The Express.
London, England, 1861-11-08 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(nom oil' own

PARIS. TatmeDATEvimmto.

The government journals, by their awkward zeal
in supportiug the Moniteur, have succeeded in
making still worse the very bad apology officially
offered for the invasion of Switzerland. They all
with one voice echo the mot &mire that the affair
is "quite trivial." It would have been nuts to
them if a leading London journal had arrived here
in time to give them an opportunity of adopting
its simile about dropping a pin to derange a steam-
engine. But this unanimous plea of de minimis
reminds one that a small injustice, like a " small
unkindness," may be a " great offence." It may,
very possibly, be • necessity for chanceries to slur
it over, but there is, at all events, no
reason why a free press should not call a spade
a spade. The Constitutionnet throws off by
saying at tho head of its leading column, "The
Moniteur devotes [consciere] a few lines of its bul-
letin"—as much as to say, the Moniteur is only
too good in noticing such a pitiful matter at all—
"to re-establishing the exact truth concerning the
incident of the valley of Dappes." The " exact
truth !"—this in a pretty strong figure of speech,
seeing that the Moniker, with wise apprehension
of coming criticism, was careful to say, "We are
not yet exactly informed about the incident." The
Pays betrays • consciousness that the "exact in-
formation" waited for will require a good deal of
dressing before it can be decently given to the pub-
lic, when it says, "The further particulars waited
for at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will show
whether or not the French authorities have acted
with too much precipitation, and been guilty of
any excess of zeal." But the Petrie, " inspired "
by M. de la Guerronniere, lets the cat out of the
bag, and represents the " incident" of Dappes as
the " first opportunity," which it was evident
would be "taken hold of," to bring about a " solu-
tion." In spite, therefore, of the complacent asser-
tion of the Moniteur, that the French government
never entertained the idea of settling by force a
" quention " (as it is pleased to call it) pending
since 1816, it is quite plain that this military occu-
pation of the valley of Dappes is a thing delibe-
rately planned for the purpose of working upon
the weakness of Switzerland and the laudable in-
disposition of Europe to engage in a war, in order
to give France an advantage from her own wrong,
and to obtain territory which the reiterated but
I peaceable negotiations of nearly half a century have
failed to transfer from its present owners.
The Constitutionnel, leaving the question of right
and form, and meeting the Swiss objection that, as
a .natter of fact, the possession of the valley of
Dappes by France would materially weaken the
defences of Switzerland, returns to the convenient
argument of which large use was made on the
occasion of the annexation of Savoy and Nice—
viz., that inasmuch as France is powerful enough
to take Geneva or any other part of Switzerland
whenever she likes, the weakening of the Swiss
frontier can be no matter to that country. If this
be so there is some inconsistency upon laying stress
upon the great variety of " guarantees" which
France is now ready to give to Switzerland, if only
she will make no more noise about the present
aggression.
The Bourse has again been much better. There
are rumours, which I incline to credit, that M.
Fould, who is now at Compiegne, will shortly be-
come Finance Minister, and although I look upon
• heavy loan as certain early in next year, his name
inspires confidence. The Rente rose 20c. for cash,
and 15c. for account, closing at 68fr. 75e. in each
case. Mobilier rose 101 r., the Italian Loan 25e.
The Lyons Railway rose 15fr., and the other lines
from 2fr. 50c. to Mr.

Boma curiosity was felt three days ago to know
the destination of a detachment of 00 gendarmes
of the Guard which left Paris suddenly by the
Lyons Railway. It now appears that they were
sent for by Marshal Niel to assist in watching
"bands of incendiaries" who have lately set fire
to a great many buildings in the southern district
under his command. The Gironde of Bordeaux,
of yesterday, speaks of an incendiary fire at Po-
demise, the details of which are not known, and also
of two bombs having been maliciously thrown upon
a railway.

" It appears to be decided," says the Constitu-
timed, "that their Majesties, on leaving Compiegne,
about the liith of December, will take up their residence at
the Tuileries. The Emperor, accompanied by General
Lebeuf, went on foot a day or two ago to visit the Vivenel
Museum, at the Hotel de Ville of Compiegne, and seemed
much interested in the collection of medals it contains.
When his Majesty left the hotel an individual stepped
forward to shake hands with him, which the Emperor
graciously condescended to do ; all the other persons pre-
sent 11.,d the good taste not to intrude on his Majesty, and
merely uncovered as he peened."

A letter from Compihgne of the sth says :
" The first aeries of guests have arrived at the palace.
Among the seventy-five persons of high distinction whom
the Emperor has invited, in addition to the Prince d'Oporto,
the Duke de Beja, Prince Napoleon, and the Princess Clo-
thilde, are the Prince sad Princess Murat and their daughter,
the Princess Anna Murat ; M. Moo, the Spanish anthems-
dor ; Chevalier de Nigro, the Italian representative ; N.
Rouher, Minister of Public Works ; M. Fould, Marshal and
Mme. Regnault St. Jean d'Angily, 11. laity, Genend de
Montauban, the Prefect of the Seine, and the Prefect of
Police."

A letter from Madrid ham the following :—" The
Counties de l&ontijo, mother of the Empress of the French,
be. been seriously ill during the last few days. The Duke
d'Albe, who way at the mom way summoned suddenly to
Csisbanehel, the countess having fainted no less than five
times during the day. The last accounts are less unfav my-
able, and the physicians announce a sensible amelioration."

Prince Napoleon and the Princess Clothilde, be-
fore returning to town from Chateauroux, previous to their
departure for Compi4oe, paid a visit to George Sand,
at her Chateau de Nohant, where they passed a day.
The object of the prince's visit to that lady was to express
the pleasure which the companionship of her intelligent
eon hnd afforded him duriol his trip across the Atlantic ;
and his willingness to use, so far as it is in his power to
do so, his good officio in his favour. The young man in
question enjoys the reputation rather of very versatile
talents than genius of the strong type which distinguishes
his mother. George Sand (writes a Paris correspondent)
lives but little in Paris. She passes the greater part of
her time at Nohant, which is furnished and fitted up in •
style at the same time severe, fantastic, and picturesque.
A friend of hers, in speaking of the internal arrangements
of her country seat, said of it :—" A harmony of its own
reigns everywhere ; but to the stranger every piece of fur-
niture seems to be possessed with as strong an individual
character as the owner, and every spot occasions a sensation
of surprise."

The Duke de Magenta hm arrived in Paris from
Berlin.

M. de Jaucourt, Secretary of Embassy at Lon-
don, awl recently appointed private secretary to Count de
Pervittny, is replaced in London by the Marquis de
Contades.

The Paris Preue publishes extraordinary news
from Russia. Three young ladies, Mdlles. Corsini, Bluth-
sir, and Bagdassow, who attended the lectures at the
trafvenity of St. Petersburg, have been arrested, and one
of them, Sidlle. Bagdanow, whipped at the offloads of the
secret police.

The Gazette de France states that the grandson of
the famous Fra Diavoln of 1799, after a desperate struggle
with the mamma guard in the province of Benevento, was
lately taken and shot.