The Express.
London, England, 1864-08-15 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 15, 1864.

FRANCE.

--•--
OWN ova °wit oola

PARIS, SATURDAY ETILKINO.

English and other foreigners are flowing into
Paris in large streams to join in the fkes. The
Place de la Concorde looks already very pretty :
a little Mexican palace, surmounted by devioes in
gas, surrounds the obelisk of Luxor, whilst the
two large fountains are encompassed with beautiful
flower gardens. English visitors who have "done"
Paris frequently may perhaps derive a new and
agreeable sensation by directing their steps or
their alitures to Bercy, where a very pretty park
was inaugurated last Sunday. There were
all kinds of amusements al fresco, and
people seemed to enjoy wonderfully the free
and easy way in which they oonld 101 l about in the
open park, and witness the amusements (including
Blondin) without being hemmed in by a building
ad hoc. Everything was in the open air. A word
about this so-called " Blondin" will not be out of
IglatTundrtnliasunwhoe,Peer.frirs tatthewrhfipixose Pdreivule-
sides the real Simon Pure daily protest& by
advertisement, is well known in Paris not to
be the true hero of the Niagara ; so the purveyors
of the opening fate at Bercy Park announced
in brilliant coloured porters all over Paris that
they bad secured the genuine Blondin, who
had crossed the falls of Niagara and done many
other wonderful things. Crowds flocked to see the
real article, and apparently were much delighted at
his daring deeds. But was it really the veritable
Blondin, the idol of the Crystal Palace ? Not a
bit of it ; it was simply the Hippodrome performer
over again, two Blondins rolled into one, but no
one appeared to detect the mystification ; and after
all what did it matter 1 The Parisians are long-
suffering in all these cases. Only a few weeks
ago at M. Dejazet's theatre the principal
actress, who was in perfect health, kept
the audience waiting till 9 o'clock, on
the score of indisposition, and peremptorily
refused to appear at all, and [the audience
dispersed most quietly, receiving back their
money. Such an event in London would have
gravely imperilled the stability of boxes, benches,
chandeliers, &c. ; and yet the French character is
said to be so mercurial. I went myself three tunes,
and paid 3f., in the vain hope of seeing M.
Godard's Montgoltiere ascend as advertised ' • but it
never did ascend publicly in Paris, although on this
occasion the money was not returned. Thousands
of people paid each day, and were kept waiting for
hours. The provocation was very peat, but the
Montgolfiere escaped the sad fate of Mr. Coxwell's
balloon, and the popular clamour was of the mildest
sort.

But to return for a moment to Berry, whither
omnibuses go every ten minutes. It was a noble
old domain, which formerly exten4ed from the
Bastille to Charenton, bat public necessities, rail-
ways, fortifications, ,ko., reducedtions, it to its present
moderate limits. It was originally the property of
the Malone de Bercy, the bead of which family, a
most frugal and penurious man, suggested to Holier*
his type of the • Avare." After undergoing many
changes the park was offered to the eminent
booker, M. Pereira, for 9,500,000 francs ; but
that gentleman having requested 24 hours' con-
sideration before closing with the offer, another
company, including the Duke de Morny, stepped
in before the 24 hours had expired, and concluded
the purchase at the advanced price of 10,500,000 ;
just one million dearer than M. Pereire could have
got it for. Part of the park is open to the public,
as I have stated, and much will be built over and
used for other purposes. The park is worth a visit
on a gala day. . . .

The Courtier de Dinionche says, adverting to the
late conference in London, that the Danish pleni-
potentiaries were secretly authorised to accept the
line of Appenrade Tondern, and thinks, therefore,
that it is much to be lamented that England
adopted the line of the Sclei, which so far cramped
her liberty of action and thus prevented her facili-
tating an arrangement between the belligerents.
The trial of the rioters in the Pyren6ea Orientales
during the last election, when M. Pereira was
returned, terminated yesterday in the acquittal of
all the prisoners. It will be remembered that in
these election riots three men were killed.

The Bourse has been very calm indeed to-day.
Rental, 66.40.

GERMANY.

The news that Sleewig-Holstein alone is to bear
the whole expense of the war baa produced a pain-
ful impression in the duchies. The Kiel Journal
argues that there is no just ground for imposing on
the duchies so heavy a burden, simply because
Denmark is too poor to indemnify the German
powers. "The cost of the war," says the Holstein
Journal, "ought to be paid by the party which pro-
voked it. The conqueror may, out of generosity,
refrain from exacting payment, but he has no right
to impose on another country the obligation of pay-
ing in place of the vanquished. Assuredly deliver-
ance from the Danish domination is a great benefit
to the duchies, but that is not • sufficient reason
for compelling us to pay a sum of 75 millions of
francs."

The Kreu: Zeitung of Berlin discusses in a very
elated humour the friebdship which has suddenly
sprung up between Prussia and Austria. It ex-
claims :

No more olimits, no more Valentina, so long as the
Prussian and Austrian flags shall coat side by side. The
alliance of the Western powers, which has so long threat-
ened the peace and public right of Europe, has become so
silent and mute that one might soy that the representatives
of civilisation are completely routed. It is not at London
or at Paris, but at Vienna and at Berlin, that the destinies
of Europe are now decided.

HOMEWARD AMERICAN Matte.—The homeward
American mail steamers due at Liverpool this week are the
City of Washington, Belgian, and Scotia. The City of
Washington, with dated' from New York on the Gth, and the
Belgian from Quebec, with corresponding dates may be
expected, the former at Queenstown and the latter at
Londonderry, in the course of Wednesday nest. On Friday
or early os Saturday morning next the Cunard steamer
Scotia, with dates from New York to the 10th, may be
expected off Cape Clear or Queenstown.
DEATH PROM EATING A SEA PIE.—GIRRALTAR,
JULT 2:3. —An occurrence which has unhappily occaeimed
the loss of three lives is now undergoing investigation before
the acting captain of the port. The master and crew of the
British barque Ouse, of Sunderland, previously in the en-
joyment of good heal►h, were mould them takes suddenly
and alarmingly ill after dinner oe the 19th July, whilst on
the voyage from Shields to Alexandria. The symptoms
were those of poisoning, and it was found that all those
attacked had partakes at dinner of a sea pie. The sufferings
of the mate sod two of the seamen terminated fatally, and
they were buried at sea on the 20th. The master and the
others who had eaten of the poisoned pie slowly recomied.
The explanation given of this sad affair is the following ;
Tim cook of the vessel, is making his pastry, found
that he required to make an addition to the emp-
tily of flour he was using, sod went to the
stor►room to get more. In the store-room, beside the
flour barre/s, was an open tea chest containing arsenic. Mis-
taking the whit* powder for flour be took a couple of hand-
fuls and added them to the pastry. Until the evidence new
being taken at the Port.office is completed it inuitiot •he
known whether there are any circumstances criroinatiog the
cook. It does not appear that he hid quarrelled with, or
was known to have entertained ill feeling towards the mas-
ter or any of his comrades on board the Ouse. and it is
alleged that he himself partook of the poisoned dish and was
attacked with the same symptoms as the others. The ex-
planation given of so large a quantity of arsenic being kept
in the store room is that it was required foe mixing with
tar to form a composition for overlaying the exterior of the
vessel ass preservative against worm ; but if it were moss-
eery to keep deadly poison on board it should have lises
voaer lock and key, and sot carelessly exposed amongst the
ship's stores. Had eves the not uncommon promotion been
takes of mists( the weenie with soot the mistake el mixing
it with flour, which it so Nana resemble% sealet Not hare
happened.—Melts %wren

INDIA.

The Hurkarti, under date Calcutta, July 8,
reports in its overland summary :—"Since our last
the rains have been tolerably plentiful ; they com-
menced unusually late this year. The heat before
their commencement was very intense, and we beard
the oldest Indians pronounce it the hottest season
they remembered. The Agricultural Society of
India have issued their second prize list. The thow
is to be held this year at Lucknow. We cannot
toe much impress on agricultural engineers in
England that at no distant period their machinery
wifi be required in this country to a very great
extent. The price of Coolie labour is rising here.
and the difficulty of getting work done in some of
the tea plantations is very much felt.
"Notwithstanding the rumours in one of the
French journals, everything is going on quietly in
India, and we are disturbed by no alarming in-
telligence from the frontier or elsewhere. Reforms
and public works are going on steadily and unin-
terruptedly. Sir Hugh Rose has issued a general
order diminishing the daily allowance of spirits
issued to the troops to one-half. This is a bold
measure, and one which previous commanders-in-
thief were afraid to put in force, but it has been
well received by the army itself, and has met with
universal approval from the public."