The Express.
London, England, 1863-03-11 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(mit ova owa comic:mann-LI

rmus, TUESDAY Evuixo.
The government is considerably fluttered by the
Lev; that a great many of the eminent statesmen
a past reigns who met in conclave at the Duke de
Broglie's think of coming forward at tile general
elections. 111. de Persigny said some time ago, in
a celebrated circular, that the government desired
nothing more than to see the members of " old
parties" take part in the working of the new lead-
talons. But it is felt that if men like Tbiers,
Cuirot, Dufaure, Duvergier de RatlMllllo, and
tMillon Barrot think the time is now come when
they ought to return from their " emigration into
the inierior," and act as public men in the govern-
ment of their country ; they do not come precisely
converts. The Constitutionnel, therefore, boister-
,idy reminds them of the oath which they will
have to take, and says moreover that the country
;ill expect from them the most precise and cate-
„onol explanations of the spirit in which they
ek to be members of the imperial legislature. I
rather think this expectation of the country—l
beg pardon, of the Constitutionnel I should have
.aid—will be disappointed. The meaning of a
French political oath is mach a delicate and difficult
Albject that I will not venture to explain it.
This much, however, may be safely said in a gene-
ral way, that there are a great many shades of dif-
ference between the obligation of the oath as it
would be understood in England, and as it is
understood iu France, both in theory and prac-
tice. M. Guizot is reported to have said, at the
meeting above alluded to, that the oath re-
girded every man's individual conscience, and
did not admit of any general rule being laid
down as to its binding obligation. The most scru-
pulous people must, I think, admit this—that the
oath imposed by the coup ditat of 1881 may justi-
fiably be construed in the strictest and most literal
ray by French citizens. Now the oath is simply
this :—" I swear obedience to the constitution and
fidelity to the Emperor." Every citizen who
chooses to take an oath in those words is eligible to
be elected, and is in no way bound to make the
'categorical" explanations called for by the Con-
ifilutiorinel. M. Thiers is said to have urged that
be and his friends could have no difficulty
to swear obedience to a constitution which,
is its authors have often boasted, is " per-
fectible "—s. e., susceptible of amendment. I
have doubts about the accuracy of the Indlliendante
Beige (whose account of the meeting at the Duke
de Broglie's is, however, generally accepted as cor-
rect) so far as it attributes sensitiveness about the
oath to M. Dufaure. I know from his intimate
friends that some time ago his scruples about
'sanding for the Corps Legialatif had no reference
to the oath. He did not wish to be alone in the
movement, or to run the risk of defeat, but never
spoke of the oath as an obstacle. If the Indeperad-
glia now represents him rightly, he must have
changed his mind within a few weeks.
There was a fall of 20c. in the Bente, owing, as
I am told, to a totally unfounded report that Baron
Rothschild bad died suddenly. He was seen trans-
acting business in his counting-house after this
story was circulated.
Some silk-growers of the south of France have
determined to import from China and Japan an
immense quantity of silkworm spawn, in order to
renovate the native breed, which is deteriorated,
by chronic disease. A precedent for such a reno-
vation exists. The French silkworms were long
ago in as bad a state as they are now ; and the
states of Languedoc cured the evil by introducing
fresh stock from Italy and Turkey. M. Paul
Maigrow, of the Agricultural Society of the depart-
ment of the Ardeche, is at the head of the present
enterprise. He proposes to bring his seed through
Siberia by caravan ; and I, therefore, infer that the
sea passage has been ascertained to be unsuitable.