The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-04 00:00:00

LIFEBOAT SERVICES. —Duriug the storms of
the past year the National Lifeboat Institution, by Its life-
boat' and other means, contributed to the saving of 707 persons
from different wrecks on our coast& The Institution also ex-
pended £21,374 in the same period on its lifeboat establishments,
in addition to slanting £4,950 for rewards for saving life and
tuwelaing the lifeboats.
The committee of the Institution earnestly APPEAL to the
public for ASSISTANCE, to enable them to meet the continued
heavy demands on the Institution's 153 Lifeboat Stations.
Contributions are received by the London and Country
Bankers : and by the Secretary, Richard Lewis, Esq., at the In-
stitution, 14, Jobo-street, Adelphi, Loudon.
JOHN BROODENt

irl RIGIN AL GOLD CHAIN MANUFACTORY,
Iv 16, lllKNalarrs-arastr. 00VINT-OARDLIC

JOHN BROGDENI3 GOLD CHAINS.

JOHN BROGDEN'S GOLD Gtr ARD GRAINS.

JOHN BROGDEN'S OLDALBERT CHAINS.

JOEIN BROGDEN'S GOLD BROOCH CHAINS.

MESSRS. WATHERSTON and SON,
Goldsmiths and Jewellers.
Rave Reedy for Inspection a Great Variety of JEWELLERY,
of the Wert Maligns, suitable tar
WEDDING PRESENTS and NEW-YEAR'S GIFTS.
I. Pall-mall task S.W.

LONDON must have a SUPPER and MUSIC
ROOM for Gentlemen. —Remember, we welt for you at
EVANS," after the Covent-garden Pantomime, and the
Theatres.

Zhe preoo•

TO 00 ILZEPONMINTB.
Advertisement:a totondon tor The Irmo*" London Evening
r, mast be on Yoe Mon 10, Bonveri•-otroot, by Two
eCk on the day of pablioalion.

...AYMARKIT._

Teo Immo, BROTHS/ SZll.llleserc Sothern, Back-
01°end Compton Mime Nally et Moore. Snowdon, c
Ita PeniUS IN THE HAYMARKET. Wawa ?amen & D. Irlaher
Manes Keeley, Howard & Wrlght.—And SHOCKING EVENTS.

PRINCES'S.

Tots Emilia, (lurid LODGINGS —After which IT IS
NEVER TOO LATE TI MEND. Mama Vining, G. Melville,
T. Mead, D. Murray, b. Wham, P. Villiers. .I. G. Shore, G. Mur-
ray, add B. Cathwi ; YUNG L Moore and K. Zodgers.

LYCEUM.

THIS Ih'intwa, 1111 I Elifildiolla STRANGER. Mr. H.
!Mktloorob.—THE MASTER OF RAVENBWOuD. Messrs.
Pechter, Jordan, Ver.in, Emery, Widdlcomb, Fitzpatrick, Evans;
Madames Ternan, Elsworthy, Lamm, C. Leclercq.

isznurrinA.

THIS EMMA OLD DiblifTiriiiiigos AND SIR REGENT
CIRCUS OR, THIS RACS FOR THE GOLDEN APPLCS.—
M and Roble. Stertzanboeh.-81gnor Boaant.-olnfar.—Shower
of Golden Rain.—And JOSIE THE MORMON'S DAUGHTER.

HIGH WATJUI, AT LONDOIf-111=GL
THI/11 DAY —. Morning, lb. 67m.....Alfaramm, et. 18n1.
TO-KOZAOW .... Morning, 6h. 40m.....Aftemme. 411. &Bm.

LONDON, THURSDAY. JANUARY 4.

Jr was the complacent jest of FREDERICK the
GREAT that he and his people perfectly understood
one another, and were agreed that, while he was to
do what he liked, they were tosay what they pleased.
If the Emperor of the Dimmest could onlyresolve to
grant as much liberty to the French, he would
probably enjoy all the happiness wh;ch the pos-
session of power can give. He disposes, without
check or control, of the treasure, the manhood,
and the influence of the greatest military monarchy
in the world. If he chooses to squander millions in
unprofitable wars and send thousands of French-
men to perish in a pestilential climate, there are
none to hinder him, none to call him to account.
Supported by the bayonets of the army and the
votes of the peasantry, he can do whatever he
pleases. But this does not satisfy him ;he warts
more than ignorant allowance, and seeks intelli-
gent approbation. This, unfortunately, he is not
able to obtain. Ever since the educated
classes of France recovered from the
panic into which they were thrown by
the vision of the red spectre ingeniously raised
for their sakes, they have remembered that
despotism is the school in which revolutionists are
most quickly and most certainly trained, and have
asked that France might be allowed to hold her
former place in the civilization of Europe. The
history of the Second Empire is the history of a
long and continuous struggle between the Govern-
ment on the one hand, and the mind of France
on the other, in its endeavour to claim an
independent part in the affairs of the
country. The Emperor of the FRENCH has, it
appears, convinced himself that a free press would
be fatal to his system of government, if not to his
dynasty. We should have thought otherwise, but
the Emperor of the FRENCH is a sagacious Sove-
reign. The policy of k courennemcnt de l'ldifiee
seems to be indefinitely pootponed, from wh;ch
we are left to infer that the edifice itself
cannot be said to have been founded. Like
the old Monarchy which it took a great revolution
to overthrow, the Empire becomes more and more
absolute with age. The tendency to claim free-
dom of public writing has been met by the EM-
PEROR in two ways—by the organization
and maintenance of an artificial public
opinion—and by the suppression of that which
is spontaneous and real. On thl one band,
journals have been bought up, and public writers
bribed with titles and salaries ; and on the other,
a system of administrative and judicial restric-
tions has been enforced, often to the extent of
destroying journals which have dared to represent
the genuine opinion of France. The EMPEROR has
only imperfectly succeeded in hisendeavours, and in
the fourteenth year of his reign he is under the
necessity of making war upon the newspapers with
more vigour than ever.

A catalogue has recently been published in Paris
showing the various punishments which have been
inflioted on the newspapers of France during the
year 1865. The number of these visitations is in
itself extraordinary, although it does not constitute
the gravest feature in the returns. It appears
that twenty-two journals received warnings (arcr•
tis.ientente), and two were administratively sus-
pended during the year. These warnings,
it will be understood, are not mere political
corrections, like the conimuniquf,s which are
almost daily served on the journals. In-
asmuch as a third warning involves the
suppression of the journal to which it is given,
every one destroys an important portion of the
value of the newspaper as a property. But besides
the administrative measures enumerated, a number
of prosecutions have taken place. During the
year ten authors of pamphlets and writers of
newspapers have been fined and imprisoned, twenty
editors or managers of periodicals have been fined
and seventeen imprisoned, while thirteen printers
have been fined and ten imprisoned. The nature
of the offences which have led to this severity is
remarkable. The Gazette du Midi received a
second warning for having published " an attack
" upon the empire," and for " calling in ques-
" tion the power conferred by the Constitution on
" the Cmincil of State." The Journal cies Villes
et Campagncs received a third warning for pub-
lishing a speech by M. ROULAND, " under pre-
" tence of discussing it." The Opinion Nationale
received a warning for certain comments on the
speech of a government commissioner in the Le-
gislature touching the condition of the press. The
Gironde received a warning for an article relating
to a debate in the Legislature on the Army Fund,
and the Guienne of Bordeaux for one "tending
"to trouble the consciences of the citizens." The