The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-03 00:00:00

IMPRESS FROM PARIS.

(nom on own

PARIS, SUNDAY EVIERNO:

The France is convicted of having perpetrated a
monstrona canard by the following letter from the
minister plenipotentiary of the King of Italy, which
it is fain to insert this evening : _ _

Pain, Nov. 1.
Monsieur le Directea•,—Tbe France in its number of
this day contains the following words :
"We believe we know that M. Nigro ban expressed to
M. Dronyn de Lhays the regret of the Italian cabinet for
having addressed to Frame the circular note of General
Durando."

I have the honour to tell you, sir, that this statement is
Altogether unfounded. I appeal to your courtesy to pub-
lish this letter in your journal, at the mime time offering
you the expression of my distinguished consideration.

NIGIU.

The France, which sees very well that the whole
question of the unity of Italy is involved in M.
Nigra's letter, makes a thoroughly Jesuitical
attempt to answer it. It pretends that the Italian
minister's contradiction, which, in point of fact,
is as single as possible, and merely refutes a lie,
applies to a question of form and a question of sub-
stance. It proceeds to insinuate that its original
statement, though incorrect in form, was true in
substance. With wonderfully frank language the
France concedes that M. Nigra's affirmation is "one
that admits of no reply." But then it enters
into a complicated argument, the only intelli-
gent meaning of which is, that if M. Nigra
' has not done what the France falsely re-
ported, he ought to have done it. General
Durando's "summons" to France to leave Rome
is, he says, evidently null and voikbecause it has not
been followed up by immediate execution in default
of obedience ; and therefore it was only " natural
to suppose " (a very bad reason, by the way, for
launching a positive statement) that M. Rattazzi's
cabinet regretted that it had been issued. The
whole gist of the article of the France to-day is that
General Durando's proclamation must either be
maintained or withdrawn. If Rattazzi does not
dare to withdraw it, nothing can be more certain
than that his successor, who must according to all
indications be a man of more spirit and more faith
in Italian nationality than Rattazzi, will not do so.
There is serious reason to fear that English
sportsmen will refrain altogether from participat-
ing in the Grand Paris Races, to be inaugurated
next year with the 4,0001. prize given by the city
of Paris and the railway companies. It was taken
for granted that this meeting would attract more
first-rate horses from the English turf than had
ever before been brought to France, and the objec-
tion which now threatens to be fatal to such a de-
sirable international competition never seems to
have occurred to the founders of the new races.
That objection, which has been raised, and very
seriously raised in England, is that the day fixed
for the sport to come off is a Sunday. It has been
represented to the French sporting authorities, with
the most perfect courtesy, and without any affec-
tation of puritanism, that, out of deference to the
habits and customs and deeply-rooted feeling in
their own country, English gentlemen would
scruple, even on a foreign soil, where differ-
ent views of Sabbath obligations prevail, to take
part in such a diversion as public races on a
Sunday ; and the suggestion has been very earnestly
made that some week day should be chosen. The
Frenchmen, while admitting that the objection is
one that demands most respectful consideration,
do not seem disposed to yield to it. They say that
Sunday is by almost universal consent the day
fixed upon for horse-racing in France—that while
they are quite ready to conform to English
habits in England, they do not feel that inter-
national courtesy calls upon them to alter a French
custom for the existence of which many cogent
reasons may be given. They consider it highly
desirable in a national point of view, and in order
to improve the breed of horses, to encourage the
sport of horse-racing, which, as yet, is but in its
infancy in France. The best way to encourage it on
a large scale is to interest the masses in the races.
But it is quite certain that the general
public does not yet care enough for a race to make
a great national holiday and shut up their shops for
the sake of one, as is done in England. On any day
but Sunday the spectators would be few, and con-
fined to a special class. Moreover (and this is a
weighty reason), it is urged that the object of the
city of Paris and of the railway companies in giving
the great prize which was to attract large numbers of
, visitors, and give a fillip to business, would be
in a great measure frustrated, and the prize itself
would probably be given up before long for want of
sufficient encouragement. Such is the line of argu-
ment which I do not think is likelyto be abandoned
on this side of the Channel.
During the late gales the keeper of the
Blainville lighthouse, near Coutance, with his
wife and daughter, were very nearly being
starved to death. For six days they had
no communication with the shore, their pro-
visions were entirely exhausted, and they were
reduced to quench their thirst by sucking napkins
held out to catch the rain. When at length it was
found possible to take some food to them they were
in a very alarming state, especially the daughter,
a girl of sixteen, whose sufferings from the pangs
of hunger and the conscious prospect of a dreadful
death were terrible. The family is now out of
I danger.

WEATHER REPORT.-(THIS DAY.,

MONDAY. NO% ENDED 3, I A.M.