The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-01 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

MOM otn owl 00i

PARIS, THURSDAY EVRID(O.,

The following practical letter, addressed to M.
Havin of the SiMe by au old member of former
parliaments, speaks volumes as to the present state
of electoral liberty in France :
Villechaise, pear Confolens (Climate), April 23.

My dear old oolleegue,—You were misled when you an.
flounced io your paper that 1 was a candidate in the cir-
cumscription of C,onfolens and Ruffec. I have never dreamt
of coming forward ; not that I should not feel greatly
honoured by the mandate of a deputy, but bec►use I am not
food of useless efforta. If we were in possession of real
electoral liberty I should not hesitate to stead, and
my opinion is that liberal ideas would have a peat
chance of • triumph in this dietriet. But I will
not expose myself to the inevitable defeat which
awaits everyone who thinks to oppose the administrative
pressure which reigns supreme. Believe me, my dear friend
and former colleague, that democracy has nothing to gain
by provoking a straggle in any of the rural circumscriptions.
The game is not fair. The best thing to do is to concen-
trate all your efforts upon large towns, where there is more
independence, and where greater instruction and more dß-
cacious publicity render the electoral manceuvres of govern-
ment agents use certain of success. I sincerely trust that
one such constituency will be found to return you to the
legislative chamber. And, while not having the honour to
follow you, I shall offer my best wishes for the
triumph of those liberal principles of .the soundness of
which I am the more convinced the older I grow, and the
more I study. Publish this letter, which will be my
answer to the many electors who seod me letters every day,
and will, moreover, remote • certain sub-prefect whose
sleep is said to have been very mach disturbed by rumours
of my candidature—Very cordially yours,

I:. i3ABAIJD L►BIBRBL

M. Laribiere is of the same opinion as the Mar-
quis de Pierre and M. Proudhon ; he thinks all
constitutional opposition to government, under the
existing constitution, useless and ridiculous. The
whole gist of M. Proudhon's new pamphlet, "Lea
Democrats Assermontds et lea Refractaires," is
that universal suffrage being utterly unable
to exercise its sovereignty under present
conditions honest citizens may best serve the state
by declining an unfair combat, and abstaining from
voting. He recommends the formation of "ab-
stention committees "—the moral effect of which
be argues would be infinitely greater than that of
the fifteen or twenty votes which, at the utmost,
the opposition may hope to gain at the next elec-
tions. M. Proudhon boldly says—and this perhaps
is the best thing in his impracticable pamphlet—
that the oath of allegiance to the Emperor is incom-
patible with the sovereignty of universal suffrage,
which is the corner-stone of the imperial constitu-
tion. He vindicates the perpetual and indefeasible
right of universal suffrage to revise its own work,
and combats the oath as a monstrous device at-
tempting to subject the creator to the creature.
" We have received," says the Sidck, "from the
Ministry of the Interior a communication from
'which it results that the electors are not prevented
from obtaining copies of the electoral lista. Persons
residing in the departments have already been able
to take advantage of that facility afforded by the
administration."
The recent statement of the Patric that the elec-
tions were likely to be postponed to the end of the
year is traced to a misunderstanding of something
that fell from the Emperor a few days ago. It is
now considered certain that they will take place in
a month's time. The France goes so far as to say
that May 31 is the day fixed, and that the decree
will appear in tte Moniteur on May &
At the Bourse the operations for the settlement
favoured • rise ; and • report that the Bank of
England had reduced its discount to 3 per cent. en-
couraged buyers. Bente rose 150. for cash, and
20c. for account, and Mobilier, 18fr. 75c. The
Northern Railway rase 81r., and the other lines
about 21r. 50c.

The Salta Public of Lyons states that during the
last two or three days the thermometer in that
neighbourhood suddenly fell to freezing point, and
in the Valley of the Charollais to three degrees
below it. Some of the vineyards and fruit trees
had suffered. In the plain of Dauphin 6, on the
side of Moulin-A-Vent, the fields of rye have been
for some days past in ear. The artificial grasses and
the lucern are most flourishing, and will soon be
ready for the scythe. The light grounds covered
with corn have not yet suffered from the long con-
tinuance of dry weather, but • few days' rain
would be of great benefit. Vegetation, which Issas°
backward in March, has lately much improved.
A violent fire broke out yesterday morning at
5 o'clock, at the CafiS du Giant, on the Boulevard
du Temple, and in less than an hour the whole
establishment was nothing but a heap of smoking
ruins. An explosion of gas is said to have been
the cause of the conflagration. A female belonging
to the cafi was burned in her bed.