NEWS TO APRIL 16th.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 489, 11 July 1857, Page 3

NEWS TO APRIL 16th.

■ The English mail of April, brought to Melbourne by the European on the 6th of f June, to Wellington by the Mimmie Dyke [on the 30th June, reached us on Wednesday ; morning by the Phoebe. I From the files of English papers for the four weeks elapsed since the last. mail we take the following general intelligence. Most of the news, it will be seen, turns upon the results of the elections which had been agitating the British Isles for three weeks previous, and were, at the departure of the mail almost over. The course of events from the dissolution of the Parliament to the election of the new members is best described in the summaries of the -*yeekly newspapers published during the interval. From them we quote the following. (For the weeh ending March 21.J The Dissolution. The Parliament of 1852 met for the last time on Saturday, March 21st. There were not moi'e than a dozen Peers in the House of Lords, and less than a hundred Members in;|the House'of Commons. About two o'clock, the Speaker and some threescore Members of the Lower House appeared at the bar of the Upper. The Royal assent was then .given by commission to several bills, including the Speaker's Retirement Bill, the Appropriation Bill, the Income-tax Bill, the Indemnity Bill, and the Customs-duties Bill. Then the Lord Chancellor, in the name of himself and the other Commissioners—Earl Granville, the Earl of Harrowby, Lord Stanley! °^ Alderley, and the Marquis of Breadalbane— read the following speech:—• "My Lords and Gentlemen—We are commanded by her' Majesty to inform, you, that in releasing you at this early period from your attendance in Parliament, it is her Majesty's intention immediately to dissolve the present Parliament, in order to asceitain in the most constitutional manner the sense of Her people upon the present state of public affairs. "Gentlemen of the House of Commons— We are commanded by her Majesty to thank you for the liberal provision which you have made for the exigencies of the public service during the period that will elapse before the new Parliament, which her Majesty will direct immediately to be called, shall have been able to. give its deliberate attention to these matters. "Mr Lordsand Gentlemen—We are commanded by her Majesty to express the satisfaction which she feels at yourl having been able during the present session materially to reduce the burthens of her people. "Her Majesty commands us to assure you, that it is her fervent prayer that the several constituencies of the United Kingdom, upon whom will devolve the exercise of those high functions which by the constitution belong to them, may be guided by an All-wise Providence to the selection of representatives whose wisdom and patriotism may aid her Majesty in her constant endeavours to maintain the honour and dignity of her crown, and to promote the welfare and happiness of her people." The commission for the prorogation of Parliament having been read by the clerk at the table, the Loed Chjlncelloe formally prorogued Parliament until Thursday, the 30th of April next. The Speaker returned to the House of Commons ; and, after reading the Queen's speech, took his personal farewell of the Members. In a few hours later, the proclamation of dissolution appeared in a Supplement to the Gazette of Friday, dissolving the Parliament and calling another. The writs for a new Parliament are returnable on the 30th April. It is expected that a prorogation will take place for a fortnight, so . that her Majesty after recruiting her strength by a visit to the sea-side may open the session in person. By the prorogation of Parliament to-day, to be followed by immediate dissolution, the agitation to influence the constituencies, "which was begun within the walls of both Houses, and has been increasing out of doors, is definitely handed] over to the country at large. As a general fact, it may be remarked, that although Lord PalmerSton's popularity does not seem to have declined, many of the constituencies show a disposition to be less tamely led, and in several importantjjinstances they are returning to their first loves notwithstanding the furore for the Premier. The Ministerial position has been rendered at once more modest and safer. In some instances aggression has been moderated, as in the case of Devonport, which is left to Sir Erskine Perry uninvaded by the Secretary to the Admiralty. And in the debate raised by Lord. Derby, Lord Granville contributed an explanation touching Lord ; Palmerston 's conduct" on the County Franchise motion, which places it in a different light. Ministers had agreed among themselves to support the principle of an extended county franchise; but on examining the bill, they found it to require so much change, that debates upon it would

have been waste of time; and hence that departure from the understood arrangement which so surprised and offended the liberal party. Lord Granville, however, now pledged the Government to support a progressive reform in our electoral system as well as in other things. At the Mansionhouse, last night, Lord Palmerston did something to undo the moderating process, by a ** dashing" speech .with not a breath of " reform," but a tantarara against the " combination." Lord Derby opened the week by making the House of Peers a platform from which to address electors at large on behalf of his own party and against the Government. Such is the decorum of a high Conservative ! His speech was intended to be rousing; it has been likened to the call of a trumpet; and it was dashing—-even impudent. He explained away every coalition except the "fortuitous" concourse with Mr. Gladstone. He tried to damage Lord Palmerston gby him a testimonial as a good Conservative. He used his art of lucid arrangement and forcible expression to clear up what Mr. Gladstone meant by the six millions and a half of deficiency in 1858, but without bringing the "prospective computation" to book for th« present year. And, alas ! he declared his own policy,— which is nothing more nor less than the maintenance of the Crown and the Church, with all their prerogatives and privileges. Lord Ellenborough, colleague pro hac vice of Lord Derby, has followed up his chief with counsel to Government on military dietetics in China, and with a tirade ou all the topics of the day, to tell at the elections; the whole tinged with couleur locale peculiar to his Indian experiences. Except by an attempt in the House of Commons to draw from Ministers some admission of complicity with France against a Republic, and, apparently, favourable to fa Muratist movement in Naples, Mr. Disraeli has maintained a quieter attitude than his chief; and his address to his constituents, while it accords with the general spirit of the day, is |proportionately discordant from Lord Derby's : Mr. Disraeli's policy is " honourable peace, reduced taxation, and social improvement. This is very like the inscription on the banner of Sir James Graham at Carlisle— " Peace, retrenchment, and reform." Another coincidence is Sir James' 6 success in showing,, like Lord Derby, that Lord Palmerston is not a Reformer. Lord Granville denies that the Ministry are against reform; but the question is whether the Prime Minister himself is not either hostile or indifferent. Lord John Russell has challenged the electors to judge, not upon the personal question, but upon a larger issue, on which he takes his stand. At the meeting of bis own supporters in the City, on Thursday, he explained the circumstances under which the present position has been brought about, very much as we have from time to time explained the same circumstances in our own columns. For, in truth, no small part of his explanation consisted of recapitulation of the facts stripped of any disguise or forced construction. He asked, if he did not impute any coalition between Ministers and Tories to defeat Mr. Locke King's County Franchise Bill, how those who had judged the China question as a jury could be charged with coalition because they came together in the jury-box and agreed in their verdict|? Through the electors of London, he asked the electors of the United Kingdom to judge candidates by their past conduct; to consider, not whether this man calls out for the present head of the Government and Reform, and another for the present head of the Government and the Conservative cause, but whether they are men who from their past conduct and character are likely to promote the cause of progress? Already it is said that Lord John's chances of election in the City have been restored, and that another Member will make room for Mr. Raikes Currie; and, put in this shape, Lord John's appeal will have an effect far beyond London. Ministers had made Mr. Cobden the scapegoat of the dissolution, by witholding the announcement of Lord Elgin's mission which would have disposed of the China motion; and, in revenge for their letting themselves be defeated through imperfect, defence, he was to have been sacrificed to the popular indignation. ,But he has saved himself by exceeding locomotive activity and unequalled power of stating his own case. He will not be misunderstood, and he manages, after his own fashion, to make himself understood. He has appeared in London, with Mr. Roebuck and Mr.Layard, explaining practical objections to the t Persian and Chinese wars. He has appeared in Salford, to decline an invitation to stand for that] borough, and to canvass for Sir

Elkanah Armitage. He has appeared in Manchester, to strengthen the position of Gibson and Bright; with a few words at Mr. Lowe, —who has /ather indignantly called a newspaper to account for having imputed to him that he was standing for the manufacturing capital of Lancashire. Mr. Cobden goes to-Huddersfield; for, practically, he and Lord Goderich are exchanging constituencies, apparently to the satisfaction of botli constituencies and both candidates. It is needless to notice the herd of adventurers who are now seeking admission to the House. The cry of " Palmerston "is pretty well kept up. The Conservatives have decidedly fallen back into the return of Conservatives as such. The Liberals, neglecting rather than' resenting Treasury dictation, have fallen into a similar course; and there has been so much progress in bringing out new ideas, or old ideas revived, that the general election may take a more political turn, and lead to more political results, than any one at first expected. (For the week ending March 28.J . The General Election is already well advanced. Sir De Lacy Evans was the first Member ofj the new Parliament, who duly received his title at the hands of Westminister. Before this paper can reach our readers, Lord Palrnerston's House of Commous will have risen far above its foundations. Numbers of the borough constituencies will have returned their proportion of the representation, and the character of the new Parliament will be to that extent determined. Such of its Members as are known belonged to the old Parliament, for the considerable men who are returned are those already familiar to us; the new Members are for the most part nearly unknown. The issue presented to the country being of the character —Falmerston or Derby ?—candidates and constituents have been free to indulge in any amount of variety on secondary issues; and hence, with a remarkable sameness in the general tendency of the whole movement, there is infinite variety in its secondary tendencies; so that it is impossible to group any number of incidents as distinguishing the present contest. Indeed, there is scarcely any contest at all upon broad public subjects, but the country at large is on the whole giving the weight of its favour to Palmerston as the Minister de facto of the Liberal party ; while the declining vigour of the Conservai tives, in the last session especially, has had the natural consequences of diminishing their folio wers^at the present election. In other respects constituencies pretty well indulge their own fancies. In the Metropolis, the principal feature is the contest for the City, which is quite special and peculiar. Lord John Russell's appeal has had so much success that the opposite party have been thrown upon the defensive. Efforts have been made to counteract the veteran head of the Whig party in every way, from a more studied retort to his affecting apologue of " John " the old servant, to the most active canvassing. Strong efforts were made to make Baron Lionel de Rothschild conscious that it would not do for the Jews to desert their champion'; the Nonconformists could not forget their obligation to Lord John ; and, whatever the poll may say this afternoon, his prospects have undergone a constant advance throughout the week. (For the Week Ending Aprils.) By far the larger part of the election has now been effected. We have before us the greater number of the names of those who are to compose the new House of Commons, and the country has nearly said its say according to that form of utterance. The difficulty is, to extract, from the entire proceeding throughout the country anything like a principle upon which it has been guided. In the liberal sense so ''unprincipled " an election has perhaps never taken place. The China question went for something, but not everywhere, and not for very much anywhere. Upon the whole, there was a disposition to casliier men who had made themselves remarkable, even when the character of the representation was not changed by the change of persons. It was as if the instinct that ostracized Aristides had been extended to a number of places and every variety of personal trait. In one sense it might be said that the love of mediocrity ruled. Sometimes the change appeared to be made for the sake of change. In some cases overweening confidence induced the old members not to canvas, and the new lover who was more assiduous in his courting1, carried away the poll. The election has been a kind of holidaymaking, a saturnalia, i--. which it has been thought necessary to go through the forms of excitement without very much of the feeling. An all but universal indifference implies that the new House of Commons has been to a great

extent appointed, through the constituted electors, by the professional election-agency. One party in the state had resolved that there should be "an appeal to the country;" the established election-agency of both parties was called upon to provide candidates at the shortest notice ; and the candidates were supplied accordingly, where they were wanted, singly, in pairs, or assorted. It appears to us that there: has been r.ither a large proportion of elections entirely uncoutested. even where political principles might have been expected to run high. The displacements have extended to every party. One party, indeed, has been very generally spared, and the extreme opposite party has been most roughly handled. The Ministerialists, as such, have suffered little loss and have made gains. The most conspicuous Ministerial members ousted are Mr. Peel, Lord Monck, Admiral Berkeley, and Mr. John B-iil; Mr. Ball, it is said, because he hesitated to give Sligo its price; the Admiral from causes scaicely intelligible ; Lord Monck, because in the choice of two out of three candidates very nearly alike, Portsmouth gave the preference to the hi-fh character of an old friend, Sir Francis Baring, his China vote notwithstanding/, Mr. Peel, apparently bacanse, with an indiscretion unaccountable in his father's son, he made an exclusive Chuich-of-England attack on his estimable Unitarian opponent. But the general impulse in favour of Lord Palmerstou's Administration has of course told in the return of the special Ministerial candidates. The party of his leading opponent on the China question has been, in a parliamentary sense, obliterated. Among the eminent men whom the electors have time j cashiered, are Mr. Cobden, Mr. Milner Gibson, Mr. Bright, and other members of the " Manchester" party. But from the experience in other places, it is very questionable whether the vote on the China question] caused their defeat. On the contrary, there must be more permanent causes. Their dogma of peace-at all-price had rendered them unpopular. They have in some cases not punctually and fairly balanced accounts with their constituents. But above all, they have relied too much upon past services. They have acted as if their success in the Anti-Corn-Law League had conferred upon them a permanent office in public life. An honorary rank it has conferred, so that all parties regret the exclusion of such truly " representative men," as impairing the completeness of the national system. But any overweening presumption upon past services is very commonly punished, and the success of the Anti-Corn-Law League has been so complete that the whole nation is now Freetrader, and the adhesion to .Free-trade principles is now no distinction for any party whatsoever. The League men were originally a section of the Liberal party ; the cognate section of the Conservative party, the Peelites, as they are absurdly named, have suffered almost as severely, in the exclusion of Mr. Card well, Sir Stafford Northcote, Mr. Roundell Palmer, Mr. Robert Phillimore, and others. The fashion against anything remarkable in the tenets of men has perhaps contributed to the exclusion of the Nonconformists — Mr. W. J. Fox, Mr. Lawrence Heyworth, Mr. Apsley Pellatt, with the political Nonconformists, Walmsley, Wilkinson, and Clay. The willingness to enforce a puritanical rigour on the day of rest did not save the two gentlemen named Chambers ; while the organised Sabbath-observance interest failed to exclude several candidates who retnsed that test in Scotland. A more miscellaneous party of gentlemen, distinguished by something special in their opinions or by their activities, haw al^o suffered, such as tin; honourable Arthur Gordon, Mr. Layard, Mr. David Waddington, Mr. Samuel Laing; a similar class among the Conservatives are Sir James .Weir Hogg, Lord Naas. and others ; while retirement deprives us of some men whose names are familiar, such as Sir John Tyrell. or the Marquis of Chandos. It is by no means impossible that among the causes which have operated upon the electoral mind has been a connexion with some of the commercial projects at present before the public and certain litigations or disclosures; and some of the men who are omitted in the present parliament are conspicuously connected with pushing commercial enterprises—such Mr. Apsley Pellatt, Mr. David Waddington, Mr. Layard, Mr. Laing and Mr. Humprey Brown. — Spectator. The steadily increasing Liberal majority, the triumph of Lord John Russell in the City, the extirpation of the peace-mongers of Parliament, and the savage riot at Kidderminister, are the principal features in the general election thus far. The! most obstinate of the Chinamen cannot now refuse to

admit that Lord Palmerstou.so far frorji-friiv. \ ing receives a "full", (as exultingly announce \ by the " cheap " press), lias thrown alihis opponents, and returns in triumph to toe House at the head of a party which will both urge and enable him to take aiu.-ii a course, not only in foreign negotiation, hut in domestic legislation, as befits the prime minister of England. The Disraelite taunt that the Cabinet has no policy, will henceforth be permitted no justification in facts. Wisely-considered but evident progress must, now be the watchword of the Palmerston Cabinet. A factious Opposition is crippled, and Lord Palmerston can i now show his sincerity as a Liberal. The victory in the city must be gratifying to all men who respect independence,'no matter their p?.riy. A knot of gentlemen who have rendered service in their tim*-, by promoting organization, conceived themselves entitled to dictate to upwards of 20,000 electors, not only that they must choose none but mercantile men, but: ai-*y the names of the m»n to be chosen. Lord John Rurfsell, with his habitual courage, opposed himself to such despotism, and the citizens have thrown out the candidate imposed upon them, and placed Lord John second to the Hebrew gentleman whose wealth and influence are all but omnipotent in the city. The excuses which the defeated party have since been offering, through their chief, Mi-. Dillon, may be overlooked in consideration of the disappointment they record. They appear to have desired to treat Lord John as uncivil tradesmen might treat a hesitating customer :— '■ Take it or leave it, then; but make up your mind at once !" Lord John had no such idea of being so bullied; and made up his mind at his own time; and. as it turned out, very little to the satisfaction of the member-making Warwicks of the E. C. district. Cobden, Bright, Milner Gibson, W. J. Fox, Joshua Walmsley—all extruded at once. Such a sacrifice to the manes of a suicide parliament could hardly have been looked for ; and its angry ghost must be not only be appeased, but exultant, and take a longer stride, like the shade of Achilles, when he heard of the glory of his son. But no true Liberal politician can derive unmixed pleasure from these elections. Mr. Bright was the manliest speaker in the .House, and was young enough to be cured of the prejudices of a narrow education, and the adulation of a provincial clique. Mr. Cobden has done too good service to be cashiered for recent blunders. We shall hope to see them back again, the wiser for a lesson as to the real feeling of Englishmen about England—a thing which, somehow, the novi homines do not understand so well even as some of the old Conservatives. For the loss of the other three constellations the country must console itself, especially as Messrs. Gibson and Fox have organs of their own, and as the opinions of Sir J. Walmsley upon any subject are not of that exceeding weight as to make it exactly necessary to postpone public business until be shall have made utterance. General Thompson, moreover, worth all three as a courageous and veteran Reformer, has been seated for Bradford, and the exchange is decidedly in favour of Liberalism. Mr. Frederick Peel and Admiral Berkeley have been defeated—incidents which may occasion some inconvenience to the Government; but a seat will be found for the civilian, and, as the chief business of the Admiral was to say most offensive things in a warlike tono, somebody else may be found to possess that accomplishment. Perhaps his victorious enemy, iiir C. Napier, would kindly undertake the part in the absence of bis late castigator. Poor Mr. Pellatt, who badi-etired, was dragged .out to be beaten. He bore it mildly ; but Mr. Wilkinson, defeated in Lambeth by a wealthier Liberal, unhesitatingly apprised his late isolators that they were a set whose approbation was not worth having, that they had elected Mr. Eoupell because lie was a new man and rich, and, however faithfully he might serve them, the next new man, if richer, would beat Mr. Eoupell. Mr. Thomas Duncombe is again triumphantly returned for Finsbury; and with him, but longo intervallo, Mr. Cox—whom the next gentleman on the poll, Mr. Serjeant Parry, pledges himself to expel for bribery. An announcement that Mr. Fitzroy had withdrawn all intention of being nominated for the Speakership has been authoritatively contradicted. This would make it appear that the Ministerial party intend to start that gentleman in opposition to Mr. Walpole. They have, no doubt, strength to carry the election, if they please, and it may be too much to expect a triumphant party, meeting for the first time, to concede to their- opponents the appointment of the occupant of so/distinguished a post as the Speaker's chair. At; tliesatne: time Mr. Walpole possesses every!qualification for the office; and, though Mr. Fitzroy isSan aristocrat by birth, being son and heir presumptive to Lord Southampton, Mr. Walpole has what .we may call a House of Commons - pedigree—lie is greatgrandson of Sir Robert Walpole.-— lllustrated London News.

Of the 654 members who will form the new House of Commons, 630 have been already returned, leaving 12 Irish.counties to select the remaining 24 representatives. The English and Welsh boroughs, including the Universities, return 335 members, and have exercised their privileges by selecting 223 Liberals and 112 Conservatives. The English and Welsh counties have returned 56 Liberals and 103 Conservatives, there being a double return for Huntingdonshire, while Scotland has contributed 39 Liberal members to the new House of Commons and only 14 conservatives. In Ireland parties have been more evenly balanced —39 Liberals having been elected and 42 Conservatives. The relative gains and losses by each party stand as under: — ■■■-.."' < ■ Liberal Conservative ; Gains. Gains. English & Welsh boroughs 37 ... 19 English & Welsh counties 23 ... 1 Scotland 5 ... - 0 Ireland, at present 4 ... 7 Total 69 ... 27 Leaving a net gain of 42 seats, equal to 84 votes in favour of the Liberal party. The new Parliament will comprise 171 gentlemen who had no seats in the last House of Commons^ Of the displaced members, 105 voted or paired upon Mr. Cobden's motion, which produced the dissolution. Of that number 62 voted on the majority and 43 with the Government —Times, April-11.'

[From the JSuropeaji Times, 16th April.] FKANCE. Count de Morny's return to Paris is soonexpected ; he only waits the signature of the treaty, between Russia and France. He has lost much of his influence at St. Petersburg:; certain transactions have recently place in Paris, which gave occasion to a vast deal of gossip; they chiefly relate to industrial interest of a complicated nature, in which his name constantly recurred. The Russians, therefore, begin to look coldly on him. The Emperor Napoleon is puzzled what to do with him, and would prefer keeping him at a distance. The duke de Grammont is spoken of as his successor. Many more arrests connected with the alleged secret societies have been made in the provinces, pursuant to orders sent hy electric telegraph. It is again affirmed, and in the most positive terms, that M. de Persigny has been instructed to urge the English Government to expel several refugees, and particularly M. Ledru KoHin. M. Abbatucci, Minister of Justice, has presented a report to the Emperor of the French, recommending'the revival of penal laws against the ursurpation of titles of nobility. The Paris correspondent of the ' Daily News,' writing on Monday the 6th, say's : — "Very great excitement prevails in parts of the baslieue of Paris in consequence of a recent decision of the Council of State, from which it results that a vast number of ■ houses—in some cases whole viibg^s — have been built nearer to the line of fortification than the law allows, and must come down. It wad hitherto thought that the general statute relating to. this matter did not apply to Paris, but the Council of State .has ruled otherwise, and one of the law courts followed the decision only two days ago. It is also held, that the landlords of the houses that will be demolished are liable in damages to their lessees, and the consequence will be the total ruin of several men who up to this day thought themselves rich. So great is the irritation among the parties affected by the judgment of the Council of State, that some engineers, who went lately to make preparations for pulling down some of the condemned house-, were met by 50 men armed with muskets, and forced to beat a retreat. A meeting of proprietors has been held at the house of a member of the corps legislatif, who promised to lay their case before the Emperor. It is reported that a deputy said at this meeting that * nothing but the aU-powerfui equity of the Emperor could remedy the iniquitous operation'of the law in question. Advices from Toulon state that the armal of the Grand Duke Constantine was fixed for the 22nd April. Preparations were going oa very actively in the port and arsenal for the reception of the prince, which is intended to be very brilliant. A squadron of war steamers will set out to meet the Russian squadron which accompanies the Grand Duke. The ' Daily News' correspondent writing on Tuesday, the 7th, says: " I have heard a rumour to-day that the coronation is fixed for May 4. In that case it will take place while the Grand Duke Constantine is here : but I think the news is very doubtful. At all events it may be safely predicted that if the ceremony should come off so soon, the Emperor must have renounced his long cherished project- of being crowned by the Pope.' The ' Times' Paris correspondent writes

that the various rumours whioh have been circulated for the last few days, about au attempt on the Emperor's person, are, he is assured, totally unfounded. The only tiling that is certain is the fact of several arrests having: taken place in Paris, and some of the departments connected with the Secret Society. In consequence of the number of workmen who every year flock to Paris, and remain unemployed, the minister of the interior has just renewed his recommenda- ■ tion to the prelects of the departments not to grant passports to any but those who can prove that they have work secured. Such men as, notwithstanding the refusal of the passport, persist in coming to Paris, will be sent back by the police immediately on their arrival. The committee for examining the question whether New Caledonia can be advantageously substituted for Cayenne as a penal colony has commenced its labours under the presidents of Vice-Admiral Cecile. A letter from Genoa, of the 3rd instant. states that discord has reached the highest pitch between the two branches of the house ! of Bourbon, and all attempts to accomplish a fusion have complete^ failed. The Paris correspondent of the ' Times ' says that Prince Napoleon, whose repugnance to a Russian alliance is very strong, has declined to proceed to Toulon to meet the grand Duke Constantine, although the Emperor was very anxious that he should pay this compliment. General Todleben remained with the Emperor Napoleon an hour during his first audience. He confirms the opinion that if the French and English had at once marched on Sebastopol after the battle of the Alma they could have taken it, as it was only defended by two or three battalions. The Bishop of Nancy, principal .almoner to the Emperor Napoleon, has just returned from Rome, bringing a Papal bill for transferring the Tuileries from the parish in which it is situated, and placing the Court and Household under a sort of special diocese, which the Bishop as grand almoner will administer, whether at the Tuileries or wherever the Court may be fixed. Marshal Randon is about to leave Paris to resume his functions as GovernorGeneral of Algeria. The Bishop of Moulins, whose case has occupied public attention for some weeks past, has requested and obtained permission to quit his diocese, and to proceed to Rome, after the Easter festival. The French Republicans have determined to ascertain their strength at the approaching elections by putting up M.M. Carnot, Cavaignac, Sec, as candidates far the Legisietive Chamber. They intend proposing them in Paris and in the departments. Prince Napoleon, it is said, intends visiting Egypt in the course of next month. i The following programme of the Grand j Duke Constantine's visit to France is given by the ' Patrie :'—"' His Imperial Highness will arrive at Toulon on April 23. where he j will be received by the Minister of Marine, j His stay will be limited to a week. A grand review of the first division of the army of ! Paris will be given in his presence. The city of Paris is already making preparations for a splendid fete which will call to mind that given to the Queen of England. On leaving Paris his Imperial Highness will go to Fontainbleau, where the Emperor will do the honors of that Imperial chateau. The Minister at War has just granted a great number of temporary furloughs to troops of the classes [of 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, and 1854, in order to reduce the effective force of the army to proportions contemplated by the budget of 1857. The average number of these conges is 100 to each regiment. In the first military division, of which Paris is the centre, the leaves of absence granted amount to about 2,000. The French Government has decided that the introduction into Algeria of Indian and Chinese field labourers shall be encouraged, they being well suited to the cultivation and raising of certain special crops.