The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-15 00:00:00

TH4, EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 15, 1E166.!

crying wrong. Our capitalist& and merchants'
have been too much in the habit et underrating
national sentiment, and looking, supesellionalyupan
questions which grow out of Al bat in limes like
these they may usefully learn that only jest and
natural political arrangements can afford a secure
basis for the operations of international trade and
finance.

' OUR CONTEMPORARIES.
(THIS DAY.)

place it in an isdated—i'pedge most ekkatenetive to
derelogenedlof Ni prosperitred mod fatal la its weight
Ines councils apA intercoure of the veld.
The Stow believe@ that er 'overdose ass perfectly
ettefied with, the iedeur cl the isommekettioos now bide
received from France. The Emperor Napoleon is, under-
stood to be perfectly candid and cordial in the awnrances
of his anxiety that peace should he preserved and his wil-
lingnessto co-operate in anyressonable measures of negotia•
tion which promise to conduce to such an end. Nor is there
believed to be the slightest reason to suspect the imperial
government of any anxiety to take advantage of the pre-
sent crisis for the acquisition of new territory, or any other
selfish purpose.
The Post treats to-day of the evening dress of ladies.
Apropos of a letter from its correspondert " Corydon,"
from which we made an extract in yesterday's Express.
Agreeing as to the evil effects resulting from the loose-
ness of style both in point of dress and manner which is
beginning to characterise our modern metropolitan society,
the Pod is at a loss to say what is to be done. To protest
as an individual is to obtain the reputation of • prude,
and it requires a singular independence and a fiery beauty
to ward off the charge of we know not what that is insuf-
ferable to the feminine mind from one who determines
to attire herself according to her idea of fitness. Our
sole hope is that a time will arrive when the younger
ladies will not submit to the dictation of the " faster"
belles, and these will fail to appear in all the sumptuous
negligence of many-coloured intoxicated autumn. What
" Corydon" beholds now has been witnessed in all coun-
tries, in all times, by a foregoing line of sad and sighing
men in the doorway. Not Paris is to blame for the con-
' duct of London, but feminine nature. Paris is merely ex-
. perimentaL London imitates her too abjectly, without
the same lively power of recovery, but with greater inno-
. cense of design ; and that for the present must be our
comfort and " Corydon's."

LATEST DITELLIGENCE

THE EUROPEAN CRISIS.
~
The uews brought •by the latest Conthesatal
journals Wiest*, a lull in the politisal atmo-
sphere. Whilst all are prepared, or preparing for
war, all seem to shrink from the tremendous re-
sponsibility of being the first to commence it.
Amid the rumours of proposals for a European
Congress, and of negotiations for the cession of
Venetia, the information arrives that the Italian
army is massed along the Po ; that the Austrian
army of the North is concentrated in the district
of Chrudim, in Bohemia, its four first divisions
occupying the towns of Pardubitz, Hohenmanth,
Leutomischel, and Landskrom, and that Prussia
in addition to her regular army has issued orders
for the mobilisation of the first ban of the
Landwehr, and has her military staffs and stores
completely organised for a campaign. The middle
states of Germany are placing their armies on a
war footing. Even Turkey, Belgium, Denmark,
and Switzerland, though outside the immediate
circle of impending hostilities, are increasing
their forces. Such being the position of affairs,
the populations in the countries more im-
mediately interested are becoming uneasy
under the tension in which they are kept, and would
look for a solution ono way or another as a relief.
This is more especially the case in Italy, where
public opinion is described as being "is a state of
feverish impatience and ill-disposed to endure the
delays of German formalism." The journals of the
two great powers on the German aide of the con-
troversy continue to write with great bitterness
on the subject of dispute. The Neue Freie Preset
of Vienna, for example, thus speaks of Prussia :
This same Prussia, the satellite of Russia during the
Eastern war, which during the war in Italy exchanged
fisticuffs with the enemies of Austria—this legitimist
Prussia, which takes its crown from off God's altar—
which. with a view of subjugating Germany and tranform-
Mg Austria into a secondary Sclavo-Magyar state—makes
a league with Italy which would lay German territory and
German honour at the mercy of the foreigner—this same
Prussia presents herself before the Federal Diet and
expresses astonishment that Austria and Baxony should
think themselves menaced by her policy. Does this Prussia
which has twice declared that she would overrun Saxony
with her troops expect to be believed when heaping lie
upon lie, she affirms before Germany and Europe that the
security of Berlin is compromised by the policy and mili-
tary preparations of Herr von Beust ! Nay, more, Herr von
Bismarck, whose intrigues have entangled King William
in an alliance with Victor Emmanuel—this avowed pro-
moter of a traitorous and felonious policy towards Ger-
many, who has made rapine, pillage, and violence his pro-
gramme, has the audacity, in the face of the Federal Diet,
to identify his policy with the rights of the German
nation, and to accuse the other governments of Germany
with refusing to pay due consideration to the moat
modest demands of that same Germany. There is no
means of wheedling this enemy. Every concession would
only augment his covetousness and hi:. arrogance.
Prussia wishes for war. Very good. Then she shall have
it, and we have but one desire on the subject. It is this,
that if the cannon once roars and the fortune of war should
favour Austria and her German allies, the sword shall not
be sheathed till it shall be put for ever out of the power of
Prussia to trouble any more the peace of Germany by her
criminal ambition and her traitorous alliances with the
stranger.

The Coblent: Gazette says
All merchandise traffic will be suspended from the 17th
to the 25th May along the entire length of the Rhenish
Railway, in order that it may be reserved for the
exclusive use of the transport of troops and war
material. A quantity of cranes are to be placed at the
Coblentz station to expedite the loading of the trucks with
artillery. Soldiers belonging to the reserve of the regi-
ments of the Guards are leaving Coblentz every day for

(arenta's Trucauxs.)
AUSTRIA AND PRUSSIA.
BERLIN, MAY 15.

The note by which Prussia summons Hanover
to explain her warlike preparations threatens that
kingdom with military occupation, and demands
that the Hanoverian government shall observe the
strictest neutrality.
In ministerial circles the expediency is being
canvassed of immediately proclaiming the con-
stitution of Germany of 1849 as voted by the Ger-
man parliament.
It is asserted that Prussia has verbally replied
in a confidential manner to the Austrian note of
the 26th April, declaring her readiness to enter
into negotiations with Austria, with a view to the
cession of Holstein to Prussia on the basis of the
Gastein convention.

The King of Prussia's reply to the autograph
letter of the Czar has been forwarded to St. Peters-
burg. The correspondence which has taken place
between the two sovereigns is believed to have
been connected with the creation of a Duchy of
Warsaw ; and it is declared that the Czar has not
interfered in favour of peace.

Herr von Benningsen: President of the National
Verein, is said to have been presented yesterday
by Count Bismarck to the King.

THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT.
FLORENCE, MAT 15.

In yesterday's sitting of the Chamber of Deputies
a debate tool• place on the clause in the ministerial
financial bill relative to the imposition of a tax of
8 per cent, on Italian Rentes.
Signori Torregiani and Ricasoli and others
opposed the clause, and proposed its suppression,
believing that it would be prejudicial to the public
credit.

Signori Decessare, Linaldi, and in.77aro, spoke in
favour of the clause, and Signor Ricciardi pro-
posed that the tax should be reduced to four per
cent.
The debate will be continued to-day.

FRANCE AND ITALY.
FLORENCE, MAT 15.

The rumours of a prolongation of the stay of the
French troops in Rome beyond the date fixed by
the September convention are without any foun-
dation.

The Nazione of to-day states under reserve that
a note of the French government has arrived here
proposing the assembly of a congress. France is
said to have declared that she makes this proposal
with the view of preventing war without, how-
ever, pretending to impose the mode of
settlement of the pending question. The
Italian government is stated to have declared, in
reply to this note, that, while Italy did not decline
the proposal, she would require the basis of the
preliminary negotiations to be the cession of
Venetia. France, it is added, has undertaken to
communicate the views of the Italian government
to the other powers.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

Mon out owl

PARIS, MONDAY EVENING.
The Corps Legisiatif, after a long adjournment,
is to poet on Thursday for the discussion of the
bill on the councils general. The Patrie reports
that M. Jules Fevre will then call upon the govern-
ment to redeem its promise made when the opposi-
tion consented not to speak of Mexico during
the debate on the address that another op-
portunity should be found for going fully
into the subject. I hardly think, however, that
the government, or indeed the majority of the in-
dependent members of the Chamber,will think this
opportunity furnished by a bill having no con-
nexity whatever with foreign affairs. It is pro-
bable that the debate on Mexico, which must be
very serious when it comes, will be reserved for the
budget, and so the government will get another
month's respite.
A journal of the Maine-et-Loire, called the
Union de rOuest, has received a warning for an
article dated May 11, which is accused of "distorting
and calumniating the intentions of government
which it represents as provoking to war, whereas
in fact it is at this very moment redoubling its
efforts to assure the peace of Europe."
The Courrier du Dimanehe has also received a
warning (the second) for an article by M. Prevost I
Paradol of last Sunday, which " distorts the
nature of our political institutions by representing
that they are not based upon liberty, and calum-
niates the intentions of the Emperor's government
by falsely accusing it of seeking in a European war
the means of internal compression." I expected that
the Courrier du Dimanche would get this warning,
and I must say so strong was M. Paradors article
it ne Ca pas volt.
These warnings do not calm the public suspicion
that mischief is brewing.
The Bourse was agitated to-day, and closed with
a decided fall. Bente, after much oscillation, fell
30c. for cash and 35c. for account, closing at 64fr.
and 63fr. 85c. Italian fell lir. 45c. ; and Mobi-
her, 15fr.