The Express.
London, England, 1865-05-03 00:00:00

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PARIS, TUISDAT EVI2IIIIO,

Nearly a hundred American residents assembled
at Mr. Bigelow's to-day to consider in what mode
their countrymen in France might best make a pub-
lic demonstration of their feelings on the occasion
of the appalliug calamity which has befallen the
United States. The utmost harmony prevailed at
the meeting ; and a unanimous desire was ex-
pressed that the proposed manifestation should be
as striking as possible, and as nearly like what
Americans would do in their own country
as the laws and customs of France would
permit. It wad finally resolved that Mr.
Bigelow should name a committee of nine
members to consider and report upon the best
course to be adopted. Before the meeting separated
Mr. Bigelow announced from the chair that he had
fixed upon the following gentlemen to be members
of the committee :—Messrs. Geo. G. Fogg, United
States minister in Switzerland, Beckwith, R. Hoe,
J. 0; Putuam, James Phalan, Dr. T. W. Evans,
R. M. Mason, and Johnstone Livingston. Inde-
pendently of the principal matter referred to
the committee, a resolution was moved that all
Americans here should conform to the order issued
to functionaries at Washington, and wear crape
round their left arms for six months. One speaker
said that all loyal Americans would do this. It
was suggested, however, that mourning was
not usually worn in this way in Europe, and that
many people might think it eocentric to comply
with the regulation, and that the resolution had
therefore better to be confined to a recommendation
to wear crape, without saying on what part of the
person. A. gentleman remarked that a hatband
would have nothing distinctive about it such as
he conceived was wished on this great and unpre-
cedented national occasion. Ultimately Mr. Bigelow,
who himself wore crape round his left arm, de-
clared the resolution carried, without any positive
direction as to the way in which the mourning
should be worn.
It is rumoured that M. Emile 011ivier (whose
first wife was the daughter of Liszt, the pianoforte
player) is about to be married to Mdlle. Meyerbeer.
There were many fluctuations at the Bourse
connected with transactions for the settlement. The
Rents ultimately fell 15c. for cash and 10c. for
account, closing at 67fr. 50c. and 67fr. 40c. These
were not the lowest quotations of the day.
Mobilier fell 2tr. 50c., and the Lyons and Orleans
railways 10fr. each.

A Paris correspondent of the Nord, writing on
April 30, says :—" You know that the Propos de Labieolss
has been seised in nearly all the towns of Germany, at the
request of the diplomatic agents of Franca. This oosfisca-
ties ban led toe question in the Chamber of Deputies of
Electoral nesse. The questioner complained that this meo-
ws was not justified by sny regard to reciprocity on the
part of France, the French journals in no way hesitating to
speak of the Elector of noses in term often far from ootu-

kale
ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTING THE GENERAL WEL-
FARE or The Bum—The annual, meeting of the members
and friends of this association wee held yesterday, at the
lustitritiou in the Euston-road, at which Sir John Anson
presided. The report as read, and unanimously adopted,
pointed out that the number of blind persona receiving as-
sistance was, as last year, 170. Some of the moo sod
woman employed at their own homes being prelectral
afflictions other than blindness from making articles which
can bud a ready sale, pensioue had Leen granted to them,
and their work lessened. Great improvements had been
made in the manufacture of mats, and the work to be done
by the blind so increased that several who previously re.
curved from 6a. to Se. per week now earn from 12s. to lin.,
which was of immense service, as the recipients bad usually
families to support; and this extension of benefits is meanly
due to the encouragement given by friends to the
firewood making, which had been decidedly succesefuL
The industrial employments now carried on were brush,
broom, basket, mat, and rug reakiog,aexpentry, chair cane
work, netting, knitting, ornamental leather, bead, and needle
work, pianoforte tuning, In. The inmates continue to
receive religions instruction from the honorary secretary,
the Bev. 1.. n. Reid. The sale of educational appliances
had largely nomad, especially the pen guide to enable the
Wind to write with auk. The parochial classes have con-
tinued their nodal work, with an average attendance of 120
pupils per week. After referring to the free lending
library and other aids to the blind, the report stated that
there are now upwards of 400 blind men end women apply-
ing to the association for work, all of whom are in work-
houses, or are street beggars. Through the exertions of Mu.
W. Gladatons, donations of 600/. had been received. The
total receipt" of the year had been 5,7251.. 15s. 7d., and the
total expenditure 4,91111. Oa. 10d.
MELANCHOLY Nonni& —Wily do women now-6-
days write sash makethaly Boren Are authoresses more
miserable than they used to be a hundred years ego ? Miss
Austen 's heroines came tripping into the room, bright-eyed,
roey-cheeked, arch, and good-humoured. Evelina aedOscilia
would have thoroughly enjoyed their visits to the opera,
and their expeditions to the masquerade', if it had not been
for their vulgar relations. Vahancourt's Emily wee a little
upset, to be sure, when ins found herself all slime is the
ghostly and mouldy castle in the south of France, but she
too, was naturally a lively girl, and on the whole showed a
great deal of courage sod present* of mind. Mere Erne-
worth's heroines were pleasant and manly pleased, and to
them may be added a blooming rose-garden of wild Irish
girls, of good-humoured and cheerful young ladies, whorishseated to make the devoted young hero at the end of the
third volume, without any vary intricate self-examinations,
and who certainly were much more appreciated by the
heroes of those days, than our modern heroines with all
their workings and deep feelings and unrequited affections
are now, by the noblemen and gentlemen to whom they
happen to be attached. If one could imagine the ladies of
whom we have been speaking coming to We again, and wit-
nessing all the vagaries and agonising experiences and deadly
calm and irrepressible emotion of their granddaughters, the
heroines of the present day, what a bewildering 11011011 it
would be I Evelina and Cecilia ought to taint with horror I
Madame Duval's moat shocking, expression. wee never mo
alarms( as tbe remarks they might now hear on all aides.
Elizabeth Bennett would cartsiely bunt out laughing,
Emma might lose her temper, and Fanny Price would turn
scarlet and stop her little sus. Perhaps Emily of Udolpho,
more accustomed than the °then to the horrors of mom-
non, cad baring once faced those lowand terrible passaged,
might be able to bold her own against snub a great-grand-
daughter as Aurora Floyd or Lady Audley. Bat how
would she deal with the soal-workings end heart troubles
of Miss Eavansgh's Adele,. or our old favourite Ethel May
in the Daisy Chun, or Cousin Phials, or Merger,* lisle, or
Jane Eyre, or Lacy Snows, or Dieab or Maggie Tulliver's
distractions, or poor noble MOWS perplexities? Emily
would probably prefer any amount of tortuous mysteries,
winding alkalinise and peewees, or groans and groans, and
yards and yards of faded curtains, to the task of mastering
these modern intricacies of feeling sad doubting and senti-
ment. —Cornhal Afepasine for May.
PLYMOUTH ROC=.—We go down a long bill
towards the water •we meek a kind wharf ; and there
my ocangenana bailee with Ids ease end boot to scraps
upon the poosil, which is perfectly gat and regular.
Thinking he has dropped 'mustang, I ask What are you
looking for r " Ism try* to show you Plymouth Ronk,"
be remarks, dryly. Ample and madden of gram Mead
us !--clearing away the mod to show Plymouth Rock
Presently 1 do, with some difficulty, nee something that
looks like a flag-atone; but when I look up again the
breaking waves that I had seen from childhood, ie my
miod's eye, dashing high, soak to a plaid pod, and the
km and rock-bound more upon which they had so long
dished, sank to a mule-hilL Dr. Cheening records that he
oak told Mrs. Hentans of the thou/rads of RAMS which he
bad beard idealize on Forefathers' Day her femme hymn
about these waves dashing high cm th rock-beend shoe%
and that she wept from emotion ; bus I imagism that she
might bare smiled through km tears if she Gould have
sees the plain dab shore, with so rook anywhere
where the pilgrims really did land. It should be mid, boo.
'vac, that a reek of shout a to. weight WY naffed from
this spot. and Paged in the yard of the at mum la the
town. Also tiers bee been, sines I Arse abated the mak •
✓oostd siseercanent reared en the spot where the pilgrims
leaded. Bet thie dimppoinemenk was very tasaeaamT•
The gm** that wee k the heart of that mks, was Samo
tree Plymouth Bonk. That has proved pest end *rem
emegh to be the cemier-steee el a new werld.—Preesest
Morogro tor Msg.