The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-16 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 16, 1863.

LATEST INTIMLIGENOS. I

ROME AND ENGLAND.

EARL RUSSELL'S PROPOSAL TO THE

POPE.

IMPORTANT DIPLOMATIC CORUE-
SPONDENCE.

The following diplomatic correspondence has just
been laid before the French cheinbers. It will be seen
that the first two despatches confirm the truth of
Mr. Odo Russell's offer of Malta to the Pope.
They show, however, that the Pope himself,
during the time of K Thouvenel's administration
of the French Foreign-office, was the first to sug-
gest that he might require the hospitality of
England :

"Tfl MINISTER OF PORRION ArrAras TO TEI AM-
BASSADOR OF FRANCE AT ROME.

" Peril, Dec. 20.

"I have heard in an indirect manner that Mr.
Odo Russell, on being received by the Pope, gave
to his Holiness, in the name of Earl Russell, the
advice to quit Italy, adding that, in such a case
her Britannic Majesty's government would wil-
lingly offer to him the island of Malta as a
place of residence ; that English vessels would
be at his disposal ; and that the Pope
might rely upon the eagerness of England
to give him in the asylum that he might
accept all the conditions of an establishment
worthy of him. These propositions were made in
an official form, adopted for the first time in the
intercourse which Mr. Odo Russell has held with
the Holy See. Mgr. Chigi having come to see me,
I told him, in alluding to the above, that
I bad learnt that we had new auxiliaries
and competitors in the protection which we
give to the Holy See. The nuncio having
confirmed the information which had been
given me, I added, while avoiding to take the
matter more seriously than was necessary, that we
hoped very much that if the Pope, which God
forbid, were compelled to quit Italy he would
grant us the preference over England, and that we
should ask it of him.

(Signed) " DROUTN DE LHUTS."
" THE AIIEABEADOR OF FRANCE AT ROME TO THE

%motion—that they would find us ready to believe
in the friendly dispositions of the new cabinet,
I awaiting ita acts.
_

(Signed) "Sermons."
"min OMNI= Or TRANCE AT TURIIf TO TITO

by Flllllos to the temporal power. It is not only
at Naples that proteetantism is making head. At
Florence the Vaudois have set up a theological
school, and the number of their students has
doubled within the last sir months. The expenses
of this school are paidby English subscriptions. The
elite of the radical writers now support protestantism,
at least indirectly, by attacking the papacy. The
Chevalier Bianchi, the deputy de Boni, M. de
Campanella, Guerazzi, and other eminent authors,
have works in the press against the Court of Rome.
The rising generation must necessarily, under these
circumstances, be inoculated with sentiments hos-
tile to Roman catholicism. The present Italian
government is sorry to see the protestant propa-
gandism which is going on. But it dares not act
against it. The government thinks it advantageous
for Italy that the head of the catholic church should
continue to reside in Rome, and fears that
reli-
gious discussions may lead to revolution ; but it
also sees th►t the temporal power is the great
• stumbling-block in the way of Italian unity, and
therefore it cannot put any obstacle in the way of
the reformist movement.