The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-14 00:00:00

IMPRESS FROM PARIS.

Mom ova ow,

P AEI.% THURSDAY EVEILNO.

Although reported words and patent acts of the
French Emperor have in these latter times betrayed
a hesitation in regard to the independence of Italy,
and a sort of looking back to the miserable scheme
of Villafranca, I think I cannot be mistaken in now
saying that the tendencies of the hour are more
favourable than they were at any period before
Count Cavour's death. In the opinion of those
most likely to know, the Emperor, as a "man of
his epoch," professes to be more than ever con-
vinoed that the temporal power of the Popo can-
not be preserved. He will still temporise, still
propose expedients which ha knows neither party
will accept, but be hopes that the Pope will
finally see that the interests of the church
point to the abandonment of Rome, and will
certainly not impose upon Victor Emmanuel, as a
condition of recognising his title of the King of
Italy, any permanent obligation to maintain the
sovereignty of the Pope even in his pMeent
restricted dominion.

The jesuitical journals throughout the world
are making a most unnecessary fuss about the fact
of Count Cavour having received the ordinary
sacraments of the Roman catholic church before he
died. To read them you would suppose that the
noble deceased had abjured the religion in which
he was born, and that his death-bed conversion
was an event of first-rate importance. The
sober truth, as given by your Turin cor-
respondent, entirely swords with all the
reliable information received here. There is no-
thing in the antecedents of Count Cavour to afford
the slightest presumption that he would have re-
pudiated the extreme unction of the catholic church.
The only way in which the melancholy matter-of-
course news could have been tortured into political
consequence would have been by showing that the
priest who attended him in his latter momenta had
been specially authorised by Rome to grant the
rites of the church to an excommunicated man, or
had taken upon himself to receive his recantation.
Not only is there no evidence, no probability of
any such recantation having taken place, but posi-
tive; and uncontradicted testimony, added to the
presumption arising from the well-known liberal
character of the officiating priest, proves in the
strongest manner that the whole story is the
weaken of all possible inventions. Cavour, in his
dying momenta, received the Roman catholic
sacrament just in the same spirit as he
might have received it in the pride and fulness
of health, and never for an instant contemplated
any retraciation of his political opinions concern-
ing the temporal power of the Pope, or any repen-
tance for the part he had taken&in diminishing de
facto the extent of the Papal States. This fact is
admitted with wailing and vituperation by the Os-
:eke de France, which says that the archiepiscopal
authorities of Turin knew nothing, and permitted
nothing, relating to the administration of the last
rites of the church to Count Cavour, and iisinuatas
that he must have received them at the hands of
" • priest unfaithful to his duty." The fact is, that
the rabid Roman catholic.; bite the dust with rage
because Cavour was not refused Christian

It appears that although M. Grapier de Caseag-
nee is to resume his thunder in the Coustitutioluis/,
he will not supersede M. Grandguillot as redacteur
en chef. His engagement is to contribute six lead-
ing articles per month, and, unless he should
diate the character attributed to his pen by, M.
Limayrao (who succeeds him in the direction of the
Patric), these articles will be, in the strictest sense
of the word, "governmental." The readiness of
M. de Cassagnac to play such a part (notwithstand-
ing the embolic flag which he sometimes hangs out
with much ostentation) was shown in hia last
speech in the Corps Legialatif, when he said, 66
am accused of not being independent ; ever sines I
have sat in this house, I have uniformly voted with
the majority ; do you admit that you are not inde-
pendent 1" This logic calls to mind the celebrated
apostrophe of M. Guizot, " Gentlemen, do you feel
yourselves corrupt ?"
For the last two days we have been enjoying
come real summer weather, notwithstanding the
heavy rain on June 8 (St. Medard). This happy
change gives credit to a French proverb, which
attributes to St. Barnabas, whose fesat occurs on
the 11th, the power of neutralising the malign
influence of St. MedarcL It was fine here on St.
Barnabas' day (let Pimlico rejoice),, and it has been
fine ever since.
The Bourse, without any assigned reason, has
• lost the ground it gamed yenterday. •