The Express.
London, England, 1867-08-15 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(nom am OWN 0011ZEISPONDIXT.)
PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVICTING.

The result of the trial for the Fontainebleau
murder is not yet known, but in all probability
the case will be concluded this evening. A report
of M. Lachaud's speech for the defence is in the
legal journals to-day. He is beyond dispute
the first prisoner's oouneel in the world, and
all that mortal man could do he did for his client.
But I do not think his speech worth translating,
because the stubborn facts with which he had to
deal enabled him to raise no issue of interest. He
began by making an appeal to the feelings of
the jury on the ground of the exemplary cha-
racter of the prisoner's father, the Norman apothe-
cary. He attended the poor for nothing, and
helped them with money when in need. After
his death the grateful peasantry of his dis-
trict subscribed 1,400 fr. to put a monument
over his grave, and on All Souls day crowds
of people may be seen kneeling before that
tomb as if it covered the remains of a saint.
"God," he said " owed the prisoner's father a
recompense for his virtues, and he had given it
in not allowing him to live to see this trial."
After this exordium, which, though touching, was
irrelevant, M. Lachaud pleaded that as nobody
saw the prisoner murder Madame Mertens the
jury could not be certain that she did the deed.
He did not venture to adopt any of
the prisoner's theories. He did not insist
upon the existence of a person named
Williams, but said that admitting what the
prisoner said about him to be untrue the falsehood
did not prove the murder. He denied that there
was any satisfactory proof either that the prisoner
killed Madame Mertens, or even that she did not
die a natural death. He also denied the forgeries,
which, from certain observations he made while the
evidence was being taken, I did not think he would
do. He concluded by expressing an earnest hope
that the jury, enlightened by Providence, would
proclaim the innocence of his client.
Prince Humbert arrived yesterday at the Cha-
lons camp, accompanied by Generals Cugia and De
Sonnaz. The Prince intends to pay another visit
to Paris, and will take leave of the Emperor when
his Majesty sets out from the camp for Salzburg.
The Prince Imperial will remain in the camp while
the Emperor and Empress are at Salzburg.
PrinceNspoleon, travelling incognito, appeared at
Toulouse on Monday evening. The next day, ac-
companied by the prefect, he visited the museum
and some of the churches of the city, and in the
evening he set out for Marseilles, on his way to his
Prangins estate in Switzerland. Thus is explained
the rather curious announcement a few days ago
that Prince Napoleon was going to the Pyrenees,
and thence " into the country." It was not in-
tended to infer that the Pyrenees are not rural
the expression was an awkward one, meaning that
the Prince was going to his country house. The
Princess Clothilde, with her children, was left at
Eau: Bonnes. Sho will shortly follow the Prince
to Prangins.
It is still hoped that the great international
dinner to be given to the Emperor by the exhibi-
tors will take place. It was to have been on the
16th of August, but was put off on account of the
the Emperor's going to Chalons and Strasbourg.
It is given out that on his return to Paris his
Majesty will receive the commissioners, and fix a
day for the dinner. The audience, however, cannot
be so early as the 20th, the day mentioned by the
Patrie, as the Emperor will certainly not have re-
turned from Salzburg by that time.

The action of Dautresme v. Carvalho is compro-
mised, M. Carvelho having undertaken to bring
out the plaintiff's opera, Cordlike, at the Th66tre
Lyrique within two months.
The decree has gone forth, and is registered in
the Moniteur to-day, that the Universal Exhibition
is to be closed on October 31 with the same in-
flexible punctuality which marked its opening on
the day so announced—April 1, and the dis-
tribution of prizes on July 1. The building is to
be pulled down and the material sold. All the
gardens and annexes in the Champ de Mars are to