The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-20 00:00:00

THE EXPRBSS, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 20, 1853.

persisted in, it will become evident to the most in-
credulous, that commercial enterprise is bat this pre-/-
text . the establishment about to be created at
Cherbourg. The French government must perfectly
well know that light boats; built with a view to
rapibity only, such as those of the Liverpool and
Southampton companies must always beat vessels
constructed to carry artillery and muniments of war.
France has not to seek experience in this matter.
The failure of M. Thiess's experiment in 1840 was
complete. Four mixed vessels built under his orders
attempted the transatlantic packet service. They
were unable to carry coal enough for their consiis•p.
tion during the voyage,and at the end of ridiculously
long pa sages were obliged to make their way to
New York with sails. These vessels are thus de-
scribed in a report made to the Marine Commission
by Admiral Baudin :
When they came to try these vessels as transatlantic pack-
ets it was found necessary to abandon the attempt. They
had neither the necessary speed nor solidity. They were
ships of grotesque appearance, and excited the laughter of
every foreigner who beheld them. When they were seen
in the tiaited States alongside of American ships people
asked what savages in France had built vessels in ouch a
form ? Thus, owing to the vice in their construction, the
transatlantic packets enterprise completely failed.
It is however said that great improvements have
been made in ship-building within the last few years,
and the performances of the famous screw steamer
the Napoleon are triumphantly cited to show
the degree of speed which a war vessel
may now be made to attain. Doubtless this
model vessel, which has cost, by the way, an enor-
mous sum of money, is exceedingly fast for a ship of
war ; but she could not keep pace with a clipper
across the Atlantic. It is impossible that any ves-
sel drawing the quantity of water that the lightest
ship of war must do, can compete as • packet boat
with vessels combining every modern improvement,
and constructed for the especial purpose of carrying
nothing but mails, passengers, and light but valuable
freight. In such a service " time is money." The
English companies have nothing to fear from com-
petition with hybrid ships. But this point is so clear
as to force upon us the conclusion that the vessels
destined to fill the port of Cherbourg will not be of
that character. They may be called commercial ves-
sels of warlike capabilities, but they will in reality
be ships of war, and nothing else.
It would be affectation to suppress the .fact that
" rumours of war" are now in everybody's mouth.
The laborious attempts of the governmenejournals to
demonstrate the peaceable policy of the Emperor,
only serve to demonstrate the uneasy feeling that
prevails upon the subject. There is a remarkable
article to-day in the republican Sleek, well worthy
the attention of those who may imagine that foreign
journals alone throw doubts upon the trustworthiness
of the pacific professions of the government.
The government journals announce that the Portu-
guese government, in order to give a proof of the
good understanding existing between the two
countries, has suppressed a Lisbon journal hostile to
the establishment of the empire in France.
M. de la Rochejaquelin has received a very large
, number of new-year's cards from his old legitimist
friends, with the significant addition of the letters
P.PC."

An imperial decree, dated the 3rd, nominates Ge-
neral de division Allouveau de Monbreal, inspector-
general of infantry, to the command of the division
of oocapation at Rome, in the room of General Ge-
moan, nominated senator and placed en diaponsibilit4.
The Minister of Police, in a report to the Empe-
ror, published in the Moniker, recommends that, in
execution of the decree of the 28th March last, 738
commissaries of cantonal police shall be appointed in
the different departmente,in districts specified by him;
and a decree of the Emperor orders the recom-
mendation to be carried into effect, and approves of
the limits proposed for each canton. The expense,
lays the minister, will be 752,330 fr., of which the
communes will contribute 576,079 fr., and the state,
178,751 fr. The salaries of the new commissaries
is to vary from 800 fr. to 1,500 fr.