The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-23 00:00:00

SOUTH AMERICA.

BUENOS AFRESH April 12.

The Standard of to-day says :—'The native and
foreign public received a great shock yesterday
morning, on reading in the official and semi-official
journals that war was declared by Paraguay against
the Argentine_ Republic. The money market was at
once seized with a panic, and people began to dis-
cuss the various manner, the prospects, and issue of
the impending war."
The other papers discuss the probabilities of war
or peace, but nothing conclusive can be drawn from
the speculations.

The Standard, in its packet edition for Europe,
publishes the following :—" Owing to the impend-
ing struggle between Paraguay and Brazil, Buenos
Ayres is at present full of all sorts of rumours and
apprehensions. The last mail from Corrientes
(which is the Argentine province nearest to Para-
guay), although destitute of any official or positive
information, has caused a general conviction that
the Paraguayan army will be marched across the
Argentine territory into Brazil, and that the viola-
tion of our territory must necessarily lead to a war
with Paraguay. We, however, are far from parti-
cipating in this conviction, and feel confident that
the blessings of neutrality are too vividly before the
eyes of President Mitre to fear that he will now, no
matter under what pretext, depart from a policy
which has already gained him such laurels. But
matters appear at last approaching a crisis. The
Brazilian squadron has left Buenos Ayres for the
Paraguayan waters, the land forces of Brazil are still
in Monte Video, where, it is said, the most gigantic
preparations are being made, and at this moment a
large park of artillery is crossing through the in-
terior of Brazil to the Paraguayan frontier. Mean-
while the Paraguayans are not losing time, and
have so long fortified liumayta and staked the
mouth of the Paraguayan River that all attempts
to force a passage up by the Brazilian squadron will
prove futile. President Lopez, believing his defences
impregnable, is now at the head of the main army,
numbering over 30,000 men ; and we learn on
good authority that the Paraguayan general in
chief purposes imitating Sherman in America,
and intends marching right into the enemy's
country.

" The new Government of Flores is giving uni-
versal satisfaction, and more than realising the
good wishes of its most sanguine supporters.
" In one of our most distant provinces, Jujuy,
very valuable petroleum springs have been dis-
covered."

Fearful Thunderstorm.

PRESTON, Monday, G 30 p.m.

One of the most alarming storms of thunder, lightning,
rain, and hail ever recollected in this locality occurred here
this afternoon. About 3 o'clock the sky grew dark, fearful
flashes of lightning, and loud peals of thunder followed;
about a quarter past 3 o'clock rain literally fell in torrents
nearly every street in the town was flooded, houses, collars,
&c., were inundated, and in some localities shopkeepers had
quantities of goods destroyed. In the principal square of
the town several houses were flooded, and pumping engines
had to bo got to clear the water from them. Immediately
after the rain there was an unparalleled fall of hail. People
were actually afraid of their house and shop windows being
broken by it. Hailstones half an inch long were picked up
by many parties. Tho railway station was nearly "drowned
out," for some time while the rain was falling tho rails
wore completely out of sight, the water reached up to the
fireboxes of the engines, and ran through the station in one
general torrent. Btween 4 and 6 o'clock the thunder and
lightning returned with fearful force and vividness. Up to
the time of the despatch of this message no cases of personal
injury had boon reported.