The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-25 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(TROY OCR OWN CORIMPONDENT.)
PARIS. THURSDAY EVENING.

M. Cousin was buried to-day. After a funeral
service in the church of the Sorbonne the corpus
was taken for interment to the Fue la Chaise
Cemetery. The pall-bearers were M. Patin, the
senior member of the Faculty of Letters ; M.
Thiers ; M. de Parieu, Vice-President of the
Council of State ; and M. Mourier, Vice-Rector
of the Academy of Paris. M. Duruy, the Minister
of Public instruction, and large deputations from
most of the learned bodies of Paris, attended the
philosopher's funeral.
The Duchess de Persigny has been sued by a
man-dressmaker named Maugas—a rival of the
celebrated Werth—upon a bill of 3,050 fr. for fancy
and other dresses supplied at the beginning of last
year. The duchess's man of business held the
bill too high, and offered 2,500 fr. The hearing of
the case brought to light a very hot eerrespondence
between the tradesman and the dueller. M. de
Mangss stands upon his dignity as a dressmaker
for the highest aristocracy. The Duchess de Per-
signy, he says, gave him an order for the very
best things without making any stipulation as to
Price, and in now attempting to tax his bill she
treats him as a rogue. He goes so far as to accuse
her of systematically availing herself of her rank
to obtain goods under the market price. The
court, before deciding, has commissioned Madame
Laferrihre, a fashionable dressmaker, to make a
report as an expert, in order to enable the court to
form an opinion as to the reasonableness of the
plaintiff's charge.
The civil tribunal of the Seine has just tried an
action for breach of promise brought by an old
clothes dealer aged fifty-six against a cook of
forty-five. Letters and portraits had been ex-
changed, the contract had been signed, and the
bridegroom awaited the bride at the mains) ; but,
instead of appearing in person, she sent a message
to the effect that she had changed her mind, and
would not have him. He strove to find some con-
solation by suing her for 2,500 fr. as damages ; but
the court decided that marriage was free, and that
it was a matter of public policy that up to the
very last moment the parties should be at liberty
to change their mind before entering into such
a solemn contract. The rare exceptional cases
in which French courts have given damages
for breach of promise of marriage are described by
the judgment as resting upon the principle that a
breach so purely capricious as to infer that
there must have been an intention to deceive or
trifle from the beginning, may be the subject of
damages. But where a reason, albeit a bad one,
is assigned, and was the evident motive for break-
ing a matrimonial engagement, there is no remedy.

The Bourse continues to do Small honour to the
reforms. Rente, after going up to 69fr. 10c., closed
at 68fr. 80c. for cash, and 68fr. Tric., a fall of 100.
and 17fm. from yesterday, and • very significant
fall from the highest price of the day. Mobilier
fell 2fr. 50c. and Credit Fonder Mr.

PLY3IOUTH, JAN. 24.—Captain his Royal High-
ness the Duke of Edinburgh, K.G., and suite, arrived at
Plymouth by the Wednesday midnight express, and pro-
ceeded to Moorahead's Hotel, Devonport, for the night.
On Thursday morning his Royal Highness commissioned
the Galatea, 26, screw frigate. He dines here to-night
with the I'ort Admiral

NATIONAL PROVIDENT INSTITUTION. —The thirty
first annual meeting of this society was held yesterday at
the London Tavern ; Mr. Ingham, , M.P. in the chair, the
former chairman of the company, Mr. S. H. Lucas, having
resigned on account of ill-health. Mr. S. Smiles, the
newly-appointed secretary, was present. The chairman,
after expressing the regret of the board at Mr. Lucas's
resignation, and their profound gratitude for his long and
faithful services, moved the adoption of the report, which
he said was eminently satisfactory, showing that 264
policies insuring to the amount of 404,120/., had been
issued during the year, and that the accounts for the year
showed a balance of receipts over disbursements of
109,6024, thereby increasing the accumulated fund to
2,640,260/. The total gross, annual income was 40.3,536/.
Since the commencement of the institution 29,007 policies
had been issued ; the total amount paid in claims on the
decease of members had been 1,970,859/. ; and the members
numbered 14,924. The adoption of the report having been
seconded by Mr. Gilpin, M.P., several speeches were made
echoing the remarks made by the chairman respecting Mr.
Lucas. The institution was also complimented upon the
appointment of the author of " Self-help" to the post of
secretaryship. In reply to a question from a shareholder,
the chairman said the institution had not during the past
year lost capital by investing funds in concerns that failed
before the commercial disasters of the earlier part of the
year. The report was unanimously adopted. Messrs. C.
Reed and H. Constable wens re-elected directors. The
re-election of auditors was deferred. The usual compli-
ment to the chairman and directors concluded the pro-
ceelings.
THE SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE IRON TRADE.—But-
HINGHAM, JA.v. 24.—There was a large attendance of
ironmasters and others interested in the iron and coal
trades of this district at the Exchange here to-day, but
scarcely any business was done, the position of alfairs
with regard to the men being almost the only subject ills-
ceased. At some of the roost important works they have
gone in; such is the case at Wednesbury Oak and at
Bloomfield; at others of the like standing they are
still out; as, for instance, at Messrs. naive's, at Brom-
ford ; at Messrs. Bagnall's, at the Cruokha works,
and at Messrs. Belly's. The opinion is that all will gra-
dually go in; if they stay out very long there may
probably be less masters to employ them. The authentic
contradiction of unfavourable rumours in reference to
Messrs. Ball, Black, and Co., of Broadway, New York,
which appears in the paper' of that city, has been received
with much satisfaction in this locality.
ATTEMPTED MURDER AT SURBITON. —Yesterday
at Kingston-on-Thames, Cornelius Kane, a private in the
led Husain, stationed at Aldershot, was charged on re-
mand with attempting to murder Agnes Adams at Sur-
biton. Agnes Adams, a Scotch woman, 23 years of age,
said she was engaged to be married to the prisoner, and
the banns had been twice published for the occasion at
Aldershot and Surbiton. On the night of the 9th of
January, while she was staying at her sister's at Sur-
' biton, the prisoner came there from Aldershot. She
and her sister were then washing. He appeared the
worse for liquor, and said they did not appear to make
hint very welcome. He had come to know why she
wished to postpone the marriage. They wished to get
him away from the house, but he would not go. He was
then told that he could sleep with her brother-in-law in
the bedroom, and that if he would go to bed they would
tell him in the morning why they wished the mar-
riage postponed, as he was then not in a tit state to be
told. They induced him to go into his room, but he cams
out again, and kept asking the reason. She then told him
that her sister did not wish her to marry him while he re- '
mained in the army, and that she advised her to wait till
he came out. He again went into his bedroom and le-
-1 mined about ten minutes, and then her sister opened the
door and took the key out to lock the door from the sitting-
room upon him ; her sister then began to undress, but she
remained sitting in a chair. He shortly afterwards knocked
at the door again, and on her sister asking what he wanted;
he said a light to light his pipe. Her sister took the candle
to the door to prevent his coining into the room again, and '
he then rushed past her, and stood in front of the fireplace.
After an • his forehead he threw complainant down on .
the floor, and to cut her with a razor. He made a
severe wound on her forehead, and then tried to cut her
throat, but she held his hand and struggled with him for
Rome time, but the razor cut her hand and went through. .
She could not tell when he cut her on the left side of the '
nose, or inflicted the other wounds she had received. Her
sister was by, but she ,lid not know that he had • razor
till complainant screamed out, "He is cutting try
throat." Her sister then came to her assistance ; so did
her brother-in-law, who knocked prisoner down and knelt
upon him. The bands of the complainant, her brother-
in-law, and the prisoner were frightfully cut with the
razor in the straggle. Dr. Price Jones sad the com-
plainant must have led to death in a few minutes had he
not been so quickly fetched, one of the arteries having
been divided. The prisoner, who said be had nothing to
say, was fully committed to take his trial at the next
seizes at Kingston on the charge of attempted murder.