anb (Colonial.

, PEINSI.L—The long-promised constitution has been promulgated, by King Frederick William, in a decree and three ordinances, bearing date the 3d instant "We recognize in this matter," says the King, "one of the weightiest problems of the kingly calling bestowal on us by God, in the solution of which a twofold aim is marked out for use—namely, to transmit the rights, the dignity, and the power of the Crown inherited fron1 our ancestors of glorious memory intact to our successors on the throne; but at the same time to grant to the faithful States of our monarchy that coOperation which, in unison with those rights and the peculiar relations of our monarchy, is fitted to secure a prosperous future to our country."

Continniee to build on the laws given by his late royal father, 'elle King deereee as Ibllows--e - •

11. As often as the wants of the tate they require either fresh loans or the lattoduction of new taxes, or the increase of those already existing, we will call together around us the Provincial Diets of the monarchy in an United Diet, in order, firstly, to call into play that coOperation of the Diets provided by the ordi- nance respecting the national debt ; and, secondly, to assure us of their consent. "2. We will for the future call together at periodical times the Committee of the United Diet

"3. We accord to the United Diet, and to its representative the United Le- gislative Committee, the following rights—a. To take part in the legislative discussion respecting the making of laws, according to the mode prescribed by the law of June 6, 1823, (section 111, No. 2) for the Provincial States, so long as no general legislative assembly should be convoked. b. To take a legislative part in the payment of the interest and the principal of the national debt; so far, how- ever, as not to interfere with the duties of the legislative commission for the man- agement of such debts. c. The right of petition upon internal, though not merely provincial, matters." The King expects to find that his subjects will reciprocate the confidence thus exhibited.

The formation of the United Diet is set forth in the first ordinance. It is to be composed of the eight Provincial Diets; to be summoned as often as the King may deem necessary, and at such place as he may specially determine in each particular case. The Princes of the Royal House, having attained their majority, are to sit and vote in the "Estate of Princes, Counts, and Seigneurs," at the United Diet Such Princes and Nobles may vote by proxy. Respecting the organization and enlargement of the Estate of Nobles, (Herrenstand,) the:right of further regulations is reserved. The Deputies of the Estate of Knighthood, (Ritterschaft) and the Com- moners of the eight Provinces, are to appear in the United Diet in the same numbers as in the Provincial Diets.

"If new loans are required for covering the expenses of the State in time of peace, we will not contract them without the consent of the United Diet

"I1 however, in the event of expected war, or wait already broken out, the funds in our treasury and other reserve funds are insufficient for the requisite rupee, extraordinary supplies and loans must therefore be raised; and if urgent political circumstances should not admit of our appeal to the United Diet, the said loan shall be raised with the concurrence of the Committee of Management for the national debt; which concurrence shall stand in lieu of the coOperation of the States."

•

"Section 7. . . . . . Should a loan be raised in the manner mentioned in e ction 6, we will, on the removal of the obstacles which prevented an appeal to the United Diet, call it together, and explain the object and application of the loan. "Section 8. Moreover, the United Diet, conformably with Article 9 of the ordi- nance of 17th January 1820, must propose to us the candidates for vacant posts in the chief department for the administration of the national debt; and, conform. ably with Article 13 of the said ordinance, the accounts for the administration of the national debt, drawn up by the Committee of Management, must be carefully examined by the United Diet, and submitted to us for discharge in separate reso- lutions. When the United Diet is not sitting, this business must be transacted by the United Legislative Committee.

"Section 9. Without the consent of the United Diet we will not introduce any new imposts, nor increase the amount of the existing taxes, either generally or in any particular province. This condition does not., however, extend to import, ex- port, and transit duties; nor to those indirect taxes, the specification, levying, or administration of which may be the subjects of an understanding with other Powers: neither does that condition refer to domains or royal property, (whether the arrangements relate to income or to substance,) or to taxes for objects relating to provinces' circles, or communes.

"Section 10. In the event of a war, we reserve to ourselves the right of levying extraordinary taxes without the assent of the United Diet, when urgent political circumstances do not permit us to call it together. In such cases,laowever, we will, as soon as circumstances permit, or at latest on the termination of the war, make known to the United Diet the object and application of the extraordinary taxes which may have been levied?

Power is reserved of "demanding extraordinary counsel" frcm the United Diet in framing laws relating to "alterations in the rights of per- sons" and property, or on "other matters"—other than taxation. On changes in the constitution of the Diet the United Diet is to be "con- stilted," "should it be deemed necessary." To the United Diet belongs the right of laying before the throne petitions and complaints having refer- ence to the whole kingdom.

"Section 14. When the United Diet has to determine on raising new State loans, or the introduction of new taxes, or increasing the existing rate of taxes, the Estate of the Nobles must take part with the other Estates in the discussion and decision. In all other cases, the deliberations and votes of the Estate of the Nobles in the United Diet are to take place in a separate assembly."

When the two assemblies, or one of them, shall decide against a law by a majority of less than two-thirds of the votes, the views of the minority are to be submitted for Royal consideration. A President and Vice-President are to be appointed by the King for each assembly, to conduct the business find preside over the deliberations. The functions of the United Diet are distinct from those of circles, communes, or corporations; and Deputies are not to receive instructions or commissions from their constituents. The Mi- nisters of State, and "also such of our high officers as we may appoint," are to attend the sittings of the United Diet, and take part in the dis- missions, but are not to vote, unless entitled to do so as members. The rules for the conduct of the business must be approved by the King. The second ordinance relates to the United Legislative Committee, and its functions: " The Legislative Committees of the Provincial Diets are to be convened to form the Committee of the United Diet, according to the regulation laid down by the ordinances of 21st June 1842.

" The former Princes of the Empire in the province of Westphalia' as well as those in the Rhine province, are to be entitled to depute from amongst themselves two members each to the Committee of the United Diet, who may participate in its proceedings either in person or through plenipotentiaries from the members of the Estate of Nobles of the United Diet. Besides this, a deputy is to proceed to the Committee of the United Diet from each of the provinces of Prussia, Bran- denburg, Pomerania, and Posen, to be elected by and from the members of the First Estate entitled to single or collective votes. As regards the province of Pomerania, the Prince of Putbus is to assume this post without election, so long as he remains the only nobleman in the province possessed of the qualification specified.

The election of the other members of the Committee is to take place at thee United Diet, in accordance with the ordinances of the 21st June 1842, through the representatives of the several provinces; but in the interval between ones United Diet and another as hitherto—namely, at each Provincial Diet' The Committee will be convened when necessary; but at the furthest in four nears from the period of its last assembly, or of that of the Unita Diet. Power is reserved to the King in exceptional cases to submit laws concerning the whole monarchy or several provinces, to the opinion of the Provincial Diets.

Neither the Committee of the United Diet nor the United Diet can peti- tion for alterations in the constitution. The other arrangements for con- ducting the business of the Committee are similar to those laid down for the United Diet.

There is still a third ordinance, establishing a Deputation of the Diet for the affairs of the State Debts. The Deputation is to consist of eight members, one from each of the eight provinces; to be chosen by the States of the province for six years. The election is to take place at the United. Diet; but, in the interval between one Diet and another, in the Provincial Diets. The election can only fall on members of the Diet. Each member to have two locum tenentes chosen, of whom one is to replace him in case of need. Members of the Deputation are to be sworn. Its duties are these- " 1. It is to take charge of the redeemed State debt documents, according to. the regulation of Article 14 of the ordinance of 17th January 1820, and to effect their deposit in the judicial chamber.

"2. It is to audit the annual accounts of the interest and extinction of the State debts, after they have been preciously revised by the Upper Chamber of Accounts, and to cause them to be presented to us for our approval by the United Diet or the Committee thereof, on its next assembly, according to the 14th article of the ordinance of 17th January 1820. "3. It is authorized to undertake extraordinary revisions of the fund for the extinction of the State debts and the control of the State papers on the occasion of its meeting." The Deputation will meet regularly once a year, or oftener if occasion demands; and five is to be a quorum. It will elect its own President; who must be presented to the Minister of the Interior.

The following incident is narrated in communications from Posen. On the 9th of January, a mounted gendarme met on the road near Rogasen an unknown man, having the appearance of a peasant. Following him to a public-house in the village of Studzeniec, he demanded to see his papers. The stranger delivered up seine documents; which the gendarme pro- nounced unsatisfactory. On being threatened with arrest, the man drew a pistol, shot the officer, and escaped into a neighbouring wood. Here he was soon captured by the peasants. The culprit described himself as an emi- grant from Warsaw, by name Anton von Babinski, and a member of the Democratical Society of Paris: he had sojourned in the Grand Dutchy of Posen since the 4th of January this year, with a view Of promoting the objects of this society relative to the restoration of Poland. Von Babin- ski was brought before a court-martial on the 30th January; and having been sentenced to be shot, was executed, in the Kanonenplatze, on the let instant.

FRANCE.—In the Chamber of Deputies, on Friday, M. Guizot answered M. Thiers in defence of his conduct in the affair of the Montpensier marriage. He maintained, that the course he had followed was demanded by necesdty, and marked throughout by honourable dealing. The position of the Government was very different in June with Lord Aberdeen in power, and in July when Lord Palmerston succeeded to office. Practically there was a complete concert and ac- cord between himself and Lord Aberdeen' who maintained that the Queen should marry no other prince than a descendant of the house of Bourbon; but the case was altered when Lord Palmerston came into office. Whereas Lord Aberdeen re- buked Mr. Bulwer for favouring an alliance with Prince Leopold, Lord Palmer- ston expressly mentioned that Prince as a candidate for the Queen's hand. Lord Aberdeen had never mentioned the treaty of Utrecht, nor bad he made any ob- jection to the marriage of the Duke de lllontpensier with the Infanta. On the 20th July, the French Government proposed that France and England should jointly support the claims of the two sons of Don Francisco de Paula: no answer was obtained from Lord Palmerston until the 28th of August. But the circum- stances would brook no such delay. The Spanish Government, menaced by revo- lution, proposed, on the 9th of August, to marry the Queen to Don Francisco de Assis, on condition that the other marriage, that of the Infanta to the Duke de

Montpensier, should be also agreed to. In this state of the question, we should have been blind and culpable—we should have failed in our relations with Spain to have refused that proposition; for, had we done so, we should have thrown Spain under the influence of England." M. Gnizot repelled in the strongest man- ner the odious accusations made by Lord Palmerston, that violent means of moral coercion were used by M. Bresson to obtain the Queen's consent. She adopted her resolutions in fall liberty. M. Guizot explained whet had passed between himself and Lord Normanby— 'When I informed Lord Normanby that the marriages were settled, he asked if they would both be concluded at the same time. I re- plied that they would not: and I was right in so replying, for at the moment at which I spoke, not only was nothing as yet decided, but we were labouring at Madrid to prevent the simultaneousness of the two marriages. The Queen- mother insisted strongly on that point; but we opposed it; and M. Bresson wrote to me that he had to contend a whole day against Queen Christina, and that it was with the greatest trouble that he had succeeded in maintaining in the stipu- lations the words autant que faire se pourra,' which constituted our liberty of action. We were then in the right in saying that the two marriages would not be simultaneous; for we laboured to prevent them; and M. de Bresson, in order to ob- tain that point, even went the length of threatening to annul all that had been

done. • • Just as much as I was right on the 1st and 2d September in saying that the marriages would not take place at the same time, so was I right on the 4th September, on deciding that they should be simultaneous. It is true that I did not inform Lord Normanby of it; but I -think I should have been want-.

ing in the most common prudence if, in presence of a declared and active op- position I had given Lord Palmerston time to prepare his weapons."

Speaking of the interview reported by Lord Normanby in his despatch of the 25th September, M. Guizot admits that he was bound to speak the truth, but only to "reply so far as snits the interest of my country." He refuses to admit as an authentic document an account sent home by an Ambassador, which had not been previously submitted to him for verification. Lord Normanby had acted differ- ently on a previous occasion. On the 25th September affairs had changed. The protest of the British Government had been delivered to him' announcing every species of opposition to the marriage. "I saw a great effort made at home and abroad against the solution which we had agreed to. I saw and felt myself—and the expression that I am about to use 18 not intended to offend any one—I felt myself in the presence of an adversary. I felt myself obliged to say nothing but what was true, but also to refrain from saying anything that might injure my cause."

Towards the close of his harangue M. Guizot added "a word on Eng- land "—

" Deceive not yourselves: the interests, the instincts, the causes of action, which induce England and France to desire to live well together, in spite of so many cir- cumstances incessantly arising in opposition to harmony, are so powerful that they will surmount passing dissensions. England believes that what has occurred is injurious to the liberty and the foreign policy of Spain. I trust to time to prove to England, that there may be good relations between France and Spain without dependence on the part of the latter country. England believes herself to be threatened in the Mediterranean. This is a serious error. When the treaty of Utrecht was concluded, the influence of England in the Mediterranean was not what it is at present. That treaty gave Gibraltar to England; but then she had not yet Malta on the other side. For the last hundred years, the equilibrium of the treaty of Utrecht has been always broken for the benefit of England and to -our detriment. The possession of Algeria, and the good intelligence between France and Spain, are at the most but a compensation for what England has ac- quired. I run very far from regarding the Mediterranean as a French lake. This 18 one of those unfortunate expressions calculated to cause difficulties between na- tions. The Mediterranean neither is nor can be a French lake; but it posse.sPi too much importance for France for her not to watch with much solicitude on all the changes that may take place in that quarter. I repeat, that for a hundred years all those changes have been to our detriment. The uneasiness of England is unjust and erroneous. Facts will before long demonstrate this, and will prove the justice of the considerations which I submit to the Chamber."

Saturday was mainly taken up with a speech by M. Berryer. He at- tacked Ministers for not being sincere in promoting the English alliance; yet he approved of the Montpensier marriage. He moved an amendment; but it came to nothing.

The debate on the address still proceeded on Tuesday.

Lord Normanby was understood to have sent home for fresh instruc- tions; and accordingly a despatch to that effect appeared in the Morning Chronicle yesterday. The English Ambassador considers it necessary to refer to his Government, as M. Guizot had impeached his veracity; and he explains that the despatch which M. Guizot corrected only received a few verbal alterations—not, Lord Normanby thinks, for the better. Lord Pal- merston, in a despatch which also appeared in the Morning Chronicle of the 12th, though only dated "Foreign Office, February 11, reassures Lord Normanby, on the score of the implicit trust put in his statement, by "her Majesty's Government,"—meaning Lord Palmerston. In another despatch, Lord Palmerston tells the British Ambassador at Paris that the correspond- ence on the Montpensier marriage is closed: K Guizot's last despatch not needing further answer.

STMT.—The Madrid Gazette of the 31st publishes the decrees ap- pointing the new Ministers, and accepting the resignation of their prede- cessors. Sailor Castro y Orozco's Cabinet is said to be viewed with -disfavour by the public, from the part taken by the Queen Dowager in its formation. There are breakers ahead, in Christina's rumoured claim to be reimbursed thirty millions of reals spent by her in the Flores expedition. Another demand is said to have been made by the King of the French,— for an apanage for the Dutchess de Montpensier; and the two claims together are thought likely to sink the new Ministry.

In the Spanish Senate, on the 1st instant, the Marquis de Miraflores entered into explanations respecting his share in promoting the marriages; noticing the statements recently made public in the notes of Lord Pal- merston and M. Guizot. M. Guizot asserted that the " overtures " for the marriage of the Infanta had proceeded from the Marquis: this the Marquis denies. Any conversation he had on the subject with M. Bresson was entirely of a private and confidential nature, and never intended to be communicated to any one, much less in an official manner. As to the July mission, the Marquis admitted that he had gone to Paris and had several interviews with King Louis Philippe at Neuilly : but he declared that he was not diplomatically nor officially employed to proceed to Paris on the subject of the Queen's marriage or the Infanta's. He went there, saw the King, and had various conversations with him on Spanish affairs, but never in an official character, and simply as the Marquis de Miraflores.

Portrucsu— There are accounts from Lisbon to the 1st, and from Oporto to the 2d instant. Saldanha was still at Agneda, twelve leagues from Oporto. It was his policy to wait for the effect of desertion and de- moralization among the insurgents ; letting them conquer themselves. M`Donnell was said to have positively declined to postpone Don Miguers pretensions at the instigation of the Oporto Junta. His whereabout was, however, not exactly known, since the defeat at Braga. A conspiracy had 'been discovered on board the Diana frigate for the escape of the prisoners taken at Torres Vedras and confined in the ship. Bomfim and Fernando da Villareal had bribed the captain and some of the men; but the plot was :discovered, and the prisoners were to be forthwith shipped off to the Cape de Verde Islands.

"The Duke de Terceira is still in the Castle of the Foe. Since the Marquis of lonle's arrival here, the Duke has been much better treated."

A telegraphic communication from Marseilles, of the 7th instant, an- nounces that Don Miguel had secretly left Rome. He embarked in an open boat at Ostia, and was put on board a vessel which sailed immediately. His dest;fl - Ion was bel'eved to be Portugal.

Maxmo.--The West India mail-steamer Dee has brought news from Mexico to the 31st December. Congress met on the 6th; Santa Anna was appointed President, and Gomez Farras Vice-President. There is no decisive news from the seat of war: no "great battle" had been fought.