The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-25 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 25, 1868.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(nom OUR ova! comizerozmeNr.)

PARIS. SUNDAT EVII7IIIO.

An elector of the 2nd circumscription, in which
X There is a candidate, writes to the Temps to say
that all the thirty thousand electors in the dis-
trict have received gratis a number of the Consti-
tutional containing an article in four columns
running down K niers. The expense of this gra-
tuitous distribution comes out of the public puree.
A communiqu4 to the Nide, written before this
particular instance of government canvassing was
brought to light, justifies all such expenditure as
being for the "public good." That argument will
not bear a moment's examination. There is plau-
sibility, I admit, in the theory that the imperial
government by openly avowing the candidates
whom it prefers prevents the electors from being
deceived, and after all only does directly that which
all former governments have dons indirectly. Let
the government proclaim its preferences as much as
it gasses, but hands off from the public purse.
It is tight that the sleeks ahould know what they.
are about ; but it cannot be admitted as an d priori
doctrine that the election of the government men
will be for the "public good." M. Ilausamann, how-
. ever, has gone to au extraordinary expense eu the
assumption that this falaC principle can be !
sup-
ported. The fine satin paper and expensive print-
ing of the circulars which helms sent round, in sup-
port of hisproteges,are the theme of general couversa-
tion. In the provinces the same sort of thing
takes place, and with much more effect than in
Paris. The circulars of government candidates are
not only printed at the public expense, but sent
through the post-office without charge, as being
official documents. The number of these cir-
culars and bills is so great that few pri-
vate purses can compete with them. In
very many places the billstiokers are afraid
to work for opposition candidates. It is true
that in some few instances which have been
brought to light of palpably illegal impedimenta
being placed in the way of the opposition redress
has been given by the higher authorities ; but
there is no doubt that the rural police deface the
opposition addresses with impunity in very many
cases.

At Toury, in the Burs et Loir, K Marchand,
the mayor, having prohibited the posting of the
electoral address of M. Labiche, the opposition
candidate, a gentleman in the town named Dr.
Petit followed the example lately set by M.
Floquet at Pawnee, and posted the bills himself.
The gendarmes subsequently paid him a domiciliary
visit ; but the law is on his side, end in the pre-
sent temper of the times the government will
scarcely dare to do him any harts.
A great many provincial journals have not come
to hand to-day. K de Persigny has no doubt
seized them in the post-office. That is one of his
methods of "working the elections."
K Paul Bethmont (the son of the late eminent
Wormier), who was a candidate for Rochefort, has
retired in favour of K Dufaure.

The eommuniquf to the Sikes justifies the govern-
ment interference against M. Thine now by the
example of M. Jules Fevre, who in 1848 wrote to
M. Emile 011ivier, then a republican commissary in
the south of France, to use every effort to prevent
M. Thiers from being elected. Upon this argu-
ment, the Temps observes that M. Baroche only a
few days ago publicly reproached M. Jules Fevre
with his interference with the freedom of election
on that occasion. How is this reproach to be
reconciled with M. de Peraigny's present conduct
How is the government to escape from this
dilemma ? " Either the provisional government and
its agents did well, and then they ought not to be
censured, or they did ill, and then they ought not
to be imitated."

On the same subject the Tempo remarks :

We doubt whether any other country in the world ever
offered such a spectacle as is now to be seen on the walls
of Paris and all the communes in France—the government
pasting up the names of candidates whom it favours, and
personally ►basing those whom it diespproves. We are
unfortunately becoming need to this kind of thing, and it is
the habit alone which prevents us from perceiving bow
very extr►ordinary it is. . . . . It was not enough
that there should be administrative recommendations.

we now have ministerial circulars launched against par-
Monks candidates, the weakest as well sa the strongest..
The other day there was a circular against IL. E. Baroche,
and now there is one against M. Thiers.

K Gueroult very sensibly points out the great
mistake which K de Persigny is making in setting
himself so strongly against the few leaders of "old
parties " who now seek to come into parliament,
whereas his game should be to receive them with
open arms, as being in point of fact valuable re-
cruits to the empire. The Orlesniats, which give
more umbrage to the government than any other
men, will now, says the Opinion Nationale, be like
" Jacobites transformed into Wriest," It continues:
This is well worthy of remark. On the day when MM.
Berry's, Thiess, Remusst, sad Odillon Buret took therein-
didatee oath the most enlightened part of the legitimist
party, and the Orlesnist party almost altogether, laid
down their arum Instead of remaining in expectation of
the fall of as ephemeral dietature, they have performed an
act of faith to the durability of the institutions by which
we are governed, sad instead of seeking to overturn them
they pow think only of modifying them in the sense of their
own tendencies and aspirations. The result will be more
security for the government, though, at the same time, it
must look for more parliamentary opposition in matters of
detail, and must be prepared to h►ve a more distinct policy
of its own.
The Prance declares that "the empire is now
borne towards liberty by • current as irresistible
as that which ten years ago bore order towards the
empire."

The Daily News is seized, so are almost all the
Sunday papers. M. de Persigny is the minister
especially responaib:e for this folly.

PARIS. SATCROAT EVINI2IO.
The moat remarkable electioneering addresses,
among the many which crowd the columns of the
journals to-day, are those of M. Clueroult, in Paris,
I and M. de Moutalembert, who is • candidate both
in the Min du Nord and the Doube.
Gueroult, who is an advanced liberal and
would not long since have been classed as a repub-
lican, gives a frank adhesion to the Empire, and
that without in the least compromising the inde-
pendence of his character. He ava, with prac-
tical wisdom, that he is not one of those who see the
salvation of society in any one particular
form of government, and look to a revolution
as the necessary condition precedent of all progress.
He puts in the foreground the fact that the institu.
Lions which now govern France are not such as he
would have desired to see, but he, nevertheless, ac-
cepts them, and because be accepts them, he is pre-
pared to require a great deal from therm I admire
this language. It is that which a man may honestly
we who feels that the great power of the Emperor
affords no reason w every °Muni should not do
his utmost to mould that power for good. M.
Guermilt masks out boldly against the Mexican war

as being one of those "distant enterprises which
disseminate our forces and consume our resources
without augmenting our power." He is for finan-
cial reform and municipal liberty, and aspires to
see France " she freest country in the world."
M. de Montalembert thinks that liberty is com-
pletely exiled by "a system which, without being
the exclusive work of the existing government,
borrows at once the worst traditions of the old
regime and the revolution, and extinguishes all
local initiative." He is not for any new revolution,
and demands to be believed when he says that, be-
cause he never took part in any of the former revo-
lutions which he has lived to see. He will never
admit that for the sake of any dynastic or adminis-
trative interests France is to be less free than her
neighbours Swiss, Belgians, English, and
Austrians.

M. Persigny's letter to M.*Hausamann against
M. Thiel" is extensively placarded in Paris, and
the more it is read the more the opinion gains
ground that it will contribute to the mown of the
candidate it is intended to oppose. A wag sap,
this letter is " Thiess—Consolidd."

The Echo de l'Amyron has received a warning for
an article, " troubling consciences, and exciting to
hatred and contempt of the Emperor's government
by represeuting the Pope and religion to be in
danffac"
The personality of M. Weiss, a young and very
clever writer, but who seems to have too great a
propensity to get into hot water, is now before the
public in various ways. Lest week he wrote in the
Courrier die Dimatiche such a violent and unjust at-
tack upon the " five" late deputies, that many of his
own colleagues felt constrained to disavow it. Im-
mediately after this his signature ceased to appear
in the Debate ; and it was reported that that journal,
which has 'never mentioned the candidature for
Paris M. Weiss baa now withdrawn, bad scratched
him oil the list of its contributors. The latter
fact is denied by the Debate this morning, and
it is announced that while there is no solidarity
between the Debuts and the Courrier du Dimanthe,
the person and talent of M. Weiss are
as highly esteemed by the Debrate as
ever. This announcement is not deemed
conclusive by the Prase. In former days the Debate
once said to M. Guiaot, "You may perhaps have
our support, but you will never again have our
esteem. The Prune insinuates that the converse
is the case with respect to M. Weiss. However,
the general impression is that the Debate baa merely
put him on a stool of repentance till the elections
are over. But the priucipal reason for M. Weiss
being talked about this evening is his challenge to
M. X. de Girardin. I said yesterday that M. de
Girardin had left off fighting, and I am quite sure
that he will not meet M. Weiss in deadly conflict.
Nevertheless, M. de Girardin thought fit to tell
M. Weisss friends when they waited upon him
that he would postpone his definitive answer till
the appearance of this day's Ceurrier du Dieumehe,
which he understood was to contain an answer to
the article of the Prase, which provoked M. Weiss'
challenge. Now it is a curious fact that the
Courrier du Dimonche has not come out to-day.
The answer to inquiries at the office is that there
has been an accident to the prow; but Buiher'sCor-
rsspondence says that M. de Girardin's refusal to
give M. Weiss an immediate meeting has neces-
sitated a delay of 48 hours in the making up of the
journal.
The prosecution against five individuals, for"
tieing manoeuvres manosuvres abroad with intent, arc.," waa
called on to-day, but in consequence of the indis-
position of M. &nerd the hearing was put off till
June 4. Two of the de:eudanta are M. Montilla,
Mexican Consul-General in Paria, and M.
Maneyro, Mexican Consul-General at Havre. The
"manoeuvres" in question are reported to
consist principally of the surreptitious in-
troduction into France of Mexican news-
papers in which the defendants had written
letters. According to the gossip at the Palish;
de Justice it is doubtful whether the government is
glad or sorry at the postponement of this trial.
One story is, that it was to be hurried on to produce
au effect at the elections against those candidates
who deprecate the Mexican war • but another is,
that the case is so petty that the' law officers are
half ashamed of it.

The little Imperial Prince now goes out for his
daily drive in the Champ Elysdes and Bois
de Boulogne, escorted by the native Arab troops
(SpaAis and rums), who have just arrived in Paris
to do garrison duty. These wild, extraor-
dinary looking men seem very proud of their
charge ; and it is really a great practical
compliment to their rave that the Emperor should
confide the heir appment to the crown to their
keeping. The crowd wonders greatly at the appear-
ance of the Spahis. They are mounted on small
grey Barbary horses, wear the white burnous and
cloak, and on the heels of their red morocco boots
steel skewers teu inches long, which serve as spurs.
Yesterday the escort asked General Bolin' the adju-
tant of the palace, whether they might be permitted
to offer the Imperial Prince a dinner of their own
cooking. The request was granted. At six o'clock
the banquet was served in the Salle de Diane in the
Tuileries. The young prince invited five little boys
of about his own age to join him. These were the
two sons of General Fleury and the sons of Dr.
Conneau, General Eapinaste, and Baron de Baur-
in
go
Asheep roasted whole and " couscoussou" in
various forms, with African vegetables and fruits,
composed the menu. The plates, knives and forks
were all of wood. The Emperor and Empress looked
on at this curious feast. _

IL de Lamartine's unfathomable pecuniary affairs
have from time to time been brought before the
public. The sympathy felt for him on the occasion
of the death of his wife has again provoked the idea
of a national subscription. I mentioned yesterday
what M. E. de Girardin had said in the Preen. A
curious statement is made in the Press.: to-day.
K de Girardin says that, presuming on his thirty
years' friendship with the Messrs. Pereira, he
wrote to them, and received in return a contribu-
tion of 10,000 fr. On the strength of this example
he wrote other letters to rich people, sod was about
to write more, when be was stopped by the following
letter from M. de Lstuartine himself :

•' My dear Girardin,—Your heart is always on a level
with your talent. I Gan only thank you for your kind in-
tentions, but in the name of heaven and our old friend-
ship atay your hand and my no more about it.
-

" LAluarrnrs."

Hereupon M. de Girardin's leading article
says :—" The friends to whom I yesterday wrote
must now consider my letters and my article in
the Passe as null and void. But in a
poatscript Le announces that M. G. Delahaute,
the banker, has subscribed the truly munificent
sum of 50,000 f. (2,00 W.), and has at the same time
expressed an opinion that M. Lamartine's affairs
are not nearly so bad as is supposed, and that if he
(M. de Girardin) would interest himself in the
liquidation of his debts, everything might be paid
without the necessity of selling his paternal estate
of St. Point. If so slight an effort as M. Delahaute,
a competent man of business, seems to think neces-
sary, would suffice to enable M. de Lemartine to
pass the remainder of his days in peace, it would be
a pity if his sensitive note to M. de Girardin I
should check the impulse of gratitude towards a !
man to whom France owes much. M. de Lamartine
has hitherto injured himself by insisting upon an
unsubstantial distisetion. His pride has twinged
to receive donations, while he has laid himself
open to the charge of pressing upon public notice
details of his embarrassments, and begging for sub-
scriptions for painfully written books for which
there was no legitimate demand. It is impossible
that a man of 73, so ill, moreover, as not to be
able to see his beloved wife on her death bed, can
hope to liquidate any considerable amount of debt.
by periodical writing. His dignity would certainly
not suffer by the frank acceptance of a tribute