31iiorttlautuns.

Questions have been put to the Government respecting the meaning of the neutrality proclamation. In answer to " Glover Brothers," coal- merchants, Mr. Hammond, on the part of Lord Malmesbury, says that the proclamation does not specify what articles are contraband of war. " The prize court of the captor is the competent tribunal to decide whe- ther coal is or is not contraband of war."

In reply to the Shipowners Society, Mr. Stratton, on behalf of Lord Donoughmore, states that the question whether engagements to carry

corn' ro

cotton, and pvisions for the French Government can be carried out, will be referred to the Privy Council.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has declined to accede to the request of the hop-planters for a remission of the May instalment.

" While he sincerely regrets the present distressed condition of the hop- growers, and does not dispute the correctness of the statements made to him respecting the severity with which the tax as now assessed bears upon them, he feels that to remit a duty which has actually. become due to the Exche- quer, and in respect of which drawbacks to no inconsiderable extent have already been paid to exporters, would establish a very inconvenient prece- dent, and would be a step which he could not properly authorize?' The planters have determined to present a big memorial for a "long postponement."

The Government has informed the hop planters through Lord Holmes- dale, one of the recently elected Tory members for West Kent., that the collection of the duty having began will be continued, but that no dis- tress will be issued during the period of collection, and that at its close all defaulters who can show good reason will receive further time.

The Government, having been mildly besought by the Society of Friends and the Peace Society, to do its utmost to keep England out of war, Lord Derby has told a deputation that strong as were the feelings of the Society of Friends on the subject of the war, yet that they had used no word too strong to express his own feelings with regard to it— that the Government was resolved to observe an entire neutrality; and that no circumstance short of the absolute necessity of self-defence would justify them in involving Great Britain in any manner in the approach- ing strife.

Very serious complaints are preferred against Lord John Manners as Minister of Public Works. He has not only removed the free seats from the North side of Rotten Row, but has broken up the path on the south- ern side, under pretence of renewing the grass, and has prohibited in- valids from enjoying the air of the Park after four in the afternoon. In the meantime he has provided a booth wherein the fine ladies and gentleman who sit on the hired seats, may obtain expensive refreshments. No one class has a special right to any part of the Park, and least of all from a distinguished leader of the Young England sect, would one expect an attempt to monopolize the margin of Rotten Row for the rich.

On Saturday last, at the meeting of the Royal Society. Professor Wheatstone exhibited his improved telegraphic apparatus, in connexion with S. W. Silver and Co.'s Caoutchouc Insulator, The experiments

e experiments which were most lucidly introduced and explained by Professor Wheat- stone, were in every respect highly successful.

The anniversary meeting of the Royal Geographical Society will be held on Monday next, at their house in Whitehall Place, when the gold medals will be awarded. Sir Roderick Murchison will deliver his fare- well address as president of the society. The usual dinner will take place in the evening at Freemason's H .

A gentleman, having business to transact in France, left his wife ten days ago at Nice. She wished to proceed on the Genoa road to sketch and tra- vel slowly by voiture as far as Savona, and return to Nice. She was accom- panied by her niece, a medical man, and an artist of Nice, besides ser- vants. Re received from her the following letter- " Savona, 10th of May. " Do not be alarmed about us, we are doing very well ; but a most ridi- culous occurrence took place the night we arrived here. After dinner the waiter came in and said that the Syndic and the Capitaine des Carabiniers were outside and wished to see me. I could not, of course, make out what this meant, but after a little while they were asked in, the Syndic with his official Italian tricolour scarf round his shoulders, and the captain. I beg- ged them to be seated, when they said they wished to see our passports. Of course they were shown. The Syndic said he was very sorry to intrude, j but they had just received a telegram from Paris, giving the exact descrip- tion, as he was pleased to think of the people named in this telegram, of our party, of a 'grande belle dame colossale' ; une demoiselle blonde; un grand Jenne Monsieur,' et un ' plus petit ; qua c'etait, bien sur, la descrip- tion be roue quatre.' I then asked him what more he wanted, as he must see that our passports were quite on regle. We saw that he was not at all satisfied, and I asked him what on earth it all meant. He then said that he had received the strictest orders to look after 'Madame Bonaparte Wyse,' or as they call her, Madame Letizie,' and who is supposed to be making her way to Genoa or Turin ; and that the number and description of her party and ours tallied exactly. After much pourparlier, the Syndic remaining quite uncomfortable, and not knowing what to do, and evidently alarmed, I asked; Et quand meme. Monsieur, que ferait-on de Madame Letizie si vous la trouviez ' ?' Madame, 710U8 arena l'ordre de la faire passer en Toscane.' There is liberty for you—:-beginning early for little Pied- mont ! At last the Captain of Carabiniers-saw that they must be mistaken, though the Syndic remained unconvinced. However, Monsieur T. found that M. le Syndie ' is a Nizzard and fellow townsmen. They fraternized, and T. told him how absurd it was to take me for Madame Letizie, as I was English, and he had known me for ten years. Still the Syndic was not comfortable, though very civil, and making many excuses. I told him he had only done his duty and obeyed his orders. T. went away with them to the Syndic's abode, but on going outside of the hotel he found five or six Carabiniers (gendarmes), and in the distance seven sergeants de ville. This is all too ridiculous.

" However, all was settled, and T. asked for some one to show him back to the hotel. They gave him a Carabinier, who proved to be in such a drunken state that after going a few steps down he fell on his face, and T. found his own way back to us. The best of it is that I know this lady has in the meantime given them the slip, for while they thought she was here she changed her route at Oneglia, and went over the mountain road to Turin, where I sincerely hope she has safely arrived."

Mr. Charles Greville has resigned the office of Clerk of the Council. Notwithstanding the determination come to years ago not to fill up this lu- crative sinecure, we believe the present vacancy is about to be made the groundwork of a neat Derbyite job. Lord Robert Cecil, M.P. for Stamford, is to be appointed the successor of Mr. Greville, which being done, Lord Exeter, W

Lord Robert's father, is ready to appoint Mr. James Stuart ortley Member for Stamford, thus repaying that chivalrous and consistent poli- tician his surrender of Bute, if not his rejection by the West Riding. If Parliament were sitting, of course such a job-could not be attempted, but by the time the new House meets, Lord Robert Cecil will very probably have been provided for by the country at a rather heavy " figure. `--Globe.

Sir James Graham has been called to account for two statements he made at Carlisle. Sir John Pakington denies that he pressed Captain Carnegie to stand for Dover, although Captain Carnegie, as stated by Sir James, had said that success was impossible without the use of means repugnant to the sense of a man of honour. Sir John Pakington has never heard of imputa- tions on the people of Dover and knows nothing about them. Sir James says he referred to the matter from memory, and that if he has erred in any particular way he readily expresses regret. General Peel has brought Sir James to book for stating that in order to influence the elections the Govern- ment had raised the billetting allowance to 4d. He leaves Sir James to ex- plain how it was possible for him not to know that the statement was un- true. The allowance was fixed by the Mutiny Act on the recommendation of a committee ! Sir James says he was not aware of it. "You blame my ignorance. I acknowledge it. A misstatement has been made ; I am sorry for it" ; but " the fact remains that a large increase of billet money has been made at the instance of the Government, and was announced on the eve of a general election."

The Queen's birthday being kept on Thursday, the Ministers gave the customary banquets to the gentlemen connected with their departments. Mr. Disraeli brought together a host of civilians ; Lord Stanley a great company of Indians, old and new ; Sir John Pakington a squadron of ad- mirals; Sir E. Lytton many colonial notables ; General Peel a regiment of military men ; Mr. Sotheron Esteourt judges and magistrates ; the Attor- ney-General a full bar of Queen's counsel; and the Marquis of Exeter a select circle of courtiers. In the evening, London was partially illuminated.

The Queen's state ball, which was to have taken place on Tuesday the 7th of June, has been postponed until Wednesday the 8th of June.

The Princess Frederick William of Prussia will arrive at Osborne on Sa- turday the 21st instant, from Berlin, on a visit to her Majesty.

The Prince of Wales arrived atGibraltar on the 7th from Civita Vecchia in the Scourge commanded by Prince Victor of Hohenlohe Langenbourg. Of course he was received with all the ceremony and loyal demonstrations due to his rank--dining with the Govenor, attending a ball, receiving ad- dresses and so forth. While at Gibraltar he visited Tarifa and Algesiras. He was to depart in the Vulture for England on the 13th.

Prince George of Saxony and his bride, Donna Maria Anna, sister of the King of Portugal arrived at Southampton on Wednesday in a frigate com- manded by the Duke of Oporto. They left at once for London.

Colonel Robert Walpole, Rifle Brigade, Colonel George Robert Barker, RA., and Colonel John Douglas, 79th Foot, have been appointed Knights Commanders of the Bath.

Mr. Henry Drummond Woolf, private secretary to Sir Edward Lytton, is named as Government Secretary at Corfu, in succession to Sir Thomas Bowen, who is appointed Governor of the new colony of Queensland, More- ton Bay, in Australia.

Count be Persigny, the successor of the Duke de Malakhoff as Ambassador of France at the Court of St. James's, arrived in London on Saturday from Paris, accompanied by the Countess de Persigny. M. Theobald Teacher de la Pagerie, a cousin of the Empress Josephine, has enlisted as a private in the Piedmontese cavalry. Poerio, who has been staying a short time in Paris, departed on Saturday for Piedmont.

The Constitutionnel states that M. About's book on the Roman question has been seized by order of the Attorney-General, and laid before the Tri- bunals.

A Paris journal says that the Pope on receiving the Duke of Grammont a few days ago, as the bearer of a letter from the Emperor Napoleon promising him protection, his Holiness, holding up a crucifix, observed, " Behold my only support." Intelligence has been received from Bombay of the death of Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, on the 14th of April, at the age of seventy-six. He was at the bead of the native mercantile body of India, and was created a baronet by the British Government a few years back. He was also presented with the freedom of the city of London. His donations to public objects during his successful mercantile career amounted to about 300,0001., and he has be- queathed a large fortune to his family.

On the homeward voyage of the Peninsula and Oriental Company's steam- ship Ripon, Admiral 1 horuton fell overboard and was drowned. He was not missed for some time. • When an alarm was given and a boat lowered no trace of him could be found. He was a director of the company.

Mr. Joseph Sturge died on Saturday at Birmingham. He had been un- well for months, but being apparently better on Saturday, he called his chil- dren to go out with him for a ride. While dressing ho was seized with a fit of coughing which rendered him insensible, and before medical aid ar- rived, he was dead. Mr. Sturge was sixty-six years of age.

Mr. Fagan, Member for Cork county, whose death was prematurely re- ported last week, did not survive his illness, but died on Monday.

Madame Hoche, widow of the celebrated Republican General, the "pa- cificator " of La Vendee, and who attempted a descent in Bantray Bay in 1796, died on Wednesday at Versailles at an advanced age.

By a modification of their terms for the Handel Commemoration Festival, which we heartily commend, the Directors of the Crystal Palace have issued tickets for the North and South Naves at five shillings each, and it will sur- prise us much if as large a receipt is not obtained by this concession as by the originally higher priced tickets. The flower-show of Wednesday was a superb and tasteful display of azaleas, heaths, and roses, and the port of the palace reserved for these flowers, was burdened as it were, with their over- whelming perfume. Some 6000 visitors, despite the capricious weather, attended the exhibition.

The report of the Registrar-General is still favourable. The deaths in the metropolis last week stood at 1070, or eighty-six below the calculated aver- age.

An English steamer in the Mediterranean, the Douro, bringing the Indian mail, has been overhauled by the boats of a French man-of-war.

The French ships of war have captured twelve small crafts belonging to Austria.