The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-22 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

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PARIS, MONDAY EVENING.
M. Emile de Girardin, a member of all the peace
societies of Europe, who has not for some days written
much in his new paper, La Liberti, has an article
this evening, in which he strongly counsels France
to go to war at once, either against Prussia or
Austria—he does not care which. The height and
breadth and depth of his morality, under present
eircumstances, is that France should be on the
side of 3to 1. " Trois contre un" is the heading
of his article. If Austria will give up Venice, then
let France join with Austria and Italy to crush
Prussia. But if, as seems most probable, Austria I
will try to keep Venice as long as she can,
then let France join with Prussia and Italy
to break up Austria. In any case it would
be very bad policy, says M. E. del
Girardin, to wait to see whether Austria or
Prussia won the first battle. Nobody knows what
contingencies war may bring forth. Let France
play the safe game and put herself from
the beginning on the side of 3 to 1.
M. Gueroult, the deputy for Paris, has
an article in the Opinion Nationale preaching
a precisely similar doctrine. It is probable that
these editors have good reasons to guess that war
preaching will soon be necessary, if not popular.
M. Ravin, the editor of the democratic
has had a private audience of the Emperor.
The money article of La Liberti says :

Every day, hour, and minute that passes diminishes the
hopes of peace. There is no longer any talk of a congress.
The congress is relegated to the domain of used-up illu-
sions. The only question asked is—When will hostilities
begin ?

Rente fell 30c. for cash and 15c. for account,
closing at 63fr. 15c. in each case. It was in the
course of the day much lower, having been quoted
at 62fr. 85c. Italian rose 30c. Mobilier ulti-
mately fell 7fr. 50c., closing at 506 fr. 25fr. But
in the muse of the day it was for the first time
at a discount, the 800 fr. shares having been done
at 495 fr. _

It is said that in case the Italian Senate -aliMl
not throw out the bill—voted indeed by a base
majority in the Lower House—which puts a tax
of 8 per cent. upon Italian funds, the syndicate
at the Paris Bourse will not allow Italian stock to
be quoted. Such a measure would be per-
fectly justifiable, for the tax is an undoubted
breach of faith with the public. When Italy
next wants a loan (and the impending war will pro-
bably necessitate a loan very soon) she will find the
hard terms made with her far outweigh the present
benefit of her breach of faith. I cannot think the
Senate will confirm the short-sighted vote of the
Italian deputies.
The Gazette de France announces that Mr. Layard
arrived in Paris yesterday, and that "he desired
to be himself the bearer of England's reply to the
last French proposal for pacific negotiations—a
reply as yet unknown to anyone in
the political and diplomatic circles of Lon-
don." There is no other authority for the
simple fact of Mr. Layard being here than the
•Ga;ette de France, whose facts are not generally the
most reliable. As to the motive given for his
visit, it seems to me most unlikely. England can
scarcely have anything to say to the
French government about the forlorn hope of
the congress which might not have been sent
through Lord Cowley in the ordinary course. Mr.
Layard, I remember, was at Lady Cowley's recep-
tion on the Queen's birthday, May 24, last year,
and if he is here now the probability is that he
merely comes for the Whitaun holidays, and to be
at Lady Cowley's again on Thursday next.