She was in her 39th year, having been born at Palermo,
on the 3rd of April, 1812. She was married to Leopold,
King of the Belgians, on the 11th of August, 1832; and
has constantly enjoyed, in the highest degree, the love
and respect of her adopted nation. The deceased Queen
has left behind her three children, of ages varying from
eleven to sixteen. They are the Duke of Brabant, the
Count de Flandres, and the Princess Charlotte; one
child died in early infancy. The loss of the Queen will
be the more severely felt, as the education of the royal
children was under her own superintendence. The
visits of the Queen of the Belgians to this country were
frequent, and her virtues much endeared her to our
Queen Victoria.

The war between Denmark and the Duchies is bloody
and disastrous. The army of Schleswig-Holstein has
made several attempts to take the city of Friedrichstadt
by storm, none of which have been successful, and the
losses sustained by General Willisen have been
considerable, particularly in officers. After bombarding part
of the town during the whole of the 4th inst., the town
was in the evening attacked by two battalions of infantry
and a detachment of riflemen. After a desperate struggle,
in which both sides must have suffered very heavy
losses, the Danes gave way a little, but only to seek the
cover of new entrenchments and barricades thrown
up in the middle of the town. The resistance which
they met with here was so violent and determined, that
notwithstanding the most brilliant bravery, the Schleswig-
Holsteiners were compelled to retire at midnight.
They took up a new position somewhat in advance of
the old, and the conflict was renewed on the following
morning, but with no better success. The troops
advanced in three columns, and the Danes opened a severe
fire along their whole line of defences. Before coming
to close quarters the captain of the 6th battalion fell,
mortally wounded, and the men he commanded were
driven out of a small entrenchment they had taken
possession of. The 15th battalion was thrown into disorder
and retreated, their ammunition-car having exploded and
caused great havoc. It received no support from any other
troops, in consequence of a bridge between the Chaussée
and the Blockhaus having fallen in. A retreat was sounded
on perceiving new lines of defence not previously known
of. The fighting continued till near midnight. Sixteen
officers out of twenty belonging to the 5th battalion were
slain. General Christiansen covered the retreat with his
battery, while the flames of the burning city cast a
ghastly light upon the retiring troops. After the failure
of this desperate assault, General Willisen withdrew his
troops from before Friedrichstadt. The heavy guns
were taken back to Reudsburg, and the two armies were
again in the same position they occupied before the 29th
of September; the only result having been the almost
total destruction of the unfortunate town, and the loss
of many brave men on both sides.

A frightful calamity has occurred at the place of
pilgrimage called Herrgott, in Austria. At one of the
public-houses the pilgrims (of whom 3,000 were assembled
at Herrgott) were spending the night in eating and
drinking. While baking the fish the oven took fire.
Behind the inn were a number of stables and barns, in
which hundreds of the pilgrims were reposing, and
almost all perished in the flames, which rose so rapidly
through the thatched roofs, fanned by a strong wind,
that there was no possibility of raising ladders to attempt
to rescue a single person. Many threw themselves from
the lofts, and, with broken limbs, half consumed with
fire, flew hither and thither with the most piteous cries.
Scarcely half of the pilgrims were saved, and those who
survived have for the most part been much injured.

From Poland there is a singular account of a forest
on fire. Near Cracow, adjoining the line of railway,
there is a large peat ground, part of which runs below
an immense forest. About the middle of last month
some sparks from a locomotive engine were blown in
that direction, and fell on the peat, the surface of which
had been dried by the heat of the weather. A few days
after, the ground in the forest was found to be very
warm, and some rumbling and crackling noises were
heard. Several large trees fell as if cut down by an axe,
and the leaves of others withered. As it was naturally
considered that a subterranean fire must be burning
under the forest, the officers charged with the inspection
of it caused large trenches to be cut. This conjecture
turned out to be well-founded, for the fire soon
afterwards burst forth, and still continued its ravages. The
forest presented the appearance of a vast sea of flame,
which was every day extending. The country round to
the extent of six leagues was perfectly illuminated, and
it has been found impossible to stop the progress of the
fire.

The crisis in the affairs of Electoral Hesse continues,
and the accounts of the present state of things are
confused and contradictory. The Elector remains with his
minister Hassenpflug, at Wilhelmsbad, his provincial
seat of government, while the people of Cassel persist
in their opposition to his measures. There have been
signs of indecision on his part, and at one time he was
said to have even contemplated abdication. There were
also some expectations of his dismissing his obnoxious
ministers and consenting to the formation of a more
popular government. With this view, it was
understood, he sent for M. Elwers, a high judicial functionary
of liberal tendencies, who, it was hoped, would be
instrumental in forming a new cabinet; but this hope
was disappointed, and M. Elwers had returned to Cassel.
Dr. Oetker, the editor of a liberal journal, had been
arrested by order of Haynau, and the Upper Court of
Cassel had summoned the commandant of the city to
effect his liberation, but at the last accounts he still
remained in prison. The officers of the garrison had
remonstrated with Haynau upon his proceedings, and
had received for answer that he was determined to
persist in his course. On this, to the number of two
hundred, they had tendered their resignations, which
were transmitted by Haynau to the Elector, but his
decision on the subject had not been received. There
is much uncertainty, too, about the views of Austria
and Prussia in regard to the affairs of Hesse Cassel.
Very recent intelligence was to the effect that these two
powers had come to an understanding that Hassenpflug
should be dismissed from his office of minister; and that
any military intervention in Hesse, if necessary, would
be by Prussia and Austria jointly. According to the
last accounts from Cassel, however, an invasion of
Austrian and Bavarian troops was daily expected, for
the purpose of supporting the Elector against his
subjects.

The opening of the States-General of the Netherlands
took place at the Hague on the 7th, by the King in
person. The speech from the throne announced that
the relations of the country with all foreign powers were
satisfactory, and that as regarded the Duchy of Limburg,
the difficulties which had arisen from the convulsed
state of Germany were in course of arrangement by such
negotiations as would best suit the interest and honour
of the Low Countries. Trade was described as
prosperous, and flattering hopes were put forth as to the
future effects of the new navigation laws. The financial
situation was satisfactory; the expected excess would
cover the deficiencies left by the preceding year.

At a secret Consistory, held at Rome on the 30th of
September, the following Cardinals were appointed:
Monseigneur Paul Therese David d' Astros, Archbishop
of Toulouse; Jean Joseph Bonnel y Orbo, Archbishop
of Toledo; Joseph Cosenza, Archbishop of Capua;
Jacques Marie Adrien César Mathieu, Archbishop of
Besançon; Jude-Joseph Romo, Archbishop of Seville;
Thomas Gousset, Archbishop of Rheims; Maximilian-
Joseph Godefroi, Archbishop of Olmutz in Moravia;
Jean Geissel, Archbishop of Cologne: Peter Paul de
Figueredo de Cunha e Mello, Archbishop of Braga in
Portugal; Nicolas Wiseman, Archbishop of Westminster
in England, a metropolitan see recently formed by the
Pope; Joseph Pecci, Bishop of Bugio; Melchior de
Diepenbrock, Bishop of Breslaw. Cardinal Wiseman is
to return to England, to occupy his metropolitan see;
and the whole of England has been portioned into
Romish Episcopal Sees.