Litchfield enquirer., 1845-08-14
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE
 Of Ae Boston .Hfl0s.
LoNpoN, JnlY 1a. 1S4S.

| The Royal Mail Steamer Cambria, which will | leave Liverpool tomorrow, will take to the United States the most heart-rendng intelligence which it
 has ever been the lot of the journalist to record
 refer to the dreadful news just received from French Africa, where frightful tragedy has teen enacted, under the name of warfare, such as the | 1 history of centuries affords no similitude The horrid tale Is soon told; the official Gov | ernment organ at Algiers endorses the awful facts
 to the eternal disgrace of France. The unofend- | l ing inhabitants of the Dahara, the Arabs, live chiefly in immense caverns, and when the French |
 troops pursue them, they take refuge in these deep, dark places. In the middle of June, finding them selves closely pursued, they rushed to their usual place of refuge; eight hundred men, women, and 1 children sought shelter in an immense cave, and being completely enclosed in this natural fortfca- ! ton, they were attacked by the French soldiers | who applied fire to an immense heap of faggots for | two days! The powerful flames, constantly fed with fresh fuel, caused the mountain rocks to crack and fall; the thick smoke tiled the cavern, and the red hot flames darted their fiery fangs amongst the living mass inside Then the shril sounds of agony, from eight hundred human voices, were dreadful The furnace, however, soon stifled the sounds of woe that first came forth, swelling in laundering tones-even the French soldiers, still engaged in heaping faggots upon the flames, shrunk back appalled, at their horrid work-the groans of 1 the dying were soon hushed within that mighty | sepulchre! When he furnace had become cool, the troops entered the cave, and found five hun persons, still breathing, were taken out into the open air, | and two-thrds of this number soon expired-and thus, by act of atrocity, six hundred hu- | man beings were suffocated and roasted This | act committed by order of the commanding of- icer, Pellissier, whose name will go down to pos- terty, linked with that of Robespierre and other cannibals of past ages.
 The deplorable state of affairs in Ireland-the conflict at New Zealand-the civil war in Mount Labanon-the troubles in Switzerland and Spain, sink into comparative insgnifcance at the side of | this mammoth crime in French Africa.
 During the present session of Parliament, Sir | Robert Peel has been able to carry every govern ment measure, by very large majorites; placing 1 confidence in his strength, the Premier had only to stand up in the House of Commons and hint | that he in favor of one hill or opposed to an- | other, and his trained troops immediately marched | forward, only to conquer There are signs, how ever, in the political field, which indicate that the great leaders power is not destined to conne for 1 ever. s A minister with large majority" says the leading journal of Europe, (: like tradesman with great capital, may go on for long time in bad way, without coming to ruin. He may break into his principal, over and over again. without be-
 ing comnelled to rel;nGush his business; but the time will come at last, when he will be under the necessity of doing The Wings have already afforded an instance of the inevitable failure that results from course of reckless extravaganza or unprincpl pled expediency. They commenced with ] large capital, which they dwindled away by de- grees and Sir Robert Peel is doing the same thing, ] as speedily as possible. The stock of popularity
 which the Ministers had at one time 10 back them. has long been sensibly diminishing, and the pro- ceedings at some of the recent elections serve to show that the government is in very bad odor."- i Although have long and carefully studied the po- litica events of England, yet have taken no deep
 interest in them, unless they were for the benefit
 or injury, immediate or remote. of my own coun- try-as for instance, the great financial scheme | hy fhnp hv scb tho
 duty was abolished on cotton, and great number l of articles which eXport-the sliding scale corn law too, has attracted my attention. and
 have frequently attended the League meetings and watched their effect upon the masses of society,"
 the movements too, respecting the slave trade, and other great questions must always deeply interest | an American. In looking at these important sub
 jects cannot but observe minor objects, and it
 is from these that the spectator can discern the
 signs of the times. Ministers have encountered
 no serious defeat as yet, but their immense major ities have in one instance, been greatly reduced.
 When the learned Macanley recently moved the
 second reading of the Scotch Universities Bill, his
 object being to abolish religious tests in the Scotch
 Universities, the member eloquently set forth the
 sound principles of the bill and then left Sir Rob-
 ert and his troops to demollsh them. The debate
 that ensued was interesting, and he result was m-
 portant: for the result shows that the remarks
 which have quoted respecting the Premer's di-
 unfinished capital, literally correct. Neither
 the Premier's advice to his comrades. nor Sir James Graham's powerful opposition, could conceal the
 weakness of Macauey's opponents. The govern
 ment, for inc first time f,embied !-out of two
 hundred and twenty -four votes, which were given
 for and against Macauleys motion, the majority for
 the government was only eight pofcs! This is a
 great fact, for it is the greatest defeat the Premier
 has had for long time. To the political qucs- Il ton (" who could take Robert Peels place, if he
 should resign" shall make answer-for it is
 too important to be discussed in this letter. The
 Russells and Palmerstons have governed, and so
 have the Feels and Grahams-they are all able
 politicians but the rapid changes that are going
 on to ameliorate the condition of the people of
 Great Britain, force upon the attention of Govern
 mept, a new and enlarged policy, and the states
 men who are deaf 10 the prayers of " the million"
 will sooner or later find that public opinion will
 prove triumphant in the end.
 The Scotch Free Church recently presented
 petition to Parliament, complaining that the land
 owners of Scotland refused to grant sites for their churches Those refusals are justified by the land
 owners, on the ground that the seceders have ut.
 tered calumniating sentiments against the nobi-
 tv, gentry, and clergy. The Morning Herald takes
 up the subject, and quotes in detail the very Ian.
 guage made use of by the seceders. "So long,"
 says the Herald, as those reverend agitators,
 lerred to by the Duke of Buccleuch, Tn his reply
 to their charge, wander up and down the country,
 calumniating the nobility and gentry, 1t IS unrea
 sonable in them to expect any sympathy from
 those who see this line of policy systematically
 pursued. These agitators irritate the landholders
 by their abuse and then complain that their claims
 are disregarded." The Herald quotes from the or-
 upon the parochial clergy :-" dotards"-" ene-
 mics of God"-" rebels against Christi slaves
 of Caesar." Dr. Cunningham calls the Church of Scotland :" Synagogue of Satan" In the north
 of Scotland, the poor people were told that the Tk sa tL. At