The Express.
London, England, 1852-05-18 00:00:00

FRANCE.

FAHlS,ltinsay Evr'ctNn.
The ('mosli!nliimm.l publishes to-day General
Chaugarnier's letter, anti adds another from Genera
Lansnitiere, which is as follows:
Bruise)., May 11, ISFI2.
lieseral.—Torn from my house, thrown into prison,
in d, Loser art the laws, 1 did not think you
timid have gone *0 tar 44 to ask me to tale on oath of
arogisiwe tea pow.; usurped by violence and maintained
only by free. Hut a &env has emanate.: Wow your office,
what ~'mains a paragraph that is evident') applicable to
the hanehedgenerals,and imposes the obligation upon them
N taling the oath. Two months are allowed to those
residing in Belgium to reply to that summons.
I am told us all aides that an oath is tint binding towards
ea; who basin,: maiutained his own. However widely dir-
t...fa aces a doctrine may be at the present day, I reject
it. I .1. not want the delay allowed foe consideration. I
refuse to take the oath.
- I am aw.se of the conrequenees of my determination.
Twenty-vine year. and a half of active sefTiCr. thirty six
earep.t gns during eighteen years of 'Mar in Algeria, *trek.,
reed.red to Fru.. in foreign lands cad during the fatal
flays 01 June. lairl—servioes which, perhaps, are nut forgot-
ten—all will be suck by this refusal, and my name will he
struck elf the army list. Another Fool will be given that
as otlierr's rank in the hands of an arbitrary will. The
Law of It'th May. IS:11. had made an officer's rank h,. patri-
away ; he coml.. only be deprived of it hy the sentence of a
gourtonartial. That law is discarded, as many others have
been. by a government which respects neither pens& nor
property
- The ;word which I had devoted to the service of France
will be taken out of my hands. What use could I make of
it limier .u.h a government ? !tut, which God forbid, gout
fronto r• should be invaded. I should hasten to resume it to
fight for our U4' ,11%i independence; fur history has suf.
inienty proved flail in the hour of danger, brought on by
ambition, despotism requires no oath from men of courage
who are wailing to march in defence of their country.
(S,jou lientral tie I.amouttinns.
The mask in which Lamoriciere expresses his refu-
sed to take the oath of fidelity to Louis Napoleon has
met with more favour than the long and somewhat
diluted composition of the ex-commander-in-chief of
the army of feria. Lamorcieres letter ia equally
severe, and more compact and vigorous; it has besides
the advantage of leaving no assailable point; while it
was evident that Gen. Changarnier by confessing that
all kinds of overtures had been mode to corrupt him,
laid himself open to the charge of having failed in his
duty, by a tacit toleration of such attempts against
hi. honour. If the offers made were nut such as
could have been openly proved, they labour still
under the 14111 e disadvantage in appealing to public
be Mt Emile de Girardin has not failed to take
aeleantage of the tardy revelation to attack his
ancient enemy, whom he asserts to be either an
imposter, if the charge he brings be not true, or a
criminal, fur not impeaching the President.
Changa.rnier in chiefly dependent upon a small
property in Burgundy, which he will be probably
obliged to sell.
I hear that a cabinet council was held to consider
the propriety of publishing theme letters. The party
of the ministry called lea peureux held that they ought
to be prohibited from circulation. The riyoureux, on
the other baud, that is, MM. de St. Arnaud,
aMan-
pro, Ind l'ersigny, were of opinion that it was much
better to publish the letters at once than to have to
combat the surreptitious circulation of them for
months together. The latter opinion carried the day.
I hear to-day that M. Berryer has started upon a
journey to Germany. The ostenrible object of his
mi,,sion is to see the King of Wurtemberg at Stntt-
gardt about matters connected with the decease of
the Priuce Paul of Wurtemberg, who appointed M.
Berryar hie executor. Others report that the real
destination of M. Berryer is Frohidorf, where he
expects to find the Count de Chambard. The letter
of the Count de Chambord IMMO to have met with a
scarcely better welcome from the legitimists than the
Barthelemy manifesto of 1850. No fraction of the
party is satisfied with it ; but MM. Berryer and Fal-
lon: make no secret of their mortification that
a document of so much importance should have been
lamed without consulting them. The letter was ad-
dressed to the 3iarquis de Pastoret, and seems to
Lave been got up by a small and feeble coterie.
The Count de Chambord's letter has not been yet
published. The Constilutiminel says that it has been
waiting to see it in one of the three legitimist papers.
But, seeing that the /atkpendenee was seized for
printing it, the more prudent course of abstaining
from trying the same experiment, is practised gene-
rally by the Paris press.
lon are aware that the sale of Marshal Soult's
picture commences on Wednesday. The President
went to take a private view of the collection to-day.
A considerable crowd collected at three o'clock in the
Itue du Sootier, to see him pass. The Prince was in
an open carriage, attended by M. Fortoul, Minister
of Public Instruction; NI. Itomicu, director of the
fine arts, and 31. Nieuwerkerke, director of the
museums. The most distinguished connoisseurs and
leading picture-dealers had received orders to attend
in the gallery, and direct the attention of the Presi-
dent to the gems of the collection, which are to be
purchased for the state, and placed in the Louvre.
The Prince will also buy some on his own account,
to hang in the Tuileries, where, by the way, magni.
ficent preparations arc making for his reception. The
President remained about half an hour in the gallery,
returning by the Boulevards. When he reached
the Rue Vivienne au enthusiastic individual, preci-
pitating himeelf, hat in hand,towards the carriage, as
it appeared for the purpose of cheering the Presi-
dent, ass upset by the exertion and run over. But
he sva. not hurt, for on rising he continued to cry
Five Napoleon," amid the laughter of the bye-
menders.

LouhiNapoleon is to lay the foundation stone of
the new buildings of the Louvre on theist of June.
The President continues to be of a princely muni-
ficence towards his relations. The Countess Pepoli,
We Murat, a widow, and sister of Lucien, lately re-
turned to France, has received from her cousin, the
]'resident, 200,0001 r.
There remained over and above thu credit opened
on the budget for the fete of
_May 10, and the sub-
seription of the officers for the ball, expenses to the
amount of Joo,lsjOfr. These have been defrayed by
the President from his privy purse.
A change of ministry is spoken of again. M. de
Pcrsigny is, according to this report, to pass to the
ministry of foreign affairs. M. Pietri, prefect of
police, is to become minister of police, while M. de
Maupsa is to take the department of the interior.
The accession of M. de Persigny to the foreign de-
partment would be regarded as a significant step to-
ward the empire, and a defiance to the objections of
foreign courts on this head.
Viscount Charles de ltancongue, a councillor-gent-
ral of the Loir-et-Cher, has refused the oath, on the
ground that, holding nn elective office, lie could not
rieugni-e the right of the government to impose a
new condition not contemplated by his constituents.
Twelve out of the 29 members composing the 'mini-
tiled council of Metz have refused the oath. M. de
Kerraarec, es-representative, has refused the oath, as
Member of the municipal council of Rennes. M.
ifelegorgue, formerly mayor of Abbeville, has also
refused, as a councillor-general of the Somme and
mernlxr of the Abbeville municipal council.
The daily increasing number of these refusals is
bite' ing to produce uneasiness at the Elyste.
prose Jerome spoke of them with pain at a dinner
giren ye dittlity at the Luxembourg.
The r;uzi tte des Itaa-Languedoc has received a first
formal warning from the Prefect of the (lard, for the
pubhcation of an article criticising sharply an act of
rnment authorities.
lhe prefect of the department of the Bouches-du-
lthAse has given a " warning" to the Gazette do Midi,
a. legitimist journal of Marseilles, for having
puriati d a system of excitation against the
thief of the state and his government ir"
"the means calculated to keep up
Irritation in public opinion, to excite the passions of
pii!ite al parties, and to present in an alarming
&Kt! the acts which have been accomplished for
the happiness of France;" and having " continually
Made use of perfidious insinuations and envenomed

allusions, which compromise public tranquillity in
the interest of his desires and regrets, which are as
imprudent u they are insensate." The prefect of
the Pas de Calaislas also given a "warning" to the
editor of the Privrea of Arras, for having commented
on an administrative act in a malevolent spirit. It

is probable that the exercise of the power now in the
hands of the prefects will end in the extinction of all
the provincial journals except thew in the interest
of the government.
The Minister of War gave a grand farewell break-
fast yesterday to the Arab chiefs, and to a large num-
ber of generals and other officers who have served
in Algeria. Generals Daumai, Canrobert, Rivet, de
Lourmel, Espivasse, d'Esterhasy, and Colonel Fleury
were among the guests. After breakfast, the chiefs
were invited to enter the drawing-rooms' where
several magnificent presents, in arras, jewels, stuffs,
:Cc., were offend to them by General St. Arnaud.
Thu minister at the same time exhorted them to per-
severe in the fidelity which they had hitherto mani-
fested towards France. " You must have perceived,"
added he, "during your short stay in Parts, the ex-
tent of our strength; and, on your return, you can
tell your countrymen that if I. ranee knows how to
recompense with munificence her faithful servants,
she is powerful enough to chastise her enemies. The
hospitality offend to you, the reception which you
have every where met with, are manifest proofs
of the firm determination of the govern.
ment that France and Algiers shall form but
one and the same country—but one cud the same
people. Si Tidier, one of the chiefs, replied, in the
name of the deputation, " We will carry beck with us
an iueffect able remembrance of t he grandeur of France,
and of the kind reception which we have received
from the government and the population. Reckon us
amongst your most faithful subjects, ready to take up
ar:ns for our common interest, wherever you may
meet with enemies." The minister then conducted
the chiefs to the Elyske, where the niece President
gave them an audience of leave. On their being ailp
mitted, the Prince expressed how much ho had been
pleased to see them take part in the military fetes.
Ile did not doubt their devotion to France, which
had adopted them as her children. Ile said
that his desire was to be able one day to return the
visit which they had now made to France. lie re-
commended th.em to profit by the benefits of the
peace so dearly won for them, by following the path
traced by his government for the welfare o all, and
then added: " I reckon you amongst my soldiers,
and I have shown that you
do so, by placing von
in the midst of them." The prince then pre-
sented to each a rich presents. The Agha :dohs-
med-bel-Hadri preferred, to every thing that
could be offered- him, a portrait of the prince.
The President also distributed amongst them three
decorations, one to the son of General Ben Ismael,
killed in the French service ; a second to his newhew,
El Mezarytri ; and the third, to the Agha of the Beni-
Aum The l'rince also presented to Col. Damien,
under whose care the chiefs have been placed in
l'aris, a superb carbine. The Arab deputation
is to leave Paris this day. The above banquet was
the conclusion of the lilts.

At the Bourse the Four-and•a-Half per Cents. fell
30, closing at 9t1.73 ; the Three per Cents. fell 25,
and closed at 70.35. Bank of France shares have
remained stationary for several days at 2,750. The
Teste and Bordeaux railwaT fell 3; Central and
Lyons, 2.50 each ; Orleans, Strasbourg, and Monte-
rean and Troyes, 1.25 each. la the other lines there
was little variation.