The Express.
London, England, 1856-07-09 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(LYON °UN OWN CORUIESEONDENE.)
PARIS, TUESDAY EVENING

A telegraphic despatch brings news of the sudden
death of M. Fortoul, the minister of public instruc-
tion and worship, which event occurred yesterday at
Ems. It is reported that he dropped down dead
while walking arm-in-arm with M. Magne, the
minister of public works. M. Fortoul was little more
than fifty years of age. He was, during many years
of his life, a journalist, cod like many other men
now in power, he was a member of that supposed
impracticable sect, the St. Simonians. In
early life he distinguithed himself greatly
at the university, and he was successively appointed
professor of literature at Toulouse and Aix. He
was a native of the extreme south of France.
think his birthplace was Digne, in the Department of
the Buses Alpes. The fame of kis liberal principles
procured him • seat in the National Assembly of
1848. He was, nevertheless, among the earliest un-
conditional adherents of Louis Napoleon's absolute
power, and speedily met with his reward. He had
considerable administrative power, but was not popu-
lar among the bishops—a fact which, perhaps, is
attributable to his having retained a taint of St.
Simonianism. His latest public act was to order
that the subject of the Latin speech, to be pro.
nounced at the coming distribution of prizes to the
Lyceums of Paris, should be, "On the moral and
social evils produced by an inordinate love of riches."
On the subject of the political arrests at Sables
d'Olonne, which I mentioned a, having taken place,
I find the following in two local journals:
The Journal des Sables d'Olonne, of July 3, uys:—

Oa the let of this month a gieet sensation was produced
in this town and also at Chenille, at ilia in the morning, by
the al peareace of an armed torce much more considerable
than we an accustomed to see. We shalt certainly not re-
peat all the town talk on the sul,i,ct. It is reported that
domiciliary visits here been made in several housed by
order of the perinea of Poitires and the Pre'ect of La
Vendee. We know nothing positive either as to the reason
for the step or the results that have gamed from it.
The Echo Rochelais says:—

It was known at Itithene On Wednesday miming that
an affair which seems to be connectel with the Secret
Society, the Mullane*, had otta•inned the arrival at Sables
d'Olosaa ef • detachment of gendarmerie which bid been
sent in all huts from Napoleon V. ndie. Several indivi-
duals employed in a large manufactory at Sables have been
arrested, and measures have been taken by the tattle/ids'
to 1 all the ramifications of the plot. This news hu
been brougt.t here by some sailors and is generally reported.
We give it, however, with reserve. Details ue wanting."

The Imperial Court of Lyons, in spite of the
ment of the Court of Cessation to the contrary, has
decided that electoral bulletins may by law be circa.
lated freely without any authorisation from the pre.
facts. The conmquence is that the Court of Casea-
tion will be compelled to hear the question re-argued.
The Bourse has been decidedly bad today. It
was confidently said that the amount of bullion in
the Bank of France cellars had considerably dimi.
nisbed, and that no reduction in the rate of discount
would be made this week. The ItFinte fell 45c. both
for cub and account, closing at Tlfr. 2.5 c. aid
711 r. 60c. Credit Mobilier fell 22fr. 50c. The rail.
ways were all considerably lower. Orleans fell 25e.;
Eastern, 20c.; Lyons, 15c.; Mediterranean, 20c.;
and Grand Central, 18c.
The Orleans Railway Company hsa this day given
notice that the circulation is re-established between
Touts and Nantes.

The Atones. de Calais says that the construction
of a railway from that town to Boulogne-ear-Mere
which has been long talked of, has been decidedly
resolved on, and that the Northern Company is to
execute the Inc.

The funeral service of " Madame la Mukha's,"
Duchess of Montebello, was performed to-day in the
little missionary church of the Rue du Bac. The
Emperor was repreeenttd in the ceremony by the
Doke de Castigliano. Marshals Csurobert and Mag-
nin were among the mourners.

ITALY.

ITALY AND PIEDMONT.

BY AN ITALIAN WHO IS NOT A NATIVE OF PIEDMONT.

LETTER 111.
Sta,—The only way of reconciling the Italians to
their princes, and eatablirhing every where that order
and peace which have made Piedmont a model state
in Europe, is to leave the governments alone with
their subjects. I certainly never entertained such
sanguine hopes from the issue of the war in the East,
never had so great a faith in the cordial understand-
ing between England and France, as to look for the
complete deliverance of the Litho peninsula from
Austrian thraldom u one of the pribable results of
the late great European movement. I know very well
that it is much easier to overthrow the whole empire
of Austria than to wrench from it the whole or even
part of its Italian provinces; and I know, moreover,
that, were even thu Vienna statesmen prepared to re.
linquish their hold, especially of Vance and of her
territory as far aa the Adige or Minot°, the whole of
Germany would rise in detence of her' natural from.
tier," and France itself, no matter under what govern.
ment, would with all its might oppose anything like
the unity, or even union, of a state, or even of a fede-
ration of truly independent states, inl, he north of
Italy. But I really thought, since the Crimean war
had at least succeeded in crippling Russia, and de.
privieg the great northern league of despots of its main
stay—l thought that the least England and France
could achieve at the Paris Conferences would have
been a return to the ideas and principles of 1815;
that south of the Po, as well as west of the Ticino, there
would be—as there was to be—an independent Italy.
I thought that the rights of Austria with regard to the
non-Austrian provinces and states of Italy would be
clearly defined—that strong and decisive measures
would be taken , first to undo with a.l practicable speed
all that Austria had done Circe 1815 in sheer viola-
tion of the treaties of that year, and then to put an end
for ever to all her further progrers in that direction.
Titers is not a men living that can flitter himself
that peace is really restored in Italy, or in Europe
either, till tree° matters are brought to a clear
understanding, for there would reeky be infinitely
less danger to Europe, and infinitely tees suffering iet
Italy, it all the &tenter', the Roman State'', and the
Two Sicilies, were reduced to the condition of the
Lombardo-Venetian kingdom, and incorporated with
the Austrian empire, than if they continue under a
specious independ. nce which makes them groan under
two yokes inst. ad of one.
Take, as an instance, the little duchy of Firma, A
man of the most worthless and abindoned character,
Carlo Lodovico, "runs away with the spoons," de-
secs in the moat cowardly and ignominious manner,
after a great deal of blustering and bullying, his
small state of Lucca. and picots over to Parma,
where he is entitled to reign by right divine;
that is. because three hundred years ago a Pope,
Pant ILL, disposed of the free mate of Patois and
Piamoza in favour of his hostel d, Pier Luigi Farness;
and because after the nacentines had murdered that
hideous monster, other bastards and hideous monsters
of the same family were set over the same people and
kept there by the combioed might of the Empire and
the Popedom, and continued to reign and govern the
duchy, while they crushed its nobility by whole-
sale murders, prosoriptions, and confiscations, and
ground the people, shocked and degraded them by
the example of the most unblushing profligacy ; till
they at last all died off by sheer bodily impotent*
brought about by indulgence in the must shameful
vices. Well, that first race of Pope's bastards being
happily extinct, their sacred rights passed over to
Spanish Bourbons, towards the middle of the last
century, and by virtue of the same sacred rights
1 that Carlo Ludovico who had been hissed out
of Lucca, that Carlo Ludovioo, cine-tenthe