The Press.
London, England, 1853-09-10 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

interior of France as possible, to come to the aid of
the labouring classes. A deputation was named to
wait on the Emperor at Dieppe, and otter him their
loyal concurrence in his generous views. M. Charles
Lattitte, who is president of the Board of the Paris and
Havre itailway Company, is to bear the address. Alexan-
der Lefevre, who has already saved so many persons
from &watery grave, was lately presented' to the Empe-
ror and Empress. To those who asked him t'or the Far
titulars of his reception he said, " I have often looked
death in the face, but 1 never trembled before. Only
imagine, he took me by both my hands and presented
me to his wife, saying, Here is a prodigy of courage
and virtue.' How kind he was ! ' How long is it since
I gave you the cross of honour, Lefevre, and how
many lives have you saved since ?' Sire,' lal iswcred,
' when you gave me the cross I was at my thirty.
seventh, I have saved seven more since, which makes
forty-four.' When you get to fifty,' said he to me,' I
will make you officer of the order.'" The Emperor
has given the sma of 15,000 francs to the Fund for
Mutual Succour among Seamen at Dieppe.
P.S.—I have just learnt that, though the relations
between Belgium and France are not on the moat
amicable footing just now, and although no official
dignitary was sent to represent the Emperor of the
French at the ceremony of the marriage of the Duke
and Duchess de Brabant, King Leopold has been
persuaded to send the Prince de Chimay to congratu-
late Napoleon 111. on his approach to the Belgian
frontier on his visit to Lille and the north. The
Prince de Chimay was sent for by the King of the
Belgians, and appointed only yesterday.

Ilausser.s, September 9.
The lower prices of corm and bread have produced
a better feeling in this country, though both are yet
far from having returned to their normal point. The
visit of the Royal Family to the principal towns—
Ghent, Bruges, Ostend, and Antwerp—has been
marked by no incident beyond the popular enthu-
siasm and the brilliant festivities by which the people
have chosen to testify their loyalty towards their
Sovereign. A report of these public fetes would, I
fear, oe uninteresting for your readers. , The
royal sojourn at Antwerp was alone marked by a
ceremony of durable utility, in the inauguration of
the new Academy of Fine Arts, composed of twenty-
five members, of which fifteen are Belgians, and ten
foreigners. The fifteen Belgian members comprise
all our best painters, sculptors, and architects ; the
foreigners named for the present are two French-
men, Paul Delaroche, and M. Bay; four Germans,
Cornelius, Bauch, Schadow, and Kaulbach. Each
academician is to present a work of his composition,
which will form the nucleus of a new museum of
modern art! The King delivered himself the
diplomas of nomination to the members present.
This day the King and the Royal Family returned
from Lii.ge, after a sojourn of two days in that. Bel-
gian Birmingham. It was said for a moment that
the journey would be adjourned on account of the
scenes of riot of which Liege was lately the theatre.
But the King exprefsed his formal will that all
should go MI as had been fixed upon ; and he was
right, as his presence was the occasion of the most
loyal manifestations, notwithstanding the heavy rain,
and the &overbid character of the Lii.geois, formed,
or deformed, by centuries of opposition and warfare
against the prince bishop, so well described by your
own Walter Scott.
The King, on Sunday next, will terminate the royal
tour through the provinces at Charleroi and
Namur.
The King of Prussia has just sent to the Duke of
Brabant, as a cadcau de noees, a splendid present,
consisting of a marble pillar in mosaic, surmounted
with a vase. This pillar is said to be formed of two
million of pieces►.
The l irst Dutch Chamber at the Hague began, in
its sitting of yesterday, the debate on the project of
law for regulating the control of the state over public
creeds. The report of the central commission al-
mits the constitutionality of the law as well as its ac-
tual utility. The chief event of this first sitting was a
speech in which M. Lightenvelt, minister of the Ca-
tholic creed, and the sole Catholic member of the
Cabinet, declared that., though disapproving of the
law, he will retain his post, and apply it, if passed,
with the utmost tolerance; a curious manner of com-
prehending constitutionalism.
The King of the Netherlands is presiding over
some military maturtivres at 7.eyst, where many
foreign (dicers have been sent by their respective
tiovernments. Foremost are several French officers
of high rank. King William 111. is said to he a great
admirer of Louis Napoleon.

SATURDAY,

FRANCE.
The Uonitettr of Tuesday declares that there is
not the slightest foundation for the statement that
the Government is taking measures for the purchase
of corn. The result of the ha: vest is not yet correctly
ascertained; but, even though there l►e a deficiency,
the tiover►uuent is convinced that it way be rectified
by the operations of cenmerce, if freed from restraints.
'1 he Govenunent only interferes to remove these re-
straints by lending its aid in promoting the transit
by einials and railroads.
An Imperial decree has been published, granting
to the radway companies which shall lower their
twill's for the transport of gratin, breadstuff's, and
potatoes, from this date to the 31st of December
next, power to raise them after that date within the
limits of the maxi►num authorised by their books of
charges, without waiting for the delays stipulated
therein. Another decree provides that all French or
foreign vessels, loaded entirely with grain, bread-
stuffs, rice, potatoes, or dried vegetables, shall pass
on all the rivers and canals free from all navigation
dues from the present time up to the 31st of Decen►-
he 1' next.
The excitement in the provincial ►listricts never-
heless continues to be very great. in one of the
country towns in the department of Ardennes a riot
has taken place between the peasantry and the work-
ing people of the place, the latter having attempted
to pillage a waggon laden with corn which was
entering the place.
Butchers' meat has been rising continually in
price, on account of the small quantity of cattle bred
by farmers after the political disturbances, the effects
of which are still felt.
All letters front the south of France are full of
lamentations about the frightful progress of the
grape disease. The claims of the vineyard pro-
prietors for high prices grow daily more exorbitant ;
in many instances they seem not very willing to part
with their stock at all,
The Emperor has granted pardons to sixty-eight
prisoners, and also to sixty other persons who were
sentenced by courts-martial to transportation to
Algeria after the insurrection of June, Is-is.
Orders have been issued for improving the fortifi-
cations of Toulon. The engineers of the Govern-
ment are at present having plans made out for the
forts of Tourneville and St. Adresse, which are to be
erected on the coast for the defence of Havre. It is
expected that the works will be soon commenced.
Lord Howden, the British ambassador at Madrid,
[ has arrived in Paris.
The Maine of Le Mans states that M. Ledru
Rollin is dying of nostalgia.
Grand military operations, under the command of
General Magnin, were to take place yesterday and to-
day on the banks of the Seine, near St. Germains
During the temporary absence of their Majesties,
the Palace of the 'Tuileries is opened to the public
on the Friday of each week, and great numbers,
principally strangers and foreign visitors to Paris,
avail themselves of the permission.
The Duke of Rovigo surrendered himself a day or
two ago to undergo his sentence of a months impri-
sonment as one of the convicted " foreign corres-
pondents." In France, a person sentenced for a mere
misdemeanour is not forcibly led off to prison from
the dock, but is allowed to suffer his punishment
within a reasonable period, at the time most conve-
nient to himself.
The judgment of the Tribunal of First Instance of
Rennes, in the ease of the Journal de Romeo, hold-
ing that the mere fact of news being untrue, if not of
a nature to disturb the public peace, and published
in good faith, did not upon a reasonable construction
bring the publication within the scope of the penal
enactment against " false news," has been overruled
by the Imperial Court of that town, which has sen-
tenced the gerant to two fines of 50f. The Journal
de Items will appeal to the Court of Cessation for a
final decision upon this important question.
It is said that the concession of the privilege of
supplying Paris with Seine water is to be given to a
mixed French and English company, of which Mr.
Masterman is the head.
There is some rumour in Paris of a new English
Transatlantic Steam-packet Company, which is to
have its head-quarters at Dieppe; but, as the scheme
involves an expenditure of forty millions of francs for
the improvement of the Dieppe harbour, it is be-
lieved that no more will be heard about it.
There has lately been a prevalence of destructive
whirlwinds in several parts of France. The neigh-
bourhood of Versailles was visited by one a few days
since, which is said to have torn up by the roots, or
snapped asunder. as many as a thousand trees.