The Express.
London, England, 1856-01-21 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, WI UAZY 21.

"Asa we to have peace, or war?" This is the one
question which, at this moment, is asked by every
MO of his neighbour, throughout England. It is a
question put, not so much in the hope of receiving e
distinct and trustworthy answer, as of asoertaking
the inclinations of those to whom it is addressed. So
tar as pretty exteca re observation and isquiry can
enable us to speak we should say that eabody wishes
the war to confines if peace is to bo had ea terms
that ensure results adequate to the efforts which have
been made, bat that there exists everywhere a
lurking suspicion of the geod faith both of Bugle
and of Austria. It is deeirable that this should be
universally known, for the continental journals
in the interests of these two Powers, are
labouring indefatigably to spread the belief that a
wayward, or interested, desire on the part of Eng-
land to prolong the war, is the only obstacle to the
immediate termination of hostilities. The Imputation
is as fakes as it is injurious. England has no with to
me the war peolooged tam day beyond what is abso-
lutely necessary ; bat England does set iateed to
allow itself to be esti:ogled in negotiations if they
are meant only to gain time for the enemy, or to be
made the dupe of a vague and equivocal treaty of
peace.
The actual position of affairs may be inferred with
tolerable certainty from Count BuoL's despatch to
Count VALENTINE ESTERBAZT. In that document
the Mutt inn proposals are described us nothing more
than a full and precise development of the
four principles already accepted by Russia.
Count Bum. states that these proposals will acquire,
from the fact of their acceptance by the belligerent
Powers, "a Table tantamount to preliminaries of
peace." He adds : "The signature of these prelimi-
naries would be immediately followed by a general
armistice and definitive negotiations." Rosa* we
are assured, has accepted them. It is to be presumed
that she has done so on the strength of Coast
Buor.'s promise, that "if, es we hope, ear proposi-
tions meet with a favourable reception, we shall
Joss no time in warmly nosommeading them to
the acceptance of the Courts of Paris and Leedom."
Bat if there be truth in a previous statement in Count
BowL's despatch, this submission of the propositions
for the approbation of the Courts of Paris and Ludon
is amen matter of form. The Count says," His He-
nan deigned to entreat to me the duty at mounding
the Cabinets of Paris and London on this subject.
But while we found there most firmly resolved sot to
initiate any path overtures, we nevertheless have,
to our great satisfaction, found in these Waste a
disposition such as to inspire us with the hope that
they will not refuse to examine and accept conditions
of a nature to present all the gua.-antses regalia far
• serious and lasting peace, and to adjust malefic-
torily the question that gave rise to the war." This
appears to us as positive an assertion us is oompedble
with the vague and guarded language of European
diplomacy, that Austria bus ascertained the willing-
ness of the French and English Governorate to u-
ses the proposals as " tantamount to preliminaries
of peace," if Russia accepts them first. If Coast
Bum. has really been authorised to make such a
statemeet, the proposals are now not merely " bassi
of negotiation'," but " preliminaries of peace; " sad
the conclosioa of a peace can only be prevented by
unequivocal indicatiou of insincerity on the part of
Russia in her acceptance of them.
Bat Zeeland and France will be warraated in in-
ferries that Russia has accepted the proposal' basin-
sorely and with a " mental reservatioa " or " derriere
pewit," if that Power shows a disposition, by raising
cavils upon the meaning of the torero of pesos, to
protract the negotiations. If there is to be a peace
it must be enclarkd without delay. The prolongs-
ties of uncertainty as to whether we en to have
pease or war will affect moat injuriously the laborers
of Fusee and England. It is only necessary to look at
the uncertainty which pervades the produce markets of
both ceastrise to be conaseed GIGO& At this monient
no one can coojecture what is or will he the vales of the
raw materials employed in their great staple mensfas-
tares ; what will be the price to be paid for mosey
somemodadoo by their merchants and esanafestarere
in the immediate gave. The productive industry of
Frame and England is paralysed by that uncertainty
whisk eat caly be terminated by at immediate
pears or a speedy rupture of negotiations; end so
abatement can be made in the war expeoditur• of
either country until it is certain that the war is at
an sad. If Ramie is skean, there need be so
delay la the negotiations about to comma *;
bat already the owns of Russia, in the
continental press, are begiankg to suggest
queetioce which, if allowed to be raised, may
afford a pretext for interminable preemie. It is
asked whether Nicobar., can with propriety be milled
a military marine arsenal on the Black Bea; and
whether a better frostier Ike between Moldavia and
Bessarabia might not be traced then that which is
described in the Marisa proposals. Busk must be
peremptorily held to its acceptance "per et ample"
of the proposals as "tantamosat to preliminaries of
paste;" not allowed to explain them away in a " Dos-
mural cease;" and held to submeibe the bead with-
out loss of time.

With a view to the necessity et iseamilistely IMF
deding pesos or at woe beseldeg of segolithme.
doubts are felt and uprooted as te the expeitieney
of France sod England somesatiag to as
armistice. It a alleged, with somiderable
that although the acceptasee prolimieariss et peace
ds nesesearily folio o ed by au 'minden the useptaus
of Female which are ally &seedbed as a tuts-
mernet to" preliminaries of poses doss sot imply suell
enmity. We feel the full force of the dillealty.
11Ce know that we have to dial with a wily sad en-
assepaloes Government. Bat still it appears to us'
that it world be unweetby of the Governmeets of
Freese and England, it they have already committed
thanked's§ to the extent which Comet Bool.b
dampish implies, to raise such a airtime Aim
tics. Mere is so doubt • risk in their soft
with too mach iseerosity ; but at the same time, by
cesilsoting themselves with entire freaks. sad
ecoadeue, they obtain a veritable ground when
they deemed that the opposite party shall
act in the suss spirit. It is, moreover, antsis that
the pride of the Russian Gourament Irma& aura
have permitted it to go se far u it has &ewe did it
sot feel itself ander the pressure of a sharp name-
aity. We believe that the secession of Bardiais to
the suss of tie Allies, followed by the defeesive
treaty whisk Sweden has esselsdrid with them, hie
quits aip mull to do with the pad* sealimeets of
Buda se her Mudd and ocessersial embarrass.

lamb sadly/ loose la the field of bade. Fears of a
general European aliases to thwart hoe ambitious
designs will probably be sallelast to Pressed her
from takiog undue adrastegs. V a short lidos
bat it will be advisablo to Itt a doting. early
term for the resumoion or .hoselities is order to en-
sore a rapid progress of negotiation.

CV ercatut.

—•—
WINDSOR, lax. 19.

The Queen and Priam, amempasied by the
Prisms. Royal sad the Corot of Floods, dined with the
Duchess of Hest at Frogatore House yestseday.
Tb. following lad the honour of being limited :—Lody
Chiateidll, Y, sad Madame Van de Weyer, lady Fano,
Howard. perouer do Sped, Lord Byron, Colossi the Hoe.
C. B. l'hippe, the 800. sod Very Rev. the Dula of
WlPOssr, Lord Clisrles Fitzroy, Colossi Seymour, the nos.
nary Seymour, the Hon. Rosily Cathcart, Limits:mot-
Colossi B.ddolph, Captain Bornelle, the Boa. Mortimer
ssokviils W est, Lord James Haney, sod FM Osage
Cooper.

Her !Loyal Hipbone bed else as ...slag party, whoa a
musical perlormaace took plaer. The killawfai wee the
prognatme :

. -
*Hero (Salado. No. I) —...-.- protkrotS.
dogtrot, kr. IriUllman
nSolo,aiad* TamarlL ele &ova% W. 0. Cedes.
lirekna. Mr. W. G. Ceske.
Ad e& (Quorum% la F) .......
Moe et Terletter Lehartlows.
tie* Rue, Wr lUdiardeas.
la. lendijr.
Tlie Data sod Decline of Almelo visited tar Majesty te-
day.

Visional Palatent= sad the Rev. Dr. Phi'pen, et
Cetkiiriao Sall, Cambridge, wind ea a visit to bee I[a-
Jeaty.

TM dinner party this dip inclnded the Count of Platadera,
Lady Emily Seymour, Visemint Palmerston, the lov. Dr.
Pid/pett, Captain Suraelle, and Lieutenaat-Csdeael !ramie'
Seymour, Sorts Punier Guards (wile arrived la the after-
noon).

lb; bud al the Zed Life Overdo played diaries Caber,
arid afterwards bet Mayestes private bead. _

- - -
SUNDAY, lAN. 20.
The Qom sad Maw, tits Prises of Wales, ths Prisms
Royal, Poises Alh.d, sad Primer Mies, the Ladies sad
Gestions of the emirs, sad the domestic hossehold
etteaded divine smite Ibis ncesisi is the Private Chapel
of the Cistio. The Hos. sad Very Hs% Um Doss el
Windsor read the prayers, sad the RMS. Dr. Philpott
smashed the sersaca. The Dashers et Kest sad Laid Pal-
mists' were also st t►e ferries.

Lord Moat's,lo, Mr. Hosting, M.P., Mr. B. Hawes, XII' '
W Wiley, Mr. Toa limos , Mr. Flea& Tamer. Mr. Trash's
Mr. Leek, Mr. IL Hams, LP., eal Mr. Hada Ili, widest,
la tbo trearediate 'Welty of et. leatee's Perk, bed se
kitortiow with Sir George Grey, ra Ikauday, at the Hans
ease, whit referees* re say wartearpleted iaterfireaas with
the oadeoare of the park.

Mr. Wain, the nreser, had as Interview with Sir
George Grey, at the Renee See, IS datarday.
Deepidebee hem the Gwent* et Ceylon, sad she how
the Lord Hick Ceamisekeer et the Liaise Weeds, were
received es Saturday at the Colteisi-elie.

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 21, 1856.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(7101 t OVR

PARIS, SUNDAY Immo.
I am sorry to say that (with the exception of the
Press* and the Eisele) the French journals assume a
tone on the subject of the peace propositions wLialt is
far from being friendly or even decent towards 'Eng-
land. One would care little for the avowed hostility
of the fseionist organ, the AssamWe Nationals, but
it is really serials to find the Constaidionnn talking
of an armistice being as good signed, and
arguing that England is sin lirwour bound" by
the Austrian ultimatum, when it is notorious that,
foe reasons yet to be 'spiv:Wed, many conditions
stipulated foe by Lord Clarendon as sits gad ROM were
not comprised in the pr' positions sent to Bt. Peters-
burg by Count Bent. "In our opinion," says the
Cbonitstionaml, "no incident can arise to prevent
the Austrian ultimatum being regarded by all par.
ties interested as possessing the definitive character
of preliminaries of penes. And although those pre-
liminaries may not at this moment be signed, we are
masking that acme of the belligerent powers can
think of withdrawing from the obligations of an
honourable engagement."
How it happens that England can have approved
of the presentation by Austria, as an ultimatum, of
propositions from which essential conditions were
left out—is, I must confess, difficult to explain, with-
out more information than is yet in possession of the
public. The present aspect of affairs looks very
much as if we had been outwitted by the Austrian
diplomatists. It may, however, turn out that they
have only outwitted themselves. It is important to
mention that, awarding to general opinion in the'
, highest official canes here, the French Government
has resolved to comely& a pesos, and to make small
account of the conditions which in England are can-
, gnawed essential to be introduced under the head of
the Fifth Prevention. This is the situation which
must be calmly considered and dealt with.

I leant fray ea aamaally good wars, that the
Emperor WY so moth moved whoa he received the
despateh anormasiag the " pore mad simple" amp-
' tames of Rasta. that he almost (Mated.

This evening's Pays her an article strongly advo-
cating peace, attacking English journalists as being
under the inflaence of prejudise and passion, and
Ong that they do not traly represent public
opinion is Eaglaad.
At the little Sunday Bosuns ea the Boulevard,
them was lee material variation front the quotatioas
of yesterday.

I ant told that the following speech was really
made by the Czar to an eminent diplomatist who
was at Bt. Petersburg • few days ago :—" J'ai les
Allemands e• pitie, lee Aglaia ea Lain% et Prussia
en admiration."

A despatch from Musalke, dated kat night, an-
nausea a fall of 2fr. the hectolitre in corn. In
Paris the fall bus been mach sore considerable. The
Echo dirk*le of this day says:—' All the markets
cone lower, bat the fall in the provisoes has not been
so groat as in Paris. Offers abound."

POLITICAL ARRESTS IN FRANCE.
Our Paris correspondent writes :
There hare bum /sassily a great many political
arrests In the astern departments. We road I. the
Tabletke doe dew Charades of Jan. 10:
The immakties m Reetwhrt has bees, for several days
per, greatly melted, la emmosqueute of judicial proceedings
simultaneously takes in the Charente lan/Imes and the
aeighboariag departmante—prossediap ocaseeted, as we
are sawed, with the dissmery of • plot spigot the safety
of the state. Midis waltiag lee the truth to treaspire, we
may at oleos say that ea the 11th sad 14th of Isaaary there
were .memo domisillary visits la our tows, sad some
arrests. CM the 11th, Y. Depay, the Fauna of the
a••••wir of Limited Tailors, the Pereeenome, sad M.
Maillee, • tam, wets arrested, sat lodged la the Beebe/ore
House of Deteatien. N. Depuy is s matter el the Masi
"pal 0. the 14th, while marshes were pies ea ia
several homes, warrant" of arrest were resolved from Paris
whist MII. Boodisee. • foremen I. the marine artillery
works; Bruised, • wholesale poser; Chaiguomt, as ageat
Wahine; Coward, • marine artillery workman; Mitereas.
a master sulker of the port; Robert, a locksmith; sad
Bayard, • seheolerketer. We lean that some of the poi-
soners have bee. seat to Met, sad others to Paris. Corre-
spondents inform as that MOM, dashiki@ Magog to the
same star, have beset mode at La Itooltelle, 'Mates, east
JIM d'Aagely, sad Cesium
There have boas name meets at Amiens, but a Imal
}avail lino& that their importance has been
ataggersted.