The Express.
London, England, 1855-12-31 00:00:00

RV, DECEMBIR, 31, 1856.

Rt
troop, hu received a gratuity of E., with whialu
at the moment I write, they aro regaling them"
Niue.

PARIS, flown.: BYINDIO.
After my letter of last night was posted, Paris
was illuminated, and the illuminations were more
were and more brilliant than any that
I have ever seen.—Not only the Boulevards
and the great streets, but numberless little
courts, alleys, and out-of-the-way places were resplend-
ent with light. In the gnarlier* of the Cite
and the Faubourg St. Antoine lanterns were
exhibited in profusion. One house on the
Qui Napoleon was so illumined from the
ground-floor to the roof, as to attract attention on
both sides of the river. I happened, however, acci-
dentally to witness in one very important quarter of
this metropolis a striking contrast to the general
aspect. At eight o'clock last evening I had occasion
to pass from one end to the other of the Rue du
Bee, that exceedingly long street extending from
the Pont Royal to the Rue de Sevres, and cut-
ting in its course the most fashionable streets
of the Faubourg St. Germain—vie., the Rues
de rUniversite, de Lille, St. Dominique, Bt. Germain,
Varenne, et Babylon. All along this street, which
Contains some of the best shops in Paris, there were
not, I really believe, more than forty or fifty dim
kelps, and these, seen two or three at a time at rare
Werra" in private windows, looked sad in their im-
potent t efforts to ape rejoicing. As I looked right and
left ;along the wide expanse of the fashionable streets
I have condoned, which lead into the Rue du BOA,
those " silent streets of the Faubourg St. Germain," as
Macaulay calls them, I did not observe anythinrng
approachinj to an illumination except at the gove-
ment offices, the police barracks, and the omnibus
stations. lam not prepared to account for this phe-
nomenon, which is certainly very remarkable. The
most obvious explanation is that the quarter
of the Faubourg St. Germain is Legitimist,
and abstains systematically from anything calcu-
lated to enhance the prestige of the Imperial
regime. Can it be possible that the fear to offend
their aristocratic customers can have extinguished the
patriotism of all the shopkeepers in the Rue du
Bas? At all events, the French Government may
oppose the darkness of the Faubourg St. Germain to
those who say that public illuminations are always
made by order of the police, because the police is as
powerful there as elsewhere in Paris. Possibly it may
be thought that the indifference of the Faubourg St.
Germain, on an occasion which deeply stirs the national
heart, may be more prejudicial to the legitimists than to
anybody else, and therefore the police may have pur-
posely let them go their own way. It is certain, and
I only mention the fact that you may know the whole
troth, that the demonstrations of enthusiasm made
spontaneously for the most part in the populous parts
of Paris were stimulated by the police. The prefect
of polioe called in person on many people to ask them
to illuminate, and police agents were very active in
intimating that lampioas were expected to be ex-
hibited.
I have reoeivedfrom a captain who presided at the
head of his company yesterday, at the dinner given
by the Emperor to the troops to celebrate the day,
the following bill of fare of the entertainment in his
barracks:—Soup, bouilli beef, a leg of mutton, and
fibs. of potatoes to every eight men, Gruyere cheese,
half a bottle of white and half a bottle of red
wine. After this repast each soldier bad ten
sees in money to take his coffee and brandy
sat of barracks. I believe the same system was not
precisely followed in all the divisions. Some soldiers
had, I know, a new piece of 2fr. given them to spend
le they like. Many were seen dining upon fowl and
other len:Au in eating.houses. At all event.. thee*
win great rejoicings in the balls at the Bar-
Mass. Most of the troops received leave till ten
Alai, and many were out nearly all night. At the
Belem of Mars, Venus, and the Isle d'Amour, the
Zonaves danced the " cancan" with an entrain which
delighted all the beholders. Their conduct was ge.
solidly admirable.
The Siete says that amidst the cries of " Vive la
Ups!" "Vive la Garde!" "Vive la France!"
"Vivo rAugleterre !" which were heard along the
long line of the Boulevards yesterday, there were" if
our ears did not deceive us, many cries in favour of
liberty." That the &ode should take the liberty of
Paying this, is in itself almost a political event. As
to the fact of any such cries having been uttered, I
am very incredulous. I lay no stress on the fact of
my not having heard them, because along that line
of procession, some three miles in length, and so
closely packed with people that locomotion was
next to impossible, much may have passed that no
individual could have taken account of, either of his
own knowledge, or from the information of his
friends. But of this lam sure that no one could
have cried " Vivo la Liberte " within the hearing of a
policeman without being immediately arrested as •
demagogue. It is, however, within my knowledge
that many who would have said " Vivo la liberte
had it been safe to do so, cried " Vive Is Ligne " with
an emphasis which was understood. It was also re-
marked that Vive la France," a cry which cannot
be excepted to as seditious, but which, nevertheless,
is not orthodox, was very frequently raised.
The Debate says :
In receiving the 'oldies of the Crimes, all Paris said with
the Emperor, " Yes are welcome." The spectacle on the
Boulevards was grand and moving in the extreme, and is
all the counties crowds assembled to see the conquerors sad
the wounded peN along, there was not a heart that did not
best with a mingled feeling of pride and sadness. For the
jest time in their lives the present generation took part is
ens of these berets and sombre fits familiar to our fathers,
sad which seems in our eyes like an historical rensialsonse.
We have all seen reviews; bat whet a difference he.
tersen a review sad the seen of yesterday ! The tattered
esteem the weather-bates fees, the war equipments, sad
the leen features of the soldiers, and the cohorts of sail. I
heel sad wounded men marching at the bud of sun I
battalion, revealed in characters of iron and fire the moan-
leg, the glory, sad the solemn reality of war. There was,
sea could be bet one feeliag at sack a sipbt. This was one
el the days in the life of a people in which it is permitted
is all
uTheto bat one
oneh.art alia telegraphicandeie vole..pfstches have been
received to-day :

peaoe.
The Indipesdance mays that M. de Maupas is about
to publish a pamphlet on the coup, deaf of Dem 2,
and the events that followed.