The Express.
London, England, 1859-03-23 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS,

(mom otrz owx coaszerottaim)
PARIS, TIMIDATEvawn

You cannot fail to have been struck with the
wary great difference between the story of a congress
as told by the Times yesterday and that in the
Moniteur to-day. In the one cue it was represented
that France and Austria had agreed to submit their
differences to a congress, and that this was the re-
sat of concessions made by Austria at the instance
of Lord Cowley. The French official journal, on the
contrary, states that the initiative of a con-
gress has been taken by Russia, that France
has adhered to the proposition, bat that no
" official" answer has yet come from either
England, Freesia, or Austria. Thus stated, the
proposition for a congress comes in a very ques-
tionable shape. To my mind the curt note in the
Moninttsr has a hostile rather than a peaceable as-
pect. It seems to range France and Russia on one
side as being eager for conciliation, and England,
Prussia, and Austria on the other, ae hanging back
with uncertain intentions. What necessity is
there for publishing the note just now
in this form, unless it be to throw doubt
upon the favourable tenor of the new, accre-
dited in London yesterday ? If in the eyes of
the French government that news had been inth-1
stantially true, it would have been more in accord-
ance with the usual course to have deferred the
official announcement of it until an official con- ,
firmation could have been given. As it is the
Monitenr, u has ever been the case on the
subject of the threatened war, deals in studied
ambiguities. Everybody is asking and nobody
knows whether the expression " no official answer"
has been given by the three powers—means that their
answer is known " non-officially ;" and, if so,
whether the answer is favourable or otherwise
is left in a state of hopeless doubt. I have some
reason to believe that an intimation has already
been given that the cabinets of London, Berlin, and
Vienna feel aggrieved at the wording of the note in
the Memieur. Nothing whatever is known, and
nothing is hinted by the !iodate, as to the bans
upon which the proposed congress is to deliberate.
Rusin has all along, if general report may be be-
lieved, been privy to the designs of Frame, and it is
contrary to common sense to suppose that Austria
will agree to a congress for the mere purpose of re-
gistering a vote against herself. I firmly believe
that the announcement in the Monitenr is a mockery
and a snare.
The Bourse opened with great firmness under the
inflame of the note in the Monitaur. The Rents
was first quoted at 69fr., and rose rapidly to
89fr. 20c. ; but in the latter part of the day there
was a rapid re-action, and the closing price was
Mfr. 84c., being a fall of 20c. from yesterday.
For cask there was a fall of 5c., the last price beieg
68k. 80e. Mobilise fell 11ft. 25c. The railways
left off from Mr. 50c. to sft. lower. A rumour of
the death of the King of Naples was assigned u a
cause of the penis, but it mist be doubted that lens
faveamilais views of the prospect of a anagram,
backed by the stagnation of Consols and a fall of
9 per cent. at Vienna, had much to do with it.

The weekly commercial review of the Prima
reports that trade generally is in a state of complete
stagnation. It observes that the favourable returns
of the railway receipts are no evidence of commercial
activity, as they are attributable to increased mile-
age on the lines; and moreover the comparison is
now made with a period when the commercial crisis
of last year was at its meridian.
It is very positively stated that the conference for
the settlement of the Danubian question will meet
at the end of this week.
The Pays announces that the Council of State will
shortly have before it a new copyright bill,
" destined to place legislation in harmony with the
requirements of literary property, and to settle the
bases of an international copyright in as complete a
manner as possible. The bill has been jointly pre-
pared by the Ministers of State, of Instruction, and
of Public Works.
The Algiers journals give the following as the text
of the petition to the Emperor, which, as already
stated, is being signed in Algeria:
Sire, at a moment when all great quertions are about to be
solved, and when the net-work of our railways is on the
point of beteg conceded, the unexpected retirement of the
Primo-Minister has spread consttrnation amongst us. In
order to save Algeria, we unanimously request from your
Majesty a spode civil administration—a lieutenant of the
empire residing at Algiers.