The Express.
London, England, 1846-10-03 00:00:00

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7-7- hie c 1 preg*

MAILS.
The mails for British North America, Bermuda, and the United
States, will be tondo up on the evening of the 3d October (this day).
overbnd mails for Gibraltar, Malta, Greece, the lonian Islands,
Egypt, Aden, Celiac, India, llong-Kong, and China, via goutnampton,
will be wade up on the morning of the 31 October (this day).
The nails for Madeira, Brazils, Buenos Ayres, Monte Sloan, &e.,
will be made up on the evening of the sth October.
The mails for Coronas, Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira, Cadiz, and
•libraltar, will be made up on the 7th October.
The overland closed mails, via Munro es, to the Mediterranean,
Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, India, Ilong-Kong, &c., will be made up on the
evening of the 7th October.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
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End their confidence respected. NEITHER CAN WE UNDERTAKE
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Two o'clock on the day of publication.

MOH WATER AT LONDON-BRIDGE.
THIS DAT. —."Morning, mie. past —; Afternoon, 21 min. past 0.
To-nounow.—Mornms, 49 min. past 0; Afternoon, 13 min. loot 1.

LONDON, SATURDAY, OCT. 3.

IT is worthy of remark that as often as French
and Spanish Sovereigns, or French and Spanish Go-
vernments, lay their heads together for an alliance,
they carry their views beyond Spain itself. But it is
natural that the French should seek to conceal their
object of merely absorbing Spain ; and it thus becomes
their policy to point out to the Spaniards some glo-
rious feat or adventure which is to redeem the
ancient glory of the country, and open splendid or
lucrative prospects to its military chiefs. As Mr.
CANNING observed, the greed of LOUIS XIV. was
not merely for Spain, but for Spain the mistress of
the Indies; and French counsel has never been
wanting in these later days, to urge her to re-seize
some portion of her ancient sovereignty in the New
World.
Mexico was long the favourite land for their Cha-
teaux en Espaguc. But the " stars and stripes"
have become too predominant there; and the ob-
ject of Franco-Spanish dreams has transferred itself to
the knot of South American republics, which extend
from the Spanish main over the Andes to the Pacific.
There is of course a South American hero; the projec-
tor of the scheme; and one who has successfully in-
stilled it into the ears and hopes Of MARIA CHRISTINA
and her French ally.
Let us introduce our readers to this personage. The
hero of the Equator for many years was General
FLORES, a Venezuelan by birth, bold, brave, and of fas-
cinating manners and exterior. He first rose to power
in the Equator as a patriot general, and even ruled
in that character for a time ; until, seeking to prolong
his power beyond republican tolerance, he was re-
sisted, and compelled to abdicate in 1814. He with-
drew to Europe; meditating, of course, schemes for
a restoration. Ultimately, repairing to Madrid, he
succeeded in making himself agreeable to the queen-
mother ; so much so, that hu has since lived at
the Madrid court more as the accredited minister from
a friendly power, than as an exiled stranger.
WE will now state the project of which General
FLORES aims to be the hero. It has hitherto escaped
our• contemporaries; and for the most part, in truth,
eluded publicity. Yet it has an interest which may
contest with even the lONTI'ENSIER plot; its objects,
prospectively, arc large ; and it spreads itself through
other channels than that in which it directly runs,
with a threatening and dangerous aspect. It may be,
as yet, but a small cloud; a speck in the sky of the
northern hemisphere; but, for the southern, it por-
tends a coming and widely extending storm. In a word,
the chief ruling power of the Peninsula casts a longing
look to those ci-derant possessions which were first the
glory and then the perdition of Spain. That her
ex-colonies are irretrievably lost to her, is a settled
fact, consigned already to the page of history ;
but somehow or other, this fact has never yet been
properly accepted in the councils of Madrid. Its
light has not yet fully penetrated into the chambers of
the Escurial. The submission to the loss, we fancy,
has becu as yet with a mental reservation ; and Spain,
though compelled to defer, has never lost the hope of
a re-conquest of her colonies. Accordingly, a crusade
is about to be undertaken against them, in this present
year of grace and civilisation-1846.
The scheme of Ftottei is, briefly, nothing less
than the conquest of the three Venezuelan republics
and Peru, to be erected into a sovereignty for some
Spanish or Franco-Hispaniol prince. FLORES has
even flattered CHRISTINA that one of her sons by the
Duke of RIANZAREs, might occupy that lofty station.
But whatever be the lure held out to her, certain it is,
that all the resources of the Spanish government and
court arc at this moment placed, for the purposes we
have indicated, at the disposal of FLORES.
The General is commissioned and empowered to
raise a Spanish force, and may draft from the Spanish
army such experienced officers and soldiers as he can
induce to adopt his cause. Spanish arsenals and
equipment stores are also open to him. He has
a camp at Aspeitin, a small town near the coast of
Bloomy, for the organisation of his force, and for the
Miter of the military and naval auxiliaries which
are to be supplied by Spain.
In the raising of these forces and the preparation
for his enterprise, General FLottE.s is said to be aided
by his friend, General SANTA CRUZ, ex-President of
Bolivia, and a forced political exile like himself,

who boo betoken himself from Bordeaux tQ