The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-17 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

The Oriental Company's steam-packet Iberia,
Captain Burney, arrived at Southampton last even-
ing, and landed her mails under the charge of Lieut.
John Hay, R.N., Admiralty agent. Iler dates are—
Gibraltar. Feb. Bth; 9th; Lisbon, I Ith ;
Oporto, 12th; Vigo, 13th. Her cargo comprises
nine packages of specie, and nine packages of mine-
rals for the Exhibition of ism.
Our correspondent writes:
LISBON, TEA. 11.
The local and loving subjects of Dona Maria had
been nearly six weeks on the tip-toe of expectation
that she would add another scion to her royal house
for them to provide for; but their hopes were agree-
ably disappointed by her having, on the morning of
the 3rd, given birth to a female child, which imme-
diately died. The expenses of it, therefore, were
confined to the pomp and splendour of a royal inter-
ment for the gratification of the starving population
of this metropolis.
In the absence of any law for recruiting the army,
the minister has issued a decree for raising 4,509
men to fill up vacancies.
The law for destroying the currency of all foreign
gold, except sovereigns and half-sovereigns, is being
carried into effect, in so fur as relates to the changing
of all gold now illegal for that which is legal at the
Mint ; but the matter proceeds but slowly.
The bank question has not progressiid; a new
direction has been elected, and those most opposed to
the government received the greatest support.
There are still reports of ministerial changes ; but
the time is quite inopportune.
I regret to be obliged to revert to the pending (if I
may so call it) question between the two govern-
ments. The claims have not progressed one inch;
and notwithstanding the conciliatory letters which
Sir Hamilton Seymour addresses to the Minister for
Foreign Affairs, and his otherwise courteous beha-
viour to the government, the former meet with no
attention, while a sort of apathy seems to hang over
the cabinet.

...„..—....
The subject of the Quinta do Alfeite continues to
irritate the public mind; beyond which there is no-
thing at all interesting to the British reader.
On the 30th ult. the Prince Regent sailed to Eng-
land, Commodore Martin shifting his pendant to the
!Render. On the 4th the French steamer Caffarelle
sailed to the north.

Discount of Lisbon bank notes, 5 per cent. Ex.
change, 541.

GERMANY.

In the sitting of the Berlin Chamber of the 13th
M. Arnias motion touching the Schleswig-Holstein
afhtir, was rejected by 71 against 41 votes, the
chamber, as recommended by the committee, passing
to the simple order of the thiy. A cabinet council was
held on the 14th at Berlin, so late as K ocick in

the evening. It was thought that important news
had arrived from Dreaden. . . .

In the Lower House the opposition had a majority
of nine votes in the division on the income tax. The
resolution thus passed is prospective, and provides
that the rates of taxation shall he lowered in 18,6.

Our Berlin correspondent writes that Manteuffel
and Schwarsenberg were to meet in Dresden to-day
or to-morrow (Tuesday).
The Hanorer Gazette contains an article which
hes additional importance to the note which France
has forwarded to the Court of Vienna, protesting
against the entrance of Austria with all her states
Into the Itund. That note has now been communi-

-
gated to the small courts. The additional import-
anceoi it receives arises from the fact that
Palmerston, according to the Hanocer r;azette,
sent a very strong note on the subject to
both Vienna and Berlin on the 3rd of December last,
directly intimating that as the confederation was the
work of a European congress, it could not be subject
to any reorganisation or alteration without the co-
operation and consent of the powers who were par-
ties to its formation, by the Vienna treaty of Itils.
The ./astrian C'orrespondenec informs us that Austria
and Prussia are about immediately to establish a
military line, of which the central points will be
Frankfort and Mayence, from ltadstadt to
Dusseldorf, the main object of which, is
said to be, to make it a matter of indifference
what decision the Dresden Conference may come
to about the constitution of a central power, and to
secure Germany from being taken by surprise by
foreign enemies, or by any democratic movements at
home, as she was in 1848. The Deutsche Kronik
of Stuttgart publishes a programme of Count Spon-
neck tiir the settlement of the questions between
I)cnmark and the Duchies, which enumerates all the
propositions that arc to be laid before the Assembly
of " Notables." It is as follows:
1. The different states at present under the throne of
Denmark form a federative monarchy, whose parts are
united under the rule of the same sovereign. 2. In all
these states there subsists one and the same system of ems-
li and trade legislation, of shipping, post administration,
and coinage, with the exception only of the Duchy of Lau-
, enburg, in reference to customs duties and the partition of
the public debt. The Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg
form a part of the German Confederation. These hove
their separate parliaments (landtage), in which, in
unison • ith the authority of the sovereign, all their
home affairs are transacted. Each of these duchies is
held obliged to contribute its proportionate quota for
the support of common interests and common order.
The budget of those contributions should be die.,
tinctly fixed, and then exempted from the interference of
the parliaments. The mode of raising these contributions
to be determined on by the government of the sovereign.
3. For the consideration of all questions of common inte-
rest the deputies of the Duchies of Holstein and Lauen-
burg will have their place in Copenhagen in equal number,
and with the same privileges as the Danish counsellors and
minister. Laws of general interest, especially such as refer
to .customs and post-office matters, will be submitted
to committees composed of members of the Danish
parliament and of the parliaments of Holstein and
Lauenburg, in equal number. The results of their
deliberations to he subjected to the rejection of each
parliament separately. Proposed laws will be consi
dered as null and void, if they remise not the sanction of
all the members of the committee. 4. The Duchy of
Schleswig should have a separate parliament, with legis-
Mire privileges and a separate administration, within the
competency of which is included civil and criminal legisla •
tion, the police, public instruction, and church affairs; also
communal regulations, regulations respecting industry, the
separate budget of the duchy, and also all discussions
with respect to the mode of raising the BUM
which the duchy will contribute to the common
interests of the monarchy. The two nationalities, of which
the population of Schleswig consists, are perfectly on a par
with respect to their rights and privilege.. 6. The armed
power of Schleswig forms a part of the Danish army, and is
subject to the same government and discipline. With res-
pect to the common interests Schleswig and Denmark
should have a common legislation and administration,
and the Schleswig parliament should join that
of Denmark for these common objects. 6. The com-
mon relations between Schleswig and Holstein com-
prehend : the use of the Eyder Canal, the establishment of
tire insurance companies, the University of Kiel for the Ger-
man part of Schleswig, the Deaf and Dumb institution, the
prison in Gluckstadt, the Knight's institution (Ititterstand),
inasmuch as it is a mere social establishment without pub-
lic attributes, and the nobility chapter (adeligen capitel).
All that respects the administration of these institutions is a
subject which commits the legislatures of Schleswig and
Holstein jointly. These propositions will he submitted to
the consideration of an assembly of notables from all parts
of the monarchy to be summoned by the King. The num-
ber of notables from Schleso ig will amount to double the
number of those of Denmark—in this way, that Schleswig
alone will constitute the half of the common assembly.

Our correspondent writes :
BERLIN, FEB. 12.
A fortnight ago the upper chamber appointed a com-
mittee to report on a motion brought in by Baron Von Ar-
nim, which contained the indirect assertion that the com-
missaries in Schleswig-Holstein had exceeded their in-
structions, demanded the disavowal of their acts, and
the denial of the ratification of the convention they
were dei hired to have concluded some time ago. This
motion was founded on the fact that the troops
of the united powers hail entered Holstein notwith-
standing the promise of the commissaries that this should
not take place, if the government of the duchies succumbed
to the Blind without resistance. The committee appointed
to report on this motion has just presented its report : the
reporter being the celebrated Stahl. It is a document of
considerable length, and remarkable for the lawycrship dis-
played in the marskdling of the arguments, the employ-
ment and the distortion of facts. There has been a great
deal printed in the newspapers collocating certain protocols
which were said to have been drawn up at Kiel between
---,;..aaries and the Staathalterschaft. It iv upon
. .

the contents of these documents that Baron Arnim founds
his motion. On the 7th of January, 1851, at a conference
in Kiel, " the Commissaries assured the Staatchalters-
chat% that the Austrian and Prussian troops would
not enter Holstein if the duchies conceded the de-
mands then made upon them." In a subsequent
conference, on the 11th of the same month, the two emu-
'

mmiasartea " repeated their assurance that now the duchies
bad given way to the demands of the Germanic confedera-
tion, and if no resistance were made to their being carried
out, the Austrian and Prussian troops would not enter
Holstein." From the report drawn up by Stahl, it appears
that the representative of the Foreign-office denies that the

documents front which the above extracts are taken possess
the character of protocols, and that they were only certi-
fied by an official of the Staathaltersehaft. The only offi-
cial papers of importanceon this question were exchanged in
writing between the commissaries and the Staathaltcrachaft,
on which the following is said to be the answer of the com-
missaries to the question of the Staathaltcrschaft, whether
under any circumstances the Austrian and Prussian troops
would enter linlstein, if the demands made on the 6th of I
January were peacefully acceded to by the duchies ? This
answer a :
" It is expected that the Staathalterschaft will fulfil the
demands made upon their future regulations, must be left
to the decision of the confederation, and in so far as they
arc obeyed without opposition, the pressure of execution 1
troops may be spared." It would be natural to suppose I
that the former extracts were the substance of verbal ex.-
planatims, subsequently given by the commissaries,
of
that which is now said to be the only official communication,
and the inflexible honesty, highmindedness, and gentle-
manly character of all the members of the late government
of the duchies, demands that even their opponents should
credit their words. This is their explanation of the circum-
stances, but Staid, ignoring the so-ealled protocols alto-
gether, denies that the answer of the commissaries, last
referred to, excluded any and all federal troops from Hol-
stein. Ile says the troops present were only execution troops.
On these grounds the reporter declares the commissaries re-
solved unanimously the rejection of the first part of the mo-
tion. The other part of Baron Arnim's motion refers to the oc-
cupation of portions of Holstein, the nationality of which is
doubtful, and calls upon the government to take care that '
they are not occupied by other than federal troops, for
which the recent occupation of the crown work of Kends-
burg by the Danes is sufficient foundation, though when it
was proposed the matter was not decided. The committee,
as Deputy Stahl reports, declared against this part of the
motion, on the ground that the treaty of peace Of the 2nd
of July, 18.10, placed this question in the hands of the con-
federation and the King of Denmark. Another motion
was then proposed to the effect that the chambers should
at least express their sympathies with the duchies. A mi-
nority in the contmittee supported this motion on the ground
that it did not in any way bind the chambers to the motion,
and that it would strengthen the hands of the government
in dealing with the foreign powers. The majority in the
committee rejected this 'notion, and the report concludes
with the recommendation to proceid to the order of the day.

It is confirmed that France has protested against
the intention of Austria to cuter with all her pro-
vinces into the Germanic confederation. The pro-
test contains the following sentence :
The French government holds it impossible that the
entrance of Austria with all her states into the Hand can
take place before the consent of the parties guaranteeing
the treaty of Vienna be obtained.
It seems also that the Swiss affairs are not only
under consideration at Vienna and Berlin, but also
at Paris, and that France wishes much to assume
the part of a mediator.
It is said that the ministry has prepared an elec-
toral law resuming the semi-feudal system of States-
general. The only delay in presenting the new law
will be to ascertain the tenor of an electoral last- for
all Germany. which is said to be in course of prepa-
ration at the Dresden conferences.