The Express.
London, England, 1867-04-23 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(mom OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, MONDAY EVENING.

The elaborate article in Sunday's Debats, repre-
senting the Luxemburg question as in a promising
way for settlement, met with no credit at the
Bourse. The rise produced on Saturday by the
roundabout Haven telegram was considered alto-
gether factitious, and the opening quotations in
the Rente were upwards of Ifr. lower than the last
closing prices. There were afterwards many
fluctuations between the extreme figures of
65fr. 15c. and 65fr. 75c. ; but the closing prices,
65fr. 90c. for cash, and 65fr. 65c. for account, show
a fall of 40c. and 55c. The French funds at this
moment, therefore, are scarcely a fraction above the
lowest panic prices that have been yet seen. Mobi-
lier fell 2fr. 50c., Credit Foncier 15fr., Comptoir
d'Eacompte 7fr. 50c., and Italians 224 c. The
Northern Railway fell 12fr. 50c., and Lyons lOfr.
What is said at the Bourse is that there is no doubt
of war, but that the great question is whether it
will be declared before the end of the month. If
not, speculators for the rise may yet do a good
thing for the settlement.
The Preate says the government will probably
make a communication to the Chambers on Thurs-
day next touching the present diplomatic state of
the question.
In military circles officers are rabid for war.
The French Generals who expect command, speak
with the utmost contempt of the Prussian army,
and say that although it showed itself at Sadowa
capable of a rush, it would never stand a campaign
of six weeks. The common talk in barracks is
th►t the consummate French Generals will make
the Prussians manwuvre till they are worn out
and then fall upon and destroy them.
The Saint Public of Lyons thus explains the
transport of war materiel from Lyons to the for-
tresses in the east and north-east :
After the campaign of 1859 the magazines of Lyons re-
ceived a large part of the stores coming from Italy. At
present, on account of the return of the troops from
Mexico and the materiel they bring back, the stores here
are being divided ►mongst all the magazines, arsenals,
and depots of the country ; that is to my, Lyons,
which was overstocked, is being disembarrassed, and
the other fortresses which were not properly sup-
plied are being provided. Moreover, these changes were
ordered before the question of Luxemburg arose. This
does not mean that the military administration remains
with its arms folded. No mystery is made as to the acti-
vity with which the arsenals and arm factories are working
to place the defences of the country in a position to be
prepared for any event. Franoe, most certainly, in case
of a war, would not be found =provided. She has five
classes of reserve which could be brought into the line at
the first summons, and which, added to the actual effec-
tive, would furnish a number of soldiers amply sufficient
not only to protect the territory, but even, in case of ag-
gression, to carry the war into a foreign country.
And now the if senir National is to be tried the
day after to-morrow for " false news," which was
essentially nothing more than what is given above,
with an extremly complicated and by no means
reliable explanation ; and there are public writers
who pretend that the statement that war materiel
could have been despatched from Lyons to such a
great artillery depot as Metz was absurd upon the
face of it !

There was a rumour this morning that Marshal
Forey had died suddenly. This news is contra-
dicted, but letters from Nancy, where he is com-
mander-in-chief, state that he has had a most dan-
gerous apoplectic attack, and that only slight hopes
are entertained of his recovery.
Captain Hudson has brought the famous Red
White and Blue to Paris, and is now exhibiting
the wondrous little craft in a pool of water in the
garden of Prince Napoleon's Pompeian villa in the
Avenue Montaigne.
Dr. Jobert de Lamballe, one of the most emi-
nent medical men of this century, died yesterday
at Dr. Blanche's asylum. It will be remembered
that some months ago this eminent colleague of
Dupuytren suddenly lust his reason.

Count Bismarck has left Berlin for the estate of
a friend, where he intends passing the Easter holidays.
The Premier, as be was repeatedly obliged to mention in
parliament, has but indifferent health. Should a war
ensue, some of his colleagues, whose avowed principles are
not very palatable to the liberals, will, it is likely, be
superseded by more popular men.

A letter from Florence of the 18th says:—" Gari-
baldi has been here for the last three days, and has been
constantly besieged by visitors, especially by enthusiastic
women from foreign lands. He leaves to-morrow for
Cremona, but will be back for the reopening of the
Chamber next week."

The prices charged at Pesth for apartments
during the coronation time are fabulous. At the Hotel of
Europe a suite of 50 rooms has been engaged for the
courtiers and the attendants of the Emperor for four
weeks, namely, a fortnight before and a fortnight after
the coronation, at 45,000 florins. Another suite of rooms
for the diplomatic corps, for two weeks, has been engaged
at a cost of 25,000 florin,.

An unprecedented fact has occurred at the
Exhibition of Paintings which opened last Monday at the
Pahtis de Flndustrie. M. Jean de Waldeck, born at Vienna
lfith March, 1766, but naturalised French, and who there.
fore has completed his 101st year, exhibits two oil paint-
ings, both of which he executed this winter. M. de Wal-
deck is the pupil of David and Prudhoe.
A visitor to the Paris Exhibition writes
" Verily, the din of pianos by which one's brains are
muddled during one's daily visit to the Exhibition is
enough to induce the most enthusiastic admirers of that
instrument to wish it had never been invented. Fifteen
hundred pianos, from all quarters of the globe, are to be
seen, and on an average 500 of these may be heard at the
same time, each played by rirtinui of different nations,
each of whom perform different airs set to various keys,
and executed in every imaginable time at one and the same
moment. The effect, as may be readily imagined, of this
peaceful combination of discordant sounds is not precisely
pleasing. Could not the imperial commission be induced
to issue a decree in pursuance of which these musical gen-
tlemen would be requested to abstain from indulging us
with their simultaneous performances? One at a time a /a
bonheur / but five hundred—er,/ du lure ."'

There is one feature of the march past at Dover
yesterday to which attention is pointed, less with a view
to the past than to the future. At great public gatherings
of late it has become habitual fora horsewoman, with one
sword in her hand, and another thrust under her saddle-
girth, to appear conspicuously. At Garibaldi's public
entry and at every Wimbledon and Easter Monday review
she has been present similarly accoutred. In itself this
might be a matter of taste, but yesterday she succeeded in
passing the flagstaff with one of the volunteer regiments.
MACKEREL. —The spring mackerel season, now
nearly at an end, has been very remunerative to the bulk
of the Cornish fishermen. During the past week upwards
of 11i0 tons of fine mackerel were caught, and of this
supply more than 100 tons were forwarded to London.
The fish were retailed in Cornwall at six and seven a
shilling, but much better prices were made by the London
market.