The Express.
London, England, 1868-12-30 00:00:00

OUR PARIS LETTER.

(MOM OUR OWN 0011/115POWDIDIT.)

I'ARIS. TOIODAT li'vssfuro.

The very confident tone in which the Considu-
-11,1,14 announces that the conference will meet
shortly in Paris, and the absence of any positive
news to the contrary, produced on the Bourse a
fecovery of 20c. from yesterday's fall of 371 c. in
the Berate. The France itself, which three days
ago spoke of the basis of the conference as an
obstacle not likely soon to be overcome, now says
there is every hope of its meeting before
lung and probably between the 7th and 10th
of January. The Patrie, however, says that all
the current information beyond the two facts
that the conference is accepted in principle and
with the Turkish ultimatum for its basis, is
" premature." The publio takes it for granted
that before the Corps Legislatif meets on
January 18 the conference will have met and
concluded its work satisfactorily.
The Petrie, assuming that the fall at yester-
day's Bourse was in some measure caused by a
rumour that a law was about to be passed
enabling Baden subject. to take service in the
Prussian army, observes that the project in
question has been before the Federal Council
of the North for a long while, but that the Berlin
Cabinet seems to desire its adjournment sins die.
" The situation, therefore, is just what it was, and
nothing in our relations with the States beyond
the Rhine justifies rumours propagated evidently
for speculative purposes."
Prince Napoleon is so much better that no
further bulletins are issued.

The Marquis de Moustier improves slowly, but
it is hoped he may be removed on Thursday from
the Foreign-office to his private residence in tha
Rue Casimir Perier.

The reiterated challenges of the opposition press
during the last week have at length goaded the
government to take some notice, although in a
lame and indirect way, of the startling allegation
that the great National Museum of the Louvre is
habitually pillaged by its appointed curators, and
that art treasures which connoisseurs and students
miss from the collection are lent by favouritism to
hangers-on of the Court, officials, and even Bona-
partist Clubs. M. Rouher's paper, the Public,
made a very unlucky shot two days ago. It
said in two lines that there had been
no fire at Madame Troplong's, thereby
meaning to deny the specifics allegation that
two of the Louvre paintings had been burned
in her home, but at the same tune leaving uncon-
tredieted the more serious statement that 4) pie-
tines, the property of the nation, were appro-
rriated to tbe decoration of -:.ig-rorra.
Thu COn.tautiennel now admits the fire at Madame
Troplong'., and also the destruction of two pictures
which were the property of the " state." But it
sa3 a these pictures formed no part of the Louvre
collectioa, and that they had hung on tho very
nails where the fire found them ever since the
Restoration. Bo far the defence is a plausible one.
But the Consfinsfionnel speaks only of the two

paintings destroyed, and says nothing of their 38
companions. Coming next to the 37 national pic-
tures which adorn the walls of the petit erra club
in the Chimps Elyges, called the Civet. Imperial,
it confesses the fact that those belong to the
Louvre collection, and that they have been in the
club over since 1880. Then follows the excuse,
namely, that in 1867 (the year of the Exhibition)
" foreigners of distinction, princes, and even
sovereigns were guests of the Carole Im-
perial, and had there an opportunity
of admiring clicf•-dceuttro which they could not
have seen otherwise because the repairs going on
at the Louvre necessitated the temporary taking
downtof the pictures from their ordinary pleoce in
the galleries. Warming with its argument, the
Constilutierinel says that these precious works of
art were in much better condition for their safe pre-
servation in the drawing-rooms of the club than in
the store rooms of the Louvre, whore they would
have been out of sight. Simultaneously—and

this is a very amusing oontradictiOn—the
equally semi-official Public describes the
" MO-d'euvre" of the Louvre, which the
Cercle Imperial was good enough to take oars of
and show to " distinguished foreigners, princes,
and sovereigns" as rubbish not worth hanging
anywhere and not worth talking shout. It having
come out that the two instances to whisk public
attention has been particularly oallaban not the
only owe in which a flagrant bomb of trust has
bean committed by the guardians of the national
museum, the nossfflediegissi onadodes its article

bell the

ER 9 •• -.
, th. • • •• t that the direltor
• Oillinot • • • reply to " hefts!-
. Liu • • • attacks," and that he
• • 'to Ile "good faith end good armee
of the pa • "
The Ossiois, which wee the ant to " bell the
sea," says it shell not reply upon the semi-official
. rt. artatie of the Casantsiliasiesi. bat shall wait for the
Porto coweetwaird which it challenges.