The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-26 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 26, 1051.

claimed credit for moderation in not insisting upon
flint article of, the indietment, which ~however,
lrc
did aot-fornuak withdraw, bat left to be dealt with
l ast comet ta Its wisdom. He thus took the
of a verdict which would have led to the sus-
pension of the paper for a tint offence, the hope of
which ruiners sentence it was that led to the unsus-
tainable charge being preferred. The jury, hovrevcr,
expressly found a verdict of " Not guilty " upon tins
count. *The remaining two counts were: Ist. An
attack against the respect duo to the laws; and,
2nd, pa apology for facts designated by
law as criminal. To support the affirma-
tive of those propositions was an easy task for
the advocate-general. The unreasonable amount of
respect which the French law exacts towards a judi-
cial decision, prohibiting any statement even in the
most respectful language from which it might be in-,
faced that a tribunal may have been misled or mis-
taken, places a writer who alludes to a state trial,
except to commend a verdict. very much at the mercy
of the public prosecutor. M. Victor Hugo had called
his son a martyr to petty persecution, front which
the inference is clear that he thought him innocent
of any offence, although he had been found guilty of
a political libel by a Seine jury. What can be more
evident than that M. Victor Hugo was wanting in
respect due to the law as the Seine jury had ex-
pounded it ? Accordingly, M. Vacquene, for printing
his letter, was found guilty, and sentenced to six
months imprisonment and a fine of I,ooofr. The
court, without the interposition of a jury, pronounced
a similar sentence agaiust M. ltouy, fur the copy of
the same letter which appeared in the l'resse. The
latter journal, having been condemned once before
within the year, might have been suspended, had the
court thought fit. rho newspapers naturally refrain
from many comments upon this trial. There is not
even one of the government journals that can be•
found to applaud it.
The .Ifonitem- of this morning confirms partly the
alleged objections of Marshal Execlmans to register
the promotion of M. Leon Faucher to be commander
of the Legion of Honour without having passed
through the intermediate grades. For the official
paper contains two decrees, one dated on the 14th,
and the other on the 24th, appointing the Minister
of the Interior to be simple chevalier, and officer of
the Legion of Honour. But no decree appears
appointing him to be commander. The terms in
which the distinction is bestowed arc remarkable,
and as follows :

By decree of the 24th September, on the proposi-
tion of the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour' the
l'nsident of the Republic has appointed officer of the
national order of the Legion of Honour M. Leon Faucher.
Minister of the Interior, on account of the extraordinary'
servicis which he has rendered to the state as Minister of
the Interior, conformably to the 2Uth article of the ordi-
nance of March 26, 1816.

It is reported that in the message which the Pre-
sident will address to the Assembly on its re-opening,
he will renounce the idea of attempting alone to pro-
cure his re-election in spite of the constitution, but
that he will solicit the co-operation of the Assembly
for this end as for a great measure of public safety,
in case revision should be aain debarred by a mino-
rity of the chamber. Without the concurrence of
the majority of the Assembly he will do nothing.
liv decree of the President the municipal council
of Melun is dissolved, and the mayor, M. Poges,
suspended for three months.
M. Raymond, mayor of La Tour-du-Pin, and 31.
Costaz, deputy-mayor of the same town, have bees
suspended by the Prefect of the here, for not visit-
ing General Castellani when passing through on his
journey of inspection.
As we approach the period when the destinies of
France are to be delivered over to the struggle of
parties, it becomes more interesting to study the
oscillations of commercial affairs. The ilosaitear
affords in its table of the exports and im-
ports of the first eight months of the year a sad mea-
sure of the depressing influence of political instability
upon the material prosperity of a country. The ma-
nufacturing towns have for some time back been
lessening their purchases of raw material. They have
purchased less cotton, less wool, and less silk. That
being certain, the rest is of no great importance, for
the textile manufactures represent the greatest part
of the general labour of the country. But, on the
other hand, more olive oil, linen thread, oleaginous
seeds, cast-iron, lead, zinc, and coals have been con-
sumed. For this last article the imports from Bel-
gium, in particular, are regularly increasing, as from
814,1100 tons in 11419, the quantity became 901.000 in
18.50, and 1,230.000 in 1851. It is the same for east-
iron : in IM4O the quantity imported was 1,101,150
tons, and in 1831, 1.272,000; also for zinc, the quan-
tity imported was 37,327 inetriesd quintals in 1830,
aria 60,084 in 18.11. Coffee and cochineal also show
'an increase; whilst, as showing a falling off, there
are indigo, copper, tin, tallow, nitrate of soda, salt,
and colonial sugar, of which last have been consumed
in 1851 289,0u0 quintals, in place of 362,000 in
1840, and 463,000 in 1819. Foreign sugar is con-
stantly gaining ground on the home market, as from
119,000 quintols in 1849, the quantity became
i 110,000 n 1830, and 145,000 in 18.51. These sugars
arc again re-exported in their totality, after having
afforded labour to the refining houses. The imports
of the first eight months of the present year have
yielded customs.duties to the amount of 70,406,000 fr.
whilst in 18.50 tho amount was 81,229,000 fr.,
and in 1819, 84,277,000 fr. There is conse-
quently a continued falling otf, and it is in vain
to affirm that the diminution is owing solely to the
difference in the sugar duties. These, it is
true, give a deficit of nearly 4 millions, but that di-
minution is largely made up for by the produce of
some other articles, and particularly of coffee. The
exports are more satisfactory. If at present manu-
factures produce less, it is certain, on the other hand,
that they sell more,—at: what price is another mat-
ter. But the fact is indubitable that the exports of
French articles, manufactured or natural, have been,
during the present year, constantly on the increase.
The following is the improvement during the eight
months as compared with the corresponding period
of last year: wine, 1,537,000 hectolitres in place of
1,231,000; brandies, 213,000 in place of 181,000;
corn, 334,000 tons, in place of 203,000; machinery,
3,170,000 fr. in place of 2,541.000 fr.; articles of
ladies' dress, 3,101,000 fr. in place of 2,753,000 IV.;
china, 22,791 quintals in place of 20,238; glass,
133,713 in place of 123,820 ; salt, 774,000 quintals in
place of 474,000; and cotton cloths, 155,000 quintals
le place of 134,000. For woollen goods and silk, the
climatics are almost the same ; and trifling diminu-
tions are perceptible in leather, raw silk, and
li-
gnaes. The vessels engaged in this traffic represent,
sot including ballast, a total of 2,741,000 tons, or
278,000 more than in 1850, and 433,000 more than
is 1849. If this continued improvement turned tol
the profit of the national flag, the result would be
sore satisfactory. But such is not the case, as the
greatest share falls to foreign bottoms, in proof
whereof it is sufficient to state that, out of the in-
crease of 276,000 tons for 1851, only 62,000 fall to
the share of French shipping.
It will form a question for legislative examination
whether such results may not be remedied by a re-
form of the navigation laws.
The .31essager follows the Ordre in withdrawing
a,l support from the law of May 31, if the govern-
ment sincerely desire its abrogation.
The Petrie points to the retirement of the Presi-
dent to St. Cloud as a proof how devoid of all foun-
dation are the alarming rumours spread by agi-
tators.

The rition replies very sensibly to the Orleanists
and ultra-legitimists, who are always urging the
parte of M. Berryer to proclaim a candidate for the
presidency. It reminds these impatient advisers that
the Assembly will on meeting have to grapple with
three great questions—the law of May, the proposi-
tion of M. Creton, and the revision of the constitu-
tion. It would be manifestly premature to put for-
ward a candidature while the issue of points of such
magnitude remains unforeseen.
The President of the Republic, attended by the
minister of war, the commander-in-chief, and gene-
rals of the army of Paris, passed in r*iew on the
Champ de Mars the 2nd, 64th, and 60th regiments
of the line, the 18th light infantry, the 9th dragoons,
the sth hussars, and the 2nd light dragoons, which
are about to leave the garrison of Pans The Presi-
dent afterwards distributed several crosses of the
Legion of Honour to officers, non-commissioned of-
ficers, and soldier.
M. Savalette, the banker, who purchased the last
half-million of lottery tickets, on the speculation of
selling them again at a premium, protests, to-day, in
; a letter to the Steele,against the decree of the pre-
' feet of police, prohibiting such sale as illegal; and
Istates that he will bring an action at law against the
proper parties for ndemnity.