The Express.
London, England, 1858-09-10 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 10, 1858.

not have got father than projects. We should be wiry
glad In those twitters to eon France not content with ad-
miring NW/d, whkat le all very well, but trying to ill3l-
- her, which weld be still better.

The Ocean of Brest says :
__ . .

General Niel Is now engaged on a report which his been
demanded of him by the Emperor. The general sooompanied
his Majesty daring his late visit to this port, and with him
examined all its Maass. The work of Vauban hes had its
day, and it ia generally admitted by all who are conversant
with the subjeot, that the don of our meats and of our
first naval port most be modiffei so as to respond better to
the changes which have taken plass in the art of war. The
question will not be to enlarge or improve the present de-
fences, but to remodel them entirely, on principles which
differ in a mesterei:ilia' manner from the old system. It is
on this aubjeot that General Niel Ma to make a report.

Brittany has often been called the Bceatia of
France. A recent criminal trial at Rennes goes far to
show that the diapason of intelligeuoe which prevails
among the worshippers at the shrine of St. Anne of
Away still justifies the appellation. At a small
farm called Carnot, near Lorient, a widow named
Roperch lived in straightened circumstances for
many years. The rent of her farm was leas than
101. a year, and the profits, as may readily be con-
ceived, were but slender. Ten years ago she, for the
first time in her life, borrowed a sum of money. The
amount would not have been thought large at the
Bourse, but among the peasants of Brittany it was

considerable—it was 10h. (Bs. 4d.) This sum
she duly paid at maturity, and her punc-
tuality was spoken of among her neigh-
bours. At this time she desired to become the
possessor of a certain cow, and not having money
enough to bay it she availed herself of her good
credit to borrow 60fr. for a stated period. When
this latter sum became due Madame Roperch had
some difficulty in meeting it. She, however,
effected a new loan, but this time at a high rate of
interest. She bad now got entirely out of her
depth. A sum approaching to 41. was something far
beyond her ordinary resources to provide. Bat she
had acquired a fatal facility for borrowing as each
loan became due; she borrowed at high and
often increasing interest a further loan to pay it off.
The presses went on undiscovered and unsuspected
for ten years, the widow Roperch living all the
time in the same poor way that she had ever done,
and carrying on no business beyond the cultivation
of her very little farm. She paid the in-
terest on her loans, and the principal when called
for, so exactly that her reputation as a wealthy
person spread far and wide. She had no longer any
occasion to ask for money. It was pressed upon
her. When she went to market to sell her eggs and
cabbages people came to her stall with money bags
and entreated her to accept them. Instances are
cited of farm labourers raising themselves to the
conditions of proprietors by the enormous interest,
varying from 60 to 120 per cent. paid to them for
I years together by the widow Roperch. Village
marriages were made, and village shops set up from
the proceeds of small investments with the
marvellous widow. How she was able with
such small apparent means to meet such
large demands was a subject of great
wonderment and disourrion in the country. The
popular opinion was that she possessed " the black
cat" who is the devil's cousin, and can get money
without stint. But some few strong-minded people
who laughed at superstition said that she mast be
employed by government to borrow money from
the people for the purpose of carrying on public
works in Paris. When interrogated as to her need
of large fund.,, her only answer was, " That is my
secret ;" bat she discouraged the idea of the black,
cat, end also that of her being a government agent.
A time at length came when, being suddenly called
upon to repay a loan of 400 fr., she had not the
money; in despair she rose from her seat, and
threw herself into a well in her garden. She
was rescued, and although the noise of this
event shook her credit for a moment, the fact of her
not being prosecuted led to the belief that she was
supported by the court. of justice, and people went
on lending to her with as much confidence as ever.
At last the catastrophe came. The widow, the
trusted, the infallible widow, became irregular in
her payments. The rustic usurers, Whose covetous-
ness she had created and fostered, became furious
and vindictive. Her field and garden were invaded
by her creditors with spades and pickaxes, search-
ing for treasure which they felt persuaded
mast be hidden. When she was arrested,
creditors to the amount of 4,0001. sterling
came forward, and it is believed that many
more, ashamed to acknowledge their credulity, put
up with their losses in silence. This extraordinary
old lady, who has thus taken rank with the most
accomplished mercantile swindlers of London or
Paris, could neither read, write, nor speak French.
Her replies to the interrogatories of the court were
rendered from her Breton dialect by a sworn inter-
preter. The trial lasted thirteen days. She was
sentenced to five years' imprisonment es a swindler.

GERMANY.

The dispute which has arisen between Austria and
Prussia on the subject of the garrison of Radstadt,
appears likely to be arranged. A letter from Berlin
announces that Austria is disposed to give up her
pretensions of furnishing the garrison of that for-
trues with troops, to the exclusion of Prussia.