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. The Easter 'banquet at the Mansionhouse, on Monday, enabled Lord Derby to set forth the then latest intelligence, and to put in a clearer slave his views of foreign policy. So far as the non-civic portion of the guests were concerned, they were in great part members of the Ministry. The corps diplomatiquo were entirely absent. Among the earlier speak- ers after dinner were the Duke of Cambridge and Sir John Pakington. The Commander-in-chief said that " the Army is ready at any moment for anything the country might require." The First Lord of the Ad-

miralty remarked that if war unhappily should arise in Europe, it will be; found that in the Mediterranean squadrons will be stationed, with nether to uphold the dignity and protect the interests of England."

Lord Derby replied to the usual toast, " The health of her Majesty's Ministers." After a complimentary exordium, he said- - " Tour Lordship has been kind enough to propose our healths as Minis- ters of the Crown ; and such in truth we are ; and yet we are somewhat in the position of an officer in the Army who is under arrest, and who hardly knows whether he shall be permitted to wear his sword until after the ver- dict of a court-martial has been pronounced. We have appealed to the ginat court-martial of the nation, and it will be for that court to return or

Id Withhold our swords ; but whatever may be theresult, this is not the face, nor is the present the occasion to introduce a topic that might lead to a variety of subjects which, in a society like this, ought to be kept studi-

ously out of sight. But this I will say, that, whatever may be the result of that appeal, whether favourable or unfavourable, my earnest and anxious 'Pepe is, that the judgment and feeling of this country may be directed in Mich a way as that the Queen's Government maybe enabled to be earned on :ittaidily and firmly, and without those sudden and rapid changes which, 4btnehow or other, might do serious injury to the national interests."

Then he turned to our foreign relations. When Parliament is not sit- ting, " a Minister should lose no opportunity of placing the public in the confidence of Government."

- " Would to God I could at this moment assure you I saw any reasonable banopect of the peace of the world being permanently maintained, but all I can say is that we have not even yet lost every spark of hope that the flame may be prevented from breaking out. I can only assure you that, day by day, night by night, and almost hour by hour, our efforts are unceasing to _revent, if possible, the breaking out of that dreadful scourge, a general European war. From that moment, at the commencement of the year, when situate of feeling was exhibited as between France and Austria which was likely to lead to important results, the efforts of her Majesty's Government were unceasing to bring tile two Governments to a good understanding, to ascertain the points of difference, and to endeavour to reconcile them wher- ever they existed." Here followed a brief summary of Lord Cowley's mis- sion, with an expression of undisguised regret that Russia should have made that " unexpected proposition" for a Congress. "I shall not enter into a detailed discussion of every difficulty which sometimes one side and some- times the other presented, and which I fear will prevent the meeting of the congress ; all I can say is, that on the part of England we have endeavoured to maintain the strictest impartiality. When we felt that Austria wasput- ting undue pressure on Sardinia, we have resisted Austria; when Sardinia

appeared to be making a claim to something to which she was not entitled, we resisted that claim, and thus on one side and on the other, not consider-

ing that one was a great and the other a small power, but that both were in- dependent countries equally entitled to our consideration, we gave both the benefit of the strictest impartiality and the best advice, and that advice has been given throughout in the interests of peace, the interests of humanity,

and-of the welfare of Eurype. (Loud cheers.). I should be most unjust, although there is not any representative of a foreign country in the room—

I should be unjhat did I not take this opportunity of saying bow cordially and loyally we have been supported by Prussia throughout these proceedings. Prussia occupied a position of peculiar difficulty, both as a kingdom and as a member of the Germanic confederation ; but while on the one hand she

maintained her obligations as a Mem be r of the Germanic confederation, she on the other abstained from placing herself iu the position of a partisan so as to prevent her assisting England in her plan of mediation between the two coun-

tries There was one last effort which we announced our intention of making—our last effortto bring the various countries to an understanding as to the terms upon which they might meet in congress. I regret to say that Austria has rejected all proposals, and still more I regret that, simultaneously with that rejection, she has felt it necessary to send to Sardinia a peremp- tory message, commanding an immediate disarmament, under a threat of war within three days. I do not wish to express any opinion as to the merits of the proceeding ; but this I must say with deep regret, that in taking that step Austria has taken upon herself the fearful responsibility which devolves on that country that neglects the peaceful fields of diplo- macy, and resorts to the fatal tirbitrement of the sword. We had not known the course of Austria twelve hours, when we instructed our Minister emphatically and forcibly to protest against the measure. It may be that this protest is unavailing, it may be that the horrors of war are about to be kindled—perhaps tomorrow morning—but the protest was made the mo- ment we had information of the proceedings of Austria. I do not, at the same time mean to say that Austria had no cause of complaint. On the contrary, I say that by her aggressive propagandist tone, Sardinia deprived

herself of a great deal'of that moral support which to a nation possessing free institutions, England would have so willingly extended, but I say that

there was nothing in the state of affairs at the moment tojustify the con- duct of Austria, or the peremptory demand so likely to plunge Europe in the horrors of war. What the consequences of that step may be no human feiesight can tell, but whatever it may be Austria has brought everything upon herself, by the hasty step she has just taken. I do not hesitate to say that within the last twelve hours we have attempted our last measure in

the hopes of averting the calamities of war. The congress has failed. The hope of effecting an arrangement by the united efforts of Europe has failed, but we hare this very day despatched to Austria and Paris a repre- sentation offering another endeavour to settle the points in dispute by me- ' , titian upon one of these two conditions, either the immediate disarmament -*Mt three powers, Austria, France, and Sardinia ; or an agreement that +lath army shall remain in its present position in a state of truce, if not of ipersee,-pending the mediation. - it reaming only to state the course which Government intends to pursue, And I the rather take this course, because I perceive that words which fell from me have been misrepresented in a quarter in which I am sorry that retry misapprehension should exist. My words have been misinterpreted by ,.a noble lord who has long been the representative of this City, and whose terery word carriers with it the weight due to his high position and character. The noble lord supposes me to have said that I thought it the duty of Eng- land to preserve an armed neutrality, in order subsequently to take part eirith whichever of the two belligerents we took to be in the right ; and from the manifest partiality I exhibited towards Austria, the noble lord con- -eluded that there was no donbt as to the side upon which I should draw the ,word. My Lord, I take the liberty of saying emphatically and publicly -hat nothing could -ho farther from my views than such. an interpretation. Had my views been correctly represented to the noble lord, he - would have seen that such a construction was impossible. What I did say wadithis, that we intended to maintain a strict neutrality, but that when a milieu of nien or more were in arms, and thatonersover, the scene was in Italy and on the shores of the Mediterranean, it was incumbent upon us, looking ati the great interests we had involved, and our important possessions in the neighbour- hood, to be in such a state of preparation as to be able at any time to d fend the sanctity of any of our possessions, and to preserve the British flag rom the possibility of insult under the various contingencies that might a ise. It was not that we should maintain that armed neutrality for the puVas e of ultimately aiding whichever power we thought right ; so far from

went on to say, that our armed neutrality would be for the purpose of' main- taining such a position as should leave us perfectly free to use the iniluence —God forbid we should ever have to use the arms—of England in ,.auch a manner, as circumstances might arise, as we should deem most consistent with the honour and interests of the country."

The ceremony of electing a churchwarden for the ensuing yenr to serve in the district of St. Paul, Pimlico, was made an occasion foi• the display of the strong feelings that prevail in Belgravia. The Reverend Mr. Liddell presided at the meeting. Having nominated his church.- warden, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Liddell formally entered his protest against the cruel and harsh treatment to which Mr. Poole had been subjected, and then quitted the chair amid the condemnation of the meeting. Mr. Westerton next took the chair, and Colonel Vereker and Mr. Westerton expressed themselves in very strong language respecting Mr. Liddell's curates. One had in a sermon used language so offensive to virtuous women that many left the church ; about another there were unpleasant stories which the speaker would not repeat ; a third is accused of indis- cretions with a married woman; and Mr. Westerton told how he cauglft a-fourth in the church alone with "a showily dressed young vvoman." A statement has been submitted to the Bishop of London, who is accused of "timidity" in dealing with these delicate matters. Mr. Westerton, at his own request, has been relieved of the duties of churchwarden. He believes that he can do more service against the Traetarian party if he is in an independent position. A Mr. Hall, hosier, is elected to suc- ceed Mr. Westerton.

A paper has recently been published and sold calling itself the Penny Bell's Life. Persons bought it, thinking that it was a cheap edition of the Bell's Life. It was not, but an independent speculation. The proprietors of Bell's Life appealed to the Court of Chancery for an injunction to re- strain one Maddick and others from printing andpublishing any paper with the name or style of which the words Bell's Life form a part ; and Vice- chancellor Stuart has granted the injunction, laving it down as a rile that the word "Penny" only informed the public that Bell's' Life was sold for a penny, and was not sufficient to distinguish the one paper from the othor.

Two "gentlemen," imprisoned for debt in the Queen's Bench prison, appeared before the Southwark Magistrate, on Wednesday—one as complainant, the other as defendant. The story of the former, Mr. Henry Augustus Price was this. Mr. Price was called by one Francis George Hare—styled Captain Hare. On going into his room Hare required Price to sign a paper. Observing that it was for " an indefinite amount " Price demurred, and altered it to 61. Thereupon Hare knocked him down. Scrambling to the door Price found it looked, and Hare pulling him back kicked and beat him. Another " gentleman " was present. The two pick- ed up Price, helped him to wash himself and left him. sir. Combo has re- manded Captain Hare in order that this curious story may be looked into.

It may be remembered that the Marquis Tabuerniga, Consul-General for Spain, was recently bound over at the Guildhall to be of good behaviour. The offence alleged against him was one affecting public decency. He has been superseded as Consul-General. On Wednesday, Mr. Buchanan made a statement before Alderman Phillips, showing that from his ignorance of the English language, the Marquis had not been properly defended. -He denies the aceosation of the policeman instrumental in causing the charge to be preferred, but admits that he was speaking to a woman when the policeman interfered. It does not seem that anything can bo done in the case.

An application was made on Saturday to the sitting Alderman at the Guildhall Police Court, by a Mr. Langabeer, a shoemaker, living in White Rose Court, Coleman Street, for advice and assistance' to enable him to re- cover his daughter, who he suspected had been decoyed away from home for the worst of purposes. He described her as being "rather under fourteen years of age, but looking fully eighteen height, five feet two inches, fair complexion, blue eyes, dark brown hair, round face, high colour on her cheeks, and a scar from a burn on the right side of her neck." The Ma- gistrate expressed his sympathy, and promised the applicant all the assist- ance that the Magistrates and Police could render him.