The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-06 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(riox oo ow

PARIS, MONDAY EVENING.

It appears to be certain that the Pope refuses to
grant Franca the satisfaction of the dismissal of
Mgr. de Merode, and the following paragraph is
sent into the provinces to-night by the lithographed
correspondence, which takes its tone from a govern-
ment office :

Whatever newspaper 4 and correspondents may say, you
may be quite certain that the Merode affair is not over. Ac
cording.to what is told me,the respectful negotiation opened
with Rome not having led to anyldecisive result, the Empe-
ror's government is now insisting in such a pressing manner
as to make a further dilatory answer impossible. A refusal
on the Fart of the Vatican may lead to very rave con-
seqxsenoes.

The J(nirsol trlsulre et Lvire recounts an eccle-
siastical scandal in France, which parvis componere
magna may be classed with the great De Merode
quarrel. At Chinon, on Wednesday last, there
was • meeting for the distribution of prizes at the
communal schools directed by the brethren of the
Doctrine Chatienne. It was a great provincial
fete—the mayor, the sub-prefect, the president of
the civil tribunal, the procureur-itnperial, and a
host of minor functionaries were present. After
examining the children, the curd of Marcay, M.
l'Abbd Bordeaux, pronounced a discourse which
began by a history of the confraternity of the Doc-
trine Chrdtienne, but gradually his eloquence took
a political turn, and, after disposing of the revolu-
tion of 1830, he proceeded to attack the empire
and the Emperor's campaign in Italy in
such lively terms that all the function-
aries present rose and retired. The Pro-
oureur-Imperial, acting upon the evidence
of his own ears, arrested the priest then
and there, and he has already undergone a first
interrogation. A search at his house has brought
to light the written text of his seditious speech.
The journal above cited, which of course is an
organ of the prefecture, says that " the public is
unanimous in awarding the highest praise to all the
authorities."

Father Ventura's funeral was performed to-day
at Versailles. Contrary to expectation, very few
people went from Paris to attend it. The secretary
of the nunciature, Mgr. Meglia, received special
orders from Rome to get possession of the
deceased's papers; but the Temps says that Father
Ventura some time since confided certain important
documents throwing a light upon the history of the
Romish church to private friends, who will publish
them in proper time.
The Bourse remained very nearly in atatu quo.
The Rente closed without change. Mobilier roes
2fr. 50c. In railways there was no decisive move-
ment.

The Patric announces that M. Solar does not "ap-
pear disposed to accept" the judgment pronounced
against him by default, and as evidence of this not
very distinct proposition, it mentions that he has
instructed an avoud to serve a formal notice of
opposition to it. In consequence, the Paris
continues, M. Solar should appear in person (devrait
se primate,. en personae) to take hisirial, and the
case stands fixed for Thursday, August & This
"unlocked-for incident," it is further stated, may
very likely have the effect of postponing the bear-
ing of M. Mires' appeal. lam not in the secret,
but I think it very safe to prophecy that Solar
will continue to be scarce in France. The legal
formality which he has gone through by his agent
will phlox him in no worse position, although he
may continue to give the court the leg bail which
has hitherto kept him out of harm's way. The step
is probably merely resorted to as a manoeuvre to
gain time for Mires.
M. Thiers was very nearly drowned last Friday,
while bathing at Poys, near Dieppe. He was
carried out by a wave, and when brought to shore
by a bathing man, who swam after him, had lost
consciousness. He, however, speedily recovered,
and is now none the worse for his mishap.
The picture of the battle of Solferino, by M.
Yvon, and that of the battle of the Alma, by M.
Pile, have just been removed from the Exhibition
Palace in the Champs-Elys6es to the permanent
exhibition in the galleries of Versailles.
This is the hottest day we have yet had iu Paris
this summer. At 2 o'clock the centrigrade ther-
mometer marked 30 degrees above Zero.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN PRANCE.
--*--

If liberty of conscience is one day finally to rule
over the earth, the Prase yesterday published a letter
which proves that we are not yet arrived at that consum-
mation. Can it be believed that m 1861, not in Austria or
in Spain, but is France, at • few miles distance from Paris,
permission to have • protestant instructor has been refused
to the protestant families of the Haute Vienna The pro-
testant communes of that department have since 1552 had
only catholic schools; the protestant schoolshave been
closed, and repeated solicitations for their re-opening have
been made in vain. The commune of Villefavard, contains
about six hundred inhabitants, all catholic except five fa-
milies. It is to protect these five families, two of which
only occasionally redde in the district, against
the religious propaganda, that the authorities op-
pose the opening of • protestant school. The pre-
fectoral decree declares that tranquillity would be
disturbed io the commune of Villefavard, because all the
children in the country would be instructed io • religion dif-
ferent from that of • dozen among them. The five orthodox
families of Villefavard must be very intolerant and very in-
fluential to bring down the strong hand of the prefect in
this manner. But why should we be astonished! Have
we not come to consider it • sort of triumph for religious
liberty that Tertgre is allowed to be played in the theatres
of our great towns! Let us rejoice, then, for Moline's
great comedy figures in the programme of the pieces which
the comedians of the Theatre Francais are going to perform
at Lyons. And here are we, in the nineteenth century,
forced to applaud this permission as • mark of the liberal
spirit of the government Tartans is, beyond dispute, •
masterpiece ; but Moline, if he were to return to life
would not hesitate to add • few touches to his principal
character, borrowed from certain types of hypocrisy which
we have in our eyes—that is to say, if he were left as
much at liberty as he was in the reign of Louis XIV. —Le
Steels,

The Grand Duke of Baden, it is said, intends to
accompany the King of Prussia is his visit to ()stead. Hii
Mainsty will there meet the King of the Belgians, the
Duke of Sexe•Cohurg, and other high personages.

_ .
"It is stated," says a Berlin letter, " that the
Kingcl Prussia will not only visit Chalons, but proceed to
Pan' to present his respects to the Empress of the French.
The confirmation of the news that the King is to visit
France produced here a considerable rise on the Bourse."

A Berlin letter rotates that a new'order of inight,
hoed will be created to commemorate the coronation at
Kmaigiberg.

The Einita Italians, the Massinian organ of
Milan, announces that General Garibaldi has been one of
the first to sign the protest, origiaatiag with Mazzini,
against the occupation of Rome by the French.
The wall-known Irishman, Thomas Francis
Meagher, is reported as among the killed in the Sght at
Bull's LLD. He was co the side of the North, being a
captain of the 69th &naves.