The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-19 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARLi.

(non ous ows 001/111PONDIMIT.)
PARIS, TUUDAY Emma.

The conversion manoeuvre has met with a serious
cheek at the Bourse to-day. The " mysterious
buyer,"whose duty it is to support the market with
borrowed millions, did not appear to be at his post,
and the public was rushing to selL There are
people who think that the fall is a ruse de guerre,
which, in the highly complicated and artificial state
of the market, brought about by the vast fictitious
transactions of the government, may afford an
opening for playing out the reserved funds with
advantage. But this may be a very dangerous
game to play. According to the most sanguine
calculations, not more than half the Four-and-a-
Half per Cents. is yet converted ; and it is
well known that a large portion of this stock
consists of that which was bought up for the pur-
pose from the holders, who sold out because they
did not like the measure. The panic of to-day
will certainly frighten a great many waverera, and
is likely to outweigh the too plausible arguments
and calculations which the government publishes
morning and evening in its metropolitan organs,
and forces the provincial papers to repeat by the
authority of the prefects. A very bad impression
ibas been produced by the publication of a " con-
' fidential " letter from a public prosecutor in the
departments, threatening notaries who may
advise their clients to sell Four-and-a-Half
per Cents. with pains and penalties. The
exceeding anxiety betrayed by M. de Per-
signy's circular and other government mea-
sures, taken in conjunction with the light
thrown on the subject by speeches in the Corps
Legislatif, and the serious fall of to-day, will in all
likelihood render the remaining holders of Four-
and-a-Half per Cents. extremely unwilling to fork
out the soulte required to exchange their securities
against Three per Cents. The threat to pay them
off at par is, in the present condition of the French
treasury, a brubum fairies, and it is next to certain
that the Three per Cents. will go down as soon as
the artificial prop which keeps them up at extra-
ordinary sacrifices shall be withdrawn. Mean-
while, scandal says that some parties who shall be
nameless have made enormous fortunes out
of these most nefarious riggings of the money
market. To-day the Rente fell 55c for cash,
and 60e. for account, closing very heavily, at
70fr. 30c. and 70fr. 40c. The Four-and-a-Half per
Ceuta. fell 60c., closing at 100 fr. 50e. There has
been some serious misunderstanding to-day about
the New Tbree-and-a-Half per Cent. stock. Yes-
terday the minister ordered it to be negotiated with
the six months' dividend which would have been
due on the Four-and-a-Half per Cents, on March
22. To-day that decision has been revoked, in
consequence of complaints from the brokers that it
gave rise to confusion. The holder of the Old
Four-and-a-Half per Ceuta is to receive the coming
dividend, and not the party who may purchase
from him the equivalent amount of New Threes.
In consequence of this decision, the New Threes
(which fell 40c.) are quoted at only 69fr. 40c.
against 70fr. 40c., which, as above stated, is the
last price of the Old Rente. Mobilier fell °fr. 25c. ;
the Italian Loan, 45e. ; and most of the railways
about Mr. Northern (the only line in which there
was auy improvement) rose lfr. 25c.
I Bend as a real curiosity the diametrically oppo-
aite opinions of two equally "independent and
devoted" Parisian journals, published simulta-
neously of and concerning the last proclamation of
the occult committee which from time to time
launches manifestos at Rome.
Tim Pays, Journal de rEsaptre, says :

The National Committee of Rome publishes in the Nazione
a proclamation which is not wanting either in dignity or
grandeur. It is ao energetic appeal to the moderation and
prudence of the Roman people, who are exhorted never to
forget their double character of Italians and catholics, and
to hold in equal respect the sceptre of Bing Victor Em-
manuel and the tiara of Pius IX.

M. de la Guerronniere's journal, the Petrie,
speaks of this same document in the following
terms :

We have received the proclamation of the National
Committee of Rome, which, as everybody knows, is ouly
a petty branch of that of Turin. We not do such
lucubrations tho honour of criticising them. They contain
nothing but emphatic commonplace, and covert hatred
disguised under a varnish of hypocrisy.

The great joke is that both the above paragraphs
emanate from the Tuileries, but come down
different back stairs.

An insideous clause, of a highly blameworthy
nature, has been introduced into a bill for the
modification of certain articles of the penal
code. Hitherto publication has been considered
the essence of a hbeL But it is now proposed
to enact that any libellous writing or
"drawing" relating to any magistrate, whether
judicial or administrative, although not
made public, shall subject the author to fifteen
days' imprisonment. Bo that anybody who may
make a caricature of M. Troplong, on a slate in his
own bedroom, may be brought to trial for the
offence. The Droit very manfully protests against
this inquisitorial innovation upon all known prin.
ciplot of French law, and says it is worse than
anything ever done in the worst of times.

MR. DIOBY SEYMOUR, M.P., AND TILE DENCHERS.
—ln a speech to his constituents at Southampton, Mr.
Digby Seymour tells the world that certain charges have
been brought against him Were the bankers of his inn.
He complains that these originated with a few indi-
viduals of his own circuit, and that during the investi-
gation which ensued lie was upon fifteen differeut
occasions before the masters of the bench. He com-
plains also, awl, as we think, most reasonably, that
this iovo..tigation " was conducted by men sitting down
after dinner, varying iu their numbers and atteud-
nee, awl sometimes postponing the inquiry upon
the moat trivial ground a" Speaking indignantly
of these char,;ea, he says, " I would to tied that they had
been conducted iu the broad light of day, and before the
face of my ouistiments and the country." Of course, we
am bound not to know what the charges were sod what
the eviden.• adduced nut So far as the public is con-
cerned, they rest still upon mere rumour. So also
does the result. Mr. Dighy Seymour says he
was houuurably acquitted the handlers say nothing
at all, so that Mr. Digiy Seymour's is the ouly
testimony before us. All we can gather from this public
speech is that a private inquiry has beau held upon charges
which impugned Mr. Dtgby `Seymour's private honour, and
that the secret committee which have sat upon him refuse
to make public either the evidence or the judgment.
Every Englishman will feel at once that if this
be true the conduct of the bendiers is atrocious. " I hopo
the public," says Mr. Rigby Seymour, "will declare, sooner
or later, that a man holding my rank should not be tried
in the dark, by a tribunal constituted like that before
which I have appeared, upon any charges affecting his pro-
(erminel conduct or his private character." It seems to es
that the benches* of the Middle Temple have been placed
in a position from which there is no escape except by acce-
ding to Mr. Seymour's demand for full publicity. When
Mr. Seymour says, " I have no objection on earth,
if it pleases these who were my judges, to the pub-
lication to the world of everything which took place
before them," they cannot an honourable men refuse
to give Mr. Seymour this publication. These secret in.
quiriea are things always abhorrent to every generous
mind, oppressive to individuals, and obstructive to public
justice. If these beechenare the guardians of the
onour of a profession In which the nation has an
interest, it is clear that their proceedings and
their judgments ought, in cases such as this, to
be open to the world ; and we should be al-
lowed to know whet, in their opinion, a barrister may
do, and yet be a gentleman and an advocate fit to be trusted
by clients and judges. If they are the guardians of the
honour of individual members of their profession, the
right to give the man whose honour they me said to vouch
for the full benefit of their public epproviL At present the
public does sot know how far they are protected against the
possibility of improper persons being paned upon them
under the gown of barristers and Queen's counsel, and, am
the other hand, Mr. Rigby Seymour has not the benefit of
his honourable acquittaL

• .

MUSIC.

BT. JAMES'S HALL.

A concert was given last evening for the benefit
of the widows and orphans left destitute through the late
appalling calamity at the Hartley colliery. We are not
Informed with whom it originated, but it was got up under
highly aristocratic patronage; the arrange:smite were ably
managed by Mr. Maplmon ; with the generosity which on
such occasions, distinguishes the musical profusion, a
number of its most emit:mot members proffered their gra-
tuitous @anima ; there was a large sad fashionable au-
dience ; and the prices of admissioa being high, we have no
doubt that this concert will produce a substantial addition
to the fund now raising for the above benevolent purpose.
A performance of this kind is not a subject for criticism ;
but the efforts of those who oontributed their assistance to
it deserve the most honourable mention. The singers were
Mademoiselle Titian', Signor Giuglini, Madame Ruder'.
dorif, Madame Lemaire, Madame itaiuton-Dolby, Mr.
Wilbye Cooper, Signor Bordini, Mr. Thomas, end Mr
Weiss. The instrumental performers were M. 88113tOn and
Miss Arabella Goddard; and Messrs. Howard Glover,
Randeager, Wilhelm Ganz, and Benedict officiated as con.
doctors, and acompanied thermal pieces. With such a com-
bination, the entertainment could not fail to be admirable.