The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-07 00:00:00

De la Vero are enough to swamp any combination.
I told yos,_rderday, that General Alaix had been
sent for. The war portfolio will, it is said, be offered
to him. Alaix is a highly honourable and independ-
ent man, esteemed for his firmness and loyalty
in the army, and was Minister of War when
the convention of Berger& was signed. He
Monk a true to his principles, which are mode-
rately
ip • For Minister of Grace and Justice
report n 'cotes Goyena, a writer of credit on juris-
prudence and an old magistrate, who, although a mode-
redo, has never taken any part in the excesses of the
last four years, and has recently raised his voice in
the senate against the invasion of the authority of the
judicial magistracy. Vahey, another likely candidate
for office, It a young puritan deputy, not of much
name, but obnoxious to no party. For Minister of
State two are spoken of, Larrasco or the Count of
Olalla and the Duke of Fries: the former odious on
account of his participation in the oppressive
measures of the Gonzales-Bravo ministry, and
infamous for dishonest and prodigal waste of
the public money while Minister of Finance;
and the other an enlightened, honourable, and
ludicious man, but sadly given to rhyming, and
iable to poetical fits of abstraction. In short, Salamanca
might succeed in concocting a ministry, that, in addi-
tion to these names, should furnish others capable of
conciliating the support of the progresistas. Such a
cabinet, liberal and tolerant, industrious and disposed
to commercial reforms, a cabinet that should succeed
in giving a more hopeful turn to the, palace question,
and provide against the want of subsistence which
lowers over the coming winter, might, in spite of the for-
midable majority at present enjoyed by the mode-
rados, commit themselves fearlessly to the judgment
of the nation, and by an opportune dissolution of the
present Cortes gain a firm hold en the country.
You may remember that I called your attention,
some time ago, to the rumour that a moderado plot was
on foot for calling together the Cortes, and proposing
a bill for deposing the Queen, and establishing a re-
gency under the Duchess of Montpensier. There is
no doubt that, exasperated by tho failure of Narvaez,
they have returned to their abominable scheme. They
propose to base their proceedings upon the 61st article
of the constitution, which runs thus:
When the sovereign shall have incapacitated him or hat
self from reigning, and the incapacity. shall be r.cognised by
the Cortes, the regency shall be exercised during the incapa-
citation by the first born of the Sovereign, being major of I
14 years ; and in default of such first born by the consort of
the Sovereign; and in default of such consort, by those called
to the regency.
But as it would be absurd that a majority in the
Cortes should possess the power of deposing the
monarch upon an arbitrary ground of incapacity, it
will be necessary for the completion of this scheme
that the incapacity of the monarch should be deduced
from some law already in existence. If the moderado
majority make a law with retrospective action, and
then proceed against the sovereign upon it, they will
fall into the old question agitated in the great Englials
rebellion. But a plot of the kind could not for many
years to come, and until after fearful changes, count
upon the least chance of popular sympathy, which is
all now on the side of Isabel, while the contrivers of
her forced marriage are regarded as the tramplers of
the most sacred human and divine laws.
The Clamsr gives the telegraphic despatch which
recalled Narvaez from Paris, which is probably the
first in Spanish that was ever received in that capital,
as well as tke most laconic message that was ever
sent to recal an ambassador " Yoar excellency
will present yourself without any excuse or delay at
Madrid."

An important decree appears in Sunday's Gazette
on the subject of prisons.
The funds continue to fall, but so much trickery is
at work to influence them that it is unfair to take
them us a correct criterion of public feeling.

FRANCE.—MINING STATISTICS.—The Adminis- 1!
tration of Public Works has just published • return
of the labours of the engineers of mines for 184.5. This
publication, which dates from 1834, each year gives i
an account of the situation of the three principal ,
agents of production coal, iron, and steam-engines
The consumption of coal amounted in 1845 to 6,343,000 ,
tons, or six times what it was in 1835. Out of this ,
quantity the home production leaves 4,202,000 tons, and im- ,
ports 2,141,000 tons. Each year shows an enormous in-
crease in the consumption, but at no period has it been so
marked as within the last two years From 1844 to 1845
the number of coal-pita has increased from 425 to 449, that of
the steamengines employed in extraction from 301 to 391 ;
and the production from 3,782,000 tons to 4,202,000 tons, of
which use million was furnished by the basin of the Loire;
916,000 by that of Valenciennes, 300,000 by the Creuzot and
Blancl, G 5,000 by Aubin, 100,000 by Commentry, &c. In
fine the mineral consumption has increased from five and a
half millions of tons to 6 1-3 millions.
ITALY.—CORN FAILURE AT GENOA.—The &am-
phore de Marseille states that an extensive house at Genoa
has stopped payment, fa consequence of enormous losses in
corn. The capital involved is stated to be five millions of
francs. Many helloes in Marseilles are creditors to a consi-
derable amount.
GERMANY.—POSTAL REFORM.—The feeling in
favour of a more consolidated, and in many other respects
improved, postal system pervades not only the German
public but the German governments. Communications
from Frankfort-onthe-Maine, published in the Coyne
Gazette of the sth inst., le..d to a hope that some efficient
measure is on the eve of being adopted. The place of
meeting for the Postal Congress in October seems to be almost
the only open question. The general wish of the govern-
ments of the Germanic Confederation is that it should be
held at Dresden. Bavaria, for some reason or another, would
fain have it held at Munich, but will probably be obliged to
give way. The main object is to introduce a more centralised
post-administration for Germany ; to introduce equal rates
of postage in all the states of the confederation ; and to re-
duce the rates. The Turn and Taxis general post-administra.
lion (a hereditary postmaster-generalship bequeathed by the
empire to the confederation) is understood to be negotiating
for a direct postal intercourse with North America from
Bremen. The German newspapers are delicately hinting
that among other ref orms a very desirable one would be
more moderate charges for the transmission of newspapers,
and still more en equality of charge for all newspapers in-
stead of the auspicious favouritism displayed by the post-office
towards some non-liberal journals.'
SABRE-LOUIS.—FATAL DUEL.—The 9th regiment
of Prussian Hussars were reviewed on Friday Inst by Gene II
-
ral Yuauf, at Sarre-Louis. After the review a dinner was
given by the officers of this regiment to those of tne French I
regiment of the Bth Cuirassiers, who had been present at
this military exhibition. Towards the close of the dinner,
when some wine had been drunk, Lieutenant E—, of the
Hussars, of a very aristocratic family in Prussia, made use
of some observations which were calculated to offend the
French. As they were spoken in German, the officers of the
Cuirassiers did not understand them ; but Mr. G—, a
gentleman of English family, and, like him, in the Prussian
service, remonstrated with him upon the impropriety
of his language. High words followed, and Lieut. E—
was stigmatised by Mr. 0-- as a hunde-ott. Mr. 0—
, called early on Lieut. E—, and expressed his regret at the
offensive terms he had applied to hint, in a moment of ex-
citement. The lieutenanr, however, refused every effort at
conciliation, and demanded satisfaction. A meeting with
t pistols was accordinglusrranged, when Lieut. E— was
shot through the lungs by his opponent. The unfortunate
gentleman lingered till the next morning, when he expired.
, It in not known what has become of Mr. G—.

THE PACIFIC COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA.
—The Pacific Steam Navigation Company's steam.ship
Ecuador, from Callao, arrived at Panama on the 22nd July.
In addition to her usual passengers and cargo she brought
the mails which the company's steamer New Grenada had
brought from Valparaiso, &c., to Callao. The elites are :
Valparaiao, June 28 ; Huseco, June 30; Copiapo, July 1 ;
Cubija, July 2 ; Arica, July 4; Callao, July 11 ; Guayaquil,
July 17; Buenaventura, July 20. By this channel we have
received a file of the Valparaiso paper, El Mercurio, to the
27th June, from which it would appear that the feud between
Peru and Bolivia was becoming every day more and more
serious. According to ad vices obtained by the government
and by private parties at Lima front Arequipa to the 21st,
and from Suno to the 10th of June, an attack had been made
by the troops of General Ballivan on the pueblo of Yunguyo.
The town had, in fact, been for some hours occupied by the
Bolivians, from which it is argued in Lima that the object of
Ballivan's government can uo longer be questioned. Prior
to the occupation, some volleys of musketry and cannon had
been discharged upon the town, and, altogether, there was
every symptom of an approaching imbroglio which it may
not be easy to put an end to. The Bolivian legislature
was to meet on the Gth of June, and attention was
directed to its future proceedings, in which was
involved the important question of actual peace or
war. The bone of contention is understood to
be still the port of Arta, of the acquisition of which the
130/ivians are so desirous. In South Peru the national
guards had taken up arms as a precautionary step, in antici-
pation of an advance of the Bolivian forces. Her Majesty's
consul at Lima had given notice to the British residents of
Peru that, in case of the invasion of Tacna or Arica by the
Bolivians, her Majesty's ships of war would teke charge of
property sent on board for setarity or transport. The death
of Senor Don Vicente Rocafuerte, the Equador envoy ex-
traordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Peru, which
took place at Lima, May 16, last, was a subject, of general
regret in that capital. In consequence of some propositions
made to the Chß= government by Mr. W. Wheelwright,
for the construction of a railway between Santiago and Val-
paraiso, a preliminary agreement had been entered into for
the purpose between that gentleman and the Chilian go-
vernment, the particulars of which are inserted at length in
the official paper El Araucano, of Santiago.

DESTRUCTION OP AN AMERICAN VESSEL BY FIRE.—
Yesterday, intelligence was received at Lloyd's by the
Pharsalia, of Boston, Captain Allen, just arrived at Linn•