The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-03 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, MARCH 3, 1851.

Why. that is a more serious abrogation of tire consti- lon to the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton
Lion than any extension of the suffrage. Allowing line; and thereby transfer it from the Great to the
the POPE to nominate dignitaries, independent of the I North Western.
sovereign, rivals of the reers, enforcing temporal ob- sueh at least is the theoryry of this arrangement;
sequiousness by spiritual outhofity, this is a treater though whether in operation it will turn out so ems
breach of our tcmtoriul constitutton than naive o.ci receatal as it looks on paper. events only can prove.
suffrage itself can be. But these men would grant It is at all events a retaliation such as the Great
to the Pope of Rome what they would not cede to Western was bound to have anticipated from its
the people of England. Chester aggression. For he who plays at bowls
They will have no extension of suffrage which will I must expect rubs.
prevent a few lordly houses arid a corporation If not in competition, experience is telling on
of official pundits from monopolising ministerial railway companies in other respects. Some years
power, and perpetuating it in their caste, but they ago such arrangements as the Great Western has
will allow a foreigner to establish an absolute and made with the Chester line, and the North Western
uncontrolled domunon over one-third of the popula- with the Oxford and Wolverhampton Company, would
tion of England. They will look on, see this dime. , have been concluded in the shape of leases at fixed
declare the powerlessness of the law to resist it, and rents, or guarantees oer.r pre Nowferences,
the y or
are entered
then call call this toleration. Hone in one way or oth
And this forsooth is the liberal parts of the day. into in the form of working contracts only. And
Verily, it is time for the people to tell us what they I the difference is most material and important. For
consider a popular policy. It is time for them to a working contract guarantees no large fixed pay-
declare in what direction they would have liberalism meat, whether earned, or not earned, by the working
move; time for them to have a voice not merely in company. It merely fixes the rates at which the
the men who pnv for their beer at clectione, but the I working expenses arc to calculated, and the pro-
men who actually govern, who impose taxes, and portions in which the profits after pnyment
who can let loose or restrict the public liberties. of those expenses are to be divided. Thus
the risk is small to the working company
whilst the advantage may be very great
- A feeder is snatched from a rival, and incorporated
with the working company, which pays nothing
either fur the immediate advantage or for prospective
benefit that it does not actually earn. One defect,
however, these working agreements have, but it is
adventitious, not inevitable. It is that, by the theory
of railway management, they arc beyond the control
of the proprietary, and ore matter.] on which the
directory may of its own power irrevocably pledge
the faith of the company without consulting its share-
hoiders.—an anomaly so manifest that the sooner it
is corrected the better.

Toe interminable war of the gauges ought to have
a IttecvnitiLs of its own to record its various for-
tunes., to describe its changeful events, to unravel its
knotty combinations, to trace with historical accu-
racy the desertion of allies and the transformation of
old dependents into present foes, and, above all, to
draw with phitosoplucal truth the proper moral from
this lengthened struggle. For, after slumbering and
smouldering for years—after truces that seemed, in
the coarse of events, to have become pat:Mentions—
' here the war is again upon us, with all the
interest and vigour of a new struggle; and, to under-
stand its present position, we bystanders are obliged
to brush up all our rusty topographical knowledge
on all our disagreeable railway reminiscences. Fur
its potentates, Mr. Ressw. and Mr. GLYN, have re•
commenced their military operations, without the
usual formality of declaring war—nay, whilst cry-
ing aloud "peace, peace r—where, apparently, there
is and can be no peace. Our duty is, however, to
record its transactions with the aid 'of such lights as
are at hand; and though we do SO without much
pretension to what is not indeed necessary to u gene- •
rul comprehension of the campaign, very minute ac-
curacy, the following will, perhaps, sufficiently'
explanatory for ordinary purposes or use.
It is not many days SUM we had occasion to show
how on the failure of somc negotiation between the
Chester companies and the North Western, with a
view to the avoidance of competition between the
former laid their rival the Grand Junction division
of the North Western—how, on the failure, or tem-
orary suspension, of these negotiations, the Great
Western interposed and arranged to work the traffic
on the ('hester lines, by means of which it hoped to
share in the traffic of Liverpool, Ireland, and Ame-
rica. which now centres in the North Western. We
then pointed out, that already the Great Westeni
had a line opened from oxford to Banbury,
and was thence pushing on to Birmingham
where in sonic twelve months it hoped to be; and
that then, by this, its arningement with the Chester
lines, there would be two great competing lines of '
railway between the Mersey and London, worked by
the two mast powerful of our railway companies. We
I remarked that in this fresh revival of the old rivalry
the Great Western had certainly gained a diplomatic
success over the North Western, wriich, however, it was
very unlikely that Mr. Gls:sand his colleagues would
quiescently submit to; and we hinted that reprisals
might be expeeted. And they have, it appeals by
the report of the Oxford, Worcester. and Wolver-
hampton Company's meeting in Saturday's paper,
befit very quickly made.
The Kurt:tots of that lino undertook, of cou.'se, in
It i 6, to lay a railway on the broad gauge from the
Great Western at Oxford by way of Worcester,
Stourbridge, and Broitwich, and running tlwough
Lord WARD'S great mineral property, to Wolver-
hampton, for two millions mid a half sterling • and
the °nut Western undertook, when it was MAC for

FRANCE.

rmus, BATI:RnAT EVENING, 7 P.N.
After an extremely stormy debate, such as has not
been known in the Assembly since In Pt, the proposi-
tion of M. Orton has been adjourned, at the demand
of M. de Rover, to this day six months. The vote
took place by nut's el lea. the personages of most
importance noticed among those who voted against
the adjournment were M. taangarnier and IM-1
Lure. The legitimists voted fur the adjournment to a
man. The Left was divided pretty erimilly.
The sitting of the Assembly vestelay not break-
ing up till 7 o'clock, I was unable to send von an
important incident which marked its close. the ad-
journment of M. Creton's proposition to that day
thrto months arty moved by M. LeAiboudois, but
riectol by the Assembly bv.310 votes against 31t1.
l his result took everyhddy Inv surprise. An exami-
nation of the division shows that the majority against
the adjournment was formed by the Left en maw,
the Tiers-parti, end the regency men of the Orleanist
party. Only four legitimists voted ngainst the ad-
jountmcnt. But what surprised people most was
the ectivity of General LamorieWre m eativaming
vales fur M. Croton. The names of Thiers,

tory, Jules de Lastcyrie, de Remusat, and generally
of the old Orleanists, who had previously voted the
adjournment, are to lx• found in the majority of yes-1
twiny ogaitu,t. The object of the Left was probably '
to g..t. rid of the proposition more effectively the next
day, by throwing it out altogether.
The Journorl des Detsits has surprised people by
espousing the proposition of M. Creton. The Perch,
speaks in its favour, Republire against it.
To-day the Assembly entered upon the diseu,sion
of the motion of M. Creton for repealing the laws
of exile against the princes of the house of Bourbon.
The report of the committee declared against taking
the motion into consideration.—M. Creton combated

the conclusions of the committee with much energy,
upon grounds of scut imont andkuuke. Ile reminded
M. Berrver of a speech which he had made in 11831
against laws of proscription.—M. Berryer made great
mnfessions of respect 14 all the exiled princes.
He W 3.4 still of etc same op.otion as for-
merly, that laws of proscription were bad.
Hut, once enacted, in the prt,..ent instance it was
useless to abrogate them; for it was not merely the
laws which kept the primes in exile, but pufiticul
case,. They could only re-enter France by a I
change of principle. The adoption of the mopo-
sition would only tend to direst the exiledrinees of
a portion of their dignity and to lower their personal
posititm. The questum at stake wits not a qtestion
of sentiment, but of policy. To adopt the propo-
sition would be to risk furnishing a pretext to bad
pus: ions and criminal enterprises. Because he was
Oestrous of excluding front the situation every
cloutent of (aggression, he would rote against taking
the motion into consideration.

that auto, to lease the• line at I per cent. on its ori-
ginal capital, and make a division of sw-plas peer
Ins beyond that he•r centage. It is alm•ist
nesilksw to sap• that experience showed that
the lhte could not he made for any such sum ;
that, in consequenm, the Great Western could nut
he compelled to talc a leas• of it; and that what the
law cannot eoane•l the• Great Western to do, it never
in such caws does on other grounds. It had, indeed,
or was about to have, another route from Oxford to
llinningluun, and thence would, it hayed, act to
Wolverhampton, where, it is to lie noted, the Chester
lines come into play. What, then, could the Great
Western want with Oxford. Worcester, and Wolver-
hampton ? Nothing ; and it acted necordingly.
Practically it threw that line overheard, but kept up
its influence at its hoard to control its fortunes,
whether as an independent concern or in the hands
of others.
The Oxford, Wnrecster, and Wolverhampton was
in extreme distress; the capital was nearly spent ;
its line was not made, and dreary were its prospects,
when, of all persons in the world, Lord Want), a no-
blenum of untold wealth, both above and under-
ground, of tine taste. of fashionable habits, combined
with more strung sense than he generally has
credit for, came to its rescue. Ile took the elutir of

M. Desmousseaus de ()iyre was of opinion that the
laws ought to be repealed; and that voluntary exile
would, instead of detracting, as M. Berryur supposed,
from the dignity of the princes, on the tontrary add
to it, and be much more honourable than forced exile.
M. de Royer did justice to the intention of the
proposition, but maintained that the circumstances of
the country were not such as permitted as yet the
abrogation of the lows of exile; not that the govern-
m,itt entertained the least doubt as to the loyalty of
the princes who would benefit thereby, or thought
that it would serve as a pretext for unconstitutional
attenr,!is; but because it would prove the source of
fresh lAions.

its direction ; a well-devised seheme for raising pre•
ference capital was successfully issued : the necessary
additional contracts for the execution of the works
were entered into: and every preparation was n:acle
to finish and work the line, independently of the
Great Western.
Lord WARD swum to have thought that indepen-
dence of the Great Western involved independence of
every other company ; and so probably it would.
had not the Great Western rushed into competition
with the North Western by its arrangement to work
the Chester lines for the Mersey traffic. That ag-
gression on the North Western threw it on defen-
sive and offensive meayarts; ; and, looking about fur
the mints of retaliation, there lay the Oxtud
Woreester, and Wolvcrhaniptoa, iu the most
tempting of positions. Though possessed of a very
keen appreciation of, and a very careful re-
gard for, his own personal interests—a fa-
shionable peer could not, of course, be ex-
pected to be constant in season and out of season
at railway offices. So, in Lord WARD'S absence, his
co-directors listened to the /wren voice of Mr. GLYN
and to the plain speaking of /fr. Ents of the Mid-
lands; and before Lord WARD knew much about the
matter, Mr. Purer had negotiated terms whereby the
line when made had to be worked by the North
Western. Such an arrangement offended at once
Lord WARD'S p,c,os.itire as chairman, and Lord
WARD'd theory of independence for the Nix; accord-
ingly, he resisted it. So, atter having negotiated
with the directors. the North Western had, by
a curious inversion of order, to negotiate
with their chairman. This discussion re-
solved itself into Lord Wimp's person..l
demands. First, Lord WARD wanted to have a
most favoured nation stipulation with the North
Western for his minerals ; that was granted. Next.
Lord WARD required a scat at the North Western
Board to protect that stipulation ; that was granted
so far as Mr. GLYN could. But, lastly, Lord Waal)
required an allotment of 5,000 preference shares.
which were at a pentium ; and that, in mercy to his
own character, was refused him. Thereupon Lord
WARD continued to resist Mr. PEro's anungement.
But an appeal to the general body of the proprietary
of the company has confirmed it and his tordsyap
retires from the railway board disgusted with rail-
way people.
fly this decision a line of 100 miles, intended to
extend the broad gauge from Oxford to Wolver-
hampton, and thereby to-he-part of the Great West-
ern system, becomes, for all practical purposes, part
of the narrow gauge and North Western system; and
thus the North Western has resented the aggression
of the Great Western. While the Great Western
is pushing on to the Mersey, the North Western
steps in and wrests from it Worcestershire and South
Staffordshire, seeking in the heart of England a re-
compense for what it may lose at Liverpool. From
NVolrerhampton the North Western will be able
by this line through Worcester to compete with
the new line of the Great Western by Warwick and
Banbury to Oxford and London ; and having by it
reached Oxford, will there pour the traffic on to the
Buckinghamshire lines, and so bring it on the North
Western proper to London, while this arrange-
ment will m the west of England, by means of the
Midland linos which reach to Gloucester, divert the
Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, and Gloucestershire traffic

M. Barthelemy St. Hilairo said that it was the
interest of the republic that laws of exile should be
abrated, the severity of which was no longer ne-
cessary. M. Dufra6se maintained tho legitimacy of
laws of proscription against the whole lineage of the
royal races. He expressed this opinion in tams the
1 violence of which excited the disapprobation of the
Assembly ; and for an allusion to the condemnation
of Loos XVI. was called to order by M. Dupin. The
speech of M. Dufraisse was, however, applauded by
the Mountain in proportion as it called forth main-
festations of disgust from the opposite side of the
chamber. It was a sample of red-hot dacobinism.
M. Herrycr aseentkd the tribune to rebuke the
violent chimes:2on of M. Dufraisse, and affirming
that it was impossible that the house could come to
an unbiassed vote under the influence of such a
speech, moved the adjournment of the debate. MM.
Piseatory and do Royer denwnded to speak. The
sitting was suspended for a short interval at a quar-
ter to Mx daring the prevalence of great confusion.
The Assembly presented a very crowded attend-
ance of strangers. Among the distinguished ap-
peared General Sarvaer, who is noticed as being
very regular in his attendance at the debates in the
Assembly, which he follows with every sign of at-
tention and interest.

M. de Thorn, formerly charge d'affaires of tho
Austrian government at Paris, and since 1849 minis-
ter in Switzerland, is arrived in Paris, and is about
to take au active part in the negotiations on the
Swiss question relative to the refugees.
The buoyant tendency of securities at the Bourse
was checkt.:d a good deal to-day by the uncertainty
prevailing as to the proposition of Creton. There
was a rise of 3 centimes in the Fives, winch closed
at 93 70.

The Itwitteur publishes a decree, permitting the
importation free of duty of lead and pewter in pigs
destined to be refined in France, and divided anto
ingots of one or two killogrammes for exportation
after refinement. whether imported by land or by
water, under the French flag or that of the pro-
ducing country. provided the re-exportation takes
place through the same port or custom-house within
three mouths.
The table of the price of wheat per hectolitre, pub-
lished today, gives—fur Paris, 13f. 27c.; Lyons and
Marseilles, 13L 34c.; Bordeaux, 14f. le.; Strasbourg,
14f. 31c.; Nantes, 13f, 43e.; Metz, 11L 69c.
The Tribunal of Correctional Police yesterday con-
demned the getters-up of another Californian com-
pany fur swindling. The name of the company was
the " Francaise tt Americana" and it was este-
blished in the Rue de Bondy-, It Faudot, the moat
lactive director, was sentenced to two years' impri-
lsonment and ZA.I. fine ; another, named Larivicre, to
eight months' imprisonment ; and three others,
Dampscanx, Orenit a and Itaparlier, to biz months.
SCXDAT EvEsixo.
I gave yea, in my letter of yesterday, a brief
sketch of the stormy sitting of the .Isiemblc. and
announced its important result,—the adiaurnMent of
the motion of M. Cretan for six months. The ab-
sence of IL Dupin from the chair Wai an indication
that his substitW, M. Benoit d'Azy, would not find
his seat a bed of raises. M. Dufraisse, whose remark-
able speech glare such an unexpected turn to the de-
bate, by rousing the indignation of the majority, is

rapressaaativs far tie Dordogne. After the revolu-
tion of February, M. Dafraisse, who had distinguished
himself by his vigorous defence of jacobinical prin-
ciples as a journalist, and had even carried his hostility
to royalty to the extent of writing an apology for the
attempt of kleschi, was employed as one of the emu-
missanes-general of the provisional government,
and acquitted himself of his charge greatly to
the satisfaction of the democratic party. Ile was
afterwards appointed by the executive commission
prefect of the Luke. His speech yesterday laid
down the principle of expatriating the royal lineage.
until they did homage to the suzerainty of
the nation. In stigmatising the covert royalist de-
signs of those who invoked compassion and justice
for the repeal of the laws of exile, he was led to
speak of the vote of the convention for the death of
Louis XVI., and said that experience had af-
terwards proved that those who had recommended
pity were royalists. and enemies of the republic.
Th's assertion was the signal for one of the most vio-
lent scenes that ever disgraced a deliberative Assembly.
Several members rushed to the foot of the tribune, and
offered gross insults to the speaker. M. Benoit d'Azy
called M. ])ufraissc to order, and said that history had
pronounced the death of Louis XVI. a crime. Leo do
Laborde. rising in his place, stigmatised as an in-
famous wretch any one who made himself the
apologist of the murder of the king. But M. Du-
fraisse, whose pale head, compressed lips, intense
expression, and resolute accent, reminded his audience,
not without a shudder, of a thorough-bred young
Jacobin of '93 such as St. Just, nothing daunted by
the fists shaken in his face, and the menaces addressed
to him, recalled to mind that the grnndfbther of the
princes whose banishment they wanted to repeal
had voted the king's death.
M. Ilcrryer, having succeeded. through the violation
of the regulations by M. Benoit d'Azy, who presided,
in depriving Emile de Girardin of his turn to speak,
branded the words and sentiments of M. Dufraisse
as " detestable," whereat a long burst of applauso
eased the indignant breasts of the majority. M.
Berrycr said that it was impossible for the Right to
vote on the same side with the advocates of such
abominable doctrines. At this MM. 'fliers and
Remusat pricked up their ears, and addressed them-
selves to applaud, supposing that a complete change
had been operated in the tactics of the legitimists.
and that M. Bereyer was going to declare in favour
of taking M. ereton's proposition into consideration.
Indescribable was their vexation and disappoint-
ment when the legitimist orator proposed ,
the adjournment. The lieutenant of M. Thiess,
M. Piseatory, instantly darted, in a volcanic
state of excitement, to the tribune; but there he
ran foul of M. de Royer, the Minister of Justice, who,
according to the rules of the constitution, was privi-
kged to speak before him. M. Royer accepted the
adjournment proposed by M. lkrryer, fixing the date
at six months, which is equivalent to the rejection of
the proposition. But there Is an important differ-
ence as regards the manner of voting, for, whereas a
ballot night have been demanded on the rejection.
the adjurnment could only be voted by awns-et-beer.
The ballot which had taken place on the adjournment

the day before, was occasioned by the vote by wisis•
a-lere being twice in succe,sioti doubtful, in which
MC the ballot may be resorted to. M. Piscatory
raved like a hull to stave of this result, but

his impotent bellowing"' were drowned by the cla-
mours of the Chamber for a division. Six out of the
seven members composing the bureau declared that
the decision was in favour of the adjournment. Thus
the Assembly appeared to stultify its vote of the
day before, which had given a majority of 21 against
the adjournment. But I have altraily stated Fe-
cloudy that a portion of the Left voted against the
adjournment for three months on Friday, in order
that they might throw out the motion altogether on
Saturday. And this, in fact, is the result which has
been obtained. Girardin having been robbed of his
tarn to speak, has thrown his opinions into a letter
to the Presse. These are in favour of the abrogation
of the laws of exile. M. Berner and M. Dufraisse,
he say,, were in fiat advocating the same yrineiples,
as both of them were arguing for expediency against
justice. According to Girardin, the Assembly, in
confirming these decrees of banishment, usurps the
functions of the judicial powers, and becomes a re-
volutionary tribunal. Charles Lagrange hail pro-
posed an amendment for the abrogation of all the
laws and decries of exile or transportation, as well
as political eonebninations since tall
One of the plimsea that most startled the Assem-
bly in this sitting was uttered by M. I iesmousacaux de
there, who recommended the government of Louis
Napoksm to wipe out the remembrance of the mur-
der of the Duke d Enghien by opening the gates of
France to the Bourbons.
A ministerial council has decided on sending
General Anpick without delay to England.
The Marshal nude de la nruncrie died on Friday
night. This reduces to five the number of surviving
marshals, Soult, Gerard, Sebastian, Iteille, and Je-
rome Bonaparte. fhe marshal was made lieutenant
of artillery in the Egyptian campaign, appointed
colonel after the seige of Saragossa, and attained the
rank of marshal after having directed the gigantic
fortifications of Paris.
The procession of the Deed Gras has just passed
along the Boulevards. Right and left a sea of heads,
dotted with the white caps of the women, waved
from the Madeleine to the Ca& de Paris. First
came a picket of the mounted Garde Ikpublicaine.
The Breuf Gras, with gilded horns, dressed out
with garlands, stalked stately between four mum-
mers masked as Indians, and armed with clubs. The
whole bevy of the Hippodrome followed, and in the
midst a car adorned with wreath'', in which stood
upright a handsome stout young woman, attired as
Ceres, wearing a wreath of gilded ears of corn, and
bearing in her hand a gilded sickle, with a white
mantle falling from her shoulders. She smiled, as
mighty well pleased with rivalling as an object of
admiration the tat ox which preceded her. A rabble
of boys followed, shouting. It is a sign of the tran-
quillity which reigns, when a show which has not
been permitted since the revolution for fear' of sonic
row occurring, goes of without the least apprehen-
sion of disturbance from any quarter.