NEWS BY THE MAIL.

West Coast Times, Issue 654, 29 October 1867, Page 2

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

» FOBEIGN INTELLIGENCE. THE HOME NEWS, AUGUST 26.) FRANCE. The evening " Moniteur" of August 7 says -.—". — " The governments of France and Italy show a firm intention scrupulously to respect the convention of Sept. 15, which is at once a guarantee of the pontifical territory, aud a pledge for the existonce of good relations between France and Italy." The Minister of Justice and Public Worship has addressed the following circular to the archbishops and bishops of Franco :— " Paris, August 1. — Monseigneur — The fete of the loth August ia soon about to furnish us with an occasion for offering up to God the expression of ouv desires and the tribute of our thanksgiving. Providence has again given us tbis year ample cause for gratitude ! The peace, Imppily strengthened, presents to the admiration of the universe the conjunction of all the splendours of civilisation, without tho conquests of material order producing any neglect in the moral progress which the genius of the sovereign is pursuing amid the applause of the whole nation. An enlightened patriotism uutos the populations more and more around the imperial dynasty, whilst their religious faith joins with pleasure in the great ideas of the Catholic episcopacy, freely combined with the voice of the head of the State. It is with those feelings, monseigneur, that the faithful assembled f-r the solemnity of the assumption will address to Heaven their earnest prayers for the Emperor, Empress, and Prince Imperial, whose destinies are so closely bound up with the honor and prosperity * of tlie country. I have no need to remind your grace of tho measures which it is customary to adopt in this circumstance, in order to fulfil his Majesty's intentions. — Accept, &c, Basoche." — A similar circular has been addressed to the heads of the Protestant confessions in France, and of the central consistory of the Jews. The " Moniteur" has published an imperial decree appointing a special commission to sit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to proceed to the revision of the claims of Frenchmen against Mexico, and for apportioning ( the disposable securities among those who establish a right to them. Abd-cl-Kader and his sons have paid a lengthened visit to Paris. The Emperor has addressed the following letter to M. de Lavalette, the Minister of the Interior: — '• Camp of Chalons, August 15, 1867. — Monsieur 1© Ministre, — You are aware what importance I attach to the prompt completion of our means of communication. I consider them one of the surest ways of increasing the strength and riches of France, for everywhere the number aud good condition of the roads is one of the most certain signs of the advanced state of the civilisation of peoples. I have already given instructions to the Minister of Public Works to pursue the examination and piepare the concession of new lines of railway. He will at the same time seek tho means of improving our canals and the navigation of our rivers, which are modifying counterpoises to railroad monopoly. But our efforts must not be confined to this alone. The Agricultural Commission has demonstrated, in an evident manner, that the construction of a complete network of parish roads is an essential condition of the prosperity of the country, and of the well-lbeing of those rural populations who have always shown me so much devotion. Pre-occu-pied with the realisation of this project, I had instructed you to examine, in concert with the Minister of Finance, a series of measures which might permit of our-ter-minating within ten years tho network of parish roads by the triple concurrence of rha communes, the departments, and the State. Besides this, desires of facilitating, in the ease of communes, the means of participating in the expense, I had requested you to prepare for the creation of a special fund, destined to advance th^m the necessary sums by means of loans granted at a moderate rate and repayable at long periods. I approve the note which you addressed to me, aud the principle which serves it as basis. But as, before presenting to the Legislative Body any definitive resolutions, there are several important questions to examine. I beg you to prepare complete and precise elements of information. The deliberations of the municipal councils will evidently require to be the point of departure of this labqp. But I desire that, m the investigation which is about to be opened, a large part may be left to the members of those departmental assemblies with whose patriotism and devotion lam acquainted, and whose concurrence, I know, will not fail me. I rely upon the enlightened zeal and the energetic activity which you have shown sine • since I have placed you at the head of tho department ot the Interior to rapidly brine to a termination ihis administrative investigation, and to lay before the legislative body at its nexb sitting a bill which may ensure the execution of the work, the realisation of which I have greatly ab heart. Meroon, Monsieur le Ministre, I pray Grodtohave you in his holy keeping.--Napoleon." r & - M. de Lavalette has published a report,

dated tlie 16th of August, relative to the execution of the measure proposed in the above letter, and a Ministerial decree convoking tbe municipal councils during the fir^t ten days in September in order to re- , vise the classification of the parish roads. The minister has also addressed a circular to the prefects concerning the application of the decree. The Emperor and Empress paid a visit of several days' duration to the camp at Chalons, which they left on August 18 for Salzburg, with a large suite. AUSTEIA. THE MEETING OF THE E3IPEEOKS AT BALZBURG. The Emperor and Empress of the French arrived at Salzburg at 4.45 p.ni , on Aug. 19, from Chalons-. They were received by the Emperor and Empress of Austria, the Areurlukc Victor Louis, and the civil and military authorities. The sovereigns on mcctiug exchanged cordial salutations, and the imperial parly were welcomed by the crowd with enthusiastic cheers. After the reception at the railway station their majesties left in an open carriage for the imperial residence. Concerning this meeting the " Moniteur dv Soir" of August 21, says: — "The language of the two sovereigns towards each other has been most affectionate, and their interviews have been of a particularly intimate and cordial nature. Public opinion in Austria has been touched by the delicate and noble thought which prompted the journey, and has rightly seen in it, not only homage paid, to the memory of a prince who was an object of regret to the whole world, but also a proof of the high esteem and friendship existing between the two monarchs, of which "they Jiave given evidence." And the ordinary newspaper advices from Salzburg to the same date say — " that the desire felt by both the enijjorors for the preservation of peace will be manifested by an invitation to the other European Powers to join in an agreement which had been entered into between the two sovereigns for the settlement of certain questions. The basis of this agreement is believed to be the maintenance of the treaty of peace signed at Prague. It is added that the question of South Germany lias been maturely examined by the two sovereigns, who agreed in" disapproving the entry of the Southern Stales into the North German Confederation. The affairs of the Danubian Principalities were also considered. The necessity for peace was recognised. The Emperor Francis Joseph on presenting Prince Mctteraich, Austrian Minister, at the Court of the Tuileries, with the order of the Golden Fleece, eulogised in presence of the whole Court the services he had rendered the State by re-establishing a good understanding with France. The Emperor Napoleon expressed aloud to the Emperor Francis Joseph his thanks for this declaration. This incident- created a great sensation among those present. Formal steps are said to have been taken by the Austrian Government for commencing negotiationswith Romcrespccting a revision of the Concordat. The Minister of Finance has repaid in bank notes the whole of the 608 millions of florins advanced to the Government by the National Bank. The Emperor and the Imperial family of Austria have expressed to the Prussian Government, through the Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs, their thanks for the devotion and great energy displayed by Baron Magnus, the Prussian Minister at Mexico, in his efforts to save the Emperor Maximilian. ITALY. The cholera still lingers in Rome, and it is of the true Asiatic type. There can be no doubt, also, of its having broken out at Palestrina, Genezzano, and Olcvano, with much violence. In Tivoli and other places it has made its appearance. The wonder is that, being in Rome, it did not assume a more dangerous character during the time when there- were such enormous crowds collected. From Sicily we receive most distressing news. The Syndic of Naples has received from the Syndic of Biposto, in the province of Messina, a telegram, saying, " The doctors fearing an invasion of the cholera have all fled, and one is required at any price whatever." The Syndic of Rossano, in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria, by another telegram, asks for becchini (people to bury the dead). One medical man only was found willing to leave for Riposlo, asking as his salary JOOf. a day (a large sum in these southern latitudes), but he afterwards refused to go, from fear of being assassinated, and being deprived of the protection of the authorities. Four lecchini have left with the promise of 12f 75c a day. In Catania, which may be said to be depopnlated, the cholera rages, and 600 persons a day arc attacked. 'Iherc, as in other places, doctors and druggists have fled— not so much from fear of the disease as from fear of being murdered by an ignorant and brutaliscd population, Who see poison in the very remedies adopted for their relief. The prefect of Catania, Signor Fasciotti, has been among those attacked. In Catania another danger is menaced, as the poorer classes have shown a disposition to revolt and sack the houses of the wealthy. Fcvr, if any, of the municipal authorities of the provinces

of Catauia, Caltanisctta, Caltagironne, and Messina have. done their duty in these distressing circumstances, when assassination and cholera threatened them. The consequence has been that the Government has deprived many syndics of office. The cholera prevails very extensively in Southern Italy, and in some of the jslands. It is preA r ailing at Leghorn virulently. Cardinal Altieri died of cholera, at Rome, early in the present month. A telegram from Rome, dated August 9 th, informs us that the Queen, Maria Theresa, of Naples, ex pired on the preceding day. Born in 1816, she was the daughter of Charles, Archduke of Austria, and the second wife of the late Ferdinand 11 , King of Naples, whom she married in 1837. She has been a widow since 1837. She has been a widow since 1559. She died of cholera. A great fire has occurred in the church of St. John and St. Paul, at Venice. Titian's painting of Peter Martyr, and many other masterpieces of art were burnt. GERMANY. A rather sensational incident happened the other day at the " promotion" ci a candidate of medecine to the doctorship at the University of Bonn. According to the latest regulations it is permitted to the candidates to use the German language instead of the Latin.as hitherto customary, not only in their dissertations, but even in the disputations connected with certain •' theses" which the candidate has to assert and to defend publicly. This portion of the solemnity always used to be an unmitigated farce. No one eared for these theses any more tlitn the candidate himself. Two ofhis personal friends used to come forward and attack them 2» % o forma, in the same loose Latin as that in which he defended them, and not one of those who were bound to be present at this sham ever listened to it for an instant. It was regarded merely as a venerable piece of the old " mediaeval pigtail." The introduction of the living language, however, has altered all this. In the exuberance of youthful spirits, and bitten by a passion for distinction, a young " Doctor of Medicine" the other day ennunciated as his opinion "That the art of the physician ought not to be employed for tho prolongation of a life which cannot be of use either to the patient himself or to the State." No sooner had he pronounced this dictum than the " Aula" professors and students, rose like one man to protest against it. The first that lifted his voice was the dean of the medical faculty himself, who, instead of "entering into any discussion, reprimanded the culprit in a most severe and impressive speech, reminding him, among other thmgs, that n«t only were such sentiments opposed to morals and science, but that the oath he was about to take as a member of the medical profession could have no meaning if these were his views, since it stood in direct contradiction to them. The dean of the legal faculty followed with another oration in the same direction — all in good, intelligible, and most vigorous German. Some of his own colleagues were about to follow this example, and protest in the name of the students, when the unlucky candidate thought it best to retract formally and solemnly. He was then duly " doctored."