The Express.
London, England, 1857-04-15 00:00:00

THE STATES OF THE CHURCH.

(PROM OUR OWN

ROME, APRIL 9.
We are in the midst of the turmoil, civil, military,
and religious, attendant upon the ceremonies of the
holy week—the splendours of which are increased
in no small degree by the number of imperial and
royal personages who have thought fit to honour the
Eternal City with their presence this year, accom-
panied by suites decked out in uniforms of every
colour in the rainbow. The lion, or rather the
lioness, of the season is decidedly the Princess Olga,
to obtain a sight of whom, as a reigning beauty, the
Romans literally besiege the palace of the Russian
embassy, watching the out-goings and in-comings of
her Imperial Highness, and gazing upon the splan-
did • eepupages prepared for her service with almost
child delight. On Tuesday morning, the princess,
with-her husband, the Crown Prince of Wurtem-
berg, repaired in state to the Vatican, where they
were introduced with all due ceremony into the pre-
sence of his Holiness, to whom, after a special
audience, they. presented the more distinguished
rs membe of their suite.

After the Russian dignitaries, Prince Charles of
Proasia had the honour of being received by the
Pope with the same formalities, and Cardinal
Antonelli came in for his share of homage subse-
quently, according to the usages of the Papal Court.
On Saturday, the King of Portugal's aunt, Donna
Anna di Gesu, with her suite, paid her state visits to
the Pope and the Cardinal.
The royal boxes in St. Peter's and the Sistine
Chapel have been arranged with all fitting regard
to precedence and etiquette, to accommodate King
Maximilian 11. of Bavaria, Queen Christina of Spain,
the Prince Royal of Wurtembcrg and his wife the
Grand Duchess Olga, Prince Charles of Prussia, and
the Princess Anna of Portugal, who, with their re-
spective suites, occupy, as may be well imagined, a
considerable portion of the space set apart for the
convenience of such dignitaries.
The arrival of the Empress of Russia is positively
announced for Tuesday, the 14th inst., exactly when
the pompe and ceremonies of the Easter week will
be concluded. It is indeed affirmed that the Emperor
has expressed a wish that his mother should not
visit Rome until the Paschal solemnities are com-
Meted, it having always been suspected that her
ajesty had a leaning towards the Roman Catholic
faith, which tendency would be infallibly strength-
ened by her witnessing the imposing ceremonies of
the holy week. It appears, however, that the
EMpreas's medical men have likewise been of

opinion that her visit had better be deferred until
after Easter, in order to avoid the fatigue inseparable
r iarti fromparticipating in performances of such a pro.
ton and wearisome nature as those in which his
Holiness engages during the present season.
The royal visitors have been indefatigably era.
ployed this morning in going through the series of
solemnities proper to Holy Thurshiv—high mass is
the Sixtine Chapel, the Pope's beneaietion from the
loggia to the assembled troops, and people in the
ample piazes below; the washing of the feet of
thirteen priests of diftilent nations by his Holinew,
in imitation of the humility of our Saviour whea
performing the some act for his apostles. This is
one of the most singular and interesting of the cere-
monies of holy week, and being performed in the
ample transept of St. Peter's, amidst the gergeou
magnificence of the church decorations and the
richness of military, ecclesiastical, and diplo-
, matic ecatumes, contrasting with the sable dresses
and veils of thousands of ladies in the tribunes,
that colour being de rigueur for admit-ion into those
sesta, it rarely fails to make an impression upon
spectators who witness it for the first time. The
attendance of foreigners this morning seas most
umerous, and everything went off in an orderly
(manner, save the unavoidable amount of pushing in
so great a crowd, and the unseemly haste of more
determined sightseers to rush away front the wash.
ing of thelipoetles' feet, as it is termed, in order to
obtain good places at the following ceremony, which
consists in a dinner prepared for the same apostles is
one of the Vatican halls, at which the Pope, it
about with an apron, condescends to wait upon
guests, and administer to each of them his due por-
tion of fish, wine, salad, and sweetmeats. The
master of ceremonies, or whoever else is charged with
the direction of the whole affair, should surely interfere
to prevent the church from being turned into a
bear-garden by the scampering down the nave of
fussy foreigners; for the Romans themselves, when
attending these solemnities, theatrical as they may
appear, still recollect that they arc performed in a
consecrated building.
The grand and severe beauty of the Princess Olga,
her figure contrasting powerfully with that d
Queen Christina, is well adapted to grace an eccle-
siastical procession. On the present occasion she
only appeared, of course, as a spectator. Her mien,
whilst walking with her husband autl court down
the church, was most dignified ; hut her fissures,
presenting a softened resemblance to the late Em-
peror her father, showed traces either of ill-health
or dejection.
-•- • - - • -- - - - -

The Spanish ambassador, M. A. Mon, has put
arrived in time to revrebent her most Catholic
Majesty amongst the Earopean diplomatists who
te around the Pope upon these occasions.
congregate around the Pope upon tbr,.e occasion,.
On ataxd&y last his Excellency presented him cre-
dentials to Pio Novo, thus resuming the diplomatio
relations between the two courts which had been in-
terrupted for about two yours.

The principal temporal event which has taken
place during the last week in Rome is the great
publicity given to the subscriptions for shares in the
Pio-Centval Railway, and the exertions of the dire,-
tors to get together a satisfactory list. The names
hitherto published show a great proportion of eceles
elastics and religious enrporations, headed by the
Pope him*lf, Queen Christina, Cardinals Antonelli.
Ciacchi, Peed, Vannieelli, and Wiseman, ands man.
ber of ministers, municipalities, and provincial dele-
gates.

AN ELECTORAL CONSPIRACY.

The Augsburg Gaulle has a letter from its °core-
spondent at Pans. who accounts for the late arrests
at Perla in the following manner. Our Registration
Associations and canvassing committees will ba
edified by LOW! Napoleon's notions regarding
electoral proceedings :

" Ledni Rollin had issued from England a mani-
festo, in which he declared that all those French
rpublicans would be false brethren who, by refrain-
ing to vote at the ensuing elections for the Legisktif
Corps, should thus promote and enhance the triumph
of the Imperial government. 'Phis manifesto, nu-
merous copies of which were distributed among the
working classes, particularly in the faubourga du
Temple, de St. Antoine, and St. Marceau, led to the
formation of election committees in those districts,
for the purpose of combining the various sections of
the opponents of the government under one banner,
so as to unite their votes in favour of the candidates
by the election committees. Not satisfied
117117115, the disciples of M. Ledru Rollin specially
directed their attention to the young professional
students. Now, since by the present election law
every Frenchman on completing his 21st year
is entitled to vote, and has to use his right as 'voter
in that electoral district where lie has resided forth.
last six months, it was evident that among the stu-
dents of medicine, of jurisprudence, and of the Solt.
bonne, thousands (?) of votes might be gained in
behalf of the republican candidates, through such
representations as will seldom fail to produce their
effect upon the youthful students. In order to attain
this object more effectually care was taken to intro-
duce into the different election committees certain
subordinate members of the University and editors
of the Berme de Parts, who were popular in the
Qaartier Latin.

" The government at first looked quietly on at
these proceedings ; but when it was perceived that
the election committees were every day more and
more extending their agitation amongst the labour-
ing classes, and diverting their choice from the
government candidates, the government determined
to arrest the ringleaders in a body. As the central'
election committee met nearly every day in the eighth
district of the city, the police a week ago caused
the place where the sittings were held to be Bur
rounded by the agents in the evening, and at one
haul captured no less than sixty-four persons. This
was effected on the 31st of March. Three days
later the police heard that on the Paine evening
another meeting was to he held in the 11th district
of the city. They made such excellent arrange-
ments, that again forty-two agitators fell into their
hands. The entire number of the arrested amounts
accordingly to one hundred and six, who are to be
legally proceeded against, not exactly as partici-
pators to any conspiracy against the safety of the
state, but for unlawfully assembling. Such being
their intention, the political importance of these
arrests is notably reduced."

A Paris letter in the Nord or Brussels In
the absence of any great piece of news I send you a little
The proprietor of a reading.roona, in Paris, has received •
singular order. He has been requretod to send to a Vienna
Journal all the articles moat hostile to the policy of Rum*
which appeared in the French Journals of 1853, 1854, and
1&55. la this a matey of mere curiosity—is it a fancy of •
collector—or Is it a preparation for an approaching polemic,
in tha Austrian puss, which it is desired to support by arum
taken from a foreign arsenal 1"

" A few evenings ago," envo the Cott r o'er de Lyon,
" a poor old mtudcian was seated in a street of thin sit y draw.
Mg sounds from an old flute. The charity of the public not
responding to bin hopes, be got tip with a rirb, and me
about to return to his umerabie home, when a permit pawing
by took the instrument treat hie hand end prioneded to play,
in a masterly manner, some of the wont beautiful eompositiona
written for the Bute. A crowd WOO collected, and when the
performr advanced, bat in hand, to oolieit their charity.
silver mini were thrown into it hi abundance. The stranger
emptied the contents into the hand of the old musician, and
without miring to receive his tholes, he disappeared. This
charitable performer warn M. Vsuiderbeeh, first flute at the
St. Petersburg theatre, now on loser of absence in this city." •
A very flattering compliment has just been paid
to Mr. I eter Barrow, her Brittonic Maristy'o consul at
Caen, on the occsaion of his being nominated by Lord Cla•
render to fill a similar poet at Rabat, in Monovo. As soon
am the change became known, letters of a most friendly and
eulogistic character were rent to him by M. Tonne], the pre-
fect of Calvados, General Chatty de is Fume, in command at
the troops In the department, and M. Bertrand, mayor at
Cam. In addition, ate meeting of the With residents, in
address was unanimously adopted, in which deep reared' -
rammed at Mr. Barrow'. departure, and gratitude fur hie
constant attention to the interests of hot countrymen. " Aes
miaowed no we have been on all ocenrions " says this does. •
meat in concluoion, " to experience at your' hands the mote
courteous and kind demeanour, we cannot bid vou farewell
without securing you of our sincere good wishes for the
health and future prosperity of yourself and of bar WA
nearly allied to you.'•
The first of the European and Australian Com-
pany's new steamers will be launched in June next.
The Royal Belgian mail steamer Belgique arrived
at Cowes yeeterday, on her way to Antwerp front the United '
States. BM left New York on the 31st ult. lierEaglish
pumiegen wars landed at Southampton.