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• The text of the Papal excommunication has been published in the morning papers. It is a long document, dated at St. Peter's, March 26, and is signed by the Pope. Opening with a defence of the temporal

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power, which is really of a spiritual character," the Pope proceeds to assail unnamed persons for having, by means of "lying hypocrisy," "cunning dissimulation," "perverse intrigues," made themselves de- testable. They have preached sedition, provoked popular risings, and tried to deprive the Holy See of its secular power. Nay, iu so doing, they have even pretended to feign esteem for the Church. "And it is the most to be deplored that some of those on whom, as sons of the Catholic Church, the duty was imposed to protect that Church and to maintain its power, have sullied themselves by their wicked acts. In these mischievous and perverse intrigues, which we deplore, the Sar- dinian Government has the principal part." The Pope thought the mis- doers would yield to admonitions. "But we shudder in saying it—the Sardinian Government has not only despised our admonition said com- plaints and our religious resentment, but, by persevering in its wicked-

ness by force, money, threats, terror, and other cunning means, they obtained the universal vote in their favour, and dared tat invade our pro- vinces, to occupy them, and to subject them to their power. This is a great profanation as rights of others have been usurped, against the law

of nature and of God ; every law has been overthrown, and the bases of all temporal power and human society have been undermined." There- fore, the Pope hurls at them the major excommunication - naming none, but including "all those who have taken part in the sinful insurrection in our provinces, in usurping, occupying, and invading them, or in doing such deeds as we complained of in the Allocutions of the 20th of June and the 26th of September of the last year, or those who have perpe- trated some of those acts themselves, as well as those who have been their warranters' supporters, helpers, counsellors, followers, as well as those who connived at executing the above-mentioned deeds under what- ever pretence, and in whatever manner, or who perpetrated them them- selves."

The defences of the Channel Islands are proceeding with the greatest activity. The harbour of St. Katherine's, Jersey, has one breakwater complete, and could afford accommodation to a considerable squadron ; 900 artisans and sixty horses are working on the Alderney foreifications. An immense breakwater has been constructed at Braye Bay, capable of affording shelter and anchorage to fifteen sail of the line, at a distance of about eight miles from Cape La Hogue and Cherbourg on one side, and not more than forty from Portland on the other, where there is accom-• modation for a powerful fleet.

Experiments are being made at Shoeburyness with both the Armstrong and Whitworth guns. The Newcastle Chronicle states that an Arm- strong gun, with a guaranteed range of nine miles, has been sent thither for trial.

The latest report upon upon the question of the Stade dues is, that Hanover has raised fresh difficulties with respect to their redemption. The 14th of May next has been fixed by England as the final term for Hanover to give in her declaration.

We are glad to see that the South Kensington Museum, perhaps the most popular institution in London, will be opened free every morning and evening from the 9th to the 14th of April inclusive. All the pictures will be accessible, and the Art Schools for male students will be opened, from ten until five during the day, and from seven until nine in the even- ing.

Certain points on which it was thought the new Bankruptcy Bill would require alteration were mentioned in The Times of Monday last. The Mer- cantile Law Amendment Society have since been in communication with the Attorney-General, and it appears that the modifications in ques- tion will be effected. The provisions making the seizure and sale of a deb- tor's goods under an execution enact of bankruptcy from the date of seizure are to be followed by a proviso that a petition for adjudication shall be pre- sented within a month of the sale. The clauses making the non-payment of a bill of exchange by the acceptor after a twelve days' notice an act of bankruptcy are to be struck out, as both useless and inconvenient. Power is to be given to the judge and commissioners to issue a summons calling upon a debtor to show cause why he should not be adjudged bankrupt in cases where the creditor makes an affidavit that a debt sufficient to sustain an adjudication is due, and that he verily believes that his debtor is in insol- vent circumstances, and disclosing his reasons for that belief. After the summons haa issued, however, the creditor is not to receive payment of his debt until the debtor has been examined, and has satisfied the Court of hie ability to meet his -engagements with his creditors. The majority compe- tent to bind a minority in eases of trust deeds or private arrangments is to be a simple majority in number, representing three-fourths in value, instead of three-fourths both in number and value. The debtor in cases of trust deeds is to have fourteen days instead of seven to get the required majority of his creditors to assent. Provision is also to be made for the punishment of debtors vexatiously defending actions brought against them—Times, City Article.

The Reverend W. W. Jackson Chaplain to the Forces at Barbadoes and. to the Bishop of that diocese' has been appointed to the bishopric of An- tigua. He belongs to the Low Church party. He will have jurisdiction over 751 square miles with a population of about 108,000.

Lord St. German's, we have reason to believe, is likely to accompany the Prince of Wales in his approaching visit to Canada.—Scotsman.

We have heard it rumoured that the successor to Rear-Admiral Baynes, whose period of service as Commander-in-chief of the Pacific Squadron ex- pires in July, will probably be Rear-Admiral Lord Edward Russell, C.B.- Army and Navy Gazette.

The Army and Navy Gazette states that Lord Seaton is to receive the dignity of Field-Marshal.

A letter from St. Petersburg, of the 22d ultimo, states that Prince Gort- schakoff, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has sufficiently recovered from his re- cent indisposition to occupy himself partially with business.

The Opinion Nationale states that the chief command of the Papal troops was offered to General Changarnier, before General de Lamorimere was mentioned, but declined.

Mademoiselle Victoire Balfe has just been married at St. Petersburg to Sir John Fiennes T. Crampton, K.C.B., her Majesty's Minister at the Court of Russia.

The Countess-Dowager of Elgin, mother of the present Peer, died at Paris on Sunday, after a protracted illness. The deceased Countess was the second wife of Thomas, sixth Earl of Elgin, and youngest daughter of Mr. James Townshend Oswald.

M. Bethmont died of apoplexy on Sunday night. He was one of the most eminent advocates at the French bar, and was twice eleteed Batonnier of the Order. He sat in Parliament as deputy for the Seine and Charente In- ferieure, became Minister of Justice, and Vice-President of the Council of State. After the coup d'etat of 1851, be retired into private life.

The Abbe Hue, formerly a missionary in China and Thibet, and well known for his work on this last-named country, has just died in Paris, after a short illness.

M. Taglioni, the father of the celebrated dancer, has just been operated upon for cataract, at the age of eighty-three. His delight was extreme when, on the removal of the apparatus at the end of three days, he was able to re- cognize the features of his child, and to become acquainted with those of the successful operator. The total quantity of wine produced at the Cape for the coming year will not be less than in former years, but the quantity available for exportation to the home market will be less, owing to the greatly increased local de- mand.

On Sunday, as a boat was leaving the Great Eastern, it was capsized, and the foreman of the carpenters, at work on the ship, one of five or six in the boat, was drowned. The others were saved.

The health of London is in a very unsatisfactory state. The mortality the week before last amounted to 1611, that of last week to 1708—being 188 -above the average. The deaths last week exceed those of any corresponding i

week, except that of the year 1853, when they rose to 1748, n consequence of the prevalence of pulmonary complaints from extreme cold. Bronchitis and pneumonia have again been very fatal. Nine children died by acci- dental suffocation. Eleven persons, all women except one, died at the age of ninety years and upwards, of whom one had attained the great age Of a hundred and one years. A man died in the Almshouses, Fulham Fields, at the age of eighty-seven years, who had assisted at the victory obtained by Lord Howe on the 1st of June, 1794.

The New York Courier gives particulars of the discovery of a deserted oyoter-aloop, off Staten Island. The pools of blood and patches of human blur about the vessel gave evidences of the crew having been mannered. George Burr, the captain of the sloop, sailed from the foot of Spring Street on the 15th ult., having on board three deck-hands ; and, it is believed up- wards of 500 dollars. It is suspected that the murders were committed by the river pirates

Advices from Alexandria of the 19th ultimo state that Suliernan Pacha died very suddenly some days before. He had been smoking with some friends, when his head dropped. They believed him asleep, but, on trying to rouse him soon afterwards, found he was dead.

The Amy and Navy Gazette says that the practical difficulties in the -way of carrying out the project of filling regimental-colonelciea by selection, 44 have induced the Secretary of State for War to pause before adopting the recommendation. It, therefore, appears not improbable that the purchase system will remain upon its present footing."

The following notice dated Horse Guards, March 30, has appeared in the London Gazette :—" Notice is hereby given that from and after the let of July next the minimum age of candidates to be examined for direct com- missions in the Army will be fixed at eighteen years."

Lord Clyde, Commander-in-chief in India, has—at the suggestion of the Director-General, so says the Madras limes and Spectator—authorized the -supply of spectacles to short-sighted soldiers.

A new gun of semi-steel iron (homogeneous) of the same internal diame- ter and bore as Sir W. Armstrong's 12-pounder, has been manufactured by Messrs. Brown and Hughes of Newport, Monmouthshire. It was tried at the Mound, Woolwich, on Monday and Tuesday. The makers say it can be manufactured at half the cost of Armstrong's or Whitworth's, can be used as either muzzle or breech loader, and is capable of being rifled with either Lancaster's, Armstrong's, or Whitworth's systems.

On the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th of June, the first Tie Cantonal will be celebrated with more than usual éclat at Geneva. Sub- scriptions and gifts of various kinds for prizes have been and are in the -course of being collected. The committee of the Carabiniers Genevois invite any of the English riflemen who may be so disposed to enter into a friendly combat for superiority with the Mime rifle. The whole will conclude with a grand fete and ball, to which the riflemen will be invited, and it will have all the characteristic features of a Swiss national festival.

Sir Robert Schomburgh, accompanied by Mr. Clark, interpreter, has left on a tour overland to Maulmain via Chang-mei, the capital of the tributary kingdom of Laos. Three-fourths of the Siamese territory is comparatively unknown to Europeans, and it is expected Sir Robert Schomburgh will ob- tain'some valuable geographical facts in this region.

A handsome salver and centre piece, of the value of 501., have been pri- vately presented to Mr. Macready by the members of the Literary Institu- tion at Sherborne, as an acknowledgment of the services he had rendered them. Although the testimonial ultimately took the form of plate, there was a little difficulty in deciding that point, from the fact that Mr. Mac- ready had received so many pieces of plate, that large quantities were stowed away out of sight, and that a testimonial, costing 1000 guineas' and pre- sented to Mr. Macready in America, had not been seen by his family or friends, until it was being packed up for removal to Cheltenham.

A course of lectures, addressed principally to teachers, on the best methods of acquiring and communicating knowledge in the following branches of science, in which certificates are given under the science minute of the 2nd of Juue, 1859, by the science and art department, will be delivered at the South Kensington Museum on the following Monday evenings--16th, 236, 30th of April, 7th, 14th, and 21st of May, 1860 :—Lecture 1. Practical plane and descriptive geometry, and their application to mechanical and machine drawing, and practical architecture, by Professor 'I'. Bradley, April 16. . Mechanical physics, by the Reverend B. M. Cowie, M.A., April 23, 3. Experimental physics, by Professor Tyndall, P.B.S. April 30. 4. Geo- logy and mineralogy, by Professor W. W. Smyth, F.It.S., May 7. 5. Zoology, by Professor Huxley, F.R S., May 14. 6. Botany, by Dr. Lankes- ter, M.D., F.R.S., May 21.

In the bill just printed on the subject of Poor-law medical relief for Eng- land and Wales, provisions are made for the relieving officer and other pa- rochial officials granting orders on the medical officer to attend sick poor ; but in oases of emergency the medical officer is empowered to attend with- out such order, and to be entitled to the same remuneration as if it had been previously furnished. Provision is also made that in certain cases me- dical officers are to be medical officers of health.