EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 51, 25 February 1843, Page 203

EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE.

Russia. — The disputes between the cabinet of St. Petersburg and the court of Rome are not yet adjusted: and these debates, as well as the zeal of the Emperor for the Greek church, have already given rise to many curious changes. Count Strogonoff, the Russian Home Minister, lost his post last year for resisting the confiscatiou of the property of the Catholic church. Count Benkendorf nearly fell a victim to the same obloquy. Count Nesselrode himself dared not ask the pardon of a poor mother who was imprisoned for complaining that her children were torn from her to be educated in the Greek religion. The intervention of the Empress herself was necessary to save the Princess Volehousky, and to obtain v permutation of her punishment to exile. According to the Gazette dv Midi of the 13th of September, the Russians had experienced another check in Circassia. The insurgents surprised at night and cut to pieces a body of about 10,000 men, encamped under the walls of Marga, and made themselves masters of that fortress', which they entered together with the fugitives. Nearly the whole of the troops in the camp were put to the sword, and a number of officers were made prisoners.

A scientific expedition, under the direction of the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg, is about to proceed immediately to Siberia, to explore the vast country between the rivers Pjasidu and Chatanga, extending to the Icy Sea. The German papers bring news of a revolution in Servia. The emigrant or exiled party attacked the arsenal of Kragujewtcz, took it, and forced Prince Michael to "fly, after two days' combat. He had fled into the Austrain territories at Semlin.

The flax crop has totally failed in Silesia from severe drought.

Austria. — The Transylvanian papers speak of an edict of the Austrian Government resembling the Russian ukase, allowing serfs to hold property, and forbidding their nobles to beat them with sticks. It adds that every Transylvanian has also the right to busy himself in public affairs. Under the Austrian regime we should like to be informed how every one can contrive to do this.

The heats of the summer have so dried up the waters of the river Elbe, that the water-mills are all at a stand ; and near Pirna the river is entirely dry. The waters, in retiring, have given up a secret kept by them for more than two hundred years. A square stone is left bare, having the following significant inscription in Saxon patois, — " When kit men saw me, in August, 1629, they wept ; and they who see me next shall weep too.''

Portugal. — The labours of the mixed commission for the settlement of British claims ou Portugal have been going on ; and the petitiou presented for the removal of Mr. Alcock, the British commissioner, has terminated in Lord Aberdeen's completely acquitting Mr. Alcock, and continuing him as commissioner.

Switzerland. — In the canton of Lucerne the executive council has resolved to exclude the Jesuits from directing the central establishment of education. In the canton of Zurich they are discussing the right of the citizen to oppose by their veto the promulgation of laws which they- do not approve, though passed by the legislature. If such a principle as this be admitted, there must soon be an end to all laws as well as to all order. A kind of emeute has taken place at Geneva, not very serious in its cause. The people had determined that a popular and rather Radical preacher should preach instead of the regular one, and they prevented the latter from entering his church. Italy. — The Diario di Roma 'gives an account of a grand fete, which took place on the arrival of the steam-boats built for the Pope in England. The cardinals, public functionaries, and a great concourse of personages of distinction of many nations, were assembled ; and, in their presence, notwithstanding the extreme lowness of. the waters of the Tiber, the steamers made their way through all its sinuosities, and passed by the banks and other obstacles — a task which it would have been impossible at this time to accomplish by the old system of towiug. A passage, which hitherto required several days, may now be performed in four hours. This will, it adds, also be the means of preserving thousands from catching the fever caused by being so long in the malaria, and be at the same time a source of great prosperity. ' Pistf was the scene of a frightful accidelit on the sth of September. Upwards of two hundred persons were in an amphitheatre near one of the gates of the town, spectators of the game of pallone — a sort of rackets played by two parties, sbuttlecockwise, with a very large strong leather ball filled with air, and a kind of wooden glove, spiked, to strike the ball : the ball is so buoyant and elastic that it will rebound over a tree. In such cases as the present, the game is generally played by persons who make it their trade. During the game, a wall sank under part ftf the spectators, bringing down other portions of a building, and many persons were buried under the ruins. The dead body of a child was first extricated ; fifty-six persons were found to be severely injured, many, it was feared mortally. Several of the sufferers belonged to families of note in Pisa.

France. — But few words are needed to notify the closing of the extraordinary session of the French Chambers. The Regency Bill has been unaltered in essentials. The Peers had no party display, and registered the Ministerial edict by an immense majority. The last proceedings were hurried over with all the bustle of men anxious to evince their desire to gratify the King, and more impatient to go out of town. Most of the Deputies were off before they had their conge ; and when the Chambers were being formally prorogued, M. Thiera was emulating Newton the child on the sea-shore picking up shells — roaming about the coast of the Pays de CalaisJJdcking up topographical anecdotes of the Grand*Armee and the invasion of England that did not Wee place, wherewith to enrich his next book of history. — Spectator.

The French papers said lately that the resistance of the natives in Algiers was almost entirely subdued; but the last accounts to the 10th of September state that the autumn campaign will be on an extensive scale ; a number of tribes who had made their submission having evinced hostile, dispositions since they had secured their crop*.