The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-26 00:00:00

THE EXPRX4B, SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 26, 1853.

continues: "It is not the same as regards France.
Toulon is very far from the Archipelago and the
Black Sea, and it is natural that our government,
by sending its squadron into the waters of Greece,
thonld wish to Owe itself on eqial teems with &g-
-land," This reasoning, you will observe, is based
ppon (he assumption that the English fleet is not to
move at all, and yet the French, set in motion so-
corflingtp the hypothesis, only by the fact of Ad-
' mist' lundai having nailed for the Archipelago, is
notwithstanding to obey the original impulsion. The
Pays also contradicts the Constitutionnet in another
important point. The latter government journal
said
yesterday that Frazee was quite disinterested io
the question, because she had got all she wanted
regarding the holy places. The Pays now pretends
that if the holy places alone be in question, it can
quite follow the reasoning of the Times, that Englend
has nothing to do with the Emotion, " which regards
only Russia and France." These inconsistencies and
mystification. of the government journals are very
unsatisfactory, and unless the English government
be really noting in concert with the French, the pro-
ceeding. of the latter power require to be most nar-
rowly watched.
The indifference professed by M. Granier de Cas-
aquae is clearly put on for a purpose. A very
strong feeling exists in France on the subject of the
holy places, and it may be taken for granted that
Louis Napoleon will not encounter the unpopularity
of the church party, by giving way to Russia a single
point upon that subject, unless he gets a quid pro
quo. Some people think that the son of Prince
Mentschikoff, who is et this moment in Paris, is n
secret envoy to the Tuileriem. The feeling produced
in a large and important section of the public mind
by Granier de Cassagnac's article may be welljudged
of by the following reply to it in the Union :
" Everything is reduced," sav the far-seeing, "to the
question of Russia having the protectorate of the Greeks."
That is something also—something even of great gravity,
in our opinion, and which merits being examined by itself
and in the point of view of French interests. That protecto-
rate embarrasses the most practised pens, even that of M.
Grimier de Cassagnac, fur instance, in yesterday's Coma-
tutionnel. And first of all, who would believe it, if the
word was not to be found at least fifty times in two co-
lumns ? The Constinnionnm declares that the Emperor of
Russia claims the Protectorate of the Greek catholic—ca.
tholics who form one-half of the subjects of the Sultan.
The blunder is rather • gross one. M. de Cassagnae
must, however, be aware that the immense majorit of
the Greeks is composed of schismatics separated from
Rome, and detached from the centre of unity and of
catholicity. We are really ashamed to correct such a want
of memory. It is true that the consequences of this
protectorate, very perfectly appreciated by the writer,
are of a nature to somewhat trouble him. "'lbis protec-
torate, in fact, would give to Russia," says M. Campine,
•. a direct suihority in all the towns and villages of Euro-
peen and Asiatic Turkey, and would ensure to the Em-
peror of Russia in the Sultan's dominions more subjects
than the Sultan would have himself." Certainly the guts.
tion is one of importance, and what remedy does the minis-
terial journal find for the difficulty? "In principle," it
says, " itawould be difficult to deny to Russia the right to
protect the Greek catholic, living amongst the Mussulman
populations." No one at St. Petersburg could reason
better. Well, then, how is this grave enterprise to be vie.
jured away ? The day before the Pays trusted the wh le
matter to the " exquisite education " of the Russian diplo-
matists. The Constitutimiriet has a less solid guarantee.
" These pretensions," it says, "go far beyond what com-
mon sense and justice authorise; aid supposing that
they form the bases of the claims of Russia, their very
exaggeration would suffice to deprive them of their weight
and of their douger." Thus, it is quite sufficient for pre-
tensions to be carried to eaten to be quite free from peril!
Such logic is really too much for us, snd such a mode of
arranging the matter skews an extent of resignation which
is altogether beyond our reach. And the more so that,
according to the Consiiiiiiitsnel, France is here completely
" disinterested ;" disinterested is the word used, and what
is more she is "satisfied." What! catholic France has DP
interest in beholding Russia assume the most immediate
influence over one-half of the subjects of the Ottoman em-
pire! Catholic France is satisfied •in the question of
the Holy Places, satisfied when the Porte refuses her
the execution of the t yof 1740, which the COS-
abhstionnel must be supposed to know something
about, since it speaks of it; satisfied, when after
having obtained semis reparations of a secondary
kind, she beholds her rivals, the Greeks, the body
protected by Russia, forcing from the bad faith and weak-
ness of the Divan acts which annul these reparations, violat-
ing the promises made, and insulting hi r interests and her
rights? Satisfied, when her ambassador continues to renew
the most solemn protests! A most singular satisfaction,
truly ! And there is no need to be hard to be pleased to be
satisfied with it. But, in fact, the optimism of the Con-
ititsitiorusel is most accommodating. " France," it says, " is
one of the European powers which finds itself by its posi-
tion and its immediate interests the least engaged in the
general discussions of Europe with the Ottoman Empire.
Russia and Austria are on her confines. . . . Eng-
land is separated from her in Asia only by a pro-
vince. . . . France has not the same reasons es she
would have, for instance, for intervening in the
affairs of Belgium, Spain, or Piedmont." We declared it
plainly—this shortsighted policy, which appears touched
only by interests of boundaries, and which di.penses with
taking into consideration even the Mediterranean, is
worthy neither of our traditions nor of our honour, nor of
our rank in the world. Let us, therefore, simply attribute
these weaknesses of the Curistittaionnel to the inevitable
obscureness of what is called the Eastern Question, and let
us tame to our conclusion. If front all this noise and these
movements of di;lematists and of squadrons, nothing is to
result but the regulation of the affair of the Holy Plane,
that does not certainly constitute a disruption of the ba-
lance of power in Europe ; but it is sill one of the most
delicate points for France, because it affects her ancient
preponderance, her rights hande l down from ages, and her
title of catholic nation par excellence. And these great
ditties remain for her to perform.

The Consiitutionna announces that the French
Ambassador, M. Lacour, will leave Marseilles to-mor-
row. But I learn from another source that he will
remain at Marseilles till the 28th. The next packet
from Constantinople is expected on the 26th. The
Prefect of the Bouche-du-Ithane will then telegraph
the substance of the news brought by her,
M.
final
instructions will be sent from Paris to M. lAcour
who will embark in the Eclaireur.

Bills are in preparation for grantia , by wagif
national recompense, to the widow of al
i
not • pension for her life of 12,000 L ppeer annum, and
a similar annuity to the widow of scel-
mans.

The Pokey Easter prize cattle show took place
yesterday, in presence of the Minister of the lute-
nor, a number of high functionaries, members of the
great bodies of the state, and a great number of
rb enders, landed proprietors, and butchers.
M. Albert Oandry, attached to the Museum of
Natural History,. has just been charged with a
scientific mission in the Island of Cyprus and on the
coasts of the Levant, the natural history and geology
of which he is to study.
A letter sent to the Minister of Marine by the ma-
ritime prefect of Brest states that a piece of timber,
about four feet long, and five inches wide, with the
word Jemina painted on it in white letters, has been
washed ashore on the Isle Ouessant; that a boat
has been found floating about at sea four leagues
from the Isle Mol4ne, witk the words Dorothea,
London, painted on it; and lastly, that near the
island of Belamree, there has been found a fir...plank
about seven feet long by one foot wide, bearing in
gilt letters the words Chas. Saunders.

The Minister of the Interior, to facilitate the
transmission of French articles to the Universal Ex-
hibition of Dublin, has adopted the following regula-
tions, in concert with the Customs' Administration
and M. Sallandrouze de Lamornaix, President of the
Aiwa Jury, who is charged by the Irish Commis-
sion to decide on the articles which are to be trans-
' gareed from Havre to Dublin and back free of
Aerie t—let. Each exhibitor shall send to M. Sal.
leadrouse de Lamornaix, Boulevard Poissonniere,
N 0.23, Paris, before April 6, a declaration containing
—let, his name and residence; 2ndly, the nature
and value of the goods sent, their weight, number,
volume, and dimensions ; and 3rdly, the marks, maw-
bees, and weight of the various packages. 2ndly. In
exchange for that declaration, two certificates shall
be given mentioning what it contains, and rise-ed by
M. tiallandrouze de Lamornaix. 3rdly. These certi-
ficates, signed by the exhibitors, shall be sent with
the goods to Havre, the sole ltort of embarkation,
and shall serve in the stead of every declaration at
the Custom-house. One of them shall be kept by the
and - shall ar.--

Custom-house officers, the other alma-
pany the packages to Dublin, where it shall serve as
a declaration of the nature of the contents, and if
necessary, as a certificate of origin. 4thly. With re-
wect to the articles which are to return to France
after the Exhibition, the Dublin Custom-house offi-
cers will mark them on the seine certificate, which
shall be vise-ed without charge by the French Con.
sal, and the presentation of that voucher will be suf-
ficient to prove the nationality of the objects, which
are to be admitted exempt of all duty, and without
any other formality. As to goods having a right to
drawback, it is indispensable for them to be sub-
jected, for their verification, to all the usual forma-
lities of the Custom-house service; and they must,
in addition, be accompanied by a certificate like the
other descriptions of goods. However, although the
drawback is due only to goods definitively ex-