The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-23 00:00:00

No. 1.

Frenchmen,—The reign of Bonaparte was founded in
crime ; it Is now finishing In crime after having for six-
teen years dragged France through the slough of shame.
The unpunished usurper of your rights, Bonaparte the
man of crime, now again seeks to make you the oppressor
of other peoples. Frenchmen, shall we suffer this I
Yesterday the opprobrium of Mexico; to-day that of
Rome i—tliat imbecile policy which allows itself to be
duped by a Bismarck, and transforms our glorious soldiers
into Papal sbirri. Is not the cup of Agate full! Shall
we give up to this inept adventurer and his band our con-
sciences, our honour, and our existence ? France is going to
ruin ; her industry is affected ; the tutorial are shutting
up ; mote and more men are daily thrown out of work ;
misery is at our doors ; the choice is before us—either dis-
honotir assidirolution under the yoke of this man, or the
resumption of our destinies into our own hands. Citizens,
let us rise.

No. 2.

France has not belonged to herself for the last fifteen
years. She has lost all her liberties. Her wealth has been
squandered ; the savings of half • century are gone.
France, which was the hope of peoples, has now become
their terror. Her government is the laughingstock of the
governments of all nations. The honour of France is in peril;
the glory of her army has been twice compromised. The
empire is falling to pieces. Shall we allow ourselves to be
buried in the ruins? Arise citizens ! The impure h►nds
which hold our destinies will not shrink from fomenting
the worst passions in order to crush theee citizens who
would restore to France her security, dignity, and liberty.
Let us rely confidently on one another, and march reso-
lutely in the great national path of honour and liberty ;
the salvation of France is at stake.
No. 3.

People of Paris,—lt is now sixteen yeah since the re-
public was murdered in the night. A man stole the liber-
ties of all ; he seized France to share her with his personal
companions. Ever since, his crime against the people has
been clothed in the robes of justice ; his caprice is toe sole
law ; his hesitation., his reticence., his meannesses, his
follies, are peace or war. Well, people, what have we
gained by this loss of ourselves? We were promised
riches in exchange for liberty ! Workmen who want bread,
say whether the empire has enriched you ? How many
fortunes have been engulphed in patronised specu-
lations? We were promised glory in exchange
for dignity. Soldiers, was it to slaughter Chinese
and Cochin-Chinese, to enslave the Mexican repub-
lic, to become soldiers of the Pope, and to shoot down Gari-
baldi, th►t you donned your uniform ? We were promised
pre-eminence among nations, and we are now their laugh-
ing stock. We have come back from Mexico, driven out
by a simple menace of the United States. A Gortehrikoff
snubs us, a Bismarck mocks at us. This is what the Em-
pire has cost us. Is it not time to get out of the mire ?
He showed by the evidence of secret police agents
that during the months of September and October
the prisoners, with the exception of Accolas, had
frequently met together either at each other's lodg-
ings or in cafiis. He dwelt upon the leading part
which Accolas had taken in getting up the Geneva
congress, which he said was merely an excuse for
bringing together people who wanted to proclaim
a universal republic, and to do away with all exist-
ing monarchies and all existing religions. Accolas,
he observed, sat in a place of honour in the con-
gress, on the left hand of the president, Barni,
while Garibaldi was on his right. Naquet, one of
the ringleaders among the prisoners, was also on the
platform. Accolas, he said, was the soul of the
congress, and also of the conspiracy formed in
Paris to put in practice the doctrines broached at
the congress. On Juno 29 Accolas wrote to Victor
Hugo, to ask him to come to the congress, in these
words :—" The man of December is tottering ; he
will soon be ripe for his fall ; we have written to
Ledru Rollin, SchLekher, and Barbbs." After the
congress, Aocolas, who had little reason to be satis-
fied with the result of it, was not disposed to come
back to Paris. But his friend wrote to him that
the time was at hand, " and that he who was a
leader of the movement must be at the centre of
operations." One friend wrote to him—" The go-
vernment is weary, beaten, disgusted, and uneasy.
It lets people now talk and write as they like. See
what the Liiperti is doing." Yielding to the
arguments of these letters, Accolas came to
' Paris, and forthwith put himself at the
head of the conspiracy. He was a learned man,
a doctor of laws, and be did no doubt entertain
his friends with many projects for radical reforms
in legislation. There was no harm in this, but ho
did more. He preached the practical realisation
of his theories. At the same time there was no
evidence that Accolas belonged to the secret
society of which the other prisoners were charged
with being members. The specific charge against
1 Aooolas was that he "practised manoeuvres" for