26 APRIL 1856, Page 6

lorrign nit Canuillt.

iraurr.—The Plenipotentiaries have now left Paris. The Emperor Napoleon desired to bestow the grand cordon of -the Legion of Honour on Lord Clarendon ; a distinction which British 'usage did not permit him to accept. The Maniteur has published several decrees making considerable re- ductions in the French army. Thus, the fourth battalions of the hun- dred regiments of the Line are suppressed ; the 101st and 102d regiments of the Line, one cavalry regiment, and the First and Second Foreign Legions, are disbanded.

The Daily News, which seems-rather in the way of such thin' gs just now, publishes what purports-to bean authentic report of a speech deli- vered by Count Walewski at the sitting of the " Congress "—no longer styled " Conference "—on the- 8th instant. Count Walewski invites the Plenipotentiaries before they separate; to-ex- change their ideas on certain subjects with a view to the prevention of fu- ture complications. The first topic is Greece; state of which is said to be far from satisfactory ; and it is suggested that the Congress should mani- fest a desire that the "three Protecting Courts should take into their ma- ture consideration the deplorable situation of the kingdom which they had created, and devise means to apply a remedy." - France and England can- not put an end to their occupation " so long as. serious modifications are not made in the present state of things." The second topic is the Pontifical States. France is proud of the title " eldest child of the Church." She aided the Pontiff as a Catholic, and as an European Power. But there is much that is abnormal in the situation of a power which had need of the support of foreign troops in order to main- tain its authority. He did not hesitate to declare, and he hoped that Count Buol would say as much on the part of Austria, that France was not onlk ready to withdraw her troops from Rome, but she desired with all her heart that the time when she might do so without compromising the interests of the Pontifical Government, in.which the Emperor took so lively an interest, might not be indefinitely postponed. In the same section of his speech Count Walewski suggested that the King of the Two-Sicilks should be warned-by Congress that he is pursuing a wrong course, and that it would be wiser to conciliate his subjects by a well-considered clemency.

The third and largest section is devoted to Belgium. Belgian publications contain-hostile and insulting attacks on the Government of France, and

praises of secret societies directed against the internal tranquillity of France ,by the enemies of social order. And this is done withimpunity "under

the shelter of Belgian legislation" [i i .e. trial by jury]. The French Govern-

tnent is satisfied with the conduct of " the Cabinet of Brussels "—the laws of Belgium do not empower it to repress these excesses. The French Go- vernment would regret to make Belgium understand that she must modify her legislation, because that would resemble a threat. He suggests that the Great Powers should express their opinion on the subject ; and that if they did so, "the Belgian Government, relying upon the great majority of the country, would find itself in a position to. put an end to a state of things which cannot fail, sooner or later, to preclude difficulties • and even dangers 'which it is for the interest of Belgium-to avert." " In conclusion, the Count proposed that the Congress should crown its labours by a declaration which would constitute a real progress in interna- tional jurisprudence e and would be gratefully accepted by the entire world. The Congress of Westphalia had declared for liberty of conscience ; the Congress of Vienna for the abolition of the slave-trade and the free naviga- tion-of rivers. It would be worthy. of the Congress of Paris to put an end to long-standing dissensions by laying down the bases of an uniform mari- time code in time of war. The four following principles would completely attain this object-1. The abolition of La Course - 2. that neutral mer- chandise covers enemy's merchandise, except contraband of war ; 3. that neutral merchandise, except contraband of war, cannot be seized even under an enemy's flag ; 4. that a blockade, is only obligatory so far as it is real."

At the sitting of the Legislative Body on the 18th, Count Montalem-

bert made a speech on a recent decision of the Court of Cessation' to the effect that electoral bulletins cannot be distributed without the authority • of the Prefect of the department. The speech was delivered propos of the introduction of .Mount Labedoyere, recently elected member for the Seine Inferieure. Count de Morny, the President, asked M. de Month- lembert whether he disputed the election ; and receiving an answer in the negative; the President authorized M. de Montalenibert to make his observations, but under the express condition that the Government should not be called upon to answer them. Count de Montalembert pointed out, that the incontestable and incomparable strength of the present Government consisted in the extraordinary sanction it had re- ceived from universal suffrage "; and that that strength could only be maintained by liberty of election. If he were a factious man, he should re- joice in the decision of the Court of Cessation, because it would raise up opposition ; but as a good citizen he wished to give the Government a loyal arnin ofg-

.A w rticle 21 the organic decree stipulated that the • electors should come

to the poll with bulletins prepared outside the electoral meeting. Every elector might therefore have recourse to a third party to prepare his bulletin. There might therefore, according to this decree, be concert and discussion between citizens. From this it necessarily resulted to his mind, that the distribution of bulletins by one elector to another was a thing permitted. _Now it seemed to him that the judgment of the Court of Cessation prohibited this intercommunication when there was- no previous -authorization by the Prefect ; and this was, in his view, equivalent to placing the election in the hands of the prefectonal administration He was no great admirer, for his own part, of universal suffrage, but as long as it existed he desired to see it honestly acted upon. He would infinitely prefer the institutions of the first Empire, when the Senate named the Corps Legislatif, to a deceitful system of universal suffrage. There are two systems of interpreting law. The one was the Judaic, which he might also call the Britannic system' -- for the English, sticking rigorously to the text of their laws, sometimes draw the strangest consequences from them k the other was the interpretation which he would call French, and Which consisted in seeking above all -things for the.spirit of the text. The first system might be summed up in the maxim " summum jus summa injuria " ; the second was that which had 'always honoured the French judges, and which might be described in their celebrated phrase, " La cour rend des errata et non des services." He would ask which • of these two systems had been followed by the Court of Cessation ? He was convinced that it was not for the interest of the Go- vernment, and that it was not its desire, to use the ,fatal power which had been conceded to it by the Court. He hoped the Government would not make use of the fatal present which the Court. of Cessation had made. That _:court might reverse its own judgment, as it had done on former occasions ; but as it might be long before- it did. thin, he called for an alteration of.the _law on this momentous subject.

No comment was made on this significant address.

The French Government are preparing an-expedition to Madagascar, " with the approval of the English Government." All that will be done at present is to send a regiment to the Western extremity of the island, 4‘ to protect French subjects and-property."

During his stay in Paris, Baron.Manteuffel received a deputation from

the London Society of the Friends of Peace, who came to offer their -thanks to the representatives of the Powers who had contributed to its attainment. In addition to the usual honeyed and rounded phrases -which such an occasion calls for, the deputation pressed on the Minister to be the bearer and expositor of their thanks and sentiments of respect to the King of Prussia for his endeavours towards •the attainment of peace.

intg.—The King of the Two Sicilies, with a very grand p , at-

tended a fete in honour of the birth of an heir to the French. throne given at the French Legation at Naples on the 14th April. This is. re- garded as signifying that Naples is desirous of conciliating and honour- ing France. The King opened-the ball with Madame Brenier.

SUSI i .—The Emperor of Russia, having ratified the treaty of Paris at St. Petersburg, set out for Moscow ; where -he arrived, ins- -expectedly," on the 10th instant, with his brothers the Grand Dukes ; and where he met with a " most enthusiastic " reception. On the 11th he gave andience to Count Zarewaki, the Military Governor, and depu- tations from the nobles and the civil and military authorities. To these bodies the Paris Constitutionnel reports that he made the following

-speech. " Gentlemen—The war is over; for I ratified the treaty of peace which

had been signed at Paris before I left St. Petersburg. I am leapppy to be able to announce the news to you officially, and to repeat to the nobility of Moscow the words which I addressed to my people in my last manifesto. Russia was able to defend herself for many years to come ; and I believe that, no matter what forces were brought-against-her, she was invulnerable On her own territory. But I felt that it was my duty,. in the real interests

• of the- countryi to lend an ear to proposals compatible with the national -honour. War is an abnormal-state, and the greatest successes obtained by it scarcely compensate for the evils it occasions. It had caused an inter- ruption of the commercial relations of the empire with most of the states of Europe. I should certainly have carried it onliad not the voice of neigh- bouring states pronounced itself against the policy of late years. llyfirther, of imperishable memory, had his reasons for acting as he did. I knew his 'views and I adhere to them from my very soul ; but the treaty of Paris has obtained the object which it was his ambition to obtain, and I prefer this means to war.

"Many of you, I am aware, regret that I should have so readily accepted 'the propositions made to me. It was my duty as a man and as the head of a great empire, either to reject or accept them frankly ; I have honourably and conscientiously fulfilled that duty. I am sure that allowances will be made for the difficult position in which I was placed, and that shortly every devoted friend of Russia will render justice to my'views and intentions for the -welfare-of the country. "Supposing the fate of arms should have remained constantly favourable to us as it has been in Asia, the empire would have exhausted its resources in keeping up large armies on different points, the soldiers of which would in a great measure be taken away from agriculture and labour. In the go- vernment of Moscow itself many manufactories have been compelled to close. I prefer the real prosperity of the arts of peace to the vain-glory of combats.

" I have thrown open the ports of Russia to the commerce of the' world, the frontiers to the free circulation of foreign produce. I wish, henceforth, that the greatest facility shall be afforded in our markets for the exchange of ware of every origin, and of the raw materials and manufactures of our soils. Various projects will shortly be communicated to you, the object of which will be to give an impulse to home industry, and in which, 1 trust, every nobleman will take a share."

[The Emperor is further reported to have spoken " at considerable length." If so, the above version of his speech, although written in the Yost person, cannot be the whole of what he said.] He spoke with "some emotion," and was listened -to "in religious silence." It is anti- cipated that the coronation of the Czar will be celebrated on the 30th August, the fête day of St. Alexander.

The Emperor has ordered the-Militia to be disbanded, and the army to be placed on a peace footing. The Admiralty has ordered all the light- houses to be lit and all the buoys to be laid down in the Gulfs of Bothnia and.Finland and in the Baltic and White Seas.

The Governor-General of New Russia and Bessarabia notifies that "commercial relations with France, England, Sardinia, and Turkey, are reestablished on the old bases."

The Dresden Journal announces that Count Nesselrode is about to re- tire from the department of Foreign Affairs, and to be replaced by Prince Gortschakoff, lately at Vienna. The same journal adds, that although Nessehrode quits the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he will still retain the post of Arch-Chancellor of the Russian Empire.

trimfa.—The conclusion of peace has brought about a fra- ternization with the Russians in.he camp of the Allies. The Russians come and drink deeply with the French and English, and return intoxi- cated. They wander about Sebastopol, and an engineer officer has made a tour of the lines of the Allies. The British navvies have found their way across the Tchernaya to the caves of Inkerman. The Russian offi- cers seem to hold with the French rather than with the English.

The conclusion of peace was announced to the French army by Mar- shal Pelissier in the following proclamation.

"Soldiers—The Emperor lately said to your brethren, You have well deserved of the country,: You will successively hear, in your turn, the -same expressions from the august lips of his Majesty. "Soldiers—By your energy, by your resolution, your heroic constancy, your indomitable courage, you have achieved, with our brave and faithful allies, the peace of the world. " I have a right to say it, at the eight of so many fields of battle sprinkled with-your blood, witnesses of your calm self-denial, and from which each time your glory rose more radiant and noble, and crowned your sublime -efforts.

" You will shortly see again your country, happy at your return, hap_py at a_glorious peace, a peace-signed at the cradle of an Imperial infant. Let us all be impressed with that augury k let us find in it a new sign of Divine protection, and, if necessary, an additional inducement to accomplish' all our duties towards the Emperor and the country. " The Marshal Commander-in-chief, A. Pm-Isamu, "Head-quarters at Sebastopol, on the 2d April 1856."

Marshal Pelissier reports that the health of the French army "is be- coming excellent" Dr. Hall's report shows that the British army, al- though not quite so well as it was•lately, is still in good condition.

During the-first week in April, the ratio of admissions to strength were 2.32 to strength. "Deaths to strength, 0.02 per cent ; sick to well, 3.98 per cent ; all of which I consider remarkably low, much lower than we can reasonably expect them to continue as the spring advances."

General Espinasse has officially made a tour of all the French hospitals in the East, and he reports favourably of their condition. The evacuation of the Crimea has begun, by the embarkation of De Failly's Diviaiqn, stationed at Eupatoria, now on its way to France.

General Codrington reports that General Williams had been carried from Tiflis into the interior of Russia.

Itnrkni.—The Sultan reviewed a body of British troops of all arms, near the Scutari Barracks, on the 7th April. The infantry were repre- sented by detachments, but the cavalry made a gallant show. The Ger- man Legion also formed part of the infantry. Lord Stratford was on the ground, and with him the Sultan talked a good deal. There have been horse-races and steeple-chases near Scutari. The Sultan gave five silver cups as prizes. Disturbances have taken place in several parts of the Sultan's do- minions, in consequence of the publication of the famous Matti-seherif. The Porte has deposed the Hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia, and has intrusted the government to a Commissioner.