The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-13 00:00:00

LATEST INTELLIGENCE

(urcris's Trizoxime.)
GAETA.
PROPOSALS OF SURRENDER.
NOLA DI GAETA, Yes. 12.

General Cialdiui and the commandant of Gaeta
have appointed a mixed commission for the discus-
sion of and drawing up the capitulation of the fort-
rewei of Gaeta.

The tiring has not, however, been suspended, but
ha% only slackened until the conditions of surrender
shall have been arranged.

NAPLES, Fits. 12, 4.40 p.x.
The firing from Gaeta continues, and is replied
to by the Sardinians.
M. Depennes, attache to the French embassy at
Rome, has demanded permission of General Cialdini
to convey a letter from the Empress of the French
to the young Queen at Gaeta. This permission has
been granted.

The French steamer Mucttc is said to have
received orders to be in readiness to receive the
family of Francis 11. at Gaeta.

The surrender of the place cannot be delayed
much longer.

TURIN, Bee. 12.

The garrison of Gaeta has demanded en armis-
tice of 15 days in order to negotiate for the sur-
render of the place.
The demand has been rejected by General
Cialdini, who has however declared himself ready
to enter into negotiations.
During the last two days the Sardinian batteries
have caused great devastation.

MARSEILLES, Fu. 12.
Letters front Naples to the 9th inst. state that
there were 100 dead iu Gaeta.

The Sardinian fleet bombarded the place with
good effect on the night of the Bth inst.
The frigate Mouurca, however, suffered some
damage.
The mail from Calabria had not arrived.
Troops had been sent to suppress a reactionary
movement which had broken out at Reggio.

The Minister Liborio Romano had ordered the
drawing of lots for the mobilisation of the national
'guard and for the office of captains.

Letters from Rome to the 9th inst, state that the
insurgents bad withdrawn from Aseoli into the
kingdom of Naples.

A correspondent of La Prase writes as follows,
under date of Castellon, Feb. 7 :

Already the other day a powder magazine burst at the
south extremity of the Philippstadt Battery, causing con-
siderable loss to the enemy ; but I have now to record a far
more terrible explosion. Yesterday, about ii o'clock in the
afternoon, a shell from the Ficdniontese lines on the right
penetrated into one of the powder magazines, which blew up
and set fire to the great reserve store of projectiles, which
blew up likewise. The explosion was so terrible that the re-
port was re-echoed from the most distant valleys for a long
time. A French vessel, although six miles from Gaeta, felt the
shook. 1 had left the village about 4 o'clock to take a stroll
through the mountains leading to Castello Onorato, when,
reaching the summit of a small bill which commands a view
of the gulf and the whole neighbourhood, I was almost
thrown to the ground by the effect of the explosion which
bad just taken place to my left. I turned my gaze towards
Gaeta, and was horrified at the immense masses of ruin,
some pieces high in the air, amidst a black smoke and
tongues of flame which lighted up the spires of the town.
It was something horrible, and reminded me of Pliny
the Younger's description of au eruption of Mount
Vesuvius in a letter to Tacitus, narrating the destruc-
tion of Herculaneum and Pompeii. I hastily do-
scended into the valley, and on reaching Can.
tellone I was informed that the explosion had not only
caused the death of some hundred Neapolitan soldiers, but
that also a considerable number of living beings were still
under the ruins. During the stillness of the night we could
discern the stifled cries of those unfortunate men, as
General Cialdini had humanely ordered all firing to cease.
A Neapolitan messenger arrived requesting an armistice
of 48 hours. He asked for it in the name of humanity, for, he
said, it was impossible to ascertain the number of victims
buried is the ruins mused by the explosion. You will
easily agree with me that cool reason of interest might have
advised Cialdini to refuse the request of the military
governor of (:aeta. For a bold and daring general like
Cialdini it was an admirable opportunity to attempt a
coup-di-main, which probably wuuld hare succeeded. Not
listening to the voice of interest, the Piedmontese General
did not hesitate for a moment to grant a suspension of
hostilities, on the sole condition that the besieged should
not work at repairing the breach made recently by the
Piedmonteac. We shall thus have an armistice, which will
terminate to-morrow morning, and in 48 hours I may have
great results to record. I donut believe, as is reported hero,
that Francis 11. has made proposals for a capitulation, which
must follow sooner or later. The battery on the seaside has
been much damaged by the fire from the Sardinian frigate
Garibaldi. Her daring captain took up a position only
1,000 metres from the curtain, and kept up a continual fire
for an hour-and-a-half.

FRANCE.
PARIS. WED OAT MORNING.

The Motiter says :—" M. de Quelen, orderly
officer of the Emperor, wont to Rome solely on ac-
count of his private affairs and has not brought
back any autograph letter for the Emperor."