The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-29 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(PROM OUR OWN CORRIMPONMENT.)

PARIS, TUE.SDAT EVIESING.
Most of the ministers have left Paris to preside
at different councils-general ; M. Rouher is at
Clermont, M. Fould at Tarbes, Marshal Randon
at Grenoble, Marquis do Chaaseloup-Laubat at
La Rochelle. The Duke of Persigny, who though
not now in office, may be described as an honorary
minister in perpetuity, is at St. Etienne. You
are aware that according to law the councils-
general ought not to talk polities ; but you cannot
have forgotten that in practice the law is only
enforced against ordinary mortals, and that
ministers and courtiers often set up, with not only
impunity but encouragement, to be exponents of
" public opinion" in the councils-general. It is
probable that this practice will not be departed
from this year, and that speeches will be made by
some of the dons aforesaid, which will be considered
politically important.
The Liberte inquires what can be the hidden
motive for the announcement (which I mentioned
yesterday) that a French frigate is to take the
Empress Charlotte back to Mexico ? All appear-
ances are, it thinks, contrary to the probability

that such news can be true, and it is high time for
the Monitettr to give some official explanations on a
subject which has become perilously puzzling to the
public. It is known that the Empress Charlotte
came to France to ask for men and money. The
Liberti says the simple and important question is
whether she has obtained one, or the other, or
both.

The Empire of Mexico has decidedly tombi en
quenouille. It is now announced that the Empress
Charlotte—her husband's universal plenipoten-
tiary—intends before returning to France to pay a
visit to the Pope, in order to settle with him cer-
tain thorny points relating to the Mexican con-
cordat.

Prince Louis and the Princess Victoria, children

of the Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse, have
arrived in Paris from Osborne House, en route
for Darmstadt. Prince and Princess Christian of
Augustenburg have paid them a visit at the Hotel
Bristol.

There was a talk several years ago of the die-

covery in London, by M. Edouard Fournier, the
dramatic critic, of a play (never acted) in the
handwriting of Beaumarchaia, the illustrious
author of the Marriage of Figaro. The small sum
of 201. was paid on speculation by the discoverer,
who bought it on account of the Theatre Francais.
The not very large sum (assuming the authenticity
of the manuscript) of 8001. has since been offered
and refused. The leading national theatre, after
keeping the piece a long while in its pigeonholes,
has at length resolved to bring it out. The France
says that the consent of the heirs of Beaumarchais,
of whom the best known is General Roulaux du
Gage, must first be obtained ; but this must be a
mistake, since " perpetual copyright " is not yet
established, and, according to the existing French
code, the heirs of Beaumarchais have no more
locus standi in a court of law than the heirs of Job.
It is stated that the Prince Royal of Prussia in-
tends to fix his residence in the city of Hanover ;
the daughter of England his wife will there find
herself in a family home.
People who get on the top of an omnibus and pay
only three sous are often ashamed to stop the ear-
-1 riage when they want to get down, and some are
not aware that they have as good a right to do so
as those who ride inside. The constant habit with
most omnibus riders is to show their activity by
dropping themselves on the pavement while the
carriage is in motion. It has just been decided in
a court of law that an omnibus is bound to stop
at the request of any passenger ; • but that if the
passenger chooses to dispense with the right, and
an accident happens to him in consequence, the
omnibus company is not liable to damages.
A pedicure and chiropodist named David tried
an action a few days ago against Mademoiselle
Leonide Leblanc, late an actress at the Vaudeville
Theatre, but who, since the publication in her
name of a work of small literary merit called " Les
Petites Comedies de l'Amour," has found means to
leave the stage, astonish the Bois de Boulogne with
her equipages, and rejoice the hearts of pro-
fessional diners out by profuse invitations
to an ever sumptuous table. M. David,