The Express.
London, England, 1846-10-20 00:00:00

derived frosnan authentic mune at Copenhagen, that it was
projected to unite in one the chanoer:es of Denmark,
bohleswig-Holstein end Lauenberg.—M. Olahausen has
been set at liberty, bat is bound to appear if called upon.
RUSSIA.—ST. PSTERBRGRO, (Ice. o.—All the
matommixdoned officers on leave have been ordered to join
their respective regiments. The Emperor has just conferred
the order of St. Anne, first class, on Lieutenant-General
Freytag, commander of the left wing of the army in the
Caucasus, as a reward for his having driven Schamyl out of
Cabardia in April last. A section of the Council of State is
appointed to prepare a civil and criminal code for Poland,
adapted to existing circumstances. The civil code will give
the nobles the same privileges as the nobles of the empire.
TURKEY.—THE LATE MINISTERIAL CHANGES.
—The Frankfort Gazette, which has always given proofs of
soond judgment
in itsappreciation of affairs in Turkey,
makes the following remarks on the promotion of Reschid
pasha to the dignity of grand vizier :—" The change in the
office of grand vizier in Turkey has always been an
set of great importance. At the present moment
it may be regarded in the light of a great political
event, not only for Turkey, but for all the governments of
Europe which attach so much importance to any act likely
to operate a modification in the condition of Turkey. Reschid
pacha has a reputation too well known in Europe to make
it requisite for us to point out the signification to be given to
his accession to the highest power. It is now beyond a doubt
reform and are the order of the day. The colours
unfurled by hid Pacha are this time planted by the Sultan
himself on the ruins of ancient ideas and fanaticism, which as
yet it had been vainly attempted to overthrow. The no-
mination of Ali Effendi was not less favourably received ; it
is perhaps even more popular, as he has fewer enemies than
Beschid. Ali Effendi is a man of high talents, and of great
honesty, and is gifted with an affability of manner which
captivates all who approach him. It was impossible to
select a better man. Ile is reputed by all equal to his ap-
pointment; he may be regarded as the right arm of Reschid
Pacha,to whom he is entirely devoted, and with whose opinions
be coincided, and this will probablygreatly facilitate the exe-
cution of the plans of the new ministry. Other changes are
spoken of as likely to take place shortly. Ahmed Fethi
pasha, brother-in-law of the Sultan, is spoken of as likely
to be appointed to a higher poet than that he now occupies ;
meantime, he has just been presented with a portrait of the
Sultan richly set in diamonds. Reschid Pacha is the first
Grand Vizier who can speak a European language.
The following is an extract from the firmin addressed
to Reschid Pieha, by the Sultan, on his appointment to
the post of Grand Vizier ;' Thy portfolio of Foreign
Affairs is entrusted to his Excellency All Etf ndi. By thy
nomination to tke functions of Lieutenant-General of our em-
pire, the high direction of all the affairs of my dominions with-
out exception is placed in thy hands, and the office of Grand
Visier being the natural source to which all high functionaries
turn themselves, we trust, that, with the aid of the Most
High and the inspiration of our Hely Prophet, thou wilt
apply thyself to realise oar wish, that is to say, the prosperity
of the empire, by working for the welfare and tranquillity of
all our subjects by taking every Step which may tend to the
general prosperity, and principally to the happiness of our
subjects ; by introducing promptitude and exactitude in the
management of affairs ; and by seeing that the different
functionaries fulfil the charges of their respective offices, and
do not go astray from the path of justice drawn out by the
divine law. Thou wilt give thy care to the military institu-
tions established since the organi-ation of the army. Thou
wilt especially turn all thy solicitude to the establishment
of the university, and to the carrying out of every measure
concerning public instruction, which, at present, is an object
of our greatest interest. In all these measures thou wilt
act in accordance with my faithful Straskier Kosrew Pacha
and all our other ministers and high functionaries of the
empire, and, in concert with them, thou wilt neglect nothing
to realise our wishes. May the Supreme Matter of the
universe extend his protection over thee, as over all those
who, in accordance with thee, watch faithfully and zealously
over the interests of our people.' "
ST. JAGO DE CUBA.—The Redactor of Sept. 19
contains an ordnance dated Cuba, the 15th of that month,
which commands all persons who have liberated Africans to
present themselves within fifteen days at the Secretariat with
the documents of consignation, to give an account of them,
and of their progress in learning the dogmas of the Catholic
religion. A fine of 50 to 100 piastres (according to the cir-
cumstances of each case) is to be imposed on every person
who fails to appear. The Redactor announces th t a work
on the ancient history of the island—of the aborigines and
the first settlers, is about to be published at the capital. Its
title is At chico Cubano, and it is the joint composition of
four of the most diatinguiahed literary ammeters of Cuha.
UNITED STATES.—WHIG STATE CONVENTION
rle Mitesaenuarrre.—On the 23rd of September, the Whig
State Convention met in Fanucil Hall, Boston. No less
than 720 members presented their credentials. It was re-
solved, by acclamation, that the lion. George N. Briggs,
and the Hon. John Reed (the present governor and lieute-
nant-governor of the state) be nominated for re-electiou as
the Whig candidates. A committee was appointed to draft
resolutions recommending these candidates to the electors,
and declaratory of the pr eciples of the Whig party. The
doctrines, argued at length in The resolutions, were more
briefly, but with much eloquence, enounced by Mr. Sumner
in his address to the meeting. Mr. Sumner remarked that
some had wished to have the convention assembled out of
Boston, from an opinion that " in the country is the spirit of
freedom, in the city the spirit of commerce :" fur his part he
was happy that it was held in Fsneuil Hall, " walls faithful
only to freedom." Adverting to a remark of the chairman,
that the Whigs were Conservatives, Mr.Sumnerremarkedtbat
in a just sense they should be " not of forms only but of
substance, not of the letter only but the living spirit." The
Whig party of Massachuirette refilled "to identify itself
exclusively with these measures of transient policy which
may, like the Bank, become ' obsolete ideas ;' " it did not
neglect questions like the tariff, int mal improvements, &c. ;
but it treated them as subordinate to the great principles—
truth, freedom, right, humanity. It was the slavery ques-
tion upon which Mr. Sumner dwelt in moot detail. He
maintained that Congress may by express legislation abolish
slavery, Ist, in the district of Columbia ; 2d, in the Terri-
tories, if there should be any ; 3d, that it may abolish the
slave-trade between the States; 4th, that it may refuse
to admit any new State with a constitution, sanc-
tioning slavery. Mr. Sumner's speech seems to us to mark an
advance on the part of the Whigs: never before do we
remember the party approaching so near to the abolitionists.
The chairman had previously thrown down the gauntlet
squally unreservedly to the promoters of the war with
Mexico. These are the fair features of the Whig code of
principles: the drawback from them is that hostility to free
trade, lightly touched on by the chairman and still more
lightly by Mr. Sumner, but dwelt on fondly and at great
length in the resolutions. Mr. Webster appeared at the
meeting for a short time towards the close. The tone of the
meeting was sanguine, and the recent victories of the party
in Hampshire and Maine entitled it to be so. The Whig
party throughout the States appear to be making a vigorous
rally. As friends of peace and foes of slavery, we wish
them all success; would that we could only add as friends of
free-trade.

COLONIAL.
WEST INDIES.
JAMAICA. POLITICAL NEWS.—The Morning
Journal of 22nd Sept. mentions that it had transpired that
Hon. Col. Bruce was about to leave the island, to join his
brother, Lord Elgin, in Canada. The question had been
raised who was likely to succeed the colonel as secretary ;
and, according to the paper we have quoted, Capt. Darling
(who acted as secretary to Sir Lionel Smith) was, from his
relations with the lieutenant-governor, thought likely to be
the man. A vehement controversy was waging between the
Despatch and MorningJosintal, arising out of the parish re-
gistrations which were in progress. The revising banister in
St. Ana's had disfranchised certain six-pounders, on the
ground that " he had taken the annual value fixed by the
assessors for purposes of taxation, as the actual ialue, instead
of taking evidence of the amount which the land yielded to
the proprietor." How many names were expunged from the
register in St. Ann's on this account does not appear : in
the parish of Tex, we learn from the lkspatch,
there were sixty voters declared to be disqualified
on this plea, in Port Maria two. The Despatch
adds that, had objections been duly served, 200 might have
been struck off the roll in the last-named parish for the same
reason. From the tone in which the controversy is waged,
we fear this disqualifying process will be resumed next year.
There is a show of justice in saying that a man ought not to
be allowed to represent his means as low for the purpose of
taxation, and high for the purpose of registration. But the
fair method seems to be to register hem according to the
proved value, and correct the entry in the rate-book, if too
low. The plan adopted by the revising barristers is calcu-
lated, and we believe intended, to diminish the number of
voters, and render elections more easily managed by the
planter or conservative party. This is bad policy: it excites
discontent and envenoms politics. No doubt many of the
new black freeholders are a difficult class to deal with ; but
time, attention, and justice, will mend this. The future
prosperity of the British West Indies depends upon the
political equalisation of races; and the crusade against small
freeholders commenced this year is intended to perpetuate
the exclusive sovereignty of the whites. Between the
despateh of the mail just arrived and of that which preceded
it, there has been great talk about parish meetings (the pa-
rishes of Jamaica are equivalent, our readers will bear in mind,
to counties in this country) to protest against free trade in
sugar. Up to the 23rd of September, however, only one of
these meetings appears to have taken place—in the parish of
St. Andrew's. No less than five series of resolutions were
submitted to the meeting by different gentlemen. The
general drift of all of them was much the same, with the
exception of those moved by Mr. William Douglas, one of
which declared that the conduct of the mother country ren-
dered it incumbent on them to withdraw their support from
its government, and to that end to resolve that no monies
should be raised for payment of the Governor's salary, or the
salary of any other officer employed by government. On the
motion of baron Ketelhodt, a committee was appointed to
digest the various sets of resolutions into one. The result
was the adoption by the meeting of eight resolutions, to the
effect: that the comaiereiel policy of the home government
threatens ruin to the islands ; that the position of the colo-
nies is extremely critical, and a firm effort needed to over-
come the difficulties in which the government measure will
involve them • that strict economy and retrenchment is the
duty of the legislature and the island authorities ,- that all
Pestrictions on West India produce ought to be abolished ;
that the existing navigation laws afford an unfair monop,ily
to British shipping ; that all restrictions on the introduction
of labour into the island ought to be removed that the
parochial taxation ought to be reduced. The pifrish of St.
David's was to meet on the 3rd of October.
GENERAL News.—The rains set in very heavily on Sun-
day night the 20th September, with every appearance of an
October season. Spanish Town was visited in the course of
the afternoon with a heavy thunderstorm. A meeting of
the shareholders of the Jamaica Bank was held at Kingston
on the 9th of September to receive the report of the directors