The Express.
London, England, 1858-10-26 00:00:00

PRUSSIA.

THE OVERLAND ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA.

The opening of the Overland Mail route to'
California through the United States, which has been several
times mentioned in the &prase, is a matter of the
greatest interest and Importance to Europe, inasmuch as it
will open up a vast country to European emigration, will be
the precursor of a railway and land telegraphic communion-1
Mon from New York to San Francisco, end will greatly faci-
litate English intercourse with British Columbia. The
Californian Overland Mall route is 2,600 miles in length,
more than four times longer than the whole length of Great
Britain, from north to south, and is the longest land mail road
in the world. The cost of it to the United States government
will be 126,0001. per manual. The contract is to last
ads years, Messrs. Batterefleld, Dinsmore, Fargo, Gardner,
Kenyon, Spencer, and Holland are the mail contractors.
They are to have the preemption of 320 saes of land every
ten miles along the road for the formation of stations. The
mail I. to be carried in four horse coaches or spring wagons.
The eastern termini are St. Louis and Memphis on
the Miasissippf, the converging point Is to be Fort Smith in
Arkansas, and the western terminus San Francisco. A mall
from each of the termini le to start twice every week, and to
reach its destination in twenty-five days. The mall contract
was signed September 16, 1857, and on that day twelve-
month the malls started. During the intervening twelve-
month between the signing the contract and des-
patching the mail, the whole route was eddied
and arrangements made for changing horses and victualling
passengers. go complete are the arrangements that, it is
said, a daily overland communication oonld, in the coarse of
twelve months, be established between New York and San
Francisco. Up to the present time news has reached Eng-
land of the starting of the westward mall, and of its having
got nearly 700 miles on its journey, within the contract time,
without any mishap.

Before the contract was entered into some diecunion took
place between the Northern and Southern Sato., as to the
direction of the mail route. The former were in favour of its
going northwards to %a Francisco and to fall In with their
network of railway.; and the southeraers wished it to go
southwards, to carry out the purposes of their trade, and
enable them, in cue of a dissolution of the Union, to secure
California. Four distinct routes were projected for selection
—two northern and two southern. One of the northern
routes was called the 42nd parallel one: it commenced
at St. Louis, in Missouri, and paned through Central
Nebraska, the Mormon city at the Salt Lake, and
Oregon. The other northern route woe that of
the 38th parallel it passed through Springfield
in Missouri, the western territory, Northern Texas, and
New Mexico. The two southern routes were first the 32nd
parallel which commenced at St. Louis, and Foamed through
the Ancona country, the Rio Grande, and the Rocky moun-
tains at El Paso ; and second, the 31st parallel which com-
menced at St. Antonio, in Texas, and pissed also through
the Rio Grande sod El Paso. I. order to tusdentand the
position of the principal starting points of the ?vine routes,
it may be mentioned that St. Louis end San Francisco are
situated shout the 38th parallel, Springfield about the 37th,
Memphis about the 35th, New York about the 40th. Fort
Smith about the 35th, and St. Antonio about the
29th. The present contracton wish to run the mail
on the 3.5 th parallel route, Congress and the public,
however, could not agree as to this, end the result was that
it was left to the President, his Cabinet, and the Postmaster-
General to determine the matter. They selected St. Louis
and Memphis as the starting points, Fort Smith as the
converging point, and the route of the 32nd parallel. The
routs selected is also called the bifurcated route, because it
starts from two eastern points, and it. bifurcated origin was •
compromise to please both north and south. The 32nd
parallel was selected professedly for the following reason,
viz., the new territory of Anuses, through which it pares,
Is inadequately protected. It has not the mail facilities of
Kansas and Nebraska, It is exempted from the rigours
of the northern routes, and the terrible heats
of the tropics. Water and timber are plentiful along
the line, the encomit level of the El Paso is low, and the
country Is generally well fitted for cultivation. The con-
verging point is about 400 miles from the two western
tenant. St. Louis is about 1,000 miles from New York, to
which there is a communication by rail. Tha mall coaches

and wagons will traverse 276,756 miles le the course of a
year, and the mileage Is shout Ss. Id. The rolling stook
consists at preemie of shoat 1,600 horse* and moles. and 100
coaches and spring wagons. The ride aloof the prairies Is
described by the peessogers es most exhilarating.

A few evenings ago, at the theatre at Varese, a
ilttle Mena in Lombardy, near the lake of that name, an
opera wee produced, a amid In which ended with the words,

"Viva rlialla!" 'Theo-verde electrified the audience, who

reee to their feet cad cried with the greatest tathuvieam,
Viva mast "

LAMAR/TEX.—A French journal, Gataois, pub-
lishes a letter from Lumens* to M. Philo:doe Boyer, dated
from Saint-Point (hie country met neer Macon), in which
the worldly nnfortnuate poet sad reared statesman say. :
hem bit fora moms* ; I ham come to take (in ell
probability) g last adieu rimy satin home, end to remove
the furniture before the piece Is put up to section. If gelatin
three months France doss not reepoad b oar appeal, I shall
have bee soil that I may not die upon it. Ns gwbw arc I"
ESCAPE OF A POLITICAL PRISONER.—The fol-
lowing curious moare from the Hopital St. Louis of a poll-
' ties) prisoner and alleged Mastic is recounted by the Ind,-
' perkinnes Beiff Fargin-Payolle, an ex-ingather of
the National Assembly, who took part In the affair at the
Conservatoire dee Arts-et-Illselies with Lela Boll* wee
condemned for that offence to t for alla After
undergoing his punishment for th you% be wee Weed with
Mora., and it was decided to rsesetee Ma to • .eissn de
'anti. Three years ago he was semordtegly taken to the
Ropital St. Louis, who be Bedded l the Pavilion Cis-
brfaga which Is resetwed ter pilaw who have the meats of
park( fur better easemei Two days ego, op one of
She teandeffile made( the eperaelat, the prism" had die-
' =sd dad ait aloft ha beta reasevad. The evening
abets dye detach, ghee is bed dinner, M. Payolle
went into the garden appropriated to the use of convalesoent
patients; he spoke te several u usual, end walked up end
down en be was in the habit of doing. At half-peat seven
he returned to his mom, bat, before doing so, be, oestrary to
ordinary habits, shook several of the patients heartily by the
hand, and from that time no one hag men him. His bed was
found just in the state it would have been if it had been slept
In. Aa to the means by which he km escaped end removed
his offsets, ell remains unknown." _ _ _

LANDSLIP IN NORIVAT.CIIRIOTIANIA, OCT. 20.
A telegram has been received here announcing that a num-
ber of homes built on the heights at Toneberg auddenlyAlid
down the cliff, and wets enolphed in the Fiord at the Mee
on Saturday last. As the accident took place about three
o'clock le the afternoon, fortunately no human litres are lost.
The value of the property engulphed is estimated at 12,000
opecies dollars. AP the oivio authorities required technical
aodatsnce, the goverunivnt have Pent over Lieut. Orontved,
of the Engineer., to do what he can for them.