The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-16 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 16, 1847.

THE new trial panted at Belize in the case of the
Qt EEN against Lieut. CONNELL and Mr. SIMONS, has
terminated in an unanimous verdict of acquittal, re-
turned after a comparatively brief deliberation of the
jury. The evidence is not reported lathe local news-
papers; but from what wo have been able to learn of
the circumstances of the unfortunate affray, it is no
more than justice to the gentlemen accused to say,
that we entirely concur in the verdict. It ought also
to be observed, that the charge on this second trial
was simply for manslaughter in the case of Mr. CON-
NELL, and abetting in the ease of Mr. SYMONS ; and
that, consequently, the acquittal exonerates the ac-
cused even from these minor shades of culpability.
This termination of these protracted trials however
does not, in the slightest degree, modify the expres-
sion of unmitigated disapprobation elicited from us in
the outset, in respect to the mismanagement of the
police at Belize. The evidence on which we charged
the police officers with shameless laxity, or utter
absence of discipline,—with brutal callousness, in
locking up two men, one of them suffering from a
wound, which proved fatal in less than twenty hours-
beyond human hearing, in a cell worse than a dog,
kennel,—remains uncontradicted. And we may now
say, in addition, that all the unmerited annoyance to
which Messrs. CONNELL and St atoNs have been
subjected, and all the pain suffered by their families,
have been owing to the neglect of duty on the
part of the police. lied the officers been at their
posts the whole of the transaction would have been
known : no mystery would have appearei to cling to
it. Had the police conducted themselves with com-
mon humanity, the excitement which appears to have
biassed a part of the inhabitants at Belize, would never
have been excited. _ _ _

We are glad to observe that the beginning of a
reform is being made by the superintendent. At
Col. FANCAUST'S request six experienced officers of
the Jamaica police are to be drafted to Belize as the
nucleus of a force. This is so far well, but much more
is required. The dog-kennels of cells in which pri-
soners are locked, must be abolished : a more humane
and attentive gaoler appointed. Nor is the police the
only institution that requires amendment in Honduras.
The cession of that territory cannot now be contem-
plated by any British ministry: why then are the
settlers still denied the power to acquire a permanent
right of property in land ? The settlement is suffici-
ently numerous and wealthy to support regularly
organised courts of justice : why then is the public
meeting not confined exclusively to the business of
legislation ? , Why are the judicial functions not left
exclusively to the professional judge. Lastly, why
is the settlement kept a dependency of Jamaica—with
which it has no natural connection—instead of having
a governor of its own, communicating directly with
the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
As it is, Belize is the only entrepot for our trade
with Central America. Were the settlement properly
organized that traffic would receive a great expan-
sion, and the natural capabilities of the country itself
would be developed. But under the interim arrange-
ments still affectedly kept up, as if Spain could ever
claim the territory again—as if it were not ours by
preicriptive right—a lawless spirit of adventure is
necessarily kept alive unfavourable alike to the
settlers' advancement in wealth and in morality.

On Sunday the letter of Lord Normanby to Lord
Palmerston, of the 6th inst., and the answer of the
latter of the 11th (published in the Paris journals),
caused some sensation. They elicited comments from
all the more independent portion of the Paris press.
'Le Commerce says that the parliamentary intem-
perance of M. Guizot has led to the present diplo-
matic confusion, and gives it as certain that Lord Nor-
manby is about immediately to depart for England
on a ronye of three months. La Refin-me observes
that the despatch of Lord Normanby gives the
strongest contradiction in language almost insulting
to the minister of perpetual peace. " Things being
thus involved we see (says La Reforme)bat two con-
sequences possible • either Lord Normanby must de-
mand his passport, and all relation between the
two governments must erase, or, as seems much more
probable, M. Guizot will be sacrificed in spite of hie
parliamentary triumph."
- - -

L'Union Mnnarchnine says that it is a real and
unequivocal declaration of diplomatic war. "We
shall see on what footing M. Guizot will consider his
relations with England to stand after so rude a blow,"
and adds the announcement of the retirement of Lord
Normanby to England en eonge.
• • ••

The rumours which were prevalent in Path in all
political and commercial circles for several days pre-
viously, prepared the public in some degree for these
documents. Indeed the departure of Lord Normanby
formed the chief subject of conversation during the
latter part of the week. More precise details
have reached us respecting the reported adhesion of
I'rnsaia mentioned in our former Parts correspond-
ence. It appears that the letter received by Count
d'Arnim, the Prussian minister at Paris, from Berlin
expressed the adhesion of that cabinet to the inter-
pretation given by Lord Palmerston to the articles of
the treaty of Utrecht, relative to the exclusion of the
Orleans family from the throne of Spain—that if it
should be called on to give its opinion it would blame
the abolition of the Salique law in Spain and the
change of the order of succession in favour of Queen
Isabella, whom it does not acknowledge. This letter
has been communicated to M. Guizot.
On the other hand we learn that Austria has writ-
ten to its ambassadors at London and Paris to the
same effect, but adding that England and Fiance,
having acknowledged the present order of things in
Spain, with them it considers that the rights of Isa-
bella and her sister must be sacred ; that with
them the order of succession, as settled by the treaty
of Utrecht, can have no force, and that they
therefore cannot now appeal to that treaty,
and therefore it considers that in the contin-
gency of Queen Isabella dying without children it
will be only consistent in states which, like England,
have accepted the Spanish revolution, to acknowledge
the right of succession in the children of the Duchess
of Montpensier. Such is the substance of a note ad-
dressed in duplicate to Count d'Appony at Paris and
the Austrian ambassador in London, and which has
been communicated to M. Guizot. As to Russia we
are assured that that cabinet adheres in all respects to
the opinion of Austria, and has transmitted a similar
note to its ministers in Paris and in London.
The law which liberates the coasting-navigation of
France, so far as relatesto the transport of grain from
all restriction, throwing it equally open to all foreign
bottom., has been adopted without opposition by the
Chambers.
- -

--------
The report mentioned in our Paris correspondence
of yesterday that the Emperor of Russia had closed
the ports of his empire to the exportation of grain
having been contradicted in an equivocal and evasive
manner by the Journal des Delnzia, La Reforrne, a
journal which has devoted itself specially to
this question of subsistence, reasserts the fact,
and takes the Debate to task for the couree
it has pursued on a question of such vital
importance, respecting which the commerce of the
country ought not to be left a moment in suspense.
It is, in short, confidently stated that the closing of
the Russian ports against the emission of grain has
been officially notified to the French government.
The organ of that government is in a condition at
once to affirm or deny the truth of so important a
statement. The .Thurnal des Minds, however,
I does neither; it only ventures timidly to say
that "letters from St. Petersburg have nut
confirmed the news." The consequence of this
is that most serious anxiety prevails on the sub-
ject in l'aris. Supplies of grain from Southern
Russia and Poland appear to be indispensable to
avert a famine in France, andas La Rolforme observes
a ukase of the autocrat, which would shut the ports of
Russia with an acknowledged superabundance in that
country, would be a preliminary act of war.
Tae price of bread for the last fortnight of Febru-
ary will be fi3e. per kilog., being equivalent to nearly
2id. per lb. This is a price to which it never at-
tained even in the scarce season of 1820, when it
never exceed 521 e. per kilog., a price which it only
maintained for fifteen days.

Advices to the Bth inst., from Madrid, had been
received in Paris.
The Infant Don Enrique left Madrid on the 7th,
under the guard of a brigadier of cavalry, Don Raffaele
Mayaldc, Colonel of the Regiment of Maria Christina.
Ile was to await at Barcelona the orders of the
Queen. his banishment was said to be caused by
the project of marriage attributed to him.
F. P —lllne.per-Centp .Tf roar p...r rpm... : rive.yer•
Cents ,24. Poulton. coup..., a , Boot of et. rcrdlnas& at.
Ya
chant Pt Loakke, 371.

MONTREAL, J.ts. 28.
After an unusually long and severe passage the
Hibernia landed Lord Elgin safely at Ruston, on
Monday, the 23. h instant On the following
day he was to leave for Montreal, where he
was hourly expected. A difficult, but brilliant
career is before him, and, for what precise reason I
know not, but so it is, the hopes of all parties run
high in his favour. His career will be " brilliant"
should he succeed where so many have failed ; it will
be " difficult " only in the selection of the path
to follow.

On the 12th inst. a public meeting was convened
by the Mayor, at which the heads of the Liberal and
Conservative parties were present, with their fol-
lowers, and at which a non-committal address of
congratulation, which had been preriuusly agreed
upon, was submitted to the citizens, and adopted.
A meeting has been called for the let of February
to promote a subscription for the erection of a monu-
ment to the memory of Lord Metallic. Some French
newspapers have ventured to hint that the statue,
if it be one, will need a solid pedestal. Similar
efforts have been made to commemorate predecessors
of the deceased nobleman, but there is no such monu-
ment to departed greatness iu the land, excepting
only in the cases of Wolfe and Montt:aim, of Nelson,
and of Brook.

The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad has been
located to a point in the township of Acton, in the
midst of a hard wood forest, 15 miles beyond that
village, and 45 miles from the river St. Lawrence.
Contracts for the grading and construction of this
road have been made at rates much under the esti-
mate of the chief engineer, and so confident are the
contractors of the success of the project, that they
have agreed to accept one-fourth of the payment of
their work in stock ut par. Mr. Galt, a member of
the board, is on his way to England, to make arrange.
meats for the iron required for the rails.

UNITED STATES & MEXICO.