The Express. — 1866-12-17 (London, England)

TIM AMERICAN CRIMINAL SURRATT. VALEITA,•Thic. 16, 2.10 r.w.  An American sloop-of-war has arrived here, bound to Alexandria, to receive the supposed culprit Surratt. The reason why that person was not arrested at Malta was the total absence of evi-1 dence.—(Times, Second Edition.)  -- A PB.ENCH OPINION OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON'S MESaAGE.  The Journal des Nimes of to-day says: The message of the President of the United States is not very conspicuous for the qualities of tact and moderation. It is the production not of a statesman penetrated with the grave responsibilities which his high office should impose upon him, but of a vulgar aspirant who thinks mare of his own position than of the interests of his country ; for Mr. Johnson's aim seems to be to flatter the popular passions, in order to regain that influence which is slipping from him. For example, he speaks of the relations of the United States with England in a manner that is calculated rather to revive old jealousies than to allay them. He does not hesitate, for example, in allusion to the Alabama claims, to say that, " whatever might be the swishes of the two governments, it is manifest that good will and friendship between the two countries cannot be established until a reciprocity in the practice of good faith and neutrality shall be restored between the respective nations." Is this the language which the President of the United I States should use at a moment when the Alabama affair is the subject of negotiations with the English government? Mr. Johnson even goes so far as to express his sympathy , with Fenianism. With regard to internal politics, the pro-Southern tendencies of the President are manifested OA they were in the previous message. We cannot criticise the passages relating to Mexico, because they have not been sent to us by the telegraph, from an idea, no doubt, that they would be of little interest to French readers.  A French firm sent a message on Saturday to Mama Firth, Barber, and Co., the lessees of the Barnsley Colliery, saying that they were ready to send over i staff of men equipped with safety dresses and acccutrements, who, however dangerous the mine to ordinary explorers, would venture to its inmost recesses. General Sheridan, in his report to the United States War Department, speaks warmly of the disgraceful state of civil affairs in Texas, where he declares it to be his opinion " that the trial of a white man for the murder of a freedman would be a farce." Ile calls the French invasion of Mexico " a part of the Rebellion ;" and regrets that the United States government did not long ago compel the imperial troops to evacuate the conutry. It seems from the report of the American Postmaster-General that the number of letters exchanged with foreign communities during the year was 9,430,540, giving an increase, in the exchanges with Great Britain alone. of 25 per cent. in the business of the twelve months reviewed in the report. The labour of the Dead Letter-office would be alarmingly large—four and a half millions being registered and remailed during the year—but for the fact that 77 per cent. find their way back to the senders, while 90 per cent. of those containing sums of money of a dollar and upward are returned to their owners by the care and laborious effort of the officers employed. The progress of the money:order branch of the department, financially and otherwise, is satisfactory.  ,