The Express.
London, England, 1866-11-16 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(PROM OUR OWN 0011RWONDIST.)
PAWL Tamper Evionse.
An article of a semi-official character in the Con-
'Mahound on the great subject of the reorganisa-
tion of the army has made some sensation. While
professing to make no revelations in the special
questions sub judice at Compligne, it takes upon
itself to say that the Prussian landwehr system.
would not suffice in France. It states frankly that
a standing army of 400,000 men is not enough for
the necessities of the French empire. It specifies
two main points as essential : 1. The number of
years which soldiers of the regular army are to
peas in the ranks cannot be diminished
without depriving " the first element of our
military power of its necessary solidity."
2. The minimum time strictly indispensable
for drilling the reserves must not be reduced. In
short, according to the anistitutionnel, the reforrd
of the army cannot possibly mean disarmareento
but the contrary. There is to be a great and serious
augmentation founded upon the principle thsi
success in modern warfare awaits the power whlgi
" strikes the first blow." This is an alarming doc-
trine for the peace of the world, and the more so
on account of the following paragraph, which
betrays possibly beyond the wish of the inspirers
of the article the spirit in which it was written.
The Constitidionne/ exclaims :
Events have proved in the most undeniable manner the
foresight of the King of Prussia and the necessity of the
sactifices which he did not hesitate to demand from his
people.
Now it may be granted that the King of Prussia,
who meditated an aggressive war of unsuspected
magnitude, could not have succeeded had he not
augmented his army. But how is the precedent
applicable to France, unless she also meditates
aggression? The Censtittitionwrs arguments utterly
fail to show that increased armaments are necessary
for the defence of France or to maintain her influ-
ence in the world on the supposition that she will
remain content with her present frontiers.
The Pays, which, under the direction of the
truculent government deputy ,Granier de Cassagnac,
is the appointed organ for preaching the annexa-
tion of Belgium to France, contains this evening
the following malevolent paragraph :
We do not stand alone in the press in signalising the
armaments in Belgium as an indication of hostile dispo-
sitions towards Prance, and not as called for only by a
desire to maintain Belgian neutrality. The Epoque does
not believe in the possibility of that neutrality, and con-
siders the phrase pronounced by the King at the opening
of the Brussels session as a mere rhetorical evasion. The
France also insinuates, very cleverly, that Belgium, with
her armaments, is but the concealed instrument of the
King of Prussia, who holds the sword-hilt of which the
King of the Belgians wants to show the point.
Prince Pierre Napoleon Bonaparte, who, as
already stated, has been authorised by the Emperor
to accept service in the Italian army, is to begin
with the rank of general.
M. Michel Chevalier, Cobden's great friend, and
his most powerful ally in the inauguration of free
trade in France, is about to resume the lectures on
political economy in the College of France, which
have been suspended for 15 years.
The Bourse was firm, without any great change.
Rento rose 10c. for cash, and 2c. for account,
closing at 69fr. 50c. Mobilier rose Gfr. 25c. ; and
Credit Foncier, 31r. 76c.

TILE CIRCASSIAN VISITORS AT THE RUSSIAN
IVEDDING.