The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-25 00:00:00

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Closing prices :--Gold, 137 k. Sterling exchange
on London, 1091. 5-20 United States Bonds, 1091.
Illinois, 1151. Erie, 58k. Cotton : middling
Upland, 27k. Petroleum, refined, 241.
[The above telegram an ived in Londoa at 8.37 a.m., to-
day, Saturday.]

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

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PARIS, FRIDAY EVENING.

The bill amending the law on naturalisation was
passed yesterday with only 23 dissentient votes.
The debate which preceded the division was in-
teresting. M. Picard and M. Marie, the principal
opposition speakers, agreed with the government
on the principle that it was expedient, and in ac-
cordance with the policy bequeathed by the revo-
lution of 1789, that the great French nation should
afford all reasonable facilities for the adoption of
such citizens of the world as may desire to become
French citizens. So far as regards the reduction
of the probationary period of ten years' residence
to three, there is no difference of opinion. But, as
M. Picard made bold to say, "whenever this govern-
ment presents a law having a liberal aspect you may
be very sure that when you come to look into it
closely you will find the concession more than
counterbalanced by provisoes and restrictions." In
the present instance the liberality of the measure is
more apparent than real, because as the law stood
the executive power could, for a variety of reasons,
for the most part very arbitrary, reduce the perioa
of ten years to one. The ten years probation was,
therefore, little more than a stipulation in terrorem.
On the other hand the new bill abolishes the dis-
tinction between grand and petty letters of natu-
ralisation, gives the executive power only a veto
upon both, and deprives the Legislative Body
of the power it had of deciding whether a
foreigner should be so entirely created a
Frenchman as to be eligible to sit in the Chamber.
M. Picard and his friends would be willing to
allow all foreigners without distinction to be
fully naturalised subject only to a certificate
of good conduct from the local authorities
of the place of their residence. But if there
is to be favouritism they object to deprive
the Chamber of its prerogative for the benefit
of the executive power. One of the principal ar-
guments of the government speakers, MM. De
Parien and Baroche, was that the Chamber was
bound by two important precedents—lst. The
admission to the Senate of Prince Poniatowski,
although he was duly naturalised by the Emperor ;
and 2nd. The admission to the Corps Legislatif is
1863, in spite of vehement opposition by M. Picard
and others, of Count Welles de Lavalette, an Ameri-
can citizen, to whom the Emperor had granted letters
of grand naturalisation. The reply was that these were
cases of persons admitted to take their seats in the
chambers notoriously against law, but in pursuance
of a via major, which it was impossible to dispute.
It was insinuated that the desire of giving a legal
sanction to those two cases had a good deal to do
with the presentation of the present bill. In,
the course of the debate it was alleged that the
number of foreigners residing in France was
1,000,000, but M. Baroche said the correct figure
was 600,000. During the short period, in 1848,
that naturalisation was granted to almost any-
body who asked for it, as many as 1,570 foreigners
were made Frenchmen. But since 1849, when
the legislation of 1814 was subiltantially
restored,very few naturalisations have taken place,

not more than 30 $ year on an average. Some de-
puties complain that foreigners live in France on
too easy terms, enjoying all the substantial benefits

of citizenship without many of its burdens, such as
the liability to serve in the army, and the National
Guard. The Chamber, however, showed no dispo-
sition to force foreign residents to clothe themselves
with the rights of French citzenship. The privi-
lege of doing so by those who may esteem it a pri-
vilege, is rendered far more practicable by the bill
just voted.
The Prince Royal of Prussia, with the Princess,
wLo was expected here yesterday evening, delayed
his journey, but he was telegraphed as having
arrived at Charleroi at noon to-day, and is expected
at the Northern Railway station in the Rue
Lafayette at half-past 6 this evening. It is more
than probable that their royal highnesses, notwith-
standing the fatigue of their long journey, will
attend the celebration of the Queen's birth-day at
the British Embassy this evening.
The Patric thinks it expedient to deny that the
Emperor invited the Sultan to Paris ; it was only
after his Turkish Majesty had expressed a wish to
come that Napoleon 111. said he would be happy
to see him.

At the Bourse there was great heaviness during
the greater part of the day, and Rents went down
to 69fr. 60c. ; but a rapid recovery towards the
close of business brought prices up to yesterday's
level. The last quotations were 69fr. 70c. and
69fr. 8211 c. Credit Foncier fell llfr. 25c.

GERMANY.

(FROM 0131 OWN

FRANKFORT, MAY 21.
The settlement of the Luxemburg question has
given general satisfaction here, as it was no conces-
sion to France, but to the unbiassed opinion of the
friendly powers. Still it cannot be denied that
France has carried a great point, as the defensive
system of Germany has been weakened on the
Ardennes frontier; but the calling out the Prus-
sian Landwehr twice in two years would have
been such a calamity that no military success
would have compensated for it. The peace de-
monstrations in France have not been responded
to in this country, as they would have had a
theatrical appearance. There is no party in Ger-
many which wants war in order to increase
the national territory. During the whole
dispute, public feeling in the south was strongly
in favour of Prussia, but now a re-
action has taken place. The governments will
not join the Northern Confederacy, and are therein
supported by the people. The former consider
themselves safe from foreign aggression by their
treaties of alliance with Prussia, while the latter
won't sacrifice their liberty without stringent
necessity. A declaration to that effect on the part
of Dalwigh, in the Darmstadt Chamber, has been
approved by the majority. The case would be
different if the government understood how to
conciliate public opinion, instead of coercing it by
police regulations. Emigration to the United States
is more extensive than ever, many young men
flying from the military service. A new
sort of emigrants are the Czechs, but
this is not attributable to political rea-
sons but to the impossibility of getting land
to cultivate in a country where so much property
is yet in the bands of the nobility and the monas-
teries.

With regard to the rinderpeat, the reports circu-
lated are much exaggerated. There is not one
word of truth in the statement of the Mumiteur,
that the disease has broken out in this neighbour-
hood. There has not been one single case in fifty
miles round. A military cordon has been drawn
by Prussia and Bavaria round the districts of Thu-
ringia where the disease is raging. Our crops
present an excellent appearance, and a plentiful
harvest is expected.