The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-12 00:00:00

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

THIS HAY, Four o'Clock.
EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

We have received the letter of our correspondent
of last evening. A schism has broken out among the
editorial corps of the ministerial journal, on the sub-
ject of the suspension of the course of M. Michelet,
by order of the Minister of Public Instruction. M.
Chevalier, a distinguished writer in the Journal des
Vbato, has protested against the doctrines of that
journal in regard to this measure.
I do not examine here," says M. Chevalier, " and
I have no right to do so, whether I should, if in
your place, have professed all the opinions to which
you have lent the authority of your language. The
question is not even whether it be not an evil for the
public to be deprived of the lessons of a man of such
original talent and such vast erudition as yours.
What strikes me is, that with the doctrine now
applied against you, it will no longer be any-
thing but a mere trifle to close the lec-
tures of any professor whose independence
may have given umbrage to any individual or any
coterie in credit, and that henceforward arbitrary will
is substituted for liberty. On this point all men who
sincerely love liberty are bound to march together and
sympathise with you."
Several German and other journals have spoken of
the contemplated abdication of King Louis of Bavaria
in favour of Prince Maximilian. Some of the Paris
journals say that these reports are without any foun-
dation.
The Paris papers mention the rumour of a san-
guinary collision having taken place at Milan, on the
3rd, betwi en the people and the Austrians, but the
official prints have no confirmation of it.
ems te.ll.—?tow can, 7560; Three per Cents, 7490; Fives,
lin 05; Your-and-a-Hall, 104; Belgian Firm 1840, 99; Naples
Rent,, 107; Boman Loan, 961 ; Treasury Bonds, 41 ; Bank Shares,
32 10. Exchange on London (sight!, 25 CO.
RAILWAYII.—Part and Orleans, 1,195; Paris and Roam, 901 25;
Bourn and Havre, 430 73; Strasbourg and Bale, 161 r 3;
Centre (Vierzon), 520.

I'rivate letters, received by the Madrid mail of the
sth, say that several of the members of the chamber,
who had been alluded to in the defence of M. Sala-
manca, had demanded to speak iu reply. Among
these were MM. Benavides, Escosura, Gonzales
Bravo, and Negrete. M. Benavides had already
spoken at great length, and had combatted with much
force the act of impeachment. It was still, however,
believed that the report of the committee in favour of
the impeachment woald be confirmed by a very large
majority.
The folio% ing is a summary of the facts alleged by
the committee in its report :
1. That M. Salamanca, in his capacity of minister of
finance, authorised the Bank of San Fernando to make ad-
vances to the shareholders of the Aranjuez Railway on depo-
sit of their shares, giving the bank a guarantee that it should
sustain no loss ; that M. Salamanca himself was the princi-
pal shareholder and a director of the railway, and that thus
"the same Salamanca received, on tha deposit of shares
20,448,401 rests, for which he was reap ,nsible to the state."
That these proceedings constituted an illegal charge on the
public fonds, " and that M. Salamanca, in making a personal
profit therefrom, was guilty of a grave abuse of his high
functions."
2. That M. Salamanca, when Minister of Finance, had, in
violation of the law, and opposition to the opinion of the
competent authorities, relieved certain persons from the
payment of heavy penalties, to which they had been .con-
demned for committing frauds on an extensive scale, in
comp:icity with some emplopts of the Custom-house of
Alicante.
3. That, by unjustly capitalising in three per cent. stock, a
laeze amount a arrears due to the royal household, he
violated the law, augmented the debt to tie prejudice of the
state, and injured the credit of the nation.
4. That he entered into an arrangement with M. Beechen-
who had a contract for advancing the government a cer-
tain sum, by which that person received stock to the amount
of 6,362.000 real, more than the committee calculated he was
justly entitled to.
After stating that though the council of ministers
participated in certain of these acts, yet that the re-
sponsibility of them weighed principally on M. Sa-
lamanca, and that, consequently, it was not proposed
to proceed against the other ministers, the committee
concluded by saying :
" We demand of the congress to declare that there it rea-
son to exact the responsibility of the ex-minister of finance,
Bon Jose Salamanca, and to produce a corresponding accu-
sation before the senate, nominating commissioners to bring
it forward, and to sustain it before the other legislative corps,
in conformity with the constitution and the regulations."
The following is a summary of the discussion which
took place in congress ou this subject ou the 4th :
When the report had been read by M. Silva, and M.
Seijas had spoken at great length in support of it, M. Sala-
manca demanded to be allowed to address the Chamber ;
and, after some opposition from M. Pidal, this permission
was accorded him. He began by saying that, from the
mxiety he had undergone, his health had been so affected
that he should not address the Chamber at great length.
lie protested his innocence of the charges made against
him, and insisted that the accusation was an act
of Solidest vengeance levelled against his honour.
The attempt was made to cast blame on his acts, but he
could assure the Chamber that, though he was a rich
man when he entered office, he was not so now. He de-
fended the assistance he had rendered to the Aranjuez Rail-
way, on the ground that it was an important public under-
taking, and that, in times of commercial difficulty such as
they had passed through, all the governments of Europe
supported railway enterprises. Ile had taken shares in the
company to eupport it, and in order to enable Spain to pos-
sess railways. The responsibility of the act was his, and he
did not shrink from It. With respect to the affair of the
frauds in the Custom-house in Alicante, the matter was in
the department of the Minister of Commerce, and he had only
signed the necessary documents as a matter of form. lie
had considered himself fully authorised in capitalising the
arrears due to the royal household; but, after all, that affair
was awiuting the decisien of Congress. The Congress itself
had approved a similar measure with respect to what was
due to the queen-mother, and ought therefore not to accuse
hen for doing it to the queen. As regarded any profits which
21. l; scheried might have been able to realise, they arose
from th, contract, and not from any measure of his, and that
contract had been entered into before he was minister. M.
fisliimanca, in the course of his address, made the clerk of the
Chamber read various official documents, which he main-
tained byre out his assertions. He concluded by stating that
some of the men who supported the accusation had been
heard to say:—" It may be true that M. Salamanca entered
the ministry rich, and left it poor, but he is a necessary man,
and let us exterminate him:" The speech was listened to with
great attention throughout, and was delivered with great
warmth and earnestness. M. Pidal briefly touched on the
different charges, and, in the name of the committee, insisted
that they should be taken into consideration.—M. Benavides
lift made some observations, but, having announced that
they Would extend to considerable length, it was detamined
to adjourn.

.14.nato, Jsa. s.—Three per Ceuta, 271,90 days, 261 to I cob ;
Pin* per Cents ,—; Five per Cents., 14 to 10th Feb.; Pamlico,
ossh Cooper, —; Bank of St. Ferdinand, 123; Bank of Bt.
Exchange cai Landon, 48 30.100 paper.

THE LATE ACCIDENT TO THE EARL OP POWIB---
The Earl of Powis, who was accidently shot by his son, the
Hon• Hebert, while shooting in the preserves at Powis
Csitle, on Friday last, according to letters received yesterday
at the noble earl's inanition in Berkeley-sguare, was going on
otu.