The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-19 00:00:00

(nom ocra writ

PARIS, MONDAY Evnionia.

The France contains a full, true, and particular
account from its London correspondent (of course
an infallible one) of the latest determination of the
English government regarding the throne of Greece,
which is to make Prince Alfred king. The pro-
ject, after having been for a moment abandoned, is
now, we are told, seriously taken up. The British
government will allow the lonian Islands to return
members t o the parliament of Athens, and to form
part of th a kingdom of Greece, on condition that
the English protectorate is to continue under a new
and special constitution, which will ensure the
islands their autonomy. Prince Alfred will remain
a prolestant, but will take an oath to recognise
the Greek religion as the religion of the State.
As a consequence of the new arrangements, Prince
Mired will renounce his succession to the duchy of
Saxe Cobourg Gotha in favour of his younger
brother, Prince Arthur. The France cannot tell
whether this plan will be gone on with, or whether
it will succeed ; but what it does profess to know is
that the plan has been very seriously conceived,
and that English agents are at this moment acting
in favour of it in every province of Greece, depre-
cating the Duke de Leuchtenberg and canvassing
for Prince Alfred. Europe, the France says, in
conclusion, cannot shut its eyes to what is passing,
"for the enthronement of an English Prince in
Greece is the East given over exclusively to English
interests."

One of the court chroniclers says that at the din-
ner at Compiegne on the eve of the Empress's fête
all the guests were allowed the high honour of pre-
senting her Majesty with flowers, and that the
most beautiful bouquet of the evening was a monster
one presented by the young Italian ambassador,
Ccanmander Nigro.. It was nearly a yard in
diameter, and consisted of red and white camellias,
surrounded by Parma violets. The flowers were
sent by express from Genoa. These gigantic
bouquets came into fashion with crinoline, of
which the Empress was the inventor.
The "Latest news" from Mexico given by the
Patrie is that General Ortega, who succeeded to the
chief command of Juarez' forces on the death of
Gen. Zaragoza, is fortifying Puebla and the Combres
against the expected advance of the French army,
and that there were on October 17 about 10,000
men still at Vera Cruz, the state of the
roads being such as to prevent long marches.
This news, you will observe, entirely con-
firms what I stated from private letters two days
ago. The Patrie also says that the health of the
army was " much better," and that the north
wind, which was reckoned upon to dispel the fever
and vomito, was " beginning" to blow. It is to
be feared from these negatives pregnant, that when
the whole truth comes out, of the loss of this
expedition bydisease, the tale will be a very sad one.
The Correctional Tribunal of Bordeaux has just
expressed a judicial opinion that there is no law in
France against duelling, as such. The point arose
in a complicated case of assault, battery, and libel,
to which M. Lavertujon, the editor of the Gironae,
and other journalists of Bordeaux, were parties.
One of the counts against some of the defendants
was, that they had written articles tending to pro-
voke certain parties to fight A duel. Upon this
head the judgment of the court is as follows :
Considering that the edicts and ordinances repressive of
duelling were virtually abolished by the publication of the
panel code in 1791, and since that period, although several
draft bills have been prepared, no law upon duelling has
been enacted ;

That although a duel may lead consequentially to the
perpetration of a crime or a misdemeanour yet neither of
those results is a necessary consequence, because a duel may
terminate without any harm to either party, and a duel in
itself is not, in the view of the penal law, either a crime or
a misdemeanour ;
That publicly exciting parties to fight a duel does not,
therefore, constitute the legal offence of exciting to commit •
crime or misdemeanour
. . . . .

That it is Do doubt desirable in the interest of morality aid
social security that such scandalous provocations should be
repressed by law, but that is a consideration for the legis-
lature ; .

Therefore, &c.. acquit the defeedanta on this count.

The (lowlife/ion lief the other day called the
editors of the France "Mannikins. " This expres-
sion having provoked them in a body to call for an
apology, M. Paulin Limayrsc now explains that he
used the word entirely in a Pickwickian sense. The
France accepts the satisfaction offered, and proudly
replies that its position, with regard to the Em-
peror's government, may be described in three
word—" devotion without subordination."

DEBUT OP MDLLE. PATTI AT PARIS.

(From Galignanis Messenger.)

One of the most brilliant Rua:eases witnessed in
Paris for many years attended the debar of the shore•
named young lady at the Italian Opera on Sunday night.
The opera selected for the occasion was La Sonmanitula,
and frequently as we have listened to that beautiful work,
from which the favour of the Parisian has never swerved
for a single season since Bellini first gave it to the
world, and in which we have therefore year after
year heard those great mistresses of the art, Mmes.
Peraiani, Sontag, and Cruvelli, to any nothing of
lesser lights, yet it has never been our fortune
to meet a representative of the gentle village maiden, so
peculiarly qualified by every gift of nature—grace, youth,

charm of person, feeling, and expression, to say nothing of
loveliness of voice and marvellous powers of execution—as
we find united in Mdlle. Adelina Patti. Her voice is a high
soprano, clear, resonant, and (brilliant in tune, and dis-
ciplined to a perfection that opens an entirely new view as
to the extent vocal education is carried in America,
for it is understood that, though of Italian birth,
oar new Nightingale owes her musical tuition
wholly to the United States. But her voice,
beautiful as it is, is yet not the highest of her gifts, for
the feeling and pathos she displayed an an actress in the
deeper portions of the character won her an ovation the
like of which is seldom witnessed in this city. Recall upon
recall, bouquets, and overwhelming plaudit., followed in
►nd it may be questioned if Milne. Patti ever
received a welcome more hearty, cordial, and enthusiastic
in any capital she has visited than from the proverbially
cold public of the Italian Opera House in Paris. For the
present we shall conclude by one word to express our admire.
Lion—in common with the entire audience—of her execu-
tion in the delicious finale of the opera, " Ah, non lunge,"
every tone of which breathed the spirit of extatic joy, and
so close with hearty congratulations on her brilliant and
most deserved success. M. Gsrdoni was the Elvin°, and
both sang and acted it charmingly. The other characters
were filled as heretofore ; and the orchestra, under the Won
of M. Bonetti, left nothing to be desired.

A Turin letter of the 15th iu the Sijcle says "
A person who arrived from Pisa to-day announces that
the stets of Garibaldi is as satisfactory as possible. Doc-
tor Janetti, who visited the wounded general the day be-
fore yesterday, hoped to be able to proceed to the extrac-
tion of the ball in a week or tee days." _ .

The French orchestral pitch, as settled by the
commission whose discussions exTited so much attention •
couple of years ago, appear; to be in progress of adoption
throughout Germany.
The Paris Temps commences to-morrow the pub-
lication of Mr. Wilkie Collins's story " No Name," which
has been going on for some time in AU the Year Round.
Prince N. YoussoupolT has published the first
part of "A History of Sacred Music in Russia." It states
that the race of aristoeratk Muscovite amateurs, who flou-
rished till within • late period, and who sgure so characte-
ristically in the history of modern music, is rapidly dying
out. "The amateurs," be lays, "have disappeared ; the
orchestras, polo artists, and choristers sre dispensed ; and of
this prodigious quantity of musicians there remal•s today
only my orchestra and the choir of the Count Chars-
metieff."

M. Gounod's opera of Faust, which was pro-
duced at the Thentre Lyrique, in Paris, with remarkable
MODEM three years back, has just been received with equal
favour at the La Sala Theatre is Milan.
DOWNINO-FITRM, Nov. 15. The Queen has
been pleased to appoint Henry Aetbury Leaman, Feq., to
be colonial for her Majesty's settlement of Lagos ;
and Charles Piers, Fiq. to be supenntendaut of coovicts for
the colony of the Cape of Good H0pe.....4A,2eue.
The Stickeen Indians, a tribe that four yearn
ago numbered 1,500 warrior', is now able to muster only
about 150.—liuscouver's Jibed paper.