The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-26 00:00:00

EMPRESS FROM PARIS.

THE MEXICAN LOAN.
(no* OUR OWN OMPSZISTONDISIT.)

PARIS, FRIDAY EVVIVC.

Various rumours are current about the Mexican
Loan, but, from what I can gather, the facts are as
follows. The Emperor came to the conclusion that
his young friend the archduke was in a fair way to
be victimised by financial intriguers eager to take
advantage of the necessities of his nascent empire.
He therefore put s. rather sudden stop to certain
negotiations that were going on, and resolved that
the loan should be issued by houses in France
and England of high standing, on com-
mission, due regard being shown to the
interests of the old bondholders. The loan is
reported to be for 5,000,0001. sterling in a six
per cent stock at 63, and out of the proceeds a re-
serve which, 1 am assured, will be thought ex-
tremely liberal, is to be made foe existing creditors.
The competition for the loan has been extremely
active, Messrs. Rothschild taking the lead, but it
has been thought, both by the French government and
the Mexican minister, that the soundest course was
Ito confide the matter to commission houses on the
old principle, rather than to place it in the hands
of parties who would seek to derive an extra profit
from the operation for their own account. In this
spirit a contract was entered into with Mr. George E.
Seymour, of London, which contract, I am enabled
to state, has been this day ratified by Messrs.
Glyn, Mills, and Co. Arrangements will be made
for an Anglo-French issue immediately after the
acceptance of the crown by the archduke, which
ceremony, as you are aware, will take place at
Miramar on Easter Sunday. The archduke is
extremely anxious to have the credit of inaugu-
rating his reign by an act of financial jus-
tice. In the cane of the bondholders their
mortgage upon the customs revenues will not
be invalidated. The archduke means to pro-
vide for their dividends pending the consoli-
dation of the empire, so far as the present resources
of the country will permit. I understand that the
sum which the French government takes for its
war expenses will not in any way interfere with the
loan, sod that the amount—less than reported—
is considerably under three millions sterling.
A guarantee the French government will not
give, b: mime the Corps Legislatif would not
sanction it ; but the 40,000 French bayonets in
Mexico are in themselves no mean guarantee as
long as they remain, and there seems little prospect
of their coming away in a hurry. Everything short
of a guarantee will be done to favour the loan here.
The ind,pendatice Bilge says that the Emperor and
Empress will bead the French subscription, and that,
as a consequence, courtiers and functionaries
innumerable will follow suit. This loan will be
the first Mexican stock officially quoted
on the French Bourse. It appears that Mr. Sey-
mour was consulted in the matter, owing to the
favour of the Emperor of Austria, who, in acknow-
ledgment of financial operations effected by him in
Vienna last year, has recently sent him the order
of the Iron Crown.

M. Armand was triumphantly acquitted at Aix,
and the populace outside the court, when the ver-
dict was known, cried out for vengeance npoa the
prosecutor—" d bas Roar„" Assuming the verdict to
be right, which I think may safely be done, this is
one of the most grievous instances of the wrong
done to an innocent man by • false accusation that
was ever heard of. Here is a gentleman of un-
impeachable character, • model husband, a
charitable neighbour, and a genial friend, kept in
prison for eight months on a charge of murder,
and, worse than all, during a trial of more than a
week's duration, bullied and badgered by the
public prosecutor, and the presiding judge, who
all along treated him as guilty.
The Bourse was entirely without interest. Al-
though Good Friday is not kept as a holiday, a
great many of the habitual attendants were away
enjoying the Sae weather at the Longchainps
promenade.