24 AUGUST 1850, Page 4

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FRANCE.—The Paris papers concur in stating that the journey of the President obtains increased éclat as he proceeds; and they agree that his reception in Lyons was cordial beyond all expectation. It is to be noted, however, that the Bonapartist accounts, in their exultation at this result, now admit what they before denied, that his reception by the inhabitants of Tonnerre and Dijon was extremely cold. The President left Dijon on Wednesday the 14th, for Chalon-sur-Saone, by a special train on the railway. Heavy rain fell, and there was but an indifferent farewell for him ; but vast crowds of villagers assembled at all the stations endpoints of sight on the line ; and at Nuitz and Beaune he made a brief stay, and reviewed the National Guards. The peasantry greeted him with cries of "Vive Napoleon !" and " Yive le President!" He was not a little surprised to find these citizen- soldiera all clad in blouses instead of the smart uniforms of the towns. At Chagny, on the border of the department of the Saone-et-Loire, the Mayor presented an address from the Municipality, which avowed without circumlocution the opinion of that body, that theduration fixed for the executive power by the Con- stitution is much too limited ; that the approaching election, even at the present moment, creates alarm in the public mind ; and therefore that the Constitution should on this point be revised. "The President made a short reply, which was not audible." At Chalon, the usual routine of reviews and presentations was gone through ; the President figuring before the public on a magnificent white charger. At Chalon the road and the rail were deserted, and Tournus was reached by the Loire ; the Navigation Company having placed a steamer decorated in princely style at the disposal of the President. The reception at Macon was character- istic of the birthplace of Lamartine : fifty young maidens, remarkable for their beauty, awaited the President's arrival at the hotel of the Prefecture, and presented to him verses appropriate to the occasion ; which he ac- knowledged with a reply appropriate to the gay honour. At a banquet given here by the President to the notabilities of the place, the Prefect toasted the President as the worthy and popular heir of the glorious Con- sul, the great Emperor. Louis Napoleon replied with enigmatic senti- mentality— "If the department of Saone-et-Loire recognises the superiority of the as- cendant exercised over this patriotic district by the genius of the -Emperor, I congratulate myself upon it and rejoice, as it would be a happy return to- wards the object of its first affection."

Macon was quitted at an early hour on Thursday the 15th, for Lyons. At Thoissy, a municipal oration was acknowledged with the remark- " I do not desire any other title than that of the Restorer of Order; but i to effect that object s a difficult task—it is not the work of a single day," —a foreshadowing of the "perseverance" which we are to read of at Lyons. At Trevoux, the reception by scores of fair damsels was repeat- with increased scenic effect; an enormous bouquet was the vehicle for conveying the complimentary versieles, themselves a mythic posy— "France France could not be happy unless under the tutelary authority o Louis Napoleon."

Lyons was reached at about ten on Thursday. The whole of the vast population of that industrial hive was in the streets, and at least a hun- dred thousand strangers were added to the throng. The account of the Tunas correspondent is picturesque, if possibly rather too well inclined in its political tone. The correspondent writes on Friday, the second day of the President's stay in Lyons-

" The fact is, Lyons appeared as if turned completely topsy-turvy. Yes- terday was the Feast of the Assumption, and on that day games peculiar to the people who dwell by the banks of the Beene and Rhone attracted thou- sands upon thousands ; and as the weary traveller, scorched by the hot sun after an eight-hours' passage on the river, was at length consigned to land, he found the immense length of quays crammed with people of uncouth ac- cent, strange manner, and quaint costume, and the way constantly obstructed by vehicles of every. sort. The interior of the city was not less alive with human beings, and the passage from the landing-place to the Place de Belle- cour, an ordinary walk of a quarter of an hour, occupied six times as long. Thousands upon thousands of the country-people descended from their hills and issued from their vallies to welcome the Prince on his arrival ; and I am assured that to enjoy the gratification of seeing him enter Lyons, hundreds contented themselves with sleeping in the fields, in order to be in early in the morning. Triumphal arches and garlands that decked nearly the whole of the many bridges that span the beautiful SaOne on its course from Macon to where, in the language of Gray, she throws herself into the arms of the bride- groom. The quays to the right and left of the former river from the moment you passed under the frowning battlements that hang over you from above were similarly ornamented; and I remarked with somewhat of surprise, that the greater number of houses adorned with flags and streamers were those on the quays at the left hand between the river and the formidable quarter of the Croix Rousse—the Faubourg St. Antoine of Lyons. On the right-hand side many houses were so ornamented, but certainly the greater number was in the quarter just mentioned. "On the place of landing at the port of China were constructed two open pavilions, to receive the President. The corps of Sapeurs-pompiers of the National Guard of Lyons kept the ground, and were drawn up in two lines; and in the intervening space were placed, as if en echelon, the deputations of the different schools of the city, the members of the Council of Mutual Instruction, and a deputation of the schools of the Christian Doctrine. The civil authorities of the department of the city of Lyons and of its suburban communes, the Prefects of the Oise, of the Isere, the Drame, and the Loire, the whole of the Municipal Council of Lyons, the minority of the recusant Council of the Guillotiere, (the Socialist quarter of Lyons, which had refused funds to receive the President,) the Mayor and his deputies, the Municipal Council of the Croix Rousse and of Vaise, occupied the upper part of the glacis. At the head of the troops drawn up. on the glans, was a brilliant staff of general officers. One lot of the most interesting sights was a division of about 1200 old soldiers of the Empire • many of whom wore the uniform, the sight of which acts still as a talisman on the young soldiers of the pre- sent day. Many of these wore nothing more than the old schako' with the rude costume of the peasant, and some had only preserved the coat. Not the least interesting relic of that period was a woman, somewhat advanced in years, who must have been a vivandiere of the Imperial army, attached to the cavalry, as she still wore the jacket, trousers, boots, and spurs, and car- ried her whip as coquettishly as if she counted only twenty years. The en- tire length of the quays on the right bank of the Saone up to the Pont du Change, the whole of this bridge, and the Quay St. Antoine, the Pont Tilsit, to the street de rArcheveche, and the square of St. John, were covered with troops, who had been placed en echelon on the ground one hour before. This is a magnificent view at any time and under any cir- cumstances but it was enhanced on the present occasion by the acces- sories. No description could do justice to the view caught by a stranger, who might have arrived at that moment, of what was passing above, below, and around him. The picturesque character of the country1 which nature seems to have formed for displays and solemnities of the kind, and which had attracted so many thousands to the spot—the beauty of the wea- ther—the surrounding and overhanging heights, crowned with massive edi- fices, and ascending gradually one row behind the other1 and alive with population, clinging to every point, terrace, roof, balcony, pillar, or fragment of rock, whence even an imperfect glimpse of the landing could be obtained— the frequent bursts of music that broke full and grandly on the ear, or faded away to a dying fall as the river loitered in its winding course—the smooth bosom of the Saone, traversed in every direction by amateur navigators in their frail canoes, the quays, the ports, crowded with a compact mass of hu- man beings—the long lines of pedestrians and horsemen extending far as the eye could reach—the antique casements of the old and massive quarter of the Bourgneuf, filled with men, women, and children, and nearly all adorned with the tricolor ; still higher the summits and angles of rocks transformed into belvideres • the Chartreux on its base of granite crowned with human beings,—all this formed perhaps as magnificent a spectacle as ever was be- held. . . . . The bell of the cathedral of St. John had scarcely counted ten strokes, when a gust of smoke was seen to issue from the fort on the opposite side, and almost at the same instant the thunder of three successive explo- sions at last announced the approach of the President. The echo of the third salute had not died away among the rocks of the Saone, when the Hi- rondelle gliding along made its appearance near the Pont de Serin, under the fort St. Jean. In five minutes after she was at her landing-place. The animation that had for some minutes appeared suspended was once more re- stored, and shouts—some of Vive le President!' others of Vive Napo- leon!' and again of Vive la Republique ! '—rose again and again, and the waving of hats and handkerchiefs welcomed the prmemal personage of the day. The drums beat to arms the trumpets called the horsemen to dress up, and the words of command Passed like lightning along the ranks."

Veils Napoleon landed. He wore the full dress of a general of the Na- tional Guard, a lofty white plume waving from his hat. At his side marched the Minister of War, and a cloud of general officers; and he was met, as he stepped on shore, by General Cestellan, the commandant of the great mili- tary district which has Lyons for its centre. "The moment he entered the open

pavilion prepared for him, the Mayor of Lyons approached, and in a concise- and most respectful address conveyed to him the congratulations of the

Municipal body of Lyons on receiving the President of the Republic within their walls. In the name of the Municipal Council, he praised the idea of visiting the populations of the different great towns of France, in order to acquire a personal knowledge of their condition. All classes of the industrious and the really patriotic, he said, welcomed from their hearts the presence of one who had shown so much judgment, so much energy, in the conduct of public affairs since his election. 'Tour first steps on the soil of Lyons,' he concluded, 'are directed to the temple of the Most High, guided as they are by a sentiment of piety that finds a sympathy in our re- ligious city. We, Sir, shall follow you ; and while we address to Heaven our grateful prayers in your behalf, we shall join in your prayers for the happiness, the glory, and the prosperity of Franea' The reply was brief, and

well expressed." The deputations of the Primary Schools approached, and

thus addressed the President—" This day is the feast of St. Napoleon. The schools of Lyons salute the President of the Republic, and from their hearts wish many a happy return of the day to the nephew of the great Emperor." The President appeared much flattered by this simple compent : he re- plied—" My children, I thank you, and I am most grateful for the marks of sympathy you show me."

Leaving the pavilion, the accustomed " beautiful white charger " was mounted, and, amidst acclamations from every side, acknowledged with " imperial dignity " and much grace of horsemanship, Louis Napoleon set forth to the Cathedral, to offer up his devotions. At the Cathedral porch he was met by the Cardinal Archbishop at the head of his clergy ; and the mass was celebrated by the venerable prelate in full pontificals. Re- views and presentations then followed, and may be dismissed with the remarks made by the writer whom we quote on the character of the Pre- sident's reception.

" The reception of the President, so far as outward signs could be inter- preted, was less one of ardent enthusiasm than of respectful, confiding, and warm sympathy. At the end of each address that was presented, you heard loud shouts of Viva le President de in Republique!' and Vive Napoleon!' and those shouts were not alone confined to those whose exterior, however deceptive, would indicate a respectable position in society either from fortune

or character. There always, however, accompanied these sincere marks of respect a disagreeable drawback in the shape of, at the very most (and I

think I am forty or fifty over the mark) one hundred or one hundred and

twenty young men, or rather boys, of from twelve to fifteen or seventeen years old, dressed in blouses, who invariably took up the counter-cry of Vive la Republique !' and in a manner which indicated no affection for that or any other form of government, but a hostile feeling to the President ;

and the marked and persevering manner in which they accompanied, fol- lowed, or preceded the cortege, showed the feeling which dictated it Be- fore I left Paris I believe I mentioned that a majority of the Municipal

. Council of La Paris, had voted against funds being given for the arrival

of the President. This refusal produced an effect contrary to that intended. The inhospitable character of the proceeding won for the President many who had been moderately adverse or indifferent. Some of the principal in- habitants of the quarter, ashamed of the conduct of a portion ol their Coun- cil, took it upon themselves to call a meeting for the avowed purpose of adopting some measure that would neutralize the ungracious act of the ma- jority of the Council. Three thousand five hundred of the inhabitants of the Guillotiere met together, and agreed unanimously to the measure proposed by their chairman. The entire number proceeded yesterday, six deep, and in the most perfect order, to the Place Belle Cour, where they drew up in a vast square. This numerous deputation, fearing to ask too much in request- ing to be received by the President, prayed, however, that he would honour them by reviewing them. Louis Napoleon replied, that it was not his custom to receive his friends in the streets or other public places, but rather under his roof. The column then proceeded to the Prefecture, and was presented by small divisions or sections to the President."

In the evening the President gave a magnificent banquet; among the guests at which was especially remarked the Piedmontese General della

Marmora, sent to T.yons by his Government in special compliment to President Napoleon on his tour. The President acted as host. The Ministers of War, Public Works, and Commerce, and all the notabili- ties of Lyons, were present. The Mayor of Lyons having proposed the health of the President, he replied in the following remarkable speech-

" Monsieur le Maire—I sincerely hope that the city of Lyons, of which you are the worthy interpreter, 'sill receive the sincere expression of my grati- tude for the kind reception it has given nie. But believe me when I declare to you, that I have not conic into this part of the country, where the Emperor my uncle has left such profound traces, for the mere purpose of receiving ovations and reviewing the troops. The object of my visit is the hope that my presence amongst you may tend to encourage the good, to induce those who have been led astray to return to sober reason, and to judge by myself of the sentiments and the necessities of the country. The task I have under- taken requires your cooperation ; and that your cooperation may be frankly given as it will be frankly received, I will now tell you from my heart what I am and what I want. Gentlemen, I am the representative not of a party,

but of the two great national manifestations, which in 1804 as in 1848 desired to save' by means of order, the great principles of the French

Revolution. Proud of my origin and of my standard, I shall ever remain faithful to both. I am and shall be totally and com- pletely at the disposal of the country, no matter what is required of me, whether it be abnegation or perseverance. Rumours of coups-

d'etat have perhaps reached even you, gentlemen ; but you have not believed them, and I thank iyou. Such things can only be the dream

of parties without support n the nation ; but the man who is the

chosen of six millions of suffrages executes the will of the peo.ple, and does not betray them. Patriotism, gentlemen' consists in abnegation as well as in perseverance. In presence of general danger all personal ambition must disappear. In this case patrotism is recognized, as the maternity was re- cognized in a celebrated case. You remember the two women who claimed

the same child : by what sign did they recognize the real mother ?—why, by the renunciation of the rights wrung from her by the peril that hung over her beloved. Let the parties that love France not forget this sublime lesson. For my own part, I shall always remember it. But., on the other

hand, if culpable pretensions were revived, and menaced the tranquillity of France, I shall know how to render them impotent by again invoking the

sovereignty of the people ; for I do not admit that any one has a greater

right to call himself representative of the people than myself. You under- stand these sentiments ; for does not all that is noble, generous, sincere, find

always an echo amongst the people of Lyons ? Your history presents undy- ing proofs of it. I beg of you to take my words as a proof of my confidence and of my esteem. I drink to the health of the people of Lyons."

A grand ball wound up the proceedings of Thursday. Next day was ushered in with another banquet, a public breakfast inthe Jardin d'Hiver, ; "e management of which was confided to the artillery," and the guests at which seem to have been gathered from every class.

"The breakfast was got up by voluntary subscription ; and you may judge of the number of the enbembers, who were necessarily inhabitants onyons, from the fact that the whole of the public functionaries of the city, as well

as those from the neighbouring depurtments, who either accompanied the President here sr who followed him, the general officers, and a considerable

number of regimental offieers and sub-officers, and even private soldiers of the garrison, were invited as guests. Not the least remarkable amongst the subscribers to the breakfast, were the Mayer of the Gmllotiere, and the

members of the minority of the Mimielpal Council of that faubourg of Lyons which had refused funds to entertain Louis Napoleon. It was the first time that the President trod the soil of the commune over which the Mayor re- sides, and 'consequently that functionary thought it his duty to do the o- ntnirs."

The President acknowledged a complimentary toast in a manner that . excited immense enthusiasm—

He said how tattered he was to find himself in the midst of the Lyonnese population. At a distance, it seemed as if this people were but slightly at- tached to the Government he represented; but the many proofs of sympathy

he had received since Thisarrival amongst them obliged him to adopt a different opinion ; for in place of finding Lyons a city given over to anarchy,

he found it devoted to the principles of eider, a city of peace and industry. • The incidents of the rest of the day were chiefly repetitions of those aslready described, with variations suitable to the varying scene The '"terrille fauboure' of the Croix-Rousse was visited "with scarcely any escort" of eomese the predominating cries were for the Republic, as contrasted with its magisterial representative ; but there was an abundant -display of the favourable feeling to the President himself which seemed to 'pervade the rest of the Lyonnese population. In the evening, at a banquet given by the members of the Chamber of Commerce, the Presi-

-dent avowed the principle of" a progressively liberal commercial system." After the formal toasts, there occurred a little Beene, which formed the suitable finale of his visit to Lyons : rising againimmediately after he had sat down, he said, amidst a profound silence-

" On the eve of bidding you farewell, permit me, I pray you, g.entlemen, to remind you of certain expressions that have been celebrated. But nol—I cannot go on—it would be too much vanity on my part to say to you as the Emperor said, e People of Lyons, I love you.' You will, however, I trust, aka- me to say to which I do from the bottom of my heart, Lyonnese, I pray you love me. These words, spoken with some emotion, produced an electrical effect on the audience ; every man stood up, and a triple round of applause re- sponded to the petition preferred by the President of the Republic, and - cries of "04 oui, rums vous aimons!"

The most Southerly point of the President's journey had now been reached : the next stage from Lyons was a return Northwards through the extreme departments of the Eastern frontier. At Bourg, the chief place in the department of the Aim, bis reception was " a good one, with- out any great share of enthusiasm." At rens-le-Saulnier, in the next

'department of the Sum, it was similar. The houses were well illuminated,

and the triumphal arches were abundant; but the applause was addressed to the "President," and the cries for the Republic itself were more nu-

merous and less marked by offensive emphasis than at Lyons and else- where. At Wile, still in the Jura, the predominating cry was for the Republic: elsewhere -the President had given his presence at balls, &c.; ' Isere he hastily reviewed the National Guard and departed.

Besancon, the capital town of the department of the Daubs, celebrated for its ancient remains, its modern fortifications, its breweries, tanneries, and thousands of ingenious hands employed in watchmaking, was reached onthe 19th. An archiepiscopal see of the church, a centre of justice for :three departments, the site of an university, the stronghold of a garrison, and a social centre approximating to the free Republicanism of Switzer- land, Besancon of course unites many elements of social conflict. The • reception of the President here was different from all the preceding. Two balls were given to lira.; and the attendance at each was very crowded.

At one he was well received, but at the other he was treated with rude- ness amounting almost to personal violence. From the various brief ac- counts we select that of the Daily _News, as most positive and detailed_ "The pressure of the crowd was so great in the neighbourhood of this ball, that the troops could not form that double line which is here called la hale.' he dignity of the President, thus =hedged by the usual prickly fence of bayonets, was sadly exposed to be hustled by a rude and anything but friendly

mob, composed chiefly of workmen, who deafened him with shouts of'Viva

in Republique No sooner had Louis Napoleon gained the interior of the ball-room than the tumult became wilder and fiercer outside, and the cries louder and -more menacing; and presently in burst a torrent of the populace, headed by such grim-figures as reminded those present all too strongly of the disorders of the lust French Revolution. A roar of Vive in Republique r burst from this tumultuous column, consisting of workmen, whose fierce excitement made it probable that they would be hurried on to acts of violence, -which formed at first no part of their intentions. Indescribable confusion arose, as may be imagined, from the invasion of a ball-room by a wild rout of --such rough customers. Amid the flight and shrieking of women, and the bewildered crush of disconcerted couples, the President's staff were honour-

'ably intent in managing if possible a safe retreat for their chief and for themselves. In both of these objects they appear to have succeeded' and presently the ball-room was abandoned to the uncouth invaders, who took triumphant possession, with uproarious cries of "Vive la Republique 1' Of course they did not spare any of those symbols, such as eagles and flags with 'the President's fairish., which bore any relation to the scheme of reviving the Empire. Meanwhile, General Castellane, who had already drawn his • aword for the protection of the President in the ball-room rallied the troops, end, returning at the head of a strong detachment of cavalry charged sword in hand. Presently the ball-room was cleared by infantry at the point of the bayonet. These measures sufficed to quell the riot and restore order. Se- veral prisoners were taken."

Telegraphic despatches communicate briefly the President's further jour- ney to Strasbourg ; where "he was received with empressement by an immense crowd.' Nothinghostik has been encountered at Mielhausen, as had bean feared.

The Count de -Chambord—Henry the Fifth—has lately held a sort of conference with the supporters of his cause. The congress was informally announced some time beforehand, and was looked forward to as likely to influence the policy of the Legitimist party. A letter of the Marquis Larochejaquelin to M. Lourdoueix, the chief editor of the ultra Legiti- mist Gazette ale .Franee, gives a report on the result of the conference. The actual communioation is meagre ; its tone is that of apology because the conclusion arrived at is trivial.

"All without exception," says the learquia, "appeared to me to be en- chanted with their reception ; and all were happy to hear from the mouth

of the Count de Chambord, 'that in presence of events, and after the con- cessions that had 'been made with a view to conciliation, 'bethought it bathe- pensible to adopt a line of conduct more in harmony with the general senti- ments. of the men of our opinion.' MM. de St. Priest and Berryer explained themselves clearly in this same on every occasion ; which gave us great plea- sure. You are aware that they have not thought alike on all questions. In the nuances the line of opinions of M. de St. Priest is more approved than the other. The good intentions of all are appretiated, but the distinctions arc very marked. We are then, at the end of the pro- rogation, to enter at length en a new path ; far I know not what end we can serve in the Assembly by oentmuing to efface ourselves to fur- ther the end of usurpations by thwarting those of the Republic He said a few words by way of recommendation to be united amongst our- selves ; which will be very easy when we shall be ourselves, and defend the principles of authority and of liberty -which are the basis of our creed. . . It was therefore agreed to assume anew attitude and follow a more certain path. Nothingenore was specified. . . . . The positien of thePrince is a very difficult one ; he is compelled in general to be very effeamspect ;'he therefore avoided blaming or approving of any well-definedline of conduct in the past ; It was the surest means of not offending any ate, while at the same tirne.he desired a new and more avowed policy. The letter closes with accents so vague as 40 seggest that the writer feels the uncertainty of despair- " We must therefore, in the next session, have the same eyes, feel the same conscience, or take an absolute direction. Whoever may be the men who shall take on themselves the responsihilit3r of that direction, if it be new, if it only inspire our convictions, and be no longer the expression of concessions of principle made to opinions which are not Gera, I am, for my part, well disposed to follow it : if not—not. I think it is more than ever necessary to have the courage of one's opinions. I wish to wait in order to judge. Believe me, and do the same, whatever may be eaid or written to you."

Bee-muse—The whole of the country between Brussels and the French frontier has suffered from deluges of rain without 'parallel, and from a consequent flooding of the rivers beyond all previous experience. In the latter half of last week, storms of rain accomprmied by]ightning, which has set on fire churches, houses' and crops, and destroyed the life of men and animals in a great many instanees, burst over the whole of the hilly and wooded region South of Brussels and on the French side of the frontier. The floods from the sky were such as actually to stale down birds in their flight : bushels of dead starlings have been collected, their wings cleaving to their sides, and their body plumage sod- den with the rain. The rivers began immediately to swell, and the country was flooded for leagues. The embankment of the South- ern Railway was undermined near Mans, and at last wholly swept away. A boat was procured to 'convey the letters acmes the chasm ; but the rush of waters was -such that the boat was carried far away, and was some hours 'before it gained the point on the undamaged remainder of the line, where a locomotive awaited it. At Brussels on Friday night, the river rose so rapidly that alarm-guns were fired by the artillery. At daybreak, the Chauasee d'Anderlecht was submerged for half a rmle, and ocamnunication with Antweip cut off. At ten o'clock, the veterinary school at Cureghem was entirely submerged. All the manufactories, &c. on the banks of the river were inundated. Boats were out in all directions to assist the persons in danger of drowning. The communes of Molen- beck-St.-Iean and Luellen were inundated, as were also the Faubourg de Flandres and the quarter between the Porte de Ninove and the Rue de Gou. The waters of the Some were higher than in 1839. At twelve o'clock the inundations reached the lower parts of the town, and made great progress in the quarter of the Rue d'Amierlecht„ in the Rue date Fiancée, the Place des Martyrs, and the Maumee de Flanclres. Hal, and all the villages surrounding Brussels, were under water. At Hal the waters rose with such violence that they threw down a house. At five o'clock the inundation was more considerable than in 1820. Not only were all the faubourgs near the river inundated, but the waters continued to rise in the lower puts of the town. The authorities were on foot, and the in- habitants were in dismay. A lock on the Charleroi Canal gave way, and the water rushed into the Senne. A veritable torrent was formed in the Rues de Flandres, du Rampart des Moines, the Marche gnus C,ochons, the Rues d'Ophero, Loequenghien, &e. The water fell in cascades near the Pout des Barques. The Coin-market and several other streets were inundated. Men waded through the water to convey provisions to the inundated families. The rain again began to fall heavily. At seven o'clock the -cannon of alarm continued to thunder. The inundation 'became more and more menacing ; it invaded ell the streets of the centre of the town and the vicinity of the Southern Railway station. The Place St. Ger), became impaaseree, and the Grand Place and the Place dela Idonnaie werean danger of being inundated. The authorities hurried about in boats, super- intending measures for the removal of the injured to hospitals. On Sunday, the inundation extended from the Faubourg d'Anderlecht to the Place St. G-eiy, and covered all the streets on both sides. The waters of the Some extended from the Quai de la Fiancee to the Place dela Monnaie by the Rue Fosse-aux-Loupe, and to the Place des Martyrs by the Rue Chant d'Oiseau thereby- intercepting all communication withtheliorthem Railway. .Allthe cellars of the neighbouring houses were inundated. In the lower parts of the Theatre de la Monnam there were six feet of water, and eome of the machinery was inundated ; no performance was possible. la the Rue de la Fiancee a vast quantity of objects was swept away by the force of the wa- ters. At night the danger was increased and made more horrible by gloom. The water got into the gas-mains, and prevented the lighting of the street- lamps. Fortunately, however, the waters nowlegan rapidlytasubside; and by dawn they had sunk several feet. Many fatal accidents occurred. The horse of a gendarme on duty on the :Boulevard du eft& took fright at the flood, and threw the man into the fosse, in which there were thirty feet of water : he was drowned, though the horse was saved. On the Boulevard de l'Entrepot, near the Canal de Charleroi, a crowdassembled to see the falliug of a mass of water : a protecting bar laving given way, four men were pre- cipitated into the torrent, and three of them weredrewned.

Similar disastrous incidents happened at Mons, Charleroi, and espe- cially at Namur.

Around Mons, the whole of the meadows were deep eind.er water, and the cattle: hi the vicinity of the town had been with difficulty saved. The Trouille, in its course, caused considerable ravages everywhere. Merles k Chateau, Glary, Hiumegnies, Spiegnes, and Ityon, were entirely inundated, and in the latter place several houses had been destroyed. The Rains river had been no less destructive : Bray, Villessur-Flaine, Havre, and Obourg, were completely submerged. At Ninry there were five feet of water on the public square. Such was the force of the current through the streets, that a hundred casks of beer were rolled nearly half a league into the plain of Nimy. At St. Denis a large mill was bothly carried away.

At Charleroi, most of the shops and warehouses of the lower town have austained great damage. The briok-kiks have been without exception de- strayed. The walla of the gardens of the Hotel de l'Espemnee and of M. Firmer have given way before the rush of waters.

At Namur, on Saturday evening, the waters, by their weight and impetu- osity, burst the great gate of the Seminaire, which communicates with the court of that aablisliment, and were precipitated into the court, making a breach in the garden-walL The waters soon began to rise in the court, and threatened to invade the episcopal residence by the windows. The garden- wall, however, gave way in time to the length of Duty feet; and the flood spread over the soil, tearing up all opposing obstacles in its course. The halls and chapels of the Seminafre contained water to the depth of two feet. The students and all the domestics were cut off from supphes, and left without anything but bread. Six bridges over the Sambre are swept away. M. Be Jeer, the engineer, has visited the localities and confirms the fact. The re- pairs rendered necessary will, it is calculated, occupy at least two months.

DENMARE.—The King of Denmark is resolved to have union of some sort. Ile insists upon uniting his dukedom to his monarchy in such a political marriage as that politically they be one flesh and blood : the Dutchies refuse the union, and will sooner perish. Therefore he turns to marriage of the natural sort, and gives his left hand, in morganatic alli- suic.e, to Lola Rasmussen, a damsel of whom it is said, "she was formerly a milliner well known to the Copenhagen corps of officers." She has great influence over the King, and obtained from him the title of Baro- ness Danner. "Persons well informed state that she exercises her influ- ence in the revolutionary Danish sense, and was the person who induced the King to make such sudden concessions to the Casino Club in the Co- penhagen revolution of 1848. The marriage is so far important, that it confirms the extinction of the royal house of Denmark." It was solem- nized by the Bishop of Zeeland in person.

' lums.—To the brief notice of the news by the Indian mall which we gave in last week's Postscript little addition is necessary.

he Sikh prisoners whose escape we mentioned were mostly recaptured before they got far from their point of departure. They were being con- ducted in a cargo-boat, towed by the steamer Berhampooter, from Alla- Imbed to Calcutta. When some hours below Patna, two prisoners, whose chains had been eased on complaint of the pain given by them, used their liberty to set others free, and then after a scale the whole body got off their fetters and overpowered a slender guard. Seizing the fire-arms of their guard, they fired on the crew and engineers of the steamer which towed them ; and these last, having no means of subduing the prisoners or of protecting themselves, ran the steamer ashore on the Patna hank, and escaped. Three persons were killed and five wounded by the Sikhs, before the escape could be effected. The Sikhs then boarded the steamer and ransacked her ; and ultimately-they crossed over to the side opposite Patna, smd set out for the mountainous region of unsubdued Nepaul, which since the Ranee Chunda's flight thither has become the common resort of all the dis- affected spirits of the new territory we have conquered in the North- west. But they were pursued by a troop, and nearly all retaken.

The Indian correspondence supplies some facts of miscellaneous in- crest.

"The pestilence known as the Mahe. Murree, or certain death, has again broken out in the hills of Gurhwal and Kemaon. The Mahe Murree is believed to be highly infectious; it commences with most violent fever, which is soon followed by swellings in the arm-pits and in other parts of the body ; it destroys the infected in twenty-four hours generally, though there are some instances where, the sufferer has lingered a few hours more; it is sup- posed that not one in a hundred of those attacked recovers. It used to be the custom to taboo a village in which the disease had shown itself, to draw a cordon around it, beyond which, if any of the unhappy residents of the in- fected place dared creep out, he was shot like a mad dog. The hills in which this infection almost always shows itself are those at the foot of the great snowy ranges ; it disappears as it approaches the outer hills towards the Awns., such as the Landour and Gagur Ranges. In Gurhwal and Northern Kemaon it takes a most virulent form ; and the visiters of Nynee Tal and Al- snorah should hesitate in making the usual visits to the snowy ranges whilst this plague is said to be raging in the intermediate country, par- ticularly British Gurhwal.

"The work of surveying the Ravee Doab is going so rapidly forward, that it is expected that ground will be broken for the intended canal in September or October next at the farthest.

"Avery large deposit of fossil remains, consisting chiefly of elephants' teeth, tusks, Oze., has been discovered by Colonel Napier during the opera- tions of the Punjaub survey in the neighbourhood of Potwar. It is surmised that further investigation will connect the geological formation of the country between the Jhelum and Indus with that of the Sewalaek range, already so well known by the researches of Dr. Falconer and ahem."

WEST INDIES.—The letters and papers brought home by the West In- dia mail, which left Bermuda on the 5th, and reached Southampton on Sunday last, are unusually barren of intelligence. In Jamaira whence accounts extend to the 23d July, we hear that the alteration of the route for the Royal Mail Company's steam-ships was re- ceived with regret, as likely to injure the dry-goods trade with the Span- ish Main. However, the evil when it is realized is likely to be met with a remedy creditable to the spirit of the islanders. It has been suggested from an influential quarter, that a company of merchants be formed to purchase a steamer of 400 tons burden, and run it regularly between Kingston and the foreign ports with which the Jamaicans have long been connected by commerce ; and this suggestion is very likely to be carried ttut.

From Demerara, accounts to the 19th July communicate, that three MI shad been introduced by the Attorney-General in the Court of Policy to regulate and encourage immigration, especially that of Coolies. It is stated also, without explanation, that Governor Barkly had filled up the vacant office of Sheriff of Essequibo.

UNITED STATES.—Our brief announcement last week, on the authority of the telegraphic message from Liverpool, that the Compromise Bill had been passed by the American Senate, was qt alified by a cautionary doubt The full accounts now received show that what passed was a mere eaput mortuum of the original bill, and that the measure as a "compromise bill" was at lad thrown to the winds by the impatient Senate, after all its un- paralleled debate of a continuous half-year. The Morning Chronicle gives the history of this result in a narrative at once truthful and picturesque.

"The Compromise Bill of Mr. Clay embraced in its twenty-seven sections separate provisions for extinguishing the claims of Texas to the Eastern por- tion of New Mexico, called Santa Fe—for regulating and enforcing the ex- tradition of fugitive slaves—for giving the intermediate orgaziization of Ter- ritories' to New Mexico and Utah,

"The population of New Mexico, impatient of the tardiness exhibited by the Central Legislature, elected representatives of their own, who met and declared the whole province, Eastern end Western, a constituted Territorial Government. Texas, irritated at what it deemed an act of rebellion on the part of its subjects, determined at once to reduce Santa Fe (or Pastern New Mexico) to submission by force of anus. As soon as intelligence of these events reached Washington, the two Texan Senators seem to have materially modi- fied the course which they had previously pursued. Up to that time they had supported the Compromise Bill, which proposed to buy off their claims of territory by a payment in money to an amount of not lees than ten mil- lions of dollars. On learning, however, the decided step upon which the New Mexican Assembly had ventured, they appear to have become alarmed lest their right to compensation should be injuriously affected by proceedings which were evidently grounded on the assumption that Santa Fe was not a Texan dependency at all. Accordingly, they at once declared war against that part of Mr. Clay's measure which related to New Mexico ; and their hostility was the more important from the tenderness with width the - whole South is known to guard the interests of Texas as the nursing mo- ther of half-a-dozen future Slave States. On the 80th ultimo, Mr Das,- ' son, the Senator from Georgia, moved, as an amendment to the earlier clauses of the bill, that the operation of the Territorial Government which they constituted in New Mexico should be confined to the districts West of the Rio Grande, i. e. to Western New Mexico. This amendment, which retained Santa Fe in its dependence on Texas, was carried by the votes of the Texan Senators, aided by those from the South and South-west, and by the few from the North who are systematically in favour of every- thing which will embarrass a compromise that is condemned as dis' advanta- geous to the sacred cause of Free SoiL On the next day, July 31, Mr. Pearce, of Maryland, a professed friend of the measure—after pointing out that the virtual effect of the amendment carried the day before would be to empower the scanty settlers West of the Rio Grande to make laws for the much more numerous population dwelling East of the river—moved that so much of the bill as related to New Mexico should be struck out, on the understanding that the clauses removed should be reintroduced in their original form, and without Mr. Dawson's proviso. This course, which WA rendered necessary by the mode of procedure in the Senate, seems strange enough ; but its re- sults were still stranger. Mr. Pearee's first motion, to eliminate the clauses bearing reference to New Mexico, was readily carried. His second proposal, to restore the claims as they originally stood, was rejected—the supporters of Mr. Dawson's amendment voting against him to a man. The moment that the general scheme of the measure had thus been docked of its principal in- gredient, the - %nate seems to have been carried away by a movement re- sembling that impetuous rush of men or buffidoes in one continuous straight line which in the language of the prairies is denominated a stamo.' With brief intervals of debate, and amid exhibitions of the utmost levity, the clauses relating to the payment of money to Texas, those referring to the pursuit and recovery of fugitive Negroes, and finally those constituting Cali- fonds a State, were successively rejected by decisive majorities. Nothing was eventually left but the portion which_ gave a government to the colony established by the Mormons on the Great Salt Lake. The result will pro- bably furnish the successor of Joe Smith with the text of a truculent homily. We must hold him excused if he preaches that the heathens are about to ex- terminate each other in internecine combat, and that the remnant of Israel in Deseret will shortly be called to take possession of the American world and of the fulness thereof."

The chairman of the Naval Committee has reported favourably to Con- gress a bill for establishing a line of war-steamers for the suppression of the slave-trade on the coast of Africa, and the promotion of commerce and navigation by incidentally cooperating with the Colonization So- ciety. It has been referred to a Committee of "the whole," and is likely to be a popular measure. By its provisions, the Secretary of the Navy 18 authorized to contract for the building and equipment of three steamers, to run between this country and the coast of Africa ; each ship not less than 4000 tone burden, so constructed as to be easily convertible into war-steamers of the first class : one to leave Baltimore, and one New York, every three months, and each to be capable of carrying, as passen- gers, 2500 free Negroes, who are to be transported under the direction of the Colonization Society, at a fixed and very moderate price. In the event of war, the Government is to take charge of these ships, which are to be always officered from the navy.