The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-14 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, FIIDAT EVINtaO.
A committee of representative wu appointed :o-
day on the government bill for tbelway of the
West. The majority of the committee appear to be
favourable to the bill.
The National makes the following observations on
the bill in question:
It Is easy to an why the government is anxious to ter-
minate this affair. The Versailles (Loft Bank) Railway
Company obtained in 1839 • loan from the government
of five millions of francs, and the government has sines
then never been able to receive back either its capital
or interest. The Constituent Assembly gave orders to
have the property of the company mired on. Proceedings
were commenced, but not urged oo ; and now, la order to
save the company, it is determined to concede the Western
line to a company which will pay back to the state the ad-
vance which it could not otherwise obtain. The concemion
in question consequently may be summed no (nth, fact of a
present of five millions being mad* to the Versailles (Left
Bank) company. But the company Welshes the concession
ban taken care to gaud itself from loss The state abandons
to it for nothing, with the exception of three millions reim-
bursed for stock and rails on the line between Versailles and
Chartres, all the works executed en to the present time with
the money of the budget—via , the stations of Paris and Van-
girard, 5,380,0021 r. • works between Versailles and Chartres,
28.000 Mfr.; works between Chartres and La Loupe,
3,000,6001 x.; works beyond La Loupe, 3,380.0001 r. It en
gages, in edition, to finish the works of art and earth works
as far as Rennes. The company is to lay down the iron-way
between Chartres and Relines, and to furnish the nemesary
stock for working the line. It may hewn from the/state-
ment that the state, in the first place, pays the new company
dear enough for the five millions which it gives to the Ver.
sallies (Left Bank) company; but, in order not to lavish
his favours etelusively on the Left Bank Company, M.
Bioeau prepcsee to oast/tract, at the ant of the state, the
line which is to join the Right Bank Railway with that to
Rennes. We should have imagined that the increase la the
circulation produced by that junction would have enabled
the financiers of the Place du Hem to construct it at their
own eost; but we have not the honour of living, like M.
Dineen, in the midst of capitalists, and we no doubt do not
understand the full consideration which is due to them.
The state is also to construct, at its own expense, the branch
hoe to Viruflay, that being an additional trifle of 680,0001 r.
felling on the treasury. Ralf a million given to the Right
Bank Company is certainly very little, when five millions
are given to the Left Bank Company.

In the Assembly's sitting of to-day a debate took
place upon the third reading of the bill introduced by
M. St. Priest for the prevention of usury. The pro-
position was defended by M. Laboulie, but attacked
by the Minister of Justice on the ground that the law
of 1807 was enough. After a speech from M. Odilon
Barrot against the bill, the first article, which con-
tained its principle, was rejected by 366 yot.es against
293. The sitting then broke up.
A letter from Angoulime states that the Abbe-
Gothland, on being taken to the prison of that town,
recovered from the profound discouragement into
which his condemnation bad thrown him, and on
every day since he has smoked his pipe nearly the
whole of the day. When arrested, hie pecuniary re-
sources were very small, and they appear to have been
entirely exhausted by his outlay for tobacco. The day
after his condemnation he wrote the following letter
to M. Beyselance,rerponsible editor of the Republicain
de la Charente, who is confined for some offence of
the press :—" Sir,—l am absolutely without tobacco.
You know that it is a cruel privation—almost a
torture— for a smoker. Would you have the
kindness to send me enough to fill my pipe ?"
The journalist immediately forwarded him a pound
of tobacco. Minute precautions have been taken to
prevent the culprit from committing suicide. lie con-
verses freely with the turnkeys. After his condem-
nation he described to them with great calm his im-
pressions, his hopes, during the last day of the trial,
and his surprise and despair on hearing himself con,
damned. Surprise having been expressed at the dir
appearance of the letters he had received from Ma-
dame Allier, he stated that he had torn them up to
light his pipe. Jeans Bearne, the servant of Mine.
du Sableo, who, it witl be remembered, was arrested
' in the course of the trial for baring given false evi-
dence, is kept in secret confinement, and was fre-
quently interrogated by a magistrate. She has, it is
said, made important revelations.
M. Mon quits Paris to-day to repair to Madrid,
where he is expected to take the portfolio of Finance.
The provincial journals prosecuted by the Napo-
leonist organs of Paris for defamation have been
acquitted.
Monsignor Garibaldi, the new nuncio, is arrived at
Marseilles.