The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-22 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(78011 Mil OWE COI

PARIS, FRIDAY Evzsura.

The attention of the French nitramontane party
is just now directed to the doings of the famous
catholic congress at Malin s. The readers of the
Monde and the Union are especially interested in
the point now under discussion, of the establish-
ment in free Belgium of an international paper
which shall be the champion of catholicity—"a
catholic Indipenclanee "—as the president of the
section of the day phrased it. The proposal to
found such a journal meets with some opposition
among some of the local catholic clergy of Belgium
who attend the congress, upon the ground that the
centralisation of the catholic press will tend to weaken
the influence of local journalism. A curd, named
Verbist, in particular, held this language, taking
occasion to sing the praises of his own parochial
paper, "perfectly catholic," he said, "edited in a
popular style, and so influential that we (the
clergy) carry everything before us at the elections."
Another member, bearing a name dear to ultra-
montanism and to Rome, the Count Werner de
Mdrode, was opposed to the creation of such a
journal, on the ground that it would not be
admitted into France unless its fangs were so
drawn as to reader it perfectly innocuous—in
other words, unless by the abstraction of all
that high catholic reasoning, which would, in point
of fact, constitute its sole value, it was made
an absolutely tedious and soporific affair. M.
Werner de Mdrode advocated the blending of po-
litics with religion, and thought it a part of the
duty of a good priest to recommend the frequert
perusal as well of the catholic newspaper as of the
breviary. He loudly exclaimed against those pious
old maids and devotees in general who refuse to
subscribe to newspapers of orthodox political ten-
dencies. Prince Czartoryaki thought the count's
objection as regarded the entry of the proposed
journal into France might easily be over-
ruled. He believed it quite possible to
advocate doctrines of the purest Romanism,
if the direction of the organ in question
were careful to adopt a key and tune which should
not grate upon the ears of the French government.
But the prize sentiment of the meeting is admitted
to be one of English origin. Its eccentricity is
accounted for on the score of its nationality. It is
that the best mode of inculcating catholicism is to
say as little as possible about it. " Don't bother
the workman," says this speaker, "with catholic
truths if you want him to take kindly to them."
The Temps observes on the subject of this catholic
congress that it seems far from being "animated
with the vitality of growth and hope, but, on the
contrary, is marked by a general tone of decrepi-
tude, mustiness, and discouragement."
. . .

It seems more than ever probable that the Arch-
duke Maximilian will, in the end, decline the
throne of Mexico. In the first place, the Emperor
of Austria is understood to have declined any re-
sponsibility whatever in the matter. If the Em-
' peror of the French chooses to guarantee the
throne, well and good. But will he ? Can he 1
And, if he should and could, how will Austrian
pride stomach the gift of a crown at the hands that
so lately reft from Austria one of her fairest
provinces 1 Certain short-sighted politicians hem
maintain that England will be ready to aid,
in guaranteeing Mexico to the house of Hapsburg,
in order to secure an ally in the event of a war
with the Northern states of America : so loosely do
meu theorise in this country under a regime which
lives by propagating its own "ideas" on the sub-
jest of "nationalities" and a reconstructed map of
Europe.
The ultra-clerimil Italian paper, the Armonia,
relates a new miracle touching an image of the
Virgin at Vicovaro, between Tivoli and &Nam
The statue in question (whether it is of marble or of
wood we are not told) has winked its eyes,
not at one or two, but at many persons,
who are ready to attest the fact. Of course there
follows the old story of processions, and a report on
the subject to be made by a commission named by
the bishop. Meantime the credulous people of this
mountain region throng to the place, and subscribe
their hardly-gained earnings to the collection of
Peter's Pence.

The general public refusing to follow the lead
of the bankers who have been buyiug, it has been
fouud impossible to make head against the
"bears" of our Bourse. The result is a fall iu Route
of 36c., both for cash and account, the closing

price being 67fr. 600. and 67fr. b&. respectively.
All other securities were equally affected by the
general discouragement which characterises the
market. Credit Mobilier fell 26fr. 25c. for cash,
and 25fr. for the account, leaving off at 1,103 fr.
75c. and 1,102fr.50c. respectively. Italian (new) fell
25c. It is not supposed that political alarms have
anything to do with this fall ; indeed there is abso-
lutely nothing whatever stirring in the matter of
political news.