FOREIGN NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 82, 31 July 1852, Page 4

FOREIGN NEWS.

FEANCE. The Paris correspondent of the Horning Chronicle says : —" Within the last few days all is changed. The warlike language of the Elyseans has ceased, and the Moiiiteur announces to the world that Louis Napoleon thinks of nothing but the internal improvement of France, and yearns to promote peace and good-will between nations. This change of language is too remarkable to be without some strong cause. The note in the Moniteur must have been drawn forth by something more substantial than the ' newspaper calumnies,' which are made the pretext for giving it. 1 understand that the real reason for the publication of the note in question is the following:—Within the last few days a despatch has been communicated to the French Government, from the Government of' Great Britain, to the effect that, in the event of a single soldier entering the Belgian territory, the city of Antwerp, with its citadel and the forts on the Scheldt, would at once be occupied by an English.army of 10,000 men. It has been at the same time announced that this English occupation would be accomplished with the sanction and express concurrence of the Great Powers of Europe, including Eussia."

The following is the article which appears in the Moniteur, and in which the French Government contradicts the truth of the warlike intentions attributed to it by the English journals :—

" When, in 1848, the nomination of Prince Louis Napoleon, as President of the Republic, was in question, several English journals, and the persons interested in opposing it, pretended that to place a Buonaparte at the head of France would be an act of defiance cast in the face of Europe, and they considered that election as the signal of a general war. It is now known if these fears have been realized.

"Since the second of December, is the same system of calumnies. The spirit of party and ignorance has conspired to accredit them. The most absurd suppositions have been accredited. At one time, it is demands made upon neighbouring states, in an almost threatening: tone ; at another, it is preparations of war ; and the foreign correspondences, by the aid of audacious" falsehoods, present our situation in entirely an imaginary point of view. Time, which in ordinary cases does sufficiently prompt justice to malevolence and stupidity, appears, on this occasion, on the contrary, to encourage them. False claims are scattered more than ever, projects of invasion are supposed, and our regiments are spoken of as being ready, and on the point of passing the frontiers. To this is to be attributed the injury done to credit, and the ruinous obstacles placed in the way of the resumption of affairs. " Nevertheless, sinoe the 2nd of December, the French Government has addressed no sort of demand to foreign powers, if it be not to Belgium, in order that that power should prevent the organization in its territory of a system of incessant attacks. It has not armed one additional soldier; it has not even passed a general review; in short, it has done nothing that could raise the slightest susceptibility among our neighbours. All the views of the Government in France are turned towards the interior ameliorations. Unjust attacks cannot move it. It will not leave its attitude of calmness till the national honour and dignity shall have been attacked. Its attitude has not ceased for a moment from being pacific ; and any news which tends to represent it under another aspect is a gross fable, to which, after so formal a contradiction, there remains nothing to be offered but contempt."

Not the least importance is attached to this note which repudiates warlike designs. In fact, the assertion that Belgium is the only country on which demands have been made since Dec. 2, is utterly irreconcileable with the pretensions of the French ministers at Berne and Madrid. It is known that M. de Salignac Fenelon has presented the most menacing notes to the Federal Council on the subject of the French refugees in Switzerland, and that applications have been made to Spain for the expenses of the Duke d'Angouleme's expedition in 1823. In fact, the decree which has appeared in the Madrid Gazette, granting a credit to the Minister of War for the fortification of Port Mahon, is an expressive answer to the proposal of the French Government to hold that important port as a guarantee for the payment of the sum demanded from the Spanish Government.

The Duchess of Orleans has addressed the following letter to the President, refusing the donation of 300,000f. per annum maintained to her in the decree of January 22 : —" Monsieur— As I do not acknowledge your right to plunder my..family, neither do I acknowledge your right to assign me a donation in the name of France. I refuse the dowry.—Helena D'Okleans." BELGIUM. EXTRACT OF A LETTKR DATED BRUSSELS, FEB. 19, 1852. " A convention has been concluded between our Government (the Belgian) and Russia, whereby the latter engages to furnish 100,000 men for the defence of our territory, in case it should be invaded, or seriously menaced by France. Should the Baltic be open these troops (including the Imperial Guards) are to be transported by a Russian fleet to Antwerp. " Prussia promises us assistance to a like extent. The object of the present mission of the Prince de Ligne to Berlin is to arrange the modus operandi. . "Our own army numbers 90,000, of whom 70,000 would take the field, and the remainder occupy our fortresses. " Holland, interested in the protection of

Luxemburg, agrees to furnish a contingent of 30,000. " Hopes are entertained that England, as one of the powers guaranteeing the independence of Belgium, will co-operate with a fleet in the Scheldt and a garrison for the citadel of Antwerp. " But you see that, independent of England and Austria, who might weaken our enemy by a diversion on the Mediterranean, our northern coalition musters 300,000 men ; a force quite sufficient, to repel the threatened invasion, if not chastise its authors at a second Waterloo. " This country still swarms with French spies and police agents. " I am assured, in a trustworthy quarter, that the Emperor of Russia has ordered the 50 millions of francs, which he invested in French Rentes in 1847, to be transferred to the Dutch funds, as he does not consider his money safe in France after the Orleans confiscation." SPAIN. The re-establishment of the Queen's health is complete, and all danger has ceased. After the execution of Merino, the poniard which had served to commit the attempt at assassination, its sheath, and the pistol and bullets found in his house, were destroyed by desire of the Queen,and his books and papers, with the exception of those useful to his family, were burnt in the presence of the Attorney-General and the Judges of the Court before whom he was tried. M. Gonzales Romero, the Minister of Grace and Justice, addressed also a despatch to the Governor of the Province of Madrid, to the effect that, as in spite of the most efficient measures of the Government it would be impossible to avoid the partial or total abstraction of the body of Merino, either as a matter of speculation or under the pretext of studying his organic structure, and, moreover, that no trace should remain of the horrible crime against the Royal person of her Majesty, the body of the culprit should be burned, and the ashes thrown into the burial ground reserved for the poor. At a quarter to 5, therefore, on the afternoon of Feb. 7th, the body of Merino was burnt in the presence of the Governor of the Province, his Secretary, the Chaplain of the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, and the Recorder. The operation of burning took place on the left of the •entrance of the cemetery outside the walls of Madrid, beyond the gate of Bilboa, and close to the common burial-ground. The wood and necessary utensils having been prepared, the body was stripped, committed to the flames, reduced to ashes ; and the whole terrible business was brought to an end by scattering the ashes to the winds at 20 minutes past 7 o'clock the same afternoon. AUSTRIA. The official papers confirm the fact of a dispatch having been received by the last American post, from the Chevalier Hulsemann, Austrian Charge d'Affaires at Washington, stating that "he had broken off all diplomatic intercourse with the Government of the United States." The position of the American representative at this Court has long been both difficult and disagreeable. The behaviour of both the Court and the Cabinet towards him has been even suffered to be commented on in the censor-ridden press, and, after a residence in Vienna of about twelve months, he is stated never to have been received by the Emperor till within the last week or so, and then very coldly, and not in a private audience. UNITED STATES. We have advices from New York to Feb. sth. The House of Representatives have passed a resolution appropriating 6,000 dollars for relieving and bringing home the remnant of the Lopez expedition. In the Senate, Mr. Shields had moved a special order of the day, for the purpose of taking up the resolution for the intercession of the American Government with England, to obtain the release of Smith O'Brien and other exiled Irish. The resolution offered by Mi\ Shields is as follows : —" Resolved, that while we disclaim all intention of interfering in any way in the internal affairs of Great Britain and Ireland^we deem it our duty to express, in a respectful manner, our firm conviction that it would be highly gratifying to the people of the United States, many of whom are natives of Ireland, and connected by blood with the inhabitants of that country, to see Smith O'Brien and his associates restored to liberty, and permitted, if so disposed, to emigrate to this

country. We would regard this act of clemency as a new proofl of the friendly disposition of theBritish Government towards our republic, and as calculated to strengthen the bonds of affection now happily existing between the people of the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland." The subject was then made a special order of the day for a subsequent day.

The weather continued severe, but the ice had begun to break in most of the districts. A telegraphic dispatch from Louisville, announced that the navigation had been opened, but that, in consequence of the breaking up of the ice, 16 coal boats had sunk, the loss being estimated at 10,000 dollars.

On the Ist of Feb., a large piece of the Horse Shoe, Niagara Falls, fell in on the American side, between Goat Island and the Tower. A large number of the inhabitants of New Hampshire, assembled in State Convention, at Concord, have passed a resolution declaring that they will not vote for any man, for any office whatever, who is not known to be opposed to the sale of intoxicating drinks.

A Boston correspondent of the Nerv York Herald announces the marriage, of Jenny Lind, at Boston, on the sth of February, to Otto Goldschmidt, the piarrist. The Herald, in reference to the report, says:— " Before we can fully realize the truth of this marriage, we shall require further evidence than a brief telegraphic dispatch. It will be remembered that this Swedish Nightingale was reported to be married in England, to an English clergyman, and that the affair was said to have been cancelled only by her payment of a forfeit of 5,000 dollars. Subsequently, at one time it was understood that she was certainly engaged to Belletti; and, at another time, to Master Burke, the violinist. Therefore, we cannot ratify the nuptials of Miss Lind to Mr. Goldschmidt till the news is confirmed."

Kossuth, after addressing the ladies and the clergy at Pittsburgh, had arrived at Cleveland, but he was about to leave for Cincinnati. He has raised 6,000 dollars in Pittsburg and its vicinity—principally from the contributions of the working classes, numbers of whom he has personally visited in the founderies, factories, &c He bitterly complained to a deputation, that though upwards of 180,000 dollars had been collected for the cause of Hungary, yet that the far larger portion of it had been expended in feasting, for which he had no taste, and that consequently he had not the means to pay for 40,000 muskets he had ordered.