The Express.
London, England, 1861-07-05 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(not ous owx

PARIS. THURSDAY Evsstsa.
As a corollary to my observations yesterday on
the improbability of the Patrie's assertion that no
, negotiations were yet going on with regard to the
settlement of the Roman question, I may observe
that Count Arese, the Emperor's old friend, who
went to Fontainebleau on a special mission from
Victor Emmanuel, accompanies his Majesty to
Vichy. General Fleury, who has also gone to
Vichy, will leave for Turin in a day or two as a
special ambassador, to compliment the King of
Italy on the recognition of his new title. The
permanent representative of France in Italy will
for the present have the rank of minister plenipo.
tentiary only, and not that of ambassador.
A rather important question is raised by the
journals about the meaning of a passage in
Baron Ricasoli's last great speech. He was
understood, according to the telegram, to have
spoken of an "event" as in preparation which
would facilitate the acquisition of Venice by Italy,
and it has been very generally taken for granted
that the event pointed to was a war between Aus-
tria and Hungary. But now that full translations
of his speech are published, it seems to be thought
that he did not speak of any particular eventuality
as present to his mind, but merely expressed his
faith in a general way that "opportunity," which
ripens all things, would not fail to occur. The
point cannot be settled till we see the Italian
text, for the French translations differ. Although
the Pays and Patrie carp in a small way at Rica.
soli's speech, I have good reason to think that it
did not thwart the real designs of the French
Emperor.
There has been a really important rise on the
Bourse to-day, owing to the Bank directors having
separated without raising the discount. The Rents
rose 25c. for cash and 200. for account, closing at
67fr. 900. and 67fr. 95c. Mobilier rose Bfr. 75c.
All the railways were higher. Lyons rose 12fr. 50c.,
Northern, Ur. 25c., and Southern, Mr.
Le Temps fastens upon a passage in Count Walew-
ski's speech, which particularly struck me when I
heard it yesterday, for the purpose of expressing
dissent. "The whole discourse," says this journal,
"seems to us strongly tinged with optimism, and
we think the artists themselves must be astonished
at hearing the minister talk of the great progress
revealed by the exhibition of this year.' The im-
pressions of the critics and the public were
altogether different. It is somewhat rash
to compare our present schools of sculpture
and painting with the splendours of Italian
renaissance. Such a pretension would have been
hyperbolical, even thirty years ago, when the walls
of the exhibition were crowded with the works of
really eminent artists, the survivors of whom sel-
dom
care to exhibit now. As to the 'letters of
nobility,' which the minister says are now pictures
bought by parvenus, we fear that most buyers of
pictures are speculators, who hope to sell again.
Our galleries are but bazaars, and Mseceuases are
for the most part brokers."
The Court of Appeal of Riom (reversing the de-
cision of an inferior tribunal) has found a priest,
the Abb4S Vacher, guilty of publicly insulting the
Emperor, propagating false news, and exciting
citizens to hatred and contempt of each other.
The corpus &heti consisted in a conversation in a
railway carriage, wherein the priest, after diligently
reading his breviary, pursuant to ecclesiastical
instructions, talked to two fellow-passen-
gers, whose position in life he had ascer-
tained, in the way best calculated to
stir them up to disaffection. To one who let out
that he had a son in the army, and was glad to
think that there was not likely to be war, the priest
said, " True ; but there will be revolution ; the Em- •
peror will not keep his place long, because he wants
to despoil the Pope." To the other—a shoemaker,
who complained of the high tux which he paid for
his patent—the supple ecelesiastic—" all things to
all men "—explained that the reason why poor
tradesmen were oppressed was that the Emperor
paid such large salaries to his courtiers. The court
below acquitted the Abbi Vacher on the professed
ground of the extreme stupidity of the witnesses
against him. The appeal court, however, thought
their testimony was credible, but, admitting
" extenuating circumstances," let the defendant off
with a fine of 23fr. and costs.