The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-04-02 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL

Advices from Marseilles, dated Monday, an-
nounces the arrival (at one o'clock, p.m) of the
Euxine, with the India and China mails.

FRANCE.

Though, from some accident, we are not in receipt
of our Paris correspondent's letter of Monday's
date, we !ire enabled to supply the subjoined inter-
esting particulars in relation to the proceedings
which attended the signing of the treaty of peace.
The following are the interesting particulars :
The draft of the general treaty of peace drawn up
by the Comite de Redaction having, on the sitting
on Saturday, obtained the sanction of the Con-
gress, the Plenipotentiaries of the contracting
Powers met the next day, as already stated, to
proceed to the formal act of affixing their signa-
tures to the document. M. Feuillet de Conches,
chief of the protocol department in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, had caused seven copies of
the treaty, written on parchment, to be prepared
and placed on the table of the conferences, in
such a manner that each copy was put before the
Plenipotentiaries of the Government by which it
is to be ratified. After the text of the seven
copies had been carefully compared, the Plenipo-
tentiaries proceeded to affix their signatures to the
end of the treaty. Count Walewski, as President
of the Congress, signed first, and the other
Plenipotentiaries in the alphabetical order of their
respective countries. It was at this moment. that
the Emperor was informed by electric telegraph
that the treaty of peace was signed, and His
Majesty sent back word to the members of the
Congress that he would he ready to receive them
after they had concluded their task. But, although
the mere act of affixing their signatures occupied
the Plenipotentiaries but a very brief portion of
time, yet the whole of the formality of signing
lasted nearly two hours, as the Plenipotentiaries,
in addition to- their signature at the bottom
of each protocol, had to affix their initials to the
different paragraphs, the whole number of such
signatures being, it is said, thirty-eight. The Pleni-
potentiaries of each contracting Power signed first
the copy reserved for their Government, and then
the other Plenipotentiaries signed in alphabetical
order. In this manner, each contracting Power
figuring at the head of the signatures of the copy
which it is to ratify, all difficulties as to etiquette
or precedency were set aside. To each signature
was immediately attached the private seal of each
Plenipotentiary.

Immediately; after the signing of the Treaty of
Peace at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pleni.
potentiaries proceeded to the Palace of the Tuile_
ries, to communicate the important fact to the Em-
peror in person. His Majesty received them in the
Salon des Ambassadeurs, attended by the officers of
his household. When the news was announced, the
Emperor is said to have expressed his thanks to
the Plenipotentiaries for having come in person to
him with such agreeable tidings. He observed that
the result of their labours during the Conferences
was the complete realisation of the speech delivered
by Lord Clarendon in the House of Lords, and that
the peace which the Allies determined on concluding
was one which carried with it no humiliation to
Russia, and which did not compromise the dignity
or independence of any one ; it was, in fact, such
as a great nation mifiht propose or accept without
degradation, and it therefore bad all the elements
of solidity and durability ; and, he added, that so
favourable a result was, in a great measure, owing
to the conciliatory spirit and the moderation
which marked the policy of England, and which
was particularly felt in the course of the present
Conferences. _

The Debats has an article on the Peace. It
expresses great satisfaction with the result of the
Conferences, and thanks the French government
for its " able and judicious" conduct. " The peace
is entirely French, for it is entirely European and
impartial, and seeks no aggrandisement of French
territory!'

Contrary to expectation, Lord Clarendon did not
leave on Sunday night. His lordship will be pre-
sent this evening, with all his colleagues, at a
grand diplomatic dinner given by Count Walewski,
in honour of the event.

The Pays states that an order was sent last
night to the Crimea, to Marshal Pelessier, to
renew the armistice for four weeks.

PHILHARMONIC HALL.
SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT-LAST NIGHT.
The second concert of this year's subscription was given
last night. It was of the " miscellaneous genus." The
singers were the accomplished Gassiers (soprano and
baritone), and Mr. Swift, (tenor), who is, we
believe, a gentleman from our own neighbour-
hood, but lately returned from his vocal studies
in Italy. Madame. Gassier, who was not in great voice or
spirits, sang " Son vergin vezzosa," from " I Puritani,"
but not with the ordinary effect ; a duett with Mr Swift
from " Linda ;" and an air from Verdi's " Sicilian Vespers."
The latter was her triumph. Into this one effort the gifted
vocalist seemed to throw all her energy, and with ease over-
came all the florid difficulties in which she so much
excels and was rewarded with an immediate encore. Mr.
Swift has a pure tenor voice of fine qnality, and
full compass, but a little deficient in volume. He unfor-
tunately suffered from most severe cold, which, although
it somewhat injured his singing, did not so far interfere as
to prevent it being evident that he is a singer of taste and
feeling, and wants but cultivation and experience to rank with
the highest. His solos were, an uncommon air from Mozart's
" Davide Penitente," very difficultand trying, and a Romanza
from Verdi's " Louisa Miller" (an opera little known among
us) and he distinguished himself greatly in the duet
from " Linda," which was encored. Monsieur Gassier is a
genuine artist in the perfect use of his gifts, and a charac-
tcristic mo7esty. He acquitted himself, as usual, perfectly
in some concerted music, and became the most interesting
vocalist of the evening, when he sang from Mercandante's
"Bravo Della vita nel sentiero," which was given with a
mixture of fire and feeling of an unusual character, in
which the band rendered effective aid in a most beautiful
accompaniment. The air was re-demanded, but Mr. Gassier
declined the honour. The trio from " Lucrezia "
was also given with excellent effect by the
vocalists. The band performed Beethoven's Sym-
phony, No. 4, in B flat, with good effect, but the
four parts seemed too much for the audience. The
chorus sung a four-part song of Mendelissohn's, prettily
descriptive of spring, but, in its execution, revealed the
coarseness of the tenors most unequivocally, as they had in
each verse a solo. They were more successful in the
Pastorale from the " Prophete." The house was nearly full,
and the concert was over before half-past ten, although, in
addition to the programme, the national anthems (English
and French) were sung.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-TUESDAY.

The House met after the recess this day at five o'clock.

FALL OF KARS.-THE EARL OF CLARENDON.

The Earl of MALMESEURY, after referring to the motion
of which he had given notice, as to the circumstances of
the fall of Kars, put a question to the government as to
the prograss of the proceedings at Paris, and asked at
what date Lord Clarendon might be expected to return
to his place in Parliament?
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said he had nothing to say
upon the subject in addition to the statements made in
the Gazette, or in the explanations of Lord Palmerston in
the other House on the previous night. The details of
the treaty would not be made known till ratifications had
been exchanged, but at the same time he should be pre-
pared to answer any questions that might be put to him
on the subject. With regard to the second question he
observed that as there were many important questions in
connexion with the treaty to be settled, the date of the
return of the foreign secretary had not been fixed.
The business on the paper was then disposed of, and
their lordships rose at twenty minutes past five o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY.

The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.

Mr. HUTCHINS, who, since his election for Lymington,
has become a convert to the Roman Catholic faith, took
the Roman Catholic oaths.

PRIVATE BILLS.

The Chorley Water Bill and the Lambeth Water Bill
were read a third time and passed.
The following bills were considered and ordered for
third reading :—Haslingden and Rawtenstall Water, Lan-
caster Gas, Southport Water, and Milford Junction Rail-
way.

PETITIONS.

Mr. GREGSON presented a petition from Lancashire,
praying that solicitors and attorneys might not be dis-
qualified from acting as Justices of the Peace.
Lord STANLEY presented 48 petitions from Lancashire
in favour of the factory bill now before the House.
Mr. COBBETT presented several petitions from the
same county in opposition to the bill.