The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-02 00:00:00

FRENCH AUTOGRAPHS.

(From the 11l txtrated Times.)
I have been looking over the new French publi-
cation L'Autograpite. Its editors—Messieurs de Villemes-
sent and Bourdio, formerly of the F4ynro—have uodertaken
a somewhat considerable task. They propose to publish
twice a month, and their paper is to contain lithographic
faesimilies of the handwriting of all the political, civil, mili-
tary, bureaucratic, literary. acientitic, dramatic, artistio,
musical, and conversational celebrities of France, past
sod present. I bud by the specimens in the &minutia-
= that the ladv wbo professes to discover the sex,
age, calling, tastes. personal appearance, height,
weight, and complexion of an individual by •
mere sight of his or her cargraphy, mast be • genius
by intuition. The haodwritiog of the present Emperor is
undecided, nervous. fitful, and wavering. He has four
ways of forming the letter s ; sometimes crowds his si cede
into a small space, and sometimes sprawls them over • large
one. On the other hand, the writing of Louis Philippe,
when be signed his abdication, is 1848, is firm and bold.
Will any reader who has matriculated in Germany, and
who passes his days in the study of the solid truths and
satisfactory results gleaned from the Joyous science of meta.
ph)sics. explain this apparent contradictios
I translate • few of the most characteristic traits in the
text of the autographs. Here is Garibaldi's address to his
soldiers after the takiog of Rome. It sounds like a trumpet
of thunder :
'• Soldiers! To those who would follow =I offer hunger,
cold, and heat—neither bread, barracks, food, nor =mu-
nition ; but instead, continual duty, ormstaat attacks,
battles, forced marches, and charges of the bayonet
" Who love their country will follow me !
"July, 1819." " Caulaumt.
A different address the above—l still quote from L' Att.
togrophe —from that of a certain commandant of gendar-
merie, who, when in Africa. immediately before a decisive
charge, said to his men
" Gendarmes !—Forward ! Do not forget that von are
all married men, and that your horses are your own
property !"
M. Durnanoir, the famous dramatist, gives the follow*
bit of copy-book morality
"Cowards are ever the Mende of the wicked!"
True, M. Dumanoir ; but neither original nor witty.
V. Broglie'• contribution tuns, " My Dame is not worthy
to figure io • collection -" to which George send says,
"Nor mine to ;" which 'Eugene Sue says. "Nor miss
either;" of which Viennet very properly remarks, "Oh
triple pride r to which Paul Feval, the real author of the
drama known in Lindon as the " Duke's Motto," adds,
"Bay quadruple, and say no more about it."
Here is mole outrageous modesty. Thiere being asked to
000 tribute, sends :
" I know not what to say, and ! avow it!—A. Tetras."

On which M. Emile de dininlin remarks, "Oh, Bayard!"
Well may Ss/randy, the ex-Minister of Public Instroo.
taco say. apropos of the above,
"And these are the two men of our day who poems the
most extraordinary fecundity of ideas. IL Emile de
Girardin promises us one a day ; y. Thies, without pro-
mising, gives us a thousand. They were is • niggardly
humour when they wrote the stove :"
The handwriting of Lamar;iee is small and delicate u
that of an exciteable and impressionable woman. His con-
tribution rune :
"Horne dans sa nature, iefloi dans sae wrens.
L'homme estop Dieu tombs qui as souvient del Pious."
Here is an idea of Leon Go;:lan's singular and clever
enough to deserve reproduction :
" Being rather mad, I have always attached to every
shade of sensation I have experienced the notion of a
colour. Thus, to me, piety is of a tender blue ; resignation.
pearl-grey ; joy, apple-green ; satiety, the colour of WI vtis..
lait ; pleasure, velvet-rose; sleep, the hue of tobacco smoke
reflection, orange ; ennui, chocolate ; the unpleasantly of
paying a bill, lead-colour; reoeivice money, a bright red;
rest day, burnt sienna—a villanous colour. As to happi-
ness, that is a colour I know not. " Lgog GostAg:".

SPECIAL SERVICFR AT ST. PAtes CATREDR•L—
To-morrow the dome arse of St. Paul's will be re-opened
for the Sunday evening speci services. which it is proposed
to continue until Easter Sunday. It is announced that the
Lord Bishop_of Loodon will preach the sermon.
GREAT WESTERN AND METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.
It appears that the Great Western Railway Company have
given notice that the through trains which have besa
miming during the past three months between Windsor
sad farriegskspatreet will be discontinued after the 314
Inst.
BtraoLutv.—The private resilience of Staff-Coin-
mender Luke, R 5., of Woolwich D.,ckyard, residing is
the Greenwich•road, was entered about S o'clock in the
evening of Thursday, during the absence of the family, sad
was robbed of polliwog, wearing apparel, and jewelry to
the value of rot. or SOL It is supposed that the
were interrupted is their depredations. as, though tits=
of the chests of drawers end wardrobes had been forced
open and ransacked, a censiterable sum in notes and gold
escaped their notice.