The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-01 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, MARCH 1, 1852.

Pariswithtbsosnal formalities. Notwithstanding the
comparatively insignificant r6le attributed tothe sham-
bag elected by universal suffrage,a good deal of activity
is exhibited by the electors; and although for thesis
of locel convenience there are sev 1 pollen% tog see-
time selablished ea& aressiffiesems, the quick
succession of esters at all those which I ham visited
isliseess that there will be fewer &brawniest§ than
was supposed. In fact, it appears that every
means his bees taken to intimidate those
whointeoded to adopt this sort of passive resistance ;
and as it is easy, by means of the fans gone
through for the deposit of a vote, to procure a list of
these electors who abstain, each voter's name being
taken down by a clerk of the bawd as be presents
himself before the ballot-box, the mere fact of being
exposed to the persecution of a vindictive
government by appearing on this black list
drives the timorous herd to the polL I
am informed that in this way great num-
bers are voting for or against the government
merely through terror. Emissaries of the govern-
ment are stationed at all the sections, and carry
hourly intelligence to the ministries of the Interior
and Police as to how many cards have been distributed
at the mayories, how many voters have deposited their
tickets,and other poin ta on which information is desired.
The operation is conducted u on the 21st of De-
cember, the 30th of November, and previous occa-
sions under the rAgirue of universal suffrage. But
nowhere have I seen any strong military posts. A
single sentry of the lino and a serpent de line are
all the force put in requisition for the mainte-
nance of order. Two or three touters, with parcels of
tickets bearing the names of the respective candidates,
both of the government and the opposition, stand at
tho doors of the sections and extend their bulletins
to each entering elector. A table covered with a
Freon cloth stands at the head of the room, support-
ing a small box about two feet square, before
which the president of the board and his: asses-
sors are seated. The elector at the head
of the queue, which is formed to prevent
confusion, delivers the card which attests his
identity to the assignor on the President's left
hand, and the folded ticket, which is inscribed with
the name of the preferred candidate, to the President
himself. The latter holds the ticket over the slit of
the ballot box, while the ameseor declares aloud the
voter's name and his number on the electoral list
of the district. The assessor on the presi-
dent's right hand writes down the name, and another
clerk checks the number, while the president drops
the ticket into the box, which is dubbed classically
the electoral urn. Nothing can be quieter and more
orderly than the manner in which this aim.
plc operation is conducted. The polls arc kept'
open until six this evening; they re-open at
eight to-morrow, and remain open until four
in the afternoon. The ballot-boxes are sealed
and deposited during the night in a room at the
rnayory.of the arrondissement, whose doors arc scaled.
The voting operation over, the board break the seals of
the ballot-boxes, and count the tieketseorresponding to
each name. 'fo be proclaimed a deputy, at once
without farther formality, a candidate must have ob-
tained at least ono vote more than the half of those
given, and one fourth of those incribed on the elec-
toral list. If these conditions are not fulfilltd a se-
cond ballot will take place next Sunday week, in
which it will suffice to obtain simply a relative ma-
jority in order to be elected, whatever be the num-
ber of voters.

Up to this hour, the only district in which the
opposition are likely to obtain a victory is the 3rd,
iu which General Cavaignac has obtained a great
number of votes. If he should be elected, I under-
stand that he will formally refuse to take the oath
of fidelity to the President. A good number have
voted for General Lamorichlre in the 9th district.
Those are the only facts worth mentioning.
The Chnstitutionsel has the fallowing contradic-
tion of a rumour which has been much accredited :
The war of false reports h is been recommeneed within
these few days. You will meet people who affirm in the
most serious way in the world that government it about
to decree a progressive ineome-tea. We can affirm that this
new rumour, spread by malevolence, is destitute of an
kind of foundation. The grnventsnent abhors a tax which
gßnm at the head of all socialist programmer, and which
leads directly to "spoliation."
It is to be observed that the above is not a COPIIMU-
nigra, but rests only upon the responsibility of the
editor of the government journal. Hence little im-
portance is attached to the declaration, which is re-
garded merely as an electoral manteuvre.
Tho rivalry which has subsisted fur some time
between M. do Persigny and M. do Nlaupas seems
unabated; but if I may trust the information I re-
ceive, the influence of the former over tho Presi-
dent has been greatly abated by his lusita-
tiou and scruples in the face of public opinion,
and the Minister of Police is decidedly in the asceuu-
ant. Louis Napoleon seems more and more to shut
himself; as far as the haute pohtique is concerned,
into the narrow circle of this second Fouche
and his head myrmidons, the inspectors-ge-
neral. Notwithstanding the announcement of the
departure of the latter functionaries for their
provincial destinations, it is noted that several, and
rticularly M. Berard, the inspector-general at
lions, still remain in Paris, and are continually at the
yrke. The importance of M. Berard's post having been
greatly increased by the capital of the Rhone
becoming the pivot of the projected operations against
Switzerland, the assiduous presence of this gentleman
at head quarters indicates the activity with which
such designs are pursued. I understand that he is
one of the most ardent adherents of M. de Maupas, and
proportionately opposed to M. de Persigny, whom he
loses no opportunity of lowering in the opinion of the
President as a minister incapable of grappling with
great plans.
A number of political prisoners were brought out
of the 'Montpellier prison on Feb. 26, and escorted by
a numerous body to the Cette Railway. They are
to be embarked on board the Dauphin, together with
others from Bezeirs, Pezenas, and St. Pierre, for trans-
portation to Algeria. On the 27th 350 convicts were
shipped at Rochefort for Brest, of whom 230 are to re-
main in hulks, and the remaining 120 to be trans-
ported to Cayenne.
M. Enter, the English vice-consul at Lorient,
committed suicide at Concarneau, on the 22nd inst.,
by shooting himself in the head with a pistol.
The Assemblie Nationale contains an article by M.
Salvandy, arguing that the fusion" is the only thing
to be looked forward to as the salvation of the coun-
try. The only importance of the article, which is
long and dull, consists in the authorship of the
former minister of Louis Philippe.

ITALY.
ROMAN STATES.

ROME, Fss. 21.
Cardinal Ant. Francesco Orioli, Prefect of the
Holy Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, died
yesterday.
M. Figueredo, Charge d'Affaires of the Brazils, sr
rived on Tuesday from Leghorn.

GERMANY.

VIENNA, Vas. 24.
The news of Lord John Russell's resignation
reached Vienna on the 22nd, and is published this
morning in the papers. 'fho favourite theme of them
all is of course Lord Derby, and we are furnished
with some very curious details respecting the pro-
tectionist chief. One newspaper tells its readers
that " Earl lkrhy is son of the late minister Stanley."
Another says that " Stanley having been just ap-
pointed paid attaché at Constantinople," there was
at first momo difficulty, &c. The Lloyd contents itself
with stating, in a quiet matter-of-lact way, that Lord
Derby "belongs to one of the few ancient families
in England who were in existence during the Wars
of the Roses." This is naturally, according to Au-
strian opinions, the best of all qualifications for go-
verning England. Of his political opinions, there-
fore, they say nothing. England has at last learned
to re►pect herself: she has gii en the reins of power
into the hands of a nobleman who con mate with the
"Howard., Cecile, Talbota, and C ;vendisbes ;" and,
perhaps, if she goes on in the same way, Austria may
some day or other hold out one or two fingers of the
hand of reconciliation ; that is, of course, however,
only in a good humoured patronising way, which is
all we can expect ; for what are the M are of the
Roses to those of Radebot, son of Kauseline, whose
descendant, Werner, built the castle of Hapsburg on
an "eminence above IVindisch," and became the
founder of the present Austrian dynasty ? What
was the first Stanley to the first Schwarzenbcrg,