$firrigu nub Colutrial. Iran U.—The Plenipotentiaries met on Sunday at

three o'clock, for the last time, and exchanged ratifications. There were present, for Aus- tria, N. de Hubner ; for France, Count Walewski and Baron Bour- queney ; for Great Britain, Lord Cowley ; for Prussia, Count Hatzfeldt ; for Russia, Count Orloff and Baron Brunow ; for Sardinia, the Mar- quis de Yillamarina ; and for Turkey, Aali Pasha and Mehemet Djemil

Bey.

On Monday, the Minister of State, M. Fould, presented to the Senate and Legislative Body the treaty of peace, its annexes, and the declara- tion signed by the Plenipotentiaries on the 16th April. The documents were read in both houses, and received with the orthodox cry of " Vivo l'Empereur !"—the Senators " loudly congratulating each other on learn- ing the contents of the important documents which put an end to glorious war, and establishes firmly the most liberal doctrines of mari- time law."

On Tuesday, the earliest practicable day, Count Orloff went to the Tuileries in state, to announce, in his character of Russian Ambassador Extraordinary, the accession to the throne of the Emperor Alexander II.; which the Emperor Napoleon has been all throughout the war supposed not to know of.

The Moniteur informs the world of an important fact—" By order of the Emperor, the Imperial Prince has been registered as an enfant de troupe in the muster-roll of the 1st Grenadier Regiment of the Imperial Guard."

It may be recollected that Count Montalembert made a cutting speech the other day respecting the interference of the Prefects with "voting bulletins." M. Billault, Minister of the Interior, has met the complaint by issuing a circular on the subject to the Prefeets : it affords a curious insight into the machinery of universal suffrage in France.

"According to Article 10 of the law of 16th July 1850, during the twenty days which precede the election the circulars and political programmes, signed by the candidates, may, after having been deposited at the office of the Procureur Imperial, be posted up and distributed without any authori- zation being required. The voting-bulletin, bearing the name of the can- didate, is a natural annex to his circular; and may be freely distributed with it. Any candidateship, avowed by huu who is the object of it, is thus at perfect liberty to make itself known, and to distribute to the electors the material means of making their choice known. But this exception to the general law on the distribution of written or printed papers is only admitted in favour of candidateships the reality of which is guaranteed, and the re- sponsibility publicly accepted by the signed circular of the candidate. It does not apply to anonymous distributions of voting-bulletins, and does not blindly permit the hawking about of names which, frequently published without the consent, or even at times in spite of the legal incapacity, of those who bear them, may become the occasion of a disturbance or a public outrage. For such distributions the common law resumes its application, and an authorization must be demanded. But, as the President of the Council of State declared in the name of the Government at a late sitting of the Legislative Body, you must, in deciding on such demands, give the greatest latitude to every citizen. You will not forget that the prohibition must be rare and exceptional, and founded on the danger of public outrage and disturbance, and must never be an indirect favour for the benefit of a eandidateship which may be preferred. These rules, Monsieur le Prefet, are simple, and secure the fullest liberty to universal suffrage. The will of the Emperor is that it shall be practised, in good faith."

raj n.—The Madrid journals report that Russia will shortly recog- nize Queen Isabella, and that this recognition will be followed by the submission of a great number of Carlist chiefs.

1155 i a .—The Russian Government has issued an ukase disbanding 337 druschines of the militia, six Cossack regiments, and the Tartar en-

vairy raised this year in the government of Kasen; the whole forming a total of 350,000 men of the militia of the first and second ban. The Emperor, in dismissing the militia, addressed them in the following order of the day.

"Militiamen of the Empire—In his manifesto of the 29th of January 1855, our late father, of glorious memory, called upon you to reinforce our brave armies for the defence of the native soil ,- and the hearts of his chil- dren responded to that appeal of the father. All Russia rose, animated by sentiments of love and of unbounded devotion ; and everywhere his nume- rous cohorts took up arms for their faith, their sovereign, and their country. "Militia of the Empire—It is you who formed those valiant cohorts. You left your homes and your families to share the dangers and privations of troops hardened to battle ; like them, you gave the example of patience, of unshaken firmness, of absolute submission, ready to sacrifice everything for us and for Russia, which is so dear to us all. "Many have sealed their devotion with their blood. They found a glorious

death in the ranks of the brave defenders of Sebastopol. They have proved to the world how powerful a spirit animates the Russian people.

"The war is now terminated ; and we may say to you, while thanking you in the name of the country for your faithful services, Go in peace,

militiamen ; children of Russia, return to.your homes, resume your occupa- tions and daily labours, and continue to give to the classes in the midst of which you return the example of order and submission by which you con- stantly distinguished yourselves in the ranks of the active militia of the empire.' "As a token of your signal services, we grant to all of you, from the general to the pnvate, the right of wearing, in your retirement, the dis- tinguishing sign of the militia, the cross granted by us this day by special regulation. Let this cross be the mark of the zeal you displayed for the

public welfare in the extraordinary circumstances of the war which has just terminated. ALEXANDER."

On the other hand, the Russian force in the Caucasus has been aug- mented, notably by two regiments of foot, to be called " Crimea " and "Sebastopol," and two regiments of dragoons ; and vigorous measures are to be taken against those mountaineers who, profiting by the war, have harassed the Russian posts. The Imperial Guards are to be re- inforced by two rifle battalions ; and the Bashkir army is to be re- modelled.

The Emperor Alexander has addressed a highly eulogistical letter to Count Orloff on his loyal and upright conduct at the Paris Conferences.

"The accomplishment of this great and laborious mission has fully satis- fied my expectation, and the fresh deserts you have acquired while engaged on it give you an additional claim upon my heartfelt gratitude. Under the auspices of this peace now recetableshed, my first care will be devoted to developing and securing the prosperity of the empire which God has con- fided to my solicitude. I am firmly convinced that I shall always find in you a zealous cooperator and a wise councillor amid the toils of power that await me while striving to attain this sacred object. In testimony of the hig_h confidence which I repose in you, I have just raised you to the dignity of President of the Council of the Empire, as likewise of the Committee of laruifinii, also of those of the Caucasus and Siberia."

General Prince Gortschakoff has published a decree maintaining the prohibition against the exportation from Poland of rye, barley, oats, wheaten flour, and cattle. The reason assigned for this measure is the existing dearness and scarcity of those articles.

elOt eriffif I.—The telegraph has begun to state that "the evacua- tion of the Crimea is taking place with all possible despatch." No in- telligence has yet been received of the departure of any large body of English troops, but the Piedmontese Gazette announces that the first divi- sion of the Sardinian army, with two squadrons of cavalry and two com- panies of Sappers, embarked yesterday week, on board six English and three Sardinian steamers. Two hundred pieces of ordnance, taken at Sebastopol, have also been embarked, as the share of the Sardinian army.

General Liiders visited the Allied camp on the 15th and 17th. On the 15th he was the principal guest at the French races, held near the Mo- nastery. On the 17th there was more serious business in hand. In the morning he reviewed the French army, and in the afternoon upwards of 30,000 men of the British force, the infantry alone mustering 26,829 strong. Correspondents and officers now date their letters from " Sim- pheropol " and " Baktchiserai "; neither of which they found so comfort- able as the British camp.

The sanitary condition of the army, acknowledged to be excellent, was even improving in consequence of a favourable change in the weather.

The .&-my Works Corps has fallen into sad disgrace, and has been cen- sured in a general order.

"Headquarters, Sebastopol, April 14. "The. Commander of the Forces has frequently noticed the misconduct and idleness of parties of the Army Works Corps attached to this army. He has just received a report that a party of one hundred men, employed on Saturday last in loading railway stores at Balaklava, grossly neglected their duty, and performed about one-fifth of a proper day's work. The embark- ation of a division on board the Cleopatra, on the 13th instant, was a dis- graceful scene of drunkenness. Unless a marked improvement takes place in the conduct and exertions of this corps, the Commander of the Forces will lay before the Secretary of State a strong report of its inefficiency, with the request that any gratuity which it may be intended to give to the men, on arrival in England, may be forfeited. "By order, (Signed) C. A. WINDHAM, Chief of the Staff."

ur !ctn.—The telegraph reports that great uneasiness prevails in Abasia. "Four hundred Circassian chiefs had assembled at Anapa, to sign an address to the Emperor Napoleon, the Queen of England, and the Sultan, in which they demand their independence, and express their determination to fight for it to the last extremity."

At Nablous in Syria, a gun accident had caused an insurrection. The Reverend Mr. Lyde, a missionary, accidentally shot an importunate beg- gar. The people immediately flew to arms, and commenced depreda- tions. The Consular flags were pulled down ; the father of the Prussian Consul was killed, and the houses of the English agents were burned. Mr. Lyde escaped. The Governor of the town, unaided by the Pasha of Jerusalem, who feared for that city, fell upon the robe* and in two san- guinary encounters effectually quelled them.

I not a.—The overland mail arrived in due course on Monday, bring- ing advices from Bombay to the 2d April, and from Calcutta to the 22d March. The intelligence is almost without interest. The only public incident recorded is the departure of the late Ring of Oude from Luck- now to Cawnpore, on the lath March. It is anticipated that at Cawn- pore he would set out on a visit to England !

Instralis.—By arrival of the Beemah, at Liverpool, on Saturday, we have advices from Melbourne to the 30th January. The chief in- cident of interest is a public meeting that took place on the 28th January, called to consider the propriety of agreeing to a petition praying that Victoria should elect its own Governor. Upwards of three thousand per- sons assembled in Astley's Amphitheatre. The proposal submitted to the meeting was that the colony should nominate a Governor subject to the approval of the Crown. But it did not meet with great favour. Two amendments were proposed, each of which, one in very strong, the other in milder language, repudiated the proposal as impolitic and impracticable, and declaring "that considerations of prudence and sound policy render it important that the appointment of the Governor should continue to be vested in the Crown." On a division, the numbers for and against all the propositions were so equal that the chairman could not decide ; but on a second show of hands he thought the original motion was carried. The leading Liberals held aloof from the meeting ; and it was considered in Melbourne that the movement had been an entire failure.

Mr. Gavan Duffy had arrived at Melbourne, and had been "received on board ship by seventy-five citizens."

The ballot clauses in the electoral acts under discussion in the Legis- lature had been carried by large majorities. An attempt to get rid of the export-duty on gold was negatived by 46 to 7.

trntral Imerira.—The troops of the Costa Ricans, under General Mora, attacked and defeated a body of four hundred of Walker's Filibus- ters, under a Colonel Schlesinger, who occupied a hacienda or home- stead enclosed by stone walls. The action took place on the 20th March. The Costa Rica= are warmly elated by their success; and Walker, de-

serted by Cabanas, had retreated upon Rivas, where he stood his ground. The state of Costa Rica was in great excitement, and was raising a force of 9000 men.