The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-10 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 10, 1861;

EXPRE:SS FROM PARIS.

(now on OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, WEDNESDAY ITEM.

I have reason to believe that the important de-
spatch which was sent off yesterday morning from
Paris to London contained the answer of the
French government to the representations made by
Lord John Russell relative to the French occupa-
tion of Syria, and that the cabinet of the Tuileries
—as you must all along have expected would be
the case—refuses to be bound by its treaty engage-
. _ _

meat to withdraw at the end of the stipulated ;ix
months. Of course this breach of the treaty is
veiled by offers to refer the matter to au impossible
congress. The lithographed correspondences and
some of the papers now speak of a " tension" in
the diplomatic relations between France and Eng-
land, and connect with it the rumours of an ap-
proximation between France and Russia. The
Opinion Nationale, noticing these rumours, regrets
that the English government and press are not
more complaisant towards France, but at the same
time avows its preference for the English rather
than the Russian alliance, because it sees con-
stantly in the horizon the Eastern question, which
it would not at any price see resolved for the
benefit of Russia.

Orders from Paris, sent on the 6th, direct that
three months' provisions are to be sent out to the
Gaeta fleet, but the Prase observes that this news
must not be taken as in contradiction with that of
the withdrawal of the fleet on the 19th, because
there is a report that it is to proceed from Gaeta to
the Adriatic.

It is rumoured that the Count de Chambord has
just remitted a second aid of 8,0001. to Gaeta, and
that Francis 11. has also received considerable
amounts of money from Spain.
The Bourse was better to-day. The Rents, after
some fluctuations, closed with considerable firmness,
and a rise of 25c. for cash and 20c. for account, at
67fr. 15c. and 67fr. 10c. The better opinion, how-
ever, is that with the present dearness of money
no large investments in the funds can be expected,
and that the improvement to-day is attributable
mainly to purchases for the realisation of profits.
Mobilier rose llfr. 25c. The Orleans and Northern
railways rose 3fr. 75c. each ; Eastern and Lyons,
2ir. 50c. each ; and Southern, lir. 25c. Western
without change.

In answer to rumours that the session of the
Senate and Corps Legislatif would be postponed till
several days after the meeting of the English par-
liament, a paragraph in the Moniteur bulletin
says :

It appears to be certain that the Senate will be convoked
before the end of the month to deliberate upon the SCILO4IIB
comalNist alluded to in the decree of November 24, end
that the station at the Corp Legialatit will be opened in
the early Fart of February.

The Yatrie cites this announcement as " putting
an end" to all uncertainty on the subject, but the
Opinion Nationale notices the incongruity of the
official journal speaking with the reserve implied
by the expression "it appears certain," of
such a matter astheopeningof thelegishetive session,
about which the government must know whether
or not it has changed its mind. The object of the
Moniker, however, it further observes, is to recon-
cile the interest which it wishes to impart to its
new "political bulletin" with the circumspection
naturally imposed upon a government organ, and
this task is "not easy." I dare say that in the
present instance the assertion of the Monitettr,
although oouched in a conjectural form, may safely
be taken as conclusive, but cases now may be ex-
pected to occur, in which the reader will be in
doubt whether a fact stated, or a principle laid
down by the Moniteur, are to be taken as com-
mitting the government, or whether they are only
to be received as political gossip of somewhat bet-
ter authority than that in the ordinary journals.

M. SCRIBE AND THE LATE MARSHAL
ar. ARNAUD.

Iu 1853, K Scribe, the dramatist, sold a house
and grounds, called Montalaia, in the neighbourhood of
Merida', to Marshal de Saint Arnaud for 150,000 f., and in
1859 the marshal's widow sold them to M. Conker, an
u-agent de change, at Bordeaux, for 290,000 f. The deed
of Isle to that gentleman set forth that the park, kitchen
garden, and four pieces of land which composed the doostin
were of "about eleven hectares," but when he came to
measure them he found that they were not very much more
than half. He ►ccordingly brought an action before the
Civil Tribunal spirt Madame de St. Arnaud to get back
part of hi purchase money, and the singular discovery was
Wen made that though since 1815 the domain had
been possessed by different persona, the Duke de
BESSIIIO, M. Testu, N. Lafiltte, M. Ch. Nadler
(the author), /cc., the park, kitchen garden, and
land had never been measured, and had always been de.
scribed as consisting of "about 11 heriares ;" it wee also dis-
covered that this arose from the four pieces of land bay-
ing been, by en-or, described in a deed previously to
1815, an being of " 8 hectares " (the hectare is 21 acres;
though in reality they were only of about 8 acre—the acre
is 100 square metres). The tribunal held that, r the
deed of sale executed by Mow. de Saint Arnaud did not
emanates that there were 11 hectares, M. Collinestes
action scald not be admitted. An appeal of this gentle-
man spinet the decision wee beard at Saturday by the
Imperial Court, but the judgment was confirmed. In the
curse of the pleadings the statement was made that in
the park there is an old walnut tree, under which, sc.
cording to tradition, Rabelais wrote part of his works.

The following curious letter from M. Scribe to Marshal
St. Amand, showing the way in which the author drove a
bargain with the hero of the coop cr Oat, was read in court,
mad produced much amusement :
"Montan'', May 4, 1553.

" Marione le Marechal,—After your gracious visit the
council assembled for domestic deliberation, and the person-
age whom you so justly style the • Minister of the Interior,'
my wife, opened the debate. She entirely agreed with you
that as a matter of business we must altogether leave out of
the account the fact that this merely pleasure property coat
us 100,000 crowns (300,000 fr.), and that we should forget all
the money expended upon it from fancy or caprice. But
at the mine time she observes that the outlay, which has
really augmented the value, should be taken into conside-
ration ; that the building hewn out of the rock which now
forms the stables, coach-home, granaries, and servants'
room, east 30,000 fr. ; that 7 or 8 acres of the kitchen gar-
den and park, bought at 100 fr. the perch, i. e. I,ooofr. the
acre, cost, and a folly it was, 80,030 fr., but that they are at
any rate honestly worth half the money ; that 130,000 fr.
for the original property, added to 30,000 k. for build.
' log and 40,000 fr. for additional land, amounts to
200,0001 r., which is the sum we originally asked
for Ifontalais, and my Mini.ter of the Interior argues
that in reducing that price at once of our own mooed and
' without any biggling, to 160,000 fr. we are treating in a frank,
~enable, and loyal manner, which you, Monsieur le
Marichel, better than any one else, must appreciate. My
excelleut minister also says, and your notary will confirm
her assertion, that the upset price of a real estate is alweys
pet at less then the real value is order to attract bidder.,
and that if Montalals were put up in three lots at 140,000 k.,
it would fetch by auction a third more, Net as it happened
only three days ago in the cam of No. 34, Rue de Provence,
which being put up at 250,000 k, was knocked down for
400,000 fr. in the teeth of our notary, M. Wasselin, who
had offered on our account es much as 380,000 k. My wife
adds, moreover, that the universal rise in the value
of every description of property, and the unheard-of
prosperity of affairs in general, is owing to the
events of December 2, of which Monsieur le Mazichal was
to a great extent the glorious author, and that he cannot
complain of any augmentation of which he is the cause. For
all these reasons, Monsieur Is Mariehal, the unanimous opi-
nion of the council is that our prances] of !60,000fr. wae
roily eou.tebi, , and that we muss abide by it, hoping that '
your amiable and damming Minister of the Interior will