The Express.
London, England, 1866-12-25 00:00:00

misfortune as such a war as that above indicated
should fall upon Europe, it would be a suicidal
madness more monstrous than any other cowed,.
able folly for Italy to take any part, and above an
such a part in it—are propositions which I think no
sane man who knows aught of the state of Italy
can doubt. Nor would such an application to the
Italian government, if indeed it is to be supposed
that any such has been or may be made, come
very well contemporaneously with the report at
the commission entrusted to consider the pestle%
of the reorganization of the army. This report, io
addition to a variety of recommendations on points
of detail of less importance, lays down emphati.,
cally the rule that, in time of peace, the Italia
army ought not to exceed one hundred sod
eighty thousand men. Many men well coo,
patent to form a judgment on the subject se/
that this number is some thirty thousand too many.
But it may be very safely assumed that the go.
vernment commission, who have after much mai.
deration come to the decision in question, has,
Ab
not erred on the side of too greatly reducing the
forces of the country. Above all things—stoo,
lately above all things—it is necessary that the
recommendation of the committee in this respect
should be carried into effect with the least posit%
delay. A tolerably healthy condition of the finances
cannot by any possibility be attained without this
reduction of the army. And without such a condi-
tion of the finances, it is idle to hope for all the
other improvements and progress of which Italy
stands so much in need.
I read a statement in an English paper that rents
in Florence were much lowered because it wu do
general opinion that the capital would shortly to
removed to Rome. It can hardly be necenary to
tell anybody who has taken an interest in thecoures
of Italian affairs for the last two years, that never
at any moment since the September convention les
it been so certain as it is now that Florence will
remain permanently the capital of Italy. It is
probable that the remarkable words on the subject
of Rome in the King's speech, at the opening cd
the Chambers, were placed in it as a preparation
for a formal renunciation of the vote which long op
declared Rome to be the definitive capital of Italy.
Whether, however, the government may in the
present state of public feeling venture se
a vote rescinding that popular declare-
tion or not, nobody who understands the
necessities of the present condition of the Romsa
question will imagine that it can be so solved as to
admit the posaibility of making the Pope's city the
capital of Victor Emmanuel's dominions. The
English writer to the paper in which I saw the
statement I have mentioned, has probably found
that furnished apartments are somewhat cheaper
this winter than they were last year. It is so ; and
the reason of it is that the floating population el
strangers who make the demand for them is some-
what smaller this year than was the case last winter.
But it will be readily understood h`tat this pheno-
menon has nothing whatever to du ith the depre-
dation of house property which would ensue from
the removal of the capital from the City of Flower*

flabiti mar itlilitarg.

CHATHAM, DEC. Si
The Lords of the Admiralty lutve given directions
for three new vessels to be laid down :it this dockyard se
soon as the work now in progress will allow of their being
commenced. The vessels ordered include two of the in.
proved corvette class, together with a double screw gun
vessel, it being likewise intended to build one or more
composite gunboats of iron and u-ed, and each of about
500 tons burthen. The vessels ordered will be laid down
on the vacant slips early in the ensuing rear.
About 1,000 of the soldiers a ituyat Marnes left the
garrison this morning, on leavnd e of absencei for the
lose of of spending the Christmas holidays withtheirfriends

NAVAL Co V ET-MARTIAL. —A court-martial ae
aembleil on board the Victory. at Portsmouth, on Friday
and Saturday last, to try Henry Mills, supernumerary a*
seaman of the Duke of Wellington—First, for baring,
on the night of the 3rd of September, on board he
.Ilajesty's ship Orontes, , secondly, stolen a C.lte a
ch of porter, ths
property of the crown; and on ine of per-
juy. The court consisted of Copt:dna Edward Tatham, ci
the Bell, rophon (president), the Hon. F. Egerton beside
, aide
de-camp to the Queen (Victory!, W. C. Cham
(Asia), C. Fellowes (Duke of Wellington). J. E. Commerdli
V.C., C.B. (Terrible), H. T. Burgoyne. V.C. (Wiveral,
H. W. Hire (Orontes), S. H. Henderson , Urgent). and .I.G.
Goodenough (Minotaur). Mr. E. Hoskins otheiated U
Judge-Advocate. It appeared that on the ni,rht in questies
the prisoner was one of a working Tinto
employed on beard
the) )routes loading ammunition into that ship from tie
Medusa lying alongside. After the workina.party ill
left the ship the case of porter was missed. and on tie
re-assembliug on the following morning Mr. Blake. the
boatswain in charge of them, tohl them they were accused
of the theft, and said if any of them knew anything abet
it they had better step forward and say so. AIMtyoffite
named Robert Doran and the prisoner then came forward
and said they knew who did it, and accused Mr. William,'
Stevenson, a boatswain of the Orontes, of the theft.
court-martial was consequently assembled for the trial.
Mr. Stephenson, and the prisoner and Doran swore that
they saw him carrying the case, and that be called the
former to help him break it open. :knottier witness,
however, proved seeing the pp
risoncr and Doran attempt*
to break open the case, and 3lr. Stephensonwas honours*
acquitted of the charge. The court found that the fall
charge against Mills was not proved, but that the weed
was proved, and sentenced him to be imprisoned end kas
to hard labour at Lewes for twelve months ...„ ,
THE ATLANTIC OCEAN YAUHT RACE. 1:00 •
lowing communication has been addressed by the Abe
ralty authorities to the American consul at Southeniest
—" Admiralty, 20th Dec., 1844. —Sir,— I am commanded
by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to soprani
you that they have directed Admiral Sir T. Pasteileft Ne
. 054
arrival of the three American yachts. which
York on the 11th inst. to rice to Cowes. Isle of Wigbli
that he is to communicate with their captains or owes)
and, in case of need, offer them the assistance of the del.
yard.—l am, sir, your obedient servant (Signed) ilLrri
G. LENN.A. To John Britton, Esq., United Stall
Consul, Southampton."

The King of Bavaria, who returned from ns..
en the 10th, from bis journey into the northern precse!
left again on the 13th for the Tyrol, being about to
for some time at his palace at liehenseiorangau.
The °6"r<delir de Iftoffec announces the deati
Count Charles de Bugger°lle in the almshouse of
town, after having for nanny years filled the situation,
forest-guard. He belonged to an ancient and dii stingui
WOO
shol
family at Poitou. His father Louis acmninaniel
to America, and one of his uncles w an °thee
army of Conde. The present head of the family is
poster in l'aris.
The Paris correspondent of the 3foening 1
writes :—" A curious incident took place at
Hyacinthe's last lecture—the subjact of which,
l.e as
told you, was ' Public Immorality.' Among t
was 31. Earoche, Minister of Justice and
laPublic
ship, who sat next to the Archbishop of na
as Father Hyacinthe confined himself to a
vapid denunciation of social evil, S.C., sil
on smoothly enough, but at the a loe of the
~ •
part of his lecture, he dwelt on dm evil' effect.
scepticism and freethinking in France. He
conrasted
with the deep religious feeling of England—a OW
which was not ashamed to pray ; with the piety.'
United States, whose thanksgiving and humiliatr
he described as ant grand OW iflAt ill, 11l If can Imo
faefr ; and concluded by stating that so
France continued to propagate inanorslity
press, her literature, and her stage, she
forfeit her rank in Europe, and hurry with rota
to the gulf of servitude.' Here the Father
short—the Archbishop was seen to beckon to • ,
descended from the pulpit, but he did
not
he reaso'l•
la,
The auditory all the while were waiting for t
of the lecture, but it was not delivered. Ills
slowly withdrew, rather puzzled at this abrupt
tion ; but some people fancy that 51. Laroche I
reason why."
The use of a wire tiller-roper a stated
principal reams why there was not a tembie
in the recant burning of the steamer Von Phi
lower Mississippi. The usual tiller-rope would
been burned off, and the boat have become anon