The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-27 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, WEDNESDAY Evwstxn.
The decided opposition manifested be the govern-
ment against the project of amnesty, and the grounds
assigned by the Minister of the Interior for main-
taining this severe attitnde towards political pri-
soners, have created much sensation. The report
read by M. I'iscatory to-day in the Assembly em-
bodies the statements made by M. Wayssc yesterday
in presence of the committee, and presents a by no
means cheerful picture of the state of France as re-
gards seditious agitation. One might be disposed to
attribute the gloomy tone of the explanation of the
minister of transition to his inexperience of office;
but it appears that for some time past the reports of
the prefects from nil quarters concur in representing
the agitation of the socialists as remarkably active.
The meetings of the affiliated societies recur at closer
intervals, and the associations by messes exhibit a
political tendency, from which they were formerly
exempt, so that the attention of the authorities
is directed to organised societies, which have
been hitherto regarded as merely charitable, and
free from party spirit. At the same time, although
the trial of the Lyons affair is still pending, there is
clear evidence thiit the revolutionary party is mach
stronger than was supposed in the east and south,
and that it keeps up a regular correspondence with
the refugees at Geneva. It is essential, at the sante
time, says M. 11-aysse, in considering the ques-
tion of amnesty, to take into account the material
situation of the country. The communications of
the Minister of commerce make the cabinet appre-
hend the imminence of a commercial crisis, which
has already commenced at Roubaix and Amiens
with the falling off of work, and which, coinciding
with the agricultural crisis, may place the country in
a state of grave embarrassment. Calder such circum-
stances, a measure of amnesty is exceedingly inop-
portune. The refugees of Geneva clearly instigated
the Lyons plot, and continue to fan the passions of
the east and south. Those of London act without
disguise, and are continually publishing manifestoes
which upbrtid their Paris friends with inertness
and apathy, and stimulate them to seditious
exertions. Not a fortnight ago, a mutiny broke out
among the convicts at Belleisle, on the trivial
pretext that they were served with the sante dinner
two days in the week; so that it had been found ne-
cessary to confine forty-one of them to the dungeon.
The Minister of Justice, M. de Royer, added to these
remarks that it was nevertheless the intention of the
government to propose some partial pardons to the
Assembly, when it conceived the right nutmeat was
come for so doing. and that clemency could be exer-
cised in favour of men who could oiler guarantees to
society. Out of 12,000 persons arrested in June,
1818, only 1,221 had been sent to Belleisle, WO of
whom hull been liberated in November, 1849, by de-
cree of the President, se that the number of those
transported to Africa did not exceed 43,4. The re-
port of M. Piseatory concluded with vehement disap-
probation of such ill-placed mercy as would set once
more the whole country on Home.

M. Savatier Laroche then to address his in-
terp•lkutions to the ministry on the viulati 111 l of the
electoral law by the goyeniment. The prefect of the
Yonne had issued, in virtue of an ordinanty of the
President of the lit•public, a decree dividing the town
of Auxerre into several sections for theeommunul elee-
time. M.Savatier Laroche maintained that such a divi-
sion was contrary to the constitution. M. Waysse ob-
served. in answer, that the Conseil d'Etut was
founded expressly for the piTiose of taking' cogni-
ranee of the errors which might he committed by
the executive power. The legislative power could
not. without violating the principle of the separation
of the powers, prls•eYd otherwise than by making a
law which explained or modified existing legislation.
Meanwhile the minister maintained that the division
in question infringed the constitution in no single
respect. After sonic remarks from M. Canct in
support of the interpellations, the house di-
vided, when the pure and simple order of the day was
adopted by a majmity of 4'29 votes against '233. A
bill was then culoptel for opening an extraordinary
credit for the service of the customs and pest. The
wine bill was adjourned, and the motion for opening
the butcher-trade taken into consideration. The
house then rase.

In the committee on supplementary credits, the
ministers on being questioned with regard to the
Roman expedition, stated that the number of French
troops could not be reduced, during 1851, below
10,1N10 men and 1,500 horses ; nor could any period
be assigned for the cessation of the occupation. The
committee, having approved the arguments of the
minister, grunted the credits demanded for the main-
tenance of the expedition, and appointed reporter M.
Palsy, who recommends the adoption of the bill.
A severe sentence has been pronounced to-day
against the socialist paper which may be said to
have taken the place of the People. .The Court of
Assizes has sentenced the responsible editor of the
Voterairerset to 6 months imprisonment and B,ooofr.
fine. M. Andre, writer of the article incriminated,
and entitled Aux Paysans, was sentenced to one
year's imprisonment. The paper was suspended fur
one month.
Fresh endeavours are made to produce a fusion
between the Bourbon branches, but with as little
success as ever. In fact the Orleans Bourbons see
that such u result would extinguish them; and the
Prince de Joinville is represented as being strongly
opposed to any plan of the kind. On the other hand,
it is quite clear that he wishes to be put in nomina-
tion against Louis Napoleon for the presidency. The
report that the Duke of Bordeaux is going to visit
London to see the Great Exhibition has set the
fusionists one more on the alert.

'fhe funds continue to buffer a slight depression.
The Fives fell to-day 10 centimes, closing at 90.35,

ITALY.

ROMAN STATES.
fIOYE, Fan. 14.
Whatever measures may subsequently be adopted
by the British government, with respect to the papal
aggression. I am sure that the position of hi, Holi-
ness as head of the Roman catholic church. will not
be for a moment contested, and yet the Papistieal
orators in Rome go so far as to deny Queen Victoria's
right to be called head of the church of England.
This assertion, together with several others of an
equally startling nature. was made last Sunday by
Archbishop Hughes, and, coming as it does frOm a
future ('ardinal, and possible from a future Pope, for
all members of the sacred college arc heirs apparent
to the papal throne, it deserves to be weighed by the
BritNlL pdblic in the present emergency. The arch-
bishop was preaching on the supremacy of the Pope,
and affirmed that no land could remember a time
when this supremacy was not—certainly nut England
whose savage Briton; were fighting with the Pagan
legions of Rome at the timcwhen the first successors
of St. Peter occupied his chair. It was not wonder-
ful, he said, that this supremacy- was not much heard
of in the first few centuries or Christianity, when it
was fighting against all the arts of Paganism ; but
even now, in the cataconilN might be seen the chair
whence the successors of St. Peter consecrated
bishops to go and evangelise all nations.

How (.:claimed the archbishop) can my other sovereign
he brad of the church ? In Endand lam courinekd that
the gentle and amiable sovereign would not claim any
such position, should one of her ministers be candid and
bold enough to tell her that she was not head of the