The Express.
London, England, 1856-12-26 00:00:00

ENTBRTAINMRNTS FOR BOXING DAY.

Tc-night the larger part of the population of London
will think of litae else but bow best to enjoy itself. Pur-
veyors of metropolitan antasensents probably never lens
their aid to this disposition more powerfully than they have
done this year. On the more of variety, at all events, no
complaint will be made by the pablie. For the nonviolence
of oar readers, we suuserate a few of the leading enter-
tainments, beginning, according to custom, with the theatres.
At the.. we find, with one exception, the old supremacy of
pantomime everywhere teetered. _ . _

Drell-leas leads off with the promise of "Simpson mid
C 0.," and the new pantomime is called "Bin Sew, Margery
Dow." Hot, Dash n, Bigot! Venal, the Brothers Elliott,
Mown. Barnes, Tanner, Btleno, Fleawort, Belford, cad
ALUTieI, Madame B Arno and Mu Honey ars to appear in it.
At the Haymarket the " Honeymoon" will be npre
noted ; Masers. Murdock and Buckman and Miss T.lbot
sustaining characters. The new pantomime is called " The
Babes is the Wood; or Harlequin end the Cruel Uncle ;"
sad the perfnmen are Haas. Mlteno, Mears. Mackay and
W. Driver, and Mit Fenny Wright.
At the Princess's, the celebrated " Corsican Brother.. "

will be re-prodneed:folloared by the pastosaies of Ala&
die and the Wond.rfal Leap; or Harbionts and the Creel
of the Slag;' in whleh Keen. Cressek, Huhu, aad
Paulo, and Yea C. Adam tell lappet.

At the Olympic the play of "Delicate Ground" will be
followed by a sew fairy earraveganna, aped "Young sad
ilandscsae," with Ileum F. Robson and J. Dagen ; the
Thirlwall, Mrs. Mellott, and Wm Swasboronsh; and Doo-
dad* with the new farce called "Crinoline." in which Mr
Robson will mania the principal character.

At the Adelphi, Mauro. Wright, Gerdes, and J. Bland,
and Miss Mary Keeley wiU appear ia " Paul Pi y," after which
villeins the sew pantomime*, " Mother Slayton ; or, Hai-
-I.quin Knight of Lose sad the Escheated Wraith'," to be
awed by Messrs. Garden, Morelaad, sad La Barr; Methane
Celeste, Miss Wyadhas.
At Sadist's Wells, under the menesameat of Mr. Phelps,
" Venice Preserved " will be presented, sad after it the
pantomime, @stilled "The Fisherman and the Genie; or.
Harlequin Padmansba and the Enchanted Pahei of the
Silva Like." Harlequin, Mr. C. Fenton; Colorable's, Miss
C. Sharp; Paatalesa, Mr. IL Naylor ; and Claws, Mr. N.

At the Berney the play will be " Beagles," end the sew
pantomime, " Hsrlequin and the Seam, Queen ; or King
Winter aed the Fairies of the Bilver Willows," with M .
(Nome, Beth, Bradbory and the Fills family; Mesdames
Marls and Agate.
At the Lyceum the play will " William Till," and as
original tionikaatios of burlesque and pantomime, entitled
Conrad and Madan ; or, Harlequin Cursaltand the Little
Fairy at the Bottom of the Sea," is anaouneed. Min Woolgar,
Mr. J. L. Toole, and Mr. Barrett, will sansin charm:in in
the opening. _ _ _

At ;he &Maud Theatre, " Hubert Maestri," will be per-
formed, with the pantomime of " Tbe Magic Mistletoe; or
Harlequin Humbug and the Shona of London."
At the Standard the new comic pantomime " Haekady
Piekedy my Sleek Hen; or Harlequin King Winter and
Queen Spring," will be given, and "The Miser of Shore -
&tab."

At Astley's the Chr lamas Hobby Earle will be the
eqaestrian pantomime of "Paul Pry on Horebsen, or
Harlequin and the Magic Horseshoe." Paul will hare hie
vicious horse, kissing horse, sagacious borer, quilt horse,
lively horse, end lazy horse; and Mare will drive sight
milk-white steed., in a znagnifleent ear of state.

Of the vatioas plasst of entertainment sad instruction
lopes la the day, we most first same the Crystal Pelee*, sad

We seed esl7 imme it.

The Royal Colosseum, d'bsay-stroet, Rogent's.pitk,
Is also now open as so sabibition of @Mena and art, under
Om direction of Dr. Bubb°ifaer. Tim hours ars twelve,
ud ssrea in Om evening; and Moo at. conarts, colossi
panoramas of London by day and night, and dissolving
Mows.

The Polytiobak, sada the dirtotloa of Kr. Popper, boo
=ado special arroissoments for the oosooo, to gouda it

.
vorthp of the amastemeil petroesge of the public.
Mt. Albert Smith, of Moat Blest, Pimadilly, will give
two entertainments,—toot In the afternoon, at Wee; and

that is the eveatag, at sight.

Mr. W. 8. Woola's olio of Olditiie will be opined in
the Poljirephie livi, Kiog William Meet, Charing iron,

this sna lag.

Kaduna Tswana's Babibitloa. in Baker Wrest, Portman-
spare, will be open from slava& WI diwk, and tram wean
till Ws.

GOIMITII TOM Thane will appear at lb. Repeat Gallery.
Quedraat, those Uwe% viz.—from Glees. till olio ; tern till
an; awl sera till tea Went*.
Bank, Its Palmas sad in People, *be ono at the
Gnat Globe, Leienteregeare.

Two valuable City Rectories which are vacant are
is the gift of the Dean sad Chap•e, of Ilk Paul'. Cathedral.
Gavot think Bt. Inshore Bedsits'', beams omelet three
meths ago by the death of the Rev. B. G. Beckwith, and
mach denhe has been 'mastoid that so presented= by
yet been aide. The Ohm is the restore of 81. Lawrence
Jewry, which town taunt a few days also, by the death
el the 11ev. Allation Burgh, 11 A. This benefice is is the
gift of Baled College, Oxford, ad the Dean aid Chapter
net. Peal's alternately, the La resonation being made
by Baled College, who nominated Mr. Burgh in 1815.
THE CRYSTAL Pat ucs.—Considering the general
desire in Amide amusemeat ad siatartainerat at this
fee ice maid, it was hardly to be expend that there would
be may visitors at the Crystal Paine yesterday. The
directors, ►ewever, provided as eases atirastioa—a vocal
aid Instramintal mucert—retaisisg the ordiany price of

admiseica. TM remit was that sems thoosaadaMteadad,
sad them who did were muck gratified. Ilse Metre-
neatsliets were the eonapeay's bead, end a stmeg body of
Memo &gem nailer the dirsctiou of 2dr. Smythe's. The
plum were seketleas from Beettioves, Mendelmam,
Slow-rt, Handel, Roolai, end Wiper. The etweerr, as •
whole, mat off eamedingly well, and the chorus, "Far
sato se a child le bore," and tie Chorus,"
were gives with areal effect. Au addltioael and use:meted
pleasure was afforded to the visitors by the appearsage en
the platforms during the longest of the retowned Gettenl
Tom Thumb. He was latrodneed by the seani4 less
renowned Baratta, amid meads of applause, which were
repeatod whoa the Lilliputian General stepped forward, and
with much gram wished ell the minspany " • merry Christ-
mas lad a happy new leer."

Till Rev. Ds. LIVINGSTON.—Ws have received
the following from a reliable source :—"Ths distinguished
pntlesian wUI probably visit his relatives in this town in
the course of next seek. A public demonstration Is his
homer is contemplated, the arraogemsom for which ere
only delayed t,ll his own nut•cms are amertained."—lia-
mitlos Advertiser.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(raox ova owx

PARIS. TiItIIUDAT Erratum.
This being Christmas-day, the Bourse and all the
public offices are closed.
Oa the Swiss question there is no reliable news of
importance. You wits have noticed the contradictory
telegraphic despatches from Berlin. Very confident
hopes that a war will be prevented areentertained here,
because the belief prevails that the French Emperor,
finding that the Swiss set at nought his interference
and that the King of Freida appears more obstinate
and unreasonable than ever, is frightened at his own
work, and will make great efforts to repair the =is-
' take he hiui committed.

No less thin 1,800 Swiss residents in Paris have
within the last law days, demanded passports to
return to Switzerland.

The Prince Frederick Wiliam of Perugia is the
bearer of an autograph letter from the Emperor
Napoleon to the King.
The rays announces that the difficulty spoken of by
the Constantinople journals as having arisen on the
tout of the Black Sea, between some Turkish crews
and the Russian authorities of SSoudjak•Kale, is is
a fair way of arrangement, "owing to the good un-
derstanding which exists between the two Powers
interested."

A Constentinople correspondence in the Univers,
dated Dec. 13, gives the following u the condi-
tions of Face proposed by Lord de Redoliffe to
Ferouk•Khan :-1. The Shah to dismiss his present
prime minisier. 2. Satisfaction to be given to :he
Persian subject on whose account the original differ-
ence with Mr. Murray took place. 3. To conclude a
new treaty of commerce. 4. To admit English consuls
in all playa selected by the English government.
6. To pay a war indemnity. 6. To restore Hera, to
the Affshans, and to evacuate the Affghanistan terri-
tory. 7. To undertake to refer all differences with
regard to Herat which may arise in future between
the Persians and Affghans to the arbitration of Eng-
land. The Univers correscondent, who is very hostile
to England, and sympathises with Russia, begins his
letter by saying that, hard as these terms are, the
Shah has no choice but to accept them, the internal
state of his kingdom being such as to furnish England
with powerful means of acting upon him. But, in a
postcript, he notices the statement in the Cons!anti•
mop:* Journal that the Shah, fearing assassination
by his own subjects, elan alternative had determined
to go to war with England. The cogency of the me
live stated is, however, doubted; for while the
English would be humping him on the south, the
Hessians, the correspondent think'', would occupy his
tatitory on the north, and then his subjects, irritated
by reverses and annoyances, would not be likely to be
more tractable than they are now. _ .

It apt Airs that M. &tiller was a French officer,
although not educated at the Polytechnic School. The
Moniteur de e Armee says:—" He went through
his military studies in a regimental school, and got
forward by the advancement granted to sub-officers.
He was captain in the 2nd Regiment of Engineers,
and resigned in 1852. A short time after he had
ceased to form part of the French army, he left for
Asia. M. Bulger was bora in 1821 in the depart-
ment of the Bee Rhin."

A keeper of a tobacco shop in the Rua Lafayette
hu been arrested u a receiver of part of the product
of a gold robbery in England. I am not aim whe-
ther what is ailed the "groat gold robbery" is
referred to or not.

PRUSSIA AND SWITZERLAND.

BERLIN, Du. 24.

The Zeit contradicts the rumours of mediation
which have been circulated by other journals. It
thinks it knows that all mediation relative to the
liberation of the prisoner, is impossible, Prussia bay-
ing demanded their release purely and simply. At
present there is no hope of seeing a pacific termina-
tion of the affair.

BERLIN, Dim 26.
The Frankfort Journal of yesterday (Wednesday)
evenirg gives the following news:
"The charg6l d'affaires of America and England
have taken the initiative of an arrangement. But this
attempt is now said to have failed, because the re-
presentatives of the other Powers bad not received
their instrustione.

"For the rest, the President of the Diet has not
been present at any conferences of the charges
d'Affaires."

It has been stated that the Grand Conseil of Berne
hu ansaimonsly voted an unlimited credit for com-
pleting the military preparations of the canton. The
following is a report of the debate which preceded
the adoption of the resolution:

Migy, Vice•Pnsideat of the Bzesative
do sot believe it smemary to nitrate on this mission the
imam c f September at Neufchatel. At preheat things have
arrived at sash a point that diplomatic relations biting.
Switzerland and Pramia have been broken off, sad that the
Federal Couch his already takes amasses* of the highest
ispnaose. It is sot for this mestably—it la not for the
sexton of Berme to decide the question of peace or
was; the right to do so belongs to the Federal As
sembly, which will lust within a few days. Whatever it
may decide, we will adhere to; Berne will stand by the
whole Confederation. It is on amount of war being penal

Me that I cone is the lame of tho Esserative Core Sit to
apply for as unlimited wedit, in molar to osenplate the
effective force end stores of oar amt. In 'rusting this
credit, the (Riad Crewel' of the esaton of Berne will gt,.
the Caafederstion the best proof of the active participation

which it is determined to Mho to this questios:inbiel; is of
general Interest for all Switzerland ; it will show that it is
firmly decided to maintain tits rights of thie Confederation
against any asteroid eseroachatent. The Federal Assembly

bu luminously approved et the arastirse takes ud to be
takes by the Federal Caw ail is the affair of Neafahatel ;
In as also be smugness. sad let a false ideas of mammy
Islam* as.

IL Suitor, Military Diteator—The question which we
diocese is of argent importance. Prussia hag interrupted
her diplomatic relations with ur, and the sews of each dsy
Informs tas that she Is actively Gamin ea her warlike pre-
peratiou against Switzerlsad. The Federal Ceased has
directed all the thatoss to keep the three esatingents toady
to mash. I believe that we nay await the &clams of the
Federal Athembly with full eonfidenas. We shell gam
learn all the stops th►t the Federal Commit has takes to
maintain peace. We shall even the that it has pie so far
es to offer to abandon the trial of the prithain, if the King
on his part will comsat to the similes. which Switthrtead
must necessarily dossed. But the Kim :ciliates
that Switzerland shall relies' the prisoaen without any
sort of octuditiont, and thereby admit herself to hs In t►e
wrong ; but Switzerland cannot cosiest to that souse. la
reading the historyof out country, we use that t►e sitestioa
is not new ; it has more thee once arises is the genres of
oar history, end our aseestors have traced out to us the
path we have to follow. As lee, es it was possible, they
preferred wee, to war, bat whoa war was consist, they
meet Lathed from It. That le why I also support the
applithuoa for as unlimited credit.
U. router, Director of Fiances—l must admit here that
he the deliberations of the Executive Commit I wished the
amount of the credit to be flied, but, ea thole, the unmet,
mitt' of the Council, I, without hesitstioo, withdrew my
motion. It is trite that the greatest put of the Swiss
populatirn would lee with pl the affair peaceably
arranged, as situ as piths cote M obtaized honourably,
bet ooli on that condition. Daring sight years the new
Federal Constitution has existed is pesos aid sal.; partial
refiring, sad seen complete changes in the restraints of
different cantos', have bees pesee►bly effected. All at
ones, a man who long resided in the cantos of Neufchatel,

and who by his Omuta is moat estimable and most noble
—s man who was the providence of the whole country in
which he resided—came, ike a thunderbolt in a serene sky,
and precipilated us and hlmmlf into incalculable woe. Bat
we are not now oallrd on to diseuce political opinions ; we
have to obey Ike appeal of the Confederation. I declare,

therefore, that I ant in fawn, of the unanimous adoption
of the proposition of the government.

(FILOY ♦ SPECIAL CORHIBPOYIDENT.)

BERLIN, Dec. 23.

_ .
The hope that the affair with Switzerland would
end in a mere demonstration is rapidly declining;
and well-informed persons declare with consternation
that, unless some unforeseen lucky change intervene,
war on an extended scale is inevitable. War be.
tween Prussia and Switzerland—from the Baltic to
the Alpe—from Tilsit to Geneva—a train of gun-
powder straight through the very heart of Western
Europe! Who can say where the confitgration,
once lighted, will end ? And a war right along the
Protestant tract, doubtless to the secret gratification
of the Roman Catholics on the right and lett! A
slight glance at the map must reveal the imminent
peril to which Prose* without any general sympathy
or firm ally, wedged in on all sides by powertnl and
I rapacious neighbours, must expose herself by entering
on a contest which may so evilly embroil her with
parties now dubiously neutral.
People here naturally say, " France might have
prevented this war if it had chosen to do so. What
motives has France for letting the dispute come to a
bloody decision ?" In the first place, the dispute
with Switzerland forced the King of Freesia,
ho bad hitherto stood aloof, to make advances
to Louis Napoleon, and to receive from his hands a
decoration—the badge of recognition and equality
already put on the other heads of legitimacy. The
French Emperor's acquiescence in Preemies wishes
is, however, not construed here as • result of friendly
feeling. He toight,on the contrary, it is thought,rejoice
at seeing Prussia involve herself in a war in which she
can gain nothing, and must incur ruiaoiri expense; a
war leading to an increase of taxation, which must ex.
cite no small dissatisfaction in the Prussian Rhenish
provinces, where a cordial feeling for Prussian rule
had almost obliterated old French sympathies. The
Rhenish proviecee, moreover, have a chief Emma of
gain in their traffic with Switzerland, and will be
the chief direct sufferers from the war. Whatever
tends to alienate from Prussia the inhabitants of the
left bank of the Rhine must be popular in France.
Should Prussia, however, attain the utmost object
whichshe can propose to herself—absolute sovereignty
over NeurchateLand the withdrawal of that province
from the Series Confederacy—she would thereby, too,
only promote French purposes. For it must t re-
membered that in 1816 Neufchatel was incorpc-ated
.

into the BwissConfederacy at the express d%.,sire of
Frani' and Austria, lest the French, to whom such
a position on this side of the Jura must be highly
desirable, shou:d grasp and keep it, as they might
at any time do easily enough.
That the Swiss, when pressed by Prussia, will be
very open to French influence, is obvious ; and Louis
Napolton will certainly employ that influence to-
wards repressing the democratic element in Switzer-
land ; perhaps he may count on making a total
revision of the Swiss constitution the condition of
a pacificatory intervention. Perhaps he may expect
that the approaching danger will lead to the down-
fall of the reigning democratic party in the Cantonal
Governments. In any cue, he will gain the desired
control over Switzerland, without the clium of overt

aggression.
The Swiss mercenaries, too, on whom the security of
the Italian courts mainly rests, will have to return
home; for it is notorious that every foreign Sovereign,
on engaging Swiss troops, hes to sign a treaty
obliging him to dismiss them to their homes es soon as
the mother country is involved in war. The order,
recalling all Swiss who are hound to military duty at
home, has already been published. In what predica-
ment will this put the King of Naples and the Pope?
It is presumed that the Cabinet of the Tuileries will
contemplate with home complacency the removal of a
prop on which the tottering Lenin potentates rested.
P.S. The Frankfort Journal brings a dripa.ch of
yesterday's date from Berne, stating that the Diple-
maey there was very active, and had brought the
Federal Council to consent to mediatory proposals,
which were already on their way to Berlin. The
authenticity of this statement is yet to be proved;—
the effect of the measure, if true, most be awaited.

A letter from Vienna of the 20th, in the Post
Gazette of Frankfort, says :
Tee cabinet of Vienna has again expressed its regret at
the Federal Council of Switsertand sot having complied
with the conciliatory demands of Prussia and the Getman
Confederation, by setting at liberty the prisoners of Neuf-
chatel. The Austrian cabinet has *intoned the same coati.
meats to Prussia, and hes given it the strongest arsUfaatili
that it considers it in the right. The conflict having become
aggravated to such a point that the patties have abaude.ed
all direct negotiation, the Powers which/armed the Congress
of London believe that the moment has arrived for arming-
ing the affair by taking collective proceeding,.
A letter from Berlin of the 21st, in the Journal of
Frankfort, says:
We can affirm that it is the Intention of the French go.
verement to establish a corps of observation on the Swim
frontier, at the time that Prussia shall march her expedi-
tionary corps. It is not correct, 26 has been stated, that
Prussia has Seel the let January as a fatal term beyond
which she whl no: admit the intervention of a third p serer;
she will admit thet intervention to long as the royalists
of Neufchatel shall not be tried. When, however, the
affair ahall once have bean brought before the tribunals,
conciliation will have become Impossible. With the royalists,
in fact, Swinerlatiel would also pot on trial the right of
Freesia, and, to a certain exteet, the King of Proven him-
self. That would be an offence which would imperatively
call for recourse to arms.
The tame Frankfort Journal of the 231 d gives the
following from Berne:
Nothing is as yet decided, but the hopes of peace license.
There is a mention of diplomatic mediation' and the send.
log of agents for that purpose to Berlin. Numerous con-
ferences have taken place with the resident of the Diet.
The following is the circular addressed by the Fe-
deral Council of Switzerland to each of the deputies
of the Federal Assembly
Honoured Sir,—We consider it oar duty to convoke the
Federal Assembly immediately, tic, for Saturday, the 27th
test. You ere therefore invited to repair on that day to the
Federal city, and the usual place of meeting, at 10 cm. The
sueject of the debate will be—the report sod propositions
relating to the of of the canton of Neufchatel. Canal-
derisg the serious septet and importance of this question. we
trust that every member of the serene authority of the
Confederation will coasider it a wand duly to be present at
the debates of this extreordinny session. In the name of
the Federal Council of Swlteerbutd, the President of the
Confederation, STORIUTLI.
The Frankfort journals publish the following ex-
tract of the proses verbal of the proceeding. of the
Diet relative to the Neufchatel affair :
In its sitting of the 18th, the representatives of Austria,
Bavaria, and Badge, announced that the stops taki n in the
name of German Confederation had not met with the
desired success. The Swiss Federal Council had, in fact,
acquainted the Prussian envoy at Berne tint tt c told not
eeaseat to the preliminary sad uncosiiti.mal release of the
prisonen of Neufchatel, bat that it won sleep prepared to
ester into negotiations for a pact flit solution of the question ;
the president of the Swise Federal Council communicated
this reply to the other diplomatic agents at Berne, and de.
eland, moreover, that from the same motives he could not
pay attention to the sepeort giv.n to the demands of
Prune by the German Confederation, but that he perfectly
appreciated the nation nts of good neighbourhood which
had dictated this resolution of the Diet; and that, on his
side, he eadeaveatei•, as far as it was possible, to ex.
Whit similes sentiments is the settlement of the difficulty.
After this otimmudisation, the representative of Prussia

addressed the Diet. He commenced by ',pressing the gra•
titled* of hie g 00000 meat for the unanimous good feeling
which its exalted confederates had manifested for its wishes
se well in the wording as in the ezeteution sal the resolution
of the 9th of November. He then annoneced, while
eapresairg regret at netts the disappearance of all hope of
the re-establialiment of violated righta by means of oegotu•
tines, that Dotting remained for the King but to enforce
lalaju‘t demands by callieg out the military lose neva
Guy to attain the object d • d, end opening the negntia
lions tecesiary fur securing the free movements of these
trove. the Prussian repreeentative submitted at the ame
Um to the assembly a despatch, in which the Prussian
cabinet made known its resolutions to the courts of London,
Pars, S,. Petersburg, and Vienna. Trine communion:ices
will be owe known t the different governments by their
Insertion in the minutes.
The tioanimity with whioh the council of the can-
to. nf Bette voted an unlimited credit for military
purposes is observed as something very remarkable
in an assembly of two hundred members. The go.
moment of the canton do Vaud has intimated to the
• ' • • •

Ftdersl Ucieerument that, besides the rune battalions
due as the Federal contingent from Gnat canton, it
will he be to furnish sixteen battalions more, com-
pletely armed and equipped, and all excellent soldiers.