The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-18 00:00:00

THE CARNIVAL AT ROME.

01011 •

ROME, Y. 10.

Ido not pretend to care much about politica, or
to be at all over-ready with my sympathy in mat-
ters which I cannot help .o set right, and with
which I have no immediate concern. But to see
this magnificent place treated like a conquered
city, and this bright, good-humoured people ground
down to the earth, is a melancholy sight to any
Englishman, let him mix as little in polities as he
may. It waa all below the surface till the Carnival
time came ; and then the teeth sprang into view.
All the better order of Romans declined to engage
in agreat national amusement while the government
of their city was carried on by main force in the
bands of an army of strangers. The foreigners
and the rabble were the only pleasure-seekers
in the Corso ; and even these, in the Piazza del
Popolo, were actually outnumbered by the French
troops, who lined each side of the street, and were
posted in detachments about the square with their
arms piled ready for use. There was hardly a place
in Rome in which a military force could be posted
where these Frenchmen were not to be seen in
fighting order. It was worse still at the Carnival
Bell on Tuesday last at the Apollo Theatre. Not a
Roman was there—foreigners of all sorts filled the

theatre. Nothing approaching a political demon-
stration of any kind took place—the ball wawa dull as
Decorum itself could desire, and &swim as the final
" gallop" was played by the band, the people began
to file out. I was in a box, and as the theatre
emptied, the French soldiers appeared again, behind
the people, with their' muskets in their bands
and their bayonet. fixed, absolutely walk-
ing the dancers out of the theatre. And as
if to make the result more marked, there,
behind the Frenchmen, were the Papal gen-
darmes, composedly looking on, while the foreigners
on Roman ground turned the people out of a
Roman theatre ! Even the English visitors feel
the lash of the French whip, if they are too
English to understand that Rome is treated
like a city in a state of siege. The other day
two Englishmen took it into their beads to
exhaust a little of the national energy by riding
from Viterbo to Rome. They got to the Porta del
Popolo shortly after 10 at sight, and were refused
admission. They tried other Rates with the same
result ; and they and their bones were left, after a
fifty miles ride, to pass the night in the open air
' till the gates opened at 5 the sett morning.
Mr. Severn (who makes a capital English
consul, for the one excellent reason, that
he is persoaally liked and trusted by
all parties) went to remonstrate with the Go-
vernor of Rome. The Governor was very sorry ;
but all he could say was, that if hs were outside the
gates after ten, he would be left there (unless be
lied been provided with a special order), like the
"Go to the French general, my dear
sir," said the governor. "It is his doing, not
mine." Our consul wisely did nothing of the sort ;
he wrote a report of the matter to Lord Russell,
the only "authority" under the circumstances
whose protest is likely to be d any avail. There
tie matter rest. for the present, and the French
general is left to lock us in if we are on the right
aide of the gate, or out if we are on the wrong, at
his sovereign will and pleasure. Thus is " order "
preserved at Rome, and thus is the science of go-
vernment understood by the Emperor and the Pope.

Binus, Fit. 17. —The official Sleateenzeiger
entrallids the noway of libs intended atle et the Ewers
Bailee/ by the goverameat.

POLAND.

The postponement of the execution of the gallant
insurgent chief Jankowski, at the earnest prayer of
several Russian officers, one of whom had owed his
life to Jankowski's magnanimity, has given the
Russian journals occasion to boast loudly of the
mercy and generosity of their government. The
execution has nevertheless taken place, and the
sentence is published by the official Dziennik in
these words :—" Our readers will remember the
particulars given in No. 26 of the lk.inviiik Pars-
zechny of the capture in a wood near Radzymin of
the insurgent leader Joseph Jankowski, noble, late
steward of the estates of Tarchomin. He confessed
before the court-martial by which he was tried that
he had assumed the command of a band in Fe-
bruary, 1863, and that since then he had unceas-
ingly maintained his band, changed his name on
various occasions, and fought in forty engagements
with our troops. The court-martial has sentenced
Jankowski, under articles 83, 175, and 606 of the
penal military code, and articles 20 and 283 of the
15th volume of the collection of penal laws, to be
first deprived of all state rights, and then hanged
till he is dead. This sentence will be executed on
Friday, the 31st January (12th February), at 10
a.m., on the billies of the citadel of Alexandrow, in
" • ' the 262iid execution officially
meat; papers.