The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-30 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, MONDAY EVINING.
Fhe Eastern question, which was almost for-
gotten, has started into new life at the Bourse to-day,
and produced a fall of 135 e. in the rente. An ar-
ticle in the Journal des Dibats professes to give
the substance of the "unimportant alterations"
which, we have already learnt from the Moniteur,
have been made by the Sultan in the note proposed
by the four powers. If this version be correct, the
note would have to be entirely remodelled, and it
must be considered very doubtful, to say the least of
it, whether the Emperor of Russia will accept the
alterations. In fact, people now say the ques-
tion, so far from being in a more advanced
state than it has been for the last month,
is merely shifted. Hitherto we have been
waiting for an answer from Constantinople
and now we are waiting for an answer from St.
Petersburg. In this state of things it becomes ex-
tremely difficult to believe that Russia will not find
an excuse to keep her army in the Principalities all
the winter, and then the question arises what will
the French and English fleets do? At 2 o'clock to-
day the following telegraphic despatch was pla-
carded at the Bourse :

The English steamer which arrived yesterday at Mar-
seilles was aanouneed by a telegraphic despatch from the
French ambassador at Constantinople, dated August
20th. This boat is the bearer of despatches containing the
development of the news already known of the acceptance
by tke Porte, subject to some unimportant modifications of
the note emanating from the conference of Vienna.
This placard which added nothing to what woe
already known only served to aggravate the panic.
I subjoin the greater portion of the article from the
Debate which will be found interesting:
Our letters front Constantinople are to the 15th. Six
days prior to that date, the Ottoman government had re-
ceived communication of the note proposed by the con.
ference of Vienna, and it was still deliberating on its
acceptance, which as is kuown was not defini-
tively given until the 18th and 19th. Our cor•
respondents do not therefore give us any information
as to the result of the deliberations of the Divan, but they
transmit to us An analysis of that document which pretty
well agrees with what we already knew. The Porte takes
into consideration the representations addressed to it by
Prince Menchikoff as well as the deep interest which the
Emperor of Russia feels in the maintenanceof the privileges
and spiritual immunities which the religion he professes en-
joys in the States of the Sultan ; and in order to give the Em-
peror a proof of its friendship and of its infinite confidence it
declares that it is bound in honour to maintain those rights and
privileges for ever intact; that it is resolved to observe
strictly the letter and spirit of the two treaties of Kai-
nardji and Adrianople, and to grant to the Greeks the
same advantages and the same favours which it may grant
to the other Christian communions of its empire. The do-
cument confirms in the most solemn manner the last firmans
rel4tive to the Holy Places, and declares that the status quo
which results from them shall be for ever maintained, or at
least that no change can for the future be made except
with the previous consent of the two c tents of France and
Russia. Lastly, the Ottoman government promises to g ive the
necessary orders for the construction of the Russian church,
convent, and hospital at Jet usalem, which will he placed
under the protection of Russia. Such is the analysis which
is given us of this document by our correspondents at Con-
stantinople; it is more explicit than the one we before pub-
lished, but the two versions perfectly agree, and we are
right in repeating what we have already said, that in its
ground work this note differs but very little from that
which accompanied the ultimatum drawn up by
Count Neuelrode. We can therefore readily con-
ceive that the Divan should have hesitated for
some days in accepting it, and that it only yielded to the
pressing solicitations of all the governments of Europe,
sup-
ported also by an autograph letter addressed to the ultan
by the Emperor of Austria. The Motsiteur announced that
the Divan gave its acceptance subject to some modifications
of little importance. According to our letters, these modi-
fications bear on three points : in the first place, the Porte
demands that the meaning to be given to the phrase
which secures to the Greeks the advantages which
are enjoyed by other Christian communions shall be
more clearly deflued ; it wishes that it should he well
understood that these words only apply to the commu-
nions which are composed of Ottoman subjects; and it pro-
tests against any idea of assimilating the Greeks to the Chris-
tians who are foreign subjects, who, in virtue of existing
conventions, enjoy special privileges. In the second place,
the Porte wishes it to be stated that, as far as regards
what is in the letter and spirit of the treaties of Kainaniji
and Adrianople, mentioned in the note, it only
understands them in the most general sense, and that they
cannot in any way imply a right of protection of &aqua over
the Greek Church in the East. Lastly, the Porte wishes to
rescind the document and make for the Holy Places a sepa-
rate convention with Russia. We cannot well understand
the importance which the Ottoman government attaches to
this last point, but under any circumstances we consider it
a impossible that it can give rise to any serious difficulty.
These modifications are in reality but very trifling, and it
is not in them that a stumbling block will be found. The
obstacle, if any should present itself, will come not from the
objections made to the note, but from the condition which,
on the 15th, the day of the departure of the courier, it was
said that the Sultan wished to attach to his acceptance. It
was then said that he would not give his adhesion unless
the four Great Powers would, in their turn, engage to give
him a declaration guaranteeing the Porte against any inter•
pretation of the note which would tend to give to Russia
any right of interference in the internal affairs of the church
sad of the Greek nation under the title of Protectorate or
any other pretext. This would be important in this sense
that, at the very trot difficulty with Russia, the Divan,
which has made so many fruitless efforts during all this
crisis to endeavour to convince the Great Powers that they
ought to interfere in the name of the treaty of 1841, would
have immediate mounts to European arbitration. It is
probably on this .abject that the discussions have turned
which have so long delayed the acceptance by Turkey, and,
as we only yet know the fact from the announcement in the
Mondeur, we cannot tell what may have been the result of
that ides, which is generally attributed to Rachid Pecks.
The most perfect tranquillity has never ceased to exist at
Constantinople, and throughout the whole empire. Letters
which had been received from the interior announce a fact
which we are happy to be able to repeat, namely, that far
from feeling alarm at the mein' of all the troop which are
now on the shone of the Danube, the people on the con-
trary gave them the best reception, and live on the beet
terms. Up to this time the army has been able to pay regu-
larly for all its supplies, and the excellence of its discipline
has prevented any cause of complaint."
On Sunday the Emperor and Empress attended
high mass at the church of Saint Raney. The Arch-
bishop of Rouen officiated in his pontifical robes, On
their Majesties taking their place on the dais he
addtemed them in the following speech :
Sire, and you Madam—When a people is so happy as to
possess you within its gates; religion cannot be indifferent
when it sees you crow the threshold of its temple. She loses
in this step a precious pledge of your sentiments towards
her, and a salutary lemon and great edification for all her
children. For an example, the higher it is, has the greater
authority, and one must be little inclined indeed to forget
one's duties towards the majesty of h , when we see
earthly majesty respectfully bowing down before it.
Allow me, then, sire, and you, madam, this day to take the
place of one of my worthy priests to call down upon you
numberless blessings and the Divine assistance, and to offer
to you also in the name of the religion that you love, in the
name of the poor that you succour, and in the name of the
entire fabric of society which you maintain, no less numer-
ous thanks. .

The Emperor replied :
Monseigneur,—You speak too well of what is with me
simply the accomplishment of a duty. When I come to
man with my wife, to pray to God as every Christian
loves to do, I merely obey the most natural
instinct of my heart. I thank you, however, both for the
Empress and myself, for the kind things you have just said,
which cannot but strengthen my sentiments towards you
and the clergy of this department.
After mass the Emperor received numerous official
visits at the Hotel de Ville.

PARIS, SUNDAE EVENING..

Three popular novelties now divide, in nearly
equal proportions, the attention of the Parisian
public—the hippopotamus, the Sole, and the roof
seats on the omnibuses.

Every morning at 11 o'clock, before which hour
the hippopotamus does not receive company, a crowd
may be seen peering through his park palings, pa-

tiently watching the uarippled surface of the minis- j
ture lake, at the bottom of which the new inmate of
the Jardin des Plantes delights to dwell until it may
be his good pleasure to show himself. Frequently
they wait in vain for an hour, during which time the
excessive leanness of the 30 she-goats that browse
upon the grassy margin of the pool suggests to the
imagination the fatness of the "delicate monster"
who daily swallows all the milk that can be drawn
from them. Soddenly a convulsive shout from the
spectators indicates that the amphibious creature's
head, or perchance the tip of his nose only, has
appeared in upper air, and then a cry of " Coco, Coco,"
is raised; but this generally fails to lure him from his
cool bath into the rays of the scorching sun. Except
at feeding time he seldom leaves the water, until a
keeper, taking pity on the expectant multitude," stirs
him up with a long pole," an operation always the
signal for vociferous cheering. Then, with the most
perfect good nature, he comes out and walks majes-
tically round his lake, dilating his nostrils like a war-
horse' and exhibiting a jolly carcase, as round as a
wine butt. The keeper jumps upon his hack, kneads
his plump haunches, and performs a variety of other
experiments, to all of which " Coco" submits with
entire docility, not to say indifference, occasionally
yawning, and displaying a throat down which Jonah
might have slipped without the least inconvenience
either to himself or the animal. Up to the present
time " Coco" is in rude health, and excellent spirits.
The Parisians think him a more rare wonder than he
really is, for taught by their newspapers they be-
lieve him to be the first specimen of his race that
was ever brought alive to Europe since the time of
the ancient Romans, and are wholly ignorant that
a cousin of Coco', took up his residence in the
Regent's-park three or four years ago.
In a former letter I mentioned the arrival of the
Sole at Havre, and her progress up the Seine as far
as Quillebreuf. Since that time—not, however,with-
out infinite difficulty, for her voyage was " bound in
shallows and in miseries"—she has made her way
to Paris. The state of the Seine is unusually bad
just now, even for ordinary barges. -The Sole expe-
rienced great difficulty in getting through the nume-
rous bridges, and grazed several rocks bordering the
narrow channel, unknown, it is said, to the river
pilots. M. Guibert, the owner of the vessel, re-
mained on board during the whole of her tedious
voyage. He was accompanied by an engineer, who
took notes of all the dangerous parts of the stream
that attracted their observation. A report will be
made to government, and it is hoped that the very
large expenditure admitted to be necessary to render
the Seine safely navigable for vessels of considerable
tonnage will not stand in the way of the great ob-
ject, now almost promised to be accomplished, of
making Par;s a " port de mer." I use the
favourite Parisian expression, because I doubt whe-
ther the translation would be more intelligible in
English. Ido not remember to have heard London
called a seaport. Whatever may be the practical
limits of improvement of the navigation of the Seine,
M. Guibert is entitled to the credit of having made
an important step towards the realisation of a grand
idea. He has proved the possibility of bringing a
good-sized trading vessel up to Paris. There lies the
Sole, moored alongside of the quay in front of the
Louvre, unloading her cargo. Her three lofty masts
excite the curiosity of the passers by, not one in ten
of whom ever saw such things before. except in a
picture, or the sham frigate at Neuilly. They see,
moreover, real sailors at work in the rigging, and
when the history of the Sole is explained to them,
are perfectly satisfied that Paris is from this moment
a " port de mer."
Every evening unusual crowds may be seen at the
end of the Boulevard adjoining the Place de la Ma-
deleine, watching the omnibuses, newly provided
with a double row of seats on the top. It is not
precisely a new thing in Paris to see a citizen on the
top of an oinuibas, because the St. Cloud and other
conveyances of the banlieue have long since accom-
modated the adventurous with a single seat by the
side of the driver, and three or four on a bench
behind him. But an entire second tier of passengers
has never been seen here till now. Besides, outside
omnibus passengers, being destined for comparatively
long stages, have heretofore taken their seats gravely
and deiiberately in the inn-yard, and with the as-
sistance of a ladder. Now at least as many people
assemble to see the travellers display their agility in
mounting, as to wait for their own turn to get a ride
for three sous. Although the omnibuses start about
every five minutes, the supply is nothing like equal
to the demand. As each one comes up it is taken by
assault. No orderly system of priority by means of
tickets is yet established. The forward, the active,
and the vigorous may get a place at once, while the
timid, the weak, and the unwieldy may wait in vain
for an hour, and perchance be rolled in the gutter
after an unsuccessful attempt to be first in
a storming party. But a very small proportion of
the passengers have any call, either of business or plea-
sure, to take them to the Bastille. The vast majority
come purely and simply for the sake of the ride.
It is not so much the low price as the novelty of rid-
ing on the roof—the fun of the thing in short that
constitutes the attraction. If, instead of charging
half the inside price, the omnibus proprietors had
charged double, it is thought they would have made
a good speculation, so long as the vogue may last.
It must be confessed that, apart from the caprice of
the moment, an airing outside an omnibus on a fine
summer's evening, is a very sensible way of enjoying
the Boulevards. The three miles of gorgeous cause-
way, extending from the Madeleine to the Bastille,
with the shops, theatres, mansions, brilliant cafes,
and countless promenaders on either side, can hardly
be seen in any other way to so great advantage.