The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-11 00:00:00

EXPRIIBB FROM PAIUS.

(nom or owx

PARIS. MONDAY Sumo.

The Bourse has been decidedly heavy. Small
stockholders who do not understand or who do not
like the conversion, are selling, and the band of
capitalists, armed with money from London to keep
up the market, are for the moment suspending
their operations. The Rente fell 30c. for cash and
15c. for account, closing at 70fr. 90c. and 71fr. 30c.
Mobilier fell Sir. 75c., and the Italian Loan sc.
Criodit Fonder, which, in consequence of the large
operations it is expected to make in connexion with
the conversion, was in extraordinary favour last
week, fell 30e. Railways were all about 2fr. 50c.
lower.

To-day the Imperial Court reversed the decision
of the Tribunal of Commerce, which had decreed
the Baron de Pontalba to make restitution to
Miele' creditors of a sum of 1,700,000 fr. which he
had received from litirbs as compensation for
alleged services in relation to the Roman railways
and Marseilles docks. The decision of the superior
court, however, turns only upon a question of jurior
diction, and the merits of the case will have to be
tried again.
I have more than once expressed my opinion that
the various courts of law which have decided that
the signature of a Paris cedes:teen preceded by the
words, pour copie conform, was not • valid signa-
ture for political foreign correspondence, had put •
sound construction upon that act of the legislature,
passed in a spirit of hostility to the press, called
"the law of signatures." This view has just been
confirmed on appeal by the Imperial Court of Paris
in the came of the Cowrie. du Dimanche and the
Ami de la Religion. The law is, no doubt, vex-
atious, absurd, and impracticable, but there it is,
and the courts must act upon it whenever the
government chooses to bring a case of the breach of
it before them. Hitherto all the Paris journals,
with the connivance of the authorities, have been
in the daily habit of doing what the Imperial Court
now declares to be illegal. The Opinion Nationals
calls upon the Minister of Justice to point
out to the journals how it is possible
for them to conform to the law without de-
priving the public of the most interesting part
of much of their foreign correspondence. It is quite
plain that the signatures of correspondents
writing from St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Rouse,
or Venice, cannot be published without exposing
the writers to transportation to Siberia or chains
and dungeons.
The Pays, in a most tender rebuke of the Bishop
of Tarbes for promulgating a new miracle at this
particular time, very faithfully reflects the vacilla-
tion of the French government with regard to
Rome. The writer is evidently quite ready to cry
up any miracle whatever, if the civil power would
frankly shuffle off the coil of its liberal tendenelen,
and join the church in an attempt to bring
modern miracles into fashion. As it is, the
Pays thinks the "opportuneness" of the bishop's
certificate in favour of the miracle of Lourdes
"more than contestable." The "object of the
miracle," says this journal, with a profanity pro-
bably due to a mere slip of the pen, is to build •
chapel, "and consequently the episcopal mandate
terminates with an appeal to the purse of the
faithfuL" After this awkward confession it de-
clares itself not by any means hostile to modern
miracles "in principle," but observes that the
church itself only admits them as genuine with
great reserve, and that for two very good reasons,
let, that God himself is not prodigal of them ; and
2nd, because mistakes and frauds give great occa-
sion to the enemy to blaspheme. These two
principles have, according to M. Grandguillot's
journal, been lost sight of by the Bishop of
Tarbes, and he has vouched for the appearance
of the Virgin in the Lourdes grotto upon
"too weak evidence." Moreover, and this
last coming from • professedly catholic journal
is the "unkindest cut of all," the Lourdes
business is but an "infinitesimally small item"
a great neo-catholic enterprise, which "we think
unfortunate." Notwithstanding all this criticism,
the Pays, out of "respect for religion," thinks it
necessary to protest against the way in which
"this delicate and perilous question" has been
treated by the Miele, and announces another/ article
in which it will thoroughly discuss the matter.
Some surprise is felt under existing circumstances
at the disclosure made by a number of the Bulletin
des Lois, just published, that in August last the
Emperor signed a decree granting a supplemental
credit of 10,000 fr. towards the expenses of making
a saint of the famous Boulogne beggar Labre, who,
from his dirty habits, was called the Christian
Diogenes. The Opinion Nationale drily observes
on this act of liberality, that it confirms the saying
about France being "rich enough to pay for all
her glories."

A correspondent, writing from Madrid, says :
" Another letter is in circulation here, addressed by the
widow of Don Carlos to Don Juan de Bourbon, in which
the attitude of the pretender is the object of bitter attack.
As in the former letter, great stress is laid on the monarchi-
cal and religious sentiments of Spain. According to the
Counter de Molina, not a single What general—not one
political personage of any importance, has gone over to the
liberal side, and Don Juan cannot therefore expect to find
supporters except among the promoters of the insurrection
of Loja. The widow of Dun Carlo. especially prated.
against the approbation given by her soo•in-law to the ini-
quitous spoliatioo suffered by the Holy Father and by dynes.
ties united to Spain by the mast glorious reminiscences."
A meeting of the members of tho Fruderic-
William-Victoria National Institution took place at Berlin
on Saturday, when hymn-books, the gift of the Crown
Princess, were delivered to the five couple' married on the
Zfith ult., the anniversary of the wedding-day of the Crown
Prime and Crown Nemeses, and 50 thalers were also
awarded to each newly-married pair from the funds of
the institution. Since the foundation of the institution,
four years siilce, 40 couples have been endowed with similar
sums.

----
A letter from Berlin Nays :—" The 110U30 of
Lords Isere will immortalize themselves. At the instigation
of one Herr von Frankenberg-Ludwigudorf, the whole of the
members of the Upper House are going to sit in front of
the photographer's tripod, and descend doers to their un-
born posterity by a ladder of sunbeams. Glorious Idea!
The lords else had despaired of aught but present fame.
Their portraits are to be put either in an album, or set is a
frame, and preserved for all times among the archives of the
honey. The studies of the future historian of Prussia will
sow to almost exclusively turned in the direction of
physiognomy ; and we may, therefore, expect the rise of
sew Levatere."
The Zeit contains the following curious story
respecting an accident which has befallen the Electoral
Priem of Reese :—"Nothing certain is known as to the fate of
the footman through whose cortisone's, some eight days
since, the Electoral Prince fell over a carpet, except that he
bee been suspended, according to the usual custom. His
diewdmal without pension has been already prepared, but
boa sot bees delivered to him. Our crown jurists, Meters.
Abdo sod CO., have been again summoned to the palace, as
it le now the question whether the offender cannot be tried
is a criminal court. Whether in this case information will
be made public as to the accident, about which there has
been much mystery hitherto, remains to be seen. On the
third day after the event the footman received ordain not to
speak upon the subject under pain of dismissal. Yesterday
the Electoral Prince, though still keeping his bed, received
reports in person from the gentlemen who are here termed
ministers."

THE TREATY WITH MOROCCO.

This morning the papers relating to the loan raised
by the Emperor of Morocco in London, and the convention
relating thereto, between her Britannic Majesty sad the
Emperor, were iuued from the parliamentary printing.
office. The convention, which was signed in the English
►nd Arabic languages at Tangier, on the 24th of October
last, and the ratifications of which were exchanged in the
same city on the 20th of December, is as follows :

"His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco being desirous of
raising a loan of 426,0001. sterling in London, to enable
him to meet his engagements with her Catholic Majesty,
sad having requested the good offices of her Majesty the
Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-
land, with a view to facilitate that object ; sod her
Britannic Majesty having agreed to the request of his
imperial Majesty, their Majesties have resolved to conclude
a convention on the subject, and have named as their
plenipotentiaries, that is to say : Her Majesty the
Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-
I land, John Hay Drummond Hay, Esq.,Companion of the Mod
Honourable Order of the Bath, her minister resident at
the Court of his Majesty the Sultan of Morocco ; and hie
Majesty the Sultan of Morocco, his officer, the learned
Fakes Seed Hadj Abderrahman el Ajee ; who, after
having oxamtinicated to each other their respective full
powers, have agreed upon and concluded the following
articles :

" ' Art. L His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco engages
that from and after the ratification of the present conven-
tion there shall be paid over to a commisaimer named by
her Britannic Majesty, 50 per cent. of the custom duties at
all the ports of the empire of Morocco. Her Britannic
Majesty, on her part, engages that six weeks before the
period at which the half-yearly charges on the loan of
426,000 f. sterling, which the Emperor of Morocco is about
to raise, shall become des, she will transfer to the agent
or agents of the contractors for that lean the sums so to be
received by the commissioner of her Majesty, or so much
thereof as may be sufficient to pay the interest
and sinking fund on the said loan, the amount
of such sums not exceeding in the aggregate

13 per cent. on the above•meotioned sum of 4'18,000!•
sterling. But her Britannic Majesty shall not be liable for
the payment of more than she receives. In cue the sums
received should be more than sufficient for such half-yearly
payments, the surplus shall be repaid by the British caw
I minions, to the °Moors of the Emperor of Mora*" duly
authorised to receive the same.

" ' Art. 2. When, by means of the payments provided
for in the preceding article, the whole of the loan of 426,0001.
sterling shall have been repaid, together with the interest
due thereon, the commissioner of her Britannic Majesty
shall creme to receive the 50 per cent of the custom duties
at the porta above-mentioned, and shall repay to the said
officers of the Emperor of Morocco any balance that may
be remaining in his hands.
" ' Art. 3. The present convention shall be ratißed by
her Majesty the Was of Great Britain and Ireland, and
by his Majesty the Emperor of Morocco, and the ratifica-
tions shell be exchanged at Tangier as soon as posdble
within 40 days from the date hereof.
" ' In witness whereof the respective plenipotentiariel
have lived the present convention, and have affixed thereto
their respective seals.
" Dose at Tangier, the 24th day of October, in the year
1881, corresponding to the Moorish date of the 18th day
of the month of Babes the Second, in the year 1278.