The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-29 00:00:00

THE FRENCH FUNDS

PARIS, THURSDAY EVENING.
The only quotation we have to make to-day is
the following :—Three per cents. at 72f. 90e.

FRANCE.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVENING,

Another meeting of the Conferences was to have
taken place to day, bu't none has been held. It
turns out, according to the explanations given by
the government organs, that the Conferences are
not to meet every other day, as hail been expected
and as was announced, because the time required
to draw up the minutes of each sitting will prevent
such frequent meetings. This means, no doubt,
that the " minutes," instead of being a frank
straightforward account of what really takes place,
will be modified so as to suit the views of each
Plenipotentiary. This explanation, however, is not
satisfactory to the public, who imagine that " some-
thing is amiss." To-day, some'of the Plenipotentia
ries having nothing to do, have been down to St.
German's.

In spite of the secrecy to which the negociators
are bound, the impression is pretty general, in well
informed quarters, that peace is not by any means
so certain as it was the fashion to suppose. The
discussion, which I told you yesterday, is believed
to have taken place about the armistice, was cer-
tainly not re-assuring ; and, to-day, I hear it said,
with some confidence, that the Russian negociators
though they had paraphed, as the phrase is,
the draft of the articles to be discussed, have
intimated that they must "refer to St. Petersburg
for instructions" on certain points of the fifth
article of the conditions. It is said also, not only
that they are not disposed to consent to the
destruction of Nicolaieff so easily as had been
imagined, but that they will not even consent to
the destruction of the Northern forts
of Sebastopol without a struggle. Another
circumstance, which has had some effect in
diminishing the hopes of peace is this—lt
is confidentially asserted, amongst military men,
that the Emperor lately wrote to Marshal
Pelissier to beg of him to inform him frankly how
the army under his command would receive peace;
and that tha reply of the Marshal, just received,
is to the effect, that the army would be highly dis-
satisfied with peace, until something on a much
grander scale than has yet been attempted, be done
against the Russians.

In consequence of the more gloomy view which
is taken of la situation to-day, the Bourse has again
declined. Another circumstances also influenced
it—though that circumstance, also, is not of the
most reassuring character possible :—lt is that
the agens de change, fearing that the Conferences
may take an unfavourable turn, and knowing that
such an event would, in all probability, cause a
terrible fall, have called on their clients to give the
extra security for the payment of their losses—if
any.

An affair was mentioned to me the other day, of
such an extraordinary character, that I refused
to believe it, and, therefore did not notice it; but
it turns out to be too true, and this it is—Lord
Cowley, our Ambassador here, thought fit to
demand that he should take precedence of Lord
Clarendon in the Conferences, on the ground that
he held the higher dignity of the two, inasmuch,
as in his capacity of Ambassador, he represents the
person of the Sovereign, whereas Lord Clarendon
is only a simple minister. Lord Clarendon
answered, that as Minister of Foreign affairs
he was Lord Cowley's superior, and as such
was determined to take the first place. In high
dudgeon Lord Cowley referred to London for a
decision, and he was peremptorily ordered to con-
tent himself with the second place. But he was
so indignant at this, that he notified to Count
Walewiski, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs,
that ho would not attend the grand dinner which
he gave on Monday to all the plenipotentiaries,
so as not to meet Lord Clarendon. Count Walewski,
fearing that the absence of one of the English
plenipotentiaries on such an important occasion
would produce a bad effect, entreated him to attend,
but Lord Cowley refused; thereupon, in order to
lessen the effect of his absence, the Turkish
ambassador, Mehemmed Djeniil Bey, was induced
to stop away also. In the concert, however, which
followed, Lord Cowley deigned to show himself.

It is greatly to be regretted that the Eng-
lish plenipotentiaries should have squabbled
about such a puerile and paltry thing
as a matter of personal precedence. Surely the
representatives of a free couutry ought to be wise
enough to disregard such tomfoolery. As the
matter stands, it seems that Lord Cowley is in the
wrong, for Lord Clarendon is his superior :—and
most undoubtedly he is his superior in intellect.