English and Foreign.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 402, 10 September 1856, Page 8

English and Foreign.

(From the Correspondent of tho Sydney " Empire.") The prevailing topics of excitement at the present moment aye the Palmer Trial, the just issued Peel Memoirs, and the Peace Illuminations and Pyrotechnics; and each of these subjects may Be said to have its especial circle of admirers. Palmer's trial has already lasted 5 days, and seems likely to occupy the remainder of the month. The case for the prosecution has not yet closed. The opening statement of the Attorney-General was a master-piece of forensic eloquence, clear, crisp, and compact as the dapper little advocate himself. It occupied four hours, in the delivery, and this time, long though it may seem, only served-to enable him to place before the Court and the jury the many complicated facts of the case.; for if the accused be guilty of the heinous crimes laid to his charge, his astuteness will be found to have been such as to give to his prosecutors a vast amount of trouble to bring the guilt home to him. His bearing in the dock" would defy the cleverest physiognomist to detect therein evidences either of guilt or innocence. That he watches the examination and cross-examination of the witnesses with great shrewdness, is evident from many and obviously pertinent suggestions that, through his solicitor, who sits so as to be able to communicate with him, he makes to his counsel as the -. trial proceeds. .Still, as the case unfolds itself by the gradual building up of proof after proof, one can hardly see how he can escape conviction. Positive evidence of his purchase both of prussic acid and strychnine on the very eve of poor Cook's illness and agonizing death has been laid before the Court-. In Serjeant She'e, the prisoner has almost the best advocate the English bar could produce, for, while the learned seijeant has not earned either the fame or the odium which sometimes attaches to the regular Old Bailey practitioner, his commanding figure, manly bearing, most persuasive eloquence, and ready perception of the weak points in an opponent's case, will be sure to stand William Palmer in good stead ; and should the latter be doomed to the scaffold, it will not ..be for lack of exertion on the part of his counsel to save him from so ignominious an exit from this life. To say that the Court is daily thronged, is simply to say that this ' great Oyer of Poisoning ' has rwakened the curiosity of very many people of all ranks. Men eminent in the Legislature—such, for instance, as my Lord Derby and my Lord Grey—the most celebrated members of the scientific, the legal, and the medical professions, attend the trial daily, with unflagging industry, and, all things considered, such a case —although vastly different, both as to the means by which the desired result has been brought about, and the person implicated—has not occurred in this land, since the memorable poisoning of Sir Thomas Overbury, wherein, as in the much later ' Laffarge' case in Paris, the process was that of slow poisoning. Before Parliament adjourned there were very animated debates in both. Houses on the Peace Treaty, and all that relates to the Paris Conferences: the debates originated by ministers proposing, addresses of congratulation to the Crown on the termination of the war, which ultimately were agreed to unanimously. All that could be brought against the arrangements of the plenipotentiaries, and everything that could be advanced in their favour, were eloquently expressed by the various speakers. Some speakers discovered that no stipulations had been made in favour of Cireassia, or against the surrender of the Russian forts on the Circassian borders; but the Circassians, it was urged, were more Russian than Turkish—had more sympathy with St. Petersburg than with Paris or London. That such apppeared to be the case during the progress of the war is very evident, but it would hardly appear that such wa-vthe Russian opinion, if it was true what we are just true, viz., that Russia has already commenced a war with the Circassians. During the debate Lord Aberdeen recorded two exceptions—one that the neutralization of the Black I Sea would not be effectual in war; while Mr. i Sydney Herbert strenghtened thi.s point by ob-

jecting to restraint upon the free transit of our ships in any part of'tho world. To limit the range of tire sea, lie said is against the "interests of a maritime and commercial country. It is not a little singular that the .neutralization of the Black Sea originated at the Vienna Conferences last year with M. Drouyn de Lhuys, the French plenipotentiary, who ' was sent into disgrace for proposing it, and that it was supjjorted by Lord John Russell, who is also now out of office. Lord Aberdeen's second exception was that the stipulation in tho treaty restraining the contracting powers from interfering in the iiitemal affairs of Turkey, would deprive the Hatti-schoriff of all its value, since we have no guarantee for the enforcement of that edict. The grand exception, however, throughout both debates was, that in the anxiety to obtain it, and the terms of its adoption, it is " a French peace." That this is the case to a certain extent is beyond a doubt, but, under, all the circumstances, it is a question whether better terms could have been obtained. How long the peace s;o obtained will last, is a question which time only can solve, but if we are to judge from what is passing, another outbreak at no distant period is far from improbable.

Ministers have inaugurated the peace by two very graceful acts, and which I believe will meet with an unanimous, response throughout the country. The first is, the granting of a pension of £1000. per annum, for life-to the gallant def fender of Kars, with the addition of the honoujSa of a baronetcy, with the title of " Sir William** Fenwick Williams, of Kars," The gallant officer, who has been a prisoner of war since December last, is now on his way home from Russia, and is expected to arrive in London in the course of next week, when he will meet with a most hearty reception. The second is, a granting of a free pardon to all political offenders at present undergoing- punishment except of those who broke their parole, and escaped from Australia to America. The amnesty will include Messrs. Frost, Jones, and Williams, convicted of high treason in 1839, and Mr. Smith O'Brien, convicted of a like offence in 18-18.

Just as I am about to close my packet I team that the new loan has been taken by the Rothschilds at 93 per cent. It is expected that in to-morrow's market it will be quoted at premium. . I have just received, too, the figures of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Financial Statement. His estimated expenditure for 1856-7 (including a future vote of credit of £2,000,000) is £77,525,000. His estimate of net income for he same period is £67,152,000. This leaves a deficiency of £6,873,000, against which is the new £5,000,000 loan, and' £2,000,000 of Exchequer bonds to be issued hereafter. No change whatever is proposed in the existing taxation. We have had singular weather in town during the first half of this present month of May. High winds have prevailed to such an-extent that one of the great elm trees in Hyde Park was laid prostrate bjr their violence a few da}-s ago, while, as an accompaniment to these almost hyperborean visitations, we have been favoured with driving rains nearly every day. Still all the agricultural reports speak favourably of the growing crops. The inclement weather was of good service 3'esterda)^ (Sunday) The ill-judged experinijKjt of setting the military bands to play in Kens]t^/. ton Gardens, and in Regent's and Victoria Paries, which was inaugurated by Sir Benjamin Hall, was put a stop to last week by the united influence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Scotch members of Parliament; the latter gentlemen having informed the Premier that lie must no longer count on their supjwt, unless he complied with the remonstrances of the religious objectors to such " sabbath desecration'" A tremendous Sunday uproar was once more anticipated, and as it was, a good many people assembled in each of the above named arenas, but tho heavy down-pouring of the rain Avas too potent a damper for the mob to bear up against, so all but a few of the hardiest betook*' themselves oft", and by next Sunday, the grievance will have become.it is to be hoped, too obsolete to bo grumbled about. . Great preparations are making in Paris for an agricultural show which will commence on Saturday next, and. is to be held in the building ol" the late " Exposition." Quantities of stock are travelling-thither from different parts of Eng- ; land and Scotland.

Money Market, Mat 19.—The demand for money for commercial purposes, if anything, is on the increase, and the market is in consequence assuming a more stringent aspect. The demand, 'however, has been well met. Half a million sterling has been received from Australia by the ' Ocean Chief,' ' Invincible' and ' Statesman,' all of which vessels had arrived. English securities had advanced daily since our last. The English funds opened with great steadiness on Saturday. Consols for money were quoted at 93f-. To-day consols have improved, closing buyers for the account 94J. Ditto money, 94|. Three-and-a-quarter per cents., :93£. The Provincial Bank of Ireland has declared a dividend of 8 per cent, per annum. The National Provincial Bank of England declares a dividend at the rate of 16 per cent. A scientific rcommission has been appointed ,by the Russian Minister of Naval Affairs for the purpose of laying down a correct map of the ■ Caspian Sea, which, since the close of the war, and the neutralisation of the Black Sea, has assumed a new importance. United States. —Mr. Dallas has written from England declining to be a candidate for the Presidency in opposition to Mr. Buchanan, for whom the whole state of Pennsylvania has in consequence declared. Mr. Buchanan had reached Philadelphia, where he was welcomed by the firing of a salute, and greeted with enj&usiastic cheers from an immense crowd that ha'aasseinbled to receive .him. At Washington preparations were making for a .grand demon-r stration in his favour. The cordiality existing between £he Emperor of the French and the Emperor of Russia was a little checked by the secret treaty made, on the part of England, France, and Austria, and signed on the 15th of April, without the knowledge of Count Orloff, which binds the three powers to resist,by force of .arms, any infraction of the treaty of Russia. The'Times'declares that the fusion between the Orleanists and the Count de Chambord is at an end. ' Our cousins' of Orleans are said never to have been over-anxious for its success; and at the late interview in the presence of Queen Amelie, demanded whether the ■ Count would accept the tricolor flag of 1830, in place of the ""^urbon white. A reply in the negative put an end to further discussion. The advices from Central America report ; another engagement between Walker and his ; filibusters, and the Costa Ricans : " On the 7th Walker attacked Rivas defended by 2,000 (?) with 600 of his filibusters, and, after a fight of eighteen hours' duration, was compelled, ' for want of amunition,' to withdraw, leaving 600 of the enemy dead, and a large number wounded. Walker's loss is estimated at less than 100 wounded. A correspondence between the British and, Costa Rican Governments is said to have been intercepted, containing a tender of 2,000 stand of arms from Lord Clarendon, at so much per musket, in reply to a request for assistance from the latter I Government. Another letter promises the ; assistance of a British fleet off the Pacific coast. The Costa Ricans are accused of having butchered a number of wounded filibusters who had been placed in a church by Walker previous to his repulse." i Recent intelligence from St. Petersburg „annnje.p?es the intention of Government to re- : cominiSkce the war in the Caucasus during the . present summer, under the supreme direction of General MourayiefF. Lord Panmure moved the thanks of the _ rHouse to the Army, Navy, and Marines em- '■ ployed in the late war, and to the embodied Militia. The noble Lord took a review of the events of the late war, and of the operations of *" our army and fleet, which were deserving of the highest praise, and tp be recorded in the brightest pages of British history. The Earl of v" Derby cordially seconded the motion. The Duke J'of Cambridge bore testimony to the gallant „ conduct of the Army and Navy in their opera- "; tions at the Crimea, and praised the Militia \ force for their valuable and timely assistance in enabling the Government to dispatch so many of ' our troops to the scat of war. The Earl of Car ■ dignn also praised the general conduct of the ■ Army and Navy, and expressed his conviction - that since the death of Lord Raglan the army 4 had not been commanded in a way to give satis- .': faction. After a few words from Earl Grey and •f, some other noble Lords, the motion was unani- • .mously agreed to.