The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-18 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, FRIDAY Evwxo.
I have beard it remarked to-day that the journals,
both French and English, smell of gunpowder.
The time hes, however, gone by for an article in
any newspaper upon this eastern question to
produce much effect in Paris. There is a settled belief
in the continuance of peace, which nothing but positive
intelligence that hostilities have been commenced
will disturb. An impression is abroad, whether
well or ill-founded I cannot pretend to say, that
the government encourages its organs to talk
big, in order to tickle the military vanity
of the nation, but feels perfectly certain all
the time that there will be no war. An old
general of the empire has been in the habit of
saying ever since 1830, " When you see the cannons
pointed and the matches lighted you may be sure
there will be no fighting," and people hug themselves
in the belief that this saying describes the present
situation. However, the Costetiftitionnel, continuing
to develop that policy of resistance to Russia,
which, whatever the public may think, is
namistakeably the present profession of faith of the
French government, has an elaborate article upon the
subject, signed by M. Granite de Caasagnac. It is
very evident, this journal observes, that the Em-
peror of Russia never expected that Menchikors
mission would make so much noise in Europe. Whe-
ther he calculated upon the old accustomed docility
of the Porte, or (misled by the tone of a portion of
the English and German press with regard to the
new dynasty in France) upon the impossibility of a
combination of the four powers against him—it is
manifest that the Czar risked an attempt to enforce
the traditional policy of Russia in tho East
by cloaking his ambitious projects under
pious
.professions, and masking a scheme
of invasion under the specious pretext of a reli-
gious Protectorate. Being now found out, the
anstitutionnei says, he has changed his purpose, and
whereas two months ago he seriously intended to
invade Turkey, his only present thought is how to
retire with dignity from a position into which he has
been precipitated owing to his owe rash conduct.
This observation seems to point to the probability
of a peaceable solution, but the tone of the subsequent
part of the article is much more warlike. It pro-
ceeds to affirm that the four great powers, in spite
of all that may have been stated or hoped to the con-
trary, are agreed in this, that the Russian de-
mands are inadmissible, because they involve a
manifest usurpation of the sovereignty of
the Sultan. Austria and Prussia may perhaps sup-
port this view only by their advice, while England
and France are prepared to support it by their can-
non, but the four powers are unanimous in the ex-
pression of an unhesitating opinion that Rus-
sia is wrong. The press of all Europe, the
tory, Whig, and radical journals of England,
the progressist and conservative journals of Spain
the absolutist and constitutional journals of Ger-
many, and, with exceptions so rare as to prove the
rule, the legitimist, Orleanist, republican, and im-
perialist journals of France, all unite in a common
censure, more or less explicit, of the pretensions of
Russia. This overwhelming expression of public
opinion amounts to what is called in the schools the
consensua yeneris humans'. By this common consent
it is now admitted that the protectorate claimed by
Russia is invasion in disguise, that such a protec-
torate conceded or even suffered, would be an attack
of the most serious kind upon the tranquillity of the
world, end would open a door to capricious end en-

croaching wars which would place the peace, the indus-
try, and the property both of individ %alto and nations in a
state of rrmanent peril ; that a moderate, but at the
same time resolute and unswerving resistance to
unjust caprices which set treaties at naught, is not
only esseutial for the dignity but also for the
safety of the four great powers ; and that in
the present state of Europe, a pusillanimous
policy would not only fail to avert one war,
but would bring on ten. With regard to the
immediate step proposed to be taken by Russia of
crossing the Pruth, the Conititutionnel says if enter-
ing a country with troops and cannon, when no treaty
in the world authorises such an act, be not war, it is
at a lots to know what is. In order to prove that
the protectorate asked for over the Greeks would not
be an invasion of Turkey, ltussia proposes
to invade the Danubian provinces by virtue
of her right to protect the Nloldo-Wallachians.
This is a clear avowal that in the St. Peters-
burg dictionary " protection " is synonymous with
occupation. There might possibly have been some
doubts about the Russian interpretation of the word
protectorate hitherto, but when Russia shall
have crossed the Pruth there will be none.

" Such," says the Constilutionnel, in conclusion,
"is the new phase into which the Eastern question
has now entered; we arc from seeing in it
an inevitable war, but it appears to us very dif-
ficult to see in it certain peace. The moment in
which Russia justifies all the apprehensions of the
powers does not appear to us very favourable to tran-
quillise and to disarm them. God forbid that we
should call for war ; but it is a great error to suppose
that we may avoid blows by offering our back to re-
ceive them; what takes place in that case is to receive
both the blows and the disgrace. It is with war as
with monsters; the surest way not to be devoured is
not to tremble before them."

I have reason to believe that, to-morrow or next
day, the Munileer will coutaiu a manifesto from the
French government relating to the present state of
the Eastern question.
His Eminence Mgr. Garibaldi, the Pope's nuncio,
expired yesterday afternoon, at half-past 2 o'clock,
from an attack of apoplexy. lie was only 56 years
of age. All the morning ho was occupied m business,
which he despatched with all his usual lucidity of
mind. lie then began to converse with a friend, and
as he did so walked about the room. All at once he
fell as if struck with a thunderbolt. Drs. Maison.
inure and Vuitou were immediately sent for, but to
no purpose, as his death had been instantaneous.
Abdel Bader has addressed the following letter to
M. Brun, prefect of the ludro-et Loire:—

Glory to God alone ! To his lordship the excellent Lord
Brun, chief of the country at Tours. Salutation to you,
your gracious spouse, and the charming young ladies Brun.
We shall never forget your friendly dispositions to us, and
your kind felicitations, when Sultan Napoleon 111 (God
make his victory eternal, and prolong his days for the
triumph of good causes!) ret us at liberty. Everybody
praised your sdministration about us. We again unite in
that concert of praises. Be kind enough not to forget us
either in your hearts or your letters. Salutation from
Abdel Nader, son of Mahi-Eddin, four days remaining of
RAM el Tsani, 1269.

But little business was transacted at the Bourse to-
day, though on the whole the prices of government
securities were steadily maintained, and a slight ad-
vance had even taken place at the conclusion ex-
cepting in the Three per Cents, for the account, in
which a decline of 30c. occurred. The Four-and-a-
Half per Cents. for cash rose 40c., and the Three
per Cents. 15c. There were no transactions again
to-da in the Four-and-a-Half per Cents. for the end
lof they month. Bank of France shares remained
unchanged. The final quotations were :—Three per
Cents., for cash, 77.25 ; for the account, 77 ; Four-
and-a-Half per Cents., for c.sb, 102.15. ; for the ac-
count, 101.00; Bank Stock, 2,660 f. Northern.,
885.50; Paris and Orleans, 1,049.50 ; Paris and Stras-
bourg, 897 ; Paris and Lyons 905; Paris and
Rouen, 1,0:0 ; Lyons to the Mediterranean, 733.50 ;
Webtern of France, 710.
PARIS, TIIIIIISDAT EVENING.
I have reason to know that at the Cabinet Council

held at St. Cloud yesterday, resolutions were come to
entirely adverse to the Russian occupation. It
was determined that, while, according to the pre-
vious understanding with Eng:and, it should be left
to the Sultan to declare whether the invasion of the
principalities was an act of war against him, it should
be strongly represented to the Porte that the treaties
upon which Russia relies afford no shadow of a pre-
' text for such • step. It was taken for granted in the
Council that the Sultan would act upon this advice,
and in that ease, unless Russia gives way, the French
government is fully prepared to act with vigour.