The Express.
London, England, 1859-11-09 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, Nov. 8.

The Emperor arrived here to-day at three o'clock,
from
,Compiegne, and proceeded to the Hotel du
Louvre to pay a visit to the Grand Duchess Maria of
Russia.

THE FRENCH FUNDS.
PARIS, TOISSPAT, 12.20 P x.
The Bourse opens rather firm, bat inactive.
Renton, 70.10.

3.25 P.Y.

The market has undergone no change. The final
price of Rentes is 70.5, being only a shade higher
than yesterday.
THE CALCUTTA AND CHINA MAILS.

The following telegram has been received by the
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Com-
Pan] :

" MARSEILLES, WIDNESDAY Moaxmo.
" The Valetta, with the mails from Calcutta and
China, arrived at Marseilles at 7 a.m. this flay.

" The mails left for Loudon at ten a.m.

" Lettere will be delivered on Friday morning."

STRANGE Comr.iNtorre IN A RAILWAY TRAIN.—
On the evening of Thursday lot cession, citizens, emote.
paced by • male and female Mead, stared • seconel•clese
carriage, at the Canterbury ration, kr the pupate of pro-
ceeding to London. In the same carriage, at oae corner, got
a mos, evidently under the ittfloenos of drink. The train
Matted, and the strangers began to chaff each other, end then
is quarrel. At length the tipsy man took off his cost, tamed
op his sleeves, and prepared to do aisle with hie
antageerat, woo appeared to be in the some mowl. This
some so Manned the female, that she went of in hysterics,
and on reaching Wye, oar cittren and his two am-
putees west into the next casings. Here eat two
dragoons—a sergeant and a private; the former was en-
! joying • nap to the corner, but the otter we. locking
Iwildly about him. The movement' of this man were newt
sztruraioary and alarming, A few monenra after the
I IISMOOMOTI had taken their place. he plunged his
site under the neat 04.r.Upiol by the sergeant, and brought
forth • forage hag. This he carefully ermined, and at
length drew out • razor, which he opened and proceeded
to strop, to the terror of the other prasengere, who mild not
possibly imagine what the fellow was going to do, his coon-
*mance being anything bier prepomeseling, and hie actions
those of a stonier. Having well stropped the moor, he then
helped himself to • lump of bread and meat, 'Flitch he cut
with the razor, end mastipsied with great rapidity. Hie has-
. g.-r appsusd, the remainder of the meat and bread was de-
Atesited in the bag and the man again deliberately
set about sharpening the dangerous instrument. At
this *nectars the terror of the female was extremely
gelatol to witness., while that of her conmeniase
was hardly Ire. intense, but them woe no wear.
Fortunately, the balm at the lop of the carriage enabled them
I to welch, with breathless silence, the extraordinery tna-
smovres of their singular travelling colleague, but did not
Ind in the elighteet degree to calm the intense excitement
I sad fear which they bed produced. At length the sergeant
I awoke from his slumber., and no Flamer did heopen hie eye.,
! than he isninediately tea ped the dragoon by the throat, end
t forcibly took the razor tram hie green, which be IMMO'
&Maly divested in a place of safety. The feet wee then
; slicked that the man who had teen playing such antics with
the rotor sae • teenier, that be 1.4 been sant trout one of
tbe treorports in charge of the penitent who was inking
biro to bead•imarters. prior to hiatlietnire.lirum the creek*.
The persengera loudly iimplained of the conduct of the 'err
pant, in having gone to deep while having ouch a dan-
gerous character under hie care, but be mmeed himself by
saying that be had km up with him the whole of the pre-
vious night, and could not keep big eyes open any longer.—
&nth Imams Gazettc

ITALY.

CENTRAL ITALY.

(FRAM OUR SPICIAL

FLORENCE, Nov. 9.
I was not mistaken when in my last letter I told
you that the great crisis of Central Italy was near
at hand, and that important events were likely to
occur ere long in this country. Yesterday I had just
posted my letter, when in passing through the
narrow street in which are the offices of the Moni-
tore Toseano I saw a great gathering of anxious
people, who were waiting for the distribution of the
official paper. A rumour had been spread among
the citizens of Florence that the Monitors was going
to publish an important communication from the go-
vernment. Such was, indeed, the fact, for the decree
by which the Ministers summon the deputies of the
Duchy to meet on Monday next was to be read in the
first column of the official organ of the Taman
government. No reason is given to justify this
important decision, which was much talked of and
commented upon at Viesaeux's reading rooms and in
the numerous cafés of the town during the coarse of
the evening and to-day. Some idle talkers and
café politicians try to explain the decision to which
the government has come by saying that Baron
Ricasoli and his colleagues are anxious to lay before
the representatives of the country the budget of the
approaching year. Others pretend to know that the
deputies are going to be consulted upon the con-
tracting of a loan, which has become necessary
for the required augmentation of the army. I
have, however, made some inquiries in well-informed
quarters, and in spite of the impenetrable reserve of
those in authority I have now reason to believe that
not financial affairs bat the last news received
by the government from Turin is the cause
of the publication of last night's decree. The
rulers of Tuscany cannot help feeling the great
responsibility which hangs over them at this solemn
and decisive moment. Since the signature of the
armistice at Villafranca the new governments of
Italy have been unhappily too timid, too wavering,
too desirous of showing patience and moderation.
Instead of acting in the undoubting conscious.

nese of a good cause they have been con-
tinually asking leave to do this and that,
under the false impression that a bold and
decisive step would injure the noble cause of their
country. Now that Louis Napoleon's letter has dis-
sipated all their illusions—now that Modena and
Tuscany, as well as Romagna, are threatened with
the restoration of their petty tyrants, they begin to
understand the false position which they have been
led into. It is therefore not to be wondered at if
they are anxious to regain the time last in vain ex-
pectations, and if they call upon the National Assem-
blies to explain to them the reasons of the timid policy
of the past. Ins few days we shall see whether the
deputies of Tuscany are willing to endorse the act of
Ricesoli's administration, and to share the responsi-
bility of their acts.

It may be that the new policy which, as is generally
affirmed, the Sardinian government is going to adopt,
would require the support of the deputies of Central
Italy. Should the reports current here this morning
prove to be correct, Victor Emmanuel and his minis-
ters have come to the conclusion of rejecting the plan
laid down in the Emperor's letter, and, boldly facing
the difficulties of the political situation, are preparing
themselves for action. In one word, what Sardinia
was advised to do by the liberal press of Europe
three months ago she would do now, with the con-
currence of the local assemblies of the country. Victor
Emmanuel would at last accept the allegiance
of four millions of people, who only long for
consolidation, protection, and military organisation.
That there must be some truth in this report may be
easily inferred from the fact, that since last Setae-
day the greatest activity prevails in the offices of
this war ministry. General Cadorna is continually
going to and fro from Florence to Modena, and I am
told be has had already several interviews with
Garibaldi, Fatal, and Farini. I also know that
Captain Crespi, a Florentine by birth, and one of the
most distinguished officers of the Sardinian army,
has just arrived from Turin. A well-informed
person told me last night that the captain was sent
here on a special mission to Baron Ricesoli, a fact
which, if true, acquires more importance when we
consider that Signor Crespi is the aide-de-camp of
General La Marmors, end one of his beat and most
influential friends.

By this time the report will have reached you that
a second edition of Louis Napoleon's famous letter
was addressed to his Holiness of Rome. It is how-
ever a more difficult task to deal with Popes and
oardinale than the French Emperor thought at first.
I am now in a position to state, on what I think good
authority, that the Emperor's missive did not meet
with a better reception at Rome than at Turin. Pius
IX. has regarded the proposition of the Confederation
as an absurdity, and has repliel accordingly. The
anger of Louis Napoleon was roused by the refusal
of the Pope, and Count Walewski was directed to
inform Cardinal Antonelli that since the Imperial
will was not properly attended to he must make up
his mind to have his Holiness's troops in Rome, as
the French would be recalled to France before the
year was over. Thus matters stand now, and the
state of sffsirs between France asd Rome on the
question of Central Italy is less encouraging than it
has been for some days past.
Despatches have been received this morning by this
government which give the most positive assurances
that the Emperor at Russia teats a deep interest in
the future welfare of the Duchy. Two months ago
Count Morelli, a son of an English lady of high
rank, was sent to St. Petersburg on a diplomatic
mission to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Of course Prince Gortchskoff could not officially re-
cognise the Florentine diplomatist, but he received
him several times, and as turd him that it was his
muter's desire to have the Tuscan question settled
in a way which would satisfy the wishes of these
populations. This fact suffic:ently shows how un-
friendly are the relations between the cabinets of
Vienna and St. Petersburg.

You will not have forgotten the polemic which
tliree years ago took place between the Austrian and
the Piedmonteee newspapers about Ciceruecchio,
the famous tribune of Rome, during the
liberal movement of 1848 and 1849. Atter
the fall of Rome, that honest citizen, who was
once honoured by the friendship of his Rohn. as, fol-
lowed Garibaldi in hie. retreat towards Venice.
Pursued by Austrian men-of-war, the party was
obliged to land near Cesenatico, where the gallant
general lost his unfortunate wife. Since that day
Ciceruscchio and his son, a boy of 15, have disap-
peared. It was generally supposed that they had
been shot without trial by the Austrians, but Baron
de Bach's newspaper indignantly repelled the
accusation, and went so far as to assert that both
father and son had settled in some foreign city.
Now the murder of those unfortunate vic-
tims of Austrian barbarity can no longer be doubted.
Luigi Rivalta, formerly • rector of the priory of
San Martino, near Rovigo, bay just addressed a let-
t. r to General Garibaldi, in which he states that the
tribune of modem Rome and his child were both
shot 11 the Austrians within an hour of the time of
their capture, together with five of their friends,
on the seashore of the Adriatic, clam) to the village
of Mex.'s. During the short campaign of Treviso
and Vicenza, in 1848, poor Cicernacchio had saved
from certain death two Austrian officers who had
been made prisoners of war at Cornuds. Unfortu-
nately for him he had to deal with barbarians, and
the bloody retribution of Mewl& awaited him.