The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-07 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS,

OWN OUR OWN oosaseroiDnre.)

PARIS, MONDAY MIMIC
M. Drcrayu de Lhuys presided to-day at the
distribution of prizes at the Sorbonne. His
speech, elegant and not too long, was listened to
with peculiar attention because some forty years
ago the present Minister of Foreign Affairs carried
off the first prize (priz d'honneur) which he now
awarded as the alter ego of M. Duruy, the Minister
of Public Instruction. M. Drouyn de Lhuys
committed himself unreservedly to the laudation
of that classical education in colleges which several
bishops have opposed and which during the reign
of the now exploded system of "bifurcation,"
invented by the late M. Fortoul, was under
a cloud. He insisted that to-day, as much as in
the time of Rollin, the beat discipline for a
youth d'ilite was the study of the ancient languages
and the constant reading of the great writers of
antiquity. On this point he said the church agreed
with the universities, Oxford with the Sorbonne,
and Northern with Southern Germany. He could
find no serious conflict on the subject. In the foL
' lowing passage, the only one at all political, the
Minister for Foreign Affairs took an opportunity to
I illustrate his thesis by a compliment to the author
of the " Life of the Caesar " and the mediator of
Nikolsberg :
- -

Why seek far back examples of the benefits of classical
education ? Have we not before our eyes a living proof
of the truths I am demonstrating? Amidst the events
which threatened to overturn Europe a tutelar genius ap-
ron, and, soaring above the dorm, restores serenity :
Ceisa sedet arcs
Sceptre tennis, mollitque animas et temperat inks.
In whet school was formed this calm and vigorous mind?
Was it initiated into the art of governing men and things
by deep study of the annals of antiquity ? Did not the
pen which has just traced the preliminaries of peace write
the " Life of Ciesar r Happy the young prince who finds
at once a model in the acts and a lesson in the writings of
his august father, and is thus prepared to show to the
generation of which you are the ancestors,
Quid mess rite, quid indoles
Nutrita taustis sub penetralibus
Poe&

In conclusion, M. Drouyn de Lhuys encouraged
the laureates of the Sorbonne by confidently pre-
dicting that in the future, as for the last sixty
years, the prize list would contain by anticipation
the names of generals, judges, administrators, and
savants. His modesty probably prevented him
from adding—ministers.
The first prize of the year was awarded to
M. L. le G. Widner.
It is remarked that the King of Prussia's speech
appears in the Moniteur in small print, and re-
quires looking for among news of small importance.
It is that of a sovereign who feels himself master
lof a great situation. The expectation of a further
, extension of his power than that secured by the
I immediate treaty of peace is clearly expressed.
The France mentions a rumour that the Prince
of Wales intends to be at Deauville races incog.

M. Roses, the Brussels publisher just convicted'
of a libel on the Emperor in the Femme de Cesar,
is a Frenchman by birth, naturalised in Belgium.
He refuses to give up the name of the author.
The Bourse was almost empty. The settlement
of July made so many victims that few people
have courage to speculate for the moment. The
conversation among the thin groups present turned
uponthe failure of some dozen petty bankers and the
large sacrifices made by the house to enable certain
brokers to meet their differences. The subscription
for the new Algerian company, formed in pursuance
of the Emperor's recommendation after his visit to
Algeria and called the Societ4 Generale A lgerienne,
was opened to-day. It found very little favour.
" Button up your pockets" is the motto for the
present. There is abundance of money in the
banks ; but the money does not come to the
Bourse. Rente fell 10c. for account, closing at
89fr. 10e. ; for cash there was no change. Italian
rose 55c., closing at 52fr. 45c. There was scarcely
any change in other securities.
A cashier of an agent de change is said to have
committed suicide.
The total number of bankruptcies pronounced
by the Paris Tribunal of Commerce during the
month of July amounted to 182 ; a higher figure
than has been seen for a very long time.

Several journals of Berlin announce that M. de
Bismarck, who was honoured with the title of Count at the
conclusion of the war against Denmark, is about to re-
ceive new distinctions from hie sovereign. He will, it is
said, be named Duke de Lauenburg, with en 'panne
which ought certainly to be very oonsiderable, if it bear
any proportion to the extent of territory which the Prime
Minister is at this moment annexing to Prussia.

------ - -
The principal editors of the Brussels journals,
the Echo du Parlemma and the Jackpot(lance, have just
been condemned each to two months' imprisonment and
200 fr. fine for having fought a duel, on the 20th June lest,
although neither of the combatants waa wounded.
GENERAL Gsimst,ni. The Italian journals
publish the following. order of the day issued by General
Garibaldi :—" Creto in Pieve di llono, July 29. The
volunteers who, oontrary to their duty and without legi-
timate motives, are absent from their respective corps
without being furnished with a regular permission, must
return to their poste within three days. Those who do
not comply will he indicated ea deserters, that they may
be arrested and sent before a court martial.—Gsaisaun."
Tax DUKEDOM OF CHATELHERAULT.—The Mar-
quis of Abercorn, whose family name is Hamilton, has just
brought before the French Council of State his claim to the
title of Duke de Chatelherault, held by the Duke of
Hamilton, and which was originally conferred in 1548 by
Henri 11. of France, in favour of James Hamilton, Earl of
Arran.
Tag TRANSATLANTIC TELECLAPII.—The Courrier
du Harre sets forth a striking result of the laying of the
Transatlantic telegraph. It says :—" New York is situated
nearly 76 degrees of longitude west of Paris. The earth
in its daily rotation travels through 360 degrees in 24
hours, from which it results that every 15 dwrem
to the west of the first meridian placed at Paris
is one hour later. When it is noon at Paris
it is only 11 o'clock at 15 degrees to the west of that
city. And as New York is 76 degrees to the west of
Paris it follows that it is seven o'clock in the evening at
New York when it is midnight at Paris. Suppose, then,
that a great edifice in Paris—the Opera, for example—
takes fire at a quarter past twelve at night on the lst
of September next, the event is immediately
telegraphed from Paris to New York, and is
dated, ' Paris, a quarter put twelve at night, Ist
September.' The news arrives at New York, let
us Bey in two hours, to make ample allowance for
interruptions, ht.; the despatch, dated Paris, let September.
arrive* at New York at a quarter-past nine in the evening
I of the 31st August, so that a New York manager could sp.
par on the stage, and after the three customary bows
could thus express himself :—' Ladies and Gentle-
, men—l am sorry to have to inform you that the
I Opera at Paris has been destroyed by fire three
hours after the present time. Our director has just
transmitted to his Paris confrere his condolence
on the disaster which is going to happen to him.' More-
over it will no longer suffice to indicate a date and say,
' Such a day and such an hoer ; it will be necessary to
add ' time, at such a place.' Thus the clerks of the new
telegraph office take care to add to the communications
exchanged between the two continents the express men-
tion : time at Paris, or Greenwich, or New York, or Wash.

LU2II7W TO IMLALE AN OWELETTIL—A young num
was arrested in the Ace de le Ferronnerie, Paris, a few
days since, for an extraordinary freak while under the in-
Auenee of drink. In passing before a dealer's shop he
suddenly jumped totes basket at the door containing frees
200 or 300 ens, and, after smashing them to his utrt's
content, be called out, " That is the way I make an ome-
lette ; now bring me a frying-pea !" The owner, however,
called • aergent-de-ville, who took the man away to the
polies-station.
Tna SIINILIIN ITALIAN VNESZUL—Adrioes from
Trieste Mate that divert are getting up articles from the
vesicle of the Italian fleet which were sunk, and that many
objects have been brought to light. One was a case of table
marke4 with the cipher of the King of Italy, and
supposed to be a present made by tits Sovereign to Admiral
Penman A box., cased with iron, contained amongst a mass
of pajoers a voluminous correspondence of the admiral with
the Ling and various personages of Importance.