The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-01 00:00:00

THE LUXEMBURG CONFERENCE.

According to the Owl, it is now settled that
Holland, as most immediately concerned, shall lane the
invitations to the signitaries of the Treaty of 1839 to meet
in conference. All are agreed that the conference shall be
held in London, and all are lillliollithat it should assemble
as speedily as possible. In the meantime the Owl is glad
to be able to announce that "both France and Prussia
appear to be animated by a sincere desire for peace. The
Cabinet of Paris and the Cabinet of Berlin have both
signified their assent to the neutralisation of the territory
of Luxemburg. Of course; a neutralised state cannot be
occupied by foreign troops, and therefore the Prosaism
will cease to garrison the fortress. This is quite under-
stood, and so perfect an accord hoe been arrived at that
the conference will meet, not to wrangle and dispute and
refer for instructions, but to register and sanction arrange.
menta already perfected."

The San Francisco advicca atate that continuous
shipments of grain were taking place to England and else-
where. According to a telegram of the 9th inst. the ship
Chieftain, for Cork, sailed on that day with :01,500 sacks
of wheat, together with the Alia, Ball, for Liverpool, with
31,000 sacks. At the rime time 5,700 barrels of tour were
cleared for Rio de Janeiro.

THE BRITISH ARMY AND THE SNIDER RIFLE.—
It is with the greatest satisfaction that we are enabled
to state that the whole of the infantry in the army of
the United Kingdom are at this moment supplied with
the Snider ride, whilst there is an abundance of ammu-
nition ready for their use. All the difficulties to which
we have from time to time alluded have been overcome,
and the reports from all districts announce a perfect
satisfaction with the arm as • practical weapon. A con-
siderable quantity of converted arms are in store reedy to
be served to regiments on their return from foreign ser-
vice. It is intended immediately to issue these arms to
the army abroad, commencing with Gibraltar and Malta.
Application has been ramie by the volunteers of Canada
fur the supply of the arm to that force. A abort ride has
been adapted for the use of the Irish constabulary. The
country may therefore rest content that, pending the at.
periments that are to be conducted by the I 'committee on
Small Arms, prolonged as they must be, our military
forces are, in the respect of breech.lowling rifled arms, in
as advanced and satisfactory a position as can be desired.
—OW
A Nzw Ezottrz or WAR.—A letter from Heidel-
berg in the Temps says :—" M. Gustave Struve, the chief
of the Baden insurrection of 18-18, raises a corner of the
veil which covers the new engine of war called the ' hall-
pump.' He has published in the Ite,Aneltte r of Stuttgard
a letter full of the most terrible promisee of destruction.
He says :—' I have known this instrument of death since
the autumn of IMD, and have seen it working both in
London and New York. It has been offered me
for sale twice. But in as well as is
1:4;1, I had not the resou mei necessary. lo
1861, at the moment of the I niteil States war, there
was • question of using it against the Southerners.
Among all those who :IIN• acquainted with it there was
only one opinion as to its frightful effect. In Americo.
however, nobody dared take the responsibility of intro-
ducting it into a struggle amongst brothers.' The einem
I in question has often been alluded to before rue, but I
have always attributed to it a sort of legendary cote
coca. M. Struve, who knew it by right, and not b 1
hearsay, is persuaded that no power in the world would be
capable of resisting this arm if the different calibres of
which it is susceptible were applied to it. It would en'
able any body of men to face ten times their number. The
construction and motive power are the secret of the in-
ventor. All that is seen is an iron plate, which receives
the India end • tube which discharge. them with the
rapidity of lightning. The visible :,ppissrstua is a winch
worked by hand or steam according to the weight of the
projectiles. M. Struve his seen it in operation in both
manners ; it fired balls of two, twelve, and eight
pounds ; not at fifty • minute, as has been said, but
at three hundred. The stream of bullets can only ke
compared to the jet of water from a fire engine. This
machine presents, besides, other advantages. There is DO
recoil, no noise is heard, nor any smoke. The bowel
never heats if even red hot shot is fired. Powder, fulmi-
nate of silver, and wadding are useless. The mach's,
never fouls rind works for ever. The range dependi! %Mon
the strength of the motive power. ' I have ...cm it, mar
M. Struve, 'throw hallo across the Hudson where at was a
mile wide, when eight men turned the handle.
venter has assured me that it would carry two miles