The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-28 00:00:00

FRANCE.

A proclamation just issued by M. de Calvemont,
the prefect of the Dordogne, further illustrates the
true meaning of the prase, " freedom of election " in
the Napoleonic sense. la the ordinary sense the
meaning is plain enough, and is understood to in-
clude freedom for all legally qualified pereons to be
candidates, and, under universal suffrage, freedom for
every man not under a legal disabilitT, to vote for
whom he pleases. But widely from this is the elec-
toral liberty allowed by the prefect of the Dordogne.
The government, he tells the electors, will freely
permit the candidateship of "all men of order." Here
he introduces a qualification wholl7 unknown to the
law, and one of so elastic a description that it may be
made to exclude every candidate obnoxious to the
prefect, as indeed it is evidently intended to
do. The prefect then explains that if the govern-
ment has not thought fit to nominate candidates for
municipal offices as it did for the Corps Legislatif, it
is because it well knows that the local authorities
will not allow public opinion to be misled by "cer-
tain candidates." He then proceeds to disclose some
of the means by which he intends to keep public
opinion in the right path :
If any soiolinessf man of order should place himself under
the patronage of the enemies of the government, depind
upon it that I will point him out publicly, to the end that
his name may be held up to public contempt.
But this is not all. Any one "troubling" the
peasant or the workman, or seeking to "traffic"
with the confidence of the electors, will be immedi-
ately arrested. Any municipal or salaried func-
tionary who may participate in these culpable acts,
or who may even suffer them without repression,
will be punished without indulgence or delay. After
holding out these agreeable prospects to annulling
committees, he exclaims : " Electors of Dordogne,
oar common honour is in question; it is in my keep-
ing; I will safely guard it.
When the municipal elections, thus conducted,
shall be brought to a close the Monigeur will of course
depict in rapturous language the wonderful unani-
mity of the independent electors.
Meanwhile the Moniteur of to-day thus foresha-
dows the result of the prefectoral elections:
The departmental elections Said for the 31st of July
will furnish a new opportunity to the public feeling to ma-
nifest itself. Joined to the marks of enthusiasm lately
evinced towards the head of the rate, they will ems more
give evidence of the social renovation which is generally
taking place in France, and which leads to mak fruitful
resales. The character of the elections is indinated by that
confliction. Since the revolution of Feb the public
feeling hu not ceased to be inspired by this to con-
stitute • strong government, in order to escape from
anarchy. The: name of Napoleon, personified is • prince
atones energetic and moderate, alone offered sidlisient gua-
rantees to bring to a good result a work ."missed in the
midst of so many ruins. The instinct of the mamas was sot
mistaken, and was cosiddesee SON rally petaled.
Each time that France, in poseessica of herself, has en-
trusted her safety to the heir of the Emperor, she received
in strength and prosperity more than she had ventured to
hope for ; and hence that intimate union between the popu-
lar will and the chief whom it has given itself. Hems the
striking manlistatime which peeve it. li=thiAlmshet
can fortify that eilailisa is an set of seam
oa the part ref Me ematry. The melesseilme et Aims
have been ma edditisaal gourantee gives to die Minty
of the gmememest, which is founded ea Os miss
of all ; sad the amisg sleeting will 1111111111 k
faithful to the setae iseNag. T we Made of seedibess
ought to be keptapartMasifsdepertassatslesmms
who, in vita of the Imam of vaporises% amid Ibieb of
again opeoing up the mesa of past stneur= asks
would not be solely develed to the lora Mg
will have the IMAM to represent. TM ilea &Wed by
' the ballot of Melia* ought to be assesses with tee
'tteri:ceoarf reels=tatit Cespe=audigammdelati7erely
the .of. dais to peeibrus the midge eateasted le them.
It is emir as these two 'auditions that the emmells eg the
departments sea usefully hail the put ribs k OM paha, will
and the emstitatioa maga them. Bet it melt le again
declared that, in the pisses of the silliest which
France has just similigited, ni• dealt I allowable. Parties
I will renounce • struggle mime •• abeam of SINSISII pee-
; mute itself, and where they mast me beforehand Met
defeat awaits them. The Wet of July 31 will &gain's's-
' secrets tl.it unanimity pliers and feelings which opals.*
France • new era of grandma and prosperity.
Next Saturday the eisstiona of the councils-gene-
rid will take place theseghout France. The latest
information furnished by the departmental press be-
I tokens the greatest divinities in the Orleanist as well
as legitimist partite. Among the fresh mutineers
agiinst the command., of Frohsdorf, I observe the
following will-known legitimist names. In the
Nord, MM. de Melun and d'Hespel, ex-repreecnta-
' titres. stand for seats in the council-general ; in the
Maine-et-Loire, M. Anatole de Caqueray 1 in the

Sarum, MM. Adrien de Morgan, LaUart de Le-
' bnaquiere, and Leon de Ckaasepot t in the Loire-et-
Cher, the Duke de Chevrons.; in the Haute-Vienne
M. Iloustler de Merinville. At Montpellier, wet,
30 municipal councillors were lw:timista, 23 of the
same present themselves so candidates again. All
these protest against the conclusion that they aban-
don their political religion because they cannot
I comply with the injunctions horn Frohedort
They come forward to defend the municipal interests
of their departments. Among the Orleanists the
Duke de Broglie and M. Ea' lamella adhere to the
first resolution of refusing the oath.
The Mositeur of this day publishes another de-
cree, appointing an immense number of mayors and
deputy-mayors. Several of those named are ob-
served to be legitimists.
The prefect of the Allier, Count K Onyot, has
just addressed the following circular to the sub-pre-
fects and mayors of his department :
Gentlemen,—Among the number of municipal council-
ton of certain communes in this department, are some per-
sons charged with political offences who have been re-
stricted to one place of residence, or placed uuder the sur-
veillance of the general polite, in TWAe of the decisions of
the mired eommiasions. These decisions subject those who
have incurred them to the forfeiture of their titles as mem-
bers of elective councils, and they consequently cease to
form part of such councils. I request you, u far as you
are each respectively concerned, to secure the execution of
these measures.

A decree from the President of the Republic per-
mits the resumption in the departments of the
Bouchcs du Rhone and of the Var of the cultivation
of tobacco, by way of experiment. The species of
tobacco grown is to be of the light kind, suited to
smoking.
General Baron Gourgand, grand cross of the Le-
gion of Honour, who was aide-de-camp of the Empe-
ror Napoleon, and accompanied him to St. Helena,
died in Paris on Sunday, after a long illness.
Considerable curiosity has been stirred by the
announcement of M. Proudhon's new book, "Social
Revolution proved by the Coup d'Etat of Dcc. 2."
But I understand that the publication of this work
has been stopped by an order of the minister of
police just as the popular appetite for the novel pro-
duction of this original writer was on the point of
being gratified. This awkward slip betwixt the cup
and the lip is complained of on all hands, as another
vexation of the stupid thought-obstructing system
which prevails. All parties are equally offended at
the productions of • subtle intelligence being
snapped from them, as if they were in a state of
pupilage under the ferules of MM. de Miura and
Persigny. One of Proudhon's expressions in this
pamphlet is characteristic enough : -he says that " If
the 2nd of December attempt to swallow France it
may burst of its meal."
Today the funeral of Marshal Excelmans took
place, in the church of the Invalides. The richly
decorated hearse set out at 11 from the Palace of the
Legion or Honour, drawn by six horses, and follower
by the white horse of the marshal. This animal was
an object of much curiosity, from the circumstance
which caused the brave officer's death; and people
asked one another if that was the fatal gift which
brought him to such a painful end. The corners of
the pill were held by Marshal Valliant, and Gene-
rals Magnan, St. Armand, and Lanrestine. The cor-
tege at the head of which walked the family of the
deceased, preceded by a detachment of guides, was
received by the clergy at the iron railing of the
Invalides. From an early hour detachments
from all the regiments of the garrison were
concentrated about the hotel. The bands
played funeral symphonies, and the artillery fired
salvos during the ceremony. The door of the
church, the porch, and interior of the chapel, were
hung with black cloth, embroidered in silver w-th
the arms and initials of the marshal. Upon a series
of scutcheons were inscribed the various battles in
which he had figured. Decorated non-commissioned
officers surrounded the coffin, which lay in the midst
of burning tapers.
The President of the Republic arrived at 12
o'clock in an open carriage. Ile wore the uniform of
a general. He was accompanied by his entire mili-
tary household, including Generals Roguet de Goyon,
Canrobert, Lourmel, de l'Espinasse, Baociochi, de
Seville, Fleury, Latour d'Auvergne Teacher de I.
Pagerie, Doctor Cunneen, &c. A Picket of cars-
bineers escorted the carriage. Among the mourners
present were observed the Archbishop of Paris,
Prince Jerome Bonaparte, Prince Murat, all the
ministers, M. Baroche, the members of the corps
diplonsatigue, several senators, deputies, and coun-
cillors of state, Generals Schramm, d'Hautpoul,
Pyat, Regnault de St. Jean d'Angely, Tartu,
the Abbe Coquereau, a large number of
public functionaries, and several officers and sol-
diers of the imperial army in their old uniforms. The
Prince President left the church at quarter-peat one,
with the same cortege with which he arrived. Th;
clergy then advanced to the railing in front of the
Invalids, and pronounced • blessing urn the
hearse. After this the general commanding the
troops approac the coffin with his staff, and the
soldiers filed past in the order of the number of their
regiments. At half-past two the ceremony. was con-
cluded, and the body was removed to the interior of
the Invalides, to be lowered into the vault where
many governors of the Invalides and marshals of
France are interred.

A " warning " Lae been given to the Journal de
Roues for having said with reference to the depart-
mental elections that the existing government ought
to be supported rather because it existed than for
any guarantee that it offered to the cause of progress
and true liberty.
At the Bourse the Four-and-a-Half per Cents. rose
15, and closed at 103.35 ; the Threes roes 10, closing
at 72.43. Bank of France shares rose 10fr. The
Lyons railway rose 13.75; the other lines were ge-
nerally firm, but without much change.