The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-15 00:00:00

THE FRENCH DUELLISTS.

It appears from an article in the Pays signed by
M. Paul de Canagnee that M. Vermorel, the editor in
chief of the Courrier Francais, is to be subjected to the
stick, because he refused to meet Csasagnac in a duel :
" M. Vermorel in announcing that he would not fight,
has executed justice upon himself, says the Pays, and
has henceforth exposed himself to the regime of the stick
from all his present and future adversaries."
To this threat M. Vermorel replies in the Courrier of
to-day :—" As to the threats of M. de Cassagnac we hold
them in the contempt they deserve. Several persons have
come to us and offered to be our body-guard. We thank
them sincerely, but the unanimous expression of publio
opinion is a sufficient protection. Besides, the police have
been established for the protection of honest men from
malefactors."

The Courrier announces the following singular act on the
part of the authorities :—" This morning a commissary of
police came to our office to seize the letters of adhe-
sion which we received to the League of Contempt,"
and announced to us that we should ourselves be prose-
cuted for exciting to hatred and contempt of
citizens. We are not much troubled at this," add■
the Courrier, "for we are not aware that the Casstagnace
constitute a clams in the nation, and that they are pro-
tected by any speci►l law."
It results from this that the Caseagnses send a challenge,
thereby violating the law ; they next threaten with the
stick the person who has refused to fight with them, and
the authorities interfere by making a ramie on the office of
the challenged and cudgel-threatened editor, and inti-
mating that he will be prosecuted for exciting to hatred
and contempt of citizens !
M. Weiss, the editor of the Journal de Paris, announces
that he is also to be prosecuted. The brothers Duruy
called at the office of the Journal and assaulted M. Weiss.
M. Weiss defended himself, and If. Weise is the prose-
cuted party!

Amongst the numerous banquets which the Paris
Exhibition has given rise to must be mentioned that
offered by the Royal Italian Commissioner, Count Chiava-
rini, to those of his countrymen who have gained prizes.
The names of Gioberti, Manin, and Garibaldi were re-
oeived with acclamation ; and there was an especial burst
of patriotic enthusiasm when MM. Cslsmetta, Castellani,
and Levy proposed toasts bearing upon Rome and Italian
unity or the temporal power, whilst the spirit of intoler-
ance and the government of priests and monks were nn•
mistakably condemned.
Romeo e Giulietta is to be repeated at Covent-
Garden to-morrow, Thursday, and Saturday, and for Fri-
day " • grand opera" is announced, in which Bldlle.
Pauline Lucca will appear.

The Times says that at Wimbledon on Saturday,
as far as could be learnt, there was but a single instance of
want of courtesy towards the national guests. This occurred
in the case of a member of one of the Middlesex Artillery
regiments, who must hare dined too freely, inasmuch as
it became necessary for two officers of his own corps to
eject hit,. ignominiously from the grounds of the associa-
tion.

Colonel French, M.P., in a letter to the Dublin
papers, draws attention to the number of persons who,
although they hold Irish titles, have neither property nor
residences in the oonntry. Among them are the follow-
ing :—Phippe, Mulgrave ; Wynn, Newborough ; Dl'Donald,
3l'Donald ; Molyneux, Sefton ; Carpenter, Tyroonnell ;
Edwards, Kensington ; Ongley, Ongley ; Hood, Bridport ;
Littleton, Westeote ; Montage, Rokeby ; Eden, Auckland ;
Graves, Graves ; Shore, Teignmonth ; Henniker, Henni-
ker; Weldegrave, R►datock ; Gardner, Gardner; Per-
kyns, Radcliffe; Jones, Ranelagh ; Smith, Carrington;
Vanneck, Huntingdon ; Dummy, Downs ; Aylmer, Ayl-
mer ; Barrington, Muenster ; Osge, Gage ; Barrington,
Barrington ; Orimston, Venda= ; Herbert, Clive ; Duff,
Fife ; Thelluson, Readied's= ; Cholmondeley, Cliolmou-
deley ; Vaughan, Lisburne ; Lambert, Cavan ; Talbot,
Waterford and Wexford; Cradook, Howden ; Grenville,
Nugent ; Villiers, °nudism. Colonel French states that
had it been necessary, he would have read this list out Sir
Colman O'Loghlen's motion for an address to the crown.

EARL RUSSELL ON THE IRISH CHURCH.

A corrected report of Karl Russell's speech on
the Irish Church on the 24th ult., published to-day in a
pamphlet form by Mr. Ridgway, has the following preface
by the noble earl :

" In publishing a corrected retort of my speech on the
church of Ireland, I wish to call the serious attention of
thoughtful men to the present state of affairs. If we say
at once that all Roman catholic' are idolators, and
therefore, we can give them no state support, we ought in
the first place to go back upon what we have done at May-
nootb, at Malta, and in Canada, and in the next place,
to resolve that for the future we will govern Ireland
by force alone. The tenantry of the Irish counties
would have a far better prospect of good treatment
from their landlords, if they were subjected to
absolute government; and had not nominally the
choice of members to represent in parlia-
ment. They cannot have leases, it is argued, while they
have votes ; they must be kept in subjection to the land-
lord, in order that they may not give a majority to the
nominee of the priests. The next alternative is to have
free government, but to abolish all support to religion,
whether protestant or Roman catholic. The immediate
consequence would be an irresistible demand for the abo-
lition of the established church of England, and the estab-
lished church of Scotland. But are either England or
Scotland prepared for such measures ? I believe not.
There are, however, two preliminary objections
to a change which would give to Roman catholic'
and Presbyterians any part of the revenues of the
established church. The first is that stated by Lord
Derby, namely, that the church established in Ireland has
as much right toita property, as the Duke of Bedford has to
Covent-garden and Woburn Abbey. If this objection is
meant to place the right of the present Archbishop of Dub-
lin, during his life,pd that of the present Duke of Bedford,
during his life, to property formerly held by the Roman
catholic church, on the same footing, I fully admit that
right. But who are their heirs? The heir of the Duke Bed-
ford is known to the law, and will succeed as a matter of
course. The heir of the bishops and clergy of the church esta-
blished in Ireland, is the state. If the state chooses to
dispose of the property in a manner different from its
present appropriation, it has a full right to do so.
If the state maintains the present appropriation, the heir
of the Archbishop of Dublin is the man who, ►fter •
careful education, has embraced the clerical profession,
and basso distinguished himself by his morals,his orthodoxy,
and his learning, as to attract the preference of the First
Lord of the Treasury, and obtain the favour of the
Crown. But every man in ',viand, nay, every man
in England and in Scotland, may upon these terms
look forward to be the heir of the Archbishop of Dub-
lin—in other words, the nation at large are the heirs
of the present holders of church property in Ireland.
But it is said by Lord Cairns, that if presbyte-
rians and Roman catholic' are admitted to par-
take in the benefits to be derived from church property,
every religious sect is entitled to its share. This, how-
ever, is • mere captious objection. To omit four millions
and a half of Roman catholic' in your state distribution is
a palpable and glaring inequality; to omit 10,000 baptists,
or 20,000 of the Society of Friends, is only to make your
distribution harmonise with the policy of the state, and
the general welfare of the community. These, how-
ever, are but screens to hide an obvious and
shining truth. The great majority of the people of Ireland
belong to the Roman catholic church. If the state adheres
to the principle of a church establishment, the repair of
Roman catholic churches, and the purchase of glebes for the
Roman catholic clergy by the state cannot justly be refused.
' If the state adopts the voluntary principle, the religion
of one-seventh of the people of Ireland can no longer
be endowed. It is for the British nation to choose.
I have mentioned in my speech, without at all binding
myself to the details of his scheme, the proposal of
a Roman catholic judge, Mr. Justice Shoe, as the one
which I conceive likely to promote peace and content in
Ireland with the least disturbance and personal suffering.
But at all events, the people of Ireland are fully justified
in asking for justice from parliament in the session of
1868."