The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-23 00:00:00

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have several letters in type, which will appear in our
impression of Friday morning.

AMUSEUENTS, PUBLIC MEETINGS, &c

THIS P•AY

Liverpool Academy's Exhibition—ten a.m. to ten p.m.
Queen's Hall—Hoffman's Organophcnic Band—eight p.m.
Royal Colosseum—General Entertainment—halfpast six.
Freemason's Hall—Gallery of Anatomy—eleven a.m. to

ten p.m.

*.* For particulars see advertisements in first page,

(71
Lae :1;1 It) fll

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1856,

THE DAY'S NEWS,

Affairs on the Continent begin to assume a more
threatening and complicated aspect Prussia and
Switzerlaud are completely at loggerheads with
each other. Diplomatic relations have ceased pro
tem , and, should all we hear prove correct, Frede-
rick William seems intent to carry fire and sword

into the Swiss Cantons—devastate their fair pro-
vinces, and for the mere purpose of gratifying a
personal pique, let slip the dogs of war in the very
centre of Europe. As matters at present appear,
they are anything but hopeful. What makes this
dispute between Prussia and Switzerland more
serious in its character, is the fact that the
Emperor of France has so unexpectedly, and, as
many think, unwisely, accorded his support to the
pretensions of Prussia. Let us hope that the
sudden convention of the Swiss Federal Assembly
for Saturday next, the 27th instant, will have the
effect of proposing the adoption of a course which
will prevent the occurrence of actual hostilities.
The following is the latest news respecting the
affair which has reached us. Prussia has refused
_ _

to treat directly with Switzerland. All the Federal
staff officers of Switzerland have been ordered to
return to their posts immediately. 20,000 mcn
are to be put under arms without delay. One half
under General Bourgeois, will be stationed at

Basle ; the other half, under General Ziegler, at
Schaffhausen. The van and reserve are to be in
readiness to take the field. The Grand Council
of Berne has unanimously granted unlimited
credits for the purposes of war. If we can
credit a statement which appears in one of the
Paris papers, the Presse, it is more than probable
that the Swiss Government is resolved to exhaust
all its resources rather than make the least con-

cession to the pretensions which would involve
the moral suicide of the Confederation. From
Berlin we learn that orders arrived at Stettin, on

Saturday last, for the mobilisation of two divisions
of the army stationed there ; similar instructions

have been sent to other corps

--
According to late intelligence from Constanti-
nople, it appears that the British ultimatum has
been sent off to Teheran ; the bearer is Ferouk-

Khan. The ultimatum, according to our advices,
demands a revision of the treaties with Persia, the
evacuation of Herat, authority to found factories
along the coasts of the Persian Gulf, and the con-
cession to an English company of certain railways
to be made across the Persian territory. Persia is

supported by Russia in demanding neutrality from
Turkey, but England demands permission for the
passage of troops across Turkish territory. The
Imaum of Muscat has refused to pay his annual

tribute to Persia. Alluding to this matter, we may
mention that 'Russia is disposed to take an active
part in the Persian war; but it is said that there
is a strong party at Court opposed to plunging the
country again into a war, and particularly as the
enemy would be England.
The Paris journals are still engaged in specula-
tions regarding the approaching Conferences. One
of the papers—the Constitutionnel—refutes the
rumours as to an adjournment of the Conferences,
or the doubts entertained in high quarters as to the
utility of opening them. It is said that the delay
which has taken place has been turned to account,
and the spirit and conciliation and the judgment
which decided the reunion of the Plenipotentiaries
have not ceased, in the meantime, to reconcile
differences of opinion, and to conduct matters as
nearly as possible to a solution. There is every
appearance that some few sittings will suffice for
the labours of the Conference, and that these sit-
tings will not be prolonged beyond the first days of
January. 'There is reason to hope that the ques-
tion of the frontiers of Bessarabia will then be
settled, as well as the other difficulties of less im-
portance which relate to this part of the treaty.
The labours of the Congress will receive from the
first days of the new year their definitive sanction,
and no further obstacle will exist for their exe-

cution,
We have later news from Madrid, which men
tions the discovery of a revolutionary club. The
Octroi has, as we anticipated, been re-established.
and the loan of 300 millions has been finally con-
tracted with M. Mires, who remained the highest
bidder, though the price which he has offered must
be considered as extremely low, so little do the
capitalists of Europe expect that tranquillity will
be preserved in Spain, or that Spain, under the
present government, will be able regularly to meet
her liabilities.
Intelligence from Naples informs us that the
wound which was inflicted upon his Majesty was
fast recovering, and that he was receiving deputa-
tions to congratulate him on his late escape.—
Numerous bands of prisoners were arriving at
Palermo every day. The judicial authorities are
actively engaged in examining into the affair.—
There is no doubt that the leaders in the insurrec-
tion will be condemned to death. It is, however,
stated, that the orders have been sent from Naples
prohibiting any execution, the royal clemency
reserving to itself beforehand every latitude for
deciding on the fate of the guilty.
A meeting, having for its object a praiseworthy
and important purpose, the inculcation of
" provident habits," was held yesterday at St.
George's Hall. The meeting was called for the
purpose of promoting a burial society under
the superintendence of a committee of some
of the most distinguished merchants and gen-
tlemen of Liverpool. We regret that, from
a variety of causes, the attendance was extremely
limited. The chair was taken by Mr. Frederick
S. Hull, and we hope that a good founda-
tion has been laid, although certainly under
rather discouraging circumstances—for the forma-
tion of a society which, if under proper manage-
ment, and having for its chief officers persons of
activity and integrity, will do much for the lower
classes of the people of Liverpool—induce
them to exercise habits of forethought,
and lay the foundation for securing to
themselves, or any one dependent on them,
whenever Divine Providence shall see fit to visit
them by death, the means of procuring a decent
funeral without, as is so often the case, being
obliged to be incased in the humble parish coffin,
and their friends and relatives to become tern
porary beggars to secure the aid and assistance of
the Select Vestry or the Poor Law Guardians to
procure a burial. The speeches of the several
speakers at St. George's Hall yesterday, are worthy
of a careful perusal by the working classes, and as
the matter is one of no small importance, it has
our best wishes and humble advocacy.
The party accused of being the murderer of Mr.
Little, at Dublin, has been before the magistrates,
but from what transpired, nothing reliable as to
his participation in the crime has yet been elicited.
'Fire accused is to be again brought before the
Dublin Magistrates this day, but we fincy that the
prisoner for want of legal evidence must be dis-
charged. Some of our London cotemporaries are
beginning to find ft alt with the Irish Government
for the manner in which they have deemed it their
duty to manage the whole affair, and condemns
the authorities for keeping secret the several ex-
aminations which have taken place regarding this
awful tragedy. One of the London papers of
Saturday, after reviewing the whole matter, thus
concludes :—" Hitherto, we fear, the crown lawyers
(though gentlemen of great talent) have scarcely
risen to a level with the difficulty before them.