ffortign anb FRANCE. —Last week we mentioned the commencement of the

debate in the National Assembly on M. Rateau's proposition for the dissolution of that body on the 19th of March. The discussion, which began on Friday, came to an unexpectedly early conclusion. The only speakers after M. de Semi, who rose first, were M. Pierre Bonaparte, M. de Montalembert, M. Billault, and M. Odilon Barra.

M. Pierre Bonaparte distinguished himself by the energy of his language, and the independence of his line. He sided with the Montagnards, and denied that there could be any opposition to the President in the continued existence of the Assembly till the mandate given to its representatives had been fully worked out. M. Montalembert delivered an eloquent oration on the other side of the question, amidst continued interruption and occasional scenes of extraordinary violence raised by the Montagnards. He concluded by saying—" As an argument to in- duce the Assembly to dissolve itself, I will bring forward the case of General Ca- vaignac; whose day of greatest glory was not when he was invested with supreme power—not when the Assembly voted that he had merited well of his country— not when he defended himself successfully in the tribune—but when, after the election of the President of the Republic, he laid down his authority, and took his seat amongst the other representatives, amidst the applause not merely of his friends but of his political adversaries. (Much approbation.) That was the most glorious day of his political career ; on that day he resumed all the moral force which had been for a moment contested to him."

M. Billault made an undisguisedly Anti-Ministerial speech, and is said to have thereby converted many hearers to giving votes against himself and the particular proposition of M. Bateau which he supported. M. Odilon Barret was ill, but came to the Assembly as a point of honour to con- front the Opposition. "Advancing majestically to the tribune," says the National, " he with a superb gesture, and an Olympian turn of the head," ironically re- minded the Assembly of the time which it had wasted in sterile discussions, when it should have been engaged in voting organic laws. " Both the reminiscences of what you have done," he said, " and your own personal views, render you but little calculated to live in face of an executive power perfectly independent of you. I say that for the last two months you have been occupied more with the govern- ment than with passing laws. (Great agitation and interruption.) When I speak of your personal views, and of the continual interruptions which have broken in on our labours, I point out the very gravest symptoms of all, the matter which most attracts the attention of the country." (Interruption.) A Voice—" Why, that is an invitation to civil war ! " (Agitation.) Odilon Barrot--" I do not doubt your patriotism; but I believe that in this case it is mistaken. Here are men who have always praised up universal suffrage, and yet they now seem afraid to meet it ! The Assembly ought to dissolve, and again present itself to the suffrages of the country. That act I declare to be abso- lutely necessary to restore public confidence; for it is uncertainty which causes passions to ferment." (Great applause on the Right.) M. Portalis gave some brief explanations; and the Assembly went to a di- vision on the question whether M. Rateau's proposition should be taken into consideration. This was decided in the affirmative, by 404 votes to 401; and the Assembly adjourned in great agitation.

Next day, it was found that duplicate votes had been given, some of them on each side of the question: on correction, the division was declared to be 400 for and 396 against taking the proposition into consideration.

The Bureaux on Monday elected a Committee to make a new report on M. Rateau's proposition; and the result was singular. A Committee was chosen which consists chiefly of Montagnards. The Eleventh Bureau returned M. Grevy, in preference to M. Mold, by 30 votes to 15. M. Grevy is the gentleman who prepared the report which the Assembly negatived on Friday. M. de Lamartine is on the Committee, and has spoken in fa- vour of dissolution. The points of his speech are barely indicated in the newspapers, as the Bureaux are not reported; but it is said to have been one of the most successful speeches he has made. He urged the Assembly to dissolve, because it had been attacked in its dignity and its inviolability, especially by the people themselves in the election of the President. The Ministry might be overthrown by the Assembly, but that would be perilous to the country. The Committee has appointed M. Liechtenberger president, and M. Pierre Bonaparte secretary; it has also appointed a Sub-Committee, consisting of MM. Dupont (de Bussac), Jules Fevre, and Grevy; all of whom oppose fixing a day for dissolution.

The President of the Republic has just taken a box by the year at the Grand Opera, and another at the Comcsdie Francaise. In these two thea- tres he has taken the box formerly assigned to the Royal Family. He has also engaged boxes at the Italian Theatre.—Galignanis Messenger.

A sensation was created in Paris on Sunday by the receipt of news from Toulon that a great expedition to aid the Pope has been ordered and is fitting out. The news was given in this form— "Toulon, January 8.—Orders have been received by telegraph to get ready the greatest possible number of steamers and sailors with the least possible delay. Already the steam-frigates Cacique, Magellan, Caton, Pomone, and the hospital steamer Gregois, are ready and waiting orders. Eleven steamers will be ready, we are assured, before the end of the week, arranged for embarking troops of all arms, and horses; which leads to the supposition that they are destined fur Italy. The Magellan steamer was to have left today for Algeria; bat the orders of Go- vernment are so peremptory that she has been detained waiting farther orders.

" P.S. Ten o'clock at night —The workmen are ordered to continue work all night. There is a considerable movement in the roadstead and in the port. The steamers are completing their provisioning." L'Univers announced on the 13th, that Cardinal Dupont is going to Gaeta with Cardinal Giraud, "to lay at the feet of the Sovereign Pontiff the expression of the desire of the clergy and the Catholics that he will deign to honour France with a visit "; and it is said that the Government of the Republic has authorized them to make this request. The Courrier de Marseilles stated, on the 10th, that M. de la Tour d'Auvergne, attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has passed through that city en route to Toulon, where a steamer was waiting to take him to Gaeta. M. de la Tour d'Auvergne accompanied M. de Corcelles in his mission to Rome.

ITALY.—Roman news to the 8th instant has been received. The Pope has issued from Gaeta an address to the Roman people, in which he pro-

tests against the impious attempt to destroy the temporal authority of the Roman Pontiff. He absolutely interdicts every rank and condition of men from taking any part in electing persons to be sent to any soi-disant Ge- neral National Assembly; and reminds all who take such part, that by the standing laws of the Holy See they will ipso facto incur the penalty of full excommunication. Meanwhile, he mercifully prays that the wanderers may return within the pale of Holy Church. The publication of this ad- dress threw the populace, especially the Trasteverini, into a great excite- ment against the Cardinals. The Grand Duke of Tuscany opened his Chambers on the 10th, with a speech of hearty adherence to the Tuscan Constituent Assembly.

AyeTarx.—The news of the fall of Pesth is confirmed, but hardly any additional details of its capture have been received. Kossuth retreated to Debreezin with some thousand troops, carrying the regalia of the Hun- garian kingdom. Prince Windischgriitz has sequestrated Kossuth's pro- perty; and Prince Liechtenstein holds his head-quarters in the rebel lead- er's house at Pesth. Count Louis Bathyany and Anton Scarpi, with a great number more, have been arrested.

The Austrian division in the North under General Schlick has been victorious over General Meszaros, has entered Sillein, and opened com- munications with the other corps.

In the Austrian Assembly at Kremsier, on the 4th instant, Count Stadion read an official declaration of objections entertained by the Cabinet to the first article of the fundamental law as lately voted, at the first read- ing. That article declares that all power proceeds from the people. The Cabinet held such a principle to embody a justification of all the late revo-

lutionary excesses, and to be false in theory and in fact: they maintained

that "the Emperor is an hereditary prince, deriving his title, not from the of the people, but from long-established and never-disputed authority." They trusted that that objectionable principle would not be sanctioned by the Diet at the second reading. The approval of that article would be

considered by Ministers as a iolation of the basis of the Monarchical prin- eiple. This announcement created the greatest sensation, and it was at last resolved to adjourn till the 8th instant, in order to give members the opportunity of becoming well acquainted with the import and contents of the Ministerial declaration.

On the 8th, the Assembly met and debated a motion affirming that the declarations of Count Stadion were " an infringement of the principle of

free expression of opinion—an infringement, moreover, incompatible with the dignity of free representatives of the people, and at variance with the position of the Constituent Diet as admitted by the Imperial manifestos of the 3d and 6th June 1848." After a heated debate, this proposition was tarried, by 196 votes to 99.

GERMANY.—In the National Assembly at Frankfort, on the 10th in- stant, the discussion on the Austrian question was commenced.

Von Gagern said, that Germany required a Central Government supported by the nation; but he could not believe that Austria would submit to such a Govern- ment. However, he did not wish to see Austria separated from Germany; and it was to enlarge and strengthen the bases of the union between them that he de- manded, on the part of the Cabinet, the authorization to enter into negotiations

with Austria. It was not sufficient to have an Austrian negotiator at Frankfort; they must have one of their own at Vienna, and if he were not authorized to send one he must resign. If the authorization were demanded, he would enter into negotiations on the rights and authority of the Central Government towards Aus- tna, atd would endeavour to make Austria understand that it was not in a hos- tile spirit that the Assembly had voted that non-German States belonging to a

German Prince should not be considered a part of Germany. The fate of the 6ountry depended on the establishment of proper relations between Germany and Austria.

Schmerling, now the Austrian plenipotentiary, said, that necessity had imposed an Austria the declaration of the 17th of April, that she could not consider the decrees of the Assembly binding without a previous compromise. His mission in Frankfort was to form the most intimate union between Austria and Germany, and he hoped to succeed in doing that. The debate, adjourned on the 10th, was resumed on the 12th. Several eloquent and able speeches were delivered: among them one by Raveaux,

formerly Ambassador in Switzerland; who contended that Austria ought not to be excluded from Germany, or be united only by a special treaty, as she formed part of Germany. Another good speech was delivered by Wy- denbrugh, who is considered most likely to be Baron Gagem's successor if the latter resign. He protested against a federation being formed in Ger- many; which, he said, the Ministerial programme tended to bring about. Bekerath also spoke, and declared that Ministers would resign if not au- thorized to open special negotiations with Austria as to the conditions on which she should be admitted to the German Empire. The debate was again adjourned.

The debate was concluded on the 13th; when Beseler and Von Vincke spoke in support of Ministers. In the afternoon sitting, before the division, Illy Austrian Deputies protested against any decision of the Chamber which should eject German-Austria from the Confederate-State: they de- nied the competency of the Assembly to vote such a division, and declared that, unless removed by force, or ordered by their constituents to leave the House, they would retain their seats therein.

The proposition upheld by Ministers—that of the minority in the Com- mittee—was carried by 261 votes to 224; and the Cabinet is authorized therefore to negotiate with Austria as if she were a foreign power. The vote is also deemed the precursor of the election of the King of Prussia as Emperor of Germany.

The Cologne Gazette contains declarations in favour of the nomination of the King of Prussia to the Imperial crown, from all the Princes of Thu- ringia, from the Government of the Grand Dutchy of Hesse, from the Go- vernment of Oldenburg, from the Second Chamber of Baden, and from the Dresden German Union. They all recognize the necessity of a strong un- divided central power; and either directly or indirectly indicate that it is the King of Prussia, and he alone, who is calculated to wear the Imperial diadem for the welfare of the entire fatherland.