The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-29 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 29, 1853.

FRANCE.

PARIS, MONDAY Evaninci,
At the close of the Bourse there was a rumour that
news of an unfavourable nature had been received
from Turkey, and the latest quotations were weak in
consequence. No telegraphic desp.tch, however,
announcing the arrival of the Egyptue at Marseilles,
has yet been made public, and I have reason to think
that none has been received. Letters from Con-
stantinople, dated the 11th, have arrived to-day.
They contain no intelligence respecting the ultimatum
of Prince Menchikoff, bat they mention a fact ,
tending to show that no serious alarm can exist at
Constantinople, namely that the new bank is de-
finitively established. The contract is said to
have been signed on the 11th instant. Prima
Menchikoff had an interview with Kosrew-Pacha.
M. de Lacour is still at Marseilles, and it is now
said there that he will not sail till the 28th. This
is a further confirmation of my statement that he was
instructed to wait for the Egyptus. M. Tucker, the
government messenger, who brought the despatches
from Colonel Rose, had arrived at Marseilles with
instructions for Admiral Dundee. He put to sea in
the Caradoe at once. It is confidently stated in
Paris this evening that Admiral Dundee is not to
proceed to the Archipelago, but rather to keep
within call of Alexandria.
Yesterday being Easter Sunday the printing
offices of all the Paris journals were closed, and eon-
asequently none of them appear this morning.
The parti pretre, encouraged by the belief that the
Emperor will shrink from no sacrifice to induce the
Pope to come to Paris to place the imperial crown
upon his head, has commenced a odious campaign
against the validity of civil marriages. The over-
throw of civil liberty on Dec. 2 has given such
stimulus to the spirit of intolerance that it is alreaiy
thought possible to abandon one of the most im-
portant conquests of 1799, to reverse legislation
which for the last sixty years has satisfactorily re-
, gulated the most important of all civil contracts, apd
to restore a priestly domination against which the
Kings of France struggled ineffectually during eight
centuries. This most revolutionary scheme is put
forward in an insidious guise. The Roman Catholic
church is ever eminently practical in its encroach-
ments. It is felt that a naked proposition to declare
every marriage not consecrated by the church of
Rome a mere state of concubinage would stand no
chance of acceptance at the present time. The
priestly party, therefore, affect to advocate free-
dom of conscience, and to consider one reli-
gion as fully entitled to respect as another. M.
Sauget, sometime minister of justice and minister
`of public worship under Louis Philippe, and
president of the Chamber of Depsties at the moment
of the revolution of 1848, stands forth as the cham-
pion of obligatory religious marriage in the interest
of liberty of conscience. He truly observes that the
vast majority of French people do Beek the religiose
senorita° to their mostiages' although it is not re-
quirei by law. Give ellteet, therefere' he says, Is
this general public feeling by your legislation, but
shock nemetedence; impose upon no moo or woman
any pimplier forms, but lot every one be married in
the religion which he lutafeses the R 3111161) catholic
by the priest,the protestant to his minister, and the
Jew by hiensibi. lie then sash perverse ingenuity,
puts a ease of' possible hardship under the present
system. Only think, iate argues, what a (heedful
thing it would be if a lady haring been legally mar-
fried at the register oilte,• but intending es go
to church afterwards, shoedibe fined as, she ;night
be by an impious husband,,tts, lit, with him ae his
' wife withcut any religions ceremony. No, instance
is known ea any evah extreme.esser havingoecur!ed.
Whenever a measure limitelte provide against tllat
particular hardship shall be *sop° forwanil,.it may ;
deserve consideration. Meamelule the diibreneo is
great between enabling all possess who desire it to
be married at an altar, and fereiax religiose- over
monies, religious free, and religious actortions• ups*
those who object to them. Tithe msriage state cam
not be legally entered into without the priest, the
priest, as of old, will assume thrpowerof prohibiting
marriages except upon his own conditions. He will
multiply impediments which roast beebaughttif with
money. The tendency of the 'kaiak *arch to
do this is proved by French history.. (ice 4the art
pedients to which the civil government aL France
was driven against priestly eaatationteres• the ereee
tion of a tribunal of appeal ugliest Jeoleeisstical ob.
jections to the celebration of rearnagast Ike priest ,
was ordered by a lay judge to. perforce the nuptial ,
ceremony. What would religoon gain. by the re-
storation of such an anomaly,? Tt is transpanant
hypocrisy in the parti pretrc to.pretend to put other
'religions on a level with thrice owls Tie pro-rant
reactionary change in the lesson/di giro them pmts.
diction over the vast majori ay.of Frenchmen th agree
fess no other religion than the Raman catholic,, and
this Would ben pretty good step towards the embalm
domination which they wi add inevitably claire:when-
ever they should feel trtreag enough to do so. I me-
net bring myself to be lie withal the Emperor sill be
so blind to public op;.nit ea to yield to kolas upon
this point. The present marriage law was accepted
by Louis XVI. wit moot a protest. It was inserted
without a question t is the Code Naleon. The
priestly jurisdictio n was warped so lately as the
tenth century. The abases of the power of the
church were so flagrant that the kings of France
were continuaU y struggling against them. In
' 1639 a royal or dinance prescribed that civil regis-
ter, ef nia, es should be signed by two notaries
and them cure or the vicar-general. This being
found insufil dent, the ordinance of Blois,
orellin 1579, laid down rigorous rules
eping the registers, and inflicted severe
penalties up on priests who should fail to remit certi-
ficates of marriages to the registers within two
menthe of their celebration, together with "judicial
evidence" of the truth of the certificates. Subsequent
Vold dec rem, especially two of 1667 and 1738, tes-
tiU the constant difficulties with which the civil
goventr sent had to contend in consequence of the
"Mud on introduced into families by priestly jowl,.
dietiet t over marriages. In the early days of the Ns-
!teni on, a work published by a perfectly orthodoz
diee, the Abbe Tabourean, laid down principles as
this subject which have never since been disputed by
t statesmen. He quoted texts of Scripture
a d passages from the fathers innumerable,
tr I show that the modern doctrine, that the
.unction of the church was an essential element
of the status of matrimony, was wholly unten-
able. He devided marring, into three elements,—
consent of parties, which is the essence of the rela-
tion, a civil act to testify that consent, and the sacred
rite, " which rectifies but does not constitute the mar-
riage state." The existing law has worked well, it
hurts no man's conscience, raises no difficulties with
regard to mixed marriages or otherwise, is engrafted
in the habits of the people, encourages marriage by
its ai'.nplicity, while it discourages concubinage for
the same reason, and—excepting only the priests—
is not complained of by any section of the
er,mmunity. Such a law cannot safely be
t ouched for the miserable purpose of bringing
the Pope to preside at a raree show in Paris.
Neither M. Sauzet, nor M. Vatimesnil, who has
given his adhesion to the pamphlet ever thought it
their duty when they were responsible ministers to
make anj such proposition as that which they now
advocate. Ido not believe that Louie Napoleon will
be so short-sighted as to tirer les marrow du feu for
their benefit or amusement.
There was not much business transacted on the
Bourse to-day. The following are the closing prices,
for cash :—Titree per Cents., 79f. 90c.; Four-and-a-
Half per Cents., 103 f. 66c. For the account: Three
per Cents., 79f. 80c.; Four-and-aaalf per Cents.,
103 f. 60c. ; Bank Stock, 2,640.

1 he following are the latest quotations received by
telegraph:—Frankfort: Austrian Five per Cents.,
sal; ditto Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 7.;; Bank,
1, ii3.—Berlin : Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 1024 ;
Four per Cents. 991, ; Three-and-a-Half per Cents.,l
93; Bank Shares 109.—Vienna: Nletallique Five
per Cents., 944; Lean, IWil, 101 ; Lombardo-Vene-
tian, 1001 ; Bank Stock, 1,420.
PARIS, SUNDAY EVENING.
The Peace deputation has arrived here from Lon-
don. The gentlemen forming it are—Sir James
Duke, Bart., M.P., Sir Edward Buxton Bart., Mr.
Samuel Gurney, Mr. Wm. Gladstone, 'Sir. St. Leger
Glyn, Mr. Thomas Dent, Mr. J. 1). Powles, and Mr.
G. Barclay. They are commissioned by nearly 3,000
of tho merchants, bankers, and traders, of London, to
wait upon the French Emperor, and to present to
him a declaration of the friendly feelings which exist
in England towards the people of France, and to
deprecate the ill-feeling which the tone of certain

English journals has been calculated to arouse. The
deputation is to be received by the Emperor to-
morrow.

SPAIN.

The discussion in the Senate on the report of the
majority of the committee favourable to the preten-
sions of Marshal Narvaez was resumed and brought
to a close on the 22nd inst. The report was rejected
by 106 to 64.
In the Chamber of Deputies M. Lujan and other
progresista members brought forward a proposition
to the effect of obtaining some mitigation of the law
on the prem. After a short discussion, in which M.
Lujao, the Minister of Finance, M. Pidal, and M.
Gonzales Bravo took part, the proposition was rejected
by 1.53 to 47. The chamber afterwards elected a
committee to examine the application of the govern-
ment for leave to continue to collect the taxes. Seven
ministerial members were appointed.