The Express.
London, England, 1859-12-14 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 14, 11K19

the general condemnation pronounced oa the use of
the lash sums up in itself a whole elaila of the
tendeocies of the age. " The river Hui will roll
" backwards from theses" before the public judgment
will be changed. The punishment of the lash belongs,
like the spiked collar and the pump-bolt, to a system
which was tolerated while the nation was fighting
for its life, but which has been almost entirely
abandoned, not beanie we had another and better and
complete system already designed to supersede it, but
partly because the country was thoroughly disgusted
with it, and partly because it could not be main-
tained in a volunteer fleet such as we have had ever
since the peace. We are in a transition stage, both ea
regards the manning and the discipline of our navy.
The sailor is not the helpless. reckless creature he
was. Ile has been in great part weaned from many
vices which induce recklessness. He thinks about
his cii:dition and his future lot. He demands more
care fur his health, and require* better food and more
restarts, and in proportion as this improvement in
his moral and material condition has been attained,
it has become more difficult to engage him in the naval
service of his ciuntry. The consequence is that our
national sbip'a companies do not fairly represent the
quality of the British sesm►n. And the worse the
strews the more frequent are crimes, and the Conan-
queue necessity for punishments. Flogging will not
remedy this evil. We must contrive to get a better
elms of men on board ship. It is probable enough that
the Ilan abolition of flogging would not suffice for
this. We shall have to deal more liberally with the
mailer as to pay and rations before we eat really allure
good seamen in sufficient numbers to royal ships.
With better crews punishment will become a rare
exception; in the meantime we adopt the words
of Captain CARNEGIE :—" The time has now
" arrived when both humanity and policy dictate the
" wisdom of a change ; and if it be necessary to
" make daily appeals to the patriotism of the marl-
" time population of Great Hilton], and to bid high
" for willing hands and hearts, we must consign to
" oblivion a method of punishment so little suited to
" this encouragement of the good, so hopelessly
" tells in the reformation of the bad."

Ririe Waxen= Uttenex.—ln consequence
of numerous applications to the War-office for advice
se to the proper uniform for volunteer corps, &c., in
course of tormatioa, a committee has been appointed
and is about to ueemble at the War-office, Pall-mall,
to consider the question of rifle volunteer uniforms,
and to report to the Secretary of State for War upon
the colour and pattern which shall be recommended
' es the most appropriate for general adoption by those
nee volunteer corps who have not yet selected their
uniform. When decided upon, a sealed pattern of the
clothing so recommended will be deposited with the
Volunteer Branch, War-office, Pall-mall, for general
guidance in this matter.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(MON 00111 OWN 0011111WPDXDINT.)
PARIS, T•IBDAT EVIINTNO.
My suspicion that the denial of the Pays of the
statement that a M. de Tavel was travelling in Italy
on a misaion for the Emperor, " because there was
no such person in the corps diplomatique," contained
a negative pregnant, receives remarkable confirma-
tion from the &isle, which ventures to say :
That gentleman dose not belong to the French diplomatic
body, but he is an ex-avocat of Berne, and was intimately
acquainted with the Emperor when he was a refugee in
Switzerland. Aocording to some petsoes, X. de Tavel had •
long conference with the Emperor, and received his instruc-
tions on several points, oaa of which wae to caution the
Italians against encouraging too positive or sanguine hopes
as to the decisions which they anticipate from the Coagress,
sad against the dangers of an obstinate resistance to those
decisions if they should not be exactly in conformity with
the wishes of Italy. We persist in hoping that these per
will be unneceeaary, and that the majority of the
European pknipotentiaries will listen to the wishes of the
Italian populations.

The fact is, therefore, as good as confessed, and
will probably not be further denied, that this M. de
Tavel, though disavowed by Count Walewski, is
working in Italy on behalf of the Emperors of
France and Austria and their preliminaries of Villa-
franca.

The Paya treats the rumour circulated in Brus-
sels that Cardinal Antonelli would only join the
Congress on condition that he should be president
" u absolutely false and simply absurd." It says as
much, and this is more important, of the other report
that the Holy See nukes it a condition precedent
that the integrity of its states, including the Ro-
magna, shall be guaranteed.

The Opi ;Woo Nationale notices a very common
opinion in Spain that although the government
studiously repudiates any religious charaoter in the
present war against the Emperor of Morooco, it is
nevertheless intended that it shall enure to the
benefit and adrenoement of catholicism. It says :
These pious pn jeota do not is any way surprise us. An
army which marches against the enemy with scapularies on
the breasts of Its soldiers and images of sainta on its stand-
ards—a general who at the moment of his departure receives
from the Clean a medal of the Virgin, and promises to wear
it round his nook till the war is one, must necessarily
dream of the conversion of the infidel. Bat Spain has im-
posed upon herself a long, difficult, and costly task in attack-
ing the Moroccan empire. We think she will be very
smog to complicate her difficulties further by mining up •
religious question in the war. . . . If, giving way to a
blind seal she should attempt to renew the policy she prac-
tised formerly in the new world, she will shed the blood of
Om soldiers sod spend her reale in vain, The Kabyles ars
not Indians.

The Praxes Cerefrale, of Blois, has received a
a second warning for having protested against the
first, which was given the other day. This is a
novelty in the history of " warnings."
The Daily News was seised to-day.
The Bourse opened rather heavily, and after im-
proving relapsed and became decidedly weak at the
close. The Rente opened at 70fr. 65e., and 70fr.
86e., rose to 70fr. 60c., and 70fr. 80c., and closed at
70fr. 60e. and 70fr. 60c., with a fall of dc. both for
cash and account. Mobilise fell 7fr. 60c. The
Orleans, Eastern, and Lyons railways fell 7fr. 600.
each, and Southern and Western, 2fr. 600. each;
Northern maintained yesterday's quotation.
Madame Lemoine has lodged a pourvoi against
her sentence, in t►e Court of Cessation. This is a
matter of course, when money is no object. There
is always a chance that some informality in the pro-
ceedings may form a ground for quashing the judg-
ment and ordering a new trial. It is a common
mistake in England to speak of the Court of Cuss-
tion as a court of appeal. It is so in a certain sense,
but not in the sense conveyed by the word " appeal"
as used in English. There is no appeal from the
verdict of a French jury. The Court of Cessation
has no jarisdictien to inquire whether upon the
facts the verdict of guilty ought to have been not
guilty. All it can do is to revise the proceedings
and see whether there is any illegality upon the
face of the record, or whether the trial was
in any way illegally conducted. Many
people think that in Madame Lemoine's case
there was no sufficient proof that the child
burned by her was born alive. This is not my
opinion. So far as it is possible to form a judg-
ment from newspaper reports of a long trial, I think
the verdict was quite right. However this may be,
the Court of Cessation, as I have already said, his
nothing to do with the merits of the verdict. The
judges must have concurred with the jury, other-
wise they would have passed the minimum sentence
required by law in the case of murder with " at-
tenuating circumstances," instead of the very severe
one of twenty years' hard labour.

A letter from Tours says that since her acquittal
Nidlie. Angelina has received several offers of mar-
riage; she will, however, be delivered over to the
custody of her father, who intends to place her in a
parent during her minority. Feta, the coachman,
received a douceur of 100 fr. while the trial was
going on for going to a photographer's to sit for his
portrait. The house at Chinon which Mdme.
and ?Mlle. Lemoine inhabited is advertised for sale,
and crowds of people go every day to look at it. A
correspondent writes that on the chimneypieoe in
the drawing-room there are two porcelain vases, in
the style of the empire, representing subjects which
have a strange bearing on t'te doings that went on
in the autumn of 1859, and led to such a tragical
conclusion. The mottoes on these two rases are,
Comment resprit cient aux Nies and Comment Cesprit
vient nue garcons.

Mdlle. Angelina arrived in Paris this morning
under the care of an uncle, and was met by her
father and brother at the Orleans railway station.
A carious circumstance connected with the trial
is that the president, while repressing the applause
which followed M. Lachaud's speech, publicly de-
clared that the greater part of the people who clapped
their hands were paid for so doing.

Oalignani says :—" The Emperor and the Empress
were prewar sr one of the last representations of the lire
Proitigro at the Gymnasia Theatre, and more than once
deigned to applaud."

A litter from Vienne, in the Prussian Gcnette,
says the government apposes more and more resolved
not to allow the agitation in Hungary which has suddenly
arisen to continuo. It hes ordered the 6th corps d'anais,
which is now in Italy, to proceed to Hungary to be at the
disposition of the Archduke Albert."

The Moniteur contains the following:—"The
kiloliter of the Interior boa made himself acquahred through
oils of the pri•mpal tuncliuusriee of his departmeot with a
project for the construeson of dwellings foe the working
elegem of Lille, se mmunt of which had bees forwarded to
Wby the Bureau do I:SWlllsta/ince of that city. Well
knowing the constant solicitude of his Majesty for ths
working classes, his eaoelleacy, after haring examined the
repine submitted to him on the subject, has allotted to the
city of Lille • sum of 100,000 fr. for the conitruction of those
dwellings."
The Association at Mannheim' which was formed
to obtain • reduction in the prise of herr from 2i to 2
kroutzero the chops (lug, glees), has acoompliehed its
obj.ce; but, instead of dirselving, It has reeolle.d to eentioue
in eali,enos in ordsr to indicate to the public the brewers who
do not give good leer.

BOARD or TRADE, BITEHALL, DEC. 12.--Thr
Right Honourable the Lorda of the Committee of Privy
Council for Ttade sod Mutatings have received, from the
Semataty of Stets f tr. Fortner Affairs, a copy of • dortpatch
from her bl..paty'a Comul-Geberal at Santiago, enctroing
a copy of • &are of thy Preeid.nt of the Republic of Chill,
pennuttog the exportation of upper and copper ore from the
port of Totorelillo to the peat of Coquimbo, provided the
cairsecurities beu,given to the customs authorities at the

THE VOLUNTEER RIFLE MOVEMBNI•

TIM Lt SURREY.

A public meeting In promotion of the Battersea
end Wandsworth divisions of this carps was held yesterday
evealag, at the Spread Nagle, Waadeworth, under the pre-
*dewy of C. CORTUOUSIS, Eeq.
On the platform were Major-General Sir George Pollock,
Aldermen Rom, Mr. Rom, and several officers of the Ist
Surrey. The assembly room in which the meeting was held
was quite tall, sad amongst the company were a great num-
ber of the Surrey Rifles in uniform.
The CHAUULLN briedy stated the object of the meeting.
They were, he said, imeembled to inaugurate a body of rifles
for the district, in coojanction with the let Surrey Rifles.
In his judgment the present movement would twin,
feelings of security for our hearths and homes,
which now, it wee the general opinion, were seri-
isely Imperilled. He did not with to soy any=
Invidious of a neighbouring nation, yet he
not see the vita preparation., going on elsewhere, particularly
de navel oharecter, without feeling that the time hod come
for peeoeful people to be on their guard. (Hier, hear.)
Further, this movement mould probally enable them in time
to dispense with a large standtog army, en ineritutteo •hirh
was moat obnoxious in the sight of Soglishateo. In ea) tug
this he did not wish, however to detract form a omentfrom
the reputation which oar handful of soldiers had gained
wherever they had been sagaged. (Cheers.) He called
upon the young men of Wandeworth and Battersea to nom.
forward and enrol themselves under the banner of their won-
try, and upon the old to &mist the movement with
their subscriptions. From the )oung they would
get the bone and muscle, and from the old the
pecuniary elbows of war. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. KsttsuT (ohurchwardee) moved the first resolution,
reeognisdng the neoeeelty of volunteer corps as a security for
perm, and the devirability of establothing a amps is Wands-
worth and %kerma.

Mr. Few seoonded the resolution.
Mr. Alderman RObB supported the reeolution.
The resolution was unaotmonaly carried.
General Sir Ono. Pozzocx moved the next resolution,
approving the affiliation of the Wandsworth and Ratlinee
with the let Surrey. Suppose (be said) they bad different
corps for every village no emus' could command them. If
they were called out the general might want five corps and
thirty would most probably turn out, all indspsodent com-
mands, and be would sot know how to handle them Sup-
pers he wanted six, four togo to the right and two to the left,
they would probably quantal as to which were to take the
right. (A laugh.) In such a case the "moral would not
know who, to do, whereas if they were all joined under ono
central district command the general would know the dates
of ail the companies and would give precedency according to
military rule. For these reasons he advised all the sub-dis-
tricts to join with the let Sumy. (Hear, hear.)
Alderman Rost eeconded the resolution. He had hap-
pmed to be in Peels on the day when the victorious tu my of
Italy made its public entry, and he was perfectly appalled at
the long way of armed men who for five hours defiled
through the streets of Paris. He could not help +middling
at their numbers and efficiency when he remembered that
they had just lost 40. tOO men is the Italian campaign, and
he came to the conclusion that, without some oounterrailing
' force, England, in case of war, would be in imminent peril
In the face of mai a force. He had cousiderad what wee to
be done. He knew that Busload would not tolerate • stand-
leg army large enough for effoctivs resistance, and he had
come to the conclusion that, like Switzerland and Ohs Milted
States, the best defence of England was in the organised°. of
an efficient volunteer rifle force. (Cheesy.) He trusted
therefore that they would give their best support to the pre-
sent movement. Rs himself had joined the London
and the drill sergeant had told him that the mashers
learned more In one night than ordinary recruits acquired
In three weeks. Th 6 was the result of eupetior intelligence,
and the improved weapon they now hod required a Bawler
Intelligence to handle it. Let them avoid jealowsy ; Ise local
notabilities promote local corps ; hut unless they were, what
formed, organised In large bodies, and by militery men, they
would be nothing more than an armed mob. Tatty must go
• Into the movement with earnestness and perseverance, end
remember that these rifle corps were to be the substitute
for a large standing army. The principals of every seta-
' blishmant Amid say to their young men, Avoid Cremorne
—(langhter)—and go to Wandsworth and join the Rifle
brigade." (Cheers.) One feature in the French army he had
forgotten, bat he could not sit down without alluding to it.
In that army were 60,000 (melons men called Tams.
(Hear, hear.) These were all men who had been convicted
of desperate crimes, and they were always put in the front of
the battle to be sacrificed to the first Orloff of the enemy. Let
them picture to themselves that body to ferodoca mils let
loose upon their smiling villages, and then let them consider
whether it wee not their duty to take the most vigorous
measures to prevent such a cakmity. (Hewer, bear.)
Mr. WI Lsog w6hed to know whether any information
was to be given as to which was the beat corps for the people
of Wandsworth to join. He was the employer of several
hundred men, who would make excellent riflemen—(bear,
bear)—but who were anxious to hear of an economical mrp
—(hear, beer)--and one whose exorcise ground would be
within reasonable distance. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. KIIIIIAR explained the rules and regulations of the
Fleet Surrey, and argued that it fulfilled all the conditions
required by Mr. Wilson. After a short discussion the reso-
lution was agreed to, and the proceedings terminated with •
cordial vote of thanks to the chairman.