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son the Duke of Sudermania, arrived at Christiania to attend the close of the Norwegian Diet, or Storthing, which had been assembled a year before. The Prince Royal delivered a speech on the occasion in French, which was repeated in the Norwegian language by his son. It began with announcing general peace, and confirmed amity with the nearest powers, those of Russia, Prussia, and England. Satisfaction was then expressed with the friendly confidence displayed by the Norwegians towards the Swedes, and the harmony subsisting between the King and the Diet, notwithstanding unfavourable predictions. "You have recently (he said) acquired the faculty of speaking your rights: you have discussed your interests and social prerogatives; and we must hope, that happy results will in future be the fruit of your labours." The Prince then touched upon the difficulties and hardships under which nature had destined Norway to labour, and the necessity of encountering them by industry and frugality; and hinted at some provisions against the sufferings of the indigent which remained to be put in practice.

the union of the Scandinavian peninsula under a wise government, which secures our political condition; the bases which we have endeavoured to lay of a part of our internal arrangements, and the measures which we may expect in future, when the national assemblies shall have acquired more experience; make us hope for the future happiness of Norway."

Prince Oscar, son of the Prince Royal, has been appointed Viceroy of Norway.

A new survey of the frontier hetween Sweden and Norway has been determined on for the ensuing year, to be divided into three divisions, each to be visited by a Norwegian and a Swedish officer. The whole line is estimated at between 7 and 800 English miles, a great part in mountainous and steril regions.

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plans

plans for restricting luxury, by which the use of foreign articles will be much circumscribed. Their importation of late years has risen to the amount of 20 millions of rix dollars, whilst the exports have little exceeded nine millions; a drain absolutely ruinous to so poor a nation. Plans are also in agitation for enabling the national bank to pay off the paper money in specie, which, however, cannot be brought to effect without the sanction of the States, whence a new meeting of the Diet is expected. Of the military conscription, divided into five classes, the first class, amount ing to 70,000 men, is to be called out, armed and exercised for annual service. In this number is not included the standing army of nearly 42,000 men, part of which are provincial regiments, raised and maintained by the landed proprietors.

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A national bank for Norway has been established at Christi

ania.

Near the conclusion of the year, reports were spread of great disturbances prevailing among the peasantry of Norway, who were reduced to extreme distress by a dearth, which could not fail of pressing at this period with extraordinary severity, in a country almost always labouring under a degree of scarcity. The inhabitants of the interior are said to have been particularly exasperated against the mercantile population of the sea-ports, to whose interests they supposed themselves sacrificed.

Denmark. Respecting this kingdom, the most memorable circumstance of the year relates to the

transactions between the united duchy of Sleswick and Holstein, and the crown. The permanent Assembly of Prelates and Knights of this duchy, published a collection of their most important acts, two of which are said to have produced an extraordinary sensa tion on the continent. In the first of these, a writ from the royal chancery of the duchy to the permanent committee of prelates, &c. mentions, that their petition of March 7th, and likewise their remonstrances concerning the future condition of the duchies, had been submitted to his Majesty by the chancery, which had thereupon been commissioned by his Majesty to make known to the committee, that the internal management of the duchy must continue, as it had been regulated by the royal resolution of the 6th of September in the last year, and that the King would hereafter determine more precisely the time for carrying into effect any other resolution's, touching the matter in question. This document was dated May 7th.

The committee reply, That the permanent committee had received with gratitude the assurances of a new constitution to be given them but that they perceive with deep concern, that the period for the accomplishment of so desirable an object was left indefinite, and to depend upon the future will and decision and will of his Majesty. They feel the more regret on this account, as they have daily opportunities of witnessing the painful anxiety of all ranks on the subject. They also could not forbear to confess that, fully relying on the

royal

royal word, they had been greatly disappointed at having to wait till a protracted period for the confiration of their privileges. They found themselves grievously fustrated in their hopes by the indefinite line of his Majesty's conduct, which could not, as in other times, have been governed by pending political events.

In the words of the ukase, "They have turned aside from our worship young people who had been intrusted to them, and some women of weak and inconsiderate minds, and have drawn them to their church." His Majesty's ideas of this conduct are thus expressed: "To induce a man to abjure his faith, the faith of his ancestors-to extinguish in him the love of those who profess the same worship-to render him a stranger to his country-to sow discord and animosity in families

Russia An imperial Ukase was published on January 2d, at St. Petersburgh, which remarkably illustrates the system of religious toleration in the Russian empire, and at the same time exhibits the indelible character of the order of Jesuits. This society, after having been abolished by a papal bull, and expelled from all the Roman Catholic states, obtained an asylum in Russia, under the Empress Catharine II., and was permitted to engage in the education of youth, a task for which its members were regarded as peculiarly qualified. Proselytism being held the highest of all duties by the church of Rome, it has always been pursued with peculiar zeal by the Jesuits, its most devoted satellites; and the emigrants of that order in Russia could not refrain from exercising the influence they had acquired in that country, in making converts, though the laws of Russia striely prohibit every native, born and brought up in the established Greek religion, from changing it for any other.

as

brother, the son from the father, and the daughter from the mother

to excite divisions among the children of the same church-is that the will of God, and of his divine Son Jesus Christ our Saviour?" The result of his deliberations are contained in the following articles: That the Catholic church in Russia be again established as it was in the reign of the Empress Catharine II., and till the year 1800: that all monks of the order of Jesuits be immediately banished from Petersburgh: that they be forbid to enter the two capitals. At the same time, that there might be no interruption in the Roman Catholic worship, the metropoditan of that church was ordered to replace the Jesuits by other priests then present, until the arrival of other Catholic monks who had been sent for, for that purpose.

A note of the Russian chargé d'affaires at Hamburg to the Senate of that city, stating the circumstances of the misconduct of the Jesuits, and the measures taken by the Emperor in conse[L 2] quenze.

quence, mentions that they were sent back to Poloczk, where they were settled till the reign of the Emperor Paul.

A private account of this transaction communicated from Petersburgh, refers its origin to the influence of Prince Galitzin, the minister of public worship, who was greatly exasperated at the conversion to the Romish faith of his nephew, a youth educated at the Jesuit's academy. The general of the Jesuits was sent for by the minister on the occasion, and severely reprehended; and although the society employed all their caution to avoid giving farther umbrage to government, and determined to admit none but Catholics in future into their institution, they could not reconcile the Prince, who continually urged their expulsion from the capital. The restoration of their order by the Pope augmented the suspicions against them; the conversion of some ladies more inflamed the public mind; and on the return of the Emperor from his long absence he was prevailed upon to issue the ukase above cited.

Alexander is generally regarded as the principal promoter of that remarkable convention or treaty between the sovereigns of Austria, Russia, and Prussia, signed first at Paris on September 26th, 1815, and published at Petersburgh in the beginning of 1816, which has borne the name of the Sacred or Christian league. By its articles (see State Papers) the parties reciprocally bind themselves to consider cach other as brethren united in the principles of Christianity, and

resolved to act towards one another, and towards their subjects, according to the precepts of that holy religion. They promise, indeed, on all occasions, and in all places, to lend each other aid and assistance;" but lest this obligation should give umbrage to other sovereigns, they declare their readiness to admit into their alliance all other powers who shall avow the same principles; and it will appear in the parliamentary history, that the Emperor of Russia communicated to Lord Castlereagh the substance of the treaty before it was signed, in order to be transmitted to the Prince Regent of England, with the hope of his concurrence. As politicians could scarcely conceive of a convention between powerful princes, the sole purpose of which should be to put into practice those maxims of universal justice, charity, and good-will, which have always been held forth in the declarations of sovereigns, but never acted upon, a variety of conjectures were on float respecting its real and secret object; but the tenor of its language, and the total want of all diplomatic etiquette, seem to denote it the product of feeling rather than of design. The manifesto issued by the Emperor Alexander on Christmas day, accompanying a copy of the alliance, and ordered to be read in all the churches, bears every mark of sincere intention.

The vast empire of Russia has afforded few memorable incidents during the present year. The Emperor, with his habitual activity, undertook in the summer a progress

a progress through those parts of his dominion which had been the principal sufferers in the war, for the purpose of affording every practical relief. Moscow, the ancient capital of the empire, was the first object of his survey, and he found it rising fast from its ruins, and putting on the appearance of a splendid and populous city. He was received with all due honours at the Kremlin, whence he issued a manifesto highly laudatory of the inhabitants of Moscow, which was deposited in its archives. In September, from the quarters of the regiment of Iletzki, he issued an ordinance, directing, that on account of the general peace in Europe, the annual recruiting through the empire should cease, and the sixth corps of the army, which was to be broken up, should be employed for completing the land and naval forces.

That his Majesty, however, has no intention to diminish the military force of his territories capable of being called into action when occasion requires, is apparent from the following article of intelligence published at Warsaw on November 21st.

By a decree of his Majesty the Emperor our King, of the 17th of last month, relative to the military conscription, which

was

published the day before yesterday in 60 articles, every person in the kingdom of Poland, without distinction of rank, origin, or religion, is for ten years a soldier, viz. from his 20th to his 30th year. Two corps of reserve are to be formed; the conscripts of the first are destined to complete the troops of the line, and

those of the second come into their places.

From the Conscription are exempt.-Foreigners and their sons born abroad, only sons, one son out of each family, brothers as guardians of their minor brothers, widowers who have children, the officers of state, those married before this decree was published, or who shall be married in future before the age of 20, the clergy, professors, lawyers, physicians, surgeons, manufacturers, artists, with their journeymen; and among the Jews, a rabbi in every commune. Substitutes are allowed. The conscripts of the first reserve must appear at their depôt every year on the 15th of April, and exercise till the 5th of June.

It is a circumstance well worthy of notice, though its final consequences cannot be foreseen, that an official journal, published at Petersburgh in the Russian language, contains an article expatiating in the warmest terms on the benefits resulting to states from a free press, to which the noble energy and patriotical enthusiasm by which England has been so much distinguished, are ascribed. The Emperor's visit to this island, we may therefore hope, has made a durable impression.

The Republic of the Ionian Islands, rendered on various accounts interesting to Great Britain, appears destined to attain prosperity under her protection. One evil to which it is exposed by its situation will probably continue its occasional ravages; and while the government of Turkey neglects every effectual precaution against the contagion of the plague, its immediate neighbours