The Express.
London, England, 1863-06-23 00:00:00

WAR PREPARATIONS IN RUSSIA.

The movements of troops in Russia are daily bc
coming more important. This is especially the case
n the government of St. Petersburg, which is in-
cessantly traversed by troops on their way to the
Baltic provinces and to the western part of the
empire. The Russian army in Poland is raised to
150,000 regular soldiers, and is daily augmented.
The greatest activity prevails in the fortresses,
the arsenals, and the depots. All the Baltic
forts are armed and planed in a state of
defence. Croustadt and all the naval dock-
yards present a very animated spectacle. The
officers and soldiers on leave are rejoining their
respective regiments. The city of St. Petersburg
is surrounded with a cordon militagre ; the exami-
nations of the passports of the persons ar-
riving is very scrupulous, and the lug-
gage of persons leaving is subjected to a severe
examination, as the export of lead, sulphur,
and scythes is absolutely forbidden. The engineers
had decided some time ago to raze the fortifications
of Narwa, and the works bad already commenced,
but on the Bth the order arrived to stop the demoli
tion, and to rebuild what had bean destroyed. It
has been observed for some time that the insurgents
frequently attack the Russians in the neighbour-
hood of railway lines, and that they impede
communication upon the line from Berlin to St.
Petersburg, especially upon the section between
Kowno and Wiles.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(nod ous OW ooial6roirour.)

PABlf3, MoimAT Evmairct..

The Indipendance Beige says positively that Vis-
count de la Gueronniere was lately sent for to Fon-
tainebleau. This news lends some importance to
an article in his paper, the France, headed "On
the Rumours of a Change of Ministry." The
France argues in its usual wordy style that if any
changes are to take place, foreign policy will have
nothing to do with them, for the conclusive reason
thgt the present foreign policy of the imperial go-
vernment is perfection. But if—and this "if" is
repeated several times, showing that the writer was
instructed to be cautious—the "changes generally
supposed to be contemplated by a sovereign initia-
tive" are to take place, the France hopes they will
be of such a nature as "to produce in the country
the soothing effect which is necessary after the
emotions of the electoral struggle," and such as
will enable the government to present itself to the
new chamber a few months hence " with the hon-
our and strength of a pacified situation." This can
only mean that M. de Persigny is to be turned
out.
The Nation says, this evening, in the approved
Sargon relating to such matters, " that rumours of
ministerial modifications have acquired additional
consistency." Of course the denial of these reports,
which may be expected to appear in the Constitts-
tionnel and Pays, will be no evidence at all of their
untruth. The organs of ministers in power always
deny that they are going out. It is quite in accord-
ance with precedent that the first intimation of a
ministerial crisis should be made through the
agency of an outside organ like the France.
M. Rouher, the Minister of Commerce, was un-
expectedly sent for to Fontainebleau, when he was
about going in another direction, and Bather's I
Correspondence connects this visit with the above
rumours, and with the belief that M. Rouher is to t
fill a highly influential position in a re-organised
ministry.
The Pays is now instructed to discredit the
article in the Detrats of which it took, no notice
yesterday. It treats the idea of France wishing to
act alone in the affairs of Poland, after having
been at so much pains to bring about an under-
standing between the three powers, as an absurd
calumny.
An important electoral decision has been pro-
nonnoed by the Council of State. In September
last year M. de Bonnier, a Paris barrister and an
elector of the Loir-et-Cher, was refused permission
by the prefect to " oopy " the electoral list,
although the law expressly says that every elector