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Faancz.—The proceedings in the Chamber of Deputies on the affair of M. Emile Girardin demand a fuller notice than the mere mention of the result. The sitting terminated in the Chamber's granting its authority for the appearance of M. Girardin before the Chamber of Peers, in accordance with the recommendation contained in the report of the Commission. Thorn greatest excitement was evinced throughout the discussion. At the com- mencement, M. Girardin in his place, having before him a very large port- folio, rose, and in a firm voice, though with a pale face, said that there were two questions before the Chamber—one of principle, the other of fact: he would " allow" the first to be discussed, and would afterwards add some personal explanations. M. Billault followed; plunging at once into the substantial question with all its facts, and vigorously attacking the report of the Commission. He contended that the Chamber of Peers was acting disinterestedly; that the question was really an accusation against the Ministry'by a Deputy; and that either the Ministry were guilty of preva- rication and ought to be impeached, or the Deputy was guilty of calumny. M. Billault was frequently interrupted; but when he had established his

dilemma, he received the unanimous assent of the Chamber. M. de Haul-sonville Lade an ineffectual attempt to defend the Commission; • which, he said, reserved its right to change the terms of its report after having heard M. Girardin. The accused thereupon ascended the tribune; but, much to the disappointment of his excited hearers, who interrupted him with murmurs, he simply stated that he was pursuing the course taken by M. de Cormenin in 1835; solemnly declared that he never had any idea of offending the Peer- age; and concluded by deferring his explanation to a later period, when he would state the facts, and maintain them. Next M. Plougoulm attempted to address the Chamber: the President refused to hear him: the Chamber insisted on his speaking; and there was a .complete uproar, which so ex- hausted the Deputies, that the sitting was suspended to enable them tore- gain their breath. On their resuming, M. Odilon Barret spoke for Pima time on the principle, and ended by calling on the accused to explain. M. Girardin once more collected his papers, and slowly ascended the tribune; but he again tantalized the Chamber by demanding a secret committee before he revealed the portentous secret. A scene of indescribable coat/- Rion followed; during which M. Duchatel succeeded in making audible a few words, the effect of which was to bring M. Girardiu to the.point. He declared, that since the Cabinet forced him he would tell all; and accord- ingly he detailed the various acts of corruption imputed to Government. They were these,—a theatrical privilege sold by the Zpoyue for 100,001) francs, which he proved by the written testimony of one of the newspapeir company who paid the amount; the sale of titles of nobility, for wlivalthe cited the authority of an article in La Mode; crosses of the Legion of Honour sold for a pecuniary consideration, but in respect of which he refused to mention names; and finally the promise of peerages. This accusation he partly grounded on answers given to repeated de- mands made by himself to obtain a peerage for General Count de Gi- rardin. He read a letter addressed to the King, in which M. Guizot was accused of having made the complete adhesion of the Presse the condition of the peerage sought. The Minister of the Interior commenced the Cabinet reply to the charges; which he denied or prudently evaded. He maintained that he was no party to the sale of the theatrical privilege; and that as re- garded the remaining charges, no member of the Chamber could imagine that he could have meddled with such corrupt traffic. M. Guizot followed. He did not deny the letter, or that a peerage was conferred in the manner alleged; but he met the accusation by reading a letter from M. Emile Girardin, (apparently to a provisional editor,) in which the writer admitted that he had surrendered his journal for four months, and consented that it should deviate from his line of politics, in return for the promise of a peer- age for General de Girardin his father. Thus, said M. Guizot, M. Girardin had offered and accepted in the year 1838 the condition which he reproached M. Guizot with having subsequently suggested: he had alienated his jour- nal, and had consequently committed that which he accused M. Guizot of having required. It was expected that to this retort M. Girardin would make a counter-charge; but he was silenced. He remained seated, in the words of the National," with his glass to his eye, his face a yellow green," succumbing to the blow inflicted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. And so was he surrendered to the Peers.

It appears, however, that M. Girardin had only reserved his defence for the columns of the Presse. An article several columns long appeared on Sunday, in which every charge is repeated, and the Ministry is challenged to a Parliamentary inquiry. With respect to another alleged sale for money (80,000 francs) of the promise of a peerage, M. Girardin declines to divulge the name of the individual to whom the promise was made, because of obligations from which a man of honour is never released. But to a letter dated 25th July 1845, now in the hands of the King, re- lating to a similar fact, which M. Girardin read to the Chamber, M. Guizot opposes a confidential letter written in 1839 to a third person, a former editor of the Presse.

. The Union Monarehique mentions that the Lieutenant-General Count de Girardin, who was present during the debate, was so incensed when the Minister for Foreign Affairs read the letter in which his name was men- tioned, that he wrote to M. Guizot demanding an explanation or apology for the insult. To this demand M. Gnizot replied, that he had no other &planation to give than what might be demanded of him by the King or the Chambers.

M. Girardin was called before the Chamber of Peers on Tuesday. Being interrogated on some formal matters by the Vice-President M. de Broglie, M. Girardin admitted that he could not legally establish his age, on ac- count of his illegitimacy; a family secret which M. Guizot had not been ashamed to betray, by stating from the tribune that he was the son of General Alexandre de Girardin. He made an apologetic statement. He said that he had the greatest respect for the Peerage, and nothing could be further from his thoughts than to offend that body. He had, however, stated a fact of which he had a precise knowledge—that he promise of a peerage had been sold, though no appointment had taken place in conse- quence: but he considered himself bound in honour to leave the matter unexplained. The Chamber resolved itself into a Secret Committee, and remained some time in deliberation. Ultimately it was announced that M. Giiardin was discharged. This vote was carried by 134 to 60.

The proceedings in the Cubieres affair, relative to the corrupt transactions connected with the salt-mines of Gouhenas, have been quietly taking their course. The result is, that the Committee of the Court of Peers have sug- gested the prosecution of M. Teste, a former Minister; General Cubieres, a Lieutenant-General and Peer of France; M. Pellaprat, a former Receiver- General; and M. Parmentier, the adversary of General Cubieres in the affair of the mines.

The judicial inquiry commenced in the Chamber of Peers on Monday; but the proceedings are not to be reported till the close. The Court ad- journed till Friday. In the Deputies, a bill for the amendment of the mode of administering justice in the Colonies has been passed by a majority of 230 to 4. A Government bill, extending to the 31st of January the importation of grain free of duty, in ships of all nations, has also passed the Deputies.

PORTUGAL—Accounts from Lisbon come down to the 15th instant. The Queen had issued the promised amnesty; which had appeared, with an introductory proclamation, in the Di4r0 do Govern. The proclamation is dated on the 9th June, ai.d announces its objects in these terms— "With a view to secure the submission that is due to me, and to reestablish public order, I have resolved to adopt all the measures that humanity and the general safety require; such as the grant of a very extensive amnesty, the resti- tution of all employments that the constitution and the laws declare incapable of forfeiture except by execution of the legal proceedings; and, finally, the restora- tion of all attainted honours.

"I have resolved also to convoke the Cortes, and to direct that the elections shall take place, after submission shall have been made and public order re- established in every part of the kingdom; and that the freedom of election, the unfettered exercise of all rights, and the scrupulous and impartial execution of the Constitutional Charter in every one of its provisions, shall be maintained." The scope of the amnesty is thus set forth in the first article of the decree- " There is hereby granted a full and complete amnesty for all political offences committed since the 6th October 1846; and everything shall be buried inabsolute and perpetual silence."

Subsequent articles specify the classes of persons to be included.

The publication of these important evidences that the intervention was a reality, and the Royal adhesion to it sincere, created much excitement. In the evening another decree made its appearance, explaining that the amnesty was not to take effect until after the Junta and all the insurgent forces throughout the country had submitted to the Queen's authority. It was doubted, however, whether the intervening Powers would sanction this limitation.

On the 14th instant, Sir William Parker, with the British steamers, so- companied by the Portuguese, French, and Spanish vessels, entered the bay and harbour of Setubal, and summoned Sit da Bandeira and his troops to surrender under the conditions of the amnesty. Propositions were made by Sit da Bandeira; some of .which were accepted, and some refused.

Among the latter was a demand that the troops should retain their arms. While these negotiations were going on, in the course of the night of the 14th, the troops evacuated the town in separate parties, the majority under Galamba retiring towards the South; while Sit da Bandeira, Meleo Taipa, and about 200 men, surrendering to the Allied forces.

The Junta of Oporto, after signifying their desire to accept the conditions proposed by the three Allied Powers, rejected them, on the 12th instant. The blockade had been renewed; and Oporto remained invested by a large force of Spanish and Portuguese troops.

The discount on Bank of Lisbon notes had fallen to 1,300, but bad risen since to 1,800. The dearth of food, and consequent distress, continued.

By a subsequent arrival, advices have been received from Lisbon to the 19th instant, and from Oporto to the 21st. They report no material change. The British squadron was hourly expected at Oporto, to effect the reduction of that place. It is said that the Junta intended to submit at once to the English Admiral; but not to yield either to Saldanha or to the Spanish forces.

SPAIN.—The Minister of Grace and Justice has issued a circular, calling upon the censors of the press to denounce any newspaper that may call into doubt the right of the Dutchess of Montpensier to succeed to the throne of Spain. This revival of the old subject elicits the following story, gene- rally talked of in Madrid-

" It appears that on her deathbed, the King's mother, Donna Carlota. made over to her confessor, Father Fulgencio, certain papers of the highest importance, authorizing him to show them in the event, however improbable at the time, of a marriage being proposed between her son and Isabella. These papers, of a na- ture to render the Bresson marriage impossible, were shown in due time to Queen Christina; who said they were of no importance, the world not being acquainted with their contents. Father Fulgencio was at once sent out of Madrid, and the marriage hurried over between the supposed cousins. The well-known immo- rality of Carlota and of Ferdinand VII., and the unscrupulous character of Chris- tina, could alone throw any degree of probability on such a report; which, how- ever, is known to everybody in Madrid."

ITALY.—A deputation of twenty persons had an interview on the 9th instant with the Grand Duke of Tuscany, to express the gratitude felt by the public for his recent political concessions. The deputation, which was headed by the Gonfaloniere of Florence, comprised three Tuscan nobles, three advocates, three physicians, and three artists. The Grand Duke's reply was emphatic-

" I receive with pleasure a deputation come to express to me the gratitude of my people. All men are liable to error and I, perhaps, more than another; but my intentions are always directed towards the good of the country. The reforms. I have endeavoured to introduce have long been objects of my thoughts. I hope to attain their entire fulfilment, with the concurrence of the citizens and the sup- port of public opinion. I will with sincerity keep my promises. Let the deputa- tion receive my words as a pure and sincere profession of faith."

Paussia.—In a sitting of the 16th instant, the United Diet adopted, by 220 to 205 votes, the bill for the admission of the Jews to all places except such as are connected with the exercise of other forms of worship or reli- gious instruction. On the 17th, the Diet came to a decision on the follow- ing details of the proposition— It affirmed, by 254 votes to 212, the admission of Jews to political and munici- pal offices; by 222 to 183, for their admission as professors of mathematical, medical, and natural sciences in the Universities; by 223 to 156, for the creation of a Jewish theological chair in one of the Universities; by 260 to 180, that Jews should be excluded from employment connected with elementary instruction; and by 220 to 219, against their being allowed to be elected Deputies of the General or Provincial Diet.

The Austrian Government appears to have taken alarm at the free ex- pression of opinion in the Prussian Diet; for, according to the Observateur of Brussels, orders have been given that the Prussian States Gazette, in which the proceedings of the Diet are reported, shall for the fixture be pro. hibited from entering the Austrian dominions.

Russra.—The Courrier Francais quotes a letter from St. Petersburg of the 2d instant, disclosing a new case of public corruption in Russia- " An unforeseen circumstance has put the Government on the trace of a band i of robbers of high rank, who realized immense profits to the detriment of the poor sick soldiers in the hospitals, or of those employed in the army of the Caucasus. Two Lieutenant-Generals, seven Colonels, and some subaltern officers, are in prison at present on these charges. A Privy Councillor, who is also a Senator i

and a State Councillor, has also been detected in frauds. In addition, a robbery of 146,000 roubles (about 500,000 francs) has been committed by the President of one of the tribunals."

GREECE.—The condition of affairs in Greece equals anything that could have been imagined from the antecedents. The country is overrun by troops, in anticipation of an outbreak. The Government are using the most unscrupulous modes of turning the elections in their favour: the list of electors for the capital is filled with unknown names of persons having no right to vote; whilst a vast number of Opposition voters have been struck off the list. The Municipal Council has been convoked clandestinely, the Opposition members not being summoned; and at Patras the Opposition candidates were kept prisoners in their houses for fear of arrest. These are but specimens of the general state of the country.

Cuma.—The overland Indian mall brings intelligence from Hong-kong to the 25th of April. It is more stirring than usual. The increasing fre- quency and violence of attacks on Europeans by the Chinese had obliged the Plenipotentiary, Sir John Davis, to recur to military coercion. The immediate provocation was the attack on a party of English who were visiting Fuh-shan, in company with some Americans, and were very fero- ciously assailed by the Chinese inhabitants. Fuh-shan is a town about twelve miles West of Canton. On receiving news of this outrage, Sir John Davis resolved upon a hostile demonstration. We copy the narrative, with some curtailment, from the China Mail- " On the lit of April, General D'Aguilar issued an order directing the troops to embark that night; and, notwithstanding it was then past four o'clock in the afternoon, the entire force available, somewhat under a thousand men, together with their guns, materiel, and stores, were all on board shortly after midnight. The naval force consisted of the Queen's ships Vulture and Espiegle, the Com- pany's armed steamer Pluto, the Corsair, a small merchant-steamer plying on the Canton river, and a lorcha hired for the artillery, and fitted up in the course of a couple of hours by Colonel Brereton as a gun-boat. Next morning between two and three o'clock, the three steamers were under weigh, the Vulture leading and towing the artillery loran:, and two large Chinese boats containing the Sap- pers with scaling-ladders, &c. About nine o'clock the Vulture entered the Bocce Tigris. The seamen were at their guns, the troops told off for landing; and Captain Macdougall, running his ship as near the shore as possible, anchored within pistol-shot of the batteries on

the Anung-hoy bank, having the formidable forts on the North and South Wantong Islands within range on the other side. As the anchor was let go the boats were lowered, and in almost shorter time than it can be described a strong detachment under the command of Major Aldrich was landed with the General; and the three forts of Anung-hoy, mounting upwards of 200 guns, were in our pwssension. The guns were spiked, and large quantities of ammunition destroyed. In the mean while, Colonel Brereton, who had left the Vulture at the same time as the other force, proceeded with the troops under his command to the forts on the North and South Wantong,s; and having entered them without opposition, spiked more than 250 guns, and destroyed their magazines. Thus, in the course of a few hours these five formidable batteries, mounting upwards of 450 large guns, had been disarmed, and the safe communication of the expedition with Hong-kong so far secured. lit effecting these important objects, the utmost care was observed to abstain from offering personal injury to the Chinese in the various forts; and not even the most trifling article of property was carried away or destroyed. by the troops. "In the course of the afternoon, the steamers arrived at Whampoa; as did also the Espiegle during the night. The Vulture's draught of water preventing her from ascending higher, his Excellency Sir John Davis, the General, and his Staff, moved into the Pluto on the morning of the 3d; the troops were transferred to the two smaller steamers and the boats of the Vulture, which were towed by them; and the expedition ascended the river. It arrived about half-past nine o'clock at the barrier; a strong row of stakes extending from bank to bank, with only one opening, and defended by four strong forts. As intelligence of the seizure of the Bogue forts had arrived at Whampoa before the squadron, it must have been known iu Canton the same night; and it was not, therefore, considered likely that these works would be yielded without a struggle. The plan of operations—that the two forts to the left should be simultaneously attacked—was carried into effect by the Pluto, with one division of the boats, anchoring abreast of Napier's Fort, and a strong party was landed under the direction of the General; whilst the Corsair, and the boats she was towing, disembarked her force under Colonel Brereton at the fort nearest the barrier. The gates of both forts were blown open by the engineers; their garrisons escaped by the rear; the guns were spiked, the magazines blown up; and the boats, with the two columns under Colonel Brere- ton and Major Aldrich, RE., supported by the steamers, pulled across to attack the forts on the other bank of the river. Here it was evident that the Chinese had determined to make a stand; and as the boats came within range, both forts opened a brisk fire of round shot, and, when they drew nearer, of grape. They were immediately replied to by the Pluto, Corsair, and the artillery gun-boat; the boats with the troops pulling steadily towards the forts. The firing continued until the men landed; and then, seeing the force formed on shore, the enemy abandoned their works by the rear. The fire of the Chinese was remarkably well directed, and it is only wonderful how the detachment escaped without serious loss. The steamers and boats were crowded with men who had barely standing- room; the round shot striking close to them, and several passing between the masts and funnels of the steamers, the grape shot also falling thickly around the boats of Colonel Brereton's division: we are assured that it is solely owing to the accurate judgment of that distinguished officer that there was not a long list of casualties; for, observing that the guns were in the act of being laid for the di- rection of the boats, he requested the naval officers to steer upon the angle of the fort; and the very instant after their course had been changed, a shower of grape fell within a few feet of them. The fire from the steamers and gun-boat was ex- ceedingly good; every shot from the long gun of the Pluto told upon the Whampoa Creek Fort, and one of her shells burst in the centre of the work. The guns, all of them of large size, (one of copper, in particular, was 24 feet in length, with an .8-inch bore,) were spiked, the magazines blown up; but private property, as be- fore, rigidly respected.

"The expedition then continued its progress up the river; and the fort called the French Folly, situated at the commencement of the South-eastern suburb of Canton, was attacked, the gate blown in, and the guns spiked. At four o'clock p.m. the steamers anchored in front of the factories; and four other forts, the river defences of the city and suburbs of Canton, were disarmed, by blowing in their gates, spiking their guns, and destroying the magazines; making altogether -upwards of 850 pieces of heavy ordnance disabled since nine o'clock the preceding morning.

" As soon as the troops were landed, the merchants vied with each other in placing their houses and godowns at the disposal of the officers and men; so that the entire force was comfortably housed before nightfall. A strong guard was placed at the Consoo House at the end of Old China Street; and various other guards and regular chains of sentries provided for the security of the factories.

"On the arrival of the forces at Canton, Sir John Davis intimated to Keying that he was ready to confer with him at the British Consulate. Nothing could more significantly mark the altered position of the representatives of the two na- tions, than the fact that the high Imperial Commissioner attended the summons. At eleven o'clock of the 4th the troops were under arms, and the guns drawn up in the gardens of the British factory. After waiting for some time, a Chinese salute of three guns was heard, and a barge seen approaching; but it was found to contain only Chaon-Chang-ling and Pwin-se-sing, sent to announce Keying's approach. As the troops were fatigued and exposed to a burning sun, the Major- General ordered them to be dismissed; so that when Keying at length arrived he was received at the landing-place by Captains Kennedy and Sargent only. Though Keying comported himself with his usual dignity and composure, those who had seen bun under happier circumstances could not fail to observe a mortified ex- pression, beyond his powers of concealment. He was accompanied by several Mandarins: Hwang-ngan-tong, though in disgrace at court, and deprived of his button and peacocks feather, was among them, and seemed to be treated with re- spect only inferior to Keying himself.

"The conference was immediately opened, and lasted nearly three hours; the Chinese taking their leave about two o'clock, apparently in much better humour than on their arrival. In the afternoon it became known that Sir John Davis had submitted to Keying the only conditions upon which he would suspend the operations of the forces, and had given him until six o'clock p. ns. the following day for consideration.

While the conference was going on., some one, imagining that the mob was about to force its way into the factories' brought the alarm to the Consulate. Major Aldrich, who chanced to be at the door, immediately proceeded, with some eight or ten men of the Eighteenth, in double quick time, towards Mingqua'a Hong, where the rabble was collected, though apparently without any hostile intention, for at the sight of the military they fled in the direction of the Danish Honga. A portion of the soldiers then followed Major Aldrich down the narrow street. Shortly afterwards, the General arrived on the spot with a larger force. A strong guard of the Forty-second was stationed in the centre of the street leading from the Old to the New Danish Hong, and at night sentries were placed at every se cess to the factories; and no Chinese, except the servants of foreigners, or persona known to the porters, were allowed to pass the gates. The Consoo douse at the top of Old China Street had previously been taken possession of by a party of the Royal Irish, and the passage at Hog Lane was shut up. Next morning the fort known as the French Folly was destroyed by Colonel Phillpotta and the armed boats of the Vulture. In the forenoon ammunition was served out to the troops, additional scaling-ladders were constructed, and every preparation made for any service that might be required."

Daring the 5th, preparations were made for the attack; and the British resi- dents received a warning to be prepared for defence in case of hostilities. Keying

pleaded for an extension of time, in order to further consultation with his col- leagues; which was granted. At daybreak on the 6th, however, Captain Clark Kennedy and Lieutenant Dacoeta, of the Engineers, were sent to the city-wall; which they succeeded in scaling at two places, the height being about 23 fee; and ascertained that it was of sufficient width for the proposed military operations. They returned before six o'clock; when, as no communication had been received from Keying, and the arrangements for an assault were completed, an intimation of their nature was given in a general order issued by Major-General D'Aguilar. Shortly after the order was issued. the immediate bombardment of the city of Canton, with a fearful sacrifice of life and property, was averted by the receipt of Keying 's answer acceding to everything demanded of him; and this happy result was immediately promulgated by Sir John Davis in a Government notification. The terms are as follows-

" 1. At the fixed period of two years from this day, the 6th April, the city of Canton shall be open to British subjects.

" 2. Her Majesty's subjects shall be at liberty to roam for exercise or amuse- ment in the neighbouring country without molestation, returning the same day, as at Sbanghae; and any persons molesting them shall be severely punished.

" 3. The aggressors on the two seamen in October last, and on Colonel Chesney and others at Fuh-shan on the 12th March, shall be made examples of The latter being already apprehended, will be brought to Canton and punished in the pre- sence of persons deputed by her Majesty's Plenipotentiary. "4. An adequate space on the Henan aide of the river shall be granted on lease to British merchants and others, for the erection of dwellings and warehouses; and his Excellency will ascertain the site and extent before he quits Canton. " 5. A site for the erection of a church shall be allotted on lease in the neigh- bourhood of the space now occupied by the foreign factories; and spacesfor banal- grounds shall also be allotted at Whampoa. " 6. The flying bridge ing bridge and another building between the two gardens shall be erected as desired, and sheds shall not be permitted against the walls. " 7. For the better preservation of order, and for the general convenience, the river-front before the factories shall be kept clear of boats."

"In the course of the same forenoon, the Sappers and Miners were employed in removing the chop-house at Hog Lane Creek, as well as the objectionable build- ings erected against the garden-walls, and in clearing the river-front. While these operations were going on, the Governor, accompanied by the Consul and Captain Macdougall along with two Mandarins, grossed over to Henan to examine the ground to be selected in terms of the fourth article of the convention. Next day, towards evening, orders were given to hold the Plato in readiness to proceed to Fnh-shah early next morning. It appeared that the Chinese were attempting to evade the stipulation for the punishment of the aggressors on Colonel Ches- ney's party at that place; and Sir John Davis therefore intimated to Keying, that it' the men then in custody for the offence were not produced at daybreak, the Pluto would be despatched to Fuh-span for the purpose of seeking redress there. The experience of the preceding four days had no doubt convinced the Chinese authorities that the threat would not be an empty one; for towards mid- night a message was received at the Consulate acceding to the Plenipotentiary's peremptory demand. Accordingly, at five o'clock, three men were brought to the Como House; a Mandarin of high rank with other officials being present on the part of the Chinese, and the Honourable A. R. Johnston, Captain Macdougall, R.N., Captain Bruce, Messrs. Gutzlaff and Meadows, and a number of others, on the part of the British. The men were one after another bambooed by the Chi- nese officers of justice; and on leaving the Consoo House, the Mandarin, on being required to do so, explained to the people who crowded about the barriers why the men had been punished; and it was added, that for a similar offence they might themselves expect a like chastisement. In the course of the morning (the 8th) a general order was issued for the em- barkation of the troops for Hong-kong; and the merchants, apprehensive of the consequences should they be suddenly left without military protection, met at eleven o'clock to sign a remonstrance to Sir John Davis on the subject. Captain Bruce, the Adjutant-General, having by chance heard from a gentleman returning from the meeting, of the alarm of the merchants, hastened to the Chamber of Commerce, and stated that it had been determined to leave the light company of the Eighteenth. The light company is still at Canton, and will probably remain them until the land on the Homan side is surveyed, the factory walls in some measure fortified, the remaining nuisances removed, and other minor arrangements completed. Were a portion of the troops to be stationed there permanently, however, it would perhaps bepreferable to making soldiers of the merchants; who have been supplied from the ordnance-stores with carbines and accoutrements, with 300 rounds of ball-cartridge, and are now regularly drilled twice a day. About noon of Thurs- day the 8th, the Governor and the Major-General, with the main body of the troops, embarked for Hong-kong."

Cocain CisneA.—There has been an affair at Touron, between the French squadron, under the command of M. La Pierre, and the Cochin Chinese.

Respecting the origin of the dispute, there are two conflicting explana- tions. According to the French version, during the last twelve years several French missionaries have been killed or cruelly treated in Cochin China, for teaching Christianity. A remonstrance was at length made; but to that no reply was vouchsafed. According to the Times, the mis- sionaries did not convert the people to Christianity, but only converted them to turbulence, and indeed seriously interfered with the authority of the Government. For that offence they were incarcerated, and afterwards expelled, being sent to Singapore. Whatever " the rights" of the case may be, it is certain that on the 23d of March, the French ships of war La Gloire and Victorieuse being in the Bay of Touron, the Admiral laid an embargo on five Chinese " corvettes," in order to compel an answer to his demands. This demonstration had effect; for, on the 31st of March the " Prefect " appeared at Touron and promised an answer from the King in ten or twelve days. During the delay, preparations were observed to be going forward in the forts and vessels for a hostile demonstration. On the 12th of April, an intimation was received that the answer was waiting on shore, ready to be delivered to the Commodore by a superior Mandarin. M. La Pierre, however, insisted that the answer should be brought 'off to the ship; and during the settlement of this point of etiquette, it was discovered, [we still follow the French account,] that a conspiracy had been concocted to fall upon the French during the conference on shore with the Mandarin. This discovery was made on the 13th. On the 14th, the Admiral demanded an explanation. On the 15th, war-junks were seen working into the mouth of the bay; and, delay being no longer pos- sible, a peremptory message was sent to the Mandarin, threatening to de- stroy the corvettes unless the war-junks were ordered to retire. After waiting two hours for an answer, the French ships opened their fire; which was returned from the war-junks, the forts, and the corvettes. The native artillery had very little effect; but at the end of seventy minutes one of

their corvettes was burned, another blown up, and a third sunk. The other two were captured and set on fire. The corvettes being destroyed, the

forts and junks ceased their fire; and the French ships departed, satisfied with their vengeance. The Cochin Chinese are supposed to have lost 1,000 men, while of the French only one was killed and one wounded.

Isrma.--The intelligence from India itself is wholly without interest; the Bombay advices, which come down to the 12th, reporting no change of importance. There was more than the common degree of tranquillity in most quarters; and even the disorder in Oude and the Nizam's territory presented no novelty. The question as to the guardianship of a Hindu girl converted to Chris- tianity, who had been brought before the Supreme Court of Madras, had resulted in the girl's remaining with the Reverend Mr. Anderson, of the Free Mission School. The Judge held that the child was of an age to make election between the competitors for having the care of her—the missionary, and her own unconverted relatives.

UNITED STATES.—By the unusually quick passage of the packet-ship Henry Clay, we have advices from New York to the 7th instant. There are no accounts from the seat of war; and the intelligence of interest is confined to commercial matters. The news carried out by the Hibernia reached New York on the 3d; and the consequence was that "bread-stuffs" of every description rose rapidly in price the transactions being immense. The same result occurred at Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Albany, Ro- chester, and Buffalo. Before the departure of the Henry Clay, however, flour had again fallen 25 cents. The cotton market remained very dull.

CANADA.—The Canadian Parliament was opened by the Governor-Ge- neral, Lord Elgin, on the 2d instant. His opening speech took a favour- able view of the state of the colony, and announced some important official concessions—among them, the surrender of the Post-office to the control of the local Legislatures as soon as steps should have been taken to secure to British North America an efficient and uniform system of postage. He also alluded to the statute passed in the last session of the Imperial Parliament, by which the Colonial Legislatures are empowered to repeal differential duties heretofore imposed in the Colonies in favour of British produce. " It is probable," he said, " that by exercising this power you may be en- abled to benefit the consumer without injury to the revenue.