The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-18 00:00:00

Btuxds
Ditto branch banks

054,300 0 6E4,900 0
. 542,700 0 610,100 0

Advances to the State (conven-
tion 10th June, 1857
Government stock reserve 12,980,760 14 12,980,750 14
Ditto disposable 36,171,987 91 98,171,987 91
Renter immobilisers ~law 2nd
June, 18571 100,000,000 0 100,000,000 0
Hotel and furniture of the bank,

landed property 8,434,226 0 8,434,226 0
Expenses of management
Sundries

1,541,110,965 70 1,500,807,511 01
Certified by the Senator Governor of the Bank of France.
(Signed) HOVLAND.

FRANCE.

(71011 o OWN CORIMPONMENT.)

PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVINMG.

This evening M. Cucheval Clarigny, the new
editor of the Presse (formerly editor of the Coned-.
tutiomie/), has a striking article which I understand
to be officially inspired. But there is an incurable
ambiguity about the term official inspiration in
France under the present government. The
Emperor, absolute as in effect he is, only acts by
fits and starts, and often leaves his ministers at
daggers drawn among themselves, while he is
hesitating what course to take. An "official" article
may be one privately inspired by the Emperor,
or by some minister, unknown to the public, who
differs alto cether from another minister, who, par-
Imps, may be dismissed to-morrow, and perhan4
may survive in office all or most of his
colleagues., The article of the Presse this even-
ing is certainly official in this sense, that
it is not the mere expression of the personal
opinion of the writer, but was dictated in substance
by somebody higher. Whether it foreshadows the
policy which will ultimately be that of France no-
body can tell. With this preliminary, necessary to
a right understanding of an article which is cen-
sorious and unfriendly towards England and Italy,
I proceed to give an analysis of it. The article,
the upshot of which I may say at once leaves small
hopes indeed of peace, is headed " Two Obstacles."
It begins by affirming that negotiations have been
set on foot for the purpose of preserving Europe
from the calamity of war :—" The success of these
generous efforts may be doubtful ; but there can
be nu doubt of their existence." The two
" obstacles which the writer proceeds to treat of
in a way showing that he believes them to be insur-
mountable, are rhetorically described as " pusil-
lanimity " and " folly." " Pusillanimity," if you
please, is England, and " Folly" stands for Italy.
France, having been snubbed by the refusal of her
proposed congress in 1864, could not, with a due
regard to her own dignity, take the initiative of
one now. The necessity that the first step should
be taken by one of the powers which was so blind
as not to see the benefits of the Emperor's sugges-
tion two years ago, was, we are told, understood
by the short-sighted parties, and accordingly Eng-
land, having ascertained that Austria would gladly
accept the good offices of the great powers, did under-
take to broach the subject diplomatically. The
result of what M. Cucheval Clarigny calls the
" first steps," although he does not show that they
have been followed up by any others, was, as Lord
Clarendon clearly stated in the House of Lords, a
total failure. Prussia and Italy—the writer says
in yet clearer terms, would only submit to the
arbitration of Europe, in case they should be
assured beforehand of a verdict in their favour ;
they had no objection to receive by pacific means
what they expected and intended to get by war,
but would not be satisfied with less. A congress
for large general purposes was of course rendered
impossible by such pretensions ; but the Presse
affects to think that but for the " pusillanimity "
of England a congress might have been usefully
held for the sole purpose of effecting a general dis-
armament. The powers, it says, might have con-
stituted themselves jtujes du camp, and ordered dis-
armament, "of course undertaking to guarantee
the individual security of each power ordered to
disarm." The wildness and utter impracticability
of this proposal under existing circumstances must
strike every reader ; France and Russia, however—
so the l'utrie avers—were ready to make an award,
and enforce its execution by arms ; but England,
" Pusillanimous" England, refused to bind herself
to undertake a partnership war for the purpose of
enforcing peace, and so the whole scheme
fell to the ground. Having thus disposed
of " pusillanimity," the article comes to the
other obstacle " Folly." It asserts that Victor
Emmanuel is at this moment but a helpless instru-
ment in the hands of the revolution, and that the
effete parliament of Florence will be forced to
accept Mazzini as one of its members. It speaks
with horror of the summons to arms of the old
officers of Aspromonte, and affirms that the effect
of a victory would be not only to give Venice to
Italy, but to carry out Garibaldi's whole pro-
gramme—i.e., to incorporate Istria and Dalmatia
in Italy, and to recover Nice and Corsica. On the
other hand defeat will entail the fall of the
monarchy,which will be accused of impotence, and
perhaps treason, and the proclamation of an
Italian republic, with Mazzini for dictator,
and Garibaldi for generalissimo. All these
terrible consequences, you will observe, are
to follow from England not hampering herself with
an engagement to interfere by force of arms, and
in pursuance of a sudden suggestion to regulate the
armaments of other countries. What French
" liberty of action " will do in the war which is
certainly coning, M. Cucheval Clarigny does not
appear to be authorised to foreshadow.

Vakutta...
Cape Clear. .
Holyhead ..
Pea:acme—
Lorleni
Rochefort ..
Plymouth .
Weymouth
Portsmouth.
London

Yarmouth
Scarborough
Shields
Helder

SATTIRDAY
Variable, moderate,
fine generally.

PROBABLZ
NORTHiaII St'undY
COASTS. Chiefly southerly and
westerly, moderate

to trod.-
B.S E. to W.S.W., mom Wzgrna. R.S.W. to W.N.W.,
derate to fresh, fresh, some rain to
showers to places. places.
S.E. to S.W., moderate Botrrain. 8.8. K to W.9.W., mo-
to fresh, line gene- dente to tresh.
rally.
Variable, moderate, HAKIM. Varying winds, mode.
tine. rate to fresh, gene-

rally .ne.

Northern- Scotland. Western—lreland, Wales, and adja-
cencies. Southern—English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Eastern—Eastward England and North Sea.

PUBLIC SPIRIT IN ITALY.—Private letters from
Italy describe in glowing terms of admiration, and not
without surprise, the unanimous, concentrated, and pro-
found enthusiasm of the whole Italian nation—an enthu-
siasm too deep for idle show, but rather expressing itself
by calm and resolute self-sacrifice, at the near prospect
of the final battles for national independence. " War,',
we read in one letter which has been placed in Our
hands, " is now for us a certainty—peace an hope.-
sibility. It is a question of life or death for
the dynasty and for the country. If you could
only see what life, what movement, what energy, the
settled purpose to have done, once for all, wib the ruin-
ous macessaiuty and proclaims incompleteness of the pre-
sent condition of the country inspires! Everyman andevery
woman seems to say, ' Italy expects all her children to do
their duty.' " In another letter from a Florentine gentle-
man to a friend in England we read " Ah, my dear
friend, if you could see Italy now—how beautiful in spirit,
bow full of life she is ! There are but two ways before
us—war against the Austrian, or a civil war; independence,
or revolution. How I wish those countrymen of yours who
cry out against us, could only see us as we are. No more
parties—no more factions, but one single heart, and soul,
and strength. All alike for war. All ready to make sacri-
fices to the last penny ; nay, to the last child. lam not
speaking the language of excitement, but the simple truth.
From the poorest peasant to the richest noble in the
land there is the same will, the same obedience to duty.
All are ready to serve in the ranks. To see fathers and
mothers accompany their sons to the offices of enrolment
might move the heart of a Boursier."
The Gmetta del Popolo says :—" As soon as
General Della liocca received from the Minister of War
official information that Prince Umberto would be
placed under him as general of division, he wrote to
the King expressing the happiness he felt in having
the hereditary prince as one of the combatants in his army,
adding at the same time—`My responsibility, however,
is the greater, for I am aware of the youthful impetuosity
and martial ardour of the prince who is desirous of
treading in the steps of his august ancestors.' The
King in his reply said If the House of Savoy had
not three but one hundred sons able to bear arms, the
post of all of thew would be in the front ranks of the
Italian army.'"

THE CHOLERA IN LIVERPOOL.—Dr. Trench, the
medical officer of health to the Liverpool co ration,
reported yesterday at the meeting of the health com-
mittee ti A up to the present date there bad been 8
deaths fr• m cholera in the workhouse and Zl on ship-
board. One death had occurred in the town reported as
from cholera, but which afterwards was shown to be from
ordinary purging. So far as he knew all the cases of cho-
lera had occurred amongst emigrants, or people connected
with the Helvetia. Cholera was not (Dr. Trench believed)
so contagious as was generally supposed. If people were
imprudent enough to bend over the body of a patient and
inhale the breath they would run a great risk, but his
reading and experience went to show that there was no
reasonable cause for alarm. Two of the principal causes
of cholera were fear and drink. In reply to a question
by Mr. Bairstowe Dr. Trench said that the report of the
death of a catholic clergyman of cholera was unfounded.

THE CATTLE PLAGUE IN IRELAND. —We have
great pleasure in stating that the accounts received from
the north yesterday (Wednesday) were of the moat satis-
factory character. Not only has no further case of rinder-
pest been reported from the infected district, but no
disease of any kind has since appeared. We think the
prompt, judicious, and energetic measures which Pro-
fessor Ferguson adopted will effectually arrest any further
progress of the plague in that direction. We have
reason to believe that the arrangements for the isola-
tion of the locality, and to prevent contagion from
being communicated, are of the most complete character.
No person is permitted to pass the cordon without being
disinfected, and the strictest surveillance is observed. The
following official memorandum was forwarded to us last
night :—" Veterinary Department of the Privy Council-
office, Ireland, Dublin Castle, May 16, Midnight. —Memo-
randum.— No fresh case of cattle plague, or any other
disease in the infested district of Drennan, county Down.
A census and valuation of all the cattle within it have been
taken. Number of cattle, 125 ; value, 9131. An official
cattle plague report is to be published each day during the
closure of and restrictions on the proclaimed district, that
information may be obtained without the trouble of per-
sonal inquiry.—Heca Flact;soB, 11.M.V.5."—/MUin
Express.
SOUTHWARK BRIDGE.—At a meeting of the
Court of Common Council yesterday, Mr. Robert Taylor,
the chairman of the Bridge-house Committee, brought up
a report from that committee, recommending that &nth-
oark-bridge should be purchased by the corporation for
200,0001., and he moved that the report be agreed to. Mr.
De. Jersey strongly opposed the motion upon several
grounds, the principal of which were that the price was
excessive, inasmuch as it appeared by the price of the
shares in the bridge in 1863, that the total amount that
could have been realised for it at that time was b 7,000/. ;
that, according to the report of Mr. Leech, the engineer
who had examined it, the structure was not at all in a
satisfactory condition with regard to soundness ; and that
the approaches to it were such as would always prevent it
from being an extensive means of accommodation, parti-
cularly as regarded heavy traffic. At the conclusion of
Mr. De Jersey's speech the debate wan postponed, and the
court adjourned.
CRYISTAL PALACE. —FIVE - SHILLING DAY.
THURSDAY, MAT 17.—Admissions on payment, 4,836;
ditto by season tickets, 9,210; total visitors, 14,046.