The Express.
London, England, 1858-01-11 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(now ova owx

PARIS, EIVXDAY Evan No.

The first ball of the season at the Tuileries, last
night, was marred by the influenza, which prevented
very many invited guests from attending it. The
Emperor and Empress walked through the rooms,
but were only visible for a very short time. Her
Majesty is still suffering from the prevalent malady,
and it is denied on authority that she went to see
skating at the Bois de Boulogne the other day. A
diplomatic quadrille, at the court ball, was, I am
told, arranged in such a manner as to prove, so far
as Terpsichorean evidence is receivable, that the
Powers represented by the Spectateur to be divided
are in fact closely united.
It is said here that the reason why Baron
Brunnow will not arrive in England until February
is that he would not like to yield the pas to the
Prussian minister, which he would be obliged to do
at the marriage of the Princess Royal.

Commerce appears to be now resuming its ordi-
nary course. Purchasers are in the markets, and
everything tends to announce the termination of the
crisis. The demand for cotton at Havre last week
was good, and the sales amounted to upwards of
8,000 bales. The stock is now 78,000 against 39,000
at this time last year. Prices are very firm, and on
some qualities an advance has been obtained. At
Rouen more business has been done than was ex-
pected at this season of the year. At Mulhausen
there has been also a good demand for the manufac-
tures of that town, at improving prices. The ac-
counts from Roubaix are equally satisfactory.
PARIS, SATVRDAT EVINIXO.

The determined efforts of the government to reduce
the professors of the university to that condition of
absolute subserviency which, according to the doc-
trines of the Berea, is above all things conducive to
the advancement of learning, was yesterday resented
at the Sorbonne in a very spirited manner by
M. Saint-Marc Girardin. That eminent man, in one
of his recent lectures, made some remarks in praise
of the bourgeoisie of 'B9, which gave offence to the
government. Accordingly, the Revue Couternporaine
has been instructed to abuse him, and to hint that if
he is not more guarded in his language, the govern.
ment will exercise against him that power of dis-
missal which, in utter disregardof the most cherished
traditions of the university, it assumed by the new
law on public instruction. M. Saint-Marc Girardin,
in referring to this subject, said that he had been •
professor for 30 years ; that in hie present coarse of
lectures he intended to pursue the same perfectly im-
partial but liberal course which he had ever done.
His lectures would be altogether literary, bat he would
not dwarf literature below its natural proportions.
" I have," he continued, " loved to defend and
glorify those good and great affections which are
the strength and the joy of the human soul, and the
spirit of which in our great poets I delight to dwell
upon. If I were to shrink from this duty I should
feel that I deserved blame, but I care very little
indeed for criticisms on any other score. Not that
they make me angry; for I always like to see free-
dom of discussion, even although it may not be
altogether reciprocal. But I will not yield one jot
of my independence, although such pains are taken
to remind me that I am a professor, subject to be
dismissed at any moment. Ido not forget it. For-
merly, when, in common with the entire French pro-
fessorate, I was irremoveable, I felt my independence
assured by the stability of my position, and I was
not on that account more factious. But now the
very idea of my removeability, of which my
adversaries love to warn me, and which, from
a feeling of pride that you will easily under-
stand, I constantly bear in mind, makes me
more than ever determined to be independent, and I
endeavour to compensate for the fragile tenure of
my office by the respectful firmness of my speech."
These remarks were received with immense cheering
by an auditory which completely filled the Sorbonne.
The Patna says it is not doubted that if the
Bing of Prussia does not recover within the space of
three months (and there is no expectation that he
will) the provisional government, to which public
opinion in Prussia is very much opposed, will be put
an end to by en abdication.
The Bourse has recovered the ground lost yester-
day. The Rent* roes 20 o. for cash and 30 c. for
account, closing at 70 and 70.40. Mobilier rose 36.
The railways lett off from 2.60 to 6 higher. It was
reported that MM. Emile Pereire and Adolphe
D'Eichthal are about to borrow 12 millions, on the
security of their own private property, from the
Credit Foncier. The loan is to be made in obliga-
tions, which it is said the Bank of France has agreed
to discount.

A dreadful affair has just occurred at Mont de
Marsan. A hairdresser of the town, on returning
home, found in his house a well-known gentleman
residing in the town, who occupies the post of coun-
cillor of prefecture. Thinking that he had gone
there with improper views on his wife, he, in a
paroxysm of jealousy, toluoged the blade of a sword-
cane into his breast and inflicted a wound of which
the councillor died almost immediately. The hair-
dresser has bees arrested.

AN IMPERIAL BnaTut.—Tho Parr alit find
a good ones In ads :—" Ti 11=to it
the day
rapidlyyeatarday In tho Baia do
aloes vim ens at thp:Aonlogymbrieldatry
coming in kb dkeedes, lobar, Or
free, and to Saw ao krt Ida and vas
when the Eingany as he eaorkt Ids sod easS
bra to rola lb oink* el grarity."