The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-06 00:00:00

SWITZERLAND.

La Suisse, of the 24d inst., publishes an address of
thirty-six members of the Assembly and of the Coun-
cil of State to the electors, in opposition to the con-
e/treatise party, in which they charge that party with
being leagued with the reactionary party of the
interior and connected with the reactionaries of the
exterior, first jeopardising the liberties of emits r-
land, and then those of the people connected with it,
as being intimately allied with the old aristocracy,
the natural enemy of all liberty, and se having, with
their friends the Jesuits, hailed the alliance of all the
perfidious enemies of the institutions of the country.

ITALY.
• ERMAN STATES.
'4Our oorrespondent at Rome, in his letter of
the 27th ult., continues to give a very hope-
less account of the financial state. A conference
between Messrs. de Rothschild and the Minister
Galli on the 26th was attended with no satisfactory
result, so that the loan was still at a stand-still, silver
increasing in price daily, and the Exchange on
London up to 545. An extraordinary imposition on
urban and rural property had been announced to meet
the necessities of the state, and a portion of the small
notes were Bluntly to be withdrawn from circulation.
Imprisonment and deprivation of office were going on
without any mitigation from the clemency of the
Pope, or the intercession of Geo. Baraguay
whose departure was fixed for the 5:11. Princes
Borghese and Doria had left for Paris.
Advice, from Rome, of the 25th, state that the
Prince Rospigliosi and other nobles had presented to
the Pope a medal, struck in honour of the Pope's
return.

NAPLES.
The Clorriere Mercantile, of the 29th ult., quoting
a communication from Naples of the 220 d, says a
change of ministry is generally spoken of. The
Prince del Cossero is named.
PIEDMONT.
The Piednionteze Gazette of the 30:6 ult., states
that a short discussion took place in the Chamber of
Deputies as to the reform of the tax on newspapers,
which terminated in the discussion being postponed.
VENETIAN LOMBARDY.
The official Gazette of Milan, of the 29th, says that
the proclamation of the loan of 120 millions of livres
hu improved the quotations of treasury bills, which
were, on the 23rd April, at 84 with interest, and 82
without interest. 80 millions have been (offered to be
subscribed, but the subscribers require hotter terms.
TUSCANY.
The Statute of Florence, of the 27th, says that one
of the most ancient gems of Italian art, a pie; ure re-
presenting St. Francs and the principal miracles of
his life, grand on a gilded, grod according to the
custom in the early time of the arts, having under the
figure of the saint writttn" Bonaventura Berlinghicri
da Lucca pinxit, 1235," has been discovered in the
church of St. Francois des Cnamps. Except the
image of the stint, which is difficult to make out, all
the other parts of the picture have been retouched.
Advice, from Leghorn, of the 28th ult., announce
that Monsignor Mastoni, the Apostolic Nuncio at
Florence, embarked on the preceding day for Civita
Vecchia.

GERMANY.
pitubsm.

BERLIN, May 2.
The affairs of Germany are approaching a period
in which it will be more than ever uecessary,in order
to arrive at a dear understanding, closely to watch
the rise and progress of the various congresses, unions
and interims winch already exist or to which the next
few trays will give birth. First of all there is the
Frankton interim, whose term of existence would
have expired yesterday, had Austria and Prussia not
agreed to endow it with fresh life for another two
months. The interim is the successor of the Frail-
fort Reiche regierung, is composed of two Austrian
and two Prussian plenipotentiaries, and pee-
erste power, analogous to its predecessor,
but still less influence or authority. Its
orders are either disobeyed or disregarded.
Against the prolongation Bavaria has entered
a protest. Next in maturity is the narrower union
and its creation, and the Erfurt parliament. Of the
recent proceedings of this institution, the public are
perfectly cognisant. As a legislative assembly, how-
ever, it possesses no power, its resolutions have been
communicated to the governments whicu o-iginatt d
it, but neitle r have they been adopted ncr reject. d.
Their adoption or rejection must depend en the c,no-
gross of princes to which I have alluded several times
in my recent letters as about to assemble at Goths.
The Deutsche Refurtne this evening announces that
this congress Is to assemble on the Bth instant here in
Berlin and not at Gotha. Further, that Prus is has
issued invitations to all the princes parties
to the convention of the 26:h May, of which the ma-
jority have already signified their acceptation. The
recent despatch from Hesse Cassel may he considered
a refusal in anticipation. Here are already one
German interim, one German parliament, and one
German congress. Austria intends to add to the con-
fusion and perplexity by another congress at Frank-
fort, to be compos 'el of plenipotentiaries from all the
German states. The invitations to this meeting have
been out some time, but have not been accepted by
Prussia, and the majority of the states se hick belong
to the narrower union. The object of Prussia in be-
coming the chief agent of a large portion of the Ger-
man party wutoestablieh a union of the states on more
liberal and constitutional principles than the old
German confederation, which has, under any circum-
stances, become an impossibility ; the olject of Austria
in assembling the forthcoming congress at Frankfort
is to overcome the impossibility and reconstruct the
old confederation. There is another project before
Germany which has neither a parliament nee congress. :
it is the Four Kings' League, concocted at Munich
under Austrian auspices, which I mention merely for
the purpose of completing the list. What the con-
gress of princes and the congress of plenipotentiaries
will effect, it is impossible to foresee (the latter is
to meet on the 10th or 12th inst.) ; but one thing is
certain with regard to both. They are feared and
distrusted by a very large portion of the people. The
former is feared by the constitutionalist party who
have just settled the coretitution for the narrower
union, and distrusted by the democratic party who
regard it as another attempt at united measures for
their destruction. The Austrian congress and its
promoters are distrusted and ridiculed by both con-
stitutionalists and democrats. In speaking of
the constitutionalist and democratic party,
I allude only to journalists and politicans, for
generally speaking the population of Northern
Germany is in a sate of great political apathy, only
partially shaken off by the results of the election in
Paris.

-
The Schleswig-holstein affair is drawing towards
a crisis. The ninth conference between the plenipo-
tentiaries of Prussia and Denmuk takes place to-
morrow. On the part of the former a simple peace
between Denmark and Germany will be proposed
somewhat in the following terms :—" Between Ger-
many and Denmark there is peace sad friendship."
It is not to be expected that this proposal will be ac-
cepted by the Danish plenipotentiary ; if it is not, the
negotiations will at at once cease, and can only be
recommenced on a fresh basis.
In the sitting of the Second Saxon Chamber at
Dresden en the 30th ult. great sensation was created
by a declaration made by Zschineky, one of the mi-
nister?, to the effect that although the punishment of
death was abolished by the fundamental rights
in the constitution, the government did not
intend to be guided by that abolition, nor by
sty other of the fundamental rights, if they
were thought to be dangerous to the preservation of
order. In other respects the government was deter-
mined faithfully to maintain all the viva...gee con-
firmed by the constitution. After a long discussion,
of a very violent character, the chamber decided on
postponing the further consideration of the subject
until the official report of the speech made by Herr
Zschinsky shall have appeared.
IA general order has been issued, stating that the
emperor intends to continuo the army on a war foot-
ing, ar.d that no reduction is contemplated.
The town council of Prague has declared itself in-
solvent.

FRANKFORT, May 1.
An Austrian cote wee received hem yesterday,
says the Ober Post .Inds Zeitung, in which the
plenipotentiaries of the collective German govern-
ments arc invited to assemble here, in order to com-
mence deliberations on the affairs of Germany at the
earliest possible moment; the first sitting is appointed
for the 10th of May. The task of the congress will
be the installation of a new provisiot al central
organ, and the hope is expressed that this work
may be completed within fourteen days, as the
Austrian government will facilitate the realisation of
a common understanding by app•opriate propoaltiona
After, continues the note, the essential conuitions
shall have bten fulfilled by this agreement, on which
the attainment of the ends of the liund depends, the
plenipotentiaries will proceed to consider the subject
of a revision of the constitution of the Bend, univer-
rally acknowledged to be an inevitable ta-k, and to
deliberate on the best mode of undertaking and ful-

Cling the 'same All Ikrattempts hitherto made
are said to hays: failid from want of agree- :
ment on the principles upon which the work I
was to be eobducted. These doubts the imperial i
cabinet is of opinion ought to be resolved in the as-
sembly invited in this note, in conformity with the
fourth section of the additional act of Vienna, accord-
ing to which every revision of the constitution of the
confederation must proceed from the general assembly
of the representatives of the states, and also in con-
formity with the treaty of 1815 declaring this con-
federation an indissoluble union. True, moreover, to
the repeatedly declared conviction that the present
constitution no longer corresponds to the wants
of the times, and not wishing to return to
an impossib'e past, the Austrian government
declares its desire to see each • new ordination of
powers as shall have respect to the actual relations
of princes and states, and the rights and privileges
guaranteed by existing treaties, and it will honestly
work for the attainment of such an end, in a manner
that than satisfy every legitimate claim. The Aus-
trian court fully expects that the collective govern-
ments will answer this call, and the more so as the
present proposition contains, not merely the only
coon° consistent with the laws of the confederation,
but is the only one which can conduct to the de-
' sired end. On this account can no member of the
Band refuse to participate in this work, unless deti-
roue of retiring from membership.