The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-04-12 00:00:00

fortign anb Colonial !nitMame.

FRANCE.

Count Cavour, who left Paris for Turin on Wednes-
day of last week, is said to have gone back radiant with
expectation, and extremely well satisfied with his visit
to the Emperor.
The military display of Sunday, in Paris, was con-
ducted on a grand scale, as not fewer than 50,000 soldiers
passed in review before crowds who displayed great
enthusiasm.
. . .

Six divisions of the army are about to be placed on a
war footing. Recent letters from Lyons mention that
the usual gratifications previous to oominencing • cam-
puipi have been distributed to the army of Lyons. It
is said, also, that infantry officers have been furnished
with horses—a step not usual except in contemplation of
war. An army of. 80,000 men will soon be assembled at
Lyons.
In practical reply to the movement of Austrian troops
along the shore of Dalmatia and Illyria, the Emperor
and &nine's of France consent to become godfather and
godmother to the promised son and heir of Prince
anielo, Vladika of ilontenegro.
The defeat of the English ministry does not
•seem to
have produced any particular sensation in Paris.

A DIFFICULT CABll.—lt may be remembered that in
klepteniber last, as an auctioneer, named Thillet, was ;
descending the Boulevard Beaumarchais in a cab, on his
return from &shooting excursion, the report. of &firearm
was beard, and when some persons rushed to the vehicle
they found that he was dead, his gun which he had i
placed between his legs having gone off, and the charge
ring struck him in the forehead just above the left
eye. in the month of May preceding he had insured his
life for 101:1,000f. in the Paternell Company, and 50,001.
in the Phenix; but those companies refuaed to pay, on
the pretext that he had committed suicide. His father,
in consequence, brought an action against the two com-
panies, and the Civil Tribunal has just been occupied
four days in bearing pleadings on it. The father con-
tended that his son could have no reason foi en tting
suicide, inasmuch as he was young (only 31), in the
enjoyment of good health and happiness, and had just
sold his business of auctioneer, by which be had gained
a large income, in order to go to Algeria to establish a
mortgage Wis. He further contended that the position
in the body was found in the cab, end the nature
of the wound, clearly in heated that the gun must have
gone off by the movement of the vehicle. He produced
lettere written by the deceased to his family and friends
shortly before his death, which seemed to prove that he
had not the slightest idea of suicide. The companies
argued that if Thillet had not contemplated committing
suicide he would not, at his age, especially as he was
unmarried, have insured his life for such large sums, and
have subjected him/al( to the paymet of nearly 4,000 f.
• year. They asserted that he was in embarrased cir-
cumstances, and to such an extent that • sum of 40,0001.,
which he had received in part payment of his business,
had, in • week, disappeared, and no one could say what
had become of it; also that he had not been able to pay
his first year's premiums, and had to give bills to raise
the amount; also, though his earnings as auctioneer
were represented to be oonsiderable-120,0001. in four
years—none of them remained, and besides he owed
30,0001. on the sum of which he had agreed originally to
give for his business. They further asserted that he had
not even retired voluntarily from the place of auctioneer,
but had done so because he had been twice condemned for
pave irregularities. In addition to all this, they
represented that he had appropriated to his own use
money to which he was not entitled. and was about to
be prosecuted for so doing; he had also, they said, made
unfortunate speculations on the Bourse ; and they
insisted that all these were good reasons for oo 1111 l iitting
suicide. Lastly, they contended that he could not Faye
been killed in the cab by mere accident. The tribunal,
however, took a different view of the question, and onni•
lug to the conclusion that Thillet had not committed
suicide, it condemned the companies to pay his family
the 150,0001.

The French mercantile navy consisted, on the Ist of
January last, of 14.000 sailing veuelo, of which 11.090
were engaged in dist/int voyages, and the remainder
were in the Mediterranean. It comprised, moreover.
330 steam•vesaels' of which In were engaged in distant
voyages, and 148 In the Mediterranean.