The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-18 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY EVENING
Marshal Serrano had an interview yesterday
with Count Walewski on the subject of the quarrel
between Mexico and Spain. M. Walewski is ex-
tremely desirous that this unfortunate affair should
be amicably arranged; and is leaving, nothing
undone for that i3llllioBo. The English Ambassador
also is Mending. his co-operation, and indeed both
governments,"acting as they are in. concert, will
leave nothing undone towards tho pacific solution
of a difference which would be attended with
such serious complications. A great deal, of
course, depends on the Mexican Envoy himself,
and on the nature of the instructions he has
received. - The latest despatches from Madrid
corroborate what I mentioned yesterday respecting
the Moderate- views of the Spanish Government;
and their anxiety to 'settle the affair, if can be
settled without dishonour.

A private letter from Lisbon, of the 10th, gives
some information of the intentions of the Portu-
gese Government with respect to the affairs of
China. An expedition is in course of preparation
in the ports of that kingdom. It is composed of a
corvette, a brig, a steam despatch beat, and a
transport. The garrison of Macao Will be raised
to 400 then, selected front the best troops Of the
army. Macao was ceded it the Portuguese in
1579, in the reign of Ilenry> the successor of
Sebastian, in redothpense for the services which
Portugal had rendered- to the princes of the
dynasty of Taitsing. In virtue of that concession,
which was renewed in 1726 by the Emperor
Yungching, and again in 1798 by liaching,
Portugal had the property of the establishment
of Macao, which was tidmittistered by a
Portugese governor, while the Emperor of China
vreserved the right of appointing a mandarin, to
watch over the interests of Chinese subjects, or
the last fifty years, however, matters have changed.
The mandarin was allowed to assume the right of
administration of the settlement, and cruelly op-
pressed the foreign population, while the authority
of the Portuguese governor dwindled into a merely
nominal one. Some years ago the Portuguese
commander, Do Amaral, who represented the
sovereign of Portugal, tried to enforce respect for
the Portuguese flag, and he *as assassinated by
the Chinese. Portugal, supported as she will be
by other and more powerful governments, appears
determined to profit by the present occasion, and
maintain her rights in China. The garrison of
Macao will be plated under the command of a
Governor whose instructions are to re-establish in
the settlement the authority of Portugal.
The Pays says:—
A. letter from London gives us some details relative to
the instructions given to Lord Elgin for his mission to'
China. He is to have the superior direction of all affairs
in that part of the world, and for that purpose he is to
receive full powers from the English Government, with
whom a'one he IS to be in correspondence. He is to decide
on the opportuneness of all warlike operations, and to fix
the time for commencing 'them. In case the authorities
of the country should think fit to send propositions of
arrangement, he is to endeavour to obtain the following
concessions :-1. The old treaties are to be renewed and
extended to eight ports in China in place of five;
and, In addition, English trading vessels are to have
the right of putting in, from stress of weather or for
repairs, to every point en the coast ; 2. England is to
have, like Russia, a college at Pekin. The head of that
establishment, which is to be composed of five members at
least, is to be charged with all official relations with the
Chinese government ; and, 3rd, the English are to have
military posts in all the towns in which they have consuls
or agents. A piece of ground shall be conceded to them at
Shanghae, and another at Canton, on which to raise torts
and form military establishments, the strength of which
shall be fixed by common accord. Independently of these
principal conditions, other secondary points are left to
the judgment of the English Commissioner.
Letters from Marseilles of the 14th mention that

the Grand Duke Constantine will arrive there on
the 25th. He will be received on his arrival by
Colonel Faye, of the Artillery, and Orderly Officer
to the Emperor; M. de Belmont, one of the Em-•
peror's Chamberlains ; and the civil and military
authorities of the city and department. The Grand
Duke would appear to be somewhat startled by the
great preparations for his reception. He has there-
fore prayed that he may not be made to figure in
any very conspicuous manner. His journey, he
has said is chiefly for the purpbse of information
and study, and he prefers being treated in a more
tranquil manner. He expresses a wish to decline
grand evolutions, grand reviews, &e, and be allowed
to see the country like n quiet well behaved mem-
ber of society. The lovers of display and effect
are somewhat disappointed, but, I suppose, will
acquiesce.
General Luders, who has been in Paris for
some days (indeed Paris swarms with Russians
just now), has had a private audience of the Em-
peror. The General is, of course, travelling for
his health, agd intends passing the season at
Zichy. The Russian Government has engaged
for its steam navy several French engineers and
firemen, at very high wages.
.Feruk Khan had an interview yesterday with
M. Hubner, the Austrian Minister, on the subject,
it is said, of a treaty of commerce
Dr. Kern and M. de Hatzfeld, the Swiss and the
Prtissian Plenipotentiaries, had interviews with M.
Walewski to day; not at the same time, however,
but separately.
The Government was, I believe, anxious that
the elections to the new Legislative Corps should
be held about the end of June. The Minister of the
Interior having consulted with the Prefects of De-
partments as to the most favourable period for that
momentous operation, many of them have replied
that, in their opinions September would be the most
convenient season, as the labours of the harvest
will then be over.
Speaking of the Chamber of Deputies naturally
reminds one of the other branch of the Legislature
—the Senate. This imposing body has been more
than once twitted with passiveness and inaction in
the great work of law-making. The Emperor
himself thought it necessary some time since to
touch them with the spur. One Senator, M. Drouyn
de Lhuys, declined to submit to this treatment,
and resigned his functions. I think it right, how-
ever, to say that the &nate has not always shown
itself deaf to the call of patriotism, or apathetic
when the Constitution of the empire was on .the
point of being violated. Some time ago a project of
law, imposing a tax on carriages, was presented to
the Chamber of Deputies, and voted by a large
majority. It was sent up in 'due course to the
Senate, who decided that such a law was highly
unconstitutional, and kicked it out. It may surely
be permitted to indulge the most sanguine
hopes that by what or by whomsoever the
glorious Constitution of the French empire
will be hereafter touched in its purity or
integrity, the patriotism of that venerable body
will protect or avenge it. The rejection of the
project of law.for a tax of 100 f per annum upon
carriages is a noble record in the annals of the
Senate which posterity will not fail to look back to
with pride. It is true that each Senator is himself
obliged to keep a carriage, and that he is the first
who would be obliged to pay down, They who
know the unselfish patriotism of the body will
reject with becoming indignation the suggestion
that the disbursement of five napoleons per annum
had anything to do with th their decision. The
bill will be brought on again ; be it so—The Senate