The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-05 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(nom OUR OWN CORRRBPONDINT.)
PARIS, THURSDAY EVERING.

The Monte-Lombardo-Venetian debt, alluded to
in the Moniteur as being now entirely assumed by
Italy, is that debt three-fifths of which were saddled
upon Italy by the treaty of Zurich of Nov. 10,
1859. The amount of the remaining two-fifths is
estimated at about 163 millions of francs ; and these
added to the 87 millions which, by virtue of the
treaty of peace just signed, Italy is to pay to
Austria for the share of Venetia in the loan of 18E4,
and the war material which cannot be removed,
makes the sum of 250 millions which Italy will
have to pay for getting possession of Venetia and
the Quadrilateral She would at one time have
readily offered very much more.
Prince Napoleon, whose departure for Havre
was prematurely announced, will, I believe,
leave Paris for that port to-morrow, with
the intention of making a trip in his yacht round
the British islands.

General Prim has arrived at Brussels with him
family, intending to pass the winter there.
The long dreary road extending from the
triumphal arch of the Etoile to the Pont de
Neuilly, is about to be transformed. Squares (in
French pronounce squarr) are to be laid out in the
centre of the causeway, and on each side of the
squares there will remain a road wide enough for
carriages. This will be a great improvement.
Everybody who crosses under the Arc de
Triomphe coming from the Champs Elys6ea must
be struck by the contrast between the beautiful
Avenue de I'lmperatrioe and the ugly road for-
merly called the Avenue de Neuilly, and now the
Avenue de la Grande Armee, which runs almost
parallel with it. The works preparatory to the
change are already commenced.
The Grand Duchess Marie of Russia arrived in
Paris yesterday from Biarritz. She will stay a
few days at the Grand Hotel, and then proceed
to Florence for the winter.
The Bourse was so much depressed to-day that
the word " panic" was pronounced. Rente fell
20c. both for cash and account, closing at 68fr. 95c.
and 69fr. Mobilier fell 17fr. 50c., Credit Fonder
10fr., and Italian 70c. It is curious that the Italian
funds should fall heavily on the very day that the
Mouiteur announces the signature of peace between
Austria and Italy. The fall in Mobilicr is at-
tributed to the news that several of the railway
lines in which that great company is largely in-
terested have been much more seriously damaged

by the inundations than was hitherto supposed.

The money article of the Liberti, however, says :
" People were much more pre-occupied than usual
with rumours that have been current for some
days, and this is the true cause of the depression."
The state of the Emperor's health is, I believe,
alluded to, but according to very recent accounts
it was much better.

THE SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION.

(nom ous SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

MANCHESTER, THURSDAY.
There never was a place more admirably adapted
than the Manchester Assize Conrta for the meet-

ing "of such a society as this. The capabilities of
Gothic architecture are demonstrated by this build-

ing, which is as convenient in arrangement as it is
beautiful in design. The whole of the meetings
of the departments, and the sections of depart-
ments, are being held under the same roof, and
there is neither hurry nor confusion in passing

from one to the other. The splendid entrance-
hall is used as the reception-room, but its aspect
yesterday did not seem to promise a busy
meeting. Instead of the crowds which are
usually seen on the opening day of the British
Amociation, there were only two or three persons
I scattered here and there apparently feeling like the
early swallows of summer. But the congregation
in the cathedral yesterday afternoon to hear Canon
Richaon's sermon, and the meeting at the Free-
trade Hall last night to hear Lord Shafteabury's
inaugural address, were nacre promising in the way
of attendance.

This morning there was a very crowded au•
dienoe in the civil court, to hear from Lord
Brougham his annual address as President of
the Council. Half an hour beyond the time
his lordship appeared, and to the surprise
of many began to read his address himself,
with something of his ancient vigour. But
before long the vigour flagged, and the larger part
of the address was mere dumb show to most of the
audience. But nothing could prevent the " old
man eloquent" from kindling now and then, when
some old war cry stirred him. There was a great
deal of Henry Brougham about his references to
bribery and to one or two political questions. The
energy and emphasis of his declaration that the re-
' signation of the late ministry was "wholly unne-
cessary " drew cheers from many who thoroughly
disagreed with the statement. An important his-
, torical declaration, as to a point which had been
' overlooked in the reform discussions, excited much
interest. He said that the whip, in 1829,
accepted as the basis of the reform then
to be proposed household suffrage with
only the limitation of a year's residence. I un-
derstood him to say that in this proposal there was,
in his opinion, a means of enfranchising all the
I better part of the working classes ; and by adding
!to it the provision that all the males in such
houses should vote, a wide and safe extension
might be given to the franchise, and the reform
'question settled. Of course the subject of elec-
t Ural corruption came up for comment ; and his
1 lordship demanded with great energy that bribery
should be made felony. Send the man who gives
land him who takes the bribe to the treadmill, and
you will stop bribery, but you will never stop it
otherwise.
The departments are meeting to-day in great
strength. In each department special subjects for
consideration are prepared by the committees, and
for the first day or two all the papers and the suc-
ceeding discussions will bear on those subjects.
TO-day a paper by Mr. Anthony Trollops, on In-
ternational Copyright, has been read, and the sub-
ject is occupying the attention of Section A, of the
Jurisprudence Department. Seetiou B discusses
the principle of a Bankrupt Law, and Section C,
under the chairmanship of Mr. H. C. Banbury,
M.P., the desirability of carrying out Life Sen-
tences to the utmost. In the Education Depart-
ment the question is—By what means can the im-
pediments to the Education of the Children of the
Manual Labour Class, arising from the apathy or
poverty of parents, and the claims of the market
for labour, be most effectually removed 1 In the
Health Department a subject is to be discussed
which should have some practical effect on
the municipal administration of this smoky
city. The question is—How far are smoke and the
products of combustion arising from various
manufacturing processes, injurious to health 1
What measures ought to be taken to prevent the
contamination of the atmosphere from such causes 1
I Perhaps in the discussion which is just coin-
: mencing we may hear why it is that measures
which may and can be taken to suppress smoke
are not more effectually taken here. Manchester
is indeed better in this respect than it was. But I
see everywhere chimneys sending forth a very
wasteful and needless amount of smoke, which the
law might stop if the authorities enforced it. The
Trade Section discusses to-day the question of
Liquor Licenses, on which several celebrated
" Alliance" men are taking part. On this subject
Lord Brougham was very earnest and em-
phatic to-day—pleading for the legislative suppres-
sion of public houses—though, in common with the
rest of his audience, I must rely on the reporters
for actual knowledge of his argument and of his
exact words. Apropos, by the way, not of Lord
Brougham, but of many readers of papers on such
occasions as the present, it would be well if the
committees would not only decide on the paper, but
would judge of the capacity, in voice and manner,
of the writer for reading it. There are but few
men who can read so as to be heard in such rooms
as the larger sections of this association meet in
here, and the complaints of not hearing are loud
and many. But it is not in the least the fault of
the architect, for the acoustic qualities of the
rooms are excellent. It is the misfortune of un-
accustomed readers, whose voices not being trained
for public effort, are more adapted to an ordinary
room than to a large hall and a crowded meeting.