The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-13 00:00:00

FRANCE.

(race[ ova owa C0111111PONDIIIIT.)
PARIS, THusiDAY 1110111INO.
The conditional amnesty of December tat is ex-
tended to Algeria.
The modern artists exhibition will open on May
lst, at the Garde Meuble, Faubourg Poissosakre.

PARIS, WZDINISDAT Ey:lrmo.
The bourse to-day has been again exceedingly
heavy and depressed. Sales of all kinds of govern-
ment and railway stocks have been effected with dif-
ficulty. Quotations . are considerably below those
which have ruled for some time past.
From the other continental bounni, the reports
today show little variation in the rates of anyortht
leading securities. Belgian stock continues in good
demand, and many transactions have taken place on
English account.
The Ottoman Ambassador, accompanied by the
whole body of the Legation, presented to-day his
credentials to the Emperor.
The fact of the Austrian and Prussian ministers
having presented their credentials is announced in
the Momteur in the following form:
The Emperor received yesterday, in private audience, at
the Tuileries, M. de Oerthbng, resident Minister of H.R.H.
the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, to present his
new letters of credence to his Imperial Majesty. Count de
Hatzfeld presented, in public audience, the letters which
accredit him as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipo-
tentiary of the King of Prussia. The Emperor also received,
in public audienee,M.Thabner, to present his letterses Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Empe-
ror of Austria. The Austrian and Prussian Ministers were
conveyed to the audience in a carriage of the Imperial
Court. Subsequently another wring' of the Court con-
veyed to and from a public audience his his Grand Ducal
Highness Prince Frederick of Hesse to present, on the part
of his nephew, the Grand Duke of Haste, a private letter of
omgratulation to the Emperor.
It is said that the reception of MM. Hatrfeld and
Hubner has been intentionally delayed by way of
rebuking Prussia and Austria for their hesitation in
recognising the Empire, and to intimate that they
are held in no
_greater consideration than small
German states. I know not whether the order in
which these two great powers are mentioned in the
3/miaow may be considered as confirmatory of this
view. There are infinite shades of distinction in
diplomatic etiquette, which puzzle people not a little.
In the above note it will be seen that the Prussian
and Austrian ministers Appear to have been merely
taken to the Tuileries in court carrlages,while Prince
Frederick of Hew had the honour of riding in one
there and back. The other day it was insinuated by
the Peens that the omission to send a court carriage
for the Bavarian minister was a slight, intended ass
retaliation for a certain paragraph in the Stntgart
Monitore, but the fact was that the representative of
Wurtemburg being merely a "resident" minister,
was not entitled to the compliment according to
diplomatic titagni.
The title of a new book just out is considered
highly characteristic of the age of Napoleon 111.
It ice called " The Art of Choosing Liveries in the
Nineteenth Century."
The itoniteur says that by an imperial decree,
dated yesterday, a sum of 5,403,150 fr., allowed in the
budget of 1853 for keeping up the imperial palaces
and manufactures, has been struck of the budget, and
that these expence's will now be supported by his
majesty's civil list. Lest it should be supposed that
this five millions is a present to the nation, it is
necessary to explain that the decree is &mere matter
of form, consequential upon the terms of the settle-
men of the crown domains by the recent senates
consultum.

Another decree extends to Algeria the benefit of
the decrees published in France for the remission of
fines and imprisonments for offences of the press, of
penalties pronounced by the councils of discipline,
of the National Guards, of those for offences against
the fishery laws, and those committed against the
laws regulating the circulation of carriages, &e.
By another decree the salary of the Secretary-
General of the Prefecture of Police is increased from
8,000 fr., to which it had been reduced in 1618, to
12,000 per annum.
Baron d'Andre, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary of the Emperor of the French in
the Netherlands, has been raised to the grade of
Commander in the Order of the Legion of Honour.
Some days since I informed you that it had been
resolved to collect the direct taxes three months
sooner than usual. This determination was first
officially announced in Marseilles and Lyons. But
now the prefect of the Seine has issued the necessary
orders foe enforcing the measure in Paris. In a day
or two the tax-gatherer will be knocking at everydoor,
and following so quickly and unexpectedly after the
calls of the new year, he will be, to many, a doubly
unwelcome visitor. The government will find a two-
fold advantage in the arrangement. In the first
place, a large Foment sum of money in the treasury,
and in the next, because the tax payer, relieved by
this premature pressure &lin his :must April
troubles, will then be able to give his undivided
attention to the means of meeting the new taxes,
which will assuredly be laid on before that time.
The new sepple-ensage is selling in the Weeds
to-day at a premium. A hawker occasioned conside-
rable amusement on the Boulevard Montmartre, by
crying, "a new two sous piece of Napoleon 111. for
one woe." When buyers came forward, astonished
at the apparent opportunity of exchanging old cop-
per for new of a higher denomination, the vendor ex-
plained that he sold them for a sons, in this mute,
that he gained • eons by each one he sold, but that
of course the intrinsic value must be paid besides.
I did not observe that he succeeded in doing much
business upon these terms. The pieces are very
neat, but exceedingly light as compared with the
old coinage.
M. Roche, lucifer-match manufacturer, at Mar-
seilles, at whose house a clandestine printing press
was lately discovered, has just been tried and ten-
, tenced to six months' imprisonment and a fine of
10,000 fr., besides confiscation of the press.

The severity of the gale which has prevailed in
the English channel for the last two days had not
abated at 8 p.m., and the express steam packet was
for the third time in socoassion compelled to seek
shelter in Oalais harbour, being linable to make the
English coast.

PARIS. TIIIIIDAY APTIDNOON.
To-day. Count Hatzfeld, Minister Plenipotentiary
of Prussia, and M. Hubner, Minister Plenipotentiary
of Austria, were conducted to the presence of the
Emperor with the usual ceremony, and presented
their credentials.
The official journal sontains the following memo-
randum:—" In order to regulate the precedence of
the Princes and Princesses, relations of the Emperor,
but not forming part of the imperial family, his ma-
jesty has decided that they shall take place
diately after the corps diplomatique when assembled
in a body, and also after ambassadors when not so
assembled."
The Emperor, accompanied by M. Wald, minister
of state, and Colonels Fie and de Seville, went
yesterday to the Clos St. Lazar. to examine the
rough models for the silver centre piece of a dinner
warms which he had lately ordered. His Majesty
afterwards visited the Hospice Lariboissiere and
after having heard what progress had been made in
the building, promised that a greater number of
workmen should be shortly put on. The Emperor
then returned to the Tuileries.

A few days since it was stated in the dozelte de Co-
logne that at the mess table of the regiment of guides
Colonel Fleury made the following extraordinary SWITZERLAND.
speech : " The Emperor has said, L'Empire c'est
Paix,' but I tell you, gentlemen, that the Empire is Letters from Bellineiona and Vienna state that the
war, and that your horses shall soon drink the waters Austrian government is disposed to pick a quarrel
of the Vistula. This story ham been circulating in with Switzerland, on the ground of the expulsion of
Paris for some days, and the Presse, in a covert Obi. the capuchins from the canton of Ticino. Austria
mien lately expressed a hope that it would be MB. claims these monks as her subjects, and has addressed
cially contradicted. A contradiction does now ap. a domineering note to the confederation, threatening
pear in the Pattie, in the following shape : to resort to extreme measures unless the capuchins
Certain journals which habitually publish the most an- are restored.