The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-30 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, MoxpAT ErzNnw.
I believe that a good deal of attention has been
drawn in England to the numerous seizures by the
French custom-house officers of shepherds' plaids,
serried on the arms of passengers from England.
The enormous tax of 10s. levied upon these scarfs,
which can be considered as little more than a cravat,
er comforter," has in many cases induced their
owners to leave them behind at the frontier, a sacri-
fice often attended, now the season is on the turn,
and the nights are growing chill, with serious incon-
venience. Still you will hardly be prepared to hear
that the British government has already taken so
serious a view of this question as to make it the sub-
ject of a formal communisation. Yet this lam given
to understand, from excellent authority, is the case;
and
_Lord l'almcrston has not deemed it be-
low the dignity of his diplomatic pen to
address a long and elaborate despatch to
our ambassador hero on the inadmissibility of this
innovation in the proceedings of the French custom-
house. A copy of this despatch has been handed by
Lord Normanby to M. Baroche ; and it forms at pre-
sent, I believe, the theme of liveliest discussion in the
French foreign-office. Our government takes the
ground that such plaids must be considered as bona
,/Gk articles of dress as a man's coat or hat ; and that
it would be quite as unreasonable to levy a tax upon
the latter objects as upon the former. The French
government is formally invited to stop this practice,
as a serious international grievance and brush of tho
commercial arrangements between the two countries.
It follows, as a matter of course, that all those per-
sons who have paid duty on such plaids, or have
suffered loss by their seizure, in consequence of re-
fusing to pay duty, must be looked upon as
having an incontestable claim against the
French government for indemnity, which has
been seriously espoused by our Foreign-office.
On the other hand, 31. Itaroche, I am given to un-
derstand, has represented to Lord Normanby that it
is notorious that many people drive a regular trade
in bringing over these Scotch plaids, and distribute
them for that purpose to passengers on board the
steamers who have no objection to the incumbrance.
In fact, this plaid smuggling, he maintains, is re-
sorted to very generally by apprentices, clerks, and
commercial travellers, as a means of lightening the
expenses of a journey to Paris. Then again, the
same people usually provide themselves with an um-
brella, or gold watch, on their return, which makes
the account even. But suppose tho Dover custom-
house officers should turn out every man's pockets
when he came from France, and tax the trinkets he
brings with him from the Palais Royal, or lay
violent hands upon his brooch or studs, such a sys-
tem would be reputed an intolerable grievance; mid
yet it would be quite as reasonable as taxing an
essential object of clothing worn by the traveller.
This then is the present phase of the plaid question,
which bids fair to become a knotty subject of dispute
between the two governments.
The Presse to-&y his been acquitted in its ajmeal
against the decision of the Court of Assizes, by which
its g, rant, M. Rout', was condemned to I,oobfr. fine
and six months' imprisonment. The jury motived
its verdict on the withdrawal of the word "elorieuse-
ment" applied to the martyrdom of the young
Hugo, and the apology made for its use on the fol.
lowing day by M. Girardin.
The official result of the elections of the Finisterre
has been received. Out of 34.248 votes, M. de
Kersauson Pennendreff, the legitimist candidate, has
obtained 23,919, and M. de Geste, moderate repub-
lican, 7,997. M. de Kersauson, having obtained more
than one-fourth of the inscribed votes, has been pro-
claimed representative. The abstentions amount to
the enormous proportion of 30,000.
Ocneral Nlagnan, being lately hard pressed by'
some friends to say what he thought of the practi-1
tability of a coup (taut in favour of Louis Napoleon,
is said to have replied that, supposing it possible that
he mild lend himself to such an attempt, he might
eadate on the support of some few colonels, but