The Express.
London, England, 1852-09-22 00:00:00

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO TILE DUCHESS OF
ORLEANS.

In connezion with the7el;;;ii;iite Swiss papers report an
accident which has befallen the Duchess of Orleans. On
the 17th the duchess, accompanied by her two sons and 15
persons of her suite, was going from Lausanne to Berne,
but, on arriving at ',louden, she learned that the bridge at
Courtilles had been carried away by n flood on the previous
night; and she was thus compelled to return with her two
travelling carriages and to take the routu of !Lemont, Fri-
bow, &c. She hail passed Oren about noon, but at about
two o'clock, one of the carriages returned containing the
duchess, the two princes, her lady of honour, &c., all
drenched to the skin, and the duchess having sustained an
injury. It appeared that her carriage, owing to the im-
prudence of the coachman, had fallen into a wide ditch
full of water at the entrance of the village of Promasetut,
and had been turned completely upside down. The
duchess had her right collar bone broken, and the other
travellers have escaped with some bruises. Drs. Mellet, of
Oron, Ouiean of Mi,ziitres, and rails of Lausanne, were
immediately sent for.
A letter from Lausanne, on the 18th, say. that the duchess
hail had a good night, and her state gave no cause for
uneasiness. Tho young princes had not received a eiugle
bruise.

AURORA BORE:MS.-0o Friday night, and up to
an early hour on Saturday morning, the northern •Icy was
illuminated by a wry striking, and, considering the season
of the year, remarkably bright aurora borealis. About 9
o'clock it !assumed the usual form of a semi-circle extending
along the sky, shooting up its pale shafts of light ; hut
about 1 o'clock en Saturday morning the appearance of the
sky was much mere striking and beautiful. The lights be-
coming brighter and more of a red colour, shot for up to-
wards the zenith, while the whole northern part became
one blaze of pale light, waxing mere and more vivid, and
again falling as rapidly away. The sight was altogether e
very interesting one. —North British Alai'.

THE GAS-PIPE CONSPIRACY IN PARIS.
' It will be remembered that at the end of June
last the government papers in Paris announced the arrest
of a band of political conspirators at No. 16, Rue de la
Rein. Blanche, and the seizure of some pieces of gas-pipe
prepared to serve as cannon, of a quantity of urine, printed
papers, &c. Much mystery wag thrown over the affair,
and it was suggested that the conspiracy was of the most
formidable kind.

-------
Ihe Tribunal of Correctional Police has just been acct-
pied four days in the trial of the persons arrested. They
are fifteen in number, sod their Domes are—Viguier, fur.
wetly an officer of the navy ; Durand, tailor and concierge. •
Angelo Durand; Paulin Durand, tailor; Corbet. wand
turner; Menard, wheelwright; Borthe, bootmaker ;
carpenter; Carman, box maker; Brasseur, cabinet maker;
Machival, cabinet maker; Pelletier, worker in bronze;
Oradelet, tailor; Marie Desmares, polishi r ; Fevre, physi-
cian. The charge against them was haying formed a
secret yolitical society. The &crucial Viauiyr, Durand,
Angille Durand, I'. Durand, Patk, Corbel, Menard, Car.
pexa, Pelletier, Brasseur, and Machina', ogre further
charged with having made ahil kept in their posies,;.,
military arms without authorisation; and Berth,;Marie Descuarea, Gradelet, and Fevre with laving
lyres
their accomplices. Finally, Durand was accii. .i of has
on the 2ud of December, 1t5.51, used iutulting
respecting the Prince President.
On the table of the court were the thi• gs seized in the
Rue de la Heine Blanche. The pieces of gaspip. farmed a,
cannon were eight iu number; iseven of them wire shout
half a yard in length, the other was a yard, There was
also oa the table muskets and hallebards, a number of b...ks
and pamphlets, voluminous parcels of newspapers, Is- us
saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal ; together with a quantity
of gunpowder, some engravings and prints, and the ente•
form of au otlicer of the ravy.
Viguicr did not appear. The other accused ans aered the
usual questions as to their names, ages, and oceupatioti,.
Two reports of M. Chevalier, chemist, on the eimpowd,r
found, were read They stated that this gunnou der was ,4
three sorts, two of which, made in the usu.l way, were of
very good qualiiy, and the third was very inferior.
Mr. Caron, gunsmith, of the Passage de l'Opkra' deposed
that he had examined the tubes produced. They v„e
evidently destined fer projectiles. The ends were fmte,.ed
up with Roman cement, and a touch-hole was bored in
them. Some of the cannon were covered with stout L.cio.
cloth, which rendered them more solid, and lessened the
dangers of their bursting. They were fit for itume.hate
use. Ile had been charged to makesimilar things, and was
astonished to find, from experiments made with them at
Vincennea that they were able to support a charge of 11
grammes (nearly two ounces) of gunpowder, with lb lull
without bunting, and to carry it 45 yards. The norm
cement resisted yerfectly.
M. Chevalier, the chemist, and Captain Dapeloux, of the
artillery, gave similar evidence. The tubes, which wire
easily made, had tesisted much better than had
been expected. With a charge of 6; grammes
of gunpowder (a little more than 21 ounces) they
burst., but one of 55 grammes scut 2a hails
out of 25 into an object at 45 yards distance.
The tubes not covered with cloth burst much sooner thin
the others. The covering of cannon with cloth W. 4 not a
new thing; it had been practised in the middle ages, and
was even known in the navy. To know the utility of the
cloth, however, a man must have been practically versed in
such matter.. Some of the tube, were burst at the end,
and they resisted better than the others. Seine of the gun-
powder was of good quality.
Dr. Despreaux stated that he is the proprietor of the
house, No. 16, Rue de In ]Leine Blanche. Dorsal and ha
wife were the concierges. As, after February, IRK a man
named Philippe, who had been his porter, had establislad
a sort of club in the house, and had allowed a number of
persons who preached the socialist doctrine of the destruc-
tion of property to remain in it, he, on employing the
Duronds, gave them express orders not to allow anybody
except the tenants to reside in it, without his espress per-
mission. Durand seemed to him to be a socialist; he
complained to him on several occasions of the scarcity
of work, but be did not think him very Milustrious.
Durand had once said to him, that what was required em
the true republic. lie did not know that Vignier had lived
in the house under the name of Antonio. He had been
accustomed in his visits to the house to find several strati-
Isere in Durand's room, or in the courtyard; one of them
was called Antonio, and he, though badly dressed, was of
gentlemanly manners. Ile had noticed that the Durand/
had always kept an inner door of their apartment carefully
closed ; and it was there, it subsequently turned out, that
the preparations for the conspiracy had been made. The
prisoners were the persons ho had seen at Durand's. lie
particularly recognised Petit and Brasseur.
Several witnesses then deposed to Durand's being:accus-
tomed to receive the visits of a great number of persons--
many of them in the dead of night ; to his having been
noted as a violent socialist; and to his having one day
caused grass to be spread before his door, ac a signal to his
fellow-conspirator not to come, he having, as it appeared,
reason to suppose that the police Lad set a watch on the
house.

It was then shown that the Ras pipes transformed iron
cannon, the balls, gunpowder, &c., which were produe,d,
had been sAzed in the house in the Rue deli Rein° 1314nche
on the 30th June, and that the accused had been arrw.tal
there.

The interrogatories of the accused occupied a considerable
time, but threw no great light on the affair. The accused
for the most part only feebly denied the charges against
them. Durand admitted having spoken with some vehe-
mence against the President of the Republic on the 2ad
December, and having received letters relative to the con-
spiracy from Viguier in London. Corbet said that he bad
been transported to Belle Isle, and admitted that a receipt
for making gunpowder had been found in his loduinas.
Carpera dad not attempt to deny that he had purchased the
gas-pipes of which the cannon had been made. Farm
attempted to show that his political opinions were not so
violent as represented, and that his relations with Viguier
and with the Duranda were exclusively professional.
After speeches from counsel, the tribunal condemned
Viguier by default to two years' imprisonment and LOOK.
fine ; Durand, sen., to three years imprisonment atld .;00f.
fine ; the woman Durand to two years' imprironment and
500 f. fine ; Durand, jun., to fifteen months' imprisonment
and 300 f. tine ; Corbet to three years imprisonment and
500 f. fine ; Pat:, to two years' imprisonment and 500 f. fine;
Carpesa to two years' imprisonment and 5001. fine; Bras-
senr to twenty months' imprisonment and 500 f. fine;
Machinal to eighteen months imprisonment and 300 f. tine;
Pelletier to two years' imprisonment and 500 f. fine; Grade-
let to fifteen months' imprisonment and 3001. tine; the
woman Desmarcs to two years' imprisonment and 500 f.
fine ; and Fevre to two years' imprisonment and I,ooof. fine.
The accused Corbet was moreover condemned to ten years'
surveillance of the police ; Bertht to five years, and all the
others to two years. All the accused were, with the excep-
tion of the two women, likewise interdicted the exercise .1
political rights for two years. The accused on leaving the
dock cried " Viva la Republique !" The woman Dcsmar:s
was particularly remarked for the energy with which she
did so.

SLAVERY IN CCBA.
(From the 7 rtbunr.)
In spite of treaties and prohibitions, the slave
trade still flourishes in Cuba, and forms a rich source of in-
come'for the Spanish officials who share indirectly in its
profits. We learn by a private letter from a trustworthy
person, that some six weeks since 500 negroes were disem-
barked at Ortigosa, and that Canedo, the captain general,
pocketed 34 dols. per head for conniving at the net. No
wonder the Cubans desire to be freed from a government
which adds to perfect despotism such corruption as this.
The character of slavery in Cuba is in some respects wore
than in our own Southern States. Of its main features an
intelligent German, who recently visited the island, gives
an interesting account. lie uys that slaves there are taken
care of about as well as work hones in Europe. Marriage
is unknown among them. They are without all relietious
or mental instruction. Every year a priest baptizes the
whole lot of children born on the plantation, and on Sunday
afternoons they are mad* to say an Ave Maria, the Creed,
and a rater Koster. They always work with au overseer
standing over them with a heavy whip. The lowest over-
seers are themselves slaves, and have the right to inflict
three blows. Tho white overseers have the right to inflict
twenty.five blows, a punishment which results in several
days' illness. You find no slave who hu cot been punished.
and even men of four score are met with who still bate to
submit to the scourge. The women are flagged by their
husbands, in the presence of the head overseer.
At 10 in the morning tho oxen of the plantation are
driven under shelter from the heat. But the slaves con-
tinue to work without interruption through the day. They
are also kept late at night. Ou some plantations they are
highly favored If they are allowed to sleep two whole nights
in a week. The master is not allowed to inflict the punish•
meat of death, but in case of great crimes must hand the
slave over to the authorities, when ho may renounce his
property in the negro, which frees him from responsibility
for costs of trial, fled, &s. But this is almost never done.
Useless and incorrigible negroes are got rid of " in a more
simple way without troubling the authorities." Prostitu-
tion is universal on the plantations, beginning at the age of
10. But the woman who has a mulatto child is liable to
fifty blows of the whip.
At nine in the evening all the slaves who are not des-
tined to night work are shut up by families in stalls, %there
they sleep on boards. Each family has a pig to fat, and a
little piece of land, which is cultivated on Sunday alter
nnont. Every slave receives yearly two snits of linen, a
blanket, and a woollen cep. Bread they do not receive,
hut have three rati-ns daily of bananas, mangoes, sweet po-
Into,s, corn, dried fish, and dried beef, which is imported
from Buenos Ayres.
The freedom of an unborn child can he bought for 24
dollars, suit fathers often adopt this way of emancipating
their children. .lany slaves escape into the mountains;
such are exposed to the pursuit of bloodhounds, and aro
also betrayed by vultures hovering over their places of re-
fuge. Many hang themselves, with the idea that atter
death they will find themselves, with the same Wits as be-
fore, at home in Africa. By way of stopping this practice,
the owner, has, the remains of the suicides cut to pieces;
rather than return to their native country thus mutilated,
they prefer to live and suffer in Cuba.
Such is the condition of a great portion of the inhabitants
of that lovely island. What effect the independence of the
island would have upon the " peculiar institution" is a ques-
tion. There is no doubt, however, that it would stop the
introduction of Degrees from abroad.

THE NATIONAL GALLERT.—Yesterday,notice Wan
i'sued at the National Oallery,Trafalgar-square, that it was
closed for the annual vacation until the 25th of October,
when it will be re.apenei to the public. The Vernon Col-
lection at Almlbotough-house, Pall mall, is closed fer the
saran time.