NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 200, 25 April 1867, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

In closing the Prussian Chambers, on the 9bh February, the King expressed a hopo fchafc there would bo no renewal of the conflict between tho Deputies and the Ministers, the Diet having shown itself determined to preserve what had been gained by the nation ; and the draft of the Constitution for the North German Confederation having been accepted by all the Governments, he felt the assurance that the principle of an united organisation would obtain for the German people those blessings which it had been designed by Providence to enjoy, from the moment it was in a position to maintain fear at home and abroad. Throughout the conferences of the North German Plenipotentiaries on the draft of the new Constitution, Saxony has shown a conciliatory spirit that has given great satisfaction in Berlin. The draft has been agreed to by all the States, and the treaty was signed by the Minister of I State. The new North German Parliament has been summoned to meet on the 24th Feb. at Berlin. Bism.ark has been returned by the Electoral Colleges. The elections are generally favorable to the Liberals. Three walls of defence and forty-two detached forts are to be erected for the defence of Vienna. Therehavebeen disturbances in Southern Tyrol, which have called forth measures of repression aboiit equivalent to the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act with us. ' A declaration of commercial reciprocity j has been agreed to between Austria and Switzerland. Mr Acton Ayr ton and Sir Charles Bright have- obtained a commission for a submarine cable line between Ragusa and Malta or Ragusa and Corfu, as they may find most advantageous. Austria appears to be going a-head in shipbuilding, in which, it is said, she can now fully rival England both as to cheapness and quality. The frigate Lissa is to have engines of 1000-horae power, the largest yet constructed in Austria. The Emperor Napoleon's speech at the opening of the French Chambers is one of those political utterances which are looked for with the greatest anxiety by the politicians of every country in Europe. That of the 14th February will not disappoint their expectations. It deals with a vast variety of subjects, both home and foreign, and although couched in the usual style of vague generalities, enounces some principles that are definite in their application, and promise to create earnest discussion. Such are the reconstitution of the army, | which the Emperor looks upon as being called for by the recent changes in the conditions of warfare, and the bills upon primary education and co - operative societies, which are calculated to improve the moral and material conditions of the industrial classes in large cities and of the { rural population. After fifteen years of calm and prospei'ity he finds it now possible to inaugurate those liberal developments of the Constitution which the nation has so long anxiously aspired to possess, but which have been hitherto rendered impossible by the Utopian schemes of revolutionary parties. He finds in the result of the late war an exemplification of the far-sighted wisdom of thp_Greafc Emperor, who at Saint Helena had said that one of his great ideas had been the agglomeration and concentration of nations who had been scattered piecemeal by revolutions and policy. The transformations that have been effected in Italy and Germany pave the way for the realisation of this vast programme of the European Suttes in one vast Confederation. Fe congratulates France on not having in any way interfered in the conflict ; not armed a single additional soldier ; not moved forward a single regiment ; and yet that the voice of Franco was sufficiently potential to arrest the couqueror at tho very gates of Vienna. With regard to Mexico, lie gets as cleverly out of the scrape as might be expected from his well-prai*tised amteness. The Roman' question is tlis-n.-i iscd in a few words with a very significant intimation that although the French troops have. been withdrawn, no infringement of the temporal power of the Popo will be permitted. The relations wibli all foreign countries are all that could be wished, and those with. England become every day more intimate, from . the similarity of policy and multiplicity of commercial transactions. His Majesty concludes by inviting, the Legislature to " march with him with a firm step on the path of civilization." A musician belonging to one of the French regiments has just met with an extraordinary death at Vera Cruz. He was engaged to play at a ball, and beiug very thirsty went out into the garden, and fiudiug a water bottle on the terrace, took it up and drank freely. Suddenly he raised cries of agony,and upon assistance arriving, it was found that an enormous centipede had fixed its mandibles in his throat. The animal had taken up its abode in the neck of the bottle, and was washed into his mouth in the act of drinking. A surgeon who was called was obliged to cut it to pieces, but the poison from the bite caused death in a few hours. The San Framisco Times says : — Ths Pacific railroad is making rapid progress from both ends of the route, and the junction, it is thought, -will be made iv much less time than is generally anticipated. At the present time, we have heard it remarked by parties who are supposed to know, possibly 1000 miles remain to be completed, this being the intervening distance from rail to rail. The net earnings of the company in September were about 90,000 dols. in gold, and at this rate the net income of the road, on 73 miles only, would be nearly double the amount necessary to pay the entire amount of interest which the company will be under with their road completed to the Califofnian State line. Twenty-one miles additional of the road will probably be put in operation this month, which carries it to a point which will largely increase the business and earnings. A fast freight line from the terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad to Denver and the Salt Lake City has been organised. Relays of horses for the line will be stationed at proper intervals, and no efforts will be spared in forwarding freights by this line to their destination. As early as the fall of 1867, we may safely predict, the distance to be travelled on the overland route other than by railway will be astonishingly short. A New York paper says that a transport which left Rio Janeiro city for Monte Video with troops carried over 200 negroes lately made free through the munificence of the Emperor of Brazil, who paid the imperial treasury for them, aa they be- :

longed to tho country, and thus set an example which encourages the hope that slave labor will cease throughout the empire before long. The Prefect of. the Haute-Garomie, in consequence of tho Emperor Napoleon's letter, has ordered an examination, into the state of the tombs of the English officers who fell at the battle of Toulouse, on April 10, 1814. A new line of steamers is to be started between Boston and Southampton,. Havre, and other European ports. The steamers will be eleven, and were originally intended to run between New York and California. The Governor of Massachusetts mentions in his inaugural addres3 that the Commissioners of that State for the Paris Exposition, have been requested to send over a Boston school - house, with teachers, scholars, ifcc, in order that visitors may see the New England educational system in actual operation. Tho Governor thinks this will be impracticable. The Russian Post Office has -announced that a b '.-weekly mail lias boon established through Siberia, from St Petersburg to Pekin. The time of transmission will be five weeks. A Madrid letter in the Independence Beige s&ys that- on the fete day of the Princoof theAsturias, the Queen, according to the custom pardoned 2700 persons condemned to the penal colonies, but very good care was taken not to include in the number the thousands of persons sentenced for political offences, and who at this moment crowd tho £>risons of the country. The royal clemency was reserved exclusively for murderers and robbers. The Captain General of Madrid has issued an ordinance declaring that .all editors and printers publishing clandestine journals or pamphlets, or persons furnishing funds for that purpose, will be liable to the penalty of death. The editor of one journal and seven persons connected with another, have been sentenced to death by the Madrid Court-martial, and it is said that the Government intend to dissolve the Senate as being too independent. Under snch a regime it is not to be wondered at that consternation prevails everywhere. -Serious disturbances have occurred in the mining districts of Belgium, through the distress produced by a strike among the operatives. The great seat of the iron and coal district of Belgium is in that Walloon country of which Charleroi is the centre. Three workmen have been killed in an encounter with the troops, and 15 Belgian soldiers have been wounded. The immediate cause of the riot was a reduction of 10 per cent, on the wages of the metal-workers of Marchiennes. Order was ultimately restored, and the miners resumed work. The revolution in Crete is practically suppressed. Egypt, having got a Parliament, wishes to be practically independent of the Porte, which has none, and is not likely to have. The viceroy ha 3 therefore demanded of the Sultan these four additional rights :-— "1. Therightof assumingthetitleof Caliph of Egypi. 2. Of coming money, in his own name. 3. Of increasing the strength of the Egyptian army to 100,000.- men. 4. Of appointing officers. to the highest rank of Mushir." Turkey is not very likely at present to grant these demands ; but, as Egypt is getting stronger, and the government at Constantinople is more and more beset every day by difficulties and dange" s the time may come when the desires of the viceroy will be fulfilled. It is easy to see that in this case the entire independence of Egypt must shortly follow. j Some of the French troops have arrived from Mexico. The Government propose to give to Lainartine LIG,OOO as a national reward for his having saved society in 184S by resisting the adoption of the red flag in lieu of the tricolor. The North German Confederation is now formally constituted. The plenipotentiaries of tho North German States, sent to the Conference at Berlin for that purpose, have signed the Federal treaty. The war flag, commercial flag, and pilot flag of. the Confederation have also been decided upon. The war flag consists of the Prussian and Hanseatic colors with the Prussian eagle in the ceutre. A Hungarian Ministry has been formed. Enthusiastic festivities continue to be held in all parts of Hungary in honor of the restoration of the Constitution. The trial of Admiral Persano, for disobedience of orders and in competency, will commence on the 12th March. The Italian Parliament has been dissolved. Mazzini has declined to take his seat in the Italian Parliament. The ex-Grand Duke of Tuscany has sent in a claim to the Government for the restoration of his personal property, which he values at about 50, 000,000 lire. Among the articles he claims are three Raphaels and a great number of exquisite works of art in silver, gold, and precious stones. The authorities have instructed the post-office ofiicials to open any suspected letters in order to discover copies of a manifesto issued by the Count de Chanibord and disseminated by post throughout France.