The Express.
London, England, 1850-08-28 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, TVISDAT EVVIING.
The President returns to-morrow from his journey
in the east. Next Monday or Tuesday ho will start
for Havre, where a steamer waits to convey him and
hie suite to Cherbourg.
The project of the Lanquet and ball which tLe
Societe du Dix Decemhre intended to give the Pre-''
sident at the Jardin d'Hiver has been abandoned, in
consequence of the representations made from quar-
ters of authority as to the impredence of such a
Bonapartist demonstration.
M. Gerber has been arrested at Strasbourg, on the
charge of conspiring against the life of the President.
Toe question of the moment is the political 'Marion
of the councils-general, which assembled yesterday.
An infinite diversity of opinion seems to prevail as to
the part which these departmental bodies are called
upon to play at the present crisis. Many of those
who were not long ago most forward in urging the
councils to express political wishes, now, findicg
inaction their cue, question the right of these pro-
vincial assemblies to meddle with politics at all. The
ultra-legitimists would stop the mouth of the coun-
cils, because all revision of the constitution before the
appointed time would strengthen the hands of the
present executive too much for their purposes. If an
upper parliamentary house were formed, the divisions
that would ensue between it and the lower chamber
would evidently sap the supreme power, which now lies
in the legislature, to the advantage of the President. I
If the powers of Louis Napoleon were prolonged, the
monarchical sap of the country would be diverted
from its legitimate channels, for the confirmation of
his own hereditary title; and the difficulty of unseat-'
ing him would be greatly increased. The legitimists
must lose by every serious alteration of the status gap,
unless it be such as to bring in their man at once.
Meanwhile they wish to decentralise France, by con-
ferring upon the couccilsleneral the new extraor-
dinary powers proposedlz
as the bill of M. de Seze. They
wish to render municipalities independent of the
government as poasib Fe. They wish to extend the
term of the sessions of the councils-general, and to
allow them to appoint permanent committee,.
Another very large and influential body of conser-
vatives, represented in the press by the Assentbke
Nationale, who are for the principles of monarchy In
the abstract, without putting forward any special
dynastic pretension, wish, on the other hand,
to stir up the councils-general to invite the Assem-
bly to proceed at once to the decision of the question
of monarchy or republic. Thus the electoral law of
May 31 has been attended with these singular re-
sults : it has destroyed the desire of Larochejacquelin
and his friends for an appel au people, which the
legitimist. have discovered would be fatal to them
with the present restricted suffrage, and transferred
the plan to that party who were most violently op-
posed to it under the unlimited suffrage from fear of
the socialists. The question of " monarchy or re-
public?" is however easier to put than solve. The
man who would put it now would refer to the new
constituency for its isolation. But the danger of throw-
ing down such a topic of agitation upon a fresh
wound, still fraught with incalculable issues, is
obvious. Thedistranchised would never behold quietly
such a question settled without consulting them, and
an immediate occasion would be given to the demo-
cratic party for repairing its passive defeat.
The following telegraphic despatch has been
ceived today from Mets :

Avourr 26, 6 P.M.—TIn President re-entered the hotel
of the prefecture after lining reviewed the national guard
and the troops of the pram. After hie arrival yesterday
evening, he to tienedintely the authorities sad mutt-
Med bodies. The meathess of the maul aid societies, as
will as than of the ageisaltural council, canoe in great num •
ben to think Ina belie sellstinde for their respective
inati-
tutioas. This mene visited the cathedral, where he
was received by the bishop, He passed two hours in the
& tole
dal of the le d'App ication, which he put through
their manorume. He examined the arsenal, and then
visited the civil and military hospitals. Them different
drives, and the grand review which followed, gave him occa-
sion to traverse the town in all directions, and to place him-
self in contest with an inuneese population which tbcked
from all quarters. He has bore resolved with the greatest
devotion and sympathy. The King of Prawn the King of
Hoiland, and **King of the Belleau sent high function-
aries to complimeat the President on his name. Several
se tier aims of the garrison of Bambreek (in the Bavarian
P ) Joined them.

The President replied to the address of the Mayor
of Mete in these terms:

I eMiappyTo udMyeelf Pk the department of the
Moselle, ems of the Met of them whose vote eontributed to
throw open to me the ptts of ay Nutty. 1 am In pu-