The Express.
London, England, 1848-04-01 00:00:00

BELGIUM.

FIGHT BETWEEN FRENCH AND
BELGIAN TROOPS.

RIGNONS-TOUT, 30.—The band which
calls itself the " Belgian Legion" entered Belgium
yesterday by Mignons-Tout, a village situated be-
tween Mouscron and Menus. The vanguard of Gen.
Fleury Duray met them. It was composed of 200
men of the •ith infantry, 2 pieces of cannon, and 25
cavalry, and the 2nd regiment of mounted Chaaseurs.
As soon as the legion (2,0(M) strong) observed this
small corps, it pressed forward, colours flying, and
beating a charge. For a few moments their fire was
brisk and well sustained, and as long as they had only
the fire of our men to sustain they stood firm; but Gen.
Fleury Duray having brought two pieces of cannon
into play, they immediately slackened fire, and fled in
all directions, throwing down their arms. Several
prisoners were taken, and, among them, their
leader, a Parisian. The invading legion has lost
many men ; it is said, 400 killed and wounded. On
our side was one killed and five or six wounded. Our
troops displayed admirable calmness and courage. As
soon as the main column of our troops arrived the
L defeat was complete. A band, which had penetrated
to the right of General Fleury-Duray, was dispersed,
I and fled in disorder to the French territories. Our
troops have again taken up their position and
bivouacked upon the frontiers, ready to repel every
new aggression. Our troops were animated with
patriotic ardour, and fought amidst cries of " Fire le
Rol!" Several of our military greatly distinguished
themselves. A young corporal of the line especially
is mentioned, who succeeded in taking a standard;
almost at the same moment he was struck by a ball,
which wounded him fatally.
A letter from Tourney, of the 20th of March, says:
" Our city has been in consternation since this morn-
ing. At six o'clock we heard the roar of cannon in
the environs of Moascrow, and our troops immediately
left to reinforce those which marched last Sunday to
that town. The brigands are said to be 0,000 in
number, and well armed. We have sent off a special
train to Moascrow for the purpose of bringing back
our wounded military.
L'Emaneipatee says that the ('aisse d'E-icompte
did not commence its operations cesterday, as the
11Aniteur announces—that these delays are vexatious,
and prove that there is not a true sense of the suffer-
ings which Brussels experiences at the present crisis.
His Majesty has been pleased to command the re-
storation of the palace at Antwerp, and that as many
workmen as possible shall be employed thereon. I
Several other public works arc also to be commenced
immediately, among which is the quay of St.
Michel. Military preparations continue to be made
in every place.
\"e read in the Palm. :—" A sanguinary conflict
took place on Wednesday morning, near Moucron, on
the Belgian frontier, between the troops of King Leo-
pold and several hundred of their fellow-countrymen,
who made an attempt to penetrate into the Belgian
territory with arms in their hands. The following is
an account given of the affair by an eye-witness :
" Leaving Paris on Saturday test by the Northern '
Railroad, we attempted to enter Belgium at
flutes rain. Repelled from this point, we wane taken
back to the environs of Lille, and quartered in
the town of &clin. two leagues from Lille, where
we remained from Sunday till Tuesday evening, when
we marched ma trogs , abd, Yining the fortifications of
Lille. joined en the road to Ghent. 'When about aleagie
and a half from Lille we found two waggms loaded
with muskets, ammunition, and bread. Of these mus-
kets 1,6(R) were distributed, and e very man received se-
veral packets of cartridges. Thus armed and supplied,
we crossed the country, and, passieg the bridge near
Turcoing, marched in column towards a village half
French half Belgian. situated ,an the -_:xtreme frontier,
and half a league from Moucron. We wore advancing
rare as bras, when we suddenly perceived a batta-
lion of the Ist regiment of Belgian char Burs, flanked
by a squadron of cavalry, and supported at a short dis-
tance by other detachments of infantry. The videttes,
in malung signs to us not to approachXred three mus-
ket shots ; one of our men fell ; no person on our side
returned the fire; then commenced a platoon fire; the
chasseurs next opened their ranks. and two pieces of
cannon, loaded with grape shot, opened upon us and
destroyed some of our men ; several others then threw
down their arms and fled; others laid themselves down
fiat on the ground. Two or three hundred volunteers
alone returned the fire of the soldiers, availing them-
selves of the houses or the natural obstacles of ground.
In the contest the Belgian troops twice; crossed the
frontier, and most of the men whom we lost were

shot 0•,4 French territory. We had a dozen killed,
abo":, forty wounded, and lost three prisoners. The
10,4 of the troops is not known. The mayor of
Aloocron and several French priests interposed to
put an end to the tiring ; these ecclesiastics were
profuse in their attention to the wounded. The Bel-
gian volunteers, on their return nom their unfor-
tunate expedition, were disarmed there."

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF
ENGLAND.
. . . .

A weekly council was held ni the Society's house,
in Hanover-square, on Wednesday last, the 29th of Much :
Present : Mr. Raymond Barker, in the chair ; Sir John V.
B. Johnstone. Bart., M.l'.; Mr. Almack, Mr. Brandrah,
Mr. Cherry, Mr. Cottam, Mr. G. Dyer, Mr.Brandeth Gibbs,
Mr. B. K. Rail, Rev. C. E. Keene, Mr. Kinder, Mr. Ma-
jendic,
Mr. Parkins, Prof. Sewell, Mr. Smith, of Burley, Mr.
R. Sully, Mr. Stanfield, M.P., Mr. T. Turner, Mr. Tweed,
Prof. Way, and Mr. Bullock Webster.
The following new members were elected: Wm. Poulton,
head-master of the Norwich Diocesan School; James
Kitties, Beck Farm, Beaulieu, Southampton ; Dr. W. F.
I Chambers, Broek-street, London; William Pippet, Down-
side College, Bath ; William Sherrill, Treworgan, Mon-
mouth; William Layton Lowndes, Ilinfield, Berkshire; Dr.
John Bright, Manchester-square, London. The names of
eleven candidates for election at the next meeting were then
read.

I)IIII3I.ING.—Mr. Cottam, of 76, Oxford-street, favoured
the council with an impection of Mr. Nichols's hand-dib-
bling machine, and explained in detail the neeehaniaal pein-
ciples of its construction and the peculiar advantages of its
simple but most efficient mode of action, for which the
conned voted to Mr. Cottam their best thanks.—Mr. Smith,
of Burley, stated that he was well acquainted with Mr.
Nichols and the dibblingmachine of his invention then sub-
mitted to the council by Mr. Cottam. It had been eaten,
sively employed in the county of Rutland, and he could bear
the strongest testimony, from his own experience and
that of his neighbours, to its practical excellence. Its pecu-
liar advantages were derived from the double action, by
which the seed was deposited and covered in with pressure at
the same time ; and it was adapted with equal facility to
dibble seed of any size, from the largest seed ever used in
dibbling down to the smallest turnip seed,
MISCELLANIOVS COMMUNICATIONS. From Sir John
Lubbuck, Bart.. a report of experiments in progress on
the growth of wheat and the comparative effects of
artificial manure ; from Colonel Le Couleur, high sheriff
of Jersey, a report on a nine years' trial of a variety of
Wheat from Chili ; from Prof. Way, a report from Mr.
Lewes that he had not found the precipitated sulphate
of lime obtained in the manufacture of tartaric acid
(though in a highly, comminuted state, to be purchased
at a cheap rate and in great abundance), of sufficient
value as a totedresring to be recommended for the use
of farmers; from Mr. Bullock Webster, a statement on
the advantages of employing the waste water on estates
in hilly countries to the purposes of a motive power, by
having it conveyed in pipes to turn a water wheel,
working an exhamting pump, and connected with a small
oscillating engine ; from Mr. ►inder, a request on the part
of Mr. Lewes to be allowed to explain at a future meeting
the experiments on Seed• Wheat, and the effect of different
manures, in which he had been so long engaged; from Mr.
Smith, a report on l'leuro pneumonia; and Irvin Mr. Waver, a
copy of the report of the Newcastle Fanners' Club,coataining
the following communication from Prof. Dumas, the celebrated
French chemist, on the result of his own inquiries and those of
his colleague, M. Milne Edwards, on the use of salt in agri-
cohere " I quit England with the coaviction that the
problem of the employment of salt in agriculture is
chimerical. We have been sent from county to county
without result. Here they send us into the neighbour-
hood of the salt mines ; when we were there, we were
told that salt was not a prophet in its own country. 1
am convinced that the most desirable mode of preparing
a good manure is by employing the phosphates, and
ammoniscal salts, rather than sea-salt, however cheap the
latter."—Prof. Way, being present, begged to express his
dissent from the general conclusion thus arrived at, even by
Prof. Dumas, for whose high character, however, and stand-
ing in the chemical world, he entertained the sincerest re-
spect.
Thanks were ordered for these communicrtions, and the
f council adjourned to Wednesday next.