The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-21 00:00:00

FRANCE.

The let Battalion of the Foot Chasseurs, re.
turning from Mexico, arrived yesterday morning
in Paris.

During the late cold weather the lakes of the
Bois de Boulogne were covered with wild ducks
driven from the North. These unexpected guests
were hospitably received by their more civilised
kinsfolk, which seemed to associate with them in
the most cordial manner.

the waters of the Seine have fallen to 60c.
above the average lowest summer level.
The bulletin of the Paris Observatory gives the
following as the atmospheric state of Europe yes-
terday:—" The stormy movement which existed
on Sunday on:the regions of the Pyrenees is to be
found this morning in the neighbourhood of Cor.
sica, and tending to diappear in the direction of
the east of the Mediterranean. On Sunday even.
ing some lightning was observed on the Adriatic.
The barometer is again rising on Russia and the
north of gurope; the high pressures extend across
France as far as Spain. This morning the calm
is general, the temperature remains low, but the
sky is variable. Rain or snow is falling at seve-
ral of our stations.'' At Paris yesterday morning,
at 6, the thermometer marked 2 10-ths below zero,
Centigrade (28 Fahrenheit), and at noon, 6 10ths
below, C. (31 F.)
A Paris journal publishes the following strange
history of an old Gothic arm-chair, which wils'sold
a few days since at the public auction rooms in the
Rue Drouot. The article in question, at first richly
ornamented, was presented by the maker to Maria
Theresa, and figured in her boudoir. After the
death of the Empress of Austria, it was sent, in con.
formity with her desire, to Queen Marie Antoinette
of France, and was subsequently used by Louis
XVI. during his imprisonment in the Temple.
After the King's tragical death, Clery, his valet de
chambre, became its owner, and took it to Eng.
land, where it successively became the property of
the Prince Regent, and afterwards of the
Duke of Cumberland. The latter took it with
him to Berlin, and there sent it to an upholsterer
for repair. The workman to whom it was entrusted
found in the stuffing of the seat a diamond pin, the
portrait of a boy, and several sheets of very closely
written manuscript. The man sold the pin, and
gave the portrait and papers to a watchmaker of
his acquaintance. Some years later the watch-
maker, whose name was Naundorff, endeavoured to
pass himself off as Louis XVII., and produced the
papers and portrait in support of his pretensions.
After making some noise in France, and then in
Belgium, where he lost his son, who called himself
the Duke of Normandy, he went to Java in 1853,
and died there; The workman who found the por-
trait and documents kept his secret till just before
his death, when he revealed the whole to his family.
One of his relatives having ascertained that the
chair was still at Berlin, purchased it, and sold it to
a French traveller, who carried it to Paris, where
it ultimately came into possession of an old woman,
the inmate of an asylum for the aged, lately de-
ceased. It has now been sold by auction with the
rest of her effects.
The following incident, relative to the masked
ball at the Opera on Saturday last, is given in the
DiableVeri :—" A rather singular costume was
observed moving about among the groups. It was
a lady, dressed in a domino of white satin, on which
was embroidered in purple and gold a letter P
placed over an A, drawn exceedingly long. She
moved about a living rebus, serious and silent, re•
plying to none of the exclamations and remarks
made as she passed. Suddenly, a Harlequin, per■
forming the part of cEdipus, approached the lady
and corteously offering her his arm, said, ' I under.
stand, Madame, and I beg you to do rue the honour
to accept me as your companion—A long sous P
(Allons souper.) "

BOURSE, Dec. 20.—The market has been firm,
Threes, for the Account, are unvaried at 65f.
40c. Mobilier have slightly improved, being now
at 935 f. Railway Market quiet, but yesterday's
quotations in general well maintained. The
market bccame weak towards the close, and left off
as follows :

11 per Cents. 94 30
Do. end
3 per Cents
Do. end month 65 25
jredit Mobilier 925
Do, end month 925
Bank Shares 3560
Credit 1 oneter 1230
R.ornan
RAIL'

Italian Loan 65 35
Do. end month 65 53
Ditto Threes .. -- --
New Mexican .... 50 50
Russian
Austrian .. Bl
Spanish Threes 44
i-lome Debt
Deferred
fATB.
Cash. Account.
847 50 860 --
996 25 .. 992 60
877 50 881 25
583 75 .. 593 75

Orleant!
Northern
Lyons and Mediterranean
Southern .....

Western
Eastern
Sardinian 316 25 .. 315
Austrian
Lotrbard
North of Spain
Saragossa.. ,. 432 50 .. 430
Ditto to Barcelona .... 192

OUTWARD CAPE MAIL.—FALMOUTH, Dec. 20.
The Diamond line steam-ship Eastern Province left here
this afternoon with the mails for St. Helena and the Cape,
26 passengers, and a full general cargo.
The Paris Savings' Bank during the last fortnight
received 580,336 fr, and reimbursed 935,103 fr. The receipts
of the Caisse de Retraites for the Aged during the same
period amounted to 189,670 fr.