The Express.
London, England, 1857-12-22 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(VIOK OCR OWN CORIMPONDUNT.)
PARIS, Mon-DAT ETEN7WO.
The Patric, speaking, as I have reason to believe,
on better authority than the Cesetilutiormel did the
other day, when it represented that the late increase
of the import duty upon foreign spirits to 25fr. was
merely an instalment of protection, and that 50fr.
would probably be the figure next year, thinks that
"the Consfitutionnel is u much in error in regard

to the intentions of the government se it is with
respect to the interests which it professes to serve.'
This journal cites with approbation a resolution of
the Chamber of Commerce of Montpelier (the centre
of the principal brandy producing district in
France) to the effect that 15fr. was quite a sufficient
protection against foreign spirits, those of Germany,
which are the cheapest of all, included. Why
(asks the Patric) should the government oho*
itself more protectionist than the parties interested ?
This question would be more pointed if the govern-
ment had not, in fact, just raised the duty which the
interested parties" referred to consider sufficient,
from 16fr. to Mr. Ilowever, it may, I think, be
taken for granted that the sympathies of the govern-
ment are really with free-trade doctrines, and that
any concession to the immense amount of prejudice
on the subject which prevails in France is made
against the grain. The anatitutionnel, although a
government journal, has oertain ultra-protectionist
writers on its staff who are sometimes allowed to
have their own head.

The Bourse has been very firm, almost brilliant,
although there was a reaction in the Rento at the
close. After having touched 68fr. 10c., the Rente
for account closed at 67fr. 86c., with a rise of 46c.
For cash the last price was 67fr. 65e., being a rise
of 50e. Mobilier rose 67fr. 50c. The Orleans Rail-
way rose 271 r. 50c.; Northern,lofr.; Eastern, 10fr.;
Lyons, 13fr.; Southern, 13fr.; Western, 12fr. 30o.;
and Grand Central, 7fr. 50e.

Fourteen millions of francs In specie hare lately
arrived at Marseilles, and sixteen millions more; are
expected before the end of the month. It is said
that an arrangement has been made by:Whicli-&
Comptoir d'Escompte will be' prepared to-leliniutty
millions in aid of trade in the maritime ports.
The arming of the vessels under orders for China
ii going, on actively ;at Toulon. ,These vesige
however, are only three in number: the steam
corvette Laplace, the first class gun-boat, Alarme,
and the mixed transport Gironde. They are ;ex-
pected to be ready for7ees on Christmas-d 5, and
wilLPrOceed direct to Hong Kong.
The Manorial de Lille, :a Bonapartist journal,
which was lately suppressed in tho ordivary,course
of impala: law (on a second conviction Pi &,Court
of Justice), for a libel upon M. Brame, the success-
ful opposition candidate for Lille, has been relieved
front its sentence by a special exercise of the
Emperor's prerogative!.
It is affirmed this evening in official circles that
the French government is not prepared to support
M. de Leseeps (who, as you are aware, is now at
Constantinople) in his attempt to obtain imme-
diately from the Sultan a firman for piercing the
Isthmus of Suez.

The DEDate, in announcing that the annual:meet-
ing of the Society for the Encouragement of Primary
Instruction of Protestant Children in France will be
held on Wednesday, takes the opportunity of calling
attention to the grievances of French protestants,
which have been frequently alluded to by M. Guizot
in the speeches which he is in the habit of making
at these meetings. The root of the evil, the !Mats
considers to he the exaction of an authorisation from
the administrative authorities before any place of
worship or school can be opened. And there can be
no doubt that in numberless instances the autho-
rities with whom the veto is entrusted do
in practice defraud protestant, of that fall
measure of freedom to which they are entitled,
both by the spirit and letter of the French code.
It is a too common fault of French law that it gives
a liberty with one hand and takes it away with
another. The habit is to entrust such a large dis-
cretion to the administrators of the laws that they
afford no guarantee to citizens for the enjoyment of
those rights which are, in principle, sacred and in-
contestable. In:the present instance, the prefect, or
some other local authority, can oppose the opening
of a new protestant church or school on the vague
and general ground that it would be injurious to
public morality (mature publique). They very often
refire, the requisite authorisations, not from any
feeling of intolerance, of which the present govern-
ment and most of its servants would certainly be
I acquitted by its worst enemies, but they refuse, as
M. Guizot once said, in order to save themselves
trouble. An immense number of influences are brought
to bear upon a prefect against a protestant school.
It is ten to one that the bishop will be
hand and glove with the prefect's wife, and of
course all the Catholic clergy will pester him with
objections through the various channels that are
open to them. The Debate well observes, that the
special characteristic of liberty, and that which
beyond all others brings liberty into discredit in
France, is that it gives trouble." The authorities,
therefore, in bucking an incipient protestant church
or school on the convenient ground that it would be
against mature publique, merely yield to a tempta-
tion generally irresistible to all official people—they
take what they find to be the easiest course. The
Debate, the spirit of whose remarks I have very
freely abridged, concludes by ironically observing
that France, which boasts of possessing the moat
perfect repressive system in the world, might surely
allow protestants as much liberty as they have in
England, and trust to the public prosecutor to punish
any dereliction from public morality. " Since we
are so rich in repressive machinery, let us at least
turn a part of our riches to the profit of our liberties."