The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-14 00:00:00

ITALY.

With regard to the affair of Rimini, the Parla-
mento of Turin of the 9th states that the municipality
of that town, seeing that they were punished en
mane for the act of a few persons who had thrown
mud at the escutcheon of the Austrian Consul, im-
mediately sent a deputation to General Nobili at Bo-
logna, the commander in chief of the Austrian troops
of Romagna, to complain to him of the exorbitant
contribution of 30,000 piastres laid upon the ton n
by the Austrian colonel in the command of the
troops that bad come from Forli. The result of this
istep was that General Nobili reduced the contribu-
tion to 2,000 piastres only, to be paid by the town to
the above-mentioned troops.

NAPLES, Fan. 4.
During the last few days the body of Maria
Christina, the first wife of his present Sicilian Ma-
jesty, has been disinterred after 14 years quiet repose
in the church of Santa Chiara, and disinterred for
the purpose of verification, with a view to beatifica-
tion. The remains of the late Queen are believed
to have performed some miracle which the church
has not thought fit, as yet, to publish to the world.
It must, however, be confessed that the church has
shown unusual discrimination in its choice of a
subject, for a most excellent woman was Maria
Christina, and a most pure life she led, and so
universal was the affection felt for her, that even
in the present day there is not a cottage in the
kingdom where her virtues arc not remembered
and her loss regretted. The Vatican has, therefore,
been induced to institute the preliminary investi-
gations to ascertain what claims her Majestyj has
to be numbered with the saints. The body
having been exposed, the nuncio and city
authorities were invited to visit and identify
it, and this having been done, a committee
of' ecclesiastics, consisting of the divines of
the royal household, are now employed in tracing
the miracles supposed to have been performed both
before and after death—a very long process, if
carried out according to the rules of the Roman
church. Such an event is not without its political
meaning, of course. The ignorant are thus taught
to clothe royalty with Divine attributes—to ascribe
the blessings and the gifts of God to their earthly
rulers, until human or Divine Majesty become almost
interchangeable phrases, and royalty a sacred thing.
As to the church, it has everything to gain by such
exhibitions. Who but they can solve this difficulty?
and who but they are the exponents of the Divine
mind? Prom!, procul este prodni. To the church
therefore it gives new life and interest to perpetuate
the idea that (by its will and decision) Divine inter-
position is accorded to the faithful. Queen Christina's
life will, however, bear investigation, and the devil's
advocate will soon be floored. She was a sincere,
good woman, who, had she lived, would have been a
blessing to the country, disposing the royal will to
justice and charity.
The Giornale ielle Due Sicilie for 31st January
gives a report from a most zealous friend of the pro-
gress made by catholicism in England during 1830-
51. The number of churches erected he gives at 22.
One of these, however, is in Ceylon, and another in
Guernsey ; monastic establishments, 9 ; clergymen
of the church of England converted, 41, two of whom
are at New York_ laity, 116. A catalogue, though
professing to be English, which is swelled by contri-
butions from France and every part of Germany.
Even a certain prince, Fenall Mahuret di Tunis',
and the Indian chief Patruska, are pressed into its
service.

Death has just removed another instrument of
political persecution. Morelli, the President of the
Criminal Court, who tried the accused of May 15th,
1848, died a few days since perfectly mad. Thus the
principal agents of Neapolitan injustice, Peecheneida,
Navarra, and Morelli, have been called from the
scene of their iniquities, and, singular enough, have
each died preternatural deaths. The government-
paid spies who figured in the political trials have
lost their stipends, and received small government
appointments instead.
Much alarm is felt at the present moment about
the Muratists in Sicily, and, in consequence, several
arrests have taken place there recently. Since I
last wrote, an incident has occurred which created
a good deal of talk amongst foreigners here. An
Englishman, walking through the Villa a few days
since, took up a wounded gull which a soldier of
the guards offered to sell him. This was, however,
declined, and the gull pat down again. The Eng-
lishman then continued his walk, but on his return
was assaulted by the soldier, bound, and led
away to the guard-house. His friend, not know-
ing what to do, was recommended to speak to
Prince Ischitcllar, the Minister of War, who
was then coming up the Villa. Tho Prince immedi-1
ately went to the rescue, unbound and brushed the'
prisoner hinflelf, and ordered the guard to be
changed immediately. A formal complaint having
been made by Sir W. Temple, it was notified to his
excellency that the officer had been put under arrest
for two months, the sergeant degraded, and the
soldier punished with 200 lashes, whilst an apology
was offered to the complainant. The promptitude
with which reparation was demanded and offered
reflects the highest credit upon all the authorities
concerned ; but it occurs to us to ask why is not the
same vigour manifested in such cases in Florence and
Vienna as is manifested in Naples?
Powerful steamers are expected shortly from Scot-
land to undertake a new line between Naples and the
ports in the Adriatic, a great boon to the commerce
of this country.
Exchange on London, 563; Five per Cents., 1061.

EGYPT.

The Comtitutionnel states that the Pacha of
Egypt has given orders fur levelling the Isthmus of
Suez.

" DOING WELL AT TIIE DIGGINg."—At the weekly
meeting of the Marylebono Board of Guardians on Friday,
Mr. Messer read a letter from Catherine Enright, one of
twenty five workhouse girls sent to Australia in ISIO by the
parish, which, sin r praising their happy change, and
thanking the guardians for it, thus concluded :—" I need
only add, that all the girls who came out with the are mar-
ried (a laugh), and most of them got children (continued
laughter). I hare got a little boy (increased laughter).
We are all doing well."

INDIA.
THE OVERLAND MAIL.

ANNEXATION OF PEGU.

We have received by express from Marseilles our
despatches from India in anticipation of the
overland mail, which left Bombay on the 13th,
Madras on the 10th, and Calcutta on the sth ult.
This mail, owing to a change in the postal ar-
rangements, was despatched at an interval of only
ten days after the date of the previouq one. The
formal annexation of Pegu is announced in the
following proclamation