The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-21 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EV.

titled to so many more marks. A candidatev
who takes in the Bible only is entitled he
the benefit of the knowledge whisk he dinghies
in that subject, even although he may never have
entered a cathedral or have opened the Pryer-
book or Catechism. It is no doubt true that the
certificate of such a candidate will contain no
words expressing that he has satisfied the exa-
miners in Faith and Religion ; but in competing
with the Church boy, he will get credit for every
atom of knowledge, either secular, or religions, or
biblical, which he may possess. According to
the original system, no marks whatever were
given for religious knowledge, nor were Dissenters
allowed to take up the Bible as a subject
of examination without the Prayer-book. tinder
the present system marks are given for
religious knowledge, and that religious knowledge
may consist either of the Bible alone or of the
Prayer-book ; but to each and every part
separate marks are attached, and separate credit
is given.
It is clear, therefore, that in the Class List the
Churchman and the Dissenter are upon a perfect
equality. The form of the certificate will,
undoubtedly, vary ; but the place upon the
Class List is the important matter ; and in
determining that place, every fraction of knowledge
possessed by every candidate, whatever his reli-
gious creed, is taken into account. When the
regulation states that unless the candidate takes
in both portions of the second section he cannot
be held to have satisfied the examiners in that
section, it does not mean that the marks gained
in either portion will be struck out, and the candi-
date not allowed the benefit of them. It simply
means that the certificate will not contain the
words that the candidate has satisfied the exa-
miners in the Rudiments of Faith and Religion.
On this ground, therefore, while it is to be regretted
that the examinations should not be conducted on
the broadest basis of equality, it seems to us
there is no reason why the ingenuous youth just
over fourteen should not be allowed to grati:y
his most laudable ambition without doing any
violence to his father's convictions.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE. '
1

We reed iu the Frankfort Jounia/ of Tuesday :
" We are assured that the recognition of the king-
dom of Italy by the Prussian government has been
actually decided upon, and may be considered an
approaching eventuality. Admitted in principle,
and imposed on the cabinet of Berlin by the daily
increasing pressure of liberal opinion, this recogni-
tion will not in any case be made under the form of
an express declaration. A correspondence, in which
we have confidence, affirms that the Prussian minis-
try, far from isolating itself by this act, will seek,
on the contrary, to weaken its meaning by appearing
to submit to it as a necessity—a consequence of its
relations with Italy."

(sztrrn's msawas.)
FRANCE.

PARIS, Frs. 21.

The Moniteur of this morning publishes a decree
cancelling the decree of the 3rd May, 1859, which
offered military engagements to volunteers for two
years without any bounty.

AMERICA.
NEW YORK, FEL 8.
(Pea City of Washington, via Queenstown.)
The following is from the New York Herald of
to-day :
The well-matured plans of General M'Clellan are being
worked out in rapid suomesion by the able officers who corn-
mend the different divisions of the army and navy in the
interior and on the coast. The capture of Fort Henry, on
the Tennessee river, at two o'clock on the 6th, by the gun-
boats odder the command of Commodore Foote, is a moat
important SUOMI& The fort was defended gallantly
by the Commandant General Lloyd Tilghman, and his
forces. The fort mounted twenty guns, and seventeen
mortars. General Tilghman and his staff, together with one
colonel, two captains, and sixty men, were taken prisoners.
The battle was essentially a naval one, the troops of
Generals AfcClernand and Grant not having been called
upon to participate. The gunboats &MI, Caroodelet,
cinati, St. Louis, Taylor, sad Lexington did the whole
business. After a fight of an hour and a quarter
the fort surrendered unconditionally, and Commodore
Foote heeded it over to General Grant, immediately upon
the arrival of that officer, which took place not loos after
the flag was struck. The Essex was the only gunboat
seriously injured, a shot having gone through her boilers,
causing death to many of her crew by scalding. The
Cincinnati received thirty-one shots, wounding :eight men,
sad killing some. General Halls* announces the victory
in • brief and graphic despatch, in these words :
" Fort Beery is ours ! The flag of the union is re-
established on the soil of Tennessee. It will never be
removed.
" By command of Nakir-General Helleck."
I _

A despatch from Cairo yesterday announces that our
troops have taken possession of the bridge on the Memphis,
sad Bowling Green is mit off from the same point. It is
true there is a railroad indirectly conuecting Bowling Green
with Memphis by way of Nashville, but if or. fleet can get
up to Florence, they may be able to destroy the
last connexion between Memphis and all the leading
poiata east of it. If we may judge from the statement of
the rebel jonruala, Fort Henry was almost impregnable
The Memphis Appeal of the 31st ult., says that the
troops in that fort and in Donnelson, on the Cumberland
river, ware adequate to mist say Wick from the enemy.
' By our latest reports horn Paducah, it appears that
Generals Giant and Smith were punning the flying rebels
to the number of four or five thousand on each side of the
river, and it was reported that many of the garrison
of Fart Henry abandoned the fight, leaving the Artil.
Ley Corp alone to defend it, not having much oympathy
with the cause of rebellion. Several gunboats left Pads-
all yesterday for the Cumberland sad Tennessee rivers,
and General Grant was to attack Fort Donuelson to-day. It
is thus evident that the blow struck at Fort Henry is to be
vigorously followed up by our generals.
Not only has the battle resulted in a victory in Ten.
nesser, but it has achieved a second victory for the country
is Congress—for the bill appropriating ten millious'of dollars,
to build twenty iron clad gunboats, which had previously
passed the house, was immediately passed in the Senate yes-
terday, upon the arrival of the news from Tennessee.
Hitherto the Senate objected to the bill, 03 the ground that
iron-clad gun-boats were as yet only an experiment is Eng.
land and Panes, as well as in this country, and that
10 millions were too much to pay for an experiment ; but on
the news of the victory win by our iron-clad gunboats at
Poet Henry, all objections were settled, and the bill, which
should have been passed two months ago, at one became •
law.

The Count and Countess de Chambord have
arrived in Venice.

The magnificent album, representing in all its
details the summer palace of the Emperor of the Celestial
Empire, bas just been deposited, by order of the Emperor
Napoleon, in the library of the Palate of Compii4ne. This
album, engraved in China by the missionaries, consists of
twenty engravings, placed upon pasteboard, with silk mar.
gins. At the taking of the summer palace, it fell to the
lot et General de Montsubsn, who presested it to the
Emperor. Another souvenir of the Chinese expedition has
been placed in the ltdose des Souverains. This is the
sceptre or 'Leff of command of the Emperor of China. This
staff is in green jade, and at either end is sculptured in re-
hero the enema lotus flower.

Mr. Macbean is actively engaged iu forwarding
to the International Exhibition the contributions of
Roman exhibitors, of whom the list is headed by
the Pope himself. His Ho!'ness sends a magni-
ficent missal, bound in crimson velvet, with gold clasps
and mountings, and enclosed in an inlaid ebony case,
which, when opened, forms a leggin, or reading-desk, for the
missal. This splendid work is entirely a home-maile,or rather
Rome-made production, the paper having been made ex-
pressly at the government manufactory at Subiaco, the types
mat for the purpose in Rome, the printingexecuted in colours
at the Stamperia Cameraleaad the illuminated frontispieces
painted by a distinguished Roman artist. After having
been exhibited, this gorgeous specimen of modern mica&
Is to be sent to Cardinal Wiseman as a sovereign souvenir
from Pio Noon. His Holiness also exhibits an extremely
handsome crucifix, which is ultimately designed to enrich
the Roman catholic cathedral of St. George, in Southwark.
Cardinal Antonelli sends two splendidly printed and bound
breviaries, which, after having been exhibited, are also to
be presented to catholic communities in England.
Two magnificent maps are about to be published
by the French War Department, illustrating the cam-
paigns of the Crimes and of Italy. They are to contain
maps, plans, drawings, and views of strategic points, for-
tresses, and the fields of battle on which the French army
distinguished Reef. The war departments in other coon-
tries are likewise executing topographic works. Spain is
completing a map of the campaign In Morocco. The en-
gravings base been executed by artists attached to the staff
during the campaign. The chromolithography of the
itinerary of the Captain-General is said to be very remark.
able. The officers of the staff of the Dutch army are
actively eogspd in preparing a typographical map of
Holland. The staff of the Grand Duke of Radon are like •
wise preparing a typographic atlas of the Grand Duchy of

-----
A communiattion from Rome of the 14th gays :
" For the tint time this year, now fell here yesterday. It
came down in large (lakes for about an hour, aed covered
the streets and the roofs of the houses, but it soon melted.
It. momentary appearance, however, was sufficient, accord•
ing to immemorial custom, to procure a holiday for all the
schools. In the country and on the mountains round Rome
it has fallen more abundantly, and from the top of the
Quirinal all the heights and plains around appear of dazzling
whiteness."

The authoritiee of Pau have just published the
return of the number of foreign families who have visited
that watering-place during the last four years. The totals
are 391,422, 525, sod 613, showing a regular and constant
increase. The number of individuals IBA year was about
3,000, half of whom were.lleglish.

K About having published several letters in
the provincial joarsals, in which be applies the expreesku,
"cream of Paris blarlignords " to those who hired Gaetano
at the Odke, the students have published an answer M a
journal called Lc Transit, washed ia tams as inolent as
the.. end by 11. About.

.G, FEBRUARY

ZXPRESS FROM PARIS.

MON OUR OWN CORRISPONDIO73
PA KIS, THURSDAY EVENING.

The debate on the address in the Senate began
this afternoon, but nothing striking has yet occurred.
M. Larabit made a speech in favour of Poland, and
expressed regret that France and England did not
encourage the Poke to rise during the war in the
Crimea. He, however, moved no amendment, and I
did not even require the ministers on the official
bench to answer him. He saw nothing practical
at the present moment but to appeal to the gene-
rous sentiments of the Emperor Alexander.
The next speaker was M. Storm, who, referring
to the paragraph relating to Italy, expressed the
opinion that if the French government, without
asking the Pope to consent to a compromise, which
he would never voluntarily come into, had taken
upon itself to make such an arrangement at Rome
as it thought right the Pope would have submitted.
He proceeded, however, to show that the arrange-
ment which in his view would be proper did not
infer the loss of the temporal power, and spoke with
considerable bitterness against what he called the
aggressive pretensions of Piedmont.
The Moniker denies that Prince Napoleon
brought forward any amendment before the com-
mittee of the address, but does not say that be
will not move or support an amendment in the
course of the debate. The impression continues to
be that he will.

The announcement in the Moniker that, in spite
of the smooth explanations of Cardinal Antonelli,
the French government expects that the French
bishops will not leave their dioceses to go to Rome,
under pretext of assisting at the canonisation of
the Japanese martyrs, is an event of first-rate
importance, as showing the dissensions which
exist between the court of Rome and the
Tuileries. It is, moreover, a contradiction of
lies which have been very stoutly told by the
Patric and other semi-official organs, which pro-
tested over and over again that France had not
made the least objection to the congress of bishops.
The Temps very roundly denies the position laid
down as incontrovertible by Count de Morny in'
the debate on Count de Palikao's dotation that the
Emperor has a right to create titles of nobility.
It argues with much plausibility that ever since
1789 the monarchs, who, in derogation of the
republican theory, have created nobles, were
thereunto specially anthorised by positive law.
The constitutions of the present empire are silent
on the subject, and therefore unless, which seems
extremely difficult, the Emperor, whose power is
derived from universal suffrage, is to be held to
inherit the prerogatives of the old divine right
monarchy, titles granted by him are acknow-
ledged only from subserviency (the French
phrase for which is haute conoenanee), and
not in obedience to any legal right. The hostile
feeling against the pension of 60,000 fr. to General
Montauban and his heirs for ever becomes more
intense every hour. It is a real difficulty for the
government. The objections in point of principle
are fortified in this particular instance by personal
considerations. There is a strong belief that this
general has made abundant use of unusual oppor-
tunies of feathering his nest—not only in old times
in Algeria, when he was a comrade of the cele-
brated Captain Doiueau, of Arab bureau notoriety,
but recently at the plunder of the Emperor of
China's palace.
The Conetitutionnel contradicts, in the following
cramped phraseology, a rumour of which I never
yet heard, that the Emperor was about to under-
take a journey :
Some journals have announced that the Emperor was
shortly going on a journey. We behave the statement to
be inexact ; nothing leads to the presumption that his M►-
jesty thinks of absenting himself from Paris at the pre-
sent moment.

It is hard upon the public that the journals pro-
fessing to be semi-official cannot affirm or deny •
matter of fact in a plain way. The tortuous
phraseology which their timidity and imperfect in-
structions compel them to use will, in time, cor-
rupt the French language.
The Bourse has ultimately recovered to a great
extent from the fall of the last few days, but the
oscillations were violent, and, in the course of the
day, quotations were lower than ever. The Ratite,
after being done at 69fr. 35c. and 69fr. 60c., closed
at 70fr. 10c. for cash and 70fr. 30c. for account,
with a rise of 50c. and 35c. Mobilise rose 7fr.80c.;
and the Italian Loan, 40c. The Orleans Railway
rose 12fr. 50c. ; and Lyons, 6fr. 25c.; in the other
lines there was little change.