The Express.
London, England, 1858-07-06 00:00:00

(Stamped Id. Additional.) IT W OPEN CE.

EXPERIENCES OF TRAVEL : PASSPORTS.

Palletise, Lake Maggiore, Jane 30.
During the darkest period of absolute ride
in Sardinia—about the year 1834 a so-called
eccentric Englishman went over in a boat front
Geneva to Evian across Lake Leman. He was
met, of course, at the landing-place by half-
,a-ecore ruffianly gendarmes, who all but levelled
their rifles at his breast, bidding him "stand and
deliver " his passport. John Bull put his hand in
his breeches-pocket, and produced a long netted silk
purse—porta-trwtstiaies were not dreamed of at that
period—which showed across its fine meshes two or
the.. score blazing new gold napoleons. " Look ye,
my fine fellows," quoth he, " I have here a few caged
bullfinches,which are anxious to put to themselves
wings and fly out at your hotels or roulette-
tables, but if you have any objection to them, why
ne hosts at Vevey or Interlaken will be less parti-
cular;" and he turned back from the inhospitable
shore, and carried his money and his ennui to some
of the cockney haunts in Switzerland.
I have acted this year upon a principle somewhat
akin to that of the "fine old English gentleman" above
alluded to. Hearing that his Imperial Majesty
Napoleon lIL was deep enough in his policy to add
to the vexations which already beset a traveller at
every siege in his peogrea through Proses, I-;*Vo
never was guilty of any excessive partiality either to
the French government or to the country or people,
and who at all times hurried from the Channel to
the Alpe as if the ground were het under my feet—
determined this time to cut la Belle France alto-
gether, and took myself and "party " over Belgium,
the Rhine, and the St. Gota
As I hear that many people, horrified by the report
of the" rigours" of the new French passportsystem,
are making up their minds to follow on the same
track, I may as well give in a few words my expe-
riences of the psJsport system as established at .the
Belgian, German, Swiss, and Sardinian frontiers at
this present moment, that other people may know
the extent of the difficulties they have to contend
with on this line, and contrast it withthe lions in the
path they would have to encounter were they to
put themselves at the mercy of our most particular
ally.
As an early goose, I claim the privilege of leading
the way for the remainder of the migratory flock.
I really believe ours were the first feathers of
English tourists at which post-maaters and hotel-
waiters had a chance of having a pull this season.

We landed at Ostend but no; as we are
talking of hindrances curtailing personal liberty,
I may just as well state that the greatest tyranny
exercised upon some of us was that of the
steward of the Ostend boat, who turned the settees
of the ladies' cabin into Procrustean hods, and in-
sisted that some of our fair fellow-travellers had
either no right to lie down, or no right at least to
stretch out their limbs at full length, and that "per-
sons who shone to carry about such long legs with
them, should pay thrice the fare," &c. ; for the ex-
treme ressonabeas of which pretensions and
-remarkable politeness of which observations the
Company, of course, deserves thanks and praises.
We landed at Ostend, glad to be at liberty to
stretch our four quarters, and went through the I
passport Imagines. merely by giving our papers to a
customs officer who took them folded, returned them
folded, and I really believe had no time to 'I
unfold one-half, if any of them. Our luggage went
on with us by transit to Cologne, the Belgian officers
hardly looking into each bags and desks as .we chose
to have with us in our carriages. We stopped ten
minutes at Verviers, where a Belgian gendarme
looked in at every carriage window, and took such
passports as ware tendered to him. At Aix-la-
Chapelle a Prussian gendarme called out the names
as they were written in the passports, and handed
these latter to any one who stretched forth his
hand to take them. Anybody might have got any-
body eltie's passport, as travellers only dropped in by
twos and threes from the refreshment-room, and in-
deed the room only admitted a few of them at a
time; and it is easy to imagine the quid pro quo.
that must need arise owing to the strange pronuncia-
tion of English, Italian, Russian 'and other names
by the unbending lips of a corporal not over-skilled
in his letters, and labouring under the terrible con-
sciousness that time and tide may, but German
railway trains will, wait for no man. At Cologne
our luggage was singled out and put together, and
then—hear it, ye English gaugers, and learn gal-
lantry from your Teutonic neighbours—and then
only men's begs and portmanteaus were ordered to
be opened. Lady Sunsmile might smuggle les
&awaits de la C'ouronne in her bandbox, but the CiTi-
Heed Prussian customs officer will not pry into it.
Even the gentlemen's boxes were handled very gin-
gerly, and delivered over without two seconds' delay.
From the Prussian frontier to the uttermost limits
of Germany is but one state, BA you know, so far as
trade and human locomotion are concerned, and
so we went on to Rolaudseek, Frankfort. and Bale
as free and unmolested as if we had travelled from
Dover to Liverpool, or from New York to Cincin-
nati. The Swiss, heaven bless them, ignore both
passports and douenes. At Bkle, I believe, a man
asked me, if I understood him right, whether I had
anything to "declare", whereupon I, of course, de-
clared that I was both hungry and sleepy, and he
very civilly recommended me to the landlord of the
Trois Role, who could most certainly provide supper
and bed for three kings if it were needed, and made
therefore no difficulty about such a small pertieulier
or replier, as I rather emphatically deseribed myself.
From Bale to Magsdiao, Switzerland is a true land
of liberty, at least for the non-Swiss. From the
latter place we came to Palletize, on Lake Mag.
giore, just opposite to the Barromean Lies, and
here the Sardinian officer, charged both with polies i
and castems regidationsomemed really ashamed of the
task devolving upon him. lie hardly half opened
my passport, and after singling only one unlucky
portmanteau out of a whole pile of luggage, as the
corpus vile on which he wished to make his expert"-
siesitues, as I was Ambling and quarrelling with
the lock, and consigning Bramah to a Brahmin para.
dise, he declared himself satisfied with my good
will, took the intention for the deed, and we marched
off with flying colours.
After a whole week', journey my passport is es un-
votted as it Mimed from the hands of its giver, and
the German, Swiss, and Italian landlords, who some-
times begged to know our natnes,hoping, no doubt, we
might be princes in disguise, shrank from the tender
of our passports as they had the yellow fever in the
folds of them.

What, then, in the name of goodness—and here
comes the moral of my long story—what, then, is'
the we of passports at all? Why could not these
three or four Statea—Belgium, Holland, Germany,
Switzerland, and Sardinia—openly and freely declare
that so far as they are concerned the system is
wholly and for ever done away with ? Austria, and
lately France, and some of the petty Italian states,
are the only oountries in which a stand is wilfully
and deliberately made for passports. Ask Count
Cavour why, man of progress as he is, he suffers
this abominable nuisance to be oontinned, and he
will tell you his sooner on. with France, and no
connexion with Austria, compel him to keep up the
semblance and shadow of an institution which less
long since lost all substance and meaning. But is
this necessity, this compulsion, ea very evident and
aaanswerable? Why could not all the States above-
named, or any use of them, declare that for them-
selves they will have no more to do with
than England or America trouble themselves with
them? Why can it not be understood, for instance,
that every Piedmooteee may, on applisation, have •
passport to travel abroad with, if he wish for or
wed it, but that neither he nor any foreign traveller
shall ever be subjected to any hindrance or annoyance
whatever, either at the Sardinian frontier or any
part of the Sardinian dominions, on account of his
female de route 1' We are sure to come to it in the
end, and railways are urging on to it at their own
steam pace. But why should civilisation hesitate

•in matters of such obvious convenience P And Sar-
dinia, beside', ought to be aware of the wisdom of
the maxim which advises men to make hay while
the sun shines. There is such a thing u going
backwards, and France is a glaring instance
of It. I have twenty five-franc pieces in
my yoeket, and every one of them marks
a dint period of French history. Monarchy
absolute, with a King of France, and Domino salmon
fec regent ; monarchy tempered, with • King not
of France, bat of the French, and Dieu protege la
France hen republic, with no mention either of
King or Protector; then republic with a Consul;
then republic with an Emperor, &c., &o. Well!
After sixty years' experiment of all conceivable
government, the French have come to understand
personal freedom so well, that a quiet, inoffensive,
obscure individual like myself, burdened with ladies,
maids, and other impediments, is obliged to goround-
about for several hundred miles out of his way,
merely to avoid the vexations and indignities to
which the Gallic nation, on her thousand and first
experiment, unavoidably submits him. 0.

NAVAL AND MILITARY.

_OOLIVICII JOLT 6.
atom
UMW, ldeeitiniMddlikr
stpeargaAsabes, damn versa, Captain dendmiewt
now under the heads of the pekters, dm., wbo are °Wood to
work over-that The crews ere nearly *complete, and seders
from the Admiralty are daily expects&
The folio steam vessels are now in the basin,
lilting oat .—Obsewn , Archer, and Racer, Bloodlscrund,
Hecate, Spitfire, Rifleman, Minx, Bann, Princess Alice,
Industry, and Forts. Gunboats : Spanker, itanday, and
Ripple. In harbour : Pipped. 42, Argue, Review steam
vessel, Commander Gandy, Vivid, Bustler, Banshee,. and
Monkey. In dock : Prometheus and Barrsooute, and gun-
boats J di& and Miatletoe.

PORTSMOUTH, Juts' 6.
The cue for the prosecution against Ensign J. I.
SOott, of the 17th Regiment, who is being trial by snort
martial under the presidency of Colonel Lake, R.A., on
several charges, enumerated in the Exprosa of Ptiday
lain, terminated to-day. The inquiry was adjourned until
Thursday next, to allow the prisoner time to peeper* his
defenoe

The Blenheim, freight ship, sailed on Saturday evening
foe Caktitta. She embarked at this port abont 140 nook and
file of the 60th Rine, under the command of Ensign Barker,
and 30 rank aad 61e on the second battalion of the same
one, tooth.' with Major G. H. Bligh and Captain Hales.

SUROEONB FOR THE 124 DIAN AILMY.—The twelve
medical elan who went out in the India mail steamer Pere
OS Sunday Min boned for Calcutta. gorgeous We
urgently required is India, end dame of the medical gentle-
men who went out In the Pere were engaged to go at the
last moment. The friends of one of them resided In Ireland,
sad his father, an old Irish gentleman, started for England
to take leave of his me. The Dublin steamer arrived at
Liverpool late, and in consequence he reached the Waterloo
station after the departure of the last train on Saturday
night. The next train was the excursion one on Sunday
morning. When It arrived at Southampton the Pem
I just left, and the old gentleman was seen to weep like •
child at having missed an opportunity of taking leave of
his son.

SPOR7ING.

TATTERSALL'S.-MONDAY.

The ationdeace was exoeedingly scanty, and speculation
the remelt decline. For the July Slakes 4to I was offered
on the del4 sad 6 to I bar the Black Be.. colt. ThsWorceo-
terabit* Stable were not named. Physician, the only animal
nomad in ocesszios with the Liverpool Cup, was in some
demand for that event. Windward was backed tar moat
money for the Goodwood Stage. Closing prices :
JIILY moues.
II to I apt Wr. Caper ealt by Oath( name oat of Sloth Be (t)
6to 1 Me. Sterbere Heehaw It end ..,ff)
11 to $ Mr. $l. LOP. Menke el
6 tot— Mr. Hareere Sol (V Yeekbee le
LITIMPOOL CUP.
PIV.I 11 to $ apt Mr. Sergeant'. Ilen. lit 31b (t)
_googol, ARS&
10 to 1 apt /Ir. Smiles 6 yra 6st (t)
160 to 6 Ht. W. *Wears Penni. 6 yrs. Mt lb (t)
16 to I ltr.Loirtger as norm Wet 1 yr.. .6 IQ
80 to 1 iiirCl. Neeekti vswty, 4 pale IKb 56
IT. LWM
9 to I Opt Lord Dorby's T 01000166 (0
DfrießY.
40 to 1 apt Mr. J. P. eintsyle Illactbarn
10 to 1 Mr. T. Parry Tuft
• 60 to 1 tfr.flhelPybeott by Mr Hereoles—T.net.
NEWMARK.? JULY 1016TINO.
Home •aaisso.—Cerldeem PP Modern, Mamba Slack Bone
met, Neadeed. Opal's My, Or sada Otockbeer. Old Palm, OM. elder
to Amsterdam. Wee., Vamp lily. Irdram. Harlem fleteenet.
Tulip.r less H
eaells
Sly He. lifeboat. Hal o' Heldeas. Clarke., gad wrest others
an espeetod.

• !LLB 07 BLOOD STOCK.
The fonowlee ynrlioge, to., were sold by wetly by Yeas. Tatter-
all payday (Moody).
Tea spaea.—ter lloyh, bream colt, by Breast, dam claaylote. by
lbey Weleten. 140 'Wow Dl)tyy, by eele;by Oenfewor. Om, Ni.
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Olt MY 11,7. 1.1 !rectal. .1...
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ebaecery ,—Dbrer Men et Ilreser. Ooreatotbse, Ire=halal.,ot).
810 reireer larllss.lM. Or. bs !tau. elt al) tellt ►w
aesartneeto.o Want