The Express.
London, England, 1864-04-04 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, APRIL 4, 1864.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(molt oui owo COMENPONDINT.)
PIRA SUNDAY EVENTIIO.

The following article in the Pays seems to me
a complete backing out of the position which the
government journals have lately assumed as to
the panacea of universal suffrage in the Duchies
for the cure of the Dano-German difficulty :

We believe we know that in the projected conference
Denmark will insist at the very opening of the delibera-
tions, upon the maintenance in principle of the stipulations
of 1851 and 1832, and will ask that the diacuseien may turn
solely upon the interpretation of the treaty of London.
It is difficult to admit that England will not think
it her duty to plane herself on the same ground as
Denmark, and to support the rights which existing
diplomatic conventions give to Christian IX. in Sleawig and
Holstein, subject to the inquiry in what manner these con.
ventions should be understood in practice and carried into
execution for the future, so as to give satisfaction to the
just complaints of Germany. In point of fact we have good
reasons to believe that this will be the course taken by the
British government at the opening of the conference, if,
indeed, it do meet. In that case the part of France is
clearly traced beforehand. Faithful now as ever to her
engagements, she will ask in the first place, like Denmark
and England, that each of the powers which concurred in the
conclusion of the treaty of London may do honour to its sig-
nature, and accept that signature as the point of
departure for the deliberations of the conference. If this
opinion should prevail, and if an accord between all partial
interested and represented should be established upon this
footing, there will be no occasion for suggesting any other
system in the conference. But if, on the contrary, the
stipulations of 1831 and 1852 should be abandoned by the
majority of the powers present—if, in short, the conference
should refuse to make them the basis of its deliberations.
France would then find herself relieved from them. And
in that case, but in t►at case only, she would propose the
vote of the populations, and would require that the in-
habitants of Sleawig and Holstein should be called upon to
manifest their views.

This is something quite different from the grand
French " idea " which the Constitutionnel venti-
lated the other day, and which the Paris journals
have been bragging about ever since. I suppose it
has been found that the notion of superseding trea-
ties by a sudden appeal to universal suffrage,
although effective in sensation articles, will not do
for practical diplomacy. I think the suggestion
may now be dismissed as a mere flash in the pan.
There is much discussion now in legal circles
about the exact meaning of the word maladroite-
merit, upon the true construction of which, it is
thought, the fate of M. Armand'n appeal to the
Court of Cessation will mainly turn. The dic-
tionary says the word means "clumsily, or awk-
wardly." Ga/ignani translated it "inadvertently ;"
and I, after some reflection, adopted that
translation as being—having regard to the
context—the best English word to render the
meaning of the court. Bat now a legal writer of
some learning and more wit, M. Norbert Billiart,
the editor of the Mond, Judiciare, writes that the
legal signification of the word is not par esatadrewe,
but arec matadresse, not " by" mistake, but " with"
a mistake. His example of the distinction is that
if a drum major flourishing his staff were accident-
ally to hit a man in the eye, that would be an acci-
dent for which he would be only civilly responsi-
ble ; but that if a man meaning to strike, a man in
the back misses his aim and hits him on the back
of the ceck, he commits an assault avec tnaladresse ;
i. e., not in the way he intended, but still wilfully
and culpably. This, as he contends, is what the
word tnaladroitentent conveys, and that therefore the
very word used by the court in the hope of ousting
the jurisdiction of the Court of Cessation does in
reality contain a ground for quashing the judg-
ment, because it implies a wilful act, and is there-
fore in conflict with the verdict of the jury.
The Court of Cessation decided yesterday, after
solemn argument and long deliberation, that a.
husband has no right to deal from the post-office
a letter addressed by his wife to a third person.
That there should have been even a momentary
judicial hesitation upon such a subject is an argu-
ment in favour of the doubts which I have often
expressed about the absolute wisdom of the Code
Napoleon.
Tie France says there is • party in the govern-
ment striving to force M. Renan to resign his pro-
fessorship in the College of France, but that M.
Duruy, the Minister of Public Instruction, is op-
posed to their proceedings.
A report of a schism between M. Emile (Miriar
and some of his political friends has been men-
tioned in the Indipcndance and other journals.
There was probably exaggeration in the original
story ; but, at all events, the difference, if any
there were, is now made up.

SIGNOR MARLIN! AND MR. SPANSPELD, M.P.

Signor Mazzini writes to the Tunes :

"Not fat my sake, bat for Mr. Stanafekre mks and in
indignation at hie name being dragged in again by the French
Arccat-Gioral in his speech of March 31, quoted in your
columns, I feel bound to trespass with a how lines on your
sPace, and to once more dechwe Mar never was any money
handed oetr or sent by me to Mr. btantfeld for the purpose
of helping Greco, ribald:, Donald or any other its an
attempt against the Emperor's life; never had he the
slightest contact with Greco, ribakli, Donati, or any other
known to i.e. implicating Aim possibly. directly, or indi-
rectly, to my knoteledge, is any political schemes of theirs.
" new fact is alleged in the speech concerning the
Greco affair.

" Concerning Lonati, I remember that an Italian of that
name was arrested on suspicion in Paris towards the end of
183 d ; that he was harassed as usual by questions about me;
that he persistently denied my baying soy share in any
scheme of his own ; that he was, dorieg the inetWry, found
dead in his prison, which mysterious fact die Arooat-
Goiral astoundingly declares a sad guarantee for the sin-
cerity of his revelations. No trial took place, no revelations
were ever produced, not a shadow of 'eidetic* against him
or others ever appeared. The thing wee merely known
through vague reports scattered in correspondences.
"Concerning Tibaldi, the existence of a Tibaldi Fend I
have already in a former letter distinctly denied. The
alleged documents are unknown to me. The quotations in
the speech, at all events, mean nothing ; they would not,
if genuine, in the slightest way implicate Mr. Stansfeld in a
supposed knowledge of that hypothetical plot or fund. The
first simply shows that I have friends whom calumny does
not estrange. If the second—' I Aave received the money,
and James will, of course, carry out your instructionre—
could ever be construed into a proof of an aseassination
scheme, or of a knowledge of it, I should not know what
to pity mast, human wickedness or human credulity.
" Mr. filtendeld has been to me a friend of eighteen years'
standing. He has been deeply and earnestly synicathirring
with all my, Utopian once, now almost fulfilled, aspire-
time towards Italian unity and independence. He has
been, in honesty and morality, helping, before his official
capacity traced out for him a new line of duties, the fulfil-
meat of those aspiretione. He has oft's, at my
request, contributed his own share of money to sub-
scriptions for poor Italian exllee He ham some-
times paid, at my request, money of mine for similar
purposes, when I have been away from England.
He has tried to find employment for men in need whom
I was recommending to him ss to other English friends.
All that is Iro3wn, avowed, honourable. I have been
using, accordingly, in the past his name and address.
Italians knew them, and were coming to him, in my ab-
sence, for relief or advice. What of all ibis? Where is the
slightest link between the affirmations of the Avoost-Ge.
Ural and the aim denounced? Where the slightest indi-
cation bearing on Mr. Btansfeld's C011114)ZiOD with or know-
ledge of any unlawful designs?
" That / am carelessly and uoconecieutionsly made a target
for the practising of the moral daoacr men is no wonder to
me. I belong, and am rather proud of it, to a class of men
who must be persecuted by any despotic, conservative, or
French Imperialist party, in England or elsewhere, until
swum crowns their efforts and wins applause. But if men
of Mr. Stansfeld's out, avocations, and tendencies are, on
the faith of garbled foreign police reports and alai:Aran
melodramatic speeches of despotic Avoads•Gineraux, to
meet with the same treatment in the country which they
usefully serve, then there is an end of British lucid sense
and fair-play habits. A French statesman once said—
' Give me any ten words in any man's handwriting ; I shall
manage to have him bone.' You had better write those
words on the threshold of year house. only stating that
they include the man's friends u well.—l am, sir, yours
i "
faithfully,2." "Joura ilsuna."
April