The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-17 00:00:00

Russians part in Athens, in Berlin, in Vienna,
at Frankfort, and we may, add, at Rome.
For this treachery—for it was no other—France now
finds just retribution. Germany, prostrate at the
feet of Austria and Russia, consents to form with
them a compact confederation, which is to stretch
not only to the confines of Moldavia, but which hoists
its colours on the Adda and the Po. When a French
general shall nett time find it necessary to cross the
Alps to defend Italy, be will find the armies, not
only of Austria, but of the whole German confedera-
tion, between him and Milan. And an expedition to
Ancona will not merely be an affront to Vienna,
but a move that must bring even the Baltic powers
forward to the repression of France. As the fruits
of the London protocol, this is certainly just. In the
effort to render Holstein indq)endent of Germane,
General LAIDTTE has succeeded in incorporating this
whole north of Italy with the German confedera-
tion.
Nor are these all the results of the Latirrre and
Tultits policy with regard to Germany. Those
French politicians were in great annoyance and
alarm, wuen the Prussian union attempted to unite
with it all the German states bordering on the Rhine,
when Prussian troops occupied Baden, and Prussian
policy threatened to prevail in the two Hesse' and
Nassau. Prussian influence and l'nrsian armies
have. indeed, been routed out of these states; but
Austrian influence and armies have been substituted.
The authority of the Grand Duke of BADEN U
sovereign power may be considered as destroyed.
Austria has renewed her old hold over Suabia, and is
at this moment using her influence to restore
the old catholic establishments, monasteries, and
party. She is doing the same in Franconia. Her
proposal in the Diet is to have those states on the
Rhine no longer garrisoned by their own troops,
but by the new army of the federation. So that, in
i addition to an army of the united German powers
lin Lombardy, France will find another permanent
army of upwards 0f400,000 men on the other side of
the Rhine. Instead of going to look fur them at
Bregentz, the French will find Austrian armies iu
Rastadt and at Ulm.
South Germany and North Italy being thus included
under the same riginvr, there comes forward necessa-
rily the question of that country which stands be-
tween them, which has so long maintained its
independence, and during the last year has succeeded
in preserving tranquillity and order. That great
power, which has just proscribed constitutional
monarchy from amongst the Germans, will scarcely
tolerate • democratic republic in Switzerland.
Self WARZENBERG and RADETSKI will not suffer German
and Italian refugees to harbour in the Free Cantons.
And in a month or two we shall hear of protocols,
and corSotr and triple notes menacing to the inde-
pendence and freedom of Switzerland. Frame used
to defend the Swiss. If she intends to persevere in
the same honourable line, she would soon have to
buckle on her diplomatic armour, and speak some
other language than of Outman or I..turrre.
Long since, indeed, have we said that as soon as
Germany was fully subdued to Russia, the turn of
France would come. The turn of France has some !
And perhaps it is all the better for L 01.38 NAPILEON
and for France that it has come, since a sentiment of
national dignity and danger may arouse the country
once more to theme feelings of liberalism. dignity, and
honour, of which it seemed in some danger of losing
even the memory and the tradition.

FRANCE.
PARIS, SATVRTAT EVENING.
M. Nis:ripen', private secretary of the l'residcnt
of the Republic, has add eased the following letter to
the editor of the Pays :
Sir—You have just opened a subscription at the offices of
your estirni'sle journal, noes ithstanding the declaration of
the President of the Republic that he would accept none.
That declaration, nevertheless, could neither give rise to
any doubt, nor any inception. It is ■ sacrifice without
reservation to the repose of the country. Crider whatever
form, th" refure, the funds may be collected, whatever desti-
n ttion may be assigned to them, the President cannot
accept them. Ile charges inc to repeat this in the ant
formal manner; and while thanking those personal:4loas
persevering regard would induce them to co-operate with
your personal devotedness, he begs you not to follow up this
priceted subscription. Accept, sir, the assurance of my
distinguished and devoted sentiments.
The President scents already to have thrown him-
self, without repining, into the measures of economy
demanded by his new position. He has given orders
for the sale of most of his horses, and two valuable
English horses, recently imported, have already been
wild. 11w horses Of the President which were at St.
('loud have been brought to the stables in the Rue
Montaigne.
A few days ago a Piedmontese paper, the Croce di
.Sarnia, drew the attention of the Sardinian govern-
ment to the concentration of large bodies of Aus-
trian troops on the line of the Ticino, and on the
formation of military magazines and hospitals at
Pavia and other places towards the Piedmontese
frontier. Public opinion required an explanation of
these vast military preparations, so menacing to the
independence of the Sardinian States, and so preg-
nant with warlike meaning. There is now no doubt
' that this stir of military demonstration on the part
I of Austria is really levelled, through Piedmont, at
France, and is the answer of the cabinet of Vienna
to the emphatic protests of French diplomacy against
the entrance of Austria, with her Slavonian,l
Hungarian, and Italian states, into the Ger-
manic Confederation. Great Loss been the stir
yesterday and to-day in and out of the Assesn-1
bly on this subject, which seems suddenly to have I
absorbed all minds. The fact is that France has
been so taken up with the squabbles of her intestine
power*, that her foreign policy has been since the,
revolution of February completely paralyzed. Awak-
ening from this trance, she starts to see the un-1
wieldy bulk of her old rival Austria, so lately shat-1
tered and prostrate, towering over her, hand in hand
with the great German rival, against whom she was
a month or two ago butting and bellowing war.
The old jealous suspicion of an European league
against France is at once revived in all its force.
Meanwhile people arc waiting here with much
anxiety for official knowledge of the course which
the English government is prepared to take on a re-
organisation of Germany, which teary up the treaties
of 1813.
The Minister of Marine, Admiral Valliant, seems I
not to have persevered in his intention of stopping'
the voyage to the missions; for I learn to-day that
the Cassini, commanded by M. Le Plat, has been I
commissioned to sail, during three years,on a voyage,
to all the French missions.
Nar aez quitted Bayonne on the 10th inst. to re-
turn to Madrid.
M. Leon Faucher announced, at the beginning of
the Amernblfe sitting, over which he presided to-
day, that the great importance of the new depart-
mental and municipal law demanded strict attention
in the bureaux upon its examination. He therefore
proposed that the Assembly should adjourn till
Thursday next. 'this proposal was agreed to; there-
fore no sitting will take place on Monday, Tuesday,
or Wednesday. The rest of the Assembly's sitting
of to-day was occupied in passing several articles of
the Mortgage Reform Law.
I informed you some time ago that M. Saint-
Beuve had presented a series of propositions for re-
forming the French tariff on free trade principles.
This question begins to be seriously agitated, and
to-day a long article appears in the Debats from the
pen of M. Michel Chevalier advocating the new
liberal doctrines in commerce, of which England has
shown the example. This frank adoption of the
principles of free trade by an organ representing
the upper bourgeoisie marls an important epoch in
the question of French commerce, and opens a cam-
paign against protection and monopoly under good
auspices. The government stands well-disposed to
introduce extensive changes in the existing commer-
, tint legislation iu favour of la rie a boa tnarelse,
which is found to be impassible as long as
the whole community is taxed for the be-
nefit of gavial classes. The great popularity
which has followed the cheapening of meat
by the uew freedom of public auction created
by the prefect of police is a stimulating encourage-
ment for the government of the President to perse-
vere in making the comforts of existence as accessible
as possible to the poorer classes. I send you some
account ut• the state of the coal trade to show the de-
plorable effect of this monopoly upon iron and steel
Imanufactures and other branches of industry.
The govcrntnent has issued the following official
notification for the purpose of stepping preparations
going on in Paris for a clandestine piratical expedi-
tion to Monte Video :
EnroLtni no' are at this moment going on in Paris far a
miittary and agtitultural colony at Mont* Video. The