The Express.
London, England, 1859-08-18 00:00:00

THE OERMANIC CONFEDERATION.

The movement in favour ors reform of the federal
constitution is making daily program in Germany.
Not only do the journals and municipalities de-
clare themselves favourable to the reform, but even
important public bodies do not hesitate to discs= a
question which all regard ea of vital Interest. At
Munich, for instant*, as hes been mode known by
telegraph, twenty-seven members of the Chamber of
Deputies supported M.Vcelk in developing the ques-
tion, and their act met with evident favour, as, on
coming to a division, there were eighty-five votes
for M. Vcelk's motion, and only eighty-seven
against it. At Stuttgard, Hanover, and several of
the southern provinces, similar manifestations
have been witnessed, and recent letters from
Berlin show the same feeling to exist there.
Meetings of the electors in the several districts of the
capital are announced, in which the question of
federal reform will be discussed, and addresses voted
in conformity with the opinions of the electors. It
is said that Prussian statesmen look upon the move-
ment with disfavour at resent, and have no inten-
tion to encourage it. fhe government will most
likely content itself with endeavouring to give a
more liberal tone to the federal policy, without pre-
senting any. proposition ; it will, on the other band,
spare no puns to introduce into the legislation and
internal administration those principles which make
in more prominently with the Prizes Regent.

Baron Wiesenhutten, who wee a native of Frank-
f rt, sad who has been fm many years chamberlain in the
court of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, recently died at Stun-
gardt, and has loft Irree Icgacicr to mimes institutions In
hie native city, animg which are mentioned 100,000 florins
to the lunatic u.yloni. 10,000 florins to the Pereslond
Society, 10,000 donne to the Gustavus Adolphus Society,
besides 26,000 11,rine to the Missionary Society of Bale and
Berrien, 80,000 florins to the German Evangelical Comma-
pity of Lyons, and 6,000 florins to the church of St. Lecture
in Stattgardt.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

amour oaz owx

PARIS, WLDNMDAT EV3IIOO.

It turns out that the information which I arm
enabled to send you as long ago u Thursday hat, of
• general musty being resolved upon, wet entirely
correct. Why the decree was not signed till the
16th, instead of being made public before the fetes,
lam unable to explain. It is certain that had this
great act preceded the entry of the troops, their
reception on the Faubourg Bt. Antoine and the
eastern boulevards would have been much more

enthusiastic than it was. It will now, I believe, be
officially hinted that the Emperor purposely delayed
the amnesty, in order that the applause which he
expected to receive as a conqueror might not be at-
tributed to his clemency asa sovereign. This, however,
cannot, I think, be the tine reason, and at all events
it fails to account ,for the non-publication of the
amnesty on the morning of the 16th. lam rather
inclined to think that there must have been hesita-
tion on the subject up to the last moment, and that
the latest news from Italy, showing the impossibility
of cony ingout the pesos of Villafranca in an Austrian
sense, has made the Emperor reflect seriously,
whether the cowls of events may not compel him
to ally himself " frankly with the revolution." The
amnesty is es full and complete as possible. It
extends certainly to Changarnier and the
other generals expelled in 1861, and also to
all the members of the National Assembly,
and they were very numerous, who were banished
at the same time merely because they were obnoxious.
Ledru Rollin is not included in it because he stands

condemned (quite unjustly, as I believe) as an ao-
complios in the attempted aasaseimation of the Ben-
peror by Tibaldi and others. Victor Hugo, how-
ever, and Blanqui, and Louis Blanc--all the man
whose names are best known as representing detes-
tation of imperialism--are now Lae to enter France
simply as French citizens, without acknowledging
themselves under the burden of any obligation to
the Emperor. I think, and I greatly hope I may
not be mistaken in this opinion, that they may come
back without being subject to the operation
of the odious law of public safety which
was pealed last year. I remember that at Monte-
lembert's trial his counsel justified him morally for
standing on his undoubted right to go on with his
appeal, notwithstanding the Emperor's pardon, on
the ground that the pardon only remitted the par-
ticular penalty, bat left him in the odious category
of suspected perilous, liable to be transported at any
time without trial. But if I mistake not, it was then
taken for granted that an amnesty, which is a wider
act of grace than a pardon, would—as the word
itself imparts—completely annul and wipe up the

original judgment or "measure of public safety,"
and necessarily do away with all its col-
lateral consequences. If I am to credit re-
ports circulated in official circle, this evening •
number of the most eminent exiles in London and
Brussels have resolved to return to France imme-
diately, and some of them may be expected in Paris
to-morrow. The Emperor has ordered two govern-
ment steamers to leave immediately for Algeria
' and Guyana, to bring back political transports.
There will be great rejoicing in the departments of
the Herault and Var, from which alone it is calculated
that no less than 3,000 citizens have been banished,
transported, or impr•oned for political offences since
the coup d'etat. I hear that the people of the
Faubourg St. Antoine are getting open illumination
this evening in honour of the amnesty.
At the Bourse, singular to state, the amnesty, so
far from being considered es a reassui.og symptom,
had a depressing influence. Many people saw in it
a confirmation of the many signs of war; the Em-
peror, the pessimists argued, sties a European coali-
tion forming against him, and feels the necessity of

uniting all parties in France round his standard.
The rumours from Zurich are anything but satisfac-
tory. The Rents underwent the further fall of 30c.
for cash and 23c. for account, closing at 88fr. 70e.
and 68fr. 80c. blobilier fell Bfr. 76c. The rail-
ways were all very heavy, and closed fully Ur.
lower.

The Emperor, the Empress, and the Imperial
Prince leave Perk for the Pyrenees at a quarter to
8 this evening, by a special train from the Orleans
station, where preparations for their departure have
been going on all day.
A counel of ministers "ifs held at St. Cload this
morning, and there are rumours of some very im-
portant mersurea having been taken. It is scarcely
doubtful that a decree has been signed wiping off
all warnings scored up against the press.
The young (soi-disont) Grand Duke of Tummy
has come to Paris incognito to supplicate the
Emperor to help him to his father's throne. The
Emperor is reported to have said—" It is not my
fault that you fought against Italy in the Austrian
1 ranks."