The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-28 00:00:00

ITALY.

ROMP, SrLY 20.
In my letter of the 11th I promised to give you
the earliest information of the decision of the go-
vernment respecting the railways throughout the
state. In the first place you must know that every-
thing which takes place in this country is enveloped
with a certain mysterious veil, which hinders the
plain words "yes" or "no" from ever transpiring
frankly. It is in vain to hope for any question to be
clearly and definitively settled. The only result
which appears to be hitherto obtained in the railway
vestion is that the government will have no objec-
tion to authorise the execution of the line front An-
cona to Rome, but not that from Rome to the Nea-
politan frontier, nor the line from Ancona to Bologna,
the only one which offers a fair remuneration. The
Austrians object to the latter of these two, and the
King of Naples to the former, whilst the line front
Ancona to Rome. although nominally permitted, is
virtually prohibited by the great difficulties of its
execution and the little traffic it would obtain with-
out the co-operation of the Bologna branch. Thus
the free and independent condition of his Holiness
under foreign tutelage may be fully appreciated even
in internal questions. But, beside foreign opposi-
tion, tho very principle of railways finds many ene-
mies here, act being a step towards that progress
which is so hostile to Ecclesiastical dominion, and
therefore even the line which is now authorised may
be prohibited again in a short time. One circum-
stance alone might perhaps decide the government
to keep its word, and that is the proposition of the
company to pay down six or seven millions of
francs as indemnity to the proprietors of the land
through which the railway would have to pass.
This money the government might pouch, and pay
the proprietors with consols, or treasury certificates;
now that it is obliged to have recourse to so many
expedients to keep its financial department in order,
so favourable an opportunity will probably not be
neglected. The Marquis of Montclar, who treats the
affair on behalf of an Anglo-French company, is
nearly worn out by the delays, excuses, and shifti-
ness of the ecclesiastical ministers; nor are the sen-
timents of legitimist veneration and catholic devotion
which he brought with him to Rome, likely to be in-
creased by the way in which he has been treated by
the govenunent of his I holiness.
The scandalous chronicle of this city has furnished
some details respecting the cause of Monsignor
Tizzani's fright, and the blowing up of his house;
which, without answering for their correctness, I
consider sufficiently amusing to lay before your
readers. This prelate, who is said to be rather of a
gallant disposition, was obliged to leave Rieti, of
which place he was bishop, on account of a rather
scandalous affair. On his return to Rome, although
he belongs to the regular clergy of St. Pietro in Vin-
colt, in his quality of bish he lives out of the con-
vent, at the house of a lady to whose charms back-
biters state that he is not insensible. Recently this
prelate was appointed to preach to the political
prisoners at St. Michael's Prison, but these poor
wretches were so enraged at being exhorted to re-
pentance by a hermit of the boudoir, that long groans
and hisses interrupted his sermons, and some agent
or accomplice of theirs carried the unfavourable
demonstration so far as to throw a grenade into the
cellar of his house, which produced no other mischief
than that of inflicting a severe panic upon all the
inmates.

Whilst disapproving strongly such modes of testi-
fying opposition, one cannot help pitying the people
who are reduced to them by the oppression of tbreign
armies and domestic tyranny. As to the spy,
Squaglia, everybody here supposes that he scratched
his own hand, in order to induco the belief that he
had narrowly escaped assassination, and obtain com-
pensation from the government.
English journals are now virtually prohibited in
the Ronnie States by the enormous postage people
are made to pay for them. The pnests take this
mode of showing their admiration for the London
press.
The Duke of San Paolo, eharg ciaffains of the
King of Naples, has arrived in Rome.

MILAN, Juz.v 20.
The chief feature of Itadetzky's proclamation, issued
from Monza yesterday, is the threat to hold the entire
municipality responsible for the acts of iaslitious citi-
zens. Ile is persuaded that the state of siege is no
inconvenience to peaceable citizens; is resolved Si
abolish all the mitigations which have been introduced
into that rtcgime of military, despotism, and declares
in full vigour his proclamation of March 10th, 1849.