The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-18 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 18, 1866.

(raw( °us OWN CORRNIPONDINT.)
PARIS, TUENDAY EVENING.
The Bourse to-day abundantly shows the want
of confidenoe of the public in the Constibutionnel's

assurance that France does not think of departing

from neutrality in case of a war in Germany. The
very slight rise of yesterday is more than effaced,
and the closing quotations are lower than the
lowest point since the war panic set in. Rente
fell 20c. for cash, and 274 c. for account, closing at

66fr. 96c. and 66fr. 77i0: Mobilier fell llfr. 25c. ;
Credit Foncier, 20fr. ; Comptoir d'Escompte, 25fr. ;
and Italian, lfr. 20c. Railways were generally

from 2fr. 50c. to sfr. lower.

The hopes entertained by the liberal party in

Paris that M. Laboulaye would be returned for the
Baa Rhin were founded mainly upon the manifest
change of public opinion observed in the city of
Strasbourg, the only place in the department be-
tween which and Paris rapid intercommunication
of ideas is possible. This prevision so far as Stras-
bourg is concerned, has been abundantly justified
biptlarlinalt4-attiseugis4tise veins of one et the
great towns of France in which education is more
generally diffused than in almost any other having
been swamped by the country districts where the
prevalent language is German and the people can-
not read the French papers) M. Laboulaye is de-
feated. Strasbourg now takes rank with Paris, Mar-
seilles, Lyons, Dijon, and the other great centres
of intelligence which have unmistakeably pro-
nounced against the continuance of the despotic
system, inaugurated by the coup cr Hut of 1851.
In 1863 the votes for Strasbourg stood thus
M. de Bussibre, government can-
didate
M. Odillon Barrot, opposition can-
didate
Now in 1866 the figures are precisely reversed,
for the state of the poll at the close yesterday was :
M. Laboulaye, opposition can-
didate
M. de Bussibre, government can-
didate

. 7,147

7,487

4,966

In the rural cantons there is scarcely a
fractional change from 1863. The severe sur-
veillance of the prefect and his subordinates,
the ignorance of the populations, the absence of the
right of public meeting, and free committees, and
the short period (three weeks) between the an-
nouncement of the vacancy and the election, left
the Alsatian peasantry under tho same influences
that carried the election of 1863. The general
result is that M. de Bussiere is returned by
19,635 Totes against 9,916 given to M. Laboulaye.
Although the theory of universal suffrage is that
votes are counted, not weighed, the Emperor, who
knows better than to rely upon the arguments of
the Constitutionnet,cannot fail to meditate upon the
lesson given by Strasbourg. The 14,000 Alsatian
peasants who voted for M. de Bussiere might be
made to vote for anybody else if the prefect so
willed, and their opinions, or rather their no
opinions, would be nothing worth in a grave
crisis. _ .

The Marquis de Boissy, the French senator,
whose cuisine is as famous as his boasted hatred
for England, had the honour of entertaining Mr.
Stephens, the " Head Centre ," at dinner on Satur-
day last. In giving this news, I assume that the
person whose portrait appears in the last number of
the Monde Illustre, and who represents himself to
be Stephens, is really the man. But there are
Fenian in Paris who say that there is now "a"
Stephens in most of the cities of Europe.

WEATHER REPORT.-(THIS DAY.)

WEDNTSDAY, AriuL 18, 8 Lx.

F. Extreme. Bea,
H. T. W. 1 ,----"----. W. R. ill to
12 F. 1 D. 9.
.---
Nairn .2989 39 N.W. 1 3 N.W. cb 1
Aberdeen lll9.lAi 41 N.W. 5 7 N. W. rb 8
Leith
Ardroaran 29.89 48 W. N. W. 3 5 W. or 0.07 2
Greencastle 22.93 48 W.S.W. 1 5 W.N.W. co 1
Valentia I —,— - -
^ape Clear I— '— - - - -
Li\ erpool ; 29.99 51 W.N.W. 8 8 W.B. W. c 2
Holyhead
Penzance 30.0748 Z. 0 4 W.N.W. c— 2
Brest .. - - -
Lorlent '29.96'50 N.E. 2 2 8. b 2
Rochefort :29.10d54 N.E. 2 2 N.E. co 2
Plymouth
Weymouth
Portsmouth 30.03 47, N. W. 13 6 S.W. c— 2
London -
Yarmouth 29.97 501 W.N.W. I 2 10 i W.N.W. e 1 1
Scarborough. 29.90'491 W. N. W. ! 2 6 W.N.W. bl I S
Shields .29.93 , N.W. , 2 8 N.W, c —I 2
Helder i _ l_t : _ - _- . -