The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-24 00:00:00

SPAIN.

MADRID, MARCH lA. I
Article 2of the hill for the regulation of the debt I
has been voted in the committee. The paragraphs
relative to the 3,5, and 4 per cents. have been unani-
mously voted. That which concerns the coupons
was opposed by MM. de ViMica and l.corente, the
other members having voted for the government
measure. In this sitting M. Borrego again made an
attempt in favour of the current debt and the rats
or debt for the service of the interior. M. Bravo
Murillo very naturally replied that the vote on the
second article was still open, and that the committee
might pronounce its decision on this subject.
The government measure was adopted as to
these debts. The consideration of article 3
was then entered on, which is to this effect :
"The debt susceptible of being redeemed
shall be divided into two classes : the first shall com-
prise: Ist, the current debt of 5 per cent. paper; 2nd.
the rules not consolidated; and, 3rd, the debts called
deferred and provisional. The second-class shall
comprise the debts without interest and passives."
M. Leorente gave a long history of these different
debts, and considered that the current debt and the
roles not consolidated should not be contained in the
same class as the passive debts and those without
interest as proceeding from a different origin. He
observed that the project of the bill did not specify
whether it was the deferred debt of IM3I or
that of 1,441, which was comprised in the
first class of the redeemable debt. The Mi-
nister of the Finance admitted the inaccuracy in
this respect of the project, but could not agree in
opinion with M. Leorente. The discussion on this
article was adjourned. The president of the council
declared in this committee that the government, for
reasons of delicacy, could not modify its project, but
that it was open to modification by the tortes on all
points not essential. lie added, Ault when once the
regulation of the debt had been approved, if the
national resources should be insufficient to cover all
the demands on the treasury, the government would
not hesitate to give priority over all other obligations
to that which in its eyes was the supreme obligation
—that of the debt.

flexnly Evr.sasc.
A fresh juncture has occurred in the political situa.
Lion of the country. It is known to you that ever
since the installation of the ministry of transition it
has been constantly rumoured that Fould and
Barcshe were on the point of returning to power. In
fact the Elys;'e still held by them; but it was ne-
cessary that the stain which they had incurred by
falling under a vote of censure should be removed by
their re-appearance on the ministerial bench in com-
pany with sonic statesman whose character could he
accepted by the Assembly as a guarantee that the
cabinet as re-constituted was ilrepured to be strictly
parliamentarv, and not to submit with too flexible a
devotion to the dictates of Louis Napoleon. The
statesman selected for this Atli Was Odilon Barrot.
If M. Barrot could be persuaded to give the stamp of
his name to the new ministry, the first chapter of his
task would be the re-construction of the old majority,
and its reconciliation with the executive power.
Hence might flow dotation, revision, prolonga-
tion of powers. Lung were the negotiations,
and pressing the overtures. At last the club
of the Rue des Pyramides, consisting of those
who had voted for the dotation and rejected the vote
of censure on the Baroche ministry, wishing to put
an end to provisional arrangement calculated to de-
grade the government equally at home and abroad,
delegated some of their leading members to urge
Odilun Barrot to waive his scruples in obedience to
the neeessities of the country, and indorse with his
authority the Fuuld-Baroche combination. At one
moment it appears that such confident hopes were
entertained of the success of this mediation, that it
was generally rumoured in the Assembly that the
new ministry was funned, and the same evening
organs of the most opposite political tendencies an-
nounced the fact as certain. In the meantime the
i active spirit of Moutalemlx;rt had been employed in
gaining over the legitimists to the cause of the
F-lysee. The fruits of this agency were manifested in
the cessation of that sneering abuse of the President
which veins the legitimist organs, in the maintenance
of legitimist prefiets at a moment when the execu-
tive scythe mowed down several at a stroke,
in the warm advocacy of the Elysie by the ultra-
montane Univers, and in sops of divers kinds thrown
to the Jesuits as an encouragement of their good
will. But Louis Napoleon had other irons in the tire
as well. The chief of these was his reserve ou the
subject of the electoral law of May. Not long ago
it was observed, by a elear-eyeeNlontagnarti,
Mathieu de In DrUme, that in replying to the inter-
pellations of Howyn TranchCre on the President's
message which announced the formation of a ministry
of transition. M. Waists., the new Minister of the
Interior, had passed entirely without notice that
portion of the interpellator's spcs.eh which alluded
to the President's rumoured intention of dispensing
with the application of the electoral law of May to
his own election. In consequence of this reticence %L
Waisse was summoned before the committee ap-
pointed to consider the amendments presented to that
law, and there distinctlydeelared that the government,
President included. would stick by the law of
May, and disavowed all arrb`re-pensre of applying
the previous law of unlimited suffrage to the
presidential election in 1554.1. M. Waisse repeated
the same declaration in the Chamber; and as the
Potation Bill was then upon the eve of discussion,
many beheld in this concession a repetition of the
disgraceful bargain of the preceding May, where
three millions of electors had been disfranchised for
three millions of francs. But no sooner was the
dotation bill of M. de C.erminy thrown out than
rumours began to be current that Waisse had gone
beyond the warrant of his commission, and that
Louis Napoleon considered himself unfettered by that
engagement made by the minister un the subs'et of
the amoral law. Now in the negotiations of the
Elsie with M. Odilon Barrot, it was of course a
capital point for the latter to know distinctly the
sentiments and intentions of the President on this
subject; but, while the latter still maintained an
impenetrable reserve with M. Barrot, it was well
known to M. de Persigny that Louis Napoleon I ADULTERATION OF MUSTARD.—The Lancet con-
tinues itsexposures of the adulterations practised in
procured
from
variousurtiklLi
was in the habit of declaring that he he
;
of food. larS2r:atmpideseLf mustard
riduiskurfi,t-,
boured, for his part, no distrust of unmutilated
red to examination, the Whrsolrwerce; universal suffrage, and reserved to himself
the right of appealing to it to decide on his own I and in every case the adulteration was the same in kind,
cenuiw mustard with immen-c quantitie- of wheaten flour,
election. Tide was notorious at the ElysCe, and varying only in &Free, and consisted in the admixture of
coloure with
could not escape the knowledge of M. liarrot. At'
the same time the Cusastitutonnel, which, after a
,arecly ever to be obtained,
turmeric. The conclusion to which the
wliatvver g bon uinthee price laid
sulky silence of some weeks, again sounded the I :yr, it" in teedLe anis" is' that
trumpet of Bonapartism, camo out with a plan for I fur it.

GERMANY.

Prussia, says the Cotype Cazelte,has yielded the
point of die sole presidency, to Austria. 'That paper
maintains that this concession is not one of mere
precedency of honour, but one that entirely nullifies
the parity, even though the subordinate demand of
Prussia with respect to the joint administration of
the affairs of the Diet should be acceded to. The
same journal says that it is no longer a secret that
Prince Schwarzenberg has made promises to Bavaria
which the prince declares he must, under all circum-
stances, make good. Austria, therefore, claims fur
Bavaria a higher position in the Diet titan she has
yet held. Prussia rejects the demand; but the in-
terchange of a few notes, says the 01,1,me b'itzeite,
will probably settle this matter too to the satisfac-
tion of Austria. A meeting between M. Manteuffel
and Prime Sthwarzenberg is shortly expected to
take place.
The Cobs/tic Gazdte, with regard to an article on
German affairs which appeared in the Joiirmit des
Dames on the 17th, says that of the retreat of the
present ministry, and the return of M. Radowita to
ismer, there is not the slightest prospect. A Prus-
sion note to Vienna, it is said, crossed on the road
the Austrian note which arrived on the 19th inst. in
Berlin. The Augsburg .INemeine Zitotny has an
article on the subject of an Austrian intervention in
the affairs of Bosnia. The troubled state of that
province, it says, would justify Austria in taking
possession of it ; and that an Austrian dominion or
ascendancy in Bosnia and Servia would serve to
counterpoise that of Russia in the two other Turkish
provinces. A considerable Austrian funs: is already
assembled on the Bosnian frontier.
The King of llavaria is said to be seriously indis-
posed. Our correspondent writes as follows :
BERLIN, 31cui it 21.
Notwithstanding that three days ago the negotiations
with Austria had reached a point at which every reason-
able person supposed that an understanding was cmi.c to,
notwithstanding that the very best authorities in matters
.f foreign affairs declared that no further impediment
existed to a settlement of the German question, at least, to
far as the powers of Austria and Prussia were concerned;
still some fresh differences have occurred, and every-
thing is again as uncertain as it was a week ago.
The cause is said to be the resistance of l'rincc Schwarzen-
berg to the demand of l'russia, that, in order effectually to
carry out the idea of the parity between the two countries,
all the officers of the confederation shall be jointly ap-
pointed by Austria and Prussia. On all other points both
powers are agreed, and there is not the slightest truth in
the assertion that the policy of Herr von Manteuffel,
as it is called, is on the decline, and that of Herr
von Radowitz in the ascendant. The policy of Herr
von Gerlach, of which Herr von Manteuffel is the exponent,
maintains its ground, and will continue to do so, until a
total change takes place in those influences which are at
present in operation at court.
The Zullverein Congress ut Wiesbaden has resolved on
sending a joint commission of 11 persons to represent the
interests of the Zollverein at the Exhibition .if Industry.
The Itincial Gazette of Wirtemberg announces that the
letter published in several papers, said to be the answer of
Prince Schwarzenberg to the retently published letter of
the king of Wirteruberg, is a forgery.