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

public are content to bestow unlimited supplies,
our Foreign Office will continue to quarrel with all
the nations of the earth, and the statement of
Admiral Berkeley may only he intended to put the
country off its guard.

As regards trade and commerce, we have given
a retrospect of the past year in, another part of
to day's paper. The official returns just issued
show that the exports during the year now about
to close, or for the last 11 months, amount in value
to £105,000,000. The figure is enormous. It is
greater than in any previous year, and it shows
how much we have become a nation that lives not
for itself alone. The vessels that entered our ports
during these II months were in number 120,000;
those that went out 133,000. This will give a
notion of the magnitude of our coasting trade.
The official act of delivering the good ship
Resolute over to the British Government took place
on Tuesday, amid compliments on both sides. Our
American brethren, wo trust, will not fail to observe
that the Queen did not await such a formality in
order to show how much the gift was appreciated,
but cast aside all the old traditions about etiquette
and dignity, that she might be one of the first to
go on board. The act in question does Brother
Jonathan eredit, and we know he will not be slow
to perceive that we appreciate the generous dona-
tion which he has bestowed upon England.
To-day's paper contains another instance of the
dreadful crime of murder. A woman in London,
called Martha Bacon, has cut the throats of two
of her children, and afterwards attempted self-
destruction. There is but little doubt that the
cruel deed was the result of insanity ; but will that
plea avail at a time when public strangulation is
believed to be the only remedy ? The recent scenes
that have happened beneath the gallows, make
generous minds, however, shrink from the respon-
sibility of our present system, and while one
'suggests that the murderer should be privately
killed, another says the contrary, and suggests the
greatest exposure in the widest arena. Mr. Hill,
to whom we alluded in yesterday's paper, says the
gallows to many people has become as sacred as
the cross ; and as the gallows is to be retained at
all hazards, shifts are resorted to that it may be
rendered more acceptable and pleasant.
The chief topic of continental politics is the dis-
pute between Prussia and Switzerland. It keeps
Europe balanced between the hope of peace and
the preparations for war. And before we state
what are the more recent points of news on this
subject, let us say that we have received credible
information about the excitement that prevails all
over the Swiss cantons. Every man, we are informed,
is ready to take up arms and shed the last drop of
blood for his native Republic without being punetili
ous about the cause of the rupture. Even the women
of Switzerland, it is understood, would be armed if
the struggle in the fields of battle went against the
Republic, and we are referred to past periods in the
history of the cantons, when the female popula-
tion were taught the use of swords and pistols
that they might fight for their own protection,
Or in case .of other serious emergency. A
more warlike and determined people than the
Swiss do not exist in the world, and great must be
the responsibility of those who would hurry-
them into • a conflict. The secret mission of
Dr. Furrer to Frankfort, mentioned yesterday.
was, it seems, undertaken on the invitation of
members of the German Confederation, who desire
to prevent an armed conflict, of which Wurtemburg
and Baden would be partly the theatre. This is
strongly confirmed by the telegraph, announcing
the resistance of the permanent committee of the
Wurtemburg States to the passage of Prussian
troops. A letter in the Presse, of Brussels, denies
that Prussia ever thought of demanding to be
reimbursed the expenses of preparations for war.
Possibly it was only a menace of some Prussian
journals.
The following is the latest news from Berlin.
It states that intelligence of the proceedings at the
opening of the Federal Assembly at Berne had
been received. A despatch from there in the
Frankfurter Journal is quoted as the source of
intelligence. According to this the first sitting of
the Assembly was opened by a martial sounding
speech, which was referred by the President to a
Committee to report upon. In this speech the
Federal Council calls upon the Assembly to
empower it to continue to carry on the negociations
for peace on the well-known bases, to express its
approval of the precautionary measures already
taken, and to commission it to take all and every
further measure requisite for the defence of the
country, in case an honourable peace should not be
attainable. It further moves that an unlimited cre-
dit be opened, with powers to raise a loan amount-
ing to 30,000,000 f, that it be empowered to elect a
commander-in-chief and the chefs of the etat major.
At the close of the message or speech the
Assembly is requested not to break up when the
consideration of these questions is concluded, hut
simply to adjourn. It appears further that the
plan of arrangement put forward in the namu,Qf
the four Powers was not laid before the Federal
Assembly on that day (Saturday), and that the
Federal Council had ordered the Landwehr to be
called out with all possible despatch.

From Paris we learn that information has been
received from Besancon—Doubs—stating that two
companies of infantry of the garrison of that town
had left for the canton of Morteau ; and that it
was very probable that a French army would be
established on the eastern frontier to be ready for
all emergencies. It was said that the army would
conEist of not less than 60,000 men, that Marshal
Canrobert would b 3 named to command it, and
that the head quarters would be Besancon. This
intelligence is generally corroborated by the local
papers. Notwithstanding these warlike rumours a
pacific solution is far from being despaired of even
now.

The legislative session of the Greek Chambers
was opened by King Otho on the 19th of December
with the usual formalities. His Majesty positively
announces that the occupation of Greece by foreign
troops will soon cease. It contains another hope-
ful declaration, namely, that the Government
intends asking the consent of the legislature to a
free trade reform of the tariff.

There are not any local incidents demanding
special notice on the present occasion.

To each and all our readers we cordially and
most sincerely wish a happy New Year !
Eighteen hundred and fifty-six has taken its
flight, and is now numbered with the past. Its
departure evokes many reminiscences, some of
which are interesting and pleasing, whilst others
are of a painful character. On this day twelve
months we were, in conjunction with our Allies,
France, Sardinia, and Turkey, waging war with
Russia. Our armies were then located in
and around Sebastopol. The hardy tars
of the British fleet were panting for an
opportunity whereby they might display to
an astonished world their indomitable
courage, their love of country, and their
determination that, " Britons never shall be.
" Slaves." In a short time after the late year set
in, the " god of battles " brought hostilities to an
end. The booming of cannon, the clashing of
swords, the prancing of steeds, the rattle of
musketry, and the deadly struggle of the bayonet
charge gave way to the more merciful mode of
adjusting disputes between nations—Confer-
ence tof diplomatists. Happily for Europe the
Peace Conference at Paris was successful, and, in
due course of time, Peace was proclaimed to the
satisfaction of all classes of the people. Shortly
after, ourtroops—infantry and cavalry—returned
home, and enthusiastially were they received.
Britain's Queen met her courageous Guards in a
manner which showed that, although she did not
join in the revelry of camps, mingle with her brave