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cf t HIM—The last Plenipotentiary to the Conference, Aali Pasha, was received at the Tuileries on Sunday ; and on Monday the twelve repre- sentatives of the states concerned held their first sitting. The Confer- ence sits in a large room in the Ministry of Foreign Aftairs, called the Salon des Ambassadeurs; which is thus described—

It is lighted by three large windows facing the Seine. Opposite the windows are hung two fine full-length portraits of the Emperor and Em- press. The curtains and furniture of the room are of crimson satin, with a rich Aubusson carpet on the floor, and the ceiling is richly painted. The table at which the diplomatists sit is circular, and covered with a green cloth, twelve arm-chairs being round it. Between the windows are tables, one for the two gentlemen who are to act as secretaries, and the other for the use of any of the Plenipotentiaries who may wish to write in private. A correspondent of the Daily News gives an account of the arrival of the Plenipotentiaries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

"At precisely three minutes past one, a modest-looking brougham, scarcely remarked till it was within a few yards of the Ministry, drove into the front-gate, and halted at the foot of the grand staircase. The carriage contained the Sardinian Plenipotentiaries, Count Cavour and the Marquis Villamarina : a single ebasseur was their only attendant. They, like all the Plenipotentiaries who followed, were dressed in plain morning costume. As they ascended the staircase,. a squadron of M. Walewski's footmen who were on the look-out, threw wide open the glass doors, and the Piedeiont- ese representatives entered the hotel the first. A few minutes afterwards came Turkey. Aali Pasha, the Grand Vizier, and Mehemet Bey, were dressed just like Europeans, except that they wore of course the inevitable red fez. The Grand Vizier wore a Telma, that might have been bought in Regent Street. England and Austria followed very shortly afterwards, in remarkably unpretending carriages. There was thed a pause of several minutes. People began to ask whether Russia would not find some excuse not to come. But at a quarter past one, a handsome carriage, with two chas- seurs behind it, drove up at a rapid pace, containing the Russian Plenipo- tentiaries. Count Orloff stepped out first ; and although he is seventy years of age, ran up the steps like a boy. I had an opportunity of seeing him well ; for when he arnyed on the top landing he took off his hat, as if to re- turn the salute of the servants in waiting, and then turned round to see what had become of his colleague. Baron de Brunow got out of the carriage very slowly : his face was enveloped in an ample comforter he walked up the stairs with a somewhat faltering step ; and his spare and bent form pre- sented a striking contrast to that of his coadjutor. Count Orloff is a wonder- ful-looking man for his age. He is of large size, yen' erect, and his counte- nance denotes robust health and great resolution. He has a very large head, covered with iron-grey hair, cropped close. The expression of his features is quite Calmuek ; but as he welled at Baron Brunow slowly mounting the stairs after him, he had a goodnatured look."

All we officially know of the results of the first sitting was communi- cated by the Itoniteur of Tuesday, in the following paragraph- " The first meeting of the Congress took place yesterday at one o'clock, and larded till half-pest four. It was agreed that an armistice should be concluded between the armies of the belligerents, to cease on the 31st of March : this armistice not to have any effect on any blockade established or to be established."

It is understood that the Plenipotentiaries signed a declaration that they will not, directly or indirectly, reveal anything that passes at the Conference until the business is at an end. Of course there must be some clause providing for the publication—of the terms of the armistice, for instance. The presidency, as was anticipated, was allotted to Count Walewski. The Plenipotentiaries sat round the table in the order of their presentation to the Emperor.

Count Walewski gave a dinner to the Plenipotentiaries and resident envoys on Monday ; followed by a concert, to which some eight hun- dred persons were admitted. Everybody wore plain dress. The crowd were free to wander in the Salon des Ambassadeurs, which was pretty well investigated by the curious. At the dessert after the dinner' Count Walewski gave a toast—"A happy issue to the negotiations this day opened."

Aali Pasha was the bearer of a sabre set with precious stones for the French Emperor ; and two diadems in brilliants, one for the Empress Eugenie, the other for Queen Victoria.

11311 r.—The lower waters of the Baltic are now open ; and an English squadron, under Captain Watson consisting of the Imperieuse, Pylades, and Falcon, left Spithead on Saturday for Kiel.

• A commission of engineer officers has been appointed, with the Crown Prince at its head, to make plans for the fortification of Stockholm, and to consider other propositions for the defence of the kingdom. . A letter from Stockholm, where the news of peace creates no feelings of exultation, contains an interesting passage imparting some news-

" You arc probably aware, that by next spring the Russian steam fleet will consist of 18 line-of-battle ships and frigates, 14 corvettes, and 70 gun-boats ; which formidable force may ride secure behind an impassable barrier, and defy the united navies of the world, thanks to the fortifications idanned by Admiral Schanz, at which 30,000 men are now working under his direction. This formidable work consists in a triple row of piles right across the Gulf of Finland, about six miles from Cronstadt ; and should the ice be strong this spring it ma he finished this year. - Thirmaritime.;bul- wark, twelve Miles across, will shiive but few openings, "whiefi can-be easily rimed or defended in tune of need ;' and not a boat can be imperilled; let the attacking force be erer sir Strong. ' Are these ii3Mptonis of an exhausted nation, sincerely anxious for a durable peace ?" -

The Danish Ministers, Impeached for misapplying the state funds, have been acquitted.

It 55 i 8.—The Eussism Government has had recourse to another large issue of paper money. .An ukaae.orders the immediate issue of Treasury bills, M. seven series, amounting in the aggregate .to 21,000,000 of rou- bles. Another ukase permits, during the present year, the importation. of salt over the frontier sf Austria, and from Moldavia, and at Odessa_ and the Danubian ports, upon the payment of fifteen copecks per.

It is stated that some negotiations are in progress tetween.thareourt, of St. Petersburg and the Court of Rome. This statement is put for- ward— • • • • • "1. Alexander II. has dismissed M. Skrizitzync, a high Rassian employs; who never lost an opportunity of oppressing the Catholic subjects of the Czar. 2. The Emperor has ordered that a Catholic Archbishop and Metro- politan shall be elected for Mohileff. 3. The Pope has been consulted about fitting appointments for ten vacant sees. 4. General Naziinoff, a man who is well liked by the Catholics, has been appointed Governor of Wilna. 6. M. de Kisseleff, who is anything but a bigoted follower of the Greek Church, is to carry on the negotiations with the Papal Chair. 8. A committee, partly formed of Catholics, is to examine strictly into the state of the Roman Church in Russia, and to send in such preparatory matter as may be of ser- vice in forming a concordat which shall be in accordance with the spirit of the age."

8.—The official Gazette of Teheran announces, that in order to frustrate the designs of float Mahomed upon Herat, and to maintain the tranquillity of the province of Khorassan, the Persian Government has - taken steps to secure the independence of Herat. The " steps " are the forwarding of troops to that city. "This act," adds the Gazette, "does not, however, in any way change his neutral position as regards the Al- lied Powers, and he will continue to maintain that neutrality inviolate.""

it4t triMell.—" The sole-incident" in the Crimea, thought worthy. of record by the correspondents, is the destruction of another fort at Se- bastopol: Fort Alexander was blown up on the 11th February by the ex- plosion of three mines. The noise of the explosions was very loud, and the huts and buildings in the camps were shaken by the concussion of the air. Fort Alexander stood immediately opposite to Fort Constantine and was barely visible from the land aide. It was anticipated that the Quarantine Battery would fall next, and that the sunken ships would be exploded by large shells. But the vessels, it is suggested, may by this time have fallen a prey to the ravages of the famous worm, so inimical to ships in the Black Sea.

The telegraph states than "an order of the day, issued by General Codrington from Balaklava, warns the English officers to provide them., selves with equipments, in erder to be ready for marching.'

tifitfl.—The conferenees at Constantinople on the settlement of the Principalities have not arrived at any definite conclusion. It was agreed that the ancient conventions of the Porte with Moldavia and. Wallachia should form the bases of any arrangement, and that the or- ganic statute, drawn up after the peace at Adrianople by an assembly chosen under Russian tutelage, should be repealed ; but nothing further seems to have been done. The English Ambassador, it is said, proposed an Upper and Lower House, the first hereditary and unpaid, the second elected and paid. The French Ambassador was for a Senate and Legis- lative Chamber, the first named, the second elected, and both paid. Lastly, the Austrian Internuncio thought the welfare of the Principali- ties would be best secured by confiding the legislative and highest go- vernment functions to a consultative body composed of the highest offi- cials of the state, something in the style of the existing Divan, created' by the convention of Balta-Liman. "Lord Stratford's proposal was ac- cepted; but it is understood that the definitive settlement will be made at Paris.

Accounts from Constantinople of the 21st instant state that the Hatti- scheriff of the Sultan relative to the reforms in favour of the Christians, had been read in presence of the ecclesiastical, military, civil, and Chris- tian dignitaries. It is reported that Ismail Pasha will replace Omar Pasha in command of the Turkish army in Asia.

The Fretndeu Blatt learns from Bucharest, that on the 21st of January (old style) the freedom of the press was proclaimed in Moldavia and laws for its regulation published. On the 7th of February the question of the emancipation of the Wallachian gipsies was decided by 11 voices against 10. There are 70,000 gipsies in Wallachia, and their present proprietors will receive an indemnification for each of them from the State.

According to statements forwarded from Erzeroum and derived from a French merchant who had arrived there from Tills by Alexandropot and Kars the Russians are making great preparations for the spring. The regular army of the Caucasus consists at present of about 80,000 men. Of these, 10,000 are in Tills; 10,000 are stationed so as to serve as a protection against Schamyl; 10,000 watch the army of Omar Pasha ; and the remaining 60,000 are close to the Turkish frontier, under the command of General Mouravieff. In addition to these forces, they will have in the spring 20,000 new troops, more or less disciplined.

On the 1st January, the people of the districts to the North of Ears rose in revolt, and were only subdued by a plentiful use of artillery and cavalry. The Cossacks of course lost " one " man killed, and four wounded ; the insurgents sixty killed.

Vrassic—The Prussian army, as announced by Baron Man- teuffel, has been kept in readiness to take the field. The whole force has been supplied with rifled fire-arms, Mini& and needle-guns ; and an unusually large stock of ammunition has been laid in. Large sums have been expended upon fortresses, especially on Konigsberg and L6t- zen. An electro-magnetic telegraph for use in the field and active service has been constructed and completed. A special corps of " bearers " for the sick and wounded has been organized, clothed, and exorcised. A full complement of surgical instruments and everything necessary to surgical practice has been laid in, nittb Stits.—The Arabia arrived at Liverpool on Sunday, with advices from New York to the 12th February.

The debate on the Central American question in the Senate was still in progress, but it attracted little public attention. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Butler did not regard the matter as likely to lead to a war ; and Mr. Mason said that the discussion of the subject embarrassed rather than aided the solution of its difficulties.

General Cass had moved for an increase of the navy ; and the Secre- tary-of-War was requested to report whether any, and if so, what addi- tional fortifications were necessary for the defence of New York and Brooklyn Navy-yards. General Cass had fractured one of his arms by falling down the steps of the Patent Office.

Certain frantic Irishmen at Cincinnati were indicted on a charge of contemplating an invasion of Ireland, but acquitted. To celebrate the acquittal, the Irish at Cincinnati made a demonstration in honour of the accused. Much by-talk was indulged in ; and in case of a war between England and the United States, 160,000 Irish-American bayonets were promised.

The United States troops have been ordered into the territory of Kan- sas, to preserve order.

When the Arabia left New York, the Pacific had not reached that port; but the Persia, which sailed from Liverpool three days before the Pacific, had arrived. Two steamers had been despatched in search of the -miming vessel. She is supposed to have met with ice in taking the Northern passage, which is shorter but more dangerous than the South- ern passage to New York. Pieces of furniture, such as might be part of the fittings of a large steamer, have been found floating among the ice.

5ut1a.—The telegraphic summary of the Indian mail arrived on Thursday. The latest dates were—Calcutta, 24th January ; Bombay,

2d February. - - - " Oude is to be annexed, with General Outram as Chief Commissioner. Lord Canning arrived at Bombay on the 28th January. The banks at Bom- bay have raised their rate of interest to 12 per cent. At Calcutta the money-market has improved, and exchange on London is 2s. 214."