The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-24 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 24, 1851.

FRANCE.

GEIL

PARIS, SATURDAY EVINISIO.
.. The event of the day is an alarming runvior that
a sort of 15th May was contemplated by the popu-
lace, which is represented as greatly incensed by
the hostility of the Assembly against the President.
The Patric of yesterday evening gave warning of
a design, fomented by enemies of the executive
power, to organize to-day a demonstration against
the Legislative Assembly. It appears that seditious
agents have been at work in the batilterte eittens
the population, by means of manifestoes ad
" To the friends of the Elysee," exaggerating in in-
temperate
_language the factious behaviour of the
Assembly. This scheme has probably been set on
foot with the aim of compromising the Elysee
through the violence of a Bonapartist mob. The auk
of Alais shows what dirty and desperate expedients
can be resorted to with the view of detracting from
the respect and popularity of the President. The
government is prepared, meanwhile, to act with
vigour in suppressing all disorderly movements of
the kind. . _ .

The Cebgne Gaut(, recehed this morning, con-
tains a telegraphic dispatch, saving that a plenary
sitting was to take place yesterday. The same paper
said yesterday that the breach was so wide between
Austria and Prussia that even the Reserve were
again to be called to arms. It says to-day this re-
port is positively denied. According to many of the
German newspapers the reconciliation has been ef-
fected by the scheme of an alternate presidency. But
nothing seems to be known distinctly except that
there has been a difference of great importance be-
tween Austria and Prussia, and that that difference
seems to be now removed or removing.
Our eorrespondcut writes as follows:
BERLIN, Fen. 21.
The crisis in Dresden ha. alarmed the timid and igno-
rant in Berlin. The exchange has been dull ; frightful

rumours of fresh mobilisation and immediate row have per-
vades' the town, and nut a few persons for some time really
frightened themselves into the belief that a war be-
tween Austria and Prussia was again imminent.
The stoppage of the sale of the cavalry horses by
an order from the minister of war gave some
Inun-
dation to the absurd idea. The two powers have nothing
to fight about. The concessions which, through the weak-
ness of the King, the stupidity of his ministers and the
treachery of certain parties about the court, have minister, made
to Austria naturally bring with them othera, and it is
solely the momentary hesitation of the hand which guide..
the Prussian state machine, to agree to what is the logical
and necessary consequence of his former policy, that has
produced what appears to be a stoppage. The
visit of Manteuffel to Berlin, has, I understand,
resulted in an antagonistic attitude to Austria; but
no one being endowed with common sense and the slightest
acquaintance with the circumstances can believe that it will
be persisted in. It appears that Schwarzenberg demanded
the immediate installation of the executive authority of the
confedenition, with or without the smaller states ; that the
presidency should he given to Austria alone. To this
categorical demand a written answer was given yesterday.
In this answer, which is said be the Arne Prcussuche to
have very considerably astonished the Austrian, the Prussian
government demands that before the central power be in-
stalled a general discussion shall take place on the revision
of the federal constitution, and reserves to itself its final de-
cision on the manner in which the central power shall he
installed. The papers contain a great many different stories
concerning this new difference ; but there is not one word
of truth in them all beyond what I have stated abuse.
The plenary sitting has not yet been held.
The governments of Hanover and Wirtemberg are said
to have reproached Prince Schwarat nberg for the policy he
is pursuing on the German question.
fhe Deutsche Belem this evening praises the firmness
of the government 111 the same paragraph, in which it de-
clares that there is not the most d istant foundation liar
entertaining apprehensions of war. If Prussia remain firm
she will not be threatened into
The new press law was discussed in the first chamber
yesterday and to-day. The debate has nut (teen without
interest, though the opposition to the measure has proved
fruitless. This new law contains the essence of all the
oppressive machinery which has ever been employed
against the liberty of the press, with the exception of the
censorship ; I have heard it compared to the ancient torture
chamber, in which every instrument of torture was to be
found. The majority in the chamber, however, are admirers
of uld feudal harharitits, and have given theirsanetion to the
first step to the enactment of the law. The general debate
was brought to an end. The discussion of the provisions of
the law was resumed this morning. Paragraph 1, which
regains that the consent of the district government shall
be obtained by every printer, lithographer, book or picture-
seller, antiquary, circulating librarian, &e., and which auks
that it shall only be given to those who can prove their
good character and trustworthinesa, was met by several
libend amendments, all of which were lost. The same fate
betel other amendments to paragraphs 2-5, beyond which
the chamber did not proceed. The debate was adjourned
until to-morrow.
In the Second Chamber several petitions from the pro-
vince of Silesia respecting agricultural banks were dis-
cussed.

The plot announced in the Patric was the subject
of conversation in the chamber, but the majority of
persons were disposed to regard the rumour as a
hoax. There were more persons than usual about
the Elysee; and the I'lacc de la Concorde was dotted
by groups of police; but there was no crowd either
there or before the chamber. The troops were con-
fined to barracks, and all precautions taken for the
preservation of order. The fact is, that the Assembly
takes such wonderfully wary precautions against all
surprise, that a second lath May could not, under
the present arrangements, possibly occur, One of
the questors is a general, M. kilo, and not a day
occurs that he does not visit all the posts, using as
much sharp inspection as if the chamber had been
saved providentially only a week ago from a gun-
powder plot. The partizans of the Assembly main-
tained to-day that the announcement in the Patric
was a malicious invention of the Bonapartists, to put
mischief into the heads of the mob, and shake the
nerves of the representatives with vain alarms.
The Assembly, in its sitting of to-day, finished the
Mortgage Bill, and decided on passing to a third de-
liberation. Notwithstanding this decision the hill is
regarded as doomed to be thrown out in the division
on the ensemble. The third deliberation on the bill
on contracts of apprenticeship was then taken in'
hand; but the debate presented no feature of in-
terest. The Apprentice 11111 was definitively passed.
There will be no sitting on Monday, which is the
anniversary of the revolution.
I have already mentioned the leave of absence ob-
tained by M. Carlier for 21) days, M. Clement
ltevrc, the Secretary-General of the Prefecture of
Police, who replaces *M. Carlier during his absence.
is a personage ag,nitist whom the coalition has dis-
covered matter of suspicion, as he is given out to be
the author of a pamphlet recently published, and at-
tributed to M. de l'ersigny, entitled, " Qu'est-ce quc
Ic retour s l'Empire?"
The committee of initiative has recommended the
adoption of the proposition of M. Baze for prohibiting,
all journals of whatsoever shade of polities from
street sale. This, if adopfixl, may be indicated as a
measure calculated to increase the irritation of the
public against the legislature.
• • -• •

. -
A slight reaction upwards was visible in the funds
to-day. The Fives closed at 96.50, with a rise of
15e. upon yesterday.
The revival of disputes between the governments
of England and the United States on the seizure
of men of colour belonging to British vessels, may
perhaps make it worth while to recall an incident in
the Legislative Assembly on the same subject. On
the 28th November last M. Sehodcher, representa-
tive of Guadaloupe, addressed an interpellation to the
government on the instructions given by the Minister
of Marine to captains of vessels, to abstain from en-
rolling men of colour among their crews foe this
reason. On that occasion the answer of General
Lahitte was rigorous and to the point. lie said, in
reference to the negotiations which had been under-
taken with the American government on this mat-
ter : " The position of the French Republic has been
changed by the abolition of slavery, and permittisl us to
speak with greater right. We have takcn,in regard
to the United States, all possible steps in order to
surmount laws which M. San-etcher has styled, with
reason,barbarous. Neither France nor England have
been able to persuade the govermacut of the United
States to enter into the ways of civilisation and hu-
manity, which we will persevere to march in, and
to endeavour to make the United States enter."

the King of Wurtemberg has decreed that his army
shall ceav• to wear the German euluurs.

ITALY.

SARDLXIA.

The Piedninutese Gaulle of the 18th announces
officially that the resignation of Count Siccardi has
been accepted, and that he has beau named First
President of the Court of Appeal.

PORTUGAL The Oriental Company's steam
packet, Euxine, Capt. John Bowen, arrived at South-
ampton last evening, and Landed her mails under the
charge or 1.11(11t. James Inglis, R.N., Admiralty
agent. Her dates are: Gibraltar, 6 p.m., Litli;
Cadiz, 11 n.m., 16th; Lisbon, 8 a.m.. 19th; Oporto.
5 a.m., 20th; Vigo, 3 p.m., 20th. There was no
political news.

EGYPT.—.I. letter from Trieste of Feb. 16 says:
"The Lloyd boat which arrived here this morning
from Syra, brings news that the differences between
the Porte and the Viceroy of Egnd arc composed.
The Smyrna, Constantinople, and Greek papers make
no mention: of any difference at all."

After this speech, which was accepted by the
Assembly as a pledge to pursue, in union with Eng- ,
land, a vigorous policy, in order to persuade the
United States to abolish such a scandalous and
offensive pretension, the pure and simple order of the
day was voted.
M. Arago, the celebrated astronomer, is danger-
ously ill.
St'NTAT Evrstxn.
The National Assembly seems highly dissatisfied
with having been spared. yesterday, by the timely
precautions of the executive power, from the dis-
agreeable alternative of using its armed force against
a mob. When General Baraguav d'Hilliers had the
civility to send one of his aides-dc-camp to General
Lefto, to place at his disposal any guard he was
pleased to demand for the defence of the legislative
palace, that military ques.tor replied that, so far from
any reinforcement being necessary, four men and
a corporal were quite enough to disperse the
heap of rascals with whose approach the AbSCM-
lily was menaced. So changed is the tone of the
Assembly since the 15th of May. Nevertheless
' the commander of the army of Paris thought the
affair serious enough to consign the troops to bar-
racks, and to keep some battalions of gendarmes
mobiles posted in the square of Marigny, in the Champs
Elysees, where they remained till the close of the
sitting. In the Salle des Conferences the coalition
treated the affair generally. with contemptuous incre-
dulity ; others vented their dissatisfaction in solemn
wrath against the power which put them on their
guard and watched for their defence.exclaiming that
they were the victims of an unworthy mystification,
or that it was a trick of the Elysee to
stir up the mob against them. They would
interpellate ministers on the subject. Never-
theless, it appears that there really did exist
considerable perturbation in the hirstieue,and that se-
veral thousands assembled at Renville, a suburb be-
yond the Faubourg du Temple. in order to march
with a petition to the Assembly on the subject of the
President's dotation. The whole agitation, according
to the Assembly's organs. has been got up by M.
Belmontel, a noted ultra-Bonapartist, who got up
the petition is question, and had it distributed at the
taverns of the suburbs. Meanwhile everybody is
puzzled by the coincidence of M. Carlier's retreat
upon Sens, to avail himself of a short holiday,
with this menaced rupture of the public peace.
Did the prefect shirk responsibility or make light of
the affair ? However this maybe he has been sent after
to Sem, where the jaded man thought himself calmly
havened for a season out of harassing police duties,
and will, it is thought, be soundly rafts' by the Pre-
sident for abandoning his post so unseasonably.
Resides, is not Paris on the eve of the 24th February.
when, under the excitement of celebrating the anni-
versary of the birth of the republic, and attending
solemn services in memory of the death of heroes of
the barricades, the dregs of socialism may be tempted
to throw off the restraint of public order, and flash
out into wild riot. An immense concourse is
expected in the square of Notre Dame, where a
funeral mass will be celebrated for the repose
of the souls of those fell. A banquet is to be given
by the Mountain. At first the government seemed
disposed to prohibit this convivial demonstration of
socudiam, but has since given leave, on condition of
the guests being exclusively representatives. About
120 members of the Left arc to be present.
The Club of the Rue des Pyramides were to have
held a meeting on Friday night. to come to some
understanding on the motion of M. Creton, but ad-
journed, in consequence of numerous absences, the
discussion of that question Tuesday.
Yesterday the Assembly adopted definitively a law
of importance on contracts of apprenticeship. The
amendments of the Mountain were systematically
rejected. Apprentices under 14 years are not to
work more than 10 hours a day, nor under 16 years
more than 12 hours. Those under 16 years are
' allowed to devote not more than two hours of the
day of work to acquiring the rudiments of know-
ledge. An amendment of the Mountain, leaving this
chance of instruction open to apprentices of all ages,
was rejected.