ffortign an (Colonial.

FRANCE.—The Assembly occupied itself during nearly all Friday and Saturday with the discussion of motions by M. Bixio and others on the sudden turn of affairs in Northern Italy—pledging France more or less to intervention, if not to war. The debate was very animated; yet it at- tracted hardly any attention from the public, since it was looked on as a sham proceeding. Its most interesting feature was the decided tone of Thiers against a policy of perturbation, and his courageous Monarchism. M. Thiers called on those who cry out for the enfranchisement of Italy, to bring forth their means of effecting such an aim—their means of carrying out the M. Thiers called on those who cry out for the enfranchisement of Italy, to bring forth their means of effecting such an aim—their means of carrying out the

programme of the 24th of May. If you have nothing else but force in view, it is war which you want to wage, without being prepared for it. Gentlemen, I confess that I dread war for my country; but I dread one thing still more—and that is, giddily to engage in it without having sufficient means for the purpose. The only means that I can see for wresting Lombardy from Austria is to engage in war—to throw one, two, or three armies into Italy, and another on the Rhine. Even supposing that it is with Austria alone that we should have to deal, do you suppose that that would be a trifling matter. (Murmurs on the Left.) I am proud of the power of my country, but I do not carry my well-founded pride to the extent of puerility. I tell you that a war with Au.stna would be a very se- rious matter. I know the resources of that country. I have studied the subject carefully, and I affirm to you that her forces are great." But such a war would be one not alone with Austria, but with Russia and the whole of Europe. Eng- land too would be against them; and it would not be a war in which the popula- tions would side with them against the governments. (Agitation; Applause.)

The following piece of pleasantry is alike characteristic of the orator and indicative of the moderated temper in the Assembly— It had been said, that because he some years before disapproved of the conduct of the Government in the affair of Ancona, he ought to recommend that a general war should be declared at present, " Why," said M. Thiers, "that would be the same thing as to say that, because I disapproved of the acts of the Government under the Monarchy—because I formed part of the Oppmition—I 8171 at present obliged to be a Democratic Republican like you. (Murmurs on the Left; Laughter on the Right.) That would certainly be an extraordinary pretension."

A Voice on the Left—" We have no such idea!"

M. Thiers—" So much the better, for in that case we are quite of the same mind on the point." (Laughter.) The following order of the day was accepted by the Government, and carried by 444 to 320- " The National Assembly declares, that if, in order to better guarantee the in- tegrity of the Piedmontese territory, and better protect the interests and honour of France, the Exeeutive Power considers that it is bound to give to its negotia- tions the support of a partial and temporary occupation in Italy, it will find in the National Assembly the most complete cooperation." The State trials at Bourges terminated on Monday. Against Barbes and Albert were found verdicts of " Guilty"; against Blanqui, Flotte, Sobrier, Raspail, and Quentin, verdicts of " Guilty with extenuating cir- cumstances"; against General Courtais, Degrd, Berme, Thomas, Vilain, and Larger, verdicts of " Not guilty." The acquitted prisoners were im- mediately liberated. Flotte was the only one of the other prisoners who made any remark on the announcement of their conviction; he said he was not in the habit of asking favours of any one. After deliberation, the Court condemned Barbes and Albert to transportation for life; Blanqui, Sobrier, and Raspail, to transportation for ten, seven, and six years re- spectively; Flotte and Quentin, each to imprisonment for five years. " The prisoners were also condemned jointly and severally to pay the costs of the prosecution; and Sobrier, Respell, Flotte, and Quentin, to three months' imprisontnent in default of payment." Flotte is a cook; Degre an artist, and the prototype of Jerome Paturot's " Oscar." Louis Blanc and Caussidiere, with seven other persons who did not appear, were sen- tenced to transportation "par contumace."

ITALY.—The abdication of King Charles Albert, and the accession of Victor Emanuel, did not at once bring calmer counsels to the Government of Piedmont The people of Turin had been to the last kept in a state of delusive hope by the promulgation of false intelligence announcing vic- tories over the Austrians; so that the first news of the armistice raised angry disappointment and suspicion of treachery.

In the night sitting of the Deputies, on the 27th March, the reading of the armistice between General Chrzanowsky and Radetzky caused great excitement in the galleries. Cries were heard above the uproar, of " Down with the Ministry!" Pinelli endeavoured to palliate its terms; but Lanzi and several others denounced it as a shameful and premature capitulation, intolerably infamous: the Ministry should be impeached who should ratify it. Ultimately, on the proposition of Lanzi, the Assembly declared that the armistice was unconstitutional; and that the Ministry who should ad- mit the Austrians to Alessandria previously to the approval of the armistice by the Chambers, or recall the Sardinian fleet from the Adriatic, will be guilty of high treason. The Chamber declared itself en permanence, and sent a deputation to the King to know his intentions. The King received them on the 28th, and told them that he accepted with pleasure the gene- rous offers of the nation, which wished him to join in the continuance of the war of independence. Subsequently, Pinelli announced that " every step possible had been taken to prevent the enemy from taking possession of the fortress of Alessandria, and wit i the firm expectation of succeed- ing."

On the 30th, however, the Chambers were dissolved by Royal decree. A popular movement has been caused at Genoa, by the proceedings on the 27th in the Chamber of Deputies. The people resisted the entry of an approaching Piedmontese corps under General La Marmora; and the movement was succumbed to by the authorities, who allowed the National Guards to take possession of the two principal forts, the Sprone and Begato. King Victor Emanuel, ci-devant Duke of Savoy, is popular, and re- sPected for the uprightness and plainness of his character. He was born on the 14th March 1820; and married, on the 3d June 1842, Mary Ade- laide, second daughter of the Archduke Renier of Austria.

Signor Buffo lately read in the Sardinian Chamber some particulars of Charles Albert's personal gallantry, and portrayed the scene of his abdi- cation—

" The King exposed himself to the enemy's fire on every point where the danger was greatest. The balls hissed continually over his head, and numbers fell round him: he maintained himself until nightfall in the streets of Novara, to which the defence of the Sardinians was reduced. General Durando grasped his arm, and implored bim not to run uselessly the terrible risk he was incurring. 'General,' the King exclaimed, this day must be my last; let us die.' When his Majesty observed the unhappy condition of the army, and that it was quite im- possible to continue the resistance longer, he said, Since I have not met with the death I have sought, I will no lorger continue to be King.' Being expostulated with by his friends, he added, My destiny is fulfilled, my mission is accomplished; I am no longer King.' He took an affectionate leave of his two sons and his Ge- nerals, and immediately departed for Nice, attended only by two domestics."

The Savoy regiments are praised by all accounts for the unsubdued courage with which they fought all through the day : the Austrian officers join in these praises. The Lombard troops behaved with such safe cowardice that it is said not one of them was taken prisoner.

Guerazzi was appointed Dictator in Tuscany on the arrival of the news of the defeat of the Piedmontese.

GERMANY —The Archduke John has resigned the Regency of the Em- pire, and bolds office only till his successor appear. He gave in his resig- nation on the 29th of March, at an interview with the President of the in- terim Ministry, in this form-

" I am induced by existing circumstances to resign my dignity as Regent of the Empire; and I request you to make known this my resolution to the National Assembly."

Baron von Gagern besought him to reconsider his resolution: after taking an hour to do this, he sent a note, definitively resigning. The letter was accompanied by a commission to the Minister ad interim to conduct the public business, with plenary power and responsibility pro tempers.

Parssus—The Frankfort deputation to King Frederick William arrived at Berlin on the 2d instant. The two Chambers have both framed ad- dresses to the King, beseeching him not to decline the call of the German National Assembly; and urging him to fulfil the hopes of the German people, to conquer all difficulties, and to take in his strong hand the gui- dance of the destinies of the Fatherland. The address of the First Chamber was carried with only three dissentient voices; that of the Second, being an amendment on one prepared by a Radical majority in Committee, was car ried by 156 to 151.

AUSTRIA.—It is stated that 30,000 Russians hurried into Transylvania after Bern's attack on Hermannstadt, overtook his small army near Cron- stadt, and nearly annihilated it. Five of his officers who were taken pri- soners were shot. He himself escaped to Debreczin. The Magyars under Vetter and Georgey are said to have defeated Jellachich, and to be on their march past Pesth—Northwards of it—to relieve Comorn.

The Augsburg Gazette, in speaking of General Bem's exploits in Tran- sylvania, gives a different version from that recently put forward in the House of Lords. He quotes the words of the Transylvanian Messenger, Saxon paper published at Hermannstadt, to the effect that the traces of fire. murder, and pillage, which the Wallacbians (on the Austrian side) left at Zalathna and Enyed, will be more difficult to efface than those which the Hungarian army under Bem have left in their march through the whole country.

INDIA.—The Indian mail has brought another fortnight's news from the Army of the Chenaub. Our last account left Lord Gough, on the 3d Feb- ruary, encamped behind intrenchments at Chillianwallab with some 15,000 troops; the Sikh army of nearly double that number being encamped some two miles before him, at Russool, in a position immensely strong by nature, yet further strengthened by elaborately-constructed lines. The Sikh army rested its right on the Jhelum, over which a fortified bridge secured their retreat through the mountain-passes of the Salt Range to Jhelum and Attock: its centre occupied two parallel ranges of low but precipitous hills, with broken and ambuscaded ground in front: its left rested on a transverse spur of the hills occupied by the centre. In the rear of the left was a pass through the hills to the Jhelum at a higher point than that covered by the right wing; and the extreme left flank held com- mand of the Eastern country towards Ramnuggur and Vizierabad. The great superiority of the Sikhs in numbers enabled them to extend their left wing so much as to even threaten our rear and our communications with Ramnuggur: our mails were intercepted twice, and our forage-parties and camels were frequently carried off at a swoop. The enemy's aim was to force us to attack him in his stronghold. On the 12th, as on previous days, our army was drawn out in order of battle; something like a genera I attack seeming to be expected. It was learnt that Chuttur Singh had crossed the Jhelum with a large reinforcement, and was occupying the po- sition lately held by his son's right wing. The day was spent under arms, in manoeuvres and expectation; but towards evening the Sikhs retired, ap- parently within their lines. On the morning of the 13th, it was discovered that these demonstrations were a feint to cover some movement, " the na- ture of which, or the direction of which, was not known." It was supposed that Shere Singh bad gone over the Jhelum in retreat to the moun- tains: but Sir Walter Gilbert pressed forward with a reconnoitering party, and found that Russool had been abandoned, and that only some thousands of men under Chuttur Singh remained on guard at the uppermost of the two passes we have mentioned. It was rumoured that the main body, instead of crossing the Jhelum, was in full march towards Lahore; bad already taken Goojerat and Nicolson's Affghan garrison which held it for us; and was in the act of seizing Vizierabad and the fords over the Chenaub. On the 14th, it was found that the main facts of these re- ports were true; and orders were given for an immediate march : but the camels could not be caught; so the orders were countermanded, and the march put off till dawn of the 15th. On that day Lord Gough set out in pursuit of the enemy; directing his march backwards to Ramnuggur, both with the object of cutting the enemy's line of movement towards Lahore, and of sooner joining General Whish's force, marching up the banks of the Chenaub from Lahore. It would seem that this movement of Lord Gough must have failed in its main object from want of rapidity; but on the very day that Shere Singh marched from Russool, General Whish arrived at Ramnuggur with a brigade of his force: learning, immediately alter his arrival, of Shere Singh's approach to Vizierabad, he despatched Colonel

Byrne with a small force of men and guns to prevent or delay a crossing of the river. This operation was perfectly successful: Colonel Byrne found a force of 6,000 men and six guns about to cross the river opposite Sodra, just as be showed himself on his own bank. The enemy retired; and the main body of the Sikh army immediately after encamped in the neighbourhood of Goojerat, in a position of no very defensible nature. On the 16th, the force under General Whish was increased by the arrival of the divisions under Brigadiers Markham and Hervey. On the 17th, the greater portion of the force thus arrived crossed the Chenaub, and came into cooperation with Lord Gough's army, which had that day approached to within six miles of the Sikh camp. It was thought that a general action would be fought in two or three days: and as our artillery was nearly doubly superior to that of the enemy, as his superiority in men was greatly reduced by the reinforcements Lord Gough had received, and as his position was comparatively weak, no doubt was entertained of the result. On the last point, it was reported that nothing but scarcity of supplies had drawn him from his impregnable camp at Russool. Thus far the regular accounts. A brief despatch from Lord Dalhousie, of the 23d February, received at Bombay just before the mail started on the 3d March, states that on the 21st February Lord Gough attacked Shere Singh in his position near Goojerat; defeated him at all points, with a great rout; and was engaged in hot pursuit of his dispersed army when the courier de- parted. "A great portion of the Sikh artillery, his ammunition, and the whole of his standing camp, were in possession of the victors." Nothing is said as to the loss on either side.

As a drawback to this good result, despatches have fallen into our hands which prove under his own handwriting, that Dost Mahommed had been supporting Shere Singh with arms anemoney. Thus our operations will most likely he considered incomplete till Attock and Peshawar have been retaken, and Dost Mahommed humbled and made to pay cost.

Major Lawrence has come into our camp with unlimited leave on parole. His family had been well treated by Shere Singh.

WEST Lesees.—In noting the receipt of the mail last week, we merely mentioned the arrival of Mr. Barkly in Guiana; but the papers report an occurrence in the Court of Policy which ought not to be overlooked. Four of the non-official members protested against that clause in the Governor's commission which gave the power to the Privy Council of interfering with the laws enacted by the Colonial Legislature; the protesters conceiving that the Sovereign and the Imperial Parliament only should have that

authority.

UNITED Srares.—American mails to the 20th of March have arrived. The topics engrossing most attention in the Atlantic cities are two,—the conduct of Mr. Bancroft in relation to the proposals made by Mr. Lebou- chere regarding our Navigation-laws; and the impulse given to slave- emancipation from Henry Clay's new attitude in relation to that question.

The first topic has created quite a hubbub among the Webster party. Mr. Webster has moved a resolution for documents, which he supported by a speech expressing astonishment at finding that the American Minister, " who is now remaining in England, has at the present moment, and under existing circumstances, offered to act immediately in a proposition for a convention to throw open the whole coasting trade of the United States freely and without discrimination to British vessels." The motion for do- cuments was carried; the Free-trade party partially admitting that Mr. Bancroft had acted with some precipitation.

Mr. Clay's letter seems to excite less commotion than might have been expected. His letter confesses that the time is come when a beginning must be made towards abolition in Kentucky; and he sketches a plan of operations, which embodies three principles deemed by him essential,—that the measure of emancipation should be slow, cautious, and gradual; that the freedmen be removed from the state to some colony; and that the ex- penses of transport and outfit to such colony should be defrayed by a fund raised from the labour of freed slaves. The following are the main fea- tures of his plan-

" I think that a period should be fixed when all born after it should be free at a specified age; all born before it, remaining sieves for life. That period I would suggest should be 1855, or even 1860. Whatever may be the day fixed, whether 1855 or 1860, or any other day, all born after it, I suggest, should be free at the age of twenty-live, but be liable afterwards to be hired out, under the authority of the State, for a term not exceeding three years, in order to raise a sum suffi- cient to pay the expenses of their transportation to the colony, and to provide them an outfit for six months after their arrival there. Provision to be made that the offspring of those who are to be free at twenty-five should be free from their birth; but upon the condition that they should be apprenticed until they are twenty-one, and be also afterwards liable to be hired out for a period not ex- ceeding three years, for the purpose of raising money to meet the expenses of the colony and their subsistence for the first six months. Until the commencement of the system, I think all the legal rights of the proprietors of slaves, in their fullest extent, ought to remain unimpaired and unrestricted. Consequently, they would have the right to sell, devise, or remove them from the State; and in the latter case, without their offspring being entitled to the benefit of emancipation for which the system provides.

CANADA..—We have received Montreal papers to the 14th March. The Rebellion Compensation Bill was finally passed by the House of Assembly on the 6th of March.

The Quebec Gazette, in refutation of the charge that the bill has been imposed by a French Canadian majority, gives these statistics of the divi- sions upon it- " The four first resolutions were carried by yeas 52, nays 20; and among the yeas are 28 English (including Irish and Scottish) names: the fifth resolution, the principal one, by yeas 48, nays 23; 24 English names being found among the former: the sixth, by yeas 48, nays 24; the English votes being in this single in- stance equally divided. On the division at the second reading of the bill, em bodying the whole, there were 20 nays, and 46 yeas; 21 of which, constituting a sufficient majority, were English. So much for our French masters.' " The charge that the measure is forced on Canada West by Canada East is thus disposed of—

"On the four first resolutions, containing the premises from which the two others were to be deduced, the Upper Canada members were divided 20 for, and 15 against them. On the fifth and sixth resolutions, which some of the majority on the former wished to be modified, 16 voted for them, 18 against the one, and 19 against the other; 14 voted for, and 16 against, on the second reading of the bill: a majority which is only surprising for its smallness under the circumstan- ces" The popular excitement seemed to be somewhat abated; but the opposi- tion will be strenuously maintained to the last stage. Memorials are to be poured in upon the Queen, to induce her to withhold the Royal assent.

There was a rumour at Washington on the 18th, that an outbreak had commenced; but it was not credited, and is only worth mentioning to ex- plain an authentic declaration which the United States Government is said to have elicited—that General Wool should proceed to the frontier the moment it should be necessary, and promptly put down any attempt at sympathizing interference by citizens of the Republic. Some American papers are taking up the subject in a propagandist spirit. The Philadelphia Ledger says- " If this measure prevail, others will probably be taken to emancipate the coun- try more completely from foreign rule; and the end will be a peaceful separation from the 'mother-country.' The English at home will not fight for the mainte- nance of English rule in Canada; for they are enlightened enough to understand that the separation would be advantageous to English commerce. After the se- paration, Canada will knock at the doors of our Union, and the neighbouring colonies will follow. Such is destiny; and England would not now prevent it if she could, and could not if she would."

The New York Herald says—" Go ahead, boys! it is only one deep dire,: and all is over."