The Express.
London, England, 1849-08-22 00:00:00

inesidency, but excused himself in the following
letter :

To THE MlllO3lllO 07 THZ CONOII7BB OP 7117 Flamm*
or Urervaacti, Piece.
Plats, Aug. 17.
Gentlemen,-1 have been profoundly touched by the visit
which Messrs. De Larochafoscankl-Liancourt, V.ctur Hugo,
Coquerel, and Elihu Bandit were good enough to p.sy me,
and by the letter which you have written to me to effer me
the presidency of the Congress of the Friends of Univeral
Pena.
Thii, gentlemen, is an honour, the full value of which I
feel, and for which I should never be able adetuatedy to ex-
press my gratitude.
I think with you, gentlemen, that war is a remnant of
ancient barbarism; that It is accordant with the spirit of
Christianity to desire the disappearance of this formidable
scourge from the face of the earth, and to melee strenuous
efforts to attain this noble end generous end.
Perhaps, alas! the time has not yet come when it will be
nom; let, ly possible for the nations to enter upon the path of
peace. Perhaps war will continue for many years longer to
be send necessity.
But it is allowaule, it is praiseworthy, it is noble, to labour
to make the peoples understand that they, as well as indi-
viduals, should endeavour with the least pos,ible delay to
terminate their differences by pacific memo, end that huma-
nity and civilisation will have made immense progre.s on the
day when an end shall have been put to these fratricidal
contests.
I beg you. therefore, gentlemen, to inscribe my name
amongst thews of the friends of the Peace Congress ; but it
MIMI se deep regret that I cannot, on account of my health,
accept the honour which you have so kindly offered me, of
presiding over you.
If my physician, who strongly urges me to take a trip into
the country, to prevent my health becoming worse, would
nevertheless consent to let me put it off for a few days, and
if my neuralgic pains were not too violent, it would afford
me sincere pleasure to be present at one of your sessions.
gentlemen, together with the expression of these
!sentiments, the assurance of my most distinguished con-
'attention.
t Mama DOMINIQUE Anorearz, Archbishop of Paris.
The room which has been fixed upon as the most
suitable La hold the congress in, is the Salle Sainte
Cecile, in the Rue de la Cnatunes d'Antin. There
will be ono session each day, lasting from 12 to 6
o'clock. The first session will take plain on Wed-
nesday, the 22nd., the fourth on Saturday the 25th
instant.
The following is:the programme of the:resolutions
to be submitted to the congress:
1. As peace alone can secure Use moral and mateiiirErs-
rats of notions, it is the duty of all governments to submit to
arbitration sll differences that seise amongst them, and to
respect the decisions of the arbitrators whom they may
choose.
2. It is advisable to call the attention of governments to
the necessity of entering, by a general and simultaneous
measure, upon a system of disarmament, for the purpose of
reducing national expenditure, and of removinz at the same
time a permanent cause of disquietude and irritation from
among the nations.
3. The congress recommends all the friends of peace to
prepare public opinion, in their respective countries, for the
formation of a congress of actions, whose sole object should
be to frame a code of international laws, and to constitute
a supreme court, to which should be submitted all questions
relating to the reciprocal rights and duties of nations.
4. The congress condemns all loans and taxes intended to
aid the prosecution of wars of conquest and ambition.
6. The congress recommends all its members to endeavour
to eradicate from the minds of all in their respective c-mn.
tries, both by means of a better education of youth and by
other methods, those political prejudices and hereditary
hatreds which have so often been the cause of disastrous ware. I
6. The congress addresses the same invitation to ail minis-
ters of religion, whose sacred mission it is to encourage feel-
ings of good-will among men ; as well as to the various
organs of the press, which exercise so powerful an influence
Over the development of civilisation.
7 The congress earnestly hopes for the improvement of
the means of international communication; for the extension
of postal reform ; for the universal adoption of the same
standard of weights, measures and coinage, and for the mul-
tiplication of peace societies, which shall keep up a corres-
pondence witk each other.
8. The congress decides that the committee be instructed
to draw up en address to all nations embodying the resolu-
tions of the congress, and that ttis address shall be presented
to the various governments of Europe and America, and
particularly to the president of the French republic.
One of the most interesting features of this congress
will be the presentations of the prizes to the authors
of the successful essays. Last year, at the Brussels
congress, a prize of I,ooofr. was offered for the best,
and two supplementary prizes of I,oook. together,
for the second and third best essays on the best means
of securing the establishment of permanent and uni-
versal peace. The Belgian Royal Academy kindly
consented to act as adjudicators, and appointed three
of their number, MM. Leclercq, de Decker, and Moke,
to examine the essays that might be rent in. From
the twenty-five that were forthcoming, three were
selected, and the prizes awarded as follows : —First
prize, to M. Louis Bars, advocate, Mons; second
prize, to M. Alexandre-Henri Clochereux, of Liege ;
and the third to M. Edouard Morhange, of Brussel&
These three gentlemen, it is expected, will be present
at the congress, on Wednesday next, when the prizes
will be delivered into their hands.
The " Scciete de la Morale Chretienne has offered
to give a gold medal of the value of 500 francs to
the compiler of the best collection of paragraphs on
the subject of peace. The selections may be made
from the works of all authors, both aneent and
modern, English and foreign, sacred and profane.
The prize will be given at the peace congress next
year.

BOURSE.