The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-20 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING. JULY 20,

FRANCE.
THE PRESIDENTS PROGRESS.
PARIS, MONDAT Evame.
the -

AT Eras
I shall pressed to give you eabstanoe of the
ealistases elf the telegraphic despatches which have
'bees ressived from Strasbourg to-day, so as to avoid
we
seal as possible the repetitions with which they
abound, aid the constant official assurances that the
Prince has been received everywhere with demon-
stration' of enthusiasm. After the ceremony of the
inauguration of the railway. there took place a pro-
cession of cars, filled with girls in the Aiutian cos-
tume. 120 of these vehm'es passed in suocesidon
before the Prince, and their fair occupants threw
flowers at his feet as they drove by. Each car was
attended, by men, also attired in the costume
of the Alsatian peasantry. This ceremony,
which appears to have been considerably dis-
concerted by the incessant rain, lasted till four in the
afternoon. The Prince then received at dinner the
special envoys of Prussia, Bavaria, Wurtemburg,
Hesse-Darmstadt, Baden, and Switzerland, who were
'sent by their respective governments to offer him their
compliments. The generals and high functionaries
were also present. After dinner fireworks were let
off from the bastion opposite the prefecture. Not-
withstanding the heavy rain, a considerable crowd
remained assembled before the prefect's mansion, and
received with acclamations the President, when he
appeared on the balcony with the Princess Stephanie
of Baden. At night the incomparable spire of the
cathedral, illuminated with lamps of the prismatic
colours, and Bengal lights, presented a fairy-like
spectacle. Next morning, Monday (this day), the Pre- I
sulent,mounted on horseback,and proc•eeded.accompa-
nied by the envoys and a numerous and brilliant
staff, to the review and the marimuvres on the
Rhine. The weather was more propitious. The
troops filed off before the Prince, who bestowed de-
corations upon several soldiers. Then the engineers
threw some bridges over the little arm of the Rhine,
and later a bridge of pontoons was thrown across the
main stream. Immense crowds of spectators were
assembled on the banks. A handsome tent was
erected for the President. The Prince then crossed
over to the Badish territory, where he was received
with all honours. At Kebl he reviewed the Badish
garrison. He then returned, escorted by the envoys
and his staff, to the prefecture at Strasbourg, which
he reached shortly after noon.
In the state railway carriage the President was ac-
companied on Saturday by Gen. St. Arnaud, minister
of war ; M. de Target, minister of foreign affairs; M.
Lefebvre Durufle, minister of public works: M.
Bineau, minister of Finance; and the Prince's aides-
de-cmap. Ten other carriages composed the train of
hamar, the locomotive being driven by Mr. Edwards,
the engineer-in-chief of the working stock. In the
other carriages of the presidential train were to be
seen, M. Achille Fould, ex-minister of finance; Ge-
neral Schramm, Liautev, Dulac, Carrelet, and de
Lourmel ; Col. Fleury ; Lommandant de Toulongeon,
Capt. Teacher de la Pageric ; the prefect of police, &e.
Several foreigners of distinction also accompanied
the President ; amongst them were the Princes Stir-
Bey, sons of the sovereign of Wallachia, and MM.
David and Salmons. The ministers of justice, the
interior, public instruction, marine, and- policz, as
well u M. Baroche, who had accompanied the Presi-
dent to the terminus, there took leave of him just,
before the train started.

At Meer, the Bishop of Menx, who had'arrived
from Rome the evening before, made a short address
to the President : " I arrive," said he, amongst other
things, " from Rome; and the holy father has ex-
pressed to me how happy lie was at the sentiments
which animate the French government, and at the
present state of France."
/4 Chalons loud shouth were raised when the
Prince took the arm of the bishop (an old officer of
the Imperial guard), and proceeded towards the spot
where stood the horse which was in readiness for
him to mount in order to review the troops.
At Told, a young girl made a speech to the Presi-
dent, in which she alluded to Joao of Are having
sought divine inspiration in that town.
At the closing point of the first day's journey,
namely, Nancy, where the President arrived at forty
minutes past seven in the evening, a salvo of 101
guns announced his entry into the railway station.
He was there received by the mayor, deputy-mayor,
and municipal council. Part of the troops of the
garrison, who were drawn up in the court as a guard
of honour, presented arms, and all the bells in the
place rang out a merry peal. Immediately on ar-
riving, the President proceeded to the prefecture in
an open carriage drawn by eight horses. The
general commanding the division and the command-
ing officer of the department rode on either side of
the carriage. As night approached, the official
houses and public monuments were illuminated, but
I hear that the illuminations in private houses were
very rare.
As soon as the President reached the prefecture
the official receptions commenced. After these had
terminated, the President received Oen. Herchten-
felt, commander-in-chief of the Prussian forces in the
Rhenish provinces, and tho aides-de-camp, who had
received from the King of Prussia the mission of
complimenting the head of the state on the occasion
of his being near the frontier of Germany. After
the receptions the President dined at the prefecture.
At table he had Mine. de Sivry, the wife of the pre-
fect, on his right, and the envoy extraordinary of the
Rhenish provinces on his left. At the close of the
dinner there was a brilliant display of fire-works.
At ten o'clock the President went to the Hotel-de-
Ville, where a ball took plate. About 3,000
persons were present ; and the Prince opened the ball
with Mine. de Sivry as his partner. He remained
at the ball until 12 o'clock; and, on leaving the
Hotel-de-Ville, as on proceeding to it, he was saluted
with repeated seise of " Vice Napoleon.'
Ratios has boa given that the electric telegraph
is ma to Strasbourg he private despatches.
papers, particularly. the Sisele,
ocallne=ssaikes ef the President's journey to the
narrowest Ilssits.

It is new given oat in a Marseilles journal that
the President will visit Marseilles between the 15th
and 20th September. The prefect of the Batches du
Rhone will receive him at the boundary of his de-
partment. A steamer to be in waiting in the Berra
sheet of water, will enable him to inspect the public
works going on in the neighbouring part of the
Rhine. The President will make his entry into
Marseilles at night by the Rae d'Aix, and will be
lighted by torches. The streets through which he
will pass to the prefecture will be illuminated, and
lined with troops on either side. He will stay at the
prefecture during his visit. On the day after his
arrival he will lay the first stone of the Hotel Dien,
the Bourse, and the Hotel of the Military Division,
and visit the fountain of the plain of St. MicheL In
the evening there will be a grand ball at the Hotel
de Ville. On the ensuing day there will be a review
in the Prado, and a nautical fête. The men-of-war
and steamers in the part of Toulon will be sent for for '
the occasion. After the nautical fête the Prince will
return to Marseilles by water, landing by torchlight
at Canebiere. In the evening he will attend the
Theatre Hemmen.

The Monacaur publishes the returns of the receipts
of the customs and the indirect taxes for the lut
month, which amount to 11,764,436 fr., showing an
increase of 2,607,924 fr. over the corresponding
month of 1861, and of 1,350,063 fr. over that of 1850.
The receipts for the first six months of 1832 amounted
to 69,002,964 fr., being an increase over the cures-
pending period of 1861 of 14,347,803 k., and of
11,441.321 fr. over that of 1850. The Moniteur also
publishes a table showing the movement of naviga-
tion during the first six months of the present year
as compared with that of the corresponding period
in 1861 and 1850. In 1862 the number of vessels
entering French ports was 8,390, representing toge-
ther 1,114,103 tons; and in 1861 it was 8,113; and
1,021,007 tons, and in 1850, 7,176 and 909,014 tons.
The number of vessels leaving was in 1862, 8,178,
measuring together 954,843 tots; in 1831, t 1,858, and
970,613 tons; and in 1850, 7,561, and 798,191 tons.
The ministers remaining in Paris held a meeting
yesterday for the consideration of urgent affairs.
An attache' of the French embassy at Rome has
just arrived in Paris with important despatches. It
is now thought in many quarters that there is some
truth in the assertion recently made by the Post
Ampt Uozette, that the French government is
seriously thinking of withdrawing the army from
Mr. Freeborn, British consular agent at porno,
has arrived in Paris on his way to London, on leave
of absence, until the end of September.
It is now nearly certain that the harvest will be
abundant. The odium teckery has decidedly shown

itself in several vineyards of the Gard and Herault.
The news from the wine districts generally is not
good. In Burgundy not more than half an average
crop ut ez
At the rolled. the Four-and-a-Half per Cents.
closed without change at 103.30; the Three per
Cents. fell sc. and closed at 72.40. Bank of France
shares rose 20fr. Most of the railways fell slightly.'
Havre, 3.75; Orleans and Strnsbourg, 2.50 each ;
Dieppe, 1.25; Marseilles rose 2.50, and Botelcauz
and 'rate, 1.23.

(TROY AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.)
STRASBOURG, SUNDAY MORNING.
We left the President last night at Nancy, and
came on here in a special train, which brought us
to the end of our journey somewhat before mid-
night. We are relieved from the predatory
proposals of a flock of touters, who were anxious
to provide ua with beds at 30 francs the night, by an
admirable intervention of the municipality, in virtue
of which we have been quartered in good hotels at a
reasonable rate. We were shaken betimes out of our
slumbers by the swinging of the huge cathedral bell,
and issuing forth into the market-place, we found the
streets already thronged with visitors of the Pte,
both native and emners from afar. All Alsatia seems
to have sent hither her queer old-fashioned costumes,
among which the Persian bucks move with ill-die.
'ambled smiles of surprise. The tanned wives and
daughters of substantial farmers from the Rhine
move about in their barbarous finery, all stream-
ing with ribbons, and glittering with gold
lace, gazing with a rustic gape at the
preparations for the fete, of which the most promi-
nent feature at this moment seems to be two enor-
mous streamers, bearing the inscription of " Repub-
lique Francaise," which wave lazily about their
masts erected in the Plebe do Gutemberg. The
President is expected about noon ; but there pre-
vails apparently among the population little or no
enthusiasm for the self-styled saviour of France, and,
if his reception is not likely to be disturbed by any
cries in favour of the republic, neither, to judge from
the indifferent aspect of the people, and the tone of
the shopkeepers with whom we have talked, is it
destined to be warmer than last year. As the post-
' office here closes before noon, I can, however, for the
present only send you the general surmise as to the
nature of the President's welcome.
As I suppose that your regular Paris correspon-
dent will have given you, from the series of tele-
graphic despatches transmitted to the capital from
every successive stage of the President's progress, a
tolerable outline of the decorations, acclamations, and
declamations, it will be my object in this first letter
to convey some general notion of the important line
of railway which has been just opened. You are
aware that already a great portion of the line has been
delivered to circulation. In fact, the only new section
open to the public upon this occasion is that between
Nancy and Strasbourg. The total length of the rail-
way from Paris to Strasbourg is 311 English miles.
The cost of its construction will have amounted to
10,320,0001., of which 4,800,0001. will have been fur-
nished by the state. The company, in consideration
of the extension of their grant from 43 years to 99,
have engaged to contribute 400,000/. towards the
construction of the branch from Blessac to Oray,and
to execute at their own expense within four years a
branch from Metz to Thiouville, which is to be pro-
longed to the frontier in the direction of Luxembourg.
The grant of the Strasbourg railway was made in
1845, so that the execution of this great undertaking
has been completed in six years and a half, notwith-
standing the difficulties arising from political and
commercial crises. The section from Paris to Meux
was inaugurated July 10, 1849 ; from Meux to
Epernav, August 21, 1819; from Epernay to Cha-
lons, November 10, 1819; from Chalons to Vitry,
September 5, 1850; from Vitry to Bar-le-Due, May
29, 1851: from Bar to Commercy, November 18,
1831; from Commercy to Nancy, June 19, 1852. On
the other side the section from Strasbourg to Sarre-
bourg was opened on May 2 0, 1815.