EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 398, 30 July 1866, Page 4

EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

We take the following interesting scraps from the letters of the London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald:— 26th May. A speech of his Majesty the Emperor Napoleon, addressed to the Mayor of the town of Auxerrie, in reply to an address to his Majesty on the occasion of his visiting that place* on Sunday, has caused a considerable sensation on the Continent, and a panic on the Parris Bourse. The words themselves are few, and are contained in the following paragraph ;—“ This department was the'first to give me its suffrages in 1848, because it knew, with the Majority of the French peo pie, that its interests were my interests, and that I destested equally with them those treaties of 1815 which it is now sought to make the sole basis of our foresgn policy.’ . " Another paragraph on the same brief reply to the address has caused at the same time dismay amongst the nobility of France. The words are, “ Among you I breathe freely; for it is among the working population, both in town and country, that I find the real genius of France.” The first paragraph has been thought to be an encouragement to the ambition of Prussia. ‘ ! The French Ministers, in reply to representations from foreign Ministers, have intimated that the speech has not the intentional significance ascribed to it. The .Constitutional says that “ the object of France is neither to serve the ambition of Prussia nor Italy, but to assure*her own dignity and security; that his Majesty merely desires to see reforms in the Treaties of 1815.” “ Her Majesty's Government,” says ‘the Earl of Clarendon, "would gladly have tendered their good offices in the disputes .now pending in Germany if there had been reason to hope .that the , offer would have been of benefit; but the Government could not act alone, and therefore were unable to carry out an effective resistance to a determination that a war was the most effective means of carrying out ambitious projects. There was no doubt that a million of men were now armed and ready for action, and it was a most saddening refection that in

this enlightened, age Europe should be menaced by a conflict for which there was no casus belli, which was not only without cause, but without justification.” Mr Cardwell is about to bring in a bill before Parliament to remove all doubts to the effect of letters patent granted to bishops and clergy of the colonies. He said that the bill was rendered necessary ,by a recent judgment of the Privy Council, that supposed -power of the Crown to create dioceses, and to confer jurisdiction in colonies having ins dependent, Legislatures did not exist, and that its main object was to bring our Legislation into conformity with that hypotheis by repealing certain prohibitions, so that the Church of England would be in no worse position in the colonies than any other reli gious denomination.

The Chancellor of Exchequer has brought forward his financial budget with an estimated surplus for the year of .£1,250,000, he purposes to abolish the timber duty, the duty on pepper, reducing the tax on carriages for hire one farthing per mile, equalising the duty on wines in bottles to wine in cask, and apply half-a million sterling towards the reduction of the National Debt,hy converting £24,000,000 of the savings bank stock into annuities, terminating in 1885, thereby extinguishing, by that year, nearly £50,000,000 of debt.

The captives ia Abyssinia have been delivered over to Mr Rassam, and will now be on their way home. Her Majesty has created Prince Alfred a peer of the realm, under the title of Duke of Edinburgh and Earl of Kent, and he took his seat in the House of Lords on the 24th instant her Majesty’s birth-day.

The Eenians in America have at last made some show of actual war. A party of them in a schooner left Eastport on the Ist instant, and on the following morning raised the flag of the Irish republic, captured and took possession of the British schooner Wentworth, scuttled their own vessel, and transferred themselves to their capture, and made a desent it is supposed on the Grand Menan. The funds of both sections of the Fenians are exhausted, and receipts entirely suspended.

With regard to the bombardment of Valparaiso, the Spanish Government has announced in the Cortes that she will have recourse to every kind of hostility to avenge the blood already shed. The war at the Cape is quite over.

In Natal the Colenso quarrel was producing nothing but strife and wranging on every side. There were appeals to the Courts, and interdicts, and orders in reply. The Bishop had got the Dean interdicted from holding service in the cathedral, and the quarrel had at length resolve itself into contest about the keys. The Court had, ordered possession of the cathedral to he given to Bishop Colenso, and further enjoined.the Dea . to, deliver up the baptismal registry. The Colenso party took possession forcibly opening the church doors, wrenching off the locks, and substituting others. The Dean’s party then wrenched off, those new locks. The paper war between Dr Colenso and the Dean was also maintained in the local Press.

Stevens has arrived in New York, and is endeavoring to reunite the different sections of the Fenians. In a long speech at a mass meeting on the 15th instant he exhorted Irishmen to be united, and they would be fighting British troops in Ireland, in the open field, within the present year; : hut if unity in America could not be obtained, the Irish at home would be dispirited, the organisation broken up, and the Irish race exterminated in Ireland. He had sent invitations to Sweeney, Roberts, and others, Rut was sorry- to say that only a few of them had been to seee him. As his objebt was to effect the unity of the Brotherhood, he thought that he alone should adlrlress them. o‘Mahoney, be added, had acted patriotically in resigning. Stephens also declared that money was necessary, and must be obtained. At the Paris Conference on* the’ Dauubian Principalities, Turkey protested against the the European recognition of the Prince Charles of Hohenzollern as Hospodar,'who Has been elected by universal suffrage, aud received at Bucharest with all honor.. Russia supported and agreed with England, France, and Austria to hold another sitting to deliberate bn the question. Tt is clearly understood that if the Prince’s-election be carried out and recognised as < such, that Russia and Turkey will each march troops into, the Duchies and act in concert.

THE IMPENDING WAR. (Home News, '2(ith Stay.) The preparations for war continue on all sides, and the armed forces are gradually approaching one another, (

The subjoined is a somewhat detailed aor count of the opposing forces that may be arrayed against each other in Germany:— The Austrian army, upon the full war footing, is said to consist of—l. Infantry of the line—Bo regiments, of three field battalions and one depot battalion each ; and 32 battalions of chasseurs. With the fifth battalion, which the emperor: has just ordered to be formed to each regiment, and the depot detachments to be formed for each of the 32 battalions of chasseurs, these two branches of the Austrian infantry will number about 500.000 men. There are are besides 14 regiments of frontier infantry and one regiment Tyrolese rifles, numbering altogether about 55,000; this gwes a grand total of 555.000 foot. 2. Cavalry—l2 regiments of cuirassiers, 2 of dragoons, 14 of hussars, and 13 of lancers; about 52,000 horse. 3. Field Artillery—l2 regiments of artillery’ and 1 regiment of rocketers; 55 000 men with 25,000 horses., 4. Scientific Corps—--2 regiments engineers, and 6 battalions of pioneers; 16,000 men. 5. Sanitary Corps —l2 companies, 2,400 men. Adding to these about 1000 life guards, 10,000 gendames, military police, &c., and 24,000 train, we arrive at a grand total of 715,000 in round numbers. ’ It must be borne in mind, however, that there are some 35,000 Venetians in the Austrian army, and that the dqfence of Venetia, with the Tyrolese Passes, &c., requires some 200.000, besides 50.000 more for Fiume and the Dalmatian Coast; while considerable corps of observation must be stationed in Transylvania and in Galicia. On ther hand, it should not be omitted here that the recall of the men who have served their time, and the raising of volunteer corps, might yield an additional force of 400,000. We find, accordingly, that Austria might, in case of urgent need, by straining every nerve, put into the field above a million of troops ! The Prussian army, upon the full war footing, is said to consist of —l. Guards—9 regiments (108 companies,) or about 28,000 men, with 9 supplemental or depot battalions, 9000.- 2. Infantry— a. Line, 12 regiments of grenadiers, 8 of fusiliers, and 52 of the line, 216 battalions, or 220,000 —in round numbers, with 72 supplemental battalions, 72,000; 10 battalions rifles, 10,000; with 10 supplemental companies, 2,500; b, landwebr or militia, 12 battalions of guards, 104 provincial battalions, and 10 supplemental battalions rifles, numbering altogether about 125,000. This gives a grand total of some 466,000 in round numbers, officers not included. 3. Cavalry—ll regiments of cuirassiers, 11 regiments dragoons, 18 hussars, 20 lancers (including guards, line, and landwebr), the whole numbering about 48.000 horse. 4. Artillery—9 brigades of field artillery, with about 900 pieces and 28.000 men. 5. Scientific Corps—9 battalions of pioneers, 10,000. 6. Train—9 battalions, 30,000 men. Adding to these some 40,000 more for officers, artillery of the landwebr (24,000) workmen’s companies. &c., we arrive at a grand total of about 620,000 in round numbers, to which the calling out of the second band of the landwebr might add some 100,000 more. By raising volunteers and by calling out the more valid portion of the so-called Landsturm, the grand total of the Prussian forces might be swelled to a million of men. The middle and smaller States of German Confederation may put into the field about 350,000, and in case of urgent need perhaps 200.000 more. The army and navy of Italy is estimated as follows: The army of Italy, on a war footing, may be raised to the total strength of 700,000 men, exclusive of a corps of 14,000 customhouse officers, who are trained to military service, and of the volunteer or free corps, whose numbers it is impossible to estimate, but whose services are'of incomparable moral as well as material value. The available naval force of Italy at the present moment is reported to comprise 14 first-rate armoured steam-frigates, aud 10 armoured secondrates, 12,480. horse-power, and 448 guns ; 20 screw, and 25 paddle frigates or corvettes, 23 steam transports, and 11 despatch or gun-boats. The whole force, armoured and unarmoured/ represents 30,210 horsepower, 1,321 guns, 28,147 men, and 187,077 tonnage. The creation of this considerable, force, which places ; Italy at the head of the naval pow ers of the second order, and in a condition of overwhelming superiority to Austria has cost, within the last five years, a sura of J 4,254,000. It is expected that the Italian squadron, under the chief command of Vice-Admiral Persano, and in two divisions, commanded by rear admirals, will give a good account of the enemy, whether encountered at sea ot under cover of fortified harbors. V