The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-20 00:00:00

ROMAN CATHOLIC CONGRESS AT
MALINES.

On Tuesday a general assembly of Roman
catholics was opened at Maine!, in Belgium.
Amongst those present were Mgr. Ledochoweki,
the Papal nuncio, Cardinal Wiseman, many
other English Roman catholic prelates, the Roman
catholic Bishop of Adelaide, the Archbishop of Jeru-
salem, Ac. The assembly was opened, after
a solemn high masa celebrated in the metropolitan
church of St. Rambaut, by an address from Mgr.
Sterckx, Cardinal Archbishop of Malines, who said
that as the object of the meeting was to do service
to the church, they should above all things aim
at practical conclusions and useful measures. All
proper opinions might be enunciated, all measures
calculated to do good might be proposed, and all
might be discussed, defended, and opposed with
the greatest freedom. M. de Gerlaehe, the Presi-
dent of the Congress, then addressed the assembly.
Yesterday evening M. Ad. Dechamps, deputy,
made a speech on the triple objects of the Congress.
Psi de Montalembert will this day develope and
explain the famous formula of " a free
church in a free State." Three Polish priests
will discourse on the position of Roman catho-
lies in Poland, and Count A. Foucber de
Carta will speak on the union of peoples and
the persistence of the feeling of national independ-
ence. On Friday K Schollaert, M. de Monta-
lambert, and Cardinal Wiseman will address the
Congress—the latter on the religious and civil posi-
tion of Roman catholics in England. On Saturday
the Rev. Father Dechamps, Cardinal Wiseman,
and the Abbe Mermilliard, of Geneva,will preach in
the church of St. Rambaut.

(asurza's =mums.)

DECREE AGAINST THE BISHOPS'
LETTERS.
PARIS, ALIGUST 20.

An imperial decree has been published to-day
condemnatory of the bishops' letters on the subject
of the elections, and declaring them an abuse of
ecclesiastical authority.
The preamble of the decree states that it is based
upon the articles of the concord►t and the papal
bull of December, 1801, the apostolic decree
of 1802, and the declaration of 1682, esta-
blishing
as a fundamental maxim of French
public law that the chief of the church and the
church itself have control solely over spiritual and
not over temporal and civil affairs. The last basis
quoted in the decree states that the bishops and
archbishops are not empowered to deliberate toge-
ther or pass common resolutions without the special
permission of the government.

MEXICO.

MADRID, Actousr 90.

Intelligence received here from the city of
Mexico to the 12th July states that Cobos and
Benavides have agreed with Juarez to demand ;n
common of the Powers that the French interven-
tion should be limited to the application of the
treaty of London.

CHINA, JAPAN, AND MANILLA.
ATTACK ON NANKIN BY THE IMPE-
RIALISTS.-EXPIILSION OF FOREIGN-
ERS FROM JAPAN.

SHANGHAI, JULY 4.
(By Telegraph from Suss.)
The city is quiet.
The Imperialists have attacked Nankin and cap-
tured the outworks.

Intelligence received from Japan announ‘m that
the Japanese have paid the indemnity. The
Mikado had issued orders to expel foreigners and
to close the ports.

The loss of property caused by the earlhquake at
Manila amounts to 40,000,000 dollars.

OUTWARD INDIA. AND CHINA MAILS.
MARSEILLE% Ammer PR
_

The Menageries Impriales steamer Peluse left
this port yesterday, with mails for India and
China, 36 passengers, 451 packages of merchandise,
and speck value 136,0321.

WEATHER REPORT.--(THIS DAY.)

TIMIDLY, L 001792 ID. I &IL

I. 1! D. W. N. L 9. LN. S.
———
Nairn WU N. U o
&border 10.12 61 N.N.W. 11 0
Lath 20 6 .15 W. Z. b
Iblelds
ofleter.bro.mb tare 56 W. 12 b 0.52
11 e 0.50
Galway
Velootle
chweeetow2
Liverpool 3OOl lif N.W. 26 0 0.11
Holyhead ... - 00.0666 W. 26 e
Peso broto 110.14 60 N.ll. 29 e
Plaseitoe 110.21 661 N. 16 c 0.15
*ea
Merit 40.11 57 N.W. 11 b 0.06
Rochefort 30.16 61 N.W. 16 b 0.12
eyVrellattli 13"4
41
7.4'4: is o 0.15
13 Of 51 a 0.09
Portsmouth UAW N. N. W. 56 0 0.19
Leaden '20.26 Id N.N. W. * e 0.15 -
Dover 29.66 01 N. 96 a 1.001 2
!smooth 1).1066 N.N.W. I 18 o 10.:15 3
Ifellsolead

PROOMILII
711D,T. ON THO BATITHDAT.
N.W. to N.E., mode- SiOHTH-HAN. N.E. to W., fresh. fine.
rate to fresh, a few
showera
W.N.W. to L N.E., Wzsr Cossrs. N.E to LW., fresh to
fresh, fine. moderate.
W. to N. and N.E., llotrfiwCoLers. W.N.W. to N.N.E,
fresh, fine. fresh to moderate,
fine.
W.N.W. to N.N.E., BOLTB•Yssfir. N.W. to N.E., fresh,
fresh, fine. fine.
North•last=Calthness to Norfolk. West= Donegal to Corn.
wall South.Chanuel and Bay Coasts. Bauth.lfast=atralt of
Dover to Norfolk.

THB LAT. ITALLILN DIIIL.—The nine officers who
had engaged to fight in SWAIIIIIiOII with Baron Malato, the
ez aide-de-canto of Garibaldi. declared, the day after Ni.
colosi wee ao seriously wounded, that their honour was
satisfied.

-----
SACRILEGE IN Rory.—The ROMEO police have
succeeded in disocirerirm the person who .tole the jewels
from the Madonna of St. Anicatmo. lie term out to be
• deserter from the Italian army, who, before becoming •
Wilier, WS. • priest in the diocese of Amid The arrant
was effected in Termitic

MYSTRRIOUS MURDER Ilf Pam&—An event has
lately happened in Pixie which promisee to give ample work
to the police of that metropolis. M Fraseksert wee, on
Widowlay last, mysteriously murdered at his hotel in the
Faubourg do Rouie. He formerly carried on busies.. as a
perfumer in the Chaves n d'Autio. and had retired from hie
oecupatiou with a fortune said to amount to 2,00(1C10fr.
He wa. a very eccentric person, living alone, seeing scarcely
anybody, and rarely going gh
out nye at nit.
vin Re tensioned
dead at the door of his cellar, his skull hag hem beaten
is with a heavy log of wood. Robbery wen evidently not
the object of the miasainatina. so no property was abstracted
I from the hotel, while the murdered men's parse, together
with two watches, which it appears be was accustomed to
carry, were left untouched on his person. The police are
more 'caret in their movements here than in London ; bat,
an far as I. known, no clue has yet been die:anted ea to
the perpetrator of the crime.
A Rtram. Jocriev.—The Journal de Chateau-
says that at the late races at Nosay (Loire-
Infilriatire) a steeplecame presented unusual interest
from the fact that • young penult of the environs,
mounted on • borne of the Britaany breed, ventured
to eater the list. against some of the best racers
of the country. He rode harebacked with • halter knead
of • bridle. On leaping the Brat fence the halter broke,
and the rider fell, but he instantly mounted again and
cleared all the obstacle. till he reached the kat, which the
horn refined. The your% peasant, however, managed to
form him over, and weed the winning-pint lint amidst
load applause.
FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT DI GIIRRANY.—The
Cologne Gazette nientiom that the train which lett Cologoo
in the evening of the 17th ran off the rails between Beugen
and Mayan,, sad that several persona were killed. In con-
sequoia, of this accident the arrival of paper. and letter
Lea Freakiest, vie Worn, has been retarded.