the probable
presence of the Grand Duke Constantine at this fête
is mentioned in letters from Vienna.

The temporary illness of the infant Archduchess
has interrupted the tour of the Emperor and
Empress through Hungary, and induced certain
modifications. Their Majesties will not finally
return to Vienna until the 10th of July.
A letter from Vienna, given in the Union, says :

It appears positive that the Emperor will not confine
his measures of clemency in favour of Hungarians to the
amnesty granted to political prisoners and refugees, but
will also restore them their landed property, confiscated
after the revolution, and administered since that period by
a special commission. It is stated that the tables are
being drawn up in the Ministries of the Interior, Finance,
and Justice, of the property situated in Hungary and other
parts of the empire belonging to persons condemned for
political offences. According to statistics worthy of faith,
the value of the landed property sequestrated in Hungary
amounted in MO to nearly forty tuition francs. Since
that time the value of land has increased.