The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-26 00:00:00

. TAZ EiP.ItESS, WEDNESD

----------
are of little importance. The inapt cl silk mans- 1
Maass forms die only. important item, of wMall the
flampas has to complain. We did certainly biped,
ha 1848, about 760,000 lba, of silk manufacturee I
onl
which we levied a deity of five shillings the ponid.
It is well known that the distiesses of the French '
masedbetwers and commercial climes generally were il
sash in 1848, that they inundated all other constrict
with their stocker to far more than double the saof.,ant
were woat to mind here, and receiving te,,c mom
,return, probably, than had they ene the slut
quatity.
ea,
these sae were not entered for home
I , still the distremes of oar neighbours did
nder certain kinds of such costly anperel very
re
cheap amongst us. And many a humble house-
wife or domeetto did indulge in the luxury of
a figured, silk gown that never aspired to it before.
Mow this Injured the British needlewomen, we are at
a bin to conceive ; in commas reasoning it most have
heliefited them, and thrown many more shillings
into the fund, on which ankrtunately so many
althorn starve. But how it aggravated their suffer-
tr. it must perplex even -Lord Bauman' to
Whilst the French exoel in one species of silk,
goods, the English manufacturer succanfully compettel
with them in another. Nay, what is more, he owes thei
opportuni y and the facility of this sneceesful cora-1
petition to eve trade. Even though we do in truch
years as 1848 import so large a quantity of silk
manufactureme still habitually export for it well nigh
a million. To France i-self, which sends us moss of
these silks complained of, we send silk and worsted
duffs in return ; and although we may take ef them
silks, and modes, and wines to the a mount of three
millions and upwards, they are suffici-ntly and
necessarily accommodating to take to a similar
amount of those Englis . commodities in which our
male and female population are engaged.
The noble Marquis is singularly wifortne ate in re-
commending a high prohibitive duty on silks, as
a boon which is to protect and give employ to
Leaden: operatives, male and female.l That high
ity did exist, and its fruits are recorded. One of its
fruits was the regular smuggling of French silks into
Ragland, to the rate of at least half a millionnse-
sterling a year. And this necessary ce
m of a high duty threw thousands of looms in
spitalfitlds out of work, and beggared more London
families than ever free trade or competition could do.
The protectionists of the lest century were, however,
as stubborn in their opinion as the Marquis of SALIS-
BURY. They would not listen to the advice of lower-
ing duties in order to prevent smuggling. They pre-
I ferred having recourse to a nostrum of their own, a
nostrum quite in accordance with Protection. This
was no other than to fix the price of labour
in the silk manufacturer of Spitalfields; in
other words, to protect the labourer by a maximum
of wages, u they had protected the manufacturer by
a high duty. There was some even (holing in line
at least. But it was unfortunate of result for all that.
For what with the maximum on the one hand, and
the facilities of smuggling on the other, Spitalfields
became bankrupt, and the silk manufacturer migrated
to places of freer industry and cheaper labour. It
was only in 1824 this precious act, very much akin
to the nailing of horseshoes on barn-doors to keep off
witches, was repealed.
Those who would trace out carefully the miseries
of the London poor, might, we are confident, go back
from cause to cause until they arrived at the vital one,
of there having existed a large manufacturing interest
in this metropolis, via , Spitalfields, which was ruined
and destroyed under a system of protection, and by it.
Protection extinguished the silk manufactures of Spital-
fields. The capitalists, which were thus ruined, have,
with their progeny, migrated and disappeared. Bet
" the poor are always with us :"—they remained be-
hind. And it is they and their descendants who conti-
nue the task of overstocking the market, lowering the
price of labour, learning like the Irish to live in misery,
and be content with next to nothing. What, in fact, are
these masses of poverty, but the dregs which Protec-
tion has lett behind ?—dregs nowhere more palpable,
more open to analysis, than in that very silk and
apparel trade which the Marquis of SALISBURY
would amend by sending it once more on the old
" Road to Ruin, of which we know the history, and
contemplate the results.

Tux cause of free institutions and free trade in
Ceutral and Eastern Europe, that cause for which we
are now in antagonism with Austria and with Russia,
interests us, independent of its moral and political
bearings, to the amount of from twelve to sixteen
millions of our annual export trade. It is, in fact,
more than one-fourth of our entire commerce that is in
dangtr. Thus we are ealkd to protest against the
hostility and en: roachments of a power which it has
pleased tory statesmen to call an ally, but which has
never borne us any fruits of friendly *llium), save
the absorption of British i 011126 and subsidies.
The average annual value of our exports, from

1842 to 1847, were—
To Germauy and Pnitela £6 830,000
To Indy
To Turkey 2,093,000
Here are nearly twelve millions. And, if we add
to them that share of our five millions of exports to
IHolland and Belgiumwhich find their way into
central Europe, the sum we have mentioned will be

reached. -
The direct efforts of Austria and of Russia are to
deprive us of this trade; whilst Austria, the
mere serf of the cabinet of St. Petersburg, sits
astride the Danube and proscribes its commerce, Rus-
sia is exciting troubles and insurrections in the
trans-Danubian provinces in order to bring about by
intrigue that anarchy and subjugation which it dare
not attempt by force of arms. Whilit Russia corers
the rear of Austria, and keeps down her malcontent
subject', that power is pressing violently upon Italy
and Germany, dictating to both the some laws, and
the injunctions of No free trade, No free institutions.
And whether north Germany itself may not succumb
as well as Italy, many well-informrd persons remain
still in doubt.
We have recalled attention to the danger with
which Italy is menaced, hy being absorbed in the
Czar's political system, acd the prohibitive commercial
system of Austria. We pointed out the probable'
loss to us of from two to three mllions of wrong. 1
To this we have received as answer from the Times:l
—" The deuce mend us. The prescription of our 1
trade is a just judgment upon Eogllnd for having
been so rash as to favour the cause of constitutional
governmew."LordMlNTO in Italy, Lord PALMEOqTrys
from England, strongly recommended representative
assemblies, more or less powerful, 100 e or less popu-
lar, to be granted by the sovereigns theinvelver, and
to remain a standing pact cf freedom and of peace
between the Italian% and their princes. That these
hopes of constitutional and monarchical liberty for
Italy were not visionary, we see a proof at this mo-
meet in the etre of Piedmon', which has at last
reached that haven, notwithstanding c revulsion, and
war, and deist. And that the same would have
succeeded' throughout all Italy, bat for the ex-
snipes and incitements to frenzy and to anarchy,
which come to the poor Italians fr ire France and from
Germany, th re need be no rational &OM. It was
not Italian madness that sat all Italy topsy-turvy, it
was the madness of Parisians end Vicente.. The
Times, however. declares that the Italians are rightly
served by the loss of their liberCee, and we for even
smiling on them by the loss of our trado. We 'holed
Have done in Italy, it declarer, as the Dutch di,: in
Japan. In order to preserve their trade, they con-
sented to the exizencies of a barbarous end bigot
government, in treading ignominiously upon the Cross.
Theo Times, indee 1, does not propose to English
1 statesmen to commit an act. altogether so profane.
Hut it abets a very analogous baseness when it re-
commerds that, in order to keep her trade, the Eng-
lishman should disavow his belief in constitutional
freedtm, and tread under foot its umbels and its
ids as.
We fear that ell this would have been very gratui-
torn meanness and Filsehond on the pert of my Lord
AnrRDEE'. Thnt ration which hae convened meeings
in every. town of importereo to erpese empathy for
Hungarians and for Romans, and one bewared and ten
of whose leading peers std legislators signed a protest
against Austrian despotism—such a nation as this
could not have been lowered to such vie servility, nor
vo old Austria herself have h reved it sincere. The
opiniors and the sympathies of the great masa of
Englishmen are for free trade and for Zee inetitn-
tione. Their opinions are net cdopted for expediency or
policy, but are expressions of the notional sentiment
which no minis.er and no jour, alist can honestly or
at least effectively disavow or betray.
The same raocorons vielerce which thrts'ens •r)
exclude our three millions°, exports for Italy menaces

▪ iithis also by our tense adllions for Germany, a
limb oral to that "Adele we have with the Milted
States, aad pearl; three u much as we e
Imith Brazil. lint whilst we are told to make hanav y
I sacrifice preserve the latter, our leading journalists
recoir2mend us to fling the 'German trade into the
r:sw of the great prohibitive pow.
The nines, indeed, asserts that Austria has made
fair offers to reduce her tariff. What Austria did I
offer was to mews her duties on the raw materials
of manufeetures for abroad, to reduce gradually
until abolition the dates between Austria and
the Zollverein, but only on the condition that
the German Zollverein should raise its duties
to meet Austria half way. This, in other
worda, was to unite Germany and Italy in
one large prohibitive union, comprising some
70 millions of souls. A more complete or hostile re-
newal of NAPOLLON'S continental blockade against
England could not be imagined. And the Times
bails this, nay, has the audacity to tell Englishmen
that they deserve it, for being guilty of the crime of
wishing constitutional government to the countries of
Europe!

FRANCE.

PARIS, MONDAY, HALT. PAST 5 P.N.
The only. sews to be given to-day is this :—The
President, yielding to the opposition shown to his law
en primary teachers, has consented to withdraw it
on condition that a speedy course will be allowed to
the law on education, which contains clauses in ac-
cordance with the chief points of the provisional law
on primary teachers.
In the chamber the debate turned upon M. d'Hant-
pours motion for the formation of a fourth foreign
legion, which would be filled up by the men from the
garde mobile, which, by decree, is declared to be
dissolved on and after the 31st of this month. This is ,
theec which has not met with the approbation of
committee, at the head of which is General
IBedean.
proposed that
General Lebreton, in a long speech,
the garde mobile should not be disbanded till the 31st
el December, 1850.
To this M. d'Hautpout said that General Lebreton
merely adjourned a question which required a solu-
tion.
M. Maugnin thought that the government was un-
grateful to the garde mobile. lie called on the cabi-
, net not to forget that the mobile guard had saved
'Pettis in June, 1848, and whatever might be the pro-
posal of government, there could be no volution of the
Trollop, unless it were in favour of these guards.
M. Mauguin then asked, could it not be possible to
organize a battalion of Paris tiraulleurs, in which
these men could he incorporated, and as be thought
the plan feasible, he would support General Lebreton's
amendment.
General Tattles was of the same opinion as M. Man-
iple. He was opposed by M. Mule.
After some desultory conversation, it was proposed
by several members to send back the project of law
and the amendments to the committee. This was
done, and the Chamber paused to another subject,
more calculated to rouse their attention, naraely, M.
Lagrange's question to the Minister of the Interior
respettting the wounded of February. The chamber
knew, said the honoureble member, what eminent 1,
services these men had given to France and to liberty II
at a time when France bad acclaimed the republic.
This was a sentiment that the Right ckuld not let
pass without a protest. M. Estancelin cried that I
France had borne the republic when it was imposed,
but his burst of eloquence drew down upon him the
order of President Dupla.
M. Lagrange continued, saying that rewards had
been promised but never given ; he asked, therefore,
that that should be done for the combatants of Feb.,
which had not been omitted in the case of those of
June.
After a received burst of Eloquence from M. Eaten-
celin,_who challenged M. Lagrange to single combat,
the Minister of the Interior informed the houke that
all the sums placed at the disposal of government by
the constituent and legislative assembly,had been spent
in relieving the combatants, the wounded, the widows,
and the orple,ns of Feb. The number of the latter was,
he added, very small. M. Segur d'Agueaseau said that
were he to incur once more the wrath of the Moun-
tains, he could not abstain from recording his opinion,
that the re?ublic which had been proclaimed on the 4th
of May, had nothing common with that of the 24th of
Feb. The founders of the republic of Feb. were the
authors of the affair of June, and he declared that for
his part he entirely reserved the cause of those
soldiers who on the 24th of February had alum) de-
served a national recompense.
M. Lagrange returned to the tribune, and asked
was there not an article amongst the regulations
which punished a member using opprobrious epithets
to his colleagues. Ile had not time to end his sen-
tence, for M. Legur d'Agneeseau said that he had not
meant anything personal to M. Lagrange.
'1 he Journal du Havre stater., on the authority of a
private letter from the United States, that the Cabinet
of Washington had just admitted the justice of the
demand for indemnities made by M. U. T. Poussin,
and which was the origin of his dispute with Mr.
Clayton.
he Foment() of Barcelona of the 14th announces
that the Company El Veterano has signed a em.tract
with Messrs Talabot, of Paris, for the construction of
a railway from Barcelona to San Juan de las Aba-
deices, uniting Barcelona to San Andres, Granullers,
Vich Biped, and the rich mines at San Juan de las
Abadessas. M. Peters, acting director of the com-
pany, had left for Madrid, to submit the plans, &c., to
the government.
TIIIT•111•

'I Yee Amoiant. abli
PARIS, Dec. IL For I
Mitaly. iOgembegllligbest. Loaest.,Clesing. imvi
S per its.
6 per Cents. 92" 49
71 4.110 it "10 98.1 84" 9"1 1.1 still
i do. New ham. ~ le 0 is " al',
4i per Costa. rs is n n
4 per Cents • 71"90 „ is i, is rep
Eubange on Lewdest t=) PI days, 25 43; 90 dare, 26 32i. the
askrs, 5, 1840 ....„ 1 . Naples Reams 93 50 Awe.) the
Do. 9 1442 - ... 64 „ '
Do. 4%
Do. Si — ~ Bank Shares
Borame. —Pula sad Orleans, 765 • Paris and Rouen, '343 —; i
Rouen and Barre, 240; Strasbourg sad Basle, 121 25: Celia. (Vier- ,
,s&, 332 50; Orlesns and Bordeaux. —; Berth. 462 50; Pan. end nit'
Strasbourg, 360; Tours and Bastes, 277 Se; Avignon sed,mereeines, par
215 ; Dieppe and Fecansp, 162 SO; Versailles (right bank), 207 50 ;
bed
Do. (left bank) 167 50; Montereau and Troyes, 111.
It 1
PARIS, TvcalisaY. 5.30 e.x.
This is Christmas-day, and, curious to relate, it seems Its
to be new-a-days mwe of a festival than in past years.
It is remarked, indeed, that religious feeling seems to ns;
be on the increase. This is a goad symptom, but a -11
still better one is to be found iu this, that Caristmas de
' finds advecatt sin the press. Thus the Assemblee "
Nationale to-day says : ra
Noel! Noel! Such was the old cry orour fathers! Christ- tit
mu! thee um the espreesi-m of family feelings, the symbcl
"1 C,''
t of the domestic hearth ; it was round this hearth that
1 assembled the hierarchy of the house, the first basis f pro- NI
0 perty. All this no longer exists ; a to, g spiri•et have de-
stroyed these innocent joys, these symbols of the great 0,
' principle' which are the ground work of moiety. Christman ~,
i was a fete of joy; when kills and muilieipsl magist•etts 11.
n entered into cities, the reek. cried : " Noel! ' The lcgenda 01
et are c,nneeted with the Saviour of the World, of him who C,
it taught us to love and to succour cut fellow-creatures. It is c
~ almost an anniversary of circumstance, now that family tie,
' and order have been 53 violently attaeke I. Jf yon wish to „'
9 make the government of tee country rcep.ne ci, d 3 honour
n yourstivet to traditions; warm to the heart all these sacred ii
!d customs. You, philoeephers, declaimers, who have I rune C
in sod honour, take tare; you think to save yourselves wit`tont c
nChmtian it,structioa ; their lies year capital error; you r
, march tow.rds an abyss ; who wit respect your property,
" which is a derma, if y.,ti attack other elo4m a? Yon a:e
W. how everything is 10-seced because the customs of our ,
eh ancestors are atitndoned. Like the old Rnmsns of the i
e, deesdenee, we crown with flowers our tired pleasures."
w- Notwithstanding the reproaches of the Aeremblv,
g- there is no d.inbt, as I said betore, that Christmas ie
sal much more celebrated than it need to be. The pror.f
its is evident in the farness of all the churches, the
ui-
perowdshor ofi hholidaym- fpeol kite lye ande Toe d shutting twt i:irge up of
crowded.te
nd The sky was clear, and the tun warmed the frosty
tgi atmnephere. Penp'e and carriages had 11)ckcd tees -
for ther, and nature seemed completely to smile on
ten Christmas is Paris.
!get The Chsmber did not sit to-day. I told yon yes-
his terday that the President had determined to withdraw
nor his project of law on primary teachers, and it was FO ;
Ile but his decision hid been taken in the abrenre of M.
sof de Pariea, the minister who presented it. That gea-
itu• tleman and his cnileseuee refuse point blank to give
yor up the law. At the council board the querion was
cot discussed, and the President ultimately con-
eor sented to go rn with the law. M. de Pari n
then want down to the committee, and announced
rto that the president had spin cherg d hie wind, A,
aces , altercrion inamtly took place between the minter