The Express.
London, England, 1857-03-17 00:00:00

AFFAIRS AT ROME.

(PROW OUR OWN

INDIST.)

ROME, biota! 12.

The electric telegraph has been in requisition of
late to call home those liritish visitors whose par-
liamentary interests render their presence more im-
portant at the present crisis in England than in tho
Eternal City. Mr. Egerton and Mr. Carew, with
several other gentlemen, leave Rome immediately,
to take part in the approaching elections. The
majority of the British colony, however, will remain
here until after Easter, the usual period for the de-
parture of foreigners northwards.
Amongst other celebrities we have here the young
Prince Dhuleep Sing, who is travelling en familia
with Sir John and Lady Logan, and proposes re-
maining another week in Rome. The King of Ba-
varia will probably stay over Easter, and the arrival
of the Empress-Dowager of ltusaia—a visit which,
it is calculated, will cost the Roman government
about 200,000 ecudi--is stilt looked for on the 27th
of this month, a numerous staff of carriages, coach-
men, ciceroni, and !aerials de place having been en-
gaged for that important event. The Russian steam-
frigate was off Fiumicino some time ago, examining
the practicability of that port for the Empress's
landing.
The character of Roman occupations and amuse-
ments boa entirely changed since the carnival. Tho
"fat and greasy citizens," instead of screaming,
pelting, and masquerading in the Corso, are now
frequenting their respective churches with laudable
regularity, comparing notes occasionally as to the
pulpit superiority of the Jesuit orator at the Gesal,
or the Capuchin at San Lorenzo e Damaso, the two
favourites amongst the quaresimal declamators of
the present season. Balls and masquerades amongst
the foreign circles have given place to picnics and
musical parties. One or two of the latter reunions have
proved prejudicial to the ecclesiastical reputation of
the renowned soprano Mustafi, one of the singers in
the Papal chapel, who has been severely repri-
manded by his superiors for indulging English au-
diences with impassioned airs from modern operas,
instead of limiting his dulcet tones to the severer
compositions of Allegri and Pslestrina, as would
have been more strictly in accordance with the cha-
racter of so distinguished a member of the Pontifical
choir. The too yielding Mustafa has been threat-
ened with suspension from office and imprisonment
if he again transgresses the conventional gravities of
Lent by warbling profane operatic music.

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(rim ova ow! col

PARIS, MOADAT EVENI7‘O.

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•W'

There was a report last night that the Neufchatel
Conference had held a Sunday meeting, but nothing
of the kind took place. M. de Ilatefeldt did, in-
deed, receive on Saturday night fresh instructions
from his government, which were brought by M.
de Rosenberg, Councillor of the Prussian Legation, and
it was very generally supposed that the Conference
would be at once resumed in consequence. But the
better opinion now is that these instructions are
rather of a nature to delay than tohasten a solution
of the question. The uniform tenor of the news
from Berlin tends to show that the King of Prussia
will not readily fall in with the plan for the settle-
ment of the difficulty invented at the Tuileries.
The scheme was simply this. The Fm-
peror Napoleon said to the Swiss plenipotentiaries:—
" I know that the King of Prussia is ready and
desirous to renounce his rights in the principality of
Neufchatel, but his honour as an independent sove-
reign will not permit him to barter those rights
against the release of the royalist rebels whom you
hold in custody. If, however, you will set your
prisoners at liberty unconditionally and trust to me,
I can promise you privately, though not officially,
bocau.se I have no official warrant to make the pro-
mise, that the King of Prussia will, while appearing
to act of his own mere motion, do all you want."
The Swiss government, contrary to the warm
protest of M. James Fasy, and some few other libe-
rals, accepted this promise, to avoid bloodshed, and
the simple state of the case is that according to all
present appearances it is likely to he jockeyed.
However, the papers here continue to profess
confident hopes that all will ultimately come right,
and abound in soft sawder with regard to the King
of Prussia, whose magnanimity, moderation, chival-
rous feelings, and so forth, cannot, they say, but lead
to a satisfactory result.
It is now doubted whether the Swiss envoy, Dr.
Kern, will be admitted to the third sitting of the
Conference, whenever that may be held, it being
thought that the communication of M. de Hat zfeldt's
last instructions will be the only business done on
that occasion.
At the Bours.e the Itente, although somewhat
neglected, in consequence of the attention of specu-
lators being occupied by the railway half-monthly set-
tlement, was very firm, and closed with a rise of 10e. for
cash, and 20c. for account, at 71fr. and 71fr. 20c.
rose 2fr. 50c., and Bank of France 75fr.
The railway market was animated. It is calculated
that the new tax will not amount to more than 3
per cent. upon the income of the companies, the
most hardly used, and that in many instances it will
be less than 21 per cent. This, whatever quiet
shareholders may think of it, does not frighten tho
Bourse people. y They took great comfort to-day
from a rout attributed to the EmEeersor, when pressed
by some members of the Corps •. latif, to put a
duty ripen transfers, to the effect at he would not
kill the goose that laid the golden egg. fire dune
ragiotage. The Orleans railway rose 15fr. • Lyons,
15fr.; Mediterrancan,l2fr. 50c.; Southern, 21 fr. 25e;
Eastern, 71r. 50c. ; and Western 10fr. Grand Cen-
tral fell Bfr. 75e. ; and Northern, 2fr. 50e.
The Prow, in explanation of the discrepancy be-
tween its valuation of the probable product of the
new tax and that made by other journals, observes
that its estimate of 21 millions was based upon the
total receipt from the whole 15c., while the odic,:
calculations were founded only upon 10c.—namely,'Mi
augmentation over and above the 3e. imposed the
law of 1850.

_.. _ _._...
The Emperor wishing to follow up by example
the precepts contained in his last speech,'Ath regard
to the cultivation of waste lands, hue Oven orders
to the Prefect of the Mutes Pyre'aros to purchase
for his account a large quantity of •Argin soil in the
Landes with the view of elcarurg it and making a
modeln farm.be of women belonging to the department
of the Gironde have arrived at Bayonne to be cra-
ployed in bringing ie.io cultivation the Dunes of
d'Anglet.
All the regiments of the Imperial Guard hare had
banquets to-do', in honour of the first anniversary
of the birth of the Imperial Prince, who, it may be
rememhered, is inscribed as an enfant de troupe on
the muster-roll of the Ist Regiment of Grenadier
t Guards.