The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-30 00:00:00

711

sign that the liberal influences in the cabinet are in the
ascendant.
The Fomento of Barcelona of the 18th says:—" Foe taa
complete security of our manufacturers, we can state with
certainty that the captain-general has received to-day beat
the bases of the projected commercial treaty between 83*,
and England, as well as the formal and explicit desistence of
England upon this matter."

CONSTANTINOPLE, SEPT. 14.
Yesterday at about four o'clock in the afternoon the
at., or mae.er o. sweetmeats, 61nutte,;
in the Rah market of Pera, caught fire. The streets
in the neighbourhood are exceedingly narrow, and the
'houses are all built of wood. In a few minutes the
conflagration spread with terrific rapidity. The great
heat of the last three months had rendered these
wooden fabrics so highly inflammable that persons
inhabiting the houses in the immediate vicinity of the
place where the fire first broke out did not even make
an effort to save their effects. A strong easterly
wind was blowing at the time, which drove forwardthe flames with frightful speed. In a short time all
the crumbling sheds which were huddled up together
in the fish-market were in ashes. As the fire
increased the wind also rose. Large pieces of blazing
wood were whirled aloft into the air, whilst clouds of
ashes almost rendered all attempt at extinguishing
the fire impossible. The petit champ des Snorts,
which is close to the fish-market, is chiefly
inhabited by European merchants. During the summer
months, however, they all reside with their families in
the villages of the Bosphorus, or at the Prince's
Islands. The houses in that neighbourhood, being
therefore at the time uninhabited, fell an easy preyto the
flames. Before sunset the finest district of Pent was
reduced to a heap of smouldering ruins. It was ter-
rible to hear the howling of the wind and flames Is
they swept along, as if exulting in their unchecked
course of destruction. In the midst of this scene of
desolation the Turkish flag was flaunting from tower
and battlement, bands of music were playing joyously
along the shores of the Golden Horn, and cannon
were thundering salutes in honour of the great feast
of Bairam. After the long fast of Hamann the
Turks generally give way to a religious excitement,
and all their old fanatical prejudices arc alive. They
seemed to regard the misfortune which had fallen on
Pera as a mark of the wrath of Allah for the °Mount
Nopachas appeared with parties of troops to assist in
extinguishing the flames, and there were no Turkish
firemen with their pumps and axes—all were busied
with the festival of Bairam, either heedless of, or
exulting in, the ruin which had fallen upon the infidel.
No less than 300 houses have been burnt, and some
of them the handsomest in Pere. The walls of
the new English embassy were blackened by the
I smoke and ashes which filled the air, and the pro.
testant chapel, which stood close to the garden wall
lof the palace, was burnt. The loss of property is es.
timated at several millions of piastres. It is feared
I that it will be long before Pere recovers from the mis-
fortunes of this year. The failures of European cam.
mercial houses had naturally produced their effects
here • trade during the last three weeks has been pa-
ralysed, and the most gloomy forebodings prevail
amongst mercantile men. It is rarely that misfor-
tunes come alone, especially in Constantinople; what
the panic in the commercial world had begun, fires
have come to consummate. In 1830, when Peru was
burned down, the plague was railing amongst its in-
habitants; nor is sickness wanting now, for an epi-
demic of a dangerous nature prevails here at this
moment.

PHILADELPHIA, Sere 14.
Since my feat there his been very little transpiring
in our transatlantic political world worth noting. The
probabilities respecting the presidency are about as they
were at that date, with the exception of an increase of
prudence on the part of General Taylor in his numerou
letters, and a more decided coldness towards him by the
leading arhi,g press. Nothing, however, as to the candidate
of either party can ►e fairly guessed at until the action of
the steal congress, which may introduce a dozen new issues
with'which to dazzle, gull, and humbug the dear people.
The news from Mexico, which you will receive by the
steamer of to-morrow front Boston, is very interesting and
momentous. Whether the Mexicans will hang Santa Anna,
and still make a fight for their betrayed capital and country,
remains to be seen. If Paredes were there, I should be in-
clined to think that something of this kind might be
attempted.
One of the many rumours accompanying this news is that
the congress, hastily summoned by Santa Anna, had elected
Gen. Scott president of Mexico, and invested him with full
powers to negotiate and conclude a peace with Mr. Trist.
This would be a charming and appropriate finale to the war.
The full season of business is just commencing in the three
great northern cities, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia,
and the influx of merchants and strangers from the south and
west is perfectly tremendous. The business this year, in all
departments of trade, is greater than it has been for many
years.

BELGIUM.—BRCSSELS, SEPT. 27.—Great festivi-
ties arc going on in the capital; yet notwithstanding all the
festive display and the great gaiety which prevails, the state
of public affairs causes a good deal of anxiety, for the large
failure. in England and Scotland cannot fail to be sensibly
felt here. _

--•
Letters from Hamburg also announce that never
since the revolution has the ell been in such a state as it is
at this moment. The arrival of every courier from England
is looked forward to with evident alarm, for the disasters
which have befallen the commerce of Great Britain, sod
those which are expected here, cannot fail to produce a most
fatal reaction on the principal cities of the continent, sad
above all upon such a place as Hamburg, whose commercial
interests are so nearly allied to those of England.
HOLLAND.—Th HAGUE, SEPT. 27.—YesW. &y,
aocording to a royal command of the llth of this month, all -ths
churches of the different religions communities were meted
' for the purpose of returning thanks to Almighty God for the
abundant harvest. The command was warmly responded
to, and all the places of worship were filled to overflowing
by persons who devotedly thanked God for his put men*
, and exprersed thelr asenrance of his continued favour d
protection.