The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-31 00:00:00

the public, and mature it by experiments, without
any apprehension of thereby forfeiting his claim to
patent in respect of it. Any party objecting to the
patent must within this period lodge with the eon.
missioners the particulars of his objts:tion, the hear-
ing of which will be open, and in the presence of
both parties.
With so much of this scheme as relates to " provi-
sional protection" we very heartily concur ; it is
vast improvement on one of the very worst portions
of the ancient practice, and will tend materm4 to
benefit the condition of the poorer class of applicants
for patent rights, by enabling them to bring their
inventions in a public way before 'the attention of
capitalists, and so obtain that pecuniary assistance
for want of which so massy practical improvements
of the highest value have either been lost altogether,
or have proved wholly valueless to their invenews,
With respect to the board of scientific examiners,
we are more doubtful. It looks plausible on paper,
but in the United States, where it has been for some
time in operation, it has not been found to work
beneficially. We are strongly inclined to think
that the true policy would be to dispense altogether
with this preliminary investigation into the novelty
and utility of the proposed patent, and to grant the
right in the first instance almost as of course, leaving
the parties who may bona jute consider themselves
aggrieved to try the question of priority in
the ordinary tribunals working by a the.
roughly reformed system of procaline. We
regard as chimerical the anticipation that this course
would give rise to any increase of litigation. Then,
as now, no patent rights would be contested, except
those which experience had shown to be really vain.
able ; and as regards these it is not pretended that
the preliminary investigation before the commis.
sinners should be conclusive and final as to the ques-
tions of novelty and priority, on which the concession
and preservation of patent rights must, on any nye.
tem, be made to turn. _ . .

With reference to the two highly important points
of providing an adequate machinery for registering
and classifying specifications, and also for the trial 01
patent rights, the government measure has done
much, but has left much still to be done. Reserving
the further expression of our opinion on these and
other portions of the bill until we have had an op•
portunity of more maturely considering it as amended
by committee, we may say that the public has reason
on the whole to feel considerably indebted to Lord
GRAN:N7I.I.es committee and to the ATTORNEY.
GENERAL, for the ability with which the one has
framed, and the readiness with which the other has
adopted, this alteration in the law ; an alteration
which, though it cannot be regarded as a final ad-
justment of a confessedly difficult social problem,
must yet be accepted as a timely concession to an
urgent public want, and a very decided step in the
right direction.

FRANCE.

PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVENIN,.

The Men/item. is headed by the resolution passed
yenrtcrdav by the Assembly to prorogue itself from
the lOtliAngust to the 4th November; and to ap-
point a committee of permanence, in conformity with
the provisions of the 32nd Article of the Constitution.
The Assembly has selected among the dates moved
for the commencement and termination of its vacation
those which comprised between them the largest
term of repose. Me chief objection to tire adoption
of the 10th of August for the starting point of tho
holidays being an implicit evasion of the re-election
of the board of the Assembly, fixed fur the 12th,
M. Dupitiodaigosed of this argument by proposing
that the shorffel be reelected to-morrow, to-
gether with the committer of permanence. The 4th
of November was preferred to the 31st October as
the limit of the prorogation on the motion of M.
Lefebre-Darufle, who showed that these elutes
amounted virtually to the same thing, the three first
days of November being religious festivals. In
fuet the Ist November is All-Saints' Day,
the 2nd a Sunday, and the :kd "Ia
jour des Morts." The Assemble has thus managed
to carve out for itself nearly three solid months of
repose. The single representatives will. however,
enjoy but little of that rest which they have voted
themselves+ in the aggregate. They will have to
place themselves in closer communication with their
constituents, and to receive as well as to impart in-
fluences tending to the solutions of the great quells
tions of the day. Among these revision (reentries of
course the chief place. Already the initiative has
been taken by the representatives of the (lard in
framing an address to their constituents, setting in
the strongest light the reasons which urged them to
vote in favour of amending the constitution; and
no doubt this example will be followed by the repre-
sentatives of other departments. On the other
hand those parts of the country whose opinion has
not been faithfully represented in the parliament„
will cull their deputies to a strict account for their
votes. From all this mutual action the will of tho
majority of the country will gradually respond with
greater power and intensity to the will of the majo-
rity of the parliament, until revision become a ms.
Ronal cry, and bear down all opposition before it.
The prorogation was opposed altogether by the
IMountain, who hold that the course of legislation
shou'd flow on in an uninterrupted stream ; and ad-
mit neither fatigue of mind or body as a sufficient
excuse for suspending the labours, of which the
nation is impatiently awaiting the results. Later
dates for the commencement of the vacation were
prol.osed by M. Monet and M. Valentin, to gite time
for the discussion of the Lyons Railway Bill and the
first book of the Municipal Hill, but the arguments
lof neither of these members of the Left feel any
weight with the Assembly. M. Orton wanted to
know what was to become of his motion lire opening
the gates of France to the exiled branches ut' tho
lhouse of liourlsm, adjourned to Ist of S' member,
'which fell in the midst of the recess. The Assembly
refused to accede to his proposition for anticipating
the date of the discussion of this question, but ad-
mitted, in acquiescence with the arguments of
M. Haze, that the motion for the abrogation of tho
laws-of exile fell de jure on the order of the day for
the Ith of November.

To-day the Assembly was occupied in discussing
the bill for tho renewal of the law of police on
theatres. But the engrossing subject was the ap-
pointment of the committee of permanence, which
comes on to-morrow. There appears to be a general
feeling of confidence that the prorogation will pass
over very quietly, without any demonstrations of
Bonapartism. Hence the mission of surveillance
will be probably confided to peaceable second-rate
men. Everybody is us anxious as possible to ovoid
being named on the committee; for the only meaning
at present attached to the appointment is that it will
detain the commissioners in Paris.

M. Pascal Duprat demanded that M. Haze's bill
on the sale of journals should be placed on the order
of the day. 'this motion was rejected. '1 he house
then promeded to discuss the proposition relative to
the duty on spirits distilled from molasses.
interview
with 'morning General Oudinot had an
with the President at the Elyske.
No sooner does a vacant seat occur in the Assembly
than the name of M. Guizot is immediately put for-
ward by rumour as a candidate. This has been the
case with respect to the impending election of the
Seine, in consequence of the retirement of General
Magnan. It need hardly be said that the present
parliament is too near its latter cud for the ex-mini&
ter of Louis Philippe to seek to become, as it were,
a fresh patch in the worn-out Assembly.
The committee on the bill for authorising the city
of Paris to contract a loan of 50 millions of francs,
has adopted_ purely and simply the bill of M. Leon
Faucher. M. Vitet is appointed reporter.
The following is the result already known of 250
sections of the department of the Nord—Rh:eta'
inscribed, 104,078. M. Vaisse has obtained 15,145; M.
Delaroyire, 9,221; lust votes, 5,032. The number of
votes to render the election valid is 30,250.
Thereas.rcesst7lol sections of which the results are
not known. The election of M. Value is secured.
M. Deluroyelre is the legithnist!candidate. Thus the
lest four elections will have terminated in the
truunple of the lionapertists.
With regard to the alleged interview between
Girardin and Ledru Rollin, the Patric saes:
M. Leclru wrote a letter to one of his friends,
dated London, Saturday evening, which reached
Paris on Sunday evening, in which, in hi' Lace-
demonian laconic style, he says : ' It is now four
o'clock in the afternoon;'s[nilc'to Girardin has just
left my house; he came here at eleven this morning.
We arc agreed on all ifolifta.'"
The contains the " denouement " of' one