The Express.
London, England, 1859-03-24 00:00:00

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

THE CONGRESS.

(ET FCTILUITNE AND Darnell TELIOILLPi)

PARIS, TxrasnAT,

The Mositsur states that the cabinets of Loudon
and Berlin have agreed to the proposition of a Con-
gress. The reply of the cabinet of Vienna is not yet
known.

PIEDMONT.

A Paris letter in the Nord states that the Sar-
dinian Cabinet has addressed a communication to the
Ave great powers strongly insisting on being al-
lowed to take part in the deliberations of any con-
gress on affairs of Italy.
A Turin letter states that twelve convents at Genoa
have been cleared of their inmates in order to allow
the premises to be employed for quartering troops in
cue of need. . .

The indspendentc of Turin announces the arrival
there of the two sons of M. nixie, for the purpose
of engaging themselves as volunteers in the Pied-
montese army.
" The inhabitants of Leghorn," says the Opinions
of Turin, " had intended making a demonstration in

honour of the volunteers proceeding to Piedmont;
bat on receiving a prohibition from the police an.
thorities they renounced their project, declaring
that they could not think of running the risk of any
disturbance when all in Italy ought to be united."
TURIN, WZDNIIIDLT, MARCH 23.

On the 21st inst. a picket of Marian cavalry
Grossed the Ticino, for the purpose of exploring the
frontiers opposite Pavia, which done they rubes-
quently returned to that town.
To-day the annual commemoration of the Pied-
montese soldiers slain at the battle of Novara, in
1549, was celebrated in the cathedral. The ceremony
was solemnised in the most impressive manner.
The Ministers of State, deputations from parlia-
ment, the officers of the Sardinian army and of the
National Guard, the students of the university,
and the immigrants from other parts of Italy were
present.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

crawl ova owic

PARIS. WISDNIIIIIAT EVINDIG.
It is dated that the Emperor of Austria has made
Lord Cowley a Orand Cross of the Order of Leopold—
a distinction which has been conferred on no other

foreign ambassador but M. de Bourqueney.
The Bourse opened with some firmness, principally
on the ground that the report of a fall of 2 per cent.
in Vienna Metaßios yesterday was ascertained to be
false. It was, however, on the strength of a

despatch assumed to be authentic, dated that they
had declined 1 per cent. to-day ; and the Rents

after some oscillations left off in avery unsettled state

at yesterday's prima. Mobilier rose Mr. 75e.
There was very little change in railway quotations ;
two or three lines were about Mr. higher.

The inauguration of the railway from Rome to
Civita Vecchia, which was announced for April 1,
_ .

has been postponed to the 13th or 20th. It is
now said that only the pontifical authorities and
the foreign ambassadors will be invited on the
occasion.

The Ittdependanee says that, from advices received
at the Ministry of the Interior, it is to be feared
that M. Migeon (after the new decree against bear-
lag foreign titles without permission which was
issued on purpose to meet his case, we must no
'eager call him Count Migeon) will be elected for
the Hant Rhin by a larger majority than before.
The election is fixed for March 26.
I have so seldom of late found myself able to
speak in terms of praise of any act of the French
government, that I feel it quite a relief to shake off,
for once, the character of a fault-tinder, and to give
my humble opinion that M. Delangle's report on the
subject of dissenting chapels redounds very much to
his credit. It is difficult to contest M. Delangle's
logic when he says that the principle of liberty of
conscience proclaimed by French institutions does
not mean that any and every sect is entitled to open
chapels for public worship without the consent of
the government. Dissenters cannot reasonably ex-
pect greater privileges than those enjoyed by the
catholicr, who are the majority in France,
and, as the report observes, Napoleon 1.,
in his concordat, expressly stipulated that
no parsonage, church, chapel of ease, &c., could
he established in France without the consent of the
government. He frankly repudiates the theory
that, under the specious pretext of religious liberty,
any class of citizens are "absolutely irresponsible
and superior to the state," and exempt from police
regulations in regard to public meetings. But
after having thus vindicated the jurisdiction of the
state, he recommends the Emperor to emancipate
dissenters from the "local prejudices" of mayors
and prefects, and to refer the consideration of every
application for leave to open a new chapel to tie
Council of State. This is a great boon to
the dissenters. However much the present organi-
sation of the Council of State may be open to criticism
it is at least a more enlightened, if not a more inde-
pendent tribunal than the local authorities, who
have lately in very many instances wantonly abused
their power. Protestants who have been prevented
from meeting together for religious worship, because
the prefect's wife happened to be an instrument in
the hands of the catholic bishop, may now " fly from
petty tyrants to the throne," with good ground to
hope that their religion will be no conclusive bar
between them and justice. I firmly believe it to be
the intention of the Emperor, for the present at least,
to act equitably towards the protestants, and
to refuse the authorisation of chapels in (
where it may be desired to open them in a
spirit of opposition to his government, or for
purposes of private speculation, and not for bona
fide religious worship. I have indeed heard it
objected that the notoriety of an application to the
Council of State will in practice serve to put the
catholic party, which is strong and well organised,
on the alert, and enable them in every case to pre.
pars a formidable opposition. Ido not, however,
think that the Council of State will readily listen
to arguments prompted by religious hostility. The
members of that body are not individually suspected
of much bigotry, and, for the moment, jesuitism—
witness the daily lamentations of the Unirers—M
not predominant in the Emperor's councils. The
Debate, which has taken a leading part in telling
public attention to protestant grievaners, accepts
the new measures as a valuable boon which entitles
government to tne gratitude of all cleans of dis-
senters.

The I)::bats of to-day mays:—" The aged Primo
March, whose nnespeeted elevation to the throne of genii
Wed to disturb Humps at a monseet when the affairs of
Indy bed changed the earnest of public attennon, doss we
mom Melina t, long eojoy his crows. He is believed to be
awe death, and his ern is actively tekhg the useenary
lIIIISSONII to soma him, slam& the Porte bee sae rang-
Weed the hereditary right of this family totbegineent of
&Ma."