The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-18 00:00:00

LOZTI JOIIN ZUBSELL TO Bill HENRY BULWIR.

Foreign-office, January 18, 18.53.
Sir,—According to the last accounts received from
you, the Grand Duke of Tuscany still hesitates on the sub-
ject of the Medial.
But this is a matter on which hesitation implies capital
punishment. It is the same thing in effect to condemn a
mini to die by fire like Savonarola, or to put him to death
by the aloes torture of an unhealthy prison.
It seems to be imagined, indeed, by some governments on
the continent, that it they avoid the spectacle of an execu-
tion on the scaffold, they will escape the odium to them-
sal and the sympathy for their victims, which attends
,a
it e punishment of death for offences of a political or
re ous character.
But this is an error. It is now well understood that the
wasting of the body, the sinking of th- spirits, the weaken-
ing of the mind, arc but addition' to the capital punish-
ment which long and close confinement too often involves.
If therefore, as has been lately reported, one of the
Medial were to die in prison, the Grand Duke must expect
that throughout Europe he will be considered as haring put
a human being to death for beinz a protestant.
It will be said, no doubt, that the offence of Francesco
Madiai was not that of being a protestant, but that of en-
deavouring to "educe ethers from the Roman catholic faith ;
that the Tuscan government had the most merciful inten-
tions, and meant to have shortened the period of imprison-
ment allotted by law to his offence ; that such offences can-
not be permitted to pass unpunished.
All this, however' will avail very little. Throughout
the civilised world this example of religious persecution
will excite abhorrence. Nor will it be the least of the re-
proaches addressed to the government of the Brand Duke
that the name of Leopold of Tuscany has been thus dese-
crated, and the example of a benevolent sovereign thus de-
parted from. The peaceful, mild, and ingenuous character
of the Tuscan people makes this severity the less necessary
and the more odious.

As this is a matter affecting a Tuscan subject, it may be
said that her Majesty's government have no right to inter-
fere. If this means that interference by force of arms
would not be justifiable, I confer at once that nothing but
the most sztreme case would justify such interference.
But if it be meant that her Msjesty has not the right to
point out to a friendly sovereign the arguments which have
prevailed in the most civilised nations against the use of the
civil sword to punish religious opinions, I entirely deny the
truth of such an allegation.
You are, therefore, instructed to speak in the most se-
rious tone to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and to lay
before him all the considerations stated in this despatch.

Yost will do it in tte most friendly tome, and take eire to
assure the government to which yon are accredited that
none are more sincere in their wishes for the independenoe
and happiness of Tuscany teen the Qum of Gust
Britain. I am, &c.,
(Signed) J. RUSSELL.

PENCE TOWN AND

correspondent

nye The want of iireekisess b muds felt by the resi-
dents in Prices Tun, esmesqweeme gleans not being
able to reach it. The omelets are
_pet es • limited allow-
ance. Some of them were sent to remise& for some bread,
when one fellow ateempted to mobs Ids sweeps ; but his suf-
ferings were so greet that, after sminciag many hardships,
he wan compelled to go to a blemiimmitles shop by the road-
side, and he was earned to the prisms incapable of walking."
THE DRYONPORT DOCKYARD AND THE SHIP-
' WItIORTO.—On one evening last week some dozen ship-
wrights, mostly young men, went to the agent of one of the
passenger ships about to sail for Australis, and paid por-
tions of their passage-money for that colony. In conse-
quence of an order of the Admiralty of some years standing
the leading men of the shipwrights have been liable to have
their pay lea when the gangs to which they belong are
working on job and task, although the men themselves
should have an increase of wages. Thus, when on day
work, the wain of the leading man is one.fourth more than
that of the shipwright, but on job and task work this order
'night be reversed, and the workman be paid more than the
leasing man. This was considered a great hardship, inu-
much as the job and task devolved on them an increase of
responsibility and labour. The leading men cf shipwrights'
in this dockyard, having placed these matters before the
Lords of the Admiralty, their lordships have replied, con-
ceding the prayer of the petition to relieve the leading men
from nay deducti7n of wages in consequence of the work
1 the yard being by job and task instead of day work.
Some persons think that their lordships ought to have gone
further, and made the wag, s of the leading men to be
always cone-fourth more than the working men.
SIR HENRY Llrron BULWER had a narrow escape
with his life, a few days since, while descending the Rhoue
from Avignon to Lyons, in one of the millinery passage
steamers. The boiler bunt, and the vessel sank in the
river. Sir Henry, with other passengers, swam for their
lives, and the former was much exhausted on reaching the
shore. Sir Henry is in a very delicate state of and
it is feared that the accident may seriously retard his
recoT very.
HEATRICAL OPERATIVES' FUND.—The committee
of this society, established in 1844 by the scene-shifters of
the metropolitan theatres, to provide against the distress
OCC4+I,IIMI in their .es by sickness and death, have
lust sepnled to the leading members of the theatrical pro-
tessien for assistance. The soci. ty allows to its members,
who are principally married men, in sickness 10s. per wick,
and on a wife's death 31. 10s. ; the family receiving 71. 10s.
in ease of the death of a member himself, to provide for the
necessary funeral e*penses,