The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-14 00:00:00

JAPAN.

The intelligence from Japan leads to the conclu-
sion that however bad foreign relations with that
country may be, they are not so bad as has been
represented. The British Minister at Yokohama
remonstrated with the Tycoon's Government at the
obstructions placed upon the transit of produce from
the country. The Japanese authorities replied that
no such obstructions existed, but that a combination
of native merchants had arranged that produce
should only come to market in driblets, and that
these merchants fabricated the story about Govern-
ment obstructions to suit their own ends. In a situa-
tion of alarm foreign merchants naturally seek to
realise their imports and to invest in exports, so as
to restrict their liabilities. This natural impulse
the Japanese merchants have managed to excite by
the extravagant stories lately current.
Then the massacre of the native merchants at
Nagasaki, referred to in last report, is quite untrue.
Still matters are in a bad state. The Mikado, and
the leading hostile Daimios have undoubtedly com-
bined to expel foreigners if they can. The Tycoon
is powerless, and is temporising—seeking to keep
the treaty if he may. Foreigners are confined to
the settlements of Yokohama and Nagasaki. A
French officer has been assassinated wantonly at a
very short distance from the former place. Produce
is prevented from coming to Nagasaki by the
Daimios, and a lage body of their followers are in
that town threatening the native merchants. A
rumour prevails that a civil war has commenced,
but the accounts cannot be relied on. Admiral
Kuper is wisely awaiting the arrival of land troops,
and Satsuma is preparing to repel another attack.

The Loss of Fishing-Boats on the East Coast,

GREAT YARMOUTH, Dec. 12.

To-day the crew of the steam tug Volunteer, five
in number, were brought into Great Yarmouth by
the smack Eliza. The tug, which belonged to Mr.
S. J. Fill, left the harbour on Thursday with three
other steamers, for the purpose of cruising in the
German Ocean and obtaining intelligence of the
missing boats. The weather was exceedingly bois-
terous, and the sea ran fearfully high. After cruis-
ing about 20 hours, at a distance of from 60 to 70
miles off land, without falling in with any of the
missing smacks, it was found that the Volunteer
had sprung a leak and was in a sinking state. The
crew at once took to the pumps, but it was with the
utmost difficulty that, in the heaNy sea, the steamer
could be kept afloat. About 5 a.m. yesterday, see-
ing a light ahead, they made for it, and came up
with the smack Eliza, of Great Yarmouth. The tug
was then on the point of foundering. The crew of
the Volunteer got out a boat, but it was instantly
swamped. They then ran their vessel alongside of
the Eliza, and, at great risk to themselves and to
the smack, they jumped on board the latter and
Iwere saved. The Volunteer, which was valued at
£1,600, and had been recently fitted with new
boilers and thoroughly repaired at an expense of
£6OO, soon afterwards disappeared. She was unin-
sured. It appears that the total number of smacks
belinging to Yarmouth, and still unaccounted for,
has been reduced to-day to 11, but little hope is en-
tertained that these boats or their crews will
ever
again be heard of. Each smack, with nets and fish-
ing gear, cost from £6OO to £7OO, while th© average
crew carried by each ranges from six to seven hand
The number of Yarmouth fishermen
should the worst
ilready known to exceed 30, and,
fears be realised with regard to the 11 smacks still drowned is
carried to
missing, the total deaths will be
the greater portion of
smacks have been lost with
disastrous gales ; and,
some-
where about 100. It is computed that about 20
their crews during thehlatutmost distress prevails
destitution, and on whose
as may be suppose& t .
in
circumstances approaching
among the bereaved famielies who have been left -
behalf aid is urgen
__
__--,-7-_____
tly needed.

—__,_--
THE INTERIOR OP THE PALACE OF THE TIIILE'",
e•"—a•
as described in a recent book of Tray 1 Til I
had
.
fancied (says the anonymous writer) that nothing emu
surpass the splendid saloons of the Ilotel de Ville, but when
contrasted with those of the Tuileries
thoef the green and
they are nothing.
The elegance of the furniture, the richness
crimson coloured velvets and satins, the variegated brocades
wilich festoon the windows of each
magnificence of the chandeliers successive saloon, the
the bronzes, of the Florentine tables,
mirrors, the beauty of
cabinets, and the splendour les, and of the marbles and
tapestries—all combine to of the Gobelin and Beauvais
render this palace, as now fur-
nished, the beau ideal of a
imagine that when the an imperial home ; and I can easily
reflected from the Many thousand dazzling lights are
and bright eyes
who mirrored walls on the richly dressed forms
hcasion of an imperial crowd these vast apartments on the oc-
ball, a sight will be presented of which
even an Arabian
those
could scarcely dream. I remember,
when traversing
attendant towards these
centre
gorgeous rooms, I was called by thee
gardens, from which there sa vista bailco n y which
nde
rf o
av el
rlooks t
splendour
re i
and beauty, extending from thet palaceofwonderful
and its gardens
across the Place de la Concorde, and along the Champs
ElYs4es, to the Arc do Triomphe, with all the many
ad•
juncts of moving life which throng that lovely and animat
balcony
ed
"enc. But y,hen my foot reached this Belviere
recollections swept athwart my memory that mwadhe e me
first t
in
;ether forget the landscape. I remembered, n
Paris, I had seen tho portly form of
Lout
is X I
then stood.
VIII. showing
himself to his subjects on the very spo where
I recollected that there, too, the hero of Marengo and Aus-
terlitz had frequently listened to the deafening cries of Viva
l'Empereur"—that there Charles X. and Louis Philippe
had each received the flattering salutations of "Viva le
Roi,,, and that even before the last named king, when flee
ing from the threatenings of an infuriated mob, had reached
the road to Neuilly, the cries of " Vivo la ltepubliqu:,"
had been thence bellowed. Neither could I forget that thQ
throne which then occupied the neighbouring Levee room
bad been but a for years ago hot no • triumph
~. way in al-Is'.
burned, fuu;kl the deulouutc,4l ex •t, . •
tronations LA a thaddehea
populace.