The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-08 00:00:00

M. Istaritx as Prime Minister, and that he was ex-
pected to return to Madrid in the course of last
week.

FRANCE.—THE INCENDIARY FIRES.—The French
provincial paper, ['Union Libt:rale, reports a fact which took
place as far beck as the beginning of last month, but which
proves to what a pitch the fury of the exasperated peasants
had already arrived, owing to the incendiary fires. The
Union affirms that it has the statement from tke mercantile
traveller to whom the following happened :--Being called
by his affairs into Burgundy, he passed on the 10th August
through the little village of Epossee, between Semur and
Cussy, left his portmanteau at the inn, and proceeded on
foot to different houses in the neighbourhood who trans-
acted business with the house he travelled for. After paring
through different villages he returned to Epoisse. The
following day he took his place in the Semur
diligence for Avallon, with two other travellers,
thus going over the same road he had passed the
day before. At half-past four in the morning, a band
of armed peasants stopped the carriage, near the village
of Toutry, and on perceiving the traveller cried out, " That
is the incendiary "c'est lui ''c'est le brigand."' and
many other flattering epithets. Before he had time to say
a word, they seized him by the collar, dragged him out of
the carriage, took him before the mayor by way of form, but
would not allow him to listen to the protestations of the un-
fortunate traveller, but decided at once that he should be
put to death. The only question was how to make him
suffer most. The women, who in such matters generally
outdo the men in fury and invention, proposed the
punishment inflicted on Abelard, and to hang him
afterwards. The idea was greatly approved of but
it was finally decided that he should be burnt,
and the sentence was proclaimed whilst the prisoner sat
mute and resigned, the women and children spitting at him,
fully aware that the least resistance on his part would be
instant death. He was on the point of being dragged off to
the stake when two gendarmes, who were on their round
and had heard that a person had been arrested, made their
appearance, succeeded with great difficulty in taking his
out of the hands of the peasants and conveyed him before
the Procureur du Red at Semur, who immediately set him at
liberty.
FRENCH EPISCOPACY.—The Catholic Church of
France is at present divided into 15 archbishoprics and 66
bishoprics, including that of Algiers. Amongst the dignita-
ries who at this moment fill these different sees, there is only
one whose nomination dates as far back as the period of the
consulate—being Cardinal de la Tour d'Auvergne, bishop of
Arras, who was consecrated May 16, 1802. All the arch-
bishops end bishops named by the imperial government have
disappeared. There are only 11 remaining who were named
under the restoration. The government of July has ap-
pointed the 14 archbishops and 55 bishops, or 69 out of 81.
The senior of the French prelates, with regard to appoint-
ment, is therefore the Bishop of Arras, who has held his
high dignity for more than 44 years. The oldest prelate is
Mons. de Pons, bishop of Moulins, who is now in his 88th
year. The Catholic Church of France has only two cardi-
nals, Mons. de Bonald, archbishop of Lyons, and Mons. de
la Tour d'Auvergne, bishop of Arras.
BELGIUM.—OFFICIAL EDUCATION.—The mode in
which capacities arc trained, and proved, in Belgium, as in
Germany, for the public service, is practically exemplified
by the following notification, which may be usefully recorded
here for the information and edification of governmental and
legislative authority.—" Public Notice. The minister of
foreign affairs (at Brussels) begs to remiad those interested
that, conformably with the decree of June 8, 1842, the in-
scriptions of persons who desire to pass the examination as
to their qualifications foi the rank of secretary of legation,
must be made either in person at the secretarial of the
ministry, or by letter addressed to the ministry of foreign
affairs. The list of inscriptions must contain the surnames,
Christian names, place of birth, and domicile of the candi-
dates. The list will be closed twenty days before the open-
ing of the session (for examination), say Wednesday the 30th
of September, the session commencing the third Tuesday in
October." In this country secretaries of legation, and even
ministers plenipotentiary, are made with much less trouble
and ceremony. A maiden speech in Parliament, or it may
be a patrician title, is often deemed sufficient qualification
for conferring and taking the degree.
PORTUGAL.—A royal decree was published in
Lisbon on the 27th ult., announcing various new financial
measures. The fact of the existence of an enormous deficit
is stated, and at the same time it is admitted that the impo-
sition of new taxes on industry is impracticable. In order
to enable the government to keep faith with the national
creditor, a Mill of 2,209 cantos is necessary. To raise this,
it is proposed to impose a new decima-tax on all salaries paid
servants of the state, civil and military, for one year.
These salaries are already subject to a decima-tax, so that
with the new tax they will be subject to an income-tax of
20 per cent. It is likewise proposed, as mentioned in our
money article, to impose an income-tax of 20 per cent. on
the interest paid on the foreign debt, and a tax of an
additional decima on the interest of the internal debt, which
will be equivalent to a deduction of 20 per cent. on the in-
terest of the whole of the national debt. There is also to be
some slight reduction made in the civil list. The general
effect of these measures will be to reduce the general expen-
diture of the country 20 per cent., by deducting that
amount hem all payments made by the Treasury. The
wool, the 'rink° verdi, and the new salt-tax are abolished.
They pressed heavily on the people, and scarcely paid the
expenses of collection. A further delay of forty days has
been granted to the Bank and Confiancee Company for the
resumption of cash payments.

GERMANY.—FRONTIERS OF GALICIA, AUGUST 20.
" For a few days previous to the movement of the peasants
near Dembitza' all sorts of rumours were afloat concerning
the state of Galicia, causing great anxiety to the in-
habitants. The peasants who have been arrested
declared that a Jew who had spread the report
among them that the nobles intended taking revenge
on them for the late disasters, and that is why they attacked
the Castle of Walga. The reports agree that the threatening
attitude of the nobles towards the pea ants and the Germans
had exasperated the peasants. These latter, in an address to
the authorities of Tarnow, style themselves the best defenders
of the country.—ithenisA Observer.
FROM THE ELBE, AUGUST 26.—The cabinet of
Copenhagen is said to have proposed to the King of Prussia
to grant him the free navigation of the Baltic, provided he
would remain neuter in the question of the duchies. Russia,
it is said, supported the proposition, but Prussia refused.
VIENNA.--Count Seldnitzky has been appointed
Director of the College of Censorship.
BERLIN, AUGUST 30.—The financial crisis at Berlin
is becoming more complicated every day. The railway
shares arc selling at the present moment at 40 per cent.
below par. The funds themselves have fallen 7 per cent. A
petition bearing 1,500 signatures of mercantile men has been
addressed to the King, to entreat him, owing to the depres-
sion of the market and the financial disorder produced by
wild and unbounded speculation in railway shares, not to
grant any new concessuons, and to prohibit the companies
from making fresh calls for enterprises where not more than
20 per cent. has been invested. It is very probable that this
latter demand will be granted. As regards the first, before the
petition was sent in, the king had already decided on not
granting say more concessions. This state of things will, it
is presumed, cause the government to take upon itself the
execution of the railway between Berlin and Konigsberg.
It is even said that negotiations have been already entered
into with M. Rothschild for raising a loan for that purpose.
The Austrian government is also negotiating a loan for
the construction of railways. The General Protestant
Synod of Prussia, which opened on June 2, closed on the
30th ult., after having held 56 sittings. Out of 35 subjects
which have come under its consiieration, only seven have
been decided on. It has declared as to the sanctity of the
oath—has expressed a wish that pastors and ecclesiastical
superintendents should be relieved from a part of the admi-
nistrative functions imposed on them—has declared that
there is no necessity to submit young men who aspire to be-
some ecclesiastics to preparatory studies different from those
followed by the students of other faculties—has decided on
forming a fund to provide pensions for ecclesiastics—has de-
termined that is the ordination of preachers there shall be
required of them an oath to maintain the unity and purity
of their dogmas, the maintenance of the union between the
Lutherans and the other reformers, and, in fine, the exten-
sion of the ecclesiastical constitution of the six eastern pro-
vinces of the kingdom. The three last questions alone
occupied 38 sittings. The Synod will be again convoked by
the king in the course of next year.
AUGUST 31.—The Allgendene Pruss. Zeitung con-
tains the following notice :
"Conformably to the regulations under No. 5 of his Ma-
jesty's cabinet order of the 18th of July, this year, respecting
the participation of private persons in the bank, we declare
the subscriptions to be closed.
" Berlin, Sept. 1, 1846. "BOTHER VON DUESBERO."
KIEL, SEPT. 2.—A placard was posted up to-day
by the police at the corners of the streets, calling on the
citizens not to permit their servants or children to go out
after eight o'clock at night, and prohibiting groups of more
than three persons ; notwithstanding which considerable
numbers of people assembled this evening, as they did yes-
terday, singing the sone of " Schleswitt-Holstein Ideerum-
echlimgn,".and paraded the streets ; but hitherto (ten o'clock
in the evening) and appear entirely to disperse, after an appren-
tice, who had been arrested by the police, bad been Messed.
The public are certainly indebted to the cautious and
humane conduct of the military and the police.— Universal
Prussian Gazette.

BADEX, AUGUST 28.—The Second Chamber of the
°rani Duchy of Baden has signed an agreement with a
Zurich company for the formation of a railroad from Bade to
Waldshut on the Baden territory, and thence across the
Rhine to Zurich.

A PRINCE KILLED IN A DDEL.—GRATZ (STYRIA),
Auo. 21.—Owing to an altercation which took place at a
ball between the Prince of Tour and Taxis, Lieut.-Col. of
Hussars, and Capt. Schnedt, of the Infantry, a meeting with
pistols took place, and the former was killed on the spot,
having received the bullet of his adversary in the breast.
The event caused a painful sensation at Orals. The Prince of
Tour and Taxis, of the illustrious family of the same name,
was only 36 years of age, and universally esteemed for his
amiable qualities.
POLAND.—WARSAW, Ann. 28.—An imperial or-
donnance has just been rublished at Warsaw, relative to the
abolishing of the corvem.—Art. 1. The peasants of towns
and villages who cultivate at least an acre of land shall, in
future, as long as they fulfil their obligations, enjoy the pro-
duce thereof ; and the proprietors have not the right to expel
them, nor to take their land from them, nor to increase their
obligations. The cultivators may leave one domain for
another, 'provided they give three months notice, and adhere
to the police regulations.—Art. 2. The landlord is bound
within two years at the outside, to have the land thus
abandoned occupied by other peasants, and he may not in-
corporate those lands to the so termed Vorwerks Grand-
stucke (private property.)—Art. 3. All carries established