LATEST FOREIGN NEWS.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 350, 26 February 1861, Page 3

LATEST FOREIGN NEWS.

From the Times &nd Gflobe of 26th December we take the following telegrams, giving, the latest foreign news >up to the. evening of that day. AUSTRIA AND VENETIA. The Times correspondent at Vienna, an excellent authority, writing in the second edition, says, apropos of the Venetian question:— * If I say nothing relative to the proposed sale or cession of Venetia, it is because it is known to me that nothing but brute force can induce the Austrian Government to quit the Quadrilateral.' AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY. Vienna, December 22. The private accounts received from Hungary are exceedingly unfavorable. No taxes are now paid, as the persons who are inclined to discharge their obligations to the state cannot safely venture to do so. In Presburg, a city that is almost within sight of Vienna, tobacco is publicly sold in the market-place, in front of the building occupied by the financial aufhorities. The peasants in the more remote districts of the kingdom are beginning to produce tjheir long-hoarded Kossuth notes, which are bought by unprincipled speculators at the rate of forty kreutzers per florin. There is also a new kind of note in circulation, which is said to bear the signatures of Kossuth, Klapka, and Duschek. Very many twenty franc pieces, aa well French as Sardinian, are in circulation, and a person of my acquaintance piofesses to have seen silver dollars with the head of the Count of Flanders on them. The municipality of Debreezin, a town which has always exhibited revolutionary tendencies, has declared that the municipal council must be constituted on the basis of the laws of 1848, "as the country at large is dissatisfied with the law promulgated on the 20th of October." A Debreezin advocate proposed that a petition should be presented to the Court Chancellor to withdraw the troops from the country, as they were continually in conflict with the people, and his motion was warmly seconded by the municipality. The same gentleman also moved that the National Guard should be reformed in accordance with the twelfth Article of the Laws of 1843 and 1849, It is said that the Government has rejected the petition, which vva3 some days ago forwarded to Vienna by the General Congregation of the county of Pesth. It is the wish of the Emperor that the Hungarian Diet should be constituted as speedily as possible, but it is not settled whe;e its sittings are to be held. The Government wishes the Landtag to be held at Presburg, as in olden limes, but the Hungarians are resolved that it shall, in accordance with the first paragraph cf the fourth article of the law of 1848, meet in Pesth.

In the speech made by Count E. Dessewyfty, at Gran, on Tuesday last, -ia^the following passage:— . ''$&-. : " Three things arc necessary to a peace. They are the first proposals, the preliminary deliberations, and, as final act, the conclusion of peace.

" On the 20th of October proposals were made by the Thione. The preliminaries have to be discussed during the period between the 20th of October and the day on which the Diet meets. As a peace can only be definitely concluded by the Diet, we must carefully, abstain from getting into a quarrel with the Government while., the preliminaries are still under discussion. Questions of vital importance to the empire at targe, as well as to Hungary, have to be settled, and it therefore behoves us to be moderate and circumspect. During the last eleven years, which have been years of bitterness, strong antipathies have been formed; but we must not lose sight of the fact that we are bound in duty to do all in our power to bring about an amicable understanding between the inhabitants of this country and the Imperial Government."— Second Edition of the Times. ■■ ■ ■ THE FRENCH FLEET AT GAETA. A Paris letter in the Independance has the following:—" All the Powers that met at Warsaw have expressed their collective wish to the Emperor Napoleon's Govern-, rhent, that it will continue the protection of the French fleet at Gaeta. As yet, the instructions given to Admiral La Barbier de Tinan have not been modified." The French screw ship of the line Fontenoy has joined*the squadron of Vice-Admiral Le Barbier de Tinan before Gaeta, to replace the Alexandre, which is under orders to return to Toulon. On the 19th the situation at Gaeta had undergone no change, the squadron being at anchor, having received supplies of stores. ITALY. General Fanti has addressed an order of the day, dated Naples, 12th December, to the volunteers of the army who are about to be sent home. He praises their conduct highly, and declares they carry with them the affection of the King and esteem of the whole nation. The last accounts from Naples state that King Victor Emmanuel is to leave that city at the latest, in the first days of January, and that the belief is entertained that M. Farini will return to Turin about the same time. The accounts add that the name of his successor is not yet known, . A Turin letter of the 20th says :— "M. Ratazzi has been talked of for Naples in the probable event of M. Farini retiring, but it is thought that that statesman has no inclination to take on himself that heavy burden. I nevertheless think that if the King were personally to demand this sacrifice from his old Minister, the latter would not hesitate. The Cabinet will necessarily require remodelling before the opening of the Chambers. The Italian Parliament will be a great assembly on which Europe will have its eyes. If Count Cavour is an eminent statesman, the majority of his colleagues show a too evident want of capacity. The Count is too intelligent not to understand that no one leans on what will not support him. The Unita Italiana, the official organ of Mazzinianism, is about to be removed from Genoa and Milan. The former city is gaining much money since the annexations, and consequently ultra ideas prevail there less than formerly. At Milan, on the contrary, there is a considerable working population, and only moderate prosperity, and Mazzinianism seeks to gain over the working classes there. * . Naples, December 22. The news that the French squadron is about to quit Gaeta has caused a rise in the Neapolitan funds. A decree, dated the 20th instant, calls out the classes of the last four years. These classes are to assemble at the end of February. December 24, Evening. The King has held a reception of the nobility of the Court, which was very numerously attended. An enthusiastic demonstration in favor of his Majesty took place in the evening. The king will leave Naples on Thursday next, after having been present at the ball of the National Guard. Farini is about to publish the Communal Law for Naples. The state of the provinces is very satisfactory. The news from Rome is of an alarming character. The Kennard and the Ballarat, which left Naples for the Roman States, were not allowed to land their passengers at Civita Vecchia, the pretext being that 600 Garibaldians* were on board. Against this Mr.Odb Russell has protested. Sacaita has arrived at Naples. Gaeta, December 23 (via Marseilles). The bombardment of the city continues with increased vigor. The Spanish ambassador has left his palace on account of its being riddled with bullets. Two officers have been struck while standing near the King. New Sardinia batteries can be seen, evidently ready to take part in the bombardment. A deputation has arrived here from Calabria, and has promised to raise an insurrection in favor of the ESng. Rome, December 22. Considerable quantities of provisions are being despatched to Gaeta. SWITZERLAND. The Federal Assembly of Switzerland lias adjourned, and will not meet again until summoned by the Federal Council. The Federal President, M. Frey Herozee, in reply to an interpella'ion of M. Almeras on the state of the Savoisian question, gave an explanation, remarkable for its moderation, and which consequently is attacked by the Radical party.

Subscription fok Tauanaki. — The £tome News of December 26 says :— 4 We are happy to report that the colonists in London have opened a subscription lor the settlers'.of Taranakiwho have suffered in consequence of the recent disturbances.'

Austualian Coal. —A report of the comparative value of' Australian and English coal for steam purposes, drawn up by Mr. Anderson, the inspector or" machinery at Woolwich, furnishes the following interesting results. The coal first experimented on was the remnant of 800 tons, supplied in the colony to the Oneida, and presented to the Australian Agricultural Company after the arrival of that ship at Southampton. While the Whitworth coal, which is a generic term for Walls-end, Pelan Primrose, Lambton, &c, produced in a given time 4000 revolutions of the engine, the Welsh coal 4367, and the Hartley 4290, the Australian coal produced only 3950. The directors of the company appear not to have been content with the coals experimented upon, for in April, 1859, selected samples sent to .England in canvas bags from the Australian Agricultural Company's pits, became the subject of new experiments, the result of which showed a decided improvement, the engine on the second experiment being driven at the rate of 4080 revolutions, showing a superiority of 80 revolutions over the - Whitworth coal, but an inferiority of 287 revolutions as regards Welsh coal. Subsequently, Mr. Abel, chemist to the WaiDepartment at Woolwich, chemically examined the coal to test its gas-producing powers, and reported as follows:—' The quantity of volatile matter furnished by the coal amounted to 71 per cent., and 29 per cent, of a light and very porous coke were obtained. The coal is therefore of a highly bituminous character, and would probably be found excellently adapted for the manufacture of gas.' As an example or its gas-producing powers it is stated that the Australian gas, consuming only five feet per hour, gives a light equal to 6 2-10ths feet per hour of the gas obtained from the Whitworth coal. Mr. Abel concludes his reports with these. words:—' It would appear from the chemical examination of this coal, that it is adapted for ordinary purposes, and for the manufacture of gas, but it will not be found equal in value to the description of coal especially employed for steam purposes.'— Home News.

Man Drowned.—Aa Mr. Riddler was returning into town from the Hutt on Saturday last, be observed a body floating in the water near the shore, between Kaiwarra and Ngahaurana. He pulled the body on shore, and when he arrived in town informed the police of the circumstance, who proceeded to the spot and removed the body to the Rainbow Inn, Kaiwarra, were it was identified as being one of the seamen belonging to the Fanny A. Garriques, which vessel left here on Saturday for Auckland. The mau was last seen on Wednesday, the 13th inst., when he and another seamac, belonging to tbe same vessel, left Kaiwarra in a boat to reach their vessel, which was lying a short distance of the shore, when the boat capsized and the unfortunate man was not seen after. An inquest was held on the body by M. Kebbell, Esq., on Monday last, but was adjourned until the return of tbe brig from Auckland. The body was buried on Monday afternoon in tbe cemetery.— Spectator.