The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-14 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY EVENING,
Passing this afternoon before the Legislative Pa-
lace, I observed an unusual stir among the guard,
which appeared much more numerous than usual.
The garden of the President of the Assembly
was also occupied with a strong post. Sixty
soldiers stood at the top of the steps undcr
the portico, by their piled arms. The sentries
were doubled. 1 was the more surprised at this de-
monstration, on account of the little importance
attached by the democratic party to the mo-
tion to be presented to-day by the committee
on the National Guard Bill for adjourning the eke-
times. Presently the mystery was cleared up by a
friend coming out of. the Chamber, who in-
formed me that the students had presented
themselves in a body of about three hundred before
the palace of the Assembly with a petition against
the measures taken by the government to stop the
lectures of M. Michelet. Instantly General Leflo,
the military questor, was on the alert to protect the
legislative body against the violent inroad
meditated by these excited young men, and
immediately apprised General Porey to keep the
troops in the barracks un the Qum d'Orsay under
arms, in case they should be wanted. Meanwhile,
the doors of the Assembly were closed, and the
guard drawn up on the steps, all ready to give the
body of petitioners a hot reception, m ease they
proceeded to disorderly measures. The procession
of students, beholding these preparations, forebore to
tempt the soldiers to use thear firelocks, and, deliver-
ing their petition to M. Versigny, a member
of the Mountain, who came out at the small
side entrance in the Item de Bourgogne,
giving a cheer of "Vivo la Republique," retired
orderly over the Pont de la Concorde. From thence
they marched to the ElytUe, where, however, they
had not the satisfaction of seeing the President, as
he was in his phaeton, half-way on the road to St.
Cloud at the time. Their lad being flown, they
next directed their steps along the boulevards,
to the office of the Satinnal, whence, I doubt not,
these young Spartans will quietly disperse to their
usual 'haunts.
In the Assembly, the sitting commenced as late as
half-past two. M. Versigny in presenting the peti-
tion of the students said that it was signed by 200,
and had been brought to the Assembly by 1,000.
Several members exclaimed that this was a gross ex-
aggeration. Others begged him to limit himself to
the presentation of the petition.
M. de Rheumy, reporter on the National Guard
Bill, presented on the part of the committee the mo-
tion for adjourning the elections. This was pre-
ceded by a statement of the reasons which had
induced the committee to take this step. The com-
mittee demanded urgency for the bill, which had not
been presented by the government, because the
government stated, through the organ of M. Waisse,
that it deemed that step useless. Riancey's re-
port was but a repetition of what I have stated in
previous letters on this subject. M. Dupont do
Bussac opposed the urgency, and demanded that
the bill should be referred to the bureaux.
M. de Itiancey clearly proved to he false the as-
sertion of the Omstibitimartel that the government
had never dreamed of making the elections take place
on the 25th March.

Atter a debate between MM. Dupont, De Riancey,
and Daze, the reference of the motion to the bureaux
was rejected, and urgency pronounced. The debate
was fixed for Saturday.
I mentioned in my letter of yesterday a report that
the national guard of Strasbourg had liven dissolved,
This resolution is affirmed to have been taken at a
cabinet council held latterly. A deputation from the
Bus Rhin has sought an interview with the Minister
of the Interior on this question, and interpellations,
having been addressed to the government in the
sitting of to-day, relative to this subject, were fixed
to come on in ten days hence.
The Bourse is still stagnant. The Fives closed at
91.10, with a full of roe. upon yesterday ; the Threes,
at 57.80, with a fall of the same amount.

The notion of M. Hemet for reimbursing the tax
of the 45 centimes is the chief topic of the press.
It moves universal surprise and much disapproba-
tion. The amount of the tax was 174 millions. M.
Ilerryer would reimburse, us he calls it, those who
paid one franc during one year, by making them
pay a salt tax of two or three francs during four
years.

ITALY.
ROMAN STATES.

Our correspondent at Rome, writing on the
sth inst., reports a grave affront offered to the
British flag by an Austrian ship of war before
Ancona.

On the 22nd February, as the British schooner
Albert was clearing out of harbour, she was stopped
by an armed boat of Austrians from the l'hwnix.
The ground of this proceeding was, that the Albert
had, in entering the harbour on the 6th February,
during foggy weather after sunset, run foul of un
Austrian brig-of-war, and carried away her bow-
sprit. Mr. Moore, the consul, seems to have taken
every usual and reasonable step to afford satis-
faction to the Austrians ; and it is alleged that
if the affair was not settled by the 22nd the fault
lay entirely with them. The Albert, having been
detained several days more, was not suffered to de-
part until Mr. Moore had made himself personalt
responsible to the Austrians for the reparation whiel
they demanded.

ROME, MARCH 4.

_,
The news of Lord John Russell's resignation got
here yesterday morning; and, strange to say, threw
the ecclesiastical party into a temporary eestac , as
if the accession of a part-
or tory mmistry since
they can scarcely hope for one composed entire y of
jointsof thecelebruted O'Connell tail) would not prove
a still more disastrous occurrence for his Holiness's
projected dominion in the " flourishing kingdom of
England " than the continuation in power of Lord
John's moderately liberal cabinet. I hear that the
Pope himself considers it to have been a signal and
manifest interposition of the hand of God, as doubt-
lost every great as well as every small event Ina,- be
rightly denominated; but it remains to be seen in
what sense this interposition is made. Meanwhile
the Roman press give s out that " the full of the
English ministry is an evident consequence of its
violent conduct in the affairs of the ecclesiastical
hierarchy." 1 am continually assured that
the firm persuasion of his Holiness is that
success will attend his operations in England.
A prelate of high rank, in a recent audience at the
Vatican, expressed his conviction, either sincerely or
complimentarily, to the Pope, by exclaiming, "In
England, Most Blessed Father, you will not fail to
conquer ;" to which his Holiness replied, " Of that I
trust there is no doubt." Certainly, so firm a per-
suasion is the best possible excuse that can be offered
for the papal aggression.
Exchange on Loudon, 474.