The Express.
London, England, 1867-03-07 00:00:00

and could only call upon the court to act upon the
law. The printer, too, had manifestly neglected
the most obvious of his duties in allowing such an
article to pass, and must be included in the con-
demnation.

M. de Girardin, in reply, commenced by thank-
ing the Advocate-General for the compliments he
had paid him as a writer, which he said he did not
deserve. He explained his reticence before the
judge of instruction on the ground that he was
asked no specific question, and did not think it
necessary to volunteer any statement. The Advo-
cate-General had contented himself with the gene-
ral assertion that his whole article was an excita-
tion to hatred and contempt of the government,
but he had not put his finger upon a single passage
which bore out that assertion. He could therefore
only oppose a general denial. He denied that
there was in any part of the article, or in the
article considered as a whole, anything like an
" attack." If, indeed, the article were to be con-
sidered critically, it was liable to the reproach that
it did not even contain the " discussion and cen-
sure" in which it was admitted he had a right to
indulge. It was scarcely a newspaper article at
all, but was a simple page of history. With regard
to the Advocate-General's taunt that he had been
so uncandid as not even to give the Emperor
credit for his free trade measures, if he were to
say that that was an oversight, it would be a
plausible defence for those who knew the hurried
way in which a journal was composed. But he
was always frank, and would not say so. He had
deliberately omitted to speak of the treaty of com-
merce, for the reason that the promises which ac-
companied it in 1860 had none of them been
fulfilled, and consequently the country had
not reaped the benefit of the measure. By
reason of the neglect of those promises, French
trade stood at this moment in the same position
towards English trade as the Austrians did before
the needle-pn at the battle of Wows. France
was made to fight the battle of industry with
unequal weapons. He would now, with equal
frankness, admit that his article was, perhaps, in-
opportune at a moment when reforms were
promised. There were unfortunate articles as there
were unfortunate circulars and unfortunate expe-
ditions. (Laughter and applause, amidst which
the President threatened to clear the court.)
M. de Girardin—l do not wish to speak warmly.
The President—This is no fault of yours, M. de
Girardin.

He concluded a short but very effective speech
by saying that he was in the gallery when M.
Rouher made the speech which bad provoked him,
and which be answered in his journal on the spur
of the moment. Bad he not heard it with his
owu ears ho would probably have written less
vehemently.
M. de Girardin, though long absent from the
Legislative Assembly, delivers himself with all
the grace and ease of a practised orator. Every
syllable of what he said was heard in every part of
the court.

M. Serriere, the printer, read a short defence,
in which ho said that, printing as he did for differ-
ent journals, as many as 350,000 copies a
day, it was impossible for him to ex
erciae a surveillance, and he had trusted all the
more confidently to M. de Girardin, now that a
law rendering printers irresponsible was said to be
coming. He hoped the court would dismiss him,
as he could not attend to his business while he was
there. This remark produced laughter, in which
the court joined.
The arguments of the case only occupied three-
quarters of an hour.
The court remained two hours in consultation,
and then announced that it would give judgment
at 11 to-morrow.

COMMITTAL FOR LlBEL.—Samuel DrOWII, for-
merly a clerk in the office of Messrs. Nicholson and Saun.
dens, of Wath.upon-Dearne, was committed for trial at
Rotherham, on Monday, for libels exhibited in his window
at Wath. One of the libels, which was posted on a board,
ran as follows:—" The great money lending firm have lent
50,000/. to Lord Derby and ro,poor. to Mr. Disraeli, the
money of the great Melton millionaire, and you will soon
see him get a title." There was, of course, not the slightest
ground for this statement. The money was lent to the
eminent conservatives mentioned as trustees of the Junior
Carlton on the freehold of the club.
THE PROPOSED DISFRANCHISEMENT OF GREAT
YA RMOUT H.—A special meeting of the town council of
Great Yarmouth was held on Tuesday for the purpose of
petitioning against the threatened disfranchisement of the
borough. The mayor (Mr. E. Youell) presided, and ob-
served that the subject was one of much importance, both
present and future. Yarmouth bad had the privilege of
sending members to parliament for upwards of 600 years.
The council had not met to defeud the proceedings which
hail recently come to light ; on the contrary, all present
were heartily ashamed of them ; but they were justified in
protesting in as strong a manner as possible against the
severity of the punishment threatened, and to endeavour'
to prevent it. He expressed a hope that they would enlist
the sympathy of a large body of the members of the house,
who liked to see fair play, and that they would thus avert
the calamity which threatened their political existence.
Mr. W. Worship, solicitor, deprecated the severity of the
punishment threatened, and said they could not shut their
eyes to the fact that borough After borough had been as
guilty as their own and had not been exposed, while
among the members who applauded the Chancellor of the
Exchequer's proposition there must be found many who
obtained their seats by questionable 111C,U111. Mr. At ()fillip
proposed the adoption of a petition to the llouae of Com-
mons, which was seconded by Mr. C. E. Bartram, fish
merchant, and agreed to unanimously.
ROYAL GENERAL THEATRICAL FUND. —The an-
nual meeting of the members of the Royal General
Theatrical Fund was held yesterday in the saloon of the
Theatre Royal Lyceum, and was numerously attended. Mr.
Cuilenford, the secretlry, said he had received a letter
from Mr. Buckstone, their respected treasurer, conveying
the painful intelligence of the death of his youngest son,
and as that day was appointed for the funeral, he would be
unable to preside at their meeting as chairman. Upon
this Mr. Swinbourne, of the Theatre Royal Drury-Line,
was asked to take the chair, to which he assented. Mr.
Cullenford then made his financial statement for the
past year, ending February 28, and from this it ap-
peared that the admission fees produced 13/. re. ; the
member" sub•criptions, 731/. Is. 10,1., being an leen:sae
of 40/. over last year ; interest on stock, 3971. 6e. 10d. ;
freehold ground rests, 51. 18a. ; profit on a cricket match,
between theatres and music-halls, 4AI. Is., which was got
up and carried out by Mr. Gaston Murray, and to whom
great credit was due. The annual dinner bad produced
Sill/. Bs., which was also an increase on the former year ;
arrears, ei. 9s. ; and the reserve fund, 306/. 15e. 41d. ;
making a total of 1,9001. Is. 91 The fueled property last
year was 12,9721. 90., but this year there was added
to it 5061. 45.9it1., making a total capital of 13,178/.180.7d.
The expenditure for the year had been 1,400/., leaving a
balance of 800/. in favour of the fund for the year. The
report was received and adopted, and the several officers
and members of the committee were reappointed.
PROSECUTION FOR RITUALISTIC PRACTICES. —A
formal complaint has just been lodged with the Bishop of
London against the practices of the Rev. A. H. 111ackono-
chie, M.A., incumbent of St. Alban's, Holborn, in refe-
rence to the ritualistic practices which prevail there. This
complaint, so lodged, takes the matter into the Canis-
tory Court of the diocese of London, from which it will of
course be removed by letters of request to the Court of
Arches. It is well known that the bishop was very diain.
dined to adopt legal proceedings, hut, as the matter is
now forced upon him, he is compelled to proceed with the
judicial investigation.
ROYAL MEDICAL AND CHIRUROICAL SOCIETY.
Mr. Samuel Holly, of St. Thomas's Hospital, and a mem-
ber of the Council of the Royal College of Sumons, has
just been elected president of the : i ,bove society, n the
vacancy occasioned by the retirement of Dr. Alderson.