311tortIlautuus.

It has been officially announced that the French Government will not in future permit any person to land in France without a passport, not even when they have no intention of proceeding into the interior ; nor will a Consul's passport given to any who land without one be re- cognized.

A report has been current for some time to the effect that Lord Elphiro, atone offered to despatch especial steamer to Suez with the news of the outbreak at Meerut. This is now authenticated. At the first meeting of the Select Committee.on the Transpora of Troops to India, Sir James Melvin said "he considered that ten days were lost by the refusal of Lord Canning to adopt the suggestion of Lord Elphiustone to despatch, a steamer with the news."

Sir James hfelvill having on the 3d instant completed a service of fifty years, has, in fulfilment of an intention long since announced, re- tired from the office of Secretary to the East India Company. It is understood, however, that he will, remain to offer such assistance as his long experience may enable him to afford during the present Parliament- ary discussions.—Times.

The Board of Trade returns for December show one result of the fi- nancial crisis—compared with December 1856, the falling-off in exports was no less than 2,897,185i.: in December 1866 the total was 10,045,2261. ; in 1857, only 7,148,0811. Seven items show an increase ; the heaviest decrease is in Manchester goods, while the diminution in linens, silks, and woollens is large. For the whole year 1857, there was an increase of 7,328,2891. compared with 1856, and of 26,467,1521. com- pared with 1855.

The Speaker had his first Parliamentary-banquet on Saturday : the guests were the Ministers who are Members of the House of Commons.

The Duchess and Princess Mary and the Duke of Cambridge dined with the Earl of Eglinton on Saturday.

Lady Palmerston held an assembly on Saturday evening. The Marquis and If.archioness of Clauricarde had a dinner-party ; the Marquis of Lans- downe and Lord and Lady Cranworth being among the guests.

Fernkh Khan, the Persian Ambassador, has beea the lion of the day at Turin, on his way to Rome. He has been feted by many persons; he has dined -with the 1Zi e, and with the beautiful Countess de Castiglione. If his costume put the spectators in mind of "an ill-made dressing-gown," there was no withstanding the brilliancy of the diamonds that sparkled on his breast.

MM. de Laprade and Jules Bandeau have been elected members of the French Academy, in the room of MM. Alfred de Musset and Brifaut.

There were great doings in Athens and at the Piraeus on the 7th, to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the arrival of King Otho in Greece.

The Governor of St. Vincent's, President Laborde, has died of fever : Mr. M`Leod temporarily administers the government.

The Army Estimates for the ensuing financial year (1858-'59) are nearly identical in amount with those of last year. The total amount of money which Parliament will be asked to vote out of the public parse for the effec- tive and non-effective services is 11,538,3871., against 11 ,443,2351. for 1857-'8, making a net increase of merely 95,1521. The number of men that will be required is 130,135, against 126,796 last year.

The Navy Estimates amount to 9,140,0001.—that is 932,0001. more than those of last year. This increase is to cover the cost of 5000 more seamen, of the extended equipment of ships, and the transport of soldiers.

In future, no Government employe in France is to be allowed to write any article or publish a book or pamphlet without the permission of his superior.

As the aristocracy of Milan will not attend the balls of the Imperial Stranger, the Archduke Maximilian admits traders and other plebeians to his entertainments : he gave great offence lately to the few noble persons pre- sent at a ball by dancing with the daughter of a cotton-merchant and pay- ing her great attention.

Hatred to the Austrians has shown itself in the theatre at La Facia, at Venice by a violent demand for an encore of a " chorus of conspirators" ire the opera of Candiano : the manager refused to permit it, and the per- formances came to an untimely close in an uproar.

There are now 3000 rank and file, Queen's and Company's troops, ready to proceed as reinforcements to India as soon as ships are procurodto trans- port them.

The Blacks of Jamaica have had a military fit, and so many have entered the West India Regiments that other labourers have demanded higher wages : as yet, employers have succeeded in resisting this, but it is thought they must eventually yield.

The Home Secretary has ordered a sweeping change in the fees to wit- nesses at assizes and sessions : professors in law and medicine, giving evi- dence professionally, will Wallowed a guinea a day, but the pa ,tent to all other witnesses will be but 38.43d.: the scale has hitherto vartedfrem 13. 1*. to 5s., but now a policeman will get the same remuneration for his attend- ance as "a witness of superior degree."

The trade of France continues inanimate : it is now thought that this is not altogether owing to the feeling produced by the.attempt of the 14th January and its consequences, but that the high price.of all articles of mer- chandise prevents speculation.

The army in Algeria, as the country is now cruet, is not to be permitted to waste its time in ruinous idleness, but it will beemployed in constructing railways. Orders have been given to send from France the necessary tools for the use of these military pioneers of civilization, The reduction of postage in Austria has had the inevitable effect of vastly increasing the number of letters forwarded : thus the number of letters pass- ing through the Vienna post-office in 1857 was more than double the total of 18o1, while the receipts increased from 661,301 florins to 1,029;919 florins.

An ancient fountain in the quadrangle of Linlithgow Castle, now a wreck from ill-treatment in 1745, is to be reproduced in front of Holyrood Palace. The design is grotesque and humorous.

The winter in Northern Italy has been -of almost unexampled severity : at Ferrara, the Po has been so firmly frozen over that man and beast have crossed the ice for some days. At Turin, the low temperature has increased sickness and mortality.

The rate of mortality in the Metropolis was last week 1195, or 117 under the corrected average, and 129 less than in the preceding week. The Re- gistrar-General does not give any opinion as to the causes of the decrease.

While robberies 'of single individuals occur in railway-carriages in Eng- land, the brigands in Rome have performed a wholesale act in their voca- tion by rifling the passengers of a whole train. The Courtier te Italie states that " between Rome and Frascati is a railway about nine miles long. A Considerable number of personielvent the other day to a fete at Frascati ; the ladies being dressed in their richest garments, and wearing their cost- liest jewellery. This was all known"to the brigands. Accordingly, they seized the officers who occupied the intermediate station in the midst of the deserted country, and proceeded to hoist the red flag, as a signal to stop. The engineer, fearing something was on the line, brought the engine to a dead stand ; when the robbers instantly laid hold of the travellers, and coolly plundered them, doing them, however, no other injury. Up to this time we had fancied that railways would put an end to this sort of adven- ture ; but the foregoing. stroke, performed at -the very gates of Rome, shows that we were too sanguine. Instead of robbing some ten or a dozen pas- sengers in a diligence, the brigands now take a hundred in one haul. Of course, the more productive this peculiar branch of industry becomes in the Roman States the greater will be the numbers of those who follow it."

A letter received from Captain Ryan, of the ship Lion, from Hongkong for Callao, dated Anger, November 22, States that the ship Kate Hooper, of Baltimore, Captain Jackson, from Macao October 15, for Havannah, with Coolies, was at Anger, November 22, waiting for men from Batavia. The Coolies mutinied, one got possession of the between-decks, and set the chip on fire three times ; and before they could be subdued the officers had to shoot fifty of them. The master was confined to his bed by sickness at the time.