The Express.
London, England, 1848-11-23 00:00:00

sound the tocsin of alarm, on a scheme so fragile and
rudimentary u this. There is something to be said
on another side of the wibject—as it bears on parlia-
mentary legislation and on the gauge question. Bat
this may be reserved for another occasion. Our im-
mediate object has been to show how nearly the
diatribes of the Times resemble a" much ado about
nothing." Should the scheme proceed, it may then
be proper to say how parliament ought to deal with
the plan of such amalgamation. But we shall, in the
meanwhile, abstain from obtruding our recipe on the
public until there is some reason to be sure that "we
have caught our fish"—that the counsel, in short, is
likely to be wanted.

GERMANY.

PRUSSIA.-Benats Anzeiger of Nov. 20, contains
the following from the ministry of state to ad the
royal governments of the kingdom :
It is already known to the royal eovernments of the king-
dom that the fraction of the National Assembly convoked
for the framing of the constitution, which di•regariled the
message of his Majesty respecting the transfer to Branden-
burg, continued to lo Id their sittings without the participa-
tion of the representatives of the crown, and has also passed
several resolutions, among others, that the measures adopted
by government should be recalled, and the payment of all
sad every tax be refused. Although it may be presuppoted
thatthe sound sense of the country will be perfectly convinced
of the formal and material illegality of a step which, in its
ulterior results, would plunge the whole country into a state
of utter lawlessness and indescribable confusion, we never-
theless consider it our duty to call the attention of the royal
government to the fact, that if, and wherever, elotrary to all
expectations, any realisation of the above resolution should
appear it must be proceeded against without delay, and in case
a prerminary instruction respecting the heavy legal penal!'
of such refractoriness should remain fruitless, the most severe
compulsory measures must be resorted to. All commanders of
the army have received orders to obey the necessary requi
sitiona of the royal governments, and the commissioners
appointed by them fur this object. At the same time, the
royal governments are specially enjoined to take heed that
the compulsory measures to be adopted against refractoriness,
shall not be extended to the payment of such taxes, which are
in arrears, nn account of pecuniary inability of the ratepayers.
Since the important expenditure of the Treasury mak. s the
punctual and immediate payment of taxes most desirable, it
is nevertheless quite foreign to the object in view, to kw p
out of sight measures of mildness and consideration toward.
those ratepayers who are in distress, or have met witn mis-
fortunes. Therefore the extraordinary extra exp nses
causid by the extraordinary compulsory measures to be em
[Ailed can be imposed only on those ratemers who refuse
to pay their rates from obstinacy.--Berlin, Nov. 18, 1818.—
(Signed)—The Ministry of State, COUNT V 074 BILANDEN-
SUMO, LADENIIIKO, MANTISUFTEL, VON STICOTHA, VON
RINTELIIN.—To all the Royal Governments.
FILANKFORT.—We stated that, in the sitting of
the Assembly on the 18th, M. Rubel, the companion
of Blum' read a report concerning the death of that
deputy; he did so as follows :
tale said, the Assembly had resolved to hear his report.
They seed not fear th.it he would be too diffuse, or enter
upon circumstances that were not immediately eonnected
with the arrest of Blum and himself. The great point to
decide was—had the resolutions of the National Assembly
been violated ? He would show them exactly how matters
I had stood. They knew the occasion of the journey to
' Vienna. (No.) Then he would tell them. Alter Werner
had moved that Vienna had deserved well of Germany,
the Left had resolved to send a deputation to t, at
city, expressing its approval of the late move-
ment. Two otter members accompanied them. They
communicated immediately on their arrival with the common
°outwit and the students' committee. They then proceeded
to the Assembly, and were received with loud acclamatiors
of welcome. ()a the 20th they were ready to leave Vienna
slain. Blum and he applied for passports at the Saxon Em-
homy, but were there and elsewhere dissuaded from attempt-
ing a return, es it was asserted that they would scarcely pass
the beleaguering army without being maltreated. (Murmurs.)
The dire corps had been formed, and they were each offered
the command of a company. Tho offer was accepted.
Blum had tho Ist company and be had the 3rd. The in-
tention of this corps was to keep order in the city, which
was scarcely a less dangerous service than having to fare the
Imperial tro pa. Shuts were constantly fired fee m the windows,
land houses broken into. As sharers in the hospitality of Vienna
they thought it their duty to take part in all needful met-
sures of defence. To their great surprise, Blum and he
were separated, and had to take up their station at the most
dangerous points. They were sure that the city could not
hold out long; and, more than this, that it would be be-
' grayed. Blum stood confronting the Mottling. He had
five pieces of artillery at his command, but had strict orders
not to commence the attack. This is a proof that their
party
were reluctant to engage in strife. Seeing the hope-
less state of things, they resolved to resign. This they
did on the 29th. He must expressly contradict what
hod been stated io the papert, viz., that Blum fought
after the capitulation. From the 29th October to the 4th
ult. they remained quietly in their hotel. They avoided
going out on account of the horrible =emcees that sir-re
occurring. In the meanwhile—it must have been the let
November—they wrote to General Jonitz, declaring that
they were detained against their wills, and begging for a
free escort out of the city. They were referred, in answer,
to General Kordon. They wrote to General Kordon, and
were that day dragged out of their beds, and arrested
by a captain and his guard. The warrant of arrest was
addressed to General Kordon. They protested orally
against the arrest, instancing their position as members
of the National Assembly. This was useless. Up to
the Bth, he (must contest they were well accomm.i.
dated in their confinement. They had the best rooms
in the house or prison, and these we re well furnished,
and all possible comforts were supplied them. On the 8 h
ult, 4 p.m., they handed in a written protest : the effect
of this was Blum's trial at tie that evening. This lasted till
tic t. The next morning early his sentence was commu-
nicated to him, and at half-put seven, a.m., of the same day
he was executed. He must mention that on the 6th alt.
they had written to the President of the National Assembly,
praying for protection, itc., but probably the note had nee er
rearhrd him. He must also mention that on the last day
which be passed with Blum, a man had been introduced into
their apartment, under the plea of there not being room for
him elsewhere. He was ostensibly a prisoner too. In spite
of signs and hints from him (Frubel), Blum answered his
questions freely, and detailed the whole circumstances con-
nected with his participation in the riot. The same man
told them " They had not protested strongly enough ; they
did not understard the Austrian authorities; and if
they only indited a vehement protest, they inlaid
probably be at liberty on the morrow." The' pro-
test was drawn up, end the consequences he bad already
narrated. He, however, had previously told Blum that
it was couched in too strong terms. He had also re-
sere. d a copy of the protest, but on an after occasion, this
paper was abstracted from among the other papers and :arti-
cles which had been restored to him subsequently to his ap-
prehension. (The speaker narrated the artifice employed to
get secret possession of this paper.) His own condition, after
Blum's condemnation, which he did not know of at once,
took another aspect. He was removed to bad quarters, and
kept in a torment of suspense for four days, expecting every
hour would be his last. lie was finally tried, and sentenced
to be hu-'g by the neck till dead. The first question put him
by the court was, '• Did you carry arms after the 23rd, on
which day the state of ai .ge was declared ?"—Answer :
" Tu." This the ex, mining officer said was enough. He
(Probe') endeavoured to excuse himself on the score of the
faulty publications( the state of siege in Vienna itself, and Willi
then asked if he did not know what a state of siege meant ?
He defended himself altogether as well as he could without
compromising his honour. He was asked if he had written
a pamphlet rec-mmending a resolution of the complexities of
Aernan dominion, and the union of all the provinces to
one united whole ? He acknowleged the pamphlet, and
fortunately a copy, to his great surprise, wu in his puttee-
lion. ( this seems to have told well for him.) He had ab-
stained, he said, in this recital from any attempt to arouse
their passim', or to excite strong emotion ; but one thine he
must mention in conclusion, that on the occasion of his full
pardon being annouoced to him, the officers and others who
formed the court testified a marked feeling of joy. This had
deeply touched him.
The narration of the speaker was listened to with breath-
less attention, interrupted occasionally by a murmur of dis.
satisfaction or the contrary, according to the nature of the
single hots adduoed. He retired amid loud cheers.

ORLEANS, Nov. 19.
This, as you are aware, is the day appointed for the
prom olgation of the new constitution in the provinces ; and
in at least this part of the country the weather has proved
more propitious for the ceremony than it was last Sunday in
Paris. As the programmes published by the civic authorities
of some dozen towns in various parts of France (whi.:ll I
have s en in the local journals) are nearly alike, I dare say
a de'cription of the proceedings here will give a not widely
incorrect idea of those which took place in most of the other
towns.
At mid-day the square of Bt. Croix, in which the magnifi-
cent cathedral stands, glistened with bayonets. The sun
shone with a degree of brightness which be seldom deigns to 'I
do at this season in our native regions, and lighted up the
mass of milit iry which filled the Place, so as to give the scene
anything but a wintry aspi et. :lie garrison— ch'elly con-
sisting of the second regiment of the line—and the national
gum ds of Orleans, were present. The latter gave a non.
ehalant air to the solemnity, by being, although en 'rondo
tenue, nearly all provided with cigars. which they persever-
ingly smoked til. the end of the ceremony. In a short time
the local authorities arrived in procession from the prefec-
ture v ith a guard of honour of national guards. On reaching
the steps of the cathedral the prefect and his train mounted
them, when the whole of the soldiery presented arms,
and the prefect commenced reading the constitution.
This task lasted perhaps half en hour. The
cathedral doors were then opened, and the populace entered.
A ompany of national guards lined the middle aisle of this
imm,.n.e eitice. and the military wort of commend, with
the clanking of muskets, in a church, sounded strangely in
my Shell& ears. The music of the Te Dewn was the
ordinary chaunt ; neither of the works of the great com-
posers having been selected for performance.
This over, the prefect and the mayor of tke town, with the
other civic officials, returned to the steps of the edifice, and
before them the whole of the military pared in review to the
music of the excellent band of the Orleans national guard.
This concluded the ceremony. I was told that during
the reading of the constitution a salute of artillery was fired
If it were to, the artillerymen did their "spiriting" so gently