The Express.
London, England, 1867-04-27 00:00:00

IMPORTANT OFFICIAL CIRCULAR ON THE
IMMINENCE OF WAR.

Mow on OWX 003ABIPONDIOIT.)
PARIS, FIUDAT $71:1111:110.
The principal event of this day is the news that
the government, through the Haves lithographic
agency, has sent to all the provincial journals a
manifesto destined to prepare the public mind for
immediate war—la guerre saws phrases—as I have
heard it said. The nature of the relations of the
Haves agency with the government is so notorious
that I think it needless to insist upon the entirely
official character of the circular article, which is in
the following words:

There must be an end of everything in this world. The
patience of France is subject to this common law ; and
this should be known in Prussia as well as in the
minor courts which aspire to the singular honour
of being dependent upon her. Our long suffering
hi regard to the cabinet of Berlin and the Northern Con-
federation has for a year and more gone beyond all the ex-
pectation of Europe. Being ruled by our respect for the
liberal and civilising principle of nationalities, of which we
were the first generously to unfold the flag, we lettGermany
free to dispose of herself, hoping that the dangerous ver-
tigo which followed the victory of Wows might soon dis-
appear. Prussia seemed to us deeply interested in restrain-
ing the proud pretensions of the utopists and the univer.
shies, whose stand point or object is—revolution. With-
out injury to foreign interest worthy of all respect, and
without attacking the independence of her former con-
federates, Prussia might, by • patient and just policy,
have doubled her strength in a few years, and that
to the profit of the general peace and the equalis►tion of
Europe. A little prudence and candour would have enabled
her to accomplish this task, and we gave her credit for
good genes enough to do it. But now we mast needs open
our eyes to the light, and after having reckoned up the
sacrifices which we have made for the sake of the fruitful
idea we wished to propagate, we must confess that the
measure of our patience is full. No ! Prussia his alto-
gether failed to understand the disinterested policy which
we followed in her favour. No ! The agitators who
are at the head of affairs in Berlin, Stuttgard,
or Munich, are incapable of comprehending the
meaning and character of our attitude. It was by the
force of right and the free consent of souls that we had
hoped to reconstitute the nationalities of the centre of
Europe, and it is now by the sword and violence that
Prussia pretends to pack populations like herds of cattle
to enhance the splendour of a mown. After Sadowa the
Prussian soldiers treated Hanover and the Elbe duchies
not as peoples belonging to the great German family, but
as conquered foreigners. At Frankfort pillage was orga-
nised and placed on the order of the day, just as in the
worst times of the middle ages. The most express clauses
of the treaty of Prague in favour of the Danes of
Schleswig were at first evaded and then repudiated.
That is not all : At the moment when we had every reason
to suppose that Germany would remain organised in three
groups, treaties secretly prepared and signed ion-
, dared the Berlin government sovereign mistress of the
armies of the south. Official speeches opened hori-
sons still more vast, and yet we continued peace-
ful, and thinking of nothing but the interests of
industry, in spite of all these offensive proceedings.
But at the last moment, yielding to the solicitation
of the King of Holland, we required from Prussia the
renunciation of the citadel of Luxemburg, which she
detained by no other title than a flagrant usurpa-
tion. It was, everyone must admit, a small thing
indeed to ask after the extraordinary aggrandisement of
Prussia. Well, now this most just claim has latticed to
let loom a torrent of wild pumices in Berlin which border
upon insanity. For the last month we are the object on
the part of the Prussian newspapers of every conceivable
species of calumny and threats. Ambitious designs are
imputed to us in order to cover those conceived against us ;
and we are treated as if when once Germany has spoken
France had nothing to do but to hold her tongue. There
is now no such thing as public law in the world ; the in-
terest of Prussian Germany is all in all, and Fame her-
self counts for nothing. The Northern Orman Gazette
intimates to us again to-day that the observations of
England, of Russia, and of Austria will not be accepted at
Berlin any more than ours. Prussia wit/ remain in the
citadel of Luxemburg because it is its pleasure to do as.
IT 18 • CHALLiNGE I IT Is WAR. Prance can /40 longer
hesitate in presence of awe* wad provocations. If Prussia
dairy* to have recourse to the solution of battles, we
cannot prevent them. But she must learn in her turn
that this terrible game, when we are forced into it, may
not be displeasing to us, for we have often shown that we
know how to win.

The case of M. Alexander Dumas against M.
Liebert, the photographer, was pleaded today
before the civil tribunal, presided by M. Benoit
Champy. The plaintiff' complained of the publica-
tion of a series of photographs which are now ex-
posed for sale in Paris shop windows, representing
him in various poses with Miss Ada Isaacs Menken,
the American equestrian. When the news of this
action was first bruited, I supposed that the photo-
grapher, with a view to scandal, had taken from
well-known portraits the heads of the author and
the actress, and arranged them together in groups
of his own composing, after an abominable and
never-sufficiently-to-be-reprehended practice much
used in Rome at the expense of the Pope and several
cardinals. But it appeared from the evidence on the
trial that M. Alex. Dumas sat bond fide together
with Miss Adah Isaacs Menken for all the portraits
in question, and only objects tardily to their publi-
cation, in consequence of the displeasure of his
family and the observations of certain journals.
After counsel on both sides had been heard, the
Imperial Advocate Chevrier summed up against
M. Alex. Dumas, who, he said, forgetful of certain
principles which should always be remembered,
had authorised the publicity of these photographs,
although later, " when it was too late," he was
sorry for it. The public minister, therefore, while
congratulating M. Dumas on the feeling which had
led him to bring the action, was of opinion that it
ought to be dismissed with costs.
The court will deliver judgment on this day
week.

The Bourse was better, but without any other
reason than the state of the market with reference
to the approaching settlement. Rente rose 45c.
for cash, and 55c. for account, closing at 65fr. 85c.
and 65fr. 75c. Mobilier ruse 10fr., Credit Foncier
40c., and Italian lfr. 10c.
A Belgian journal, called the Echo du Parlenient,
has lately presumed to publish articles against the
annexation of Luxemburg to France, and is not now
allowed to enter this country lest its arguments
should confuse the minds of Frenchmen.

We read in a letter from Rome :—" Rome was
quite crowded with American naval officers this week,
there being three United States vessels at Civita Vecchia,
and everybody on board of them eager for a glance at the
Eternal City. Those of the Shamrock are still lionising
Rome, but the Miantonomab and Augusta have already
joined the Colorado and Frolic at Naples, so that their
officers must console themselves with Vesuvius aad
Pompeii, instead of the illumination of St. Peter's and
the Girandola. The monitor and her consort are to return
home in July."

In 1846 the colony of New South Wales in-
cluded what is now victoria. Its population was then
200,000, it is now 400,000. There were then 391 schools
and 19,033 scholars, now there are 1,069 schools and
53,463 scholars ; there were 138 mills, now there are 173 ;
there were 124 manufactories, now there are 2,1.33; the
tillage area was 193,360 acres, now it is 378,Z4 ; there
were 88,126 'wraps, now there are 262,687 ; there were
1,430,736 horned cattle, now there 1,961,905 ; there were
7,906,811 sheep, now there are 8,14,511 ; the ships
employed were 800, the tonnage of which was 140,000 tons;
now 2,000 ships are employed, the tonnage of which is
650,000 tons ; the yearly export of gold was nil, now it
is 2,647,4)681.; 40,000 tons of coal were raised, now 600,000
tons are raised ; the expenditure was 290,0001., now it is
2,314,7941.