lartigu. gull Coluttiat.

fram.—The inundations still absorb the public interest in France. The rise of the Loire followed that of the rivers of the South ; and the Central and Western departments were deluged at the close of last week and the beginning of this. At the latest dates the watera were subsiding, and the weather had become very fine. The Emperor continued to

manifest the strongest personal interest. At the end of last week he went down the valley of the Loire as far as Tours. There his course was arrested by the floods, and he returned to Paris. But on Sunday he started from St. Cloud for the third time. He went by Chartres and Le Mans to Angers, where he arrived at six in the evening of Monday; he was compelled to travel post, and did not reach Nantes until Tuesday evening. On Wednesday he returned to Paris; spent nearly ten. days in the midst of the inundations. In all paces he was received with. demonstrations of delight. It is told, that when riding about at Lyons, contemplating the disasters around him, he was visibly affected. "Tears filled his eyes, and frequently overflowed and trickled down his cheeks. No words can express what passed between the Sovereign of France and. this poor desolated population. Women and children clung to his horse, in front of which hung a large leathern bag, full of gold, out of which he distributed largely with his own hand, and with great gentleness, to the unfortunates around him."

Some details of the calamity that has athipted France will give an idea of its extent. Below Lyons, the Emperor was forced to relinquish his horse and go from place to place in a boat. • Viewed from the. tower of Arimes, near Arles, the whole country between the city and the sea seemed to be under water. A steam-boat passed over the Camargue, a tract of land near Arles, picking up persons from the roofs of the isolated houses—saving sixty lives. Many persons had been thirty-six hours without food. As the water has drained from the low-lying quarters of Lyons, "numerous bodies have been discovered in a state of decompo- sition." At the Orleans Railway station, the waters reached the fourth story ; aid at a neighbouring hotel travellers were compelled to let them- selves down by sheets into boats. At Tours, the; ater was ten feet deep, at the Railway station ; and as far as the eye could reach the adjacent country was under water. Many bridges were broken down, Walls levelled; dikes burst, 'Rums submerged. On the high grounds round. Tours, "thousands of victims were grouped together without shelter and without food." The Rue Royale at Toure is "like a canal, and boats- are plying on it incessantly" ; "the Mail is like a torrent" ; "all sorts. of things are floating about." Saumur was isolated ; the waters filled: the immense slate-quarries at Angers, and threw ten: thousand people out of work. Whole villages were swept away in some places. " A fact which does honour to Cardinal Morlot, Archbishop of Tours, is re- lated. He went at the head of his clergy to the dikes, and Worked vigorously with spade and shovel among the labourers in strengihening them ! " " The pupils of the cavalry school at Saumur gave a fine example of courage and de- votedness : they plunged into the water with their horses, saved many in- valids and infirm persons from certain death, and compelled the inhabitants to leave their dwellings. The clergy likewise displayed considerable energy, and effected much in combating the strange determination of the people. to' remain in their houses. A young curate swam to a man who was clinging to a tree, and succeeded in landing him in safety." " At a little village named Crevery, three families wets surprised by the rise of the Allier, and were only saved at the last moment by the devotedness of some boatmen; a few instants after they had been teken from the roofs of the houses on which they had sought refuge, the waters swept over them. Another narrow escape took place near Vichy, where two children were surprised by the rise while fishing on a little island in the Allier. They had time onlyta climb into a high tree when the island was covered. They remaiiied in that terrible position from Thursday evening to Saturday morning, andthe provi- sions they had taken with them were exhausted. No one dared to render them assistance, as to appproach the spot was to encounter almost certain death. Three sailors from the Crimea, however, placed themselves in a boat, and, with the father of the children, set off for the isle, followed by the prayers of all the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. These intrepid men succeeded, in rescuing the two children; and on returning to Vichy they were wel-

comed with enthusiasm." - • • • ' • Public subscriptions are on in all directions. The Empress and the Prince Imperial send 60,000 francs ; the Pope 15,000. Many rail, way companies have liberally imbseribed: Prinee Jerome and Prince Nee poleon have handed in 15;000 francs. The Bank of France and the Ciedit Mobilier give 1110,000 francs each. Baron Rothschild gives 40,000 francs, and the two Pereires 30,000 francs between them. The Municipality of Paris has voted 100,000 francs. These sums afford a faint idea of the extent of the subscription. Cardinal Patrizzi, whose duty it will be to baptize " the Child of France," arrived at Marseilles on the 6th and at Paris on the 9th in- stant. He was brought up from Lyons in a richly-ornamented carriage, expressly set apart for his use. At Paris he was received by the Duke of Cambeeeres and other high personages ; and carried with much pomp to the Tuileries.

The Cardinal brought with him, as presents, - "a' beautiful golden vase, weighing a hundred ounces, with a pedestal of lapis lazuli, for the Emperor; and-an extremely valuable relic, being nothing less than a fragment of our Saviour's cradle, studded with diamonds, for the baby. golden rose, with its accompanying branch, tastefully. executed in the same metal, is prepared for the Empress; and a copy of a picture by Guercino in mosaic, together with several other specimens of that beautiful and essentially Roman style of art, comprising many boxes, with the Pope's portrait, and finally an ample col- lection of crosses and decordions of the various Pontifical orders, have been placed at the Cardinal's disposal for the Princes and members of the Impe- rial Court."

One of the reports current at Paris early in the week was that a bill would be immediately presented to the Legislative Body " for the re- moval of all existing prohibitory duties from the French tariff, and the substitution of a scale of duties calculated to preserve the interests of na- tional industry."

The agricultural show has continued to be the attraction for Paris, There has been some merrymaking among the competitors, and after- dinner speechifying: N. itouher, the Armister 'of -Agriculture, distri- buted the prizes on Tuesday. It is .remarked that a very large propor- tion of the prize-owners answered to their names.

e.—Various reports arrive from the Italian cities. The most no- ticeable is from Milan. According to this report, the Austrian Govern- ment has resolved to erect the Lonthardo-Venetian Provinces into a king- dem: of Upper. Italy,"ai4 to place a Prince of Italian birth.—the Grand 'Duke of Tuseany, who is also an Austrian Archduke—on the throne. To this determination the Cabinet of Austria is said to. have been brought> by its anxiety to -neutralize the growing popularity of Pied- mont. It is understood at Genoa that Marshal- Radetzky will meet Count Milky at Pavia, and go thence to inspect the camp at Mirabella, close on the frontier of Piedmont The Austrian_ troops in Milan are -colleen-

trated in corps de garde, and protected.from the knives of the Lombards by iron gates. From Florence there is a rumour that the Grand Duke is about to sign a concordat with Itome. This would sweep away the last relics of the Leopoldine laws.

The Austrians at Parma have quarrelled. with the Parmesan " Governer went" with regard to the disposal of prisoners. The Ministers of the Duchess-Reeent are said to be anxious to resign ; it hurts their dignity to be made Zola of by the Austrians! Count Thun, Adlatus to Marshal Radetzky, has been sent up from Verona in haste to arrange matters.

A characteristic anecdote is told by the Naples correspondent of the Times, which, if not true, might be true. "M. Brenier has addressed some inquiries to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the subject of a chest of hate addressed to 'Cordell,' a French subject. The remonstance was forwarded to the Minister of finance, and by him to the Minister of the Interior, Signor Bianchini ; who, presenting himself to the King, begged to know what should be answered. Let any beards or hats be worn,' said his Majesty, and let me never hear any- thing more on the subject.' I have heard it called an initiation of reforms ; but what in truth is it but a ridiculous proof of the terriblesyatem by which even the barber's razor or the tailor's shears are guided by the Royal will ?"

The Piedmontese Senate, in its sitting on the 4th instant, voted unani- mously 25,0001. for a monument to the memory of King Charles Albert. Baron Maroehetti is to design and carve it.

tatugal.—Advices from Lisbon to the 6th instant report a change of inistry. The Saldanha Cabinet has retired. It appears that some arrangements for the making of railways, agreed to between the Go vernment and the Credit Mobilier, were regarded as sanctioning mono- poly by the Chamber of Peers ; and some new taxes, proposed by the Minister of Finance, met with equal reprobation. Seeing that there would be a majority, against him, the Minister asked the King to create twelve new Peers, that he might restore his fortunes., The King refused, and the Minister resigned. The new Cabinet is thus composed— "Marquis de Lode, Minister of the Interior and President; Sa da Ban- deira, Marine and Foreign Affairs; Loureiro, War ; Silva Sanchez, Fi- nances ; Souza, Justice."

Ogair.—Last week a plot to assassinate the Queen was discovered. The details seem to be but vaguely known to the journals. It is said that Redondo Marquez' a Carlist, formed a secret society some months ago, to kill the Queen ; that on the 28th May a man was arrested in the act of levelling a pistol at the carriage of the Princess of the Asturias ; and that subsequently Marquez himself voluntarily confessed the whole scheme. It seems probable that there is as much error as truth in this story ; the only certainty being that something of the kind has taken place. On the 31st May, Queen Isabella received Count Clement de Wald- kirch, Minister from the King of Bavaria ; whose mission it was to ask the hand of Donna Amalie, a daughter of. Don Francisco de Bourbon, for Primp Adalbert of Bavaria, the youngest brother of the King. The Queen replied, to the envoy, that she should feel happy at the fortunate issue of his mission.

The quarrel of Spain with Mexico arises from the refusal of the Mexi- can Government to satisfy the "just" claims of certain Spanish subjects to an indemnity. Four ships of war have been sent from Havana to blockade Vera Cruz in case the demands are refused.

Saft.—There is at Malta a Chamber of Commerce, which of course is more interested in promoting the trade of the island than in preserving its character as a great naval and military station. This is illustrated by a' correspondence which has recently passed between the Chamber and the Chief Secretary. During the lest days of March and early in April, the Chamber called the attention of the Chief Secretary to certain ar- rivahi in the port having on board fever-sick, and expressed an apprehen- sion that the other Sanitary Boards of the Mediterranean, doubting the efficiency of the regulations at Malta, would "subject to quarantine arrivals from Malta in their ports." They requested that the regulations adopted by the Health Department at Malta should be made public. To this letter they received no answer. In consequence, as they represent, of the doubts entertained by the other Sanitary Boards, Sicily, the Italian coast, and Barbary, placed Malta in quarantine; food rose in price, so they report, and commerce was injured; they foreboded still greater evils ; and on the 2d May they again suggested that the Governor should publish the sanitary measures which it was hoped he would adopt, in order to insure " the free communication of the island with the places with which it has frequent and very important commercial relations." On the 6th May, Mr. Victor Houlton acknowledged the letters of the Chamber. He stated, that in consequence of the arrivals of oases of typhus fever in transports, the Governor had established two hospitals for such cases, one for the French, the other for the English ; and that all the health-regulations would be published. He added, that the hos- pitals were " conducted on the principle of ordinary fever hospitals ; a principle answering well without in any degree impeding the passage of troops from the East, an object which it is essential to guard against."

Crimra.—The intelligence from the camp comes down to the 31st May. Large bodies both of French and English troops had left the Crimea, and regiments were departing hourly. There were still, however, upwards of 26,000 British troops on the ground; and these had been reviewed by General Codrington and Marshal Pelissier on the plain ih front of Balaklava. On this occasion the French war medal was dis- tributed proportionately, at the rate of one in a hundred to the troops of all arms; the generals of brigades and commanders of regiments fastening the medals on the men selected to receive them.

auittlr Stahl—The Asia arrived at Liverpool on Monday, bring- ing- advises from New York to the 28th May.

Up to the 27th, Mr. Crampton had received no intimation of his dis- missal. The Asia brought important communioations from America for the British Government, but their nature has not transpired. It is re- ported that the Washington Cabinet have withdrawn the demand for Mr. Crampton's recall, satisfied with Lord Clarendon's explanations ; and that Mr. Crampton will be dismissed on the ground' that his "power of usefulness" is exhausted.

The outrage on Mr. Charles Sumner was still the theme of greatest in- terest in the Northern, parts of the Union. In a speech of great length Mr. Sunnier had exposed the shameful policy of the Government in Kan- Dts, suatinf course censured those who have aided.and abetted it. Among

them was Mr. Butler, a Senator from South Carolina. It appears that some of the Southern Representatives consulted what should be done to punish or silence Mr. Sumner; the upshot was that Mr. Brooks was deputed to avenge Manacle Butler. How he performed that task, our read- ers saw in the American news of last week. After waylaying his victim twice on his way to the Senate, Brooks finally assailed him in the Senate Chamber, at a moment when Mr. Sumner was quite incapable of resist- ance, and beat him until he was senseless. Mr. Seward moved for a Com- mittee of inquiry into the transaction. The Committee was appointed, and took Mr. Sumner's depositions. Mr. Sumner described the outrage in terms substantially the same as those already published. When ho recovered his consciousness, ho says, he was lying ten feet from his desk, his bleeding head supported on the knee of Mr. Morgan of New York.

"Other persons there were about me offering me friendly assistance, but I did not recognize any of them. Others there were at a distance, looking on and offering no assistance; of whom I recognized only Mr. Douglas of Illinois, Mr. Toombs of Georgia, and I thought also my assailant standing between them. I was helped from the floor and conducted into the lobby of the Senate, where I was placed upon a sofa. Of those who helped me here I have no recollection. As I entered the lobby, I recognized Mr. Slidell, of Louisiana, who retreated ; but I recognized' no one else until I felt a friendly grasp of the hand, which seemed to come from Mr. Campbell of Ohio. I 'have a Nwue impression that Mr. Bright, President of the Senate, spoke to me while I was on the floor of the Senate or in the lobby." As to Brooks, he remained at large ; the Washington Magistrate saw no occasion for committing him to prison, or even taking bail for his ap- pearance ! On the 27th May there was a warm discussion in the Senate on the subject of the assault. Mr. Slidell said, that when he heard Mr. Sumner had been badly beaten by Brooks, he went into the Senate Chamber, but, seeing a crowd round Mr. Sumner, he returned and finished his conversation in the anteroom. He was passing through the reception-room when he met Mr. Sumner leaning on two persons whom he did not know. Mr. Semeer's face was covered with blood, " but as I was not on such terms as to make it necessary to express any sympa- thy—not having spoken to Mr. Sumner for two years—I turned aside, and went out by another door." Mr. Douglas said, that his first inten- tion was to interfere; but, " reflecting that his motives might be mis- construed," he staid away. Mr. Toombs boldly said that he had expressed to Brooks approval of his conduct. Mr. Wilson of Massachusetts said his colleague had been stricken down upon the floor by a " brutal, mur- derous, and cowardly assault?' Whereupon, Mr. Butler, the uncle of Brooks, called out, You are a liar ! " Mr. Stuart remarked that "the, debate was becoming acrimonious " ; and Mr. Wade said, that if the principle announced by the Southern men was to prevail, " let us come armed for the combat.'

But the greatest effect has been produced in the State of Massachu- setts. Public meetings were spontaneously held, and the other New England States shared in the feelings of Massachusetts. A huge meet- ing held in Faneuil Hall, Boston, on the 27th May, called forth the most powerful speakers on the Abolition side. One of the speakers said, that "the blood of this Northern man, who had dared to stand up in the Senate of the United States under circumstances that would have discou- raged a man of less ardour, less enthusiasm, and less courage—that blood now stains the Senate floor, and not all the water of the Potomac can wash it out." The House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts met, and by a majority of 187 against 23 stigmatized the attack on Mr. Sumner, one of the States representatives in Congress, as "an assault which no provocation could justify—brutal and cowardly in itself, a gross breach of parliamentary privilege, a ruthless attack upon the liberty of speech, an outrage of the decencies of civilized life, and an indignity to the commonwealth of Massachusetts."

The Guardian publishes extracts from a letter by " an American gen- tleman of intelligence and education addressed to a friend in this coun- try," which shows the light in which the Sunnier question is regarded in decent society.

" We are approaching a crisis in this country more alarming than any we have hitherto known. The brutal assault on Mr. Sumner has increased immensely the excitement here at the North. We feel that violence and intimidation are now to take the place of argument, and that the time has come for us to take to ourselves the governing of the country, if we wish to preserve rights which are beyond all things dear. The North, as you know, has the wealth and strength, and with every year grows more power- ful in comparison with the South. With the latter, however, political in- fluence has hitherto resided, because of perfect unity of sentiment. The North is divided. The getting of money is the absorbing pursuit, leaving little leisure for the consideration of questions of morals or of right. Once the blood of the North is up, however, it will be found that the conscious- ness of having the right in the quarrel will give irresistible strength. I be- lieve that this is now coming to be the case. The brutality of the attack on Mr. Sumner has caused a feeling of horror and indignation such as has ne- ver before been shown here. Mr. Sumner is a man of elegant scholarship.; perhaps the most refined gentleman in Congress. His social position in

i

Boston is high ; he is the companion of all the men of letters there. Mas- sachusetts is proud of him, reckoning his reputation a part of her fame. You can readily imagine, therefore, what the feeling must be there, es- pecially when each day brings some word of exultation from the South at the news of the deed."

The intelligence from the Territory of Kansas is of civil war. The contending parties are the Free-Seders, who have settled in the country with the view of preventing its becoming one of the Slave States, and the Pro-Slavery men from Missouri and other States. Lawrence is the abode of the Free-Soil men ; and Lawrence has been destroyed. The accounts of the outbreak are rather confused, but they are rendered in- telligible by what had taken place previously. The news from Kansas last week was, that from 800 to 1200 armed Missourians, with several pieces of cannon were encamped in the vicinity of Lawrence' by com- mand of the United States Marshal ; their avowed purpose being to compel the people of that town to acknowledge the territorial laws—in other words, give up all resistance to the establishment of slavery. There were at this time 1500 men in Lawrence, armed with "Sharp's rifles" and having two pieces of artillery, who were said to have erected breastworks, and given notice that they would resist all attempts at arrest. The latter statement, i atement, however, is not correct When the Marshal sent notice that every man against whom a process had been issued must be sur- rendered, the people of Lawrence held a meeting and passed a resolu- tion, which they forwarded to the Marshal, stating that any person act- ing under him would be allowed to execute a.process against any inll4e bitant of Lawrence, and if called on they would serve as a posse in aid- ing the arrest. They claimed to be law-abiding, order-loving citizens, and asked to be protected from the threatened violence of the Mis- sourians. To this the Marshal replied, that he did not believe the pro- mises of the people of Lawrence ; that he regarded them as rebels and traitors ; and that they should know his demands when he came.. On the 21st of May, a Deputy Marshal, with a posse of. ten men, entered the town of Lawrence, and summoned four of the inhabitants to assist him in making arrests. No resistance was made, and the prisoners were removed without any attempt to molest their captors. , Soon afterwards, Mr. Sheriff Jones made his appearance, and demanded that all the arms in the town should be delivered up to him. Aceounts vary as to what was then done. One report says that the arms were delivered up, but, this does not tally with what took place afterwards. • The citizens, find- ing that Sheriff Jones was bringing up his forces, .supported by artillery, fled from Lawrence, with their wives and families, leaving Jones in pogo session ; and then the town was burnt to the ground.

last three mails from British India have been void of intelligence of any importance. The cause of this is " the tranquillity that reigns throughout our Indian dominions." The last mail, however, brought two items of news. A ludicrous outbreak in Bombay had been- caused by the alarms of the peasantry at railway progress : the railway labourers were supposed to be in quest of children wherewith to "pro- pitiate the demon of the rock" they were engaged in cutting, through. Sir James Outram has been compelled by ill health to retire from Gude: he would probably be succeeded by Sir Henry Lawrence.

-The ex-King of Oude has fulfilled his threat of coming to England. He landed at Folkston on Wednesday, and went on immediately to London.

iner ia.—An important question has arisen in Victoria what is to be done with respect to gold which may lie under the surface of lands - already alienated by the Ciewn ? The Legislative Assembly has been occupied in a four-nights debate on the subject. But a four-nights de- bate in Melbourne is a different thing from one at Westminster. At Melbourne, the four-nights debate occupied a trifle under eleven hours, —no more than a single night's work for the House of Commons, or, perhaps, a night and a half with Mr. Brotherton's aid. During these eleven hours, thirty-three members spoke out of a House of forty-five members, exclusive of the Speaker. The main question was, whether the diggers have a right to mine under private lands. The majority seem to have been of opinion that digger8 have a right, and that the gold is not alienated with the land but remains the property of the Crown. After much debating, and the partial rejection of the resolu- tions of the Government, the House adopted the following resolution-

" That this House refuses to sanction any measure having for its object the sale of the gold with the land, inasmuch as such a course would cause the alienation of an incalculable portion of the national wealth ; a proceed- ing unjust in principle and mischievous in tendency." But when the Speaker put the whole resolutions, a Member moved "the previous question," and 23 to 22 decided that the question should not be put. The question now stands thus-

" The Crown grants are silent as to any mineral reserve on the one hand or concession on the other. Hence, the grantee takes with his land all minerals except gold and silver. The precious metals remain in the Crown. The owner of the soil cannot take them, because they are not expressly con- veyed to him. The miner cannot take them—first, because his miner's right' only gives him power to mine on waste lands of the Crown, and, se- condly, because he cannot trespass on the land of another. The drown, by its representatives, does not take them, because the Crown does not embark in any productive enterprise. Hence, the gold under private lands is prac- tically no man's gold.' " It is feared that the diggers will complicate or settle the question by making " rushes " upon private lands known to contain or supposed to contain gold.