The Express.
London, England, 1853-05-03 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, MONDAY EVENING.
The Muni(enrol to-day publishes, in a suppleinaiat,
the regulations for the examinations fur degresela
the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences.
Count Ilennigun has been elected President of the
First Hanoverian Chamber, whilst the former
minister, M. Lindemann, has been chosen to 1111 the
same Wilco in the Second Chamber.
The Hanoverian government has laid the budget
for 18,14 before the Chambers: the expenses are
estimated at 8,381,771 dollars, and the receipts at
8,004,601 dollars.
I understand that a committee of the Senate, to
whom had been referred a petition from certain le-
gatees named in Napoleon 'ii will, just brought to
Paris from Doctors' Commons, praying for payment
of their legacies, with interest, out of the public trea-
sury, have reported against the claimants. The
grounds of the decision are of course not known, all
the proceedings of the Luxembourg being enveloped
in a thick veil of mystery. But if, as there is rea-
son to hope, the petition has been rejected on the
broad ground that stale Bonapartist claims, which
on the day before the election of Napoleon 111, were
unsustainable in any court of law, were not re-
vived by the fact of a relation of Napo-
ken I. being elevated to the throne, the
senate will, for tho first time since its
creation, have done the state some service. These
claims are multifarious and unfathomable. Only a

few years since, u all the Jews in London Will
remember, attempts were made to raise money by a
certain member of the Bonaparte family, now in
much better circumstances than ho then was, who

represented himself in a printed prospectus as 'being
a creditor of France to the tune of 200 millions.
When the Orleans property was confiscated the now
head of the family made a merit of renouncing all
these claims; but that was generally understood ;to
be an ingenious method of asserting their existence,
and, of course, the renunciation could at most be only
binding upon the party making it. It has ever
since been expected that in some shape or other these
claims would be revived, and, if the Senate have really
put a final extinguisher upon them, the fact 31
very important.
am informed that the new jury bill, which has
provoked a geed deal of opposition, both in the Cops
Legialatif and in the legal profession, has been with-
drawn for the present.
The Corps Leguilatif on Saturday rejected two ar-
ticles of the bill relative to the Banks for a provision
for old age, M. Itouher, the government commissary,
not pressing them with any great energy, but decla-
ing himself ready to submit to the decision of the
house on the subject. Really, if things go on in this
way, the two chambers will begin to think them-
selves bodies of importance.
The Monileur publishes the cahier des charges of
the Lyons and Genoa Railway. The company is to
make the Amberieux branch at its own cost, the
state undertaking, if necessary, to provide by an in-
ternational convention for the prolongation of the
line from the Swiss frontier to Geneva. The state
will pay a subvention of 13 millions fir the execu-
tion of the line between Lyons and the Swiss fron-
tier, this sum to be payable in six equal half-yearly
payments, beginning on January 1,1843. The com-
pany is authorised to realise its capital by means of
shares and bonds, the amount of the bonds not to
exceed half the amount of the shams, and in no case
24 millions, and they cannot be issued without
the authority of the state. Three per cent.
interest is guaranteed by the state for 30 years, upon
a capital not to exceed in shares and bonds together
50 millions. The other clauses are for the most part
the same as have been inserted in all the railway
concessions within the last year. There is a provision
that it after the opening of the entire line the net
profits should exceed 8 per cent., the half of the sur-
plus shall go to the state.
M. Nlounter, of Tarascon, a political prisoner, nen.
tenoed to transportation by a court-martial at
Clammy, escaped front Fort Lamalgue on the 23rd
ult., three days before ho was to have been sent to
Cayenne in the Allier. He contrived to get posses-
sion of a military uniform, and, dressed in this,
walked straight out of the prison, passing by thirty
or forty soldiers, who took no notice of him.

A society has been formed in Paris for promoting
the better observance of the Sabbath. The founders
who with scarcely an exception are inhabitants of the
most fashionable streets in the Faubourg St. Ger-
main, propose to forward their object principally by ,
establishing a system of exclusive dealing with trades-
men who clues their shops on a Sunday. The names
of all persons adhering to the society will be published
from time to time. They will be considered as enter- '
ing into a voluntary honourable engagement not only
to abstain from their ordinary avocations on the Sab-
bath, but also from making purchases on that day,
and from giving orders to tradesmen at mirk a short
notice as to render a violation of the day; a probable
consequence. Any member notoriously disregarding
these his voluntary pledges will be struck off the list
of the society. Several associations for prevent-
ing work on a Sunday have lately been formed in
various parts of France, but only one, that of hitt:,
is constituted upon principles resembling the new
project, and the Metz society does not advocate ex-
clusive dealing. The other associations arc merely
conventions entered into by merchants and tradesmen
of particular towns with each other. Thus
at Amiens the wholesale nfruermerie houses
have covenanted with path other to close their ware-
houses on a Sunday, and to pay a tine of 2,000 fr. fur
every infraction of the engagement. At Lyons an
attempt of a similar kind lately failed, owing to the I
obstinacy of two or three bowies. The desire to pro.
cure one day's rest in seven, is almost universal
provided it can be obtained without loss to business,
but very few are willing to shut up shop when
they know that their next door neighbour will do
double business in consequence. At Toulouse, where
the shoopkeepers generally could not agree, several
of them have resolved to act upon their principles
and close their shops, notwithstanding the loss. They
are, however, by no means reconciled to this state of
things, and are agitating in favour of interference by
the state to compel a refractory minority to
conform to the general sentiment. There is but little
probabiliti_ of any new law being made upon the
subject. The government intimated some time ago,
in very decided terms, that Sabbath observance was
a matter 6f private conscience, with which the state
ought not to interfere, but it would set an example
b 7 prohibiting labour in all public undertakings.
Complaints have been made that this
.promise has
not been strictlynhd at Paris especially
it has been remarked that the masons are fre-
clily seen at work in the new line
prefects in several departments have
however written circulars desiring that the
sofa Lid down should be rigorously enforced. It is
voly probiblo that the Faubourg St. Germain society
Amy ttbtriit tiousidsrablo results. Public holing to

inclined to meet them hall way. The better sort of
shops are now closed in the afternoon, especially
when the day is fine, and nothing can re-
,train the owners from rushing to St. Cloud,
Versailles, or Saint Germain. It must not be
supposed that in this movement, so far as the vast
majority of the people is concerned, there is the least
tinge of asceticism. They construe the com-
mandment literally. They are desirous of doing
no manner of "work," butlave not the slightest in-
tention to abstain from recreation. The anti-Crystal
Palace Society would obtain no recruits here. The Fan-
bonrg St. Germain prospectus says not a word about
closing theatres, concerts, balls, &c., and I am quite
sure that the greater part of its adherents would turn
a deaf car to the argument that what is amusement
to the audience at the Gyanaase or Francais is ordi-
nary work for the performers.
There has been considerable activity at the Bourse
to-day in the market fur governnient securltiett.
prices generally having been well maintained, with
an upward tendency at the conclusion of business.
The final quotations were, for cash : Three per
Cents., 80f. 70c.; Four-and-a-Half per Cents.,
103 f. 13c.; Bank Stock, 2,703 f.

In the railway share market the closing prices
were :—Northerns, 9181. 50c.; Orleans, 1,0891. 60e. ;
Paris and Strasbourgs, 891 f. 30c.; Paris and Lyons,
96M.; Paris and Rouen, 1,1;0f.; Lyons to the
Mediterranean, 815 f. ; Western of France, 7991.
30c. ; Rouen and Havre, 3-17 f. 50e. ; Bordeaux and
Cette, 650 f.