12 MAY 1855, Page 8

furtigu Ault tulunial.

FRANCE.-A sudden change has taken place in the French Ministry M. Drouyn de Lhuys has resigned the office of Minister for Foreign Af- fairs, and Count Walewaki, late French Ambassador in London, has been appointed to succeed him. The news of the resignation of M. Drouyn do Lhuys reached London on Monday ; and on that day his successor, obey- ing the telegraph, departed for Paris. M. de Persigny has been appointed Minister to the Court of St. James's in the room of Count Walewaki. The reasons that led to the retirement of M. Drouyn de Lhuys appear to have arisen principally out of his conduct at Vienna. The statement is, that so long as Lord John Russell remained at Vienna there was it complete harmony between the views of the two plenipotentiaries.

"In the course of two or three days subsequent to the departure of the. British Plenipotentiary, M. Drouyn de Lhuys appears to have discussed and arranged with Count Buol a proposition of terms of peace widely different from that on which the Allied Courts had previously agreed. This scheme, whatever it may be, was unhesitatingly rejected by the head of the French- Government as soon as it was made known in Paris; and the British Go-

wernment were equally satisfied that no honourable peace could be con- eluded on such a basis ; for the effect of this condition was barely to limit the naval strength of Russia in the Black Sea to the force she already pos- sessed before the outbreak of the present hostilities. M. Drouyn de Lhuss appears to have thought that peace might be procured on these terms ; but, as this was not the opinion of the Government which he served, or of the Allied Government with which he was acting, this difference of policy led to his retirement from office on the termination of his Vienna mission."

A collateral reason for his resignation has also been mentioned. It is reported that in his official relations M. Drouyn de Maya was jealous and disagreeable ; that M. Thouvenel, in particular, who was appointed to conduct the affairs of the Foreign Office during the absence of his chief, had so much ground for resenting the treatment he met with that he resigned. The Emperor, however, held him in such estimation that -he was appointed Minister at Constantinople..

But there are reports of further reconstruction. M. Billanit is named to succeed Admiral Hamelin as Minister of Marine; and there is a talk of restoring M. Thouvenel to his old position.

The assassin who attempted the life of the French Emperor was tried on Monday. by the Cour d'Assises de la Seine. His real name, it appears, is Giovanni Pianori, not Liverani as at first reported. He was a hand- some man, somewhere about thirty-two years of age; built, simply dressed, and scrupulously clean : he wore a black beard and moustachios, and his neck was bare. The trial presented no incidents, and was re- markably quiet. From the act of accusation it appeared that the prisoner

i was born in the Roman States; that he professed to be a shoemaker; and that he served in the Roman war of independence—it is supposed in Geri- haldi's corps. After the French occupation he resided in Piedmont ; which he quitted in 1854, and travelled in France under the name of Liverani. In Paris he obtained employment as a shoemaker, but he worked so badly that he was speedily discharged. Next he visited Lon- don ; and there, it would appear, by some means or other he earned hand- some wages, and saved 500 francs. In March last he returned to Paris, carrying with him a double-barrelled, two single-barrelled pistols, and a poniard. On the 28th April he left his lodgings armed with these wea- pons and a sharp razor besides ; and fired two shots at the Emperor, as our readers were informed last week, before the police overpowered him. The facts were fully proved on the trial. With respect to his antecedents the President questioned him, and received answers.

" After your crime, information was sought about you at the Roman Le- gation; and it was ascertained that your name is not Antonio Liverani, as appeared, in your passport, but Giovanni Pianori. The following is the in- formation communicated in the two despatches we have received. The first dated May 1 ; and the Charge d'Affaires of France at Rome says—'Pianori, known by the name of Brizi Guellino, aged thirty-two years, married, and - the father of two children, was arrested for having committed a political as- ,sassination. He escaped from the prison of Servia. He fought in 1849 against the French army. He escaped to Genoa ; he afterwards returned to his country, and committed other crimes: Are you the person described in that note ? "—" My name is Giovanni Pianori. Brizi Guellino is an addi- dional name—supre-nom."

" Have ou borne that name ?"—" Yes, Sir."

" Then it is to you the descriptions pplie. Here now is the information contained in the second despatch of the 5th of May—' Positive information. Pianori condemned for twelve years to the galleys for assassination.' "—" That is not true."

" You deny the fact ; very well. Here is the rest—' Accused of two acts of incendiarism in February 1849.' Is that true ?"—" No, Sir ; I only re- mained six months in prison." " For what cause ?"—" For having taken part in some affairs." " The despatch adds—' Escaped from the prison of Servia on the 30th of April 1852. Noted as a terrible assassin !' "—" That is not true." To a question from the President, as to whether he had " undergone the influence of the refugees in London, and had accepted from them an -execrable mission," he answered in the negative, and declared that he was in the habit of seeing few persons out of his own trade. He denied that the crime was premeditated, and insisted that it was only on the same day that the thought of firing at the Emperor occurred to him. The money found on him was 100 francs in gold and 14 in silver, which be said was the rest of his savings ; and he again denied that either the money or the arms had been given him to commit the crime. Pianori was defended by M. Benoit Champy, a deputy appointed by the Court. The accused was found guilty, and sentenced to die the death of a parricide.

Pianori has not been executed. He has been confined in the prison of Roquette, used for prisoners under sentence of death or hard labour for -life. It is thought that the delay in his execution has arisen from the fact that the police have got the clue of an extensive European conspiracy, respecting which it is hoped that Pianori may make disclosures.

THE Caritas.—The latest intelligence from the seat of war was received yesterday morning, through the Crimean telegraph, in the shape of a mes- sage from Lord Raglan to the Minister of War. Indeed, all the "news" of the progress oi the siege has this week been received through the tele- graph.

Sebastopol, 10th May 1855.—The Russians made a sortie with a large body of troops on our right advanced trench this morning, but were driven back immediately. A second and similar attempt shared the same fate. Nothing 'could be better than the conduct of the troops who took part in the affair. The loss of the enemy was serious." An earlier message from Lord Raglan was published on Monday.

"Sebastopol, May 6, 9 p. m.—The, enemy assaulted the advanced trench of our right attack last night, but were repulsed promptly. Our loss was 3 killed and 20 wounded."

The other despatches are from Paris and Berlin. ".Paris, Thursday, May 10, 7 a.m.—The Honiteur says that advice& from the Crimea, dated the 9th May at ten o'clock a. In. announce the arrival there of General Della Marmora, with 4000 of the Piedmontese troops." "Berlin, Tuesday, May 8.—A despatch from St. Petersburg, dated the 7th instant has been received here : it says= On the night between the 1st and lid, the enemy, having concentrated 10,000 men, took possession of the lodg- ments in front of Bastion No. 5, and captured nine small cohorn mortars. On the 2d, the enemy opened a heavy cannonade on Bastions Nos. 4 and 5, and on the adjoining lines. The damage which they did was repaired during the night We fired with success five mines against the enemy's ap- proaches.' "

The regular written correspondence from the Crimea comes down to the 118th April; but it throws no light upon the progress of the siege. Two incidents in camp life are recorded,—a visit from Lord Stratford, and a review of part of the French army. Lord Stratford, Lady Stratford, Lady George Paget, General Vivian, and the Misses Cumming, arrived at Ba- laklava, in the Caradoc, on the 26th April, and returned to Constanti- nople on the 29th. Lord Stratford was the guest of Lord Raglan; but the ladies lived on board the Caradoc. •

The review of some 30,000 French soldiers under General Bosquet, by General Canrobert, took place on the afternoon of Lord Stratford's ar- rival, and consequently Lord Raglan could not be present. After the review, General Canrobert addressed the soldiers- " With officers like you, and the valiant soldiers around us, nothing is impossible. Be confident and patient ; for the moment will soon come when, in the name of France, I will knock at the door, and, if it is not opened to us, we shall enter both by the windows and door. With a little patience we will come out triumphant from this terrible struggle, and the glory which it will reflect on France and upon you all will be immortal. Farewell, until we shortly meet again. All Europe contemplates and ad- mires you. Cheer up, ray noble fellows. I read on your countenances the presage of success. Go and tell your men that they may rely on me as I rely on them."

The Honiteur prints a passage from a letter written to the Emperor by General Canrobert, on tho 28th April, in' hich the General "with plea- sure" announces- - - - - " that the English army, always so solid, has become as fine and healthy as it was in the first days of its arrival in the East. It is receiving reinforcements in infantry, in cavalry, and in means of transport. I con- tinue to live on the most cordial terms with Lord Raglan, and the two armies continue to be closely united, and count one upon the other."

Russia.—Tbe journals of St. Petersburg have published an account of the will or "last wishes" of the late Emperor. It is remarkable at this moment for the absence of any allusion to public affairs; but perhaps that may be partly accounted for by the fact that it was written in 1844.

"The first clause is a kind of address to his family. After enumerating the various kinds of property belonging to the Empress his wife, the Em- peror expresses a wish that her Majesty shall retain for her life the use of her apartments in the different palaces ; and the clause concludes as follows. `The legacy which I bequeath to my children is to love and honour their mother ; to do everything to promote her tranquillity ; to anticipate all her wishes, and to endeavour to render her old age happy by their devoted at- tentions. Never must they undertake anything of importance without first asking her advice and demanding her maternal benediction.' In another clause the testator bequeaths pensions of 15,000 silver roubles a year, in addition to the pensions they already enjoy, to Adjutant-General d'Adlerberg and his daughter Julie Baranow ; the latter of whom has brought up three of the testator's daughters, and both of whom he calls his most devoted friends. In other clauses, the Emperor expresses his thanks to a number of other per- sons whom he names as being his devoted friends and servants: among them he mentions Prince Paskiewitcb, Generals Orloff, Tchenicheff, and Menschikoff, and M. de Nesselrode, and thanks them all in the warmest manner for the ser- vices they have rendered to him and to the state. In one clause, which is particularly addressed to the Emperor Alexander, the will says—` I am con- vinced that my son the Emperor Alexander will always remain a tender and affectionate son, as he has always been to his parents ; and this duty will become still more sacred for him when his mother is alone. In his relations with his brothers, my son must unite the indulgence called for by their youth with the necessary firmness of a father of a family. He must never suffer any family quarrels which may be prejudicial to the service or even to the state; and should such circumstances unhappily arrive, he must remem- ber that he is Emperor, and that all other members of the family are his subjects.' The will concludes by a clause in which the Emperor begs all those whom he may have unintentionally offended to forgive him, as he for- gives all who may have offended him. He expresses his regret that he has not been able to accomplish all the good that he could have wished, and begs all his friends to offer up their prayers for the repose of his soul."