The Express.
London, England, 1848-07-04 00:00:00

ITALY.

The Conrordia of Turin, of the 28th, states that the
positions of the Piedmontese were still at Ricoh, Corona,
Piazzi, and Goito, along the lines of the Mincio and
Adige. A bridge had been thrown over the latter river,
opposite Itivoli. Though slight skirmishes took place
daily, no decisive movement has, as yet, been made.
Preparations were in progress for an attack upon
Verona. Charles Albert was still at Peschiera, and
the head-quarters at Valleggio.
We have received a proclamation, dated from Bo-
logna, 24th ult., by Sig. Canuti, commissary-general
of the Papal army, in which, after announcing that
the ministry have decided upon continuing the war,
and that the interval of three months agreed to in the
capitulation of Vicenza will be usefully employed, he
exhorts the Papal volunteers to remain faithful to
their banner.
The union of Lombardy and the provinces of Padua,
Vicenza, Treviso, and Rovigo with Sardinia, was •
voted at Turin on the 28th. A Constituent Assembly
will be convoked to form the basis of a new constitu-
tional monarchy with the dynasty of Savoy at its
head. The Salic law is adopted.
A letter from Brescia of the 26th ult., states that a
party of Tuscan prisoners having left Mantua on the
22nd, escorted by 600 Austrians and 100 Italian •
soldiers, the latter deserted in a body to the Pied-
montese. They stated that there were not more than
6,000 men at Mantua.
We have received an account of the persons killed
at Naples on the 16th May. 1,364 were carried to
Campo Santo, amongst whom were 891 Swiss and
200 bourgeois. The wounded taken to the hospitals
were 1,207.
The Atha says : " A false republican demonstration
was made at Naples, organised by Merenda, in which
400 paid Lazzaroni were made to cry ' Long live the
Republic !' with a view of affording the troops an
opportunity of repeating the scene of the lath May."
11 Contemporaneo of the 24th, contains a report of
the sitting of the Chamber of Deputies of Rome of the
23rd,in which a conversation took place on the alleged
offer of France to intervene in the affairs of Italy, in
which the deputy Farini observed, " To France is due
our thanks, but only our thanks, for her generous
offers, but we are all far from desirous that the French

army should enter Italy." The deputy Bonaparte ob-
served," Without doubt Italy should protect herself,
but if diplomatic intrigues render doubtful the vic-
tory of the Italian arms, the Italian people would do
well to call to their aid the French.' The Minister
of Finances proposed to raise two millions fur the
expenses of the war.

SWITZERLAND.—M. Ochbensein and M. Tinier
are returned by the Grand Council of Berne as depu-
ties to the next diet, which is to meet on the 3rd July.
MM. Funk and Ochbeneein are:moderate liberals,
and M. Tinier conservative.

EGYPT.—A letter from Alexandria states that no
hopes were entertained of the recovery of Mehemet
Ali, and that his death was every day expected.

PORTUGAL.

By the steamer Tagus, Capt. Evans, Lieut. Rainier,
Admiralty agent, arrived this morning at Southamp-
ton, we have accounts from Gibraltar to the 24th,
Cadiz 25th, Lisbon 29th, and Oporto 30th ult. The
harvest in Portugal is most abundant, and the vintage
is expected to be far above an average one, both as
respects quantity and quality. The following is the
letter of a Lisbm correspondent:
LISBON, June 29.
Fresh arrests are daily taking place; new victims
have been added, and consternation has fallen upon all
classes of citizens, no one considering himself safe, military
rule and the most grinding despotism being 636 the only
form of government recognised in Lisbon.
If the government organs are to bo creelited,sconspirecy
open a vast scale has been discovered, in which are impli-
cated the Spanish liberal., having for its object the over-
throw of the present dynasty and the establishment of re-
-1 pailiesn institutions; hut, up to the present moment, not
even a shadow of proof has been adduced by the govern-
, rent in support of the assertion, nor has one angle prisoner
been put upon his trial. Col. Ilona has, however, had no-
tice of trial served upon him. The accusations against him
are vague, and the names of the witnesses in support of the
case having been published, show them to he permute of the
vilest description, and utterly unworthy of credit. The
real motive for all these arrests is, however, said to
' have bad its origin in the fears of the court that
some tumult might arise on the day of the procession of
1 Corpus Christi (the 22nd instant, Thursday last), a day
upon which many thousand persons are drawn to Li-.bon
from the 'metalling districts. That some real alarm was felt
auto this, is unaloubeed, as the whole military force of the
1 capital was distributed ab nit the streets spin that day, some
16,000 nun, ball- cartridge having been served out to them
upon the occa-ion. This procession and festival is the
grandest of all the religious processions in Portugal ; the
streets through which it passes are strewn with gravel,
every window being adorned with rich silks and
tapestry, and thronged with spectators all gaily attired,
the queen and court assorting at the pageant. Ad passed
over quietly. TLe Estavedarte, Cabral's paper, hints at a
project of government for the creation of a new and sp:nial
tribunal for the trial of political offenders, to by cent-
posed of deputies and peers, to be nominated by parliament.
This certainly would be a most sure and safe way of insuring
convictions and the sacrificing of the liberal leaders. St.
John's-eve in this country, as well as the same* day just
passed over, are holidays and epochs of great gala ; bull-
fights take place, church bells are set ringing, and the night
through the city is thronged with people on tenet. Al passed
over quietly, both in Lisbon and on the south side of the
Tagus.
In the chambers but little is doing ; the commission, com-
posed of members of the two houses, nominated by the crown
some months back, for the purpose of inquiring into the
state of the country, and the cause of discontent, has been
dissolved, having (as I contemplated at the time of its crea-
tion) arrived at no conclusion ; it was, in fact, a mere farce
from beginning to end. The dilapidation of the public
revenue continues nn a wide scale; scarcely a week turns
up but some one or other public robbery is exposed by the
preen, while, with the exception of the armed force, the
government pays nobody. In the Chamber of Peers, the
subject of the Queen's conduct connected wiih the events
that forced on the last revolution, has again been the
theme of ind gnant comment, the Visconde Sada Ban-
' &ire being the assailant upon this occasion; and in-
deed at present royalty in Portugal makes but a contemptible
figure. From Spain there are rumours of a change of ministry
as imminent, and the fell of Nerve's is predicted. This ra our,
it it should prove well-grounded, will be the cause of grave
searm to the Portuguese court and cabinet, as it is matter
well undersond that the nation would seize the very first
opportunity offering a chance of again appealing to arms to
' overthrow the existinz corrupt and tyrannical rule of the
queen and of her ministers. Domiciliary visits continue ;
and the search for concealed arms is as rigid as
ever, but the searchers have been but in very few instances
successful. The Cortes, whose sittings were to have termi-
nated on the second of next month, will, it is said, in conse-
quence of the political arrests, be continued in their functions,
by a royal decree, for the space of another month, but
no decree has as yet been published. The French repre-
sentative here iealsocausing the government some uneasiness,
as his instructions are understood to be of the most perem-
tory character in regard to the reparation demanded in the
shape of heavy pecuniary compensation to the several French
citizens outraged by the soldiery upon a recent a cation, and
the French government seem' ill-disposed to be trifled with.
Several Spanish Carlist officers of note have recently passed
through Lisbon, eta route for the frontia. The police have
ailed in impeding their movement..
The Stromboli is the only English vessel of war at present
1 ht the Tagus; we have also here the splendid yacht.schooner
the Esmeralda, forming part of the squadron of the Royal
Yacht Club; both these vessels, as well as the English mer-
chant shipping, presented an animated scene yesterday,
being all dressed out with their fl.ege, it being the anniver-
sary of the coronation of Queen Victoria : the usual salute"
were fired.
In commerce everything is as dull as it well can be ; and
how can it be otherwise, while such a government is per-
mitted in poor Portugal? The exchanges upon London are
without fluctuation, and the prices of metals remain without
variation ; but the notes of the Bank of Lisbon have
slightly improved, the present discount not passing much
over 60 per cent.