The Express.
London, England, 1861-03-13 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH

not be so formidable but for its alliance with the
heads of the clergy and with Home. In this
alliance we can perfectly understand the aims both
of the Papal Court and of the French Legitimists.
Assuredly the end of the Orleanista in enter-
ing this retrograde league of ultra-Catholics and
ultra-Royalist& is complete suicide and annihilation.
Henceforth the Orleanists may be considered as
extinct, or absorbed in the Legitimist party. The
Nemo and the TOINVEVILLII3 are no more ; their
friends, who remain, consenting to speak through
the grotesque mouthpiece of the Marquis DX

The worst result of this is the conviction that
cannot fail to impress itself on the Evratoit's
mind, that a constitutional system, such as that
which formerly existed, is under present circum-
stances impossible. A Senate is hostile to
him ; a Chamber of Deputies, composed of
high ratepayers, or of the educated class,
will be alike unfavourable to him ; a single demo-
cratic Assembly will be more ready to support
him than any other, and by management he could
convert it into a powerful instrument for crushing
all opposed to his government, whether in the
church or amongst the wealthy and educated
classes.

Tim papers moved for by the Marquis of Non-
BANDY, on the Ist instant, in one of the wildest
and meet extravagant speeches ever heard in the
House of Lords, have just been presented to Parlia-
ment. They relate mainly to the action, or rather
to the inaction, of our Mediterranean fleet during
the events which led to and attended the overthrow
of Botrason domination in the Two Sicilies. Lord
NoRwANIIT, as our readers have no doubt forgotten,
talked as if, during that period, our Admirals had
taken • very busy part in the affairs of Italy.
The agents of FRANCIS 11. had said so,
and the noble lord does little else than
retail their stories to the Peers. Some of his
statements on Friday week were so ludicrous that
they perished instantly on exposure. Others were
answered on the spot by Lord WODZITOUSIL, and
others again have been refuted since. Although
so eager for papers his Lordship has a singular
faculty of ignoring documents when they are con-
trary to his purpose, and of adopting the most un-
substantial statements as true. Some months ago
we published • letter, in which King Vicroa
EMMANUEL, when at Florence after the annexa-
tion, offered his alliance to the King of the Two
Siermr.s. The authenticity of that letter is equal
to thatof any which has appeared in the Blue-books.
Yet upon no better authority than that of the
agents of the Government which refused to receive
it, Lord NORMANBY affected to treat it as an inven-
tion. But it is his way. Whether he will be
better pleased with these new papers than with
those which have gone before we much doubt.
His friend FRANcis 11. has come to • bad end,
and with minds of a certain order when the end is
wrong all is wrong. The Fleet, according to the
noble Marquis, deviated from its neutrality at
Palermo, and at Naples during the battle of the
Volturno. The despatches of Vice-Admirals
FANSH AWE, and MUNDY effectually
meet these charges. GARIBALDI attacked and took
Palermo on the 27th of May. Two days before
Admiral Munn, had protested to the Royal Com-
missioner against:the bombardment of that populous
and commercial city, which, he believed, was even
then in contemplation ; he did so in the name
of British interests, and with rearm, as the event
proved, for on the 29th of May we find him re-
porting to the Admiral commanding on the station
that the bombardment of the 28th, a breach of
faith on the part of the Neapolitan General
LANZA, while it was harmless to GARIRALur,
" had not only prevented any steps being taken
" to remove the property of the British residents
"to a place of security, but had also rendered it
" impossible for me to provide for the personal
" safety of the oldest British subject in the place,
" the heavy fire in the direction of his residence
" effectually cutting off all approach to it without
"endangering life." Ou the morning of the 28th
General Liana. applied for Admiral MUNDT'S
mediation. But as the Admiral was not in com-
munication with the town or with General GARI-
BALDI, he simply offered to receive on board his
sag-ship the Neapolitan generals whom General
LANZA wished to send, provided they could get
down to the Mole, whence he would have them es-
corted. The Bourbouist general had hoped to get
those officers through the enemy's line* under the
protection of the British flag; but to protect his own
neutrality, the Admiral left him to obtain the leave
of General GAZIBALDL The result of the meet-
ing of the Neapolitan officers and GARIBALDI is
well known ; it prevented the destruction of
Palermo by a prolonged bombardment, it stayed
the massacre of the inhabitants, and it gave Bri-
tish and other foreign residents an opportunity of
securing their property. But the proposition for
the Admiral's humane mediation came from the
Neapolitan Royal Commissioner, and was consented
to by General GARIBALDI.
The supposed participation of several men of
her MAJESTY'S ship Renown in the battle of the
Volturno, where, according to the complaint of
the Neapolitan Minister at this Court, they served
pieces of artillery belonging to the army of GARI-
BALDI, is soon disposed of. About two o'clock on
the afternoon of the Ist of October a party of
sailors belonging to the Renown, who were en
shore on leave, were led by a British seaman's
love of fighting to go up by the railroad to Santa
Maria to see what was going on. While these
men were standing looking on, a party of Gan-
baldians came up, dragging two partially dis-
mounted gnus which had been taken from the
Neapolitans. These guns stuck about 200 yards
from Santa Maria, on which an Englishman among
the Garibaldians asked the sailors " to bear •
" hand." This was readily done, and the guns
were brought in to Santa Maria ; but beyond
this the men of the Renown took no part whatao-
ever in the battle. Admiral MUNDY states that
upon bearing these facts from Captain FORD= he
pointed out to him that he should not have allowed
his men to go on shore even at CastelLsnetre, as
the giving of leave, except to petty-officers,
bad bean forbidden. The question, how-
ever, is divested of all political importance
and reduced to one of discipline by Captain
Town' explanation. Admiral MUNDY writes
to Vice-Admiral *satin on the 29th of October :
" With regard to the degree of neutrality main-
" tained by the squadron under my command, I
" beg leave to assure you that I have uniformly
" endeavoured to enforce implicit compliance with
"the wish and determination of her M &miry's

" Government on this subject ; that when leave
" has been granted to the ship.' companies, the
" class and number of men permitted to go on
" shore have always been regulated with a due re-
" Bard to the state of public feeling then existing
"in the city." In illustration of this circum-
stance the Admiral draws attention to copies of
general memoranda, and an extract from the
signal log of his flag-ship, which he forwards, and
which fully maintains the. credit he claims. The
remaining papers of this collection are of no public
importance.

Coensurrs are made in the columns of a con-
temporary that Lord JOHN &mew. has not re-
sorted to acts of violence in Mexico for injuries
recently inflicted on British interests in that re-
public. It seems, however, to be entirely over-
looked by the complainants that any possible
coercive measures would up to this time have been
more injurious than beneficial to the interests
that have suffered. To have levied reprisals or
blockaded the port of Vera Cruz at a crisis when
the readiest means of obtaining redress is the over-
throw of the abominable government of MIRA.
MON by internal agency, would in all probability
have arrested that indispensable preliminary oc-
currence, and might have prolonged the domestic
discord to which British wrongs are mainly attri-
butable. To have plunged Sir Cusxxxs Wyse,
our newly-appointed Minister, into those mise-
rable contentions, over which he could have
exercised no influence, at a time when
they were apparently about to receive a
solution favourable to the reception of reasonable
counsels, would have placed the English Legation
in a position that would not have added to its
authority in the better circumstances which events
are developing. And to have made a great and
useless display of British force and diplomacy
when the United States was powerless to co-
operate, would have excited the suspicions if it did
not rouse the hostility of the Government of
Washington. It seems to us, therefore, that Lord
JOHN Rosan a. has exercised a very wise discretion
in not prematurely acting on the undoubtedly just
grounds for interference which the treatment of
British property and persons has given to the
English Government ; and that • little patience
and a more accurate consideration of the actual

circumstances of the case would be more judicious
on the part of those interested in obtaining re-
press, than indiscriminate complaints and intempe-
rate accusations.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

AMERICA.

EXPECTED CONFLICT.
QUEENSMWN, WIDNISDAT.

The Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia Com-
pany's screw steamer Kangaroo, Captain Mire-
house, from New York on the 2nd inst., has arrived
here. She brings 14 cabin and 98 steerage pas-
sengers. She passed the Arabia.
The Edinburgh has arrived out.
The New York Herald of the 2nd inst. says :—" It
is reported from Washington that the despatch of a
reinforcement to Fort Sumter and the sending of
war vessels to attempt to collect the revenues in the
Gulf porta will be among the first acts of President
Lincoln's administration.

" Major Anderson had written that he expected
that Fort Sumter would be attacked immediately
after the 4th."

According to the New York Herald, President
Davis was making every preparation for a bloody
contest.

Referring to the peace conference the same jour-
nal says :—" All hope of adjustment has passed."
A collision between the Federal government and
the Texas state troops was imminent.
The Texas election was unanimously iu favour of
secession.