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was previously known unofficially—of the efforts which the Emperor Napoleon has made to effect a " reconciliation between the Holy See and Italy . " On the 20 th May last , the Emperor ordered M . Thouvenel to propose an arrangement between the Papal and Italian Courts , npon the conditions thafc the Pope should " lower the barriers which separate fche Pontifical territory from Italy , " and that Italy should " give the necessary guarantees for the independence

of the Pope . " On fche 30 th May , M . Thouvenel instructed tho . Marquis cle Lavalette to urge Cardinal Antonelli to accept a compromise , Italy renouncing her pretensions to Rome , and engaging to respect the Papal territory , and assume the greater part of the Papal debt . On the 24-th June , the Marquis de Lavalette informed M . Thouvenel that Cardinal Antonelli had decisively rejected all proposals for a transaction' between Pius IX . and Alctor Emmanuel . Reports of ministerial changes

were current at Turin . The Italia says that besides the retirement of Signer Confovti , the possible resignation of General Durando is reported . General Garibaldi has denied in the Movimento that he had received a letter from an emissary of Mazzini , and also takes the trouble of contradicting the stupid assertion of the Pairie that Professor Partridge had conveyed to him 12 o , 000 f . ' Without admitting the constitutional principle contended for bthe Chamber of Deputies of control over

y the army expenditure , the Prussian Government Avisely hesitates to push matters to extremities . At the meeting of the Chamber on Monday , the new Minister , Count Bismark Schonhausen , read a communication from the Government , which stated that as the Chamber had rejected the charges for reorganising the army in the Budget for 1862 , and ifc was therefore to be presumed that ifc would pursue a similar course Avith the Budget of 1 S 63 fche Ministryconsidering that a prolongation of the debate

, , Avould only be unfavourable to the dances of any future settlement of the question , had advised his Majesty to authorise the wifchdvaAval of the Budget for 1863 . Next session , the Minister saicl , " we shall lay before the house the Budget of 1863 , with a hill supporting , as a vital condition , the reorganisation of the army , and at the same time submit to ifc the Budget for 1864 . " The communication was then referred to a committee , ancl questions ivere asked as to when a new session would be held . No

definite answer was returned by the Ministers , bufc Count Schonhausen repeated that Government , in withdrawing the Budget , had only in view a pacific understanding with the Chamber . The French Legation afc Berlin has been raised to the rank of an Embassy , and thafc of Prussia at Paris has got the same grade . Herr von Soltz is to succeed Bismarck-Schonhausen as Prussian Ambassador at the French capital . The German delegates , who had for several days been assembled at

Weimar , have dispersed fco their several homes—their last proceeding being the adoption of a resolution declaring that " the transformation of Germany from a confederation of states into a federal state is , besides being a political necessity , fche greatest want of Germany , as far as her commercial interests are concerned . " Of late we have heard little of the war that has so long been waged between the Russians and the Circassians . It is far from being afc an end , however ; the Circassians

are as bent ; on resistance as ever , ancl they , have recently dispatched two representatives to Europe to make an appeal on their behalf to all the Great Powers . They have forwarded an address to the Queen , in ivhich they disown all allegiance to Russia , express their determination to resist to the last , and implore the Queen to use her good offices on their behalf with their powerful antagonist . INDIA .- —The from Calcutta of the 22 nd August brought

papers by fche overland mail , contain nothing of striking interest . Lord Elgin was afc Bhaugulpore , for change of air , having suffered from a slight indisposition . General Showers hacl returned to Calcutta , liaving satisfactorily completed his mission hy restoring qniet at Assam and on the north-eastern frontier . Every precaution was being taken to prevent the spread of the cholera in the north-west military stations . The dates from Hong-Kong

are to the llth August . No incident of any importance had occurred iu China , everything was quiet at Shanghae , and all was going on smoothly at Hong-Kong . Cholera was raging at Tien-tsin , ancl at Chefoo the awful pestilence had carried off 20 , 000 people . The report of the foreign ambassadors having left Jecldo is confirmed , a proceeding which , it is said , has given much satisfaction to the Japanese authorities . A-MEHICA . —The Norwegian has hvought AAS intelligence fiom New York to the evening of the 22 nd ult . These telegrams inform us that the Confederate army has been compelled to

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quit Maryland , and has retreated towards AVinchoster , from tbe bank of the Upper Potomac ; which the Federal troops Avere crossing afc Shepherdstown and Williamsporfc . Respecting t ]! e events which preceded the Confederate retreat from Mary land we learn that on the 16 th ulfc . the hostile armies were emp loyed " chiefly in deploying forces ancl gaining positions , " but on the 17 th the engagement was extremely obstinate ancl sanguinary . Tho battle lasted from daybreak until nightfalland the result

, Ave are told , was " indecisive , the superiority of position remaining with the Federals . " On the 18 th there was little besides skirmishing ; ancl during the night the Confederates commenced their retreat across the Potomac , at and near Shepherdstown , and completed ifc on the morning of the 19 th . The operation was covered by General " Stonewall" Jackson's corps , and was accomplished , we are told , with but slight loss in men , guns , or

waggons—one account saying that they '' saved their transports ancl all but 300 of their wounded "—though the Federal General Pleasanton , whose brigade followed their rearguard , is said to have captured some stores and a few prisoners . On the morning of the 19 th ult ., General M'Clellan officially reported to General Halleck that during the previous night the Confederates had abandoned their position , leaving the dead and wounded on the field , and added— " I do not know if the enemy is falling back

to an interior position or crossing the river . AVe may safely claim the victory as ours . " At a later hour on the same day , General M'CleUaii further reported— "General Pleasanton is driving the enemy across tbe river . Our victory was complete . The enemy is driven hack into Virginia . Maryland andPennsylvania are now safe . " After the Confederates had withdrawn from Maryland , they occupied in force for some time the Virginia bank of the Potomac , and posted artillery to prevent General M'Clellan ' s army from passing the river ; but they subsequently continued their retreat in the direction of Winchester , their show of disputing the passage of the Potomac having

probably been made for the purpose of covering their evacuation of Harper's Ferry . That place they abandoned on the 19 th ult ., after they had destroyed the bridges and all the Federal stores there , or at least such portion as they were unable to remove . The Federal accounts estimate the Northern loss in the battle of the 17 th ult . at "from 6000 to 10 , 000 men ; " and the number of general and field officers killed or wounded was , it is said , " so large as to be unaccountable "—General Mansfield having

been killed , and no fewer than twelve G-enerals , including Generals Hooker , Sumner , Meagher , Richardson , and Sedgwick , having been wounded . The Confederate loss is said by the Federals to have amounted to "from 18 , 000 to 20 , 000 men , " although no eminent officer is named as killed or wounded , and although no mention is made of any considerable number of prisoners , while ifc is admitted thafc there was no foundation for fche previons rumour that General Longstreet and bis division

had fallen into the hands of the Federals . AVhile these important events wore occurring on the banks of the Potomac , the Confederates hacl obtained a considerable success in Kentucky , the town of Muinfordsville and its garrison of 4000 to 5000 Federal troops , with ten guns , having surrendered to the Confederate General Bragg , who was said to be at the head of 30 , 000 men . The latest quotation of gold at New York on the 22 nd ult . was 17 f per cent , premium , about the same as the price

to which ifc fell after the battle of the 14 th ult . ; and General M'Clellan ' s subsequent successes , therefore , seem to have had bufc little influence on the minds of speculators . It is stated thafc the Confederate cruiser , Alabama , or " 290 , " which left the Mersey some time sgo , ostensibly for a Southern port , has been recently spoken off tlie Azores . If reliance may be placed upon this account , tho Alabama has taken up the role which the famous Sumter was obliged to abandon . She is reported to have burned four Northern whalers and to have captured a Novthem schooner .

To Correspondents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

J . B . —Refer to the Book of Constitutions , as to the duties of Master . R . S . —We will endeav our to reply next iveek . K , T . —The brother you name is a Knighfc Templar , though taking very little parfc in the duties . S . S . —We do not give the private addresses of hrethten without first knowing the object of the enquirer , and then we do nofc print them .