constitution on which Austria, Bavaria, and Wurtemberg
are already agreed. Austria stands up for a single
chamber to represent the interests of Germany. She
offers to make the greatest sacrifices, and proposes to
join the confederation with all her provinces, with the
exception of those of Italy. She demands a Diet of
300 members, in which she proposes to represent the
33,000,000 of Austrians by 100 members, the 16,000,000
of Prussians by another 100, and the 17,000,000 of
inhabitants of smaller states by the third hundred. In
the Directory of seven votes Austria claims but a single
vote.

The Parliament at Erfurt was formally opened on
the 20th instant, by Baron Radowitz, with a speech
sketching the position of Germany; telling how some
governments hang back from adherence to the German
Parliament, and how Hanover and Saxony have seceded;
and concluding with the announcement, that impeachments
have been preferred against Hanover and Saxony.

From Athens there is intelligence of the cessation of
the blockade.—On the evening of the 1st inst. Mr.
Green, the English consul at Athens, issued a circular
announcing that the British government, having good
hopes of obtaining a satisfactory settlement of their
demands on the Greek government, through the good
offices of the government of the French republic,
had given orders to Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker
to suspend, for a reasonably limited period of time, the
coercive action of her Majesty's squadron, but,
nevertheless, to retain the Greek vessels actually in his
possession, as pledges in deposit, until a final arrangement
shall have been made. Orders had consequently been
given by Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker to allow for
the present the free ingress and egress of all vessels not
actually in possession of her Majesty's squadron. On
the 2nd inst., M. Thouvenel wrote to Mr. Wyse,
proposing that Sir William Parker should give up the
Greek ships in his possession, and that he, the representative
of the French republic, would guarantee the
payment of the claims of her Majesty's government on
Greece. Mr. Wyse, in reply, regretted his inability to
comply with M. Thouvenel's proposition. M. le Gros
arrived on the morning of the 5th, and immediately had
an interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Letters received from the British fleet in the Piræus
mention a fatal accident to Lieutenant Breen, and part
of a crew under his command, on the 31st of January.
Lieutenant Breen, and Mr. Chatfield, midshipman, with
sixteen men, were returning from the shore to the
Ganges in a boat laden with water; they were swamped
by the rough sea, and their boat turned over just half-
way between the ship Queen and the east point of the
island of Lypso. Mr. Breen, Mr. Chatfield, and most
of the men, immediately struck out for the island, and
reached it. The gale increased, and the cold became so
intense that their clothes were frozen stiff upon them.
In the morning they could see the fleet, but were unable
to catch attention by signals. One of the men suffered
so much from the cold, that Lieutenant Breen generously
stripped off his coat and put it over him. As the day
closed, most of the men retired into a cave; but Mr.
Breen separated himself from the others, and was no
more seen. On board the Ganges it was thought they had
not put off from shore; but next night it was known that
they had set out, and a boat was sent to search. As it was
passing by the island of Lypso at dawn of the third
day, the wrecked boat was accidentally descried on the
beach. Mr. Chatfield and half-a-dozen men were found
in the cave, in a torpid state; Mr. Breen was found
dead, crouched under a bush; and ten seamen are
missing. There is little doubt that poor Mr. Breen lost
his life from his generous act in favour of the suffering
seaman. The survivors found in the cave have all
recovered.

Letters from Constantinople of the 15th ult. state that
the Sultan's ministers, after consulting with the French
and English ministers, proposed to the Austrian
internuncio that the Hungarian refugees should be detained
in the interior of Asia Minor for a period not exceeding
twelve months. Count Sturmer agreed to refer the
matter to Vienna. The blockade of Greece had
continued to excite great interest in Constantinople. The
Turks were in favour of Mr. Wyse's conduct, and a
small fleet had moved out in the Propontis, intended
for the coast of Greece—not exactly to co-operate with
Sir W. Parker, but to act on account of the Porte, who
has also claims on Greece. Private letters from the
Piræus, of the 18th ult., state that the fleet under the
command of Sir W. Parker was still in the Bay of
Salamis, and that Mr. Wyse was on board the Queen.

The cold in Turkey has lately been intense. One
hundred and fifty-eight persons have been frozen to
death, the greater number in their own houses, in
Constantinople and its environs. At Gallipoli twenty-three
persons, and at Smyrna seventeen, shared the same fate.
Fifteen persons were found frozen to death on board a
Turkish vessel, and eight fishermen were found dead
from the same cause in their boat on the Bosphorus.
The temperature was 13 degrees (Reaumur); but these
fatal occurrences are explained by the very slight
construction of the houses, the want of warm covering, as
well as bad food. In the interior provinces the misery
has been very great. The latter have been left uncared
for, and the sufferings both of men and beasts have been
very great.

A case of Jewish Martyrdom has recently occurred in
Morocco. The details are given in a letter from Mr. A.
Sebag, a Jewish merchant, residing in Castle-street,
St. Mary-Axe, and whose brother was the victim. It
appears that Judah Sebag, a Jewish merchant, who
resided in a town called Alig, near Mogador, was
maliciously accused of having spoken blasphemy against
the Mahomedan faith. The cause of this malice was
the jealousy of some Mahomedan merchants. He was
dragged before the governor, or rather the chief magistrate
of the city, whose name is Lechusman Ben Hassam.
The evidence against him having been heard, the
sentence of the judge was, that he either must embrace
Mahomedanism or be burned to death. Judah Sebag
indignantly refused to deny his religion, and chose the
alternative—death. The governor immediately ordered
a large fire to be made, into which the man was thrown,
and soon devoured by the flames. He was but twenty-
four years of age.

The principal article of intelligence from the United
States relates to discussions in Congress on the slavery
question.

The admission of California, and its previous question,
the slavery difficulty, were under full debate in both
divisions of the legislature. In the House of
Representatives, many days had been spent in heated argument
on a resolution by Mr. Doty to admit California as she
is—that is, with a constitution denouncing slavery.
The Southern speakers had, as usual, been profuse in
declarations that the Union was imperilled, and that
civil war was imminent; but the resolution had been
withdrawn, and an express bill had been introduced;
and, in the prospect of a fresh debate on the whole
subject, there was a lull in the excitement. In the Senate,
Mr. Henry Clay's compromise resolutions, and a number
of amendments, were still under debate. The leader of
the South, Mr. Calhoun, had registered his opposition;
but he had become so weak, from disease of the lungs,
that he could no longer take personal share in debate,
and an oration against Mr. Clay's resolutions,
characterised by Calhoun's brilliancy and ingenuity, was read
for him by a brother senator, on the 4th.

It has been rumoured in Washington, that a difficulty
had been caused in the cabinet by Mr. Clayton's
negotiation with Sir Henry Bulwer on the Nicaraguan
question, which was disapproved of. It was said that
Mr. Clayton had tendered his resignation, but that
President Taylor had returned it to him.

A fortnight's later news from California—to the 15th
January—communicates a great calamity: the valley of
Sacramento had been deeply flooded over its whole
extent, and the town of the same name had been wholly
destroyed; one house, built on raised poles, alone
remained. The loss of property is calculated at 1,000,000
dollars, including immense herds of cattle; no loss of
life is mentioned.