THE NEWS-BY THE MAIL.

Grey River Argus, 26 July 1866, Page 3

THE NEWS- BY THE MAIL.

The late telegrams published in our issue of. Saturday 'last lessen much the interest of the intelligence to Hand bythe MajL, and more particularly that relatingtte^t political disturbances in Europe. . We^KTwever, find some interesting infor : mation in the letter of the London cor- . respondent of the > Melbourne "Argus,'' extracts from wliich we give below : — '"- -.''''■.- . STATE OF ITALY. . ; Recent letters from Florence state that there is considerable irritation among the" Italian people in consequence, of the tone •-. . of the English press, Government, and - public,, in speaking of the coming war. Like the Ariiericaris during their civil war, •the Italians are disposed to resent our want of hearty sympathy in their meditated struggle with Austria. Impatient for war themselvps, they are angry that" we do not urge them to the attack, and wish them complete success. Blinded' by" a pardonable enthusiasm, they ascribe our coolness to mercenary motives. We are afraid of losing a great deal of money by the war, they think". 1 They shut their eyes to thefact thafcit is to the bad companionship in which Italy is found that the English press objects,, and that were the struggle for. Venice undertaken with a. better ally, Italy would find the warmest sympathy in this country. Under, the popular excitement, all -political animosities are extinguished ; north ancl south, in Parliament . and in- the press, a wonderful unanimity : . jyreyail 3 ' -By unanimous votes of ,the Chambers, -the Government is invested with unlimited powers for the national . armament. Garibaldi has been nominated to a generalship in tho Italian army, and . in a single week 26,000 volunteers Ilocked to his standard. A powerful navy, divided into three squadrons, is assembled in the Adriatic;' and there is a- fleet of transports which, with some large steamers of "the mercantile marine, would suff.co to convey an army of GO, OOO men. . The longrumoured military convention with Prussia Jias at length beon signed, By this instrument both of the allies pledge themselves'to strike in as soon as either v of them is attacked, and neither pf them is to - iriake peace with the enemy"' without the consent and concurrence of his confederate. . . FEELING IN PRUSSIA. , But while Italy is thus panting for the combat, the. power which by its selfish machinations produced all this confusion and mischief hangs back. Bismark and this royal master have miscalculated in ••'- many respects. Neither the people nor the army have any stomach for the fight. They already foresee that, they are likely to lose more than they' are likely to gain, by a war. Even if successful, the annexation of the Elbe Duchies would be dearly purchased by the cession of theßhinelands to France as the price of her neutrality. Then Prussia has been disappointed with, the attitude and leanings, of the minor German States. They will maintain an > armed neutrality as. long as possible, .and when compelled to fight will probably side with Austria. An angry and tlireatening correspondence has lately bepn going -on betwqen Bismark and the- Governments of Saxony and Hanover. They refuse to disarm at the bidding of Prussia. The rulers I'lS^^ 1^ 11 rire a UIOSS - -A- spirit of sullen €stiiatisfactian prevails. A few days'sinca a Congress of German deputies assembledat Frankfort, to the number of. 200, and adopted a resolution condemnatory of ' a war. It declared those who might csMb war guilty of grave crimes to wardsj^lie nation, and tlireatened with the naiwtfial execration those who might attem^to "dispose of any portion^of German territory to foreigners^ 3 The meeting also passed a resolution in favor of the neutrality of the - States not actually involved in the dispute, declaririg that it was their duty to keep -■ 'their forces intact, so that if occasion shall .. arise they may be in a position to maintain the territorial integrity of Germany. Bifmiark is evidently an" object of deep smapicion, and has failed to hoodwink the people with his fallacious pro'iriises of German Parliaments, universal suffrage, and union of Fatherland under the beneficent sway of Prussia. With the army Bismark; is still more unpopular. A spirit of resist- - ance and mutiny is sajd to be rife. The recruits are dragged reluctantly from their homes, and a party of them are reported to have lvrenched doors off their hinges in their rage, and smashed scores of panes of "gl.Asto the hated name of Bismark'. Such tilings are not ominous of success. Themorale and organization of the Austrian troops, on the other hand, are excellent. They are not only more numerous thaii . those of the north German power, but of admirable sj)irit, and longing for a brush .witli the Prussians.' Between. 600,000 and 700,000 are in readiness to take the field, and in a few weeks 300,000 more could be nrusterecl. - /< ATTITUDE OF FRANCE.. The "Moniteur" certainly continues to prattle of peace, and so it did to the yeryday when the French troops started on the road to Italy. The pacific declar- '...-• atipns'of the official journal, however, are contradicted bythe fact which has recently ' tratispired,- that the Emperor Napoleon is • actively preparing for war? pommissariat. contracts haVe been entered into on a very -■ large scale. - The railways and the Mediterranean steamers have been warned -to "^Qldthfimselyes in readiness for the con- - veyance* pf -tfodps. Powerful corps of - "'^obseyv^tioif"- are "being moved to the •Khifi^ ii)aj^^:the^t^ian frontiers. The - ■<' r.01<3-"*wiich e F or i nten d s to = play is a well-k«OT^feßretf; it' r niay lrave " beßn..all coricertgiS^^PfflTangekd with Bis- ■'■■' mark and Vjctor;B]flM™aiuel,'.6r it may be • left open for^hdguidanceof cirexunstances. Rrance'.Tffiil very p?pbAbly*slrike in at the ' favorable imomVn^Jbui whether 'on behalf of Austeiaor P i riisE(ia~w;^ i pßend on which -.■-•;. pf those powers proves ll^lfnipst willing i. ' to cp-d^'eme with' the Emper9s;.in carrying outJus^id^.'^ - ' -°* * ; ";,. ._'., .ATTE^TEP ASSASSINATIONS. - In "th4..i^|dßj of this great Europeari drama 1 'tKeJassassin lias again become a , pfojb^eht. figure/ .^Scarcely- haid the thrill " *of excitementßubsided which followed the atteinpj; uppipthe life .of the Czar, when we.weje atartled to heap, that a-iio' less conspicuous personage than Count Bis r mark had alao been attacked. ;On the 7th , . May the Cqunt was walking down one -the most frequented 1 thorpughfares^f -the capital, when a man fired-a pistol at . him from behind, ,' Wonderful -to' relate, ■>.. considering tlie proximity, the ball missed; its. aim, and before he could discharge his revolver a second time a "tradesman passing rushed upon him. In the struggle he fired two mpre baljs, when Qount Bismark

firmly seized him by the right arm, and threw. himself upon Mm. The assassin, catching the pistol into his left hand, pressed it against his victim's breast, and . a fourth time fired; but in the rapid' movement of the.moment . the pistol was timi'ed aside, so that the ball only grazed the skin. Soldiers coming up terminated the terrible struggle; but unhappily an artizan passing was wounded by one of the stray balls. The assassin proved to be a young man^of the name of Blind, or rather Cohen ; for he was but the step-son of the exile whose name he'had adopted. He is said to have been amiable arid talented, .and a student at Hohenheim, iit Wtsrtem- ' berg, from wliich place he made his way to Berlin, urged onward by a fanatical de- • termination to destroy the man whom he conceived to be the wcvst enemy of Ger- ' man "liberty. , He had not been many, hoiirs in prison when, feigning to wipe the perspiration from his face, he concealed a _penknife under his handkerchief, and so committed suicide. It is a curious illustration of German theorising that it has been scientifically inferred from this statement of facts that Count Bismark wears p, coat of mail. More true it is, 1 fear, that he has sinco received numerous threatening letters. .. -• FENIA>T TACTICS. Once more the Fenian excitement seems subsiding. Its threatening bluster and brag have, resulted only in contemptible failure; and troublesome and dangerous as have been the . movements of the past few months, they have helped to show the hopeless absurdity of its schemes, and make clearer the selfish aims of its leaders. But the wounded 3nake "though scotched, is not killed," and lias still some venom left. Our last intelligence is that James Stephens -hasfe made his way acrQSS the Atlantic, arid arrived at New York", where he has been, enthusiastically received by the Irish? and elected -General . Head Centre ;. that he has set about healing dissension's ; and. declares that "the objective point of the Fenians is not Canada or Jupan, but Ireland," where,, indeed, if they will cease, their discords, " they can be fighing British troops on solid front within the present year." Prior to the arrival of Stephens, your readers will remember'that the Fenians had 1 congregated in large number on the borders .of New Brunswick, making- Eastpbrt their headqiiarters, a small town oiT the coast of" "Maine. Watched by the British authorities, and surprised by tho arrival of Gen. Meade with; Federal troops to suppress any outbreak, they were speedily compelled to draw in ifoeir horns ; and t"he tremendous expedition wliich was to annihilate the British power in Canada has returned to New York in a condition" of mutiny, after firing, we, are told, "one leadless pistol, and stealing one small flag froni an unprotected spot." Mr Doran Killian, "treasurer," and leader of the detachment, has since, however, issued a -circular, declaring the failure to .be but temporary, that the money has been well spent ; that existing complications have been increased, "the British fleet, with shotted (f : *2§, having been brought within 100 yards of the American forts ;" that the north-wesffrontier is the gateway to Ireland V and— rO, far-seeing sophist — that, as the confederation scheme gains strength by these charms, Mr Seward may soon have cause to oppose the establishment of Royal blood 011 the throne of the •North,* as well as of Mexico ! A first consequence of this ignoble "retreat lias been the deposition or enforced resignation of Mahoney, the collapse of other schemes, the - destruction of confidence, and widespread demoralisation among the Fenian circles. One later incident suggested the possibility of action in another direction, in a modest piratical way. A party of Fenians, returning froni Eastport'in the schooner Friend— it may be, disgusted with the turn of affairs on the frontier — hoisted the flag of the " Irish Republic^ and captured the ..British schooner Wentr •nvorth, to which they transferred themselves after scuttling their own vessel. A Federal steamer which went in pursuit, overhauled tho Wentworth, but deceived by her name and appearance, allowed them to escape. Subsequently they were, reported to have "made a/lescent" upon the island of Menao. '' Now we learn that, content _with their inglorious, pretence of war, they "in a few^ hours restored the Wentworth uninjured to its captain, ,and lanSed themselves on the coast of Maine. It is doubtful Stephens will" be .able to resusitate the zeal wliich the3e follies have broken, arid to organise any united movement. The action of the American Government, though tardy, yet 'goes for to render his endeavors hopeles?, There are rumors of another attempt, to be made from Buffalo, and thither Gen. Meade has accordingly been ordered.