The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-06 00:00:00

FICTITIOUS ABSENCE.

The lady who writes under the nom de guerre o
" Viscount Charles de Launay," thus describes a
fashionable failing which is not confined to the capital of
France :

"We have, now, according to the expression of a
witty and most amiable woman, the ridicules d'ete.
They are of more than one descrption. but the most
ludicrous is surely the one which we shall call /a fausse
absence. At this time of the year custom will have us
take ourselves off ; some go to their estates, others to
the waters, and a few undertake long journeys. The
elegans who respect themselves cannot remain at Paris,
on pain of passing for grocers or journalists, for
ministers or door-keepers. The capital must be
left at any cost. Now, to go to one's estate, one
must have an estate, and to travel in proper style
a good deal of ready money is requisite. What
is to be done when one has neither farms nor
cash ? In such case you cannot take to the fields, but
at all events you can take leave. Elegance does not
require your being at Bagneres or Baden ; it requires
only that you be not at Paris, and the means not to be
there is not to be seen it you remain. Nothing is
easier ; you close your shutters, and your doorkeeper
declares that you are gone. You shut yourself up the
whole day, with your lady, in some little solitary room
at the further end of the court. There you remain
three months, during which you travel. You write to
nobody, and your friends complain of you. " They are
amusing themselves," say they ; " they forget us ; it is
quite natural." When midnight strikes you tender
your arm to your travelling companion, and steal
out to take a short walk. One day you are
at. Dieppe inhaling the sea breezes ; on the
morrow you are at Chamouny, enjoying the
mountain air. If you chance to meet a relation in
the street you avert your head with horror. Vainly
does be recognise you and attempt to address you ;
you make no reply, and continue out of town. If he
insist, you announce to him your return in next month ;
and next month you appear again in the capital, ra-
ther fatigued by your journey, but delighted, crammed
with picturesque recollections, and not at all sun-burnt.
You may possibly not have been extremely amused, but,
at least, you have remained irreproachable on the score
of elegance ; and you may loudly say to those whom
buiness or affections have miserably fastened to this
city—' How can one spend a summer at Paris !'
Fictitious absence is not a plai.santerie : it is much
more—a verite plaisante."

MARKET INTELLIGENCE.

(Front the London Nets Price Current of November 5.)
SUCIAL-For British Plantation Sugar during the past
week the demand was brisk from both grocers and refiners
for the yellow and strong grey qualities, and the supply not
being large, the merchants obtained an advance on pre-
vious rates of Is per cwt.
This afternoon there was a brisk demand from the grocers
for brown, as well as for yellow qualities, the refiners pur-
chased to a fair extent, and the merchants obtained an
advance on the rates of Friday of 6d per cwt. for all de-
scriptions; the private sales amount to 1,000 hhds. and
trs. At auction 113 hhds. Barbadoes sold freely at prices
6d above those of the last auction ; fine fetched 68s to
68s 6d, good 67s to 67a 6d, gcod middling 66s to 66s 6d,
middling 65s to 65s 6d, and one lot ordinary 63s per cwt.
REFINED.-For home consumption last week a fair
business was transacted in Refined Goods, and prices
slightly improved ' • standard Lumps were sold currently at
77s 6d to 78s, and brown lumps at 75s 6d to 76s 6d per cwt.
B istards of fair and good quality at stiffer prices, but com-
mon at late quotations. Pieces on former terms. Yesterday
Lumps, Pieces, and Bastards at previous rates. For
Crushed for immediate delivery 34s 3d to 343 61 has been
freely paid, there are not tut ther sellers under 34a 6d, some
parcels of Loaves have been disposed of at 37s 6d to 38,
for 141bs, and 101bs at 38a 6d to 39s per cwt. Treacle has
fetched I3s 63, and 13s 3d has been paid for delivery in a
few weeks. Dutch Crushed Sugar is offered at 33s 3d to
334 6d, deliverable at Amsterdam.
To-day Bonded Crushed was much wanted, but for im-
mediate delivery there is none to be had, 343 3d to 34s 6,1
is readily paid to wait two and three weeks. Fur home
consumption goods are in fair request at our quotations.
aurtyrius.-A fair business has been transacted by
private contract in yellow and strong grey qualities, and
rather higher prices have been obtained; brown and soft
yellow sorts have been taken more freely, but no advance
can be quoted.
EAST INDIA..-For there are few buyers for
export, but for Refining here under bond, a fair demand
has prevailed, and previous rates have been supported
Siam, good white sorts have brought rather higher rates.
This afternoon there was no auction of Bengal ; pri-
vately there were several inquiries for calory kinds, but
there are few parcels to be met with. Of Java, 673
baskets were offered at auction ; the whole was taken in at
previous rates, viz., middling brown at 22s to 22s 6d, and
middling grey at 23a to 24s per cwt.
Fox:slam-Brazil at previous rates, Bahia low and mid-
dling greyish white at 25s to 26s 6d, very ordinary and
middling soft 22s 6d to 24s 6d, soft yellow and grey 21s
aid to 225, good middling and good brown 19a to 218;
Pernambuco middling and good middling white 25s to
275, soft 24s to 243 6d, good and fine soft yellow 20a 6d
to 22a ; by private treaty 150 chests have been disposed
of at 283 for good white, and 24s 6d for middling.
This afternoon there was more inclination to buy yellow
Havannah Sugar; and 2,199 boxes at auction were nearly
all disposed of, the better kinds at previous rates ; common
sorts went, in some instances rather lower, but this was
not generally the case, fine fetched 27s to 27s 6d, good 26s
to 26s 6d, good middling 25s to 25s Gd, middling 24s to
24s 6d, and ordinary 23s to 23s tiel per cwt; 96 boxes
damaged white sold at the reduced rates of 291 6d to 30e
per cwt.
Monasstrs.-West India at previous rates ; fuse Antigua
at 3:35, good 325; Nevis, common 295; Montserrat, good
fair 30s; St. Vincents and Dominica of similar quality
30a, and common at 29s per cwt.
TEA.--At the monthly sales of 4,497,188 lbs, which corns
menced yesterday, the attendance of buyers was numerous,
out of 15,000 pkgs which passed the sale 10,000 were taken
in and withdrawn at much higher rates; the remainder
feund free buyers at prices 2d above those of the Oc-
tober sales for Congou, 2fel to 3d for Twankay, 2d
to 24d for Hyson, 3d to 4d for Imperial and Gunpowder,
and lid to 2d for all other kinds, excepting Pekoe, which
have not advanced. Congou but mid rather coarse little new
sold at Is 11id, but mid rather strong and coarse 2s to 2s Id,
but mid rather blackish leaftas lid to 2s 2-d, strong blackish
leaf 2s 3d to 23 41d, Pekoe flavour 21 iid a 21 6d ; Hyson
middling rather old 3s 31d, middling rather brightish
leaf 3s Id a 3s 21d, but middling rather fresh 23 1 lid
a 2s 1 I id, but middling and middling rather coarse 2a Bid
a 2s 10d, coarse yellow leaf 23 8d a 2s 84c1; Twan-
kay but mid rather fresh brightish leaf 2s 2icl, middling
small brightish leaf Ilyson kind 2s 91d a 2a lld ;
Flowery Pekoe good mid 2s 11d a 2s Hid, fine 3s 10d;
Orange Pekoe good mid 3s a3B 3cl; Souchong mid mixed
leaf 2s. 2d a 2s 21d, mid 2s 8d a 2s 10d, fine as 4d ; Im-
perial but mid and mid 3s 3d a 3s 4id, mid coarse 3s Id ;
Gunpowder but raid little coarse 3s 10d to 3s Ilid •' good
Skin mid 2
raid 4s 4d ; s
C -
2aper but mid is 1;1d to is IQ-d, and Hyson
d.
To-day higher prices by Id ald were obtained. Up to
the present time 30,565 packages have passed the sales, of
which 12,000 have been disposed of, and the remainder
bought in and withdrawn ; the lowest price at the close of
the sale was 2s for Congou, 2s 21e1 for Twankay, and
2s 8d for Hyson ; these sorts are the most in request.
In Company's Congou large purchases have been made
at 2s Old for cash, and 2s ISai with a three months' prompt.
COFFEE.-In the British Plantation Market there has
not been much activity since our last report ; unclean