The Express.
London, England, 1864-08-31 00:00:00

IAY EVENING, AUGUST 31, 1864.

LATEST iNTELLIGENCE.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(nor ous OWN oosasepoirnarr.)
PAI3IB, TOI3DAY Ennio.

The Side would have religion practised in
France according to the evangelists, and no encycli-
cal letter or bishop's pastoral escapes its searching
criticism. It would seem that four protestant
churches at Montb4liard trouble the slumbers of
the Cardinal Archbishop of Besancon. The sleep
of the prelate is restless, not so much on account
of the numbers of peasants which flock to rival
establishineuta, but because the spire of the catholic
is not so high as that of the protestant place of
worship. The cardinal has ideas like those which
possessed that imaginary personage Vathek when
he set about the second Babel. His eminence is
grieved, so he says in a begging letter written to
get funds for so much additional steeple, to sex the
spirit of the age invading the country ; and, after
writing much on charity and the perversity of the
days he has lived to see, he gives a sketch of him-
self. The picture seems taken from the first
volume of " Les MisZrables." Our good old friend
Bishop Bienvenue, who could even visit a conven-
tionalist, has come to life again ; but one thing
must be remembered, which is that that ex-
emplary character never published a detail of
his good works. The Cardinal of Besancon
remarks, is conclusion—" Perhaps people will
say to you ' The cardinal's revenues are sufficieut,
why does he not expend them ?' This is what 1 have
done, even to compromising present and future. I
give to the poor, to the churches, and to a crowd of
wants either known or hidden, as much and even
more than I can afford. I have no carriage. Igo
about with worn out shoes, and a mended surplice.
Very likely you have wore than once smiled at
seeing me with patched sleeves." The Siècle says
the bishop has 4,000/. a year. He might, perhaps,
give a better direction to his charity, and not pub-
lish it, hut it would be nothing new for a catholic
bishop to spend even beyond his means in alleviat-
ing the wants of his flocks. The late bishop of
Loissons was an instance.

More visits of royal and semi-royal personages
are spoken of to-day. Victor Emmanuel is said to
be desirous of holding the eldest son of Prince Na-
poleon at the baptismal font, and will consequently
visit France about the month of October. The
semi-royal guest expected here is Prince Couza, who
is first to seek another interview with the Sultan
and then to come on here. The bad understanding
known to exist between this government and that
of Russia may have determined the prince to
migrate.
A curious case is about to be tried here. A lady
is about to prove in open court that she is not the
mother of her children, or rather the children which
her husband attributes to her. This matter is to
be demonstrated by decisive arguments, the lady
herself demanding to plead. It is said that amusing
revelations will be made.

Now that the marriage of Prince Humbert with
the Princess Anna Murat Las fallen through, Co-
penhagen writes to claim the honour of being future
Queen of Italy for Marie-Dagmar, second daughter
of King Christian. This princess was born on the
2ritli December, 1847.

Our latest sulvices from Mexico state that the
Emperor has instituted public audiences every Sun-
day. Everyone is admitted, without respect to na-
tionality, to expose his griefs and propose whatever
measures he may think would be conducive to the
welfare of the nation.

I The France gives a translation of a certain ad-
vertisement published in the London Life, offering
a reward of 600/. for an assaasiu to murder the
director of a railway company. The France, with
a credulity worthy of M. Mocquard, adds, " Well,
it is sad to say, but we have it from a good source,
that a large number of demands have already
been addressed to the offices of the London Life.
11 y a plus que l'ensbarras du choir."
' Lord Cowley and family have gone to Tarbes to
spend some days with M. Fould. The report of
this visit has been received with great satisfaction
by English residents here.
There was a good deal of excitement on the
Bourse to-day, iu consequence of a fall in Console.
The aspect of affairs in the London Stock Exchange
is supposed to have caused this decline.