jortign anb Colonial.

SPent.—The French telegraph conveys intelligence from Madrid to the 18th instant. The two Chambers were constituted on the 17th; and S. Castro y Orozco was elected President. He is hostile to S. Mon the Finance Minister, and his section of the Cabinet. The bill relative to the constitution was presented to the Congress on the 18th; and Ministers at the same time demanded power to decree, under their own authority, some organic changes : at least such is the implication given in the reports.

The regular despatches supply no account of the Ministerial bill ; but, from other sources, the Morning Chronicle has some information about it. The preamble of the present constitution is to be suppressed, because it asserts the national supremacy. The members of the Senate are not to be elected, but to be appointed by the Crown, for life. Political offences, in- cluding those of the press, are not to be submitted to trial by jury. The National Guard is to be suppressed; and instead, a similar force is to be organized in districts which the Government may think to need it. The article requiring the Cortes to assemble every year is suppressed ; leaving the Crown to convoke them only when it thinks fit. The Queen is to be allowed to contract a marriage without the consent of the Cortes. [This is supposed to point at a marriage with the Prince of the Asturias, son of Don Carlos.] The clause forbidding the Queen to leave the kingdom except by leave of the Cortes is suppressed.

The Morning Advertiser professes to have " authority " for announ- cing, that a family compact has been entered into, and was completed on the 11th instant, between Queen Christina and Don Carlos, to marry Queen Isabella to the Prince of the Asturias ; that the marriage is to be solemnized at Pampeluna, under the auspices of France ; and that, if necessary to further the project, a Carlist insurrection shall be evoked in Navarre and the Basque Provinces.

The French papers state, that General Amettler and five or six other Spanish refugee officers of the Progresista party, who resided at Peri- gaenx, suddenly and secretly left that town a few days ago ; but they have been arrested at Perpignan, by the French Police, just as they were about to enter Spain. It is said that many refugees have suc- ceeded in crossing the frontier.

Several symptoms of the unsettled state of the country are men- tioned. At Logrono, on the 8th, there was so much alarm about some- thing, that the garrison was under arms, and several persons who were arrested were ordered to quit the country without delay. At Lucena, Carlists pulled down the monument of the constitution ; and there were some disturbances. Letters from Cordova mention, that a rich landed proprietor in the neighbourhood of Fuente Genii, in the Quebradas, had been carried off by a troop of riders, who demanded 50,000 reals ransom. The smuggler Wavarro, and seven other brigands, were said to be the authors of this act of violence.

An event involving some curious questions took place at the Palace in Madrid, on the 13th instant : the Dowager Queen Christina was married to S. Munoz, recently created Duke of Rianzares. The cere- mony was performed by the Patriarch of' the Indies, and the Ministers were present ; but Queen Isabella does not seem to have assisted at the ceremony. The following questions were immediately to come before the Council of Ministers, specially convoked to consider them-

" First, as to the form in which this great event will be published to the world. Secondly, if her Majesty the Queen-Mother is to be allowed to retain her title, or if she is to sink down to that of Dutchess of Rianzares. Thirdly, as to the amount of pension to be settled upon Queen Christina out of the patrimony of Queen Isabella. Lastly, it is to be determined whether or not the Ministry should demand of the Cortes, in the name of a national remune- ration and testimony of gratitude to her Majesty, an addition to the pension to be allowed to her by Queen Isabella, in the event of the sum allowed not- being equal to her Majesty's dowry." The Morning Chronicle suggests some further questions- " It may be asked, for instance, if the marriage is to date from the 13th October 1844 ? If we are answered in the affirmative, what becomes of the three children now in the neighbourhood of Lyons ; and in what state has the Queen-Mother been living for the last seven years ? If the marriage is to be referred back to the period when the connexion with M. Munoz is supposed to have commenced, how can the Ministry reconcile that circumstance with the fact that they have recently paid up the whole of Queen Christina's allowances as Regent till the day that the young Queen came of age, though they knew that on her marriage she ceased to be Regent 2 &mild it be found that she has been ' an honest woman ' for the last seven years, the necessary conse- quence will be, that the thirty millions of francs (1,200,000/. sterling) which have been paid over to her lately should be repaid."

Subsequently, it was understood that Queen Christina would lose her dowry of three million reels (30,0000 a year, and her title of Queen Dowager ; but she is to have an equivalent pension on the civil list, and her title of Queen and other privileges restored by special decree. An- other decree is to convey Queen IsabeLla's permission for the marriage-. after it is all done!

The Queen-Mother continued every day to attend divine service at the Church of Mont Serrat ; and, on the anniversary of the execution of Diego Leon, she made her appearance in deep mourning, in order to pray for the soul of the unfortunate General.

PORTUGAL.—Lisbon letters, of the 16th instant, narrate the proceed- ings in the Cortes. The Committees appointed to inquire into the con- duct of Government during the late troubles had made a favourable re- port, and had recommended a bill of indemnity. A bill introduced into the Chamber of Peers for the abolition of slavery in the Portuguese possessions in Asia, by the Count de Lavradio and the Viscount Sa de Bandeira, was opposed by Ministers, and rejected by a majority of 23 votes against 18.

FRANCE.—The Duc D'Aumale has arrived at Eu.

The Moult cur Parisien announces that M. Bruat, Governor of the Marquesas, is promoted to the rank of Commander of the Legion of Honour.

The National de l'Ouest complains that the English have seized the North point of Prince's Island, at the mouth of the Gaboon river, on the Western coast of Africa a site which belongs to the Portuguese..- under the pretence of establishing a coal-depot for Atlantic steamers ; and the journal assumes that the object is, to blockade the Gaboon, in case of a collision with the French, who have a factory on the banks of the river.

During now six weeks the withdrawals of money from the Paris savings-banks have exceeded the lodgments. On Monday, the SUMS withdrawn exceeded 871,000 francs ; while those lodged amounted only to 776,758 francs.

At the Seine Assizes, on Monday, the Prince De Robecq, son of the Dun De Montmorency, was tried for sedition. It was proved that there

had been seized at the house of the defendant busts of " Henri Cinq,"

or the Due De Bordeaux, and books containing entries showing that those "emblems of sedition" had been distributed and sold. The de.

fence was, that these busts had been sold for the purpose of increasing

the funds of the Society of St. Louis, whose professed object is the relief of distressed persons of the Legitimist party ; but the Avocat-Gdneral

contended that the Society was a mere blind to conceal the political

manceuvres of that party. M. Berryer, who defended the Prince, denied that there was anything political in the affair : he asserted that the Society was purely one of charity, and that his client had been actuated by charitable motives alone. The defendant was acquitted, and was loudly cheered on leaving the court.

BELGIUSL—King Leopold opened the Belgian Chambers in person on Tuesday. The Queen and the two young Princes, the Duke of Brabant and the Count of Flanders, went to the Palais de la Nation, or Parliament-house, in a carriage; but the King—much cheered—rode OR horseback, dressed as a General Officer of the Civic Guard, and escorted by a body of that force and of the Regiment des Guides. The King's speech alluded mostly to local topics,—such as railways and other public works, the discipline of the army, the balance of expenditure and revenue, and the satisfactory result of the harvest. It announced re- lations of cordiality and mutual confidence between Belgium and foreign powers. The following passages are those which possess most interest for this country- " By the aid of' the commercial policy which you have sanctioned, I have concluded with the German Zollverein (Association Allemande des Donanes) a treaty of navigation and commerce, which secures our mutual interests. The examination of this treaty will be the object of your first deliberations.

" By a recent convention, the postal communications between Belgium and Great Britain have been regulated on a basis at once more extended and more favourable to commerce. The charge on letters has been reduced, and special

advantages have been stipulated for the transmission of foreign correspondence. "A broad and liberal entrepOt system, combined with ties' facilities of transit, will be likely to assist in the development of our international relations. A. bill having this object in view will be presented to you. It will also remain for you to consider other measures likely to increase our distant counexiong and exports." The Paris correspondent of the Morning Chronicle raises the alarni at a new tariff recently decreed by the Belgian Government- " The French papers undisguisally and triumphantly admit that it will at once shut you out of the Belgian markets, in order to make way for the ma-

nufacturers of Rouen and Mulhausen. Nor is this the only effect out; for as it will allow the manufactures of Belgium, France, and the Zollverein to cir- culate promiscuously through the whole extent of the territories belonging to the nations forming this great union, at a lower duty than English goods, the effect will be to shut up, in a great measure, the markets of half Europe against English manufactures. France, the Zullverein, and Belgium, form an aggre- gate of upwards of sixty-five millions of people, whom their respective Govern- ments are now combining against the manufactures of England. * * •

"The duty on machinery, which was till now at the rate of 13 francs 35 centimes per 100 kilogrammes, is raised ; and the system of laying it on is altered. The duty, however, is adjusted by a scale which varies from 15 francs to 75 francs per kilogramme. The duty on tin is raised from 16 francs 35 centimes to 25 francs per 100 kilogrammes. The duty on Bilk tissues is raised from 4 to 10 francs per kilogramme, and there is a serious increase in the duty on alum and other chemical preparations. But the most important alteration of all is with respect to printed and coloured Cottons; the duty upon which is raised

from 212 francs per kilogramme to 325 francs, an increase of rather more than 50 per cent. It will be at once seen that the articles affected by this new tax

are just those which England exclusively supplies, or in which it comes in compe- tition .with France and Germany. Printed cottons, wove silks, tin, maclamery, chemical preparations, lace, and tulles, are the very productions of winch we send the greatest quantity into Belgium ; and these articles are to have a duty laid upon them equivalent to a prohibition, while the same articles coming from Prance and Germany are to be admitted at the old price. The French papers, while they admit the impolicy of this measure as regards Belgium itself, hail it as • great boon to France, as well as a triumph over England. Their only complaint is, that the endurance of the exemption of France from the new du- ties IS only for one year ; while with regard to the Zollverein the exemption is to last till the expiration of the new treaty just entered into between Belgium and it [six years.] But there is no doubt that the exemption with regard to Prance will be extended."

AUSTRALIA. — Governor-General Sir George Gipps opened the Legislative Council of New South Wales, for its second session, on the 24th May. Among the measures which he promises to submit, one is to define and extend the powers of the District Councils, and one to admit the unsworn evidence of Aborigines in the law-courts. He men- tions the renewal of immigration— "During your recess, an addition has been made to our population, by the arrival of nearly two thousand immigrants ; who, as they have in general been carefully selected in the United Kingdom, have for the most part made ready engagements; though there are, 1 regret to say, and especially in Sydney, large numbers of mechanics and labourers out of employment, who have been longer in the colony. I shall be happy to concur with you in any measures which you may think expedient for the relief of this latter class of persons."

Notwithstanding the distress which has so long prevailed in the colony, there is nothing in the state of the public finauces which should create alarm-

" The decrease in the revenue was very large in the second half of the past year, but the ordinary expenditure of the whole year did not exceed the ordi- nary revenue; and it is the territorial revenue of the Crown alone which is en- cumbered with a debt. I am disposed to hope that the ordinary revenue has now passed its lowest point of depression ; though it would as yet be premature to express any decided opinion in respect to it. The debt charged on the terri- torial possessions of the Crown has been necessarily increased by the late partial renewal of immigration : but the terms on which the requisite funds have been obtained are such as may, I think, be considered favourable."

On the 30th of the same month, Mr. Cowper obtained a Committee to inquire into all grievances connected with land ; having especial view to late stringent decrees against squatters, and to the burdensome charge for pasture-licences.

In Van Diemen's Land, Sir Eardley Wilmot had relinquished the quit- rents due to Government, in consideration of the prevalent distress ; a measure which is contrasted with Sir George Gipps's exaction of quit- rents. The Probationary system gives rise to a renewal of the com- plaints formerly urged against the Convict system, of immoralities arising from the separation and disproportion of the sexes ; with the further complaint that the cOuviCt6 are better fed and lodged than free 10bourers,