The Express.
London, England, 1861-12-09 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(1101 i OUR owx

PARIS, SUNDAY EYDNVO„

That little question of the Dappes Valley—which
a leading London journal lately said with, perhaps,
more humour than justice, was so exceedingly little
that it ought to be referred to the arbitration of the
first tourist who might who might happen to pass
that way—is now treated of with extraordinary
solemnity in an article of the Mats four columns
long. This article, signed " Camus, Secretary of
Redaction," is evidently one of a peculiar clam,
which the Debate, every now and then, publishes in
obedience to mysterious influences, and which ar.•
often in flagrant opposition to the daily expressed
views of the known writers in that journal. It is
rumoured, and not without probability, that when
the French government wishes to give a special
fillip to public opinion it compels the Debate to
insert an article, knowing that an argument iu the
columns of that journal, which is supposed to be
(and, as a general rule, really is) independent, will
have much more effect than if it were launched by
an ordinary hack print like the COThatibitiOtilk,
or Pays. Some say that for the insertion of
articles of this kind the Debars is handsomely paid,
the money being offered, not of course as a bribe,
but as the price of an advertisement. At all
events, I have not the least hesitation in adopting
the general belief that the present mauifesto is
semi-official. I shall not analyse the article at
length, because it repeats facts well known, and
which have been recently laid before your readers.
The writer begins with an audacious misrepresouta-
tion of facts. He says that in point of law the
acts of the Congress of Vienna upon which Swit-
zerland founds her title to the Dappes Valley are
" entirely annulled" by the contemporaneous
declaration of the four powers, England, Austria,
Prussia, and Russia, that in their opinion it would
be reasonable that Switzerland should give up the
valley to France. That declaration, as I fully ex-
plained some time ago, was not made in a
binding form, for the expressed reason that
no Swiss plenipotentiary being there to con-
sent the other powers were incompetent to
make their recomineudatiou effectual. Swit-
zerland has never to this day consented, and
it stands to reason that the diplomatic suggestion
which was inoperative at the time must be weaker
now, after the lapse of nearly half a century. At
all events, it is a wilful misrepresentation to say
that the treaty right of Switserland to the territory
now disputed was then "completely annulled."
The next untrue statement is rather artfully put.
" As a matter of fact," it is said, "Switzerland has
never been put in possession of the Valley of
Dappes since 1815, and although France has con-
fined her possession of it to the taking of some
measures confirmatory of her right, that hesitation
is entirely owing to au exaggerated good feeliug
towards Switzerland, for which she has shown
herself very ungrateful."
The first part of the above paragraph is, so far,
literally correct, that no form or ceremony of
livery of seisin was ever gone through to "put"
Switzerland in possession of the territory which
the treaty of Vienna declared her entitled to a,
part of her ancient possessions which Bonaparte
had taken among his other conquests ; but the
second branch of the sentence, which assert,
France to have been iu any " possession," how-
ever imperfect, since 1815, is a flagrant untruth.
As the last Swiss diplomatic note most truly state;,
Switzerland remained for 35 years—from 1815 to
1851—in undisputed possession of the plane and
execated all rights of sovereignty iu it. Only
since that time the fear of aggression from Louis
Napoleon has made it, in point of fact, though
not in right, a sort of no man's laud.
The Dacia concludes by a very distinct
intimation that France mat now have the
place, and that if Switzerland does not
give it up, "France will take a vigorous initiative
and frankly take possession of the valley." This
petty annexation will therefore be accomplished
forthwith, more especially if the news from Ame-
rica should be bad before the end of the month.

It seems to be generally understood that at the
last Privy Council it was resolved that France
should for the present stand absolutely neutral
between the United Steve and England. This
ides predominates in an article by K Graudguillot
in this evening's Pays, in which, after combatiug
the reasons offered by some journals, and particu-
larly the Prase, for immediate action on the part
of France, the writer says :
As to France, without pretending the least in the wall
to say what she will or what she will not do, we think she
would be perfectly justified in saying to both parties, ..I slate
have slways defended and oonstantly respected the princiCs
which you by turns invoke and violate. For the very sel,,
reason that my sympathies at the beginning of the rental.
were in favour of America fighting against Eng Lind for
rights of neutrals, I cannot now refuse to approve Engissa
I. her struggle for the same right against America.
peril you respectively play are transposed, but the pr,%-
cdple remains the same."

There is no doubt that France, like General
hopes—and, in the absence of any urriirc 1/e,,
laudably hopes—that the present most utiforcun
affair of the Trent may bo the occasion of Ow:
the international law regarding the rights
neutrals in time of war upon a more settled au ,
more rational footing than it has hitherto stood.

Count Lambert, whose dispute with Gem: .1
Glerstenswais about the release of some Polish prisoner,
Warsaw caused the general to commit suicide, bed arrmc.•l
at Madeira, according to the last advice* from that Wan 1.
The survey of a parallel of north latitude run-
ning through Ireland, England, Belgium, Prussia,
Sarnia is nearly completed, and the accurate length a a
bass line stretching from the west coast of Ireland to ;be
Ural Mountain will voy shortly be ascertinuel
will be the greatest feat iu trigouometricAl surveying •
accomplished. In order to triangulate the country al
the parallel, stagm 70 feet high llama been erected on
Continent by the Royal Engineers. The triangulations I
the purpose of wicertainiug the length of the WS, lie
be calculated at the Onluaoco nar►ey Otani in 6,3111.
amptoo.

It has transpired that in addition to the 01::.•
paid down by Mr. Morrieh,•Mr. Sanders, M. Vie:larl
M. Martin, for the privilege of supplying the refilmhsc.i.
at the Inteenational Exhibition, that they will 4,0 pa,
eertain sum per hoed upon all visitors. The tw •-•
contractors pay five-eighths of a peony, the French
tractors are to pay id. on the first .4,000,000 of viat.m...' •
ed. for each visitor above that number. The sum espe,, •
tot* received under the contracts is 30,0301. The other po•
MU who tendered were—Messrs. Staples, of the Al" •
Mr. Strange, of the Crystal Palace ; Mr. Kuhn, of llaca,,*
street; Mr. Donekl, of the St. James's.
Mr. Schweppe was the original contractor iu 1.4 ;
Yemighusband, who was one of the eul,cuutmet,rs
Me. Schweppe ; and Mr. Bachmeyer, of the llotal LW'
Park.

---
Another daring robbery has taken place at
!aim Several armed malefactors forced their way date'
sputa:mote of the Marquis Guido Pepe,li, eve.,
deputy, in the new Palasso Pep° st 5 o'clock
is, still by daylight in Italy--and forced the old 10.14 t
an octogeoarian, to deliver to them, iu money and
silver articles, property to the amount of more than 20.0`'''
Notwithstanding the alarm given bye housemaid from to
window, the robbers succeeded in making sway with fr.'
gold ; the heavier and more bulky silver was either
on the spot re dropped in the streets aleag the root' ts'
thieves took in their flight