lartIgu null Catania'.

FRANCE. —The President of the Republic laid the foundation-stone of The vast Central Market halls which the Municipality of Paris are about to erect, at a cost of more than a million sterling, in the neighbourhood of St. Eustache. The Archbishop of Paris lent his consecrating assistance; three of the Ministers of State were present ; honours were conferred ; the President made a speech ; and the immense concourse of spectators were delighted by the gallant address with which he received a deputa- tion of the market-women, or dames de In halle, bearing enormous bon- quets, and invited them to pay him a morning visit next day at the Elysee ! The ladies paid 'their visit, and were delighted with Louis Napoleon's po- lite gayety. The speech delivered by the President in reply to the address of the Municipality concluded with a political innuendo—

"In laying this first stone of an edifice of which the destination is so emi- nently popular, I deliver myself with confidence to the hope that, with the support of good citizens, and with the protection of Heaven, it will be given to us to lay upon the soil of France some foundations whereupon will be erected a social edifice sufficiently solid to offer a shelter against the violence andmobility of human passions." Local writers saw in the concluding words of the President's speech " a,significant allusion to the prolongation of his powers." M. Francois Victor Hugo, a younger son of M. Victor Hugo, and M. Paul Meurice have been convicted, by a Paris jury, of publishing an ar- ticle calculated to snake the Government odious. Paris juries, unlike those of the rural departments, are virtually selected by the Government -officials. M. Hugo has been sentenced to nine months' imprisonment and a fine of 2200 francs ; lii. Meurice to imprisonment for nine months and a fine of 3000 francs.

GEIIIIANY.—An important German treaty is announced this week. Hauover, as head of the North-western League, relied the Steuerverein, has entered into engagements with Prussia to join her Union called the .Zollverein. The treaty was concluded by the Ministers of the King of Prussia on behalf of the Zollverein, and of the King of Hanover on be- half of the Steuerverein, on the 7th instant ; and iewas ratified by the two Kings respectively on the 11th. Substantively it-is rntreaty for dis- solving the Steuerverein, and for accession to the Zolleerein by the states of the Steuerverein; but formally it is a treaty by which Hanover secures to herself, and to those of the states of the Steuerverein who shall here- after assent to the treaty, the power of taking part as principals in the negotiations for renewing the treaties which form the basis of the Zell- vexein, and which all expire with the last day of 1853, The treaty is to .land the engaging pertie,s until the last day of, 1865. It is well known that the customs-duties of the Zollverein are fixed on aseoteetive scale, white those of the Steuerverein are fixed on a revenue scale. It is important therefore to learn that the adherence of Hanover to the Zollverein- has been purchased by engagements which will have the average effect of lowering the customs scale of the Zollverein mere than they will raise the rates levied in Hanover and the other states of the Stenerverein. The duties on tea, wines, brandy, and treacle, and on coffee and tobacco, have been announced. Those on the first four articles are so much lowered' that they will be respectively one-fourth, one-fifth, and one-seventh below the sum which would be a mean between the Prue- sian.and Hanoverian rates ; those on the last two articles are raised re- spectively one-fourteenth and one-fifth above the moan between the pro- toetive and revenue rates' but nevertheless even these duties are reduced. respectively one-tenth and one-third below the uresent high rates of Prussia. A peeuliar feature of the treaty is an artiele which stipulates,, order to compensate -Hanover for the considerably greater consumption oe highly-taxed articles which has existed in Hanover, and which will pre. bably continue to exist, ax well as for the higher revenues which Hanover has-derived hitherto-from' the import, export, and transit duties," that Hanover shall be entitled to seventy-five per cent. more of the revenuoc of the Zollverein than would be due-to the proportion of her population. When the whole returns -amount to 2s. per head of the-population'ef the Union, Hanover will receive at the rate of 3s. 6d. per head of those re- turns.

The treaty states that " it is assumed" Brunswick will assent ; and Hanover engages to invite Oldenburg andLippe-Schaumburg to, imitate the example of herself end Brunswick in accepting the treaty.

A great diplomatic sensation is created at Vienna by this evidenoe of the vitality of the Zollverein, at a time when Vienna journalists were pro- phesying its speedy dissolution to make way for the Universal German Customs Union which Austria has propounded and upholds in the resus- citated Frankfort Diet. However, there are writers-who still doubt whe- ther the Zonverein will itself be reorganized in 1854 The Protectionist States will be even more unwilling to remain in it than at present, if the Free-trade element be strengthened by. the most important accession of the maritime states of Hanover-and Oldenburg.

On the-day of the return of the King of Prussia from Ms late journey to Ischl, he received in the evening at Sans Simi a deputation from-the very loyal body the Treubund, with an address of congratulation-on Ms return from the previous journey into Westphalia and the Hohenzollerns. His reply wean running contradiction to a series of " hell-born" lies which his " enemies " have set afloat respecting- him. " The last few days had been glorious ones, especially those of the Homage in Hohenzollern ; the public reports could only give a faint idea of them. But misunderstanding or malice had on this occasion plated words in his mouth he had never used or thought of using. He 'tad been made to say, that he lamented the distance of the Hohenzollern principalities would pre- vent his rendering them military support: he had said exactly the contrary, and it was proved by the fact that he was then fortifying the castle of Ho- henzollern. Much more earnestly must he complain that his enemies (they were the same the Treubund so nobly- contended against) were not ashamed to use the vilest means to bring the Queen and himself into sus- picion, and to rob them of the confidence of their subjects. Again had the most wicked lies been circulated that he and the Queen were about to go over to. the Catholic Church. It was true, he was now accustomed to these hell-born modes of attack : they had been employed against him ever since the commencement of his reign ; one lie had always taken the place of another. Thus it had been, among other things, reported that he was about to introduce the syetem of the Scotch Church; then, that he had a hyper. Christian tendency, and intended to decree the English mode of observing the Sabbath. When the apprehensions, reified by these falsehoods were not realized, they were dropped, and other weapons were resorted, to.. It was discovered he was about to introduce the English State Church into Prussia; and as the introduction had been waited for rather a-long. time, it was -considered shorter to come to the last -lie, that the King and Queen were about to become Catholics. This- calumny would, last its. time, and then others would follow it ; for his enemies never rested; and he must confess openly that he could not be so cheerful as he could wish. He declared ex- pressly, that in all these reports there was not a word of truth; and he authonzedthose present to make what use they pleased of- the declaration."

THE Cesar( '1;1rue:en—There is no additional trustworthy interma. tion from Cuba, or from America, concerning the invading expedition under Lopez. But yesterday the London. journals published an electric message from Paris, stating that the French Government had received in- telligenee . through the telegraph of Madrid, of the defeat and death of Lopez and-his companions—not by execution, like the prisoners taken at sea, but while fighting in battle. The news is as doubtful-as that which arrived early in the week, through New York, from New Orleans, which, from a.cleud of repetitions and inconsistent details, held out that' Lopez was marching on Havannah at the head of a large force, after having defeated' the Spanish troops in several engagements. One circumstantial assertion made by the American accounts was probably true,, that Gene- ral Enna, the field-officer opposed to Lopez, had been killed,. andiuried with great pomp at Ilavannah. It should- be.stated, that, others, of the Ammicaneceounts themselves asserted the capture and,shooting of:Lopez and his remaining companions. Another important announcement was made in- Paris by, theulfessager of Tuesday, as follows- " etches of importance were received yesterday -evening from Madrid, at the liuinistry for Foreign Affairs; and immediately afterwards, M. Baroche went to the Ely-136e, and was soon joined by the Spanish Ambassador and Lord Normanby. France and England are decided on preventing a rupture between Spain and the United States, and in preeerviug for the former her - valuable colony, but with the introduction of some indispensable reforms in the internal government of Cuba. A French steamer leaves Havre this day for Washington, with despatches from the French Government and the Ame- rican Minister."

But the news has not been officially confirmed. ft is indeed'sotnewhat discredited, by its curt repetition in the Government organ-the Constitn- Homed, with an ostentatious reserve.

INDIA AND CHINA.—The Indian.summaries of the-news senthome by the overland mail commence with the statement, that, "since the de- parture of the last mail there has been scarcely an item of news of' eithet political or social importance." But this was too general. There is said to be "increased prospects- that the Nizam will preserve his territories from occupation' by our troops,- through the payment of his debt Among other sources to which his Minister had-induced him to-resort, in the last instance, were the HyderalraiLjewele, of Indian fame. It seems, however, still' a pending question whether the Indian Government will accept the terms offered-by the Nizams as explained.on the arrival" ofthe last mail ; and the accounts still venture only to say that "there is chance" of preserving the integrity of the Nizam's dominions. From Hongkong come statements of still nearer impending; danger -to the reigning dynasty at. Pekin. It was reported that the insurgents had-captured and eaeked' the- capital of Kwang-sei; and. that they .had shown themselves in, theToong-koon district, midway between Hongkong and Canton.

Another maritime disaster is recorded. The Oriental Company'e steam= ship Pasha has been lost in-the Straits of Malacca, with the Iives,of some of her passengers and crew. On her voyage from Singapore to Penang, the.Pasha inet.her consort, the steameship Rens The two ships sighted each other on the night of the 21st July; and the lights of each were

first seen by the other at a- distance of nine miles. MOM unexplained fatality, the vessel§ during. all that distance continued to bear down on each other and ultimately came into collision. The Pasha eank, almost ihstantlscand sixteen persona were drowned.. Among the lost were Dr. Briscoe, Surgeon of the Fay-ninth Regiment, a French gentleman named Hardouin, and two Chinese passengers; the rest were petty offi- cers and seamen of the crew.

TIER. AUSTRALIAN GOLD RamoNs—M.7;41es nine days later from. Syd- ney have been received. They bring official confirmation of the gold. discoveries, and further description of the mania which in consequence was spreading through, the Austad:Ian-Colonies.

Governor Fitzroy had issued, a proclamation claiming all the gold-mines as the property of the Crown, and forbidding the appropriation of gold except under permission of a Crown certificate.

"As according to law all gold mines, and all gold in its beds, within the territory of New South Wales, whether in and upon the lands of the Queen, or on the lands of private indivicleeis her Majesty's subjects, are and is the property of the Crown,--and Government having received information that there is gold. in. and upon. the territory of the county of Bathurst, and there- fore within the government or territory aforesaid, and that a number of per- sons have commenced searching, or intend to commence searching and dig- ging for gold on their own account, and. for their own use, without having obtained permission from her Majesty, or from any other authority for that pur oe,"--SirCharles notified, that every person "taking gold," or "finding gold," or "who shall dig or search for gold.," in the said territory, "without having been duly authorized in that behalf by her Majesty's Colonial Govern- ment, will be prosecuted both criminally and civilly, as the law allows." At the same tame, he gave notice, that "upon receipt of farther information upon this matter, such regulations shall be made as may be considered just and decisive, and shall be published as soon as possible, whereby the conditions Will be made known on which, by the payment of a reasonable sum, licences shall be granted."

Up to the latest dates from Sydney, the Government had taken no steps te enforce the feudal claim thus revived on behalf of the Crown : they had made not the least provision for carrying out the licensing system- " apparently sufficiently sensible that the means at their command were wholly insufficient to drive the excited gold-finders from their rich se- lected spots."

Out of the accounts from the Sydney papers and correspondence we select incidents of gold-discovery.

Sydney Herald—" On May 27, several gentlemen returned to Sydney, who left that city ten days-previous, in order to ascertain the exact nature of the recent gold-discoveries. Mr. Hindson and Mr. A. C. Brown (of the firm of Mart and Brown) convoyed to Sydney gold valued at 1000/. This parcel in- cluded two lumps, one of which weighed forty-six ounces and the other .about twenty, nearly pure gold, having but small portions of quartz at- tached. The large specimen and the smaller one, together with several pieces of about one ounce each, were found in one hole, by a person named Henderson,. residing-in Bathurst. On May 24, a Bathurst blacksmith found. .raanlevnemn msore violent weight intint n • One letter says—" I reached Bathurst on Saturday, and found the &old one than hi no l eSydney, ml much increased by the arrival of a man with apiece of gold 3i lbs. weight, which he turned up, as he says, liken root of potatoes. It had such an. effect upon him that he commenced filling-his pockets with.stones, thinking it all gold, and today even he has not recovered so far as to be able to eat."' Another letter states, that "parties of eight and ten have got from 1501. to 300/. daily. Others have obtained none after working a week." A letter received.by a commercial firm in London says that "20,0001. worth of the gold had been received in Sydney." • Iii referenca to the region of discovery, the Sydney Herald states that the large pieces of gold are found in "a bed of slate which forms a sort of chain across the Summerhill Creek, at the place where it is joined by the Lewis Pond. Creek" ; but it would appear that the slate-rock is not the matrix oldie. gold,. hut its receptacle only. The gold is water-worn out of the quartz rock inthe upper hill crests.

"On the Summerhill.Creek bar, there is a thin bell of boulder-stones and pebbles, and on_removhig them a bed of mud a few inches thie.k is. seen,

which is cleared away and, discovers the i slate, which is in vertical layers; and. in the iaterstices 'between the layers of slate the gold is found in lumps. The earth on the banks of the creek is found to contain scale-gold; which is obtained. in the.usual manner by washing the soil in cradles, which, allow the gold to drop to. the bottom as the soil is washed out,—on the whole„ perhaps, a more profitable employment than seeking for lump-gold."

Accounts had been received from the Hunter River, that Mr. Boyd had found thirteen pounds weight of gold there. The accounts were not well authenticated, but they were probable, as the country there-is of the same geological: formation as at Bathurst: The gold range of the Blue.Moun- tains extends nearly four hundred miles in length and about forty miles wide.

There are further evidences of the disturbance to all ordinary courses of employment which the gold discoveries had made through New South Wales. "The labouring classes are leaving Sydney," say several letters. In consequence,. mechanics were getting from 10s. to 1.5s. a clay, an ad,. Vance of fifty per cent on their usual earnings. But it was not alone the labourers who wernvanishing from Sydney ; "all classes" were joining in the movements—shopkeepers, " the.polite professions," and the very Government officials themselves. With the view of checking official de- sertion, the Governor advertised in the Gazette of 27th May, that any person, of whatever grade, employedin the public service, who shall re- -sign his post during the existing emergency, will be noted as ineligible to serve again, and will certainly not be reappointed. But, notwithstanding this notification, the desertions continued, thinning every department, and reavhag the Police force far too weak for its duties. The greatest appre- hension.was felt by the flockmasters ; for if the shepherds left their flocks, a short time, would_be sufficient to destroy half the sheep in the colony. 4flockmaater, writing his apprehensions to a local journal, finds, how- ever, some ground for hopeahat the s'maherds.may be less affected than many other classes- " The work ism) heavy, and so little e•ited to the taste of men who have been crawling about after sheep for years, that I think those who know what they would have to do, aa is the case with such as are near the spot, will not go away.. In the distant districts, the rumours that are spread will, it is to he fem,, induce many to leave their employers. Up to this time I have not lost a shepherd, although the diggings are within three miles of our station."

. The accounts variously estimate the numbers at the diggings as already ten or twelve thousand ; one statement says sixteen or seventeen thou- sand; and the lowest estitnite. says seven thousand. Yet the news had

not arrived at the neighbouring colonies ; with which communication is more irregular and more tedious than even with ourselves in England,