The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-05 00:00:00

responded t') the appeal of the nation. The entire
Federal at my is ready—the drum and trumpet re-
sound through the cantons—the arsenals are busy,
and camps 'for drilling the troops are being formed.
The hymn of war finds an echo in the valleys.
Zurich imitates the example of Berne in unani-
l'olidg an -uttlirriite:ll &•edit. Militiamen;
full of energy, spring up in the cantons of Schwytz.
and Vaud, and offer 15 battalions above their
federal contingent. There are no longer any
polemics in the journals, but everywhere this cry :
—" Neufchatel is Swiss, and must remain Swiss.
The Swiss nation forms but a single man—a single
heart."

A letter from Berne, of the 28th ult., gives some
details concerning the late attempt at arrrngement
made there by the diplomatic corps :
" Mr. Fay, the American Charge d'Affaires, and
Mr. Gordon, the English Minister, assumed the
initiative in endeavouring, for the last time, to see
whether it s% ere not possible to bring about an
arrangement and avoid a disastrous war. To that
end Mr. Fay invited his colleagues of the diplo.
matic body to meet at the Hotel do la Couronne.
Every one entered heartily on this difficult task,
and finished by drawing up a plan of arrangement
to be submitted to the Federal Councils and to
Prussia. According to this project, the Federal
Council was to engage to propose to the
Federal Assembly the release of the pri•
soners ; and the diplomatists, in the name
of the Powers of which they were the repre-
sentatives, on their part engaged to interpose.
their good offices with the King of Prnssia, to
solve the Neuchatel question according to the
wishes and desires of Switzerland. This project
was communicated to M. Sttempfli by Mr. Fay and
Mr. Gordon. Mr. Stmmpfli not finding in it suffi-
cient guarantees, required that it should be ex-
pressly said that the Confederation' in the exercise
of its sovereignty,' consented to release the pri
soners ; and that it should be added that the Powers
would interpose their good offices ' to obtain the
cession of Neuchatel' The diplomatists yielded,
although some of them loudly declared that such a
wording of the project would not be signed by their
respective courts. In the end the project was
accepted on both sides, but, as the diplomatists
had not instructions ad hoc, they were obliged
to apply for the ratification of it from their
respective Courts. The Belgian Minister, who
does not appear to have any cipher, would not
trust to the Swiss telegraph, and set off for the
French frontier, in order to correspond with his
Government by the French line. His sudden
departure gave rise to a rumour that he had left
for Berlin on a mission from the diplomatic body.
At last the replies came one after the other, but I
am Only aware of part of them. Belgium refused
to interfere in the matter, and Russia, Austria, and
France formally refused their signaturs. The
despatch of Count \Valewski to M de Salignac
Fenelon still gives some hopes of maintaining
peace. If lam well informed, it was as followe
You will not sign, the declaration ; we maintain
our propositions, and we reproduce them to the
Swiss Parliament; the other Powers are at libetty
to join in them.' "
An article in the New Gazettdof Zurich expresses
its regret that Prussia should have broken off
diplomatic relations in so abrupt a manner. since
the question at issue has now been placed in the
hands of third parties, who, with the best will in
the world, have rather added to its complications
than facilitated a solution. It says :
" The King of Prussia can hope for nothing
else than the release of the prisoners, and
in order to obtain that result hs has only
to renounce his character of the John
Lackland of Neufchatel. The King of Prussia
no more than Switzerland has anything to expect
from the good offices of diplomacy. Bat since the
arrival of M. Bartnann the following solution
appears to possess some chance of success
Switzerland will release the Royalist prisoners in
virtue of her sovereignty ; and, on the other hand,
the Powers offer their good of to obtain from
Prussia the reauociation of her rights on
Neuchatel. Switzerland will be at liberty to choose
the offices of all the Powers, or of only one or two
of then.' This solution meets the views of France,
England, and the United States, and is tantamount
to what Switzerland has claimed since the com-
mencement of the difficulty."
The following are some details relative to the
respective functions of the political bodies now
sitting at Berne to protect the in' ereste' of the
Helvetic Confederation :—The sovoreigu power
resides in .two councils, the natioaal one and that
of the States. The former is composed of deputies
of the Swiss people, in the proportion of one for
every 20,000 souls. The number of members is 120,
who are elected for three years by uuiversal suffrage
—every citizen who has attained the age of twenty
having a vote. The Councilta the States is composed
of 41 members, two from each canton. The two
Councils form toge( her the legal representation of
the Confederation, under the name of the Federal
Assembly. This body, which holds an ordinary
session every year, and extraordinary ones as
are called for by circumstances, i 3 sovereign on
all 'questions of general interest, political
laws, finances, police, military organisation, and
revision or modification of the Constitution. Next
comes the Executive power, which bears the name
of the Federal Council, and which is composed of
seven members, elected for three years by the
Federal Assembly. and chosen without distinction
from among all Swiss citizens, with this single
restriction, that no two of the members can belon.;
to the same canton. The Federal Council is.
charged with the internal administration and with
the direction of the foreign relations of the Con-

federation, but the initiative and the decision on
all general questions belong to the Federal As•
sembly.
A letter from Geneva, of the 28th ult., in the
Sentinelle du Jura, says :
" This city is at present dull enough as far as
business is concerned. There are very few
Christmas parties, and the retail trade is dull,
notwithstanding the approach of the new year.
War is the only subject talked of. What reflects
the highest honour on the Swiss people is, that no
one seeks to avoid military service Several even,
who were formerly officers, have offered to serve as
privates. All this is the mere praiseworthy' that
such conduct is not dictated by arhbition, there
not being any possibility of gaining either crosses
of. honour or rank in -Switzerland. The real
strength of the country is never exaggerated in
any man's mind, and nothing like bravado is heard-
A loan of 40,0001 of rente (850,0001) for extraordi
nary military expenses was subscribed here with a
promptitude which does honour to the citizens of
Geneva. The second division of the Swiss army
has its head quarters at Moutiers-Granval (Berne),
and not at Fleurier, es has been stated."
A letter from Coblentz, of the 20th ult, in the
Cologne Gazette, says—
" The Prince of Prussia yesterday assembled on
the parade the whole of the officers of the troops
in garrison at Cologne, and informed them that, in
consequence of the complications which hadarisen
with Switz:_Tland, Prussia found herself in a very

serious position. He congratulated in advance the
troops who were to take part in the expedition.
Among those, he said, Whom he saw around him,
were many whom he had already seen fightim,
bravely, and he expected from them the same
military virtues, in order to give fresh triumphs to
the Pi ussian arms "
A letter from Vienna, in the Nurembury Corre-
spondent, states that the mission of Prince Charles
Schwartzenberg to Paris, relates. to the question of
Neufchatel, and adds that in consequence of the
unfavourable light in which the military prepara-
tons of Prussia are viewed by the Cabinets of
Vienna and London, the Prussian Government
appears somewhat disposed to postpone its military
measures.

TOBACCO : In taking a view of the market for the
past year, we have to observe that prices for all descrip-
tions pres.nted no change deserving notice until August,
when accounts were received of an unfavourable character
re
osrpeecutiiintagvo the
urabgireobweiinngg p
; continued accounts still
received,cro an advance was estab-
lishedm in August and September of nearly Id per lb ; early
in October advices of the serious frosts of the 23rd and
24th September were communicated by telegraph, and
afterwards confirmed, resulting in an advance of prices of
this market from 2d to 3d per lb, and which have since
been fully supported.)