The Express.
London, England, 1851-08-28 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, WZDNEADAT EVEMINO.
M. Michel %urges and the other advocates of the
accused of Lyons have renounced the defence. The
President will immediately name public officers to

defend the accused.
The absence of Count Mole from the list of Or.
leanist visitors to London has been remarked as con-
firming the fact that Prince de Joins ille intends to
persevere in the course that has been so long an-
nounced. M. Mule was the most active supporter,
if not the inventor, of the doctrine of Aaiun. That
the princes of the house of Orleans should only re-
enter France as the heralds of the Count de Cham-
bord, and that their only proper place in France is
on the footsteps of the throne of St. Louis,are darling
maxims of the legitimists, who never conteuiplated
fusion upon any. other terms. But the Orleans
princes, by, pledging themselves to an alliance upon
such a basis, would deny the whole political character
of their family since 1830. They are desirous, above
all things, to be relieved from the decree which
banishes them from French soil. Ambitious to take a
leading part in the direction of political afisirs they
doubtless are, and they arc perhaps over confident as
to the extent of the influence they possess, but the
theory of national sovereignty was the only professed
foundation of their father's throne, and they may
honourably and consistently recognise the same
sovereignty in a republic. '1 he result of
the Joinville candidature has naturally been to
extinguish the small party of fusionists com-
pletely, and the Count Mule supports the defeat with
impatience. Meanwhile the cause of the Prince has
made much more progress than could have been ex-
pected, and becomes every day more seriously consi-
dered. General Lamoriciereis one of his warm sup-

porters, and it is even said that Colonel Charms, an
exceedingly democratic republican, will vote for
him. The Ordre promises in his name that if he
should be elected, he will fulfil his mandate as an
honest man and a good "citizen." The Ordre, in-
deed, speaks to-day on the subject with more confi-
dence and determination than ever. To thu argu-
ment so frequently urged of the danger of splitting
the votes of the party of order, it gives a bold denial
in this remarkable passage :
Is it said that we pretend to exclude any other moderate
and constitutional candidate ? Not the last in the world.
It is well to observe that it is not with the presidential elec.
tion as with the legislative elections. In the latter a rela-
tive majority suffices; trout which it results that the
demagogical party, although a minority, may win if
the party of order divides atilt In the presiden-
tial election it is quite another thing. No one
can be elected who has net the absolute majority
of suffrages. The multiplicity of candidatures, deplorable,
fatal in the first case, ha% in the second only one inconve-
nience, that of casting upon the Assembly the duty of a
choice. Against this inconvenien,e, which certainly is not
great, the multiplicity of candidatures has the incontestable
advantage of giving to every. fraction of the party of order
the means of freely espn•.suyt their opinions, their pre-
ferences, and of preventing many votes from being be-
stowed on the unconstitutiontl candidate out of hatred to
the socialis*. one. So far front dreading, then, we desire that
the legitimist party should have their candidate as we
have ours, and, whoever hr may la. we promise before hand
that we will not oppose bilLiwith the same weapons that are
used against us.

A fatal duel took place recently at Lorient between
two naval officers, attended by singular circumstances
both before and after the event. The report states
that the seconds, earnestly desirous to prevent fatal
consquences, largely used their powers both in regu-
lating the distance, and in loading the pistols, so as
to lessen the probability of danger. In spite of these
precautions one of the combatants, a lieutenant in the
navy, fell mortally wounded by a ball in the neck.
The curate of the parish declined to perform the
burial service over the body, and in answer to a re-
monstrance from the major of marine of the ship to
which the lieutenant belonged, wrote that he hail
sought advice in all proper quartets, and that it
would be quite impossible for him to perform the ser-
vice unless the unhappy victim of the duel had pre-
viously to his death expressed his repentance for the
act of engaging it. The surgeon who had attended
him in his dying moments thereupon wrote a
certificate that lie had observed indications of much
regret in the officer at being unable to fulfil his lust
religious duties. This was received as a satisfaction
of the curate's scruples, and the funeral ceremonies
were performed.
An extraordinary general meeting of the great
Northern of France Railway Company was held yes-
terday, to take into consideration the propriety of
ratifying the treaty lately agreed to between the
Board of Directors of that company and the board of
the Boulogne Company, for an amalgamation of the
two lines; the principal condition being that every'
two Boulogne shares, liberated at aoo fr., may be
exchanged for one Northern share, liberated at 400 fr. ;
or, at the option of the Boulogne shareholders, each
share of that company may be exchanged for an
obligation of 300 fr., issued by the Northern Com-
ty, and bearing three per cent. interest. Very
r itt le discussion took place, and the treaty was ratified
, almost unanimously, only eight hands amongst all
the persons present being held up in the negative.
A meeting of Boulogne and Amiens shareholders
• was also held, at which the treaty was unanimously

ratified.
Two of the political prisoners confined in the
prison of the Chateau-Fouquet, at Belle-Isle, Flotte,
and Cazavant, contrived to elude the vigilance of the
jailors, and make their escape. An alarm was
speedily given, and soldiers were sent out to scour
the country. Flotte was slam after discovered lurk-
ing under a hedge, and was secured and brought
back, and in about two hours after Cazavant, who
had concealed himself for some time in a house, find-
ing it impossible to escape detection, surrendered
himself. Both of them were lodged in close con-
finement, where they will be more rigorously watched.
The long-talked of affair of N. Lemulier's action
for a defamatory libel has received a further, though
not necessarily a final thmouement to-day. It was
originally an action against M. Cartier, the prefect of
I police, SI. Pomade, and M. Virmaitec. The judg.
ment pronounced some time since declared that the
I court was incompetent to entertain the action against
NI Cartier without the permission of the council of
state; and that, it being a joint action, proceedings
must be suspended as against the other two. M. Le-
flintier, then, on receiving an apologetic explanation'
from M. Cartier, withdrew the action as against him,
but persisted in going on against the other two. Of
course so soon as M. Cartier s name was withdrawn
from the cause, the principal interest in the matter
owed. But it was thought extraordinary and un-
just that M. Lemulier, after accepting an apology
hem the principal author of a libel, should proceed
against the accessories. The e Court of Premiere Ia-
IWicc today dismissed the case so far as regards
M.Forcade,and, considering that it is the province eta
to judge what constitutes an unjustifiable attach
the press upon a public functionary in the exert-
of his functions, it has declared itself incompetent
1 with respect to M. VirmAitre. M. Lemulicr is ordered
1 to pay all the expenses.
'1 he wheat harvest is now completely terminated
in France, and the fine dry weather of the last fort-
night has enabled the farmers to get in the whole of
their crop in excellent condition. The districts which
have given the greatest yield are Lorraine and
Alsace. In these, the crop is above the average; in
the other parts of France it is about an ordinary one,
nut more. A good part of the wheat of 18,10 is still
on hand, so that there is little probability that any
augmentation can take place in prices for some time
to come.

The Bulletin de Paris, of this evening. states that
a committee, composed of representatives, admirals,
and others having special knowledge on the subject,
is about to be appointed, to consider the state of the
French colonies. It adds, that negro emancipation
has given a deadly blow to the French colonies in
both hemispheres.