The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-05 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(PROI OUR OWN

PARIS, WSW:MIDAS EN'S:CIE).

Government has suffered a severe electoral de-
feat in the department of the here, where M.
Riondel, the opposition candidate, has been re•
turned to the Corps Legislatif by 16,359 votes
against 13,095 given to M. Kieber, the prefect's
nominee. The prefect, M. Pastoreau, was impru-
dent enough to tell the electors in a proclamation
that he was under the necessity of opposing M.
Riondel because he had placed his candidature
under the patronage of a journal " notorious for
its systematic and radical hostility to the im-
perial government"—(the Impartial Dauphinois)—
and further that those who voted for M.
Riondel would be reckoned among the ad-
versaries of government, that all the opposition
journals would triumph if he were elected, and
that "the confidence of the country in the strength
of the Emperor's government would be dimi-
nished." The prefect must be sorry now that he
said these things. This election is most im-
portant, for it shows that the dissaffection of the
great towns is spreading to the country districts.
M. Riondel stands pledged to support freedom of
public meetings, freedom of the press, and gra-
tuitous instruction.

M. Gauthier, a printer at Nice, having been
told by the prefect that if he continued to print an
opposition paper, the Phare du Littoral, he would
lose the government buainess, replied by the fol-
lowing spirited letter :

Nice, August 31.

Monsieur le Prefet,—Having been told by you that I
must elect between the printing of the Phase du Littoral
and the prefeetoral business, my first impression, as mana-
ger of this establishment, was that I ought to think of the
interests of the printing office, reserving to myself person.
ally such a course so a due regard for my dignity and my
principles might dictate. But on reflection I have come to
• different conclusion. I sin not only the guardian of the
interests of the house of V. Eugene Gauthier and Co., but
also of its honour ; and that honour would be sacrificed
if I were to accept the conditions which you would impose
upon me. My press belongs to whomsoever desires to make
use of it within the limits of the law. To refuse the use
of it to • journal which happens to displease you would be
an abuse of a privilege which the law confers upon me. To
consent to the pact you propose would, I repeat, be to
sacrifice my honour and that of my house for gain. I
cannot do it. lam at your service, as at everybody else's.
I beg you to accept my respectful salutations.

V. EUGENE GAMMEN AND CO.
The utmost inequality and disregard for law pre-
vails, as is too well known to be worth while to
remark often, in the government management of
the councils-general. The rule is that they are
not to talk politica, and yet they have all been
made to vote addresses to the Emperor, thanking
him for his " grand " letter on the making of cross
roads. It cannot be said in excuse that the measure,
although general, and therefore political, concerns
in a degree every department in particular, because
the same argument would apply to the bill on the
reorganisation of the army ; and yet the moat severe
' orders have been given that the councils-general
are to say nothing about that. Moreover,
privileged men like the Duke de Persigny, M.
Troplong, and the ministers generally, talk politics
in the councils-general, but no independent mem-
ber is allowed to answer them. I have often said
that the present government glories and revels in
illegality and unfair play, and I emphatically
repeat that assertion now. M. Rouland, the
Governor of the Bank of France, when presiding
at the council-general of the Seine Inferieure,
went out of his way to say that " the exagge-
rated pretensions which create uneasiness in a
certain part of Europe must be settled in a
manner consistent with the dignity and security
of France and a proper balance of power." That is
surely talking politics with a vengeance. It is
curious indeed that such an essentially pacific
functionary as the Governor of the Bank of France
should propound a easus belli.
The Epoque says :

Tho news from Spain, communicated to us this morn-
Ding, leaves no doubt that the revolutionary movement is
still going on. We are sorry if the Petrie does not like
it, but the course of events cannot be stopped to please K.
Dreolle. It is not true as the Patric states, that Larvae:
bag discovered the retreat of Prim.

None of the Spanish journals have arrived to-
day.
The Bourse, after opening heavily, closed with
with considerable animation. Rente rose 20c. for
cash and 10c. for account, closing at 69fr. 80c.,
and 89fr. 75c. Italian rose 15c. Crtklit Mobilier,
though still greatly discredited, rose ifr. 50c.

DIETROPOLITAX GAS COMPANIES.—There is a
proposal on foot for amalgamating the 13 London Gas
Companies into four, and thus assigning them districts.
It appears to be favourably reviewed by the companies that
one district should be assigned to the Chartered, the Lon-
don, the Equitable, and the Western ; and the gas sup-
plied in 1866 by these four companies was 2,650,832,000
cubic feet. Another district would be allotted to the Im-
perial and the Independent, whose make of gas in 1866 was
2,761,017,000 cubic feet. A third district would comprise
the City of London, the Central, the Commercial, and the
Eatcliff, which last year sold 1,690,340,551 cubic feet. A
fourth district would be supplied by the Phesnia, the
South Metropolitan, and the Surrey, which last year sold
1,651,328,000 eabie feet.-2

1867: