The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-05 00:00:00

ROME.

(raom OUR

ROME, Au°. 31.

On Monday last his Holiness had a terrible fright,
whilst taking his evening drive outside the Porta del
Popolo, and was in imminent danger of coming in
for another smash, which might have been attended
, with more fatal consequences than the ever memor-
able downfall of St. Agnese. A numerous party of
Minenti and Trasteverini bad been celebrating some
matrimonial or baptismal solemnity by a grand jolli-
fication at Toffeelli's t , near the Ponte Molls,
and were returning towards the Porta del Popolo, in
several carriages, when two of the coachmen, ren-
dered reckless by wine, and taking the straight road,
two miles long, between the bridge and the gate, for
a sort of natural hippodrome, started off full gallop
for a chariot race. The Pops's cortege was coming in
the opposite direction, and the outriders, belonging
to the noble guard, who always precede his carriage
some distance, endeavoured in vain to stop the
flying Jehus. It is etiquette here for every
one who meets the Pope to stop his car-
riage, and get out to kneel in the road, whilst
his Holiness passes, but in the present case the usual
routine was reversed, for the flourished sabres of the
noble guard proving ineffectual to check the mighty
rush of the Trasteverini, it was the Pope's turn, with
the instinct of self-preservation, to pull op and make
himself and suite as small as possible, to avoid com-
ing in eontact with the Curious charioteers, one of
whom was finally stopped by a party of gendarmes,
whilst the other turned dexterously and fled back to
the bridge with as much celerity as he had come from
it. The captured party, consisting of three fat men
and three jolly gold chained and earringed dames,
insisted on getting out to receive the Pope's bene-
diction, before going to prison, roaring out" Non
siamo Turchi," and appealing to cardinals, monsig-
nori, and guards of all descriptions, against the
severity of the gendarmes, to whom one anxious
husband in vain explained that his lady was in an
interesting situation, and the least harshness might
be fatal to her.

At the Ports Angelica, near the Vatican, the
Pope's carriage was stopped by an assemblage of a
different character, a crowd of the poorer people
clamouroasly assuring his Holiness that they could
not live at the present price of bread. 'I he gentle
violence of the noble guard, and the Pope's own
assurances of speedy redress, got him safe through
at last. The municipal authorities have since
opened shops for the sale of bread at a cheaper
rate, but it is said that they are so disgusted at
the thankless office of continually interposing
between the monopolists and the people that they
are about to beg Government to take the direction
of the food department into its own hands again,
which will bring another prelate into employ by
the restoration of the antiquated office of presi-
dent of the " Annona a grascia."
Monsignor Sibilio, President of the Criminal Tri-
bunal, whose licentious conduct is the talk of all
Rome, has at last been found guilty of abuse of office.
It appears that a young man was brought under the
jurisdiction of his tribunal, for having in a quarrel
stabbed another man in the bead, for which the ordi-
nary routine of justice would have sent him
to the galleys ; but the prisoner's sister, an extremely
handsome girl, having waited on the President to
implore his mercy, that considerate prelate consented
to do everthing in hie power for the young
msn, but frankly informed his fair supplicant
that he should expect in return "favour
for favour." Alarmed at the aspect the affair'
was assuming the poor girl immediately en
deavoured to escape, but his reverence was a burly
man and had no idea of letting his prey out of his
clutches until he had obtained his intent. He was
by no means in such a hurry to liberate the prisoner,
and delayed his promise so long that the person
stabbed died in the mean time, a circumstance which
Monsignor informed the girl, entirely altered the
affair. In foot, being a case of homicide, it then came
under the jurisdiction of the Consults Tribunal, which
forthwith condemned the young man to the galleys.
The poor sister, violated and betrayed, without even
the miserable consolation of having benefited her
brother, west and related the whole affair to the
Cardinal Vicar, who referred it to the Pope. His
Holiness ordered an investigation to be made through
the Vicar's secret tribunal, and the result has been
the dismissal of Sibilio from his office, bat, with the
mildness which always characterises the proceedings
of the ecclesiastical government towards its own
creatures, the prelate will not be succeeded for some
time, in order to avoid the scandal on a sadden dis-
missal. There is never any such delicacy shewn in
the chastisement of laymen. The Romans, who know
their own people rifond, declare that as this peccadillo
is by no means the first, and will most probably be
far from the last laid to the prelate's charge, he is
just as likely as ever to obtain the Cardinal's hat in
des time, which, of course, covers all offences, past,
present, and future.
Doctrinal failings amongst the clergy are not so
indulgently trotted as immorality. Fa,her Peluffo,
a priest of the Maddalena church, was arrested last
week on getting out of the pulpit, after preaching at
the Tridno, and conducted to the Inquisition prisons.
It is said that he was in correspondence with a friend
of his, the curate of the parish, on religious topics.
The curate being recently accidentally drowned at
Porto D'Anzio, his papers came into the Cardinal
Vicar's possession, and some propositions, smacking,
of protestantism, were attributed to Peluffo, who had
alto been brought np in the same convent with the
now protestant preacher, De Sandie, of whom the
priests haves most holy horror.
A political prisoner, named Mancini, has just
escaped from prison, where he had feigned insanity
for some :months. It is supposed that he gut on
board one of the French steamers that ply between
Rips Grande and Clefts Vecchia, and the police are
in a great rage at his flight, became he was consi-
dered to be Marsini's head man after the Advocate
Peron'.

THE RAJAH OF SARAWAY.—A large number of
arms has very merrily boas forwarded to Sir Imes Brooke,
H.C.B , Rajah of Sarawak. It may be inferred, therefore,
that eometbiog of importasoe will mos be beard from that
quarter.