The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-02 00:00:00

ITALY.

ROMAN STATES.—The list of impositions giTen
in the following letter of our oortespondent appeared
in yesterday's Express:

_
ROME, Dec 20.
The rumour of the Pope's speedy arrival gains
strength every day, and is corroborated by several
minor particularities, amongst which I may mention
the facts that his Holiness's relations, the Mirstai Fer-
retti family, are expect-d here in the beginning of
next week; that the whole corps of palace servants,
hitherto residing at the Quirinal, have received orders
to remove themselves and their household furniture
to the Vatican; and that preparations for illumina-
tions end fireworks are still going on at the Capitol.
More purple-robed forerunners of the papal court are
also making their appearance, Cardinals Pianetti and
Clarelli having returned to Home, the former staying
but a short time on his way to his Archbishopric of
Viterbo.

However satisfied the inhabitants of Rome may be
to me some prospect of an amelioration in their com-
mercial interests being effected by the return of Pio
Nato, they are far from looking forward to that
event with the degree of enthusiasm which the eccle-
siastical partisans incessantly represent as existing
amongst the majority of the people: nor have the
recently adopted measures of censorial dismissals from
employments, and arbitrary and extra taxation, at all
increased the affection either of the middle or lower
classes towards the present government. The follow-

iog notification hu jos* been pulkshed by the muni-
cipal commissioners, and the language es well as the
object of the document has awakened an universal cry
of indignation throughout the city :
" S. P. Q. 8..

"The lamentable vicissitudes which took place from
the latter part of last year to the middle of the pre-
sent one have inflicted de, p wounds upon the welfare
of this state, wounds which would perhaps have
proved mortal had not friendly powers hastened to the
rescue, and a valorous nation given peace to Rome at
the price of its own blood. Rome is saved ! but Rome
must not forget the duties imposed upon her by grati-
tude ; the generous sentiments displayed by the allied
troops must rather urge her to render their sojourn
here u little irksome as possible. The provi-
sional municipal commission, interpreting the
sentiments of the people, has unwearielly
laboured to attain this end, but the vast
expenses which it is required to defray would
prevent the commission from effecting its purpose,
were it not to call upon the people to emulate the
provinces and the neighbouring sta.tee, and to afford a
cheerful aid, although a partial ore, in the form of a
tribute not burtheneome, but inevitable. The com-
mission considers that having freed the citizens from
the obligation of furnishing !Airings for the military
in their own hous s, it is reasonable that thry should
in some manner supply the heavy amount of in-
demnity agreed upon as barrack money. It considers
also that, as the advantage derived from the foreign
auxiliaries was generally felt, the burthen must be
generally distributed amongst the proprietors and
consumere, diminishing, however, as much as p• s-
sibla, the pre sure upon the indigent dieser., by avoid-
ing any aumentation upon the articles most neces-
sary for subsistence. In cons. querce it has estab-
lished and ordered thn followitgimposititn 4 :

1. Fifteen per cent. en the dafiaw, end usual tel wants
rurvl and urban property, with the exception of vinsysrdo.
—2. Two gusttrini One halfpenny) for every gallon, and 10
haj cchi (101.) for every barrel of wine, beer, or vinegar.-
3. Three hainechi and a half for every galtaa, and one &Dar
for every barrel of aquae vita, op;rit, rum, or rosolio.-4.
The present water rates fnr the Vergine, Felice, and Paola
condui's are doubled. The absve.named impositions will
come into ferce on the let of January of the 3,, ar 1850.-
18igt.ed) Prince CRIEPICALCHI, l'lti.deUt. &C. &c. From
the Capitol, Dec. 18, 1840.

It may be easily imagined that an extra tax on
water will not be very well rce.eivt d when it is con-
sidered that tie tax on flour has been lately oppcsed
by a levee en moue of the Umbrian pessanta, arm, d
with pitchforks and billhooks, who took advantage of
the Spaniards' departure to intimidate the authorities,
sack their offices, and burn their registers, to the
great horror of Monsignor D'Anclica, papal commis-
sary far the provinces of Umbria end hub na, who
immediately sent troops of the line, carbineers, and
long edicts to the disturbed distr:c's, whilst the offi •
clad journal of Rome laments the obstinacy of the
peasalts, and, as usual, points cut the venerable anti-
quity of the tax, which was in full vigour as far back
as the time of Pope Sixtus IV. in the fifteenth cen-
tury. The fact is that it produces 810,000 dollars per
annum, and forms too important an item in the public
revenue to be done without in the present emergency.
The great anxiety prevalent amongst the commer-
cial classes and the public in general, with respect
to the final destination of the Roman back-notes, has
been relieved by a recent edict of the cardinal*, in
consequence of which the notes, whose forced cur-
rency ceases at the end of this month, will be re-
ceived in the government offices and changed for
goveenment paper. Great apprehension was felt lest
the notes of the Roman bank should be de p:eciated
in value; but as they were declared to be iewal ten-
der by the ca-dinals until the end of 1849—, such a
measure could not have been put in fi roe without the
I most manifest injustice to the pabiic; the chief blow,
therefore, falls on the shareholders of the bank, whose
lean of 1,3410,000 dollars (to which amount balk-
notes are now in eirculatioe) to the late government
is tot recognised by the present one, the cardinals
stating in their edict that the government will secure
the interests of the public by cha. ging the
notes, reserving to itrell the right of calling
upon the shareholders fur their value. This is
of course equivalent to breaking the bank, which is
consequently declared in the same ecree to be in •
Witte of liquidation, a state which I understand it to
he the intention of the shareholders not to acknow-
ledge, but to continue their usual bat king and dis-
count operations until actually forced IN the govern-
n.ent to dee:are the motives insolvent. The capital of
the bank is 500,000 dollars, and it has bills to the
amount of 400,000 dollars to set against the 1,600,000
dollars of notes in circulation. Toe shareholders con-
' sist chiefly of Roman princes and rich proprietors,
whose attachment to the Papal cause will doubtless
be shaken by the heavy loss they will have to un-
dergo, a less which will be doubly 6lt by the twelve
patrons of the savings bank, as they invested con-
siderable sums belonging to that establishment in
Roman Bark shares on their own responsibility.
Foreign shareholders, who are chiefly Frenchmen and
Belgians, will be guaranteed against ary I es, in con-
sequence of a protest from General Baraguay
d'llilliers.

With respect to Dr. Achilli, nothirg favourable
has yet been effected, altl.ou4h his friend Mr. M— ,
who leaves Rome fur Civiia Vecchia this evening,
has made every passible exertion in his behalf. The
British Consul has warmly second d his efforts, and
I may add that the commani.ler-in-chief has shown
himself by res means indifferent to the case, although
decidedly averse to use any o her influence than that
of his good offices, which I fear will be p rfectly
unavailing, as eeverai French offici re, a qusiuted
with the circumstances of Achilli's arrest, and inter-
ested in his misfortune, have stat 11 it to be their
conviction that he will be sacrificed to the vengeance
of the Inquisition as a scap.geat for m my others not
in custody ; and that he is, to use their own words,
1411 Amine per& lam aware that it is Dr. Achilli's
own opinion that he is no longer subject to the tri-
bunal of the Inquisition, from the circumstance of
his having fully renounced the honours, rghts, aed
character of a Roman catholic priest, the indelibility of
which office he maintains not to be a necois ray dogma
of the Ronan Catholic faith, although an usually re-
ceived point in theology, and h,s profound studies on
the subject, whilst he filled the resprnsibie charges I
have already (num, ated, must render him capable
of judging of the question. Right and might are,
however, two different things. An Amvrican Pro-
testant minister had twelve of his countrymen joining
him in worship at his own house last Sunder, in the
Via S. Bastianello. The police were acquain'ed with
the circumstance before night, and the American
Charge d'Affaires, Mr. Cars, was apprised that if the
offence were repeated the minister would be emit
away from Rome immediately.
SARDINIA.—In the Chamber at Turin on the 24th
ult., M. Lanza had presented the report of the com-
mittee on the election of M. Mamiani. It stated that
, some members of the committee bad expo seed some
doubt as to the eligibility of M. Mamiani, and that
one of the members remarked that a report was in
circulation which appeared to be well founded, to the
effect that M. Mamiani had been promised by the
government that it would not oppose him, but would
be neutral. A member assured the committee that
M. Mamiani had received a letter front one of the
ministers, in which it was stated that the decree of
his naturalisation had been actually signed by the
king, and that all that remained to be done was to
publish it.
The same day the president of the committee re-
ceived the following letter from the chief iweretary of
the minister of the interior :—" Knowing that the
oommittee, of which your lordship is president, desires
to know in a positive manner if Count Terence
Msmiani della Rovere, is or is not a naturalised Sar-
dinian subject, I hasten to inform you tha'. ro decree
has conferred that quality upon him." This commu-
nication leaving no doubt that M. Mamiani was not
a Sardinian subject, the committee reported, with re-
gret, that the election ought to be annulled. The re-
port concludes with these words: " The country has
done its duty in giving a solemn testimony of homage
and esteem to th4o illustrious Italian. It becomes now
the duty of the government to justify its c mduct to
that gentleman to the nation." Tnese words created
a great sensation, and were ',welly chiered by the
oppseition. The Chamber then annulled 'he election
of M. Mamiani.

In the sitting of the 25th, the veriticati M of the
elections was proceeded with. Some m. miters of the
majority moved that an inquiry be set on foot about
the validity of the election of M Mau, a leading
member of the opposition, who had bean elected at
the igna. The motion was negatived, and the election
confirmed.

TUSCANY.—The minister of flounce of Tuscany
has ordered the reimbursement of a pmrt of the mort-
gage bonds created during the revolution. The sum

--
to be refunded amounts to about half a million of
franca.

GERMANY.

BERLIN, Dcc
It is rep,rted here, by persona who are likely
to be well informed, that his Majes etter„
tains doubts as to the course he ought to pursue
with regard to takirg the oath to preserve the consti-
tulion. I learnt this fact some days ago, hut not be.
having it poesthle, I did not communicate it ; now,
however, the report is repeard, and wi.h such c..r.
teinty that I cannot &Altai.e in attaching 5,,me cre-
dimes to it. I am assurel that a very influential
y at the court it. working and intriguing wilt all
tts weight to persuade the King not to ptracrese in
his constitutional course.

From Frankf ,rt I learn that the federal cemmksion
is definitively constituted, and that five spiel .1 com-
missions have been appointed for military affairs, for
the marine, for the internal, legal, trade, and commer-
cial affairs, fur foreign affairs, and for the treasury;
all documents are to be drawn up by a c •mmon
Kanztei, and are to be signed by the whole
or the tour commissioners, who, according to the
I),illsrhe Reform, are to eign in the I dlo sing order.
KObeck (Austrian), Itaelowiz (Prussian), 8,11.6-.hals
(Aunt-iau), and Beilicher (Prussian). The federal
enintn.nsi.n is to hold daily sittings; the Austrian
Councillor of Legation, von Brenner, is to fill the
office of w-neral eecret3ry; a Prussian ss.ra,or, lierr
von der Ooltz, is to conduct the protocol. Toe d &r-
-ent offices are to be filled, as nearly as possible, half
by Au.trian and halt by Prussian officials.

VIENNA. Dec 28.
I have heard through a private letter frr.in Verc rut
that L cut.-Gtneral IVrbna, the military w.verror of
Verona, has shot himself. Wrbna'a app,intment
was one of those which were made in Italy recently
by the court nitolt e,nsultir g Itadetsky. The oil
marshal's choler was all the more roused ag.in.t the
presumpi i
on of General Griinne in this nctan e, as
Wrbna was the most unpopular as well as unsuccess-
ful officer in the army ; and owed, after repe:t.d
ffilures in the high positions assigned to him, • his net,
favour of the court purely to his aristocratic emneet
and relationship to Schwarzenbuig and Grii,Le.Wrbta
Atlll bet ond in command over the army in Inv:pr.',
under Windiackyrica, and headed the disistroaa ro•-t
at Kapolna at the end of last March. Ile was tic n
made commander of the city of Prath. Wait, W.r,
dischgratz fell, the clamour against Wrbna, who ,ras
a near relative of the prince marshal, procured his re-
moval for a time from active service. Meanwhile I
brother, who enjoys a very rear place about the em-
peror as grand huntsman, laboured assiduously *9
reitore him to the current of promotion ; and :he re-
organisation of the army gave Grunne the opportutlty
of appointing the military courtier to the important p_
of Wrote. here Wrbna was even more disiiiod that
he had been at l'esth, and the et xati.af
restricthins imp sed upon the inhabitants, tngeth,r
with the growing insole net of the garrisln, brel
frequent coati C:11 lavtweel the people at el
added hourly to toe: exasperation of :h I Li11y....
shown in .he asesasinatrun of sentinels and like
ceases, and were at I-ngth succeeded by an or dineet:e
increasing the rigour of the state of urge. Itade:/kr,
who reached Venice on the Vial, just after ,1.!
assminition of Lieutenant Griesner in the arses. t'.
had the wisdom to see that matters would Lot'
minded by submitt;og the excited peop'e to fro
homed atione, and a. Lr from increasing the miii-ary
pressure, relaxed i:. Instead of shut:irg up :he c/
miler, he allowed them to be kept opeo tie mt.:-
night, and made the patrols lees frequent.
return to Verona he sent far Wrbna. Ile ra•ed tha-
officer a undly for his injudicious conduct, accu-.
him of exceeding hie powers, and called up /I t
resign, threatening to have him tried by ei,.;rt-rr:.•
It he demurred. The marshal continued his jour:.,
' to Milan ; and the same day the governor if Vf",.7.:
Wart discovered in his room s t h his brains Yown • •:-.

I hear tha• it is the intention to appoint B.
Neumann as o)ll,:redo's LAl:team. in the Ans.,
embassy at London.
Jillachich is gone to N paged!.
I see the suicide of Court IVI bna ann. io• e i r:
evening editions of the Loyd a: d Mindere r.
latter gates tint it to.k place Ca the 2ltt. _

The government are straini-g every Le:,,e-r.
sptcie. They must sionly raise another fort (.1 1 .
In the meantime thri.• paper tal's daily ire the m.r.r<•t,
and on the Bohemian frontier it is got rid of at tec
a loss that the government is obliged to poi- •'.;
Bohemian army carps mainly sliver. The -ta•e
the money market is getting so alanuirg :Lit •.•
sive hopes of relief are deify held forte in the mi--:.-
terisljoArnals, with attempts to exglain a.tav !:
fact by t-aository causes. Thus the t n r:•:
premium on silver, which is up at 13 in i:.
printed coarse of rzehangv, and malty high r.
attributed by the /?eiebs-Zriftrog Er the a'e at :•
garian t stitekwhose owners, like Gustavus Bat hytr: •
realise at any sacrifice what metal they se .! • -
treat to England. There is no d 'OA some
this, but the cause Resigned is by no :reins a trsr.4:,-..
one. On the contrary, every day fresh Itni it
estates are coming to the trimmer. The r:
why a forced loan is not raised in Italy is, the•
Krauss knows that the Lombard nubili sell their S r. !-

•..
at any loss in the Vienna market, to get back !7
gold and Wive-. The Jews natur&ly Lave .t •
time of it. They are buying up everything •!ey
get, and particularly the Kettsuth notes, no:V. : i•tir
mg the recent assurances given by the Reid .•7 • •
that the government still persisted in its
granting the holders no compensation.
The Ist Barnet regiment matebed from '.h'
into the papal states. The first b tttalion was to .1 •
Ruh on the 28th, at.el the second Hlnaini or. t!.. ,a...
day. General Ksrl Prince Sebwurzenberg, vie :
military governor of Lomb :rd.) , left on the _,;
Milan. It was reported to-day on the &Jur,.
the Austrian troops had entered Saxony. The `•r
wide of Gen. Steininger was forwarded on the 2,;.h
railroad to Bob* mia. 'l•he road between Verina t!
Walt continues to be infested by robbers, whi:e
organisation of the hair regiments of genad trm.
destined for Hungary gore on but slowly.
The constitution of tte 4th of March has beer pr•
claimed at Pesth.

The dissolution of the Wurtemberg r is I
highly welcome piece of news to the tniuibtere here.
The Prase reapp. ared in Bruns yesterday. I
contents appear to be pretty well known in 1 ter-e,
notwithstanding the menace of IVelden, and are is
scribed in this evening's papers.

FREE TRADE IN GRAIN LN BELGR 41

An interesting discussion is a. this moment
ing the public attention. It originates in the reto:..-
mendation of the central fiction of the Asssnilh.
which was referred a proposal of government ut, t.
subject, to raise the duty on imported cereals from
cents. to 1 franc per kilogramme. This is nlere:y s
renewal of the same proposal initiated iu the Asset,.;
bly last session by Messrs. Junin), Trknouteux, arm
Faignart, and negatived by a majority of tll votes
to 27.

The Indepoutiner Page, of the 27th inst., contain
an able and c inclusive article on this question.
writer begins by inifuirinie whether any chatio. LAS
taken place in the agriculture of Belgium that might
appear to warrant a majority of the Assembly to re-
verse their vote of last year
Since last year, it is admitted at the outset. 11.,
price of wheat has fallen 10 per cent., that is, ono-
tenth. But the independance shows that this :ann.):
occasion an agricultural crisis, seeing there are te,,,
counteracting circumstances. In the first place, the
' reports of all the agricultural committees show that it
the price of wheat is less by one-tenth than last year•
the produce of the harvest is greater by one-tenth.
The increased quantity the farmer has got to sell com-
p mates for the lower price he has to receive. In the
second place, it is observed that wheat, though an im-
portant, is not the only, agricultural preduction of
Belgium. Calm lint, hope, tobacco, and mane other
articles count for something; and of all thew the har-
vest has been abundant, and, what is more,their prices
have risen from 25 to 75 per cent. Potatoes. too, are
an abundant crop, and scarcely at all affected by 'be
taint. Nuts, too, are plentiful, and there is a Urge
demand for them in England. From these foe.. the
Int4perlance infers that the Belgian agriculturist .5
quite as well off in l)ecember, 1849, as in Weenther,
1844. It then proceeds :
This is not all. A " great tact" has occur ~j since best
year; the opening of the hnglish market. Recent though
this event be, it has already produced so sensible an
that notwithstanding the tow prices in England, Belgium
has this year exported agricultural produce to the value al