The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-11 00:00:00

FRAN CE.

The Minister of Marine arrived on the night of
the Bth at Brest, having been prevented by the fog
from entering the harbour of St. Malo. Yesterday
morning he reviewed the troops, and inspected the
docks and arsenal.
The Minister of War has returned to Paris from
Nantes and Angers. _ _ _

The news of the harvest which arrives from va-
rious parts of France is most favourable.
To provide for all contingencies, the Government
has purchased large quantities of corn in England
and elsewhere. The first transports of this corn
have reached Havre.

The following is'from the Times' Paris correspon-
dent's letter, dated yesterday
"A pacific solution of the Turkish question is once
more not only the wish and the hope in every man's
heart, but is still more generally anticipated than pre-
viously. Indeed, the more people examine the ques-
tion, and the nearer they approach to the termina-
tion, the more the improbability of war is made
evident to them. The plan now uppermost in the
public mind is by no means of an exchange of notes
between the Porte and Russia, the former granting
the demands made on it, the latter declaring that its
intention is not, and never was, to attack the integrity
of the Ottoman Empire, or interfere with its domestic
concerns. The form in which these notes will be drawn
up will be the principal but not'an insurmountable diffi-
culty, and to remove which it is expected the Powers
will lend their assistance. It is confidently believed
that, owing to the exertions of England and France in
particular, some mode will be found which will leave all
parties more or less contented. The occupation of the
Danubian provinces will have satisfied the national
pride of Russia, or of the Emperor of Russia, which
I suppose is all the same. The pride of Turkey will
be so far served that to her resistance to the first
demands of Russia the modification, in form if not in
substance, will be owing. England and France will be
pleased, as they will say that to the attitude they as-
sumed that modification is to be in a great measure at-
tributed, and Austria and Prussia will flatter themselves
that if Russia does not advance to the Danube we
owe it to their sagacious, and above all, disinterested
conduct. A French Cabinet messenger arrived the
night before last from St. Petersburg, with de-
spatches from the Government. The contents of these
dispatches have not transpired; but I understand that
the courier declares St. Petersburg to be as quite
as peacefully inclined as Paris or London, and that in
society there no serious apprehensions of war are enter-
tained. If a Turkish Ambassador Extraordinary be
sent to Petersburg the Russian people will pro-
bably have it impressed on their minds that his mission
is but an act of submission made to the Czar. Such is
the favourable colour which the Turkish question has
assumed here to-day, whether to be replaced by any
sombre hue a short time will tell."

"It was stated the day after the attempt of the
Opera Comique was discovered and defeated, that the
existence of the plot was not known to the police.
The secret may not have been disclosed to many of the
body, but I am given to understand that the chiefs were
not in ignorance of it as was supposed. I have heard
of some additional facts connected with it which I
mention, as they have been reported to me from a
good source. Soon after the affair of the Hippodrome,
one of the parties arrested in consequence of it fell
ill while in prison, and was removed to the hospital
of course under surveillance. His malady assuming
a grave character, and the man himself believing
that he was near his end, begged to have a priest brought
to him. His wish was complied with. He declared to
his confessor that his mind was burdened with a secret
which he was unwilling to carry with him to the other
world, and which he disclosed. This was a full avowal
of his guilt—that he had formed one of a band of assas-
sins who had sworn to take the life of the Emperor.
They had failed at the Hippodrome, but they were
determined to take the first opportunity of the
Emperor's appearance in public, at the theatre or
elsewhere. The priest told him that the disclo-
sure of such a secret merely in the confessional
was not a sufficient satisfaction for the sin ; it
might be indicative of his repentance, but it
would not, if still kept a secret between them both,
prevent the perpetration of the crime meditated by his
accomplices, as the confessor could make no use of what
had been revealed to him for the purposes of justice. He
considered, therefore, that he could not give him absolu-
tion unless he made the same avowal in the presence of
a magistrate ; and It was the only useful amends he could
make for his crime. The dying man consented, and the
Prefect of Police was communicated with, who immedi-
ately attended at the hospital, and received the details
which enabled him to take the precautions which baffled
the conspirators in their second attempt at the Opera
Comique on Tuesday night. The leader of the band
is, I am told, a Belgian, some are Germans, and some
French students are said to be of the number. It seems
also that they had calculated on encountering resistance,
but they believed they should succeed in killing the
Emperor notwithstanding, and they hoped that it would
be followed by a rising of the populace. Their minds
were so made up, that it is said they even engaged a
surgeon to attend to such as were wounded in the
conflict. A domiciliary visit was made at the house of
• the Belgian, who, it appears, is a man of great ferocity
and determination, and papers have been found which
have led to further disclosures and further arrests.
It is probable there is some exaggeration as to the num-
bers arrested. Yesterday 49 were spoken of, and to-day
nearlyloo. I am told the report is incorrect which spoke
of the arrest of a son of Victor Hugo, though it is said
his lodgings were searched, but nothing found of import-
ance. It is certain that the persons arrested on Tuesday
night have made a full confession of their guilt, and of
their accomplices. They had been taken with arms upon
them, and were afraid they would be treated with all the
rigour of military law, and after a brief trial by court-
martial shot. It is hoped that their disclosures will lead to
the discovery of the parties who employed them, or who are
at the bottom of the affair. The proceedings are carried
on with a good deal of secrecy. It is said, however,
that the authorities have, from what has been avowed,
come to the knowledge of the existence of a secret so-
ciety with considerable ramifications, having for object
to assassinate the Emperor, and that the society has
been in existence for some time. The organisation of
it is much the same as in previous ones. The mem-
bers are known among themselves by the title of
the Invisibles. They are affiliated by groups who
bear the name of Fontes. Very few among them
know each other; they all swear obedience to anony-
mous chiefs, with whom they have no personal
or direct intercourse—hence the name Invisibles.
The police has already been on the traces of the
society, but it was not acquainted with the secret of its
organization. Four days after the arrests at the Opera
Comique, it is said that men were posted on the road to
St. Cloud for the same object, and that they were taken
into custody after some resistance. In consequence of
these disclosures an augmentation will be made in cer-
tain arms of the garrison. The Municipal Guard will
be increased by two squadrons. Arrests took place
yesterday at the Bantignolles, and some wine-house-
keepers have been ordered to shut up their establish-
ments. The persons last arrested are lodged in the
prison of Mazas. A priest is also mentioned as having
been taken into custody."

A moderate amount of business was transacted
at the Bourse on Saturday, and the closing prices
of the Government Securities indicate a general
advance on the preceding day's report. The closing
prices were :—For cash, Three per Cents., 77f. ;
Four-and-a-Half per Cents, 102 f. 10c. ; Bank Stock,
2,660 f. In Mortgage Bank Shares there is no va-
riation to report, the final quotations still being
660 f. ; those of the Societe Mobiliere rose 2f. 50c.

A general improvement took place on Saturday
in prices in the railway share market, although,
excepting in Paris and Strasbourg ;shares, which
rose 15f., the advance was unimportant, being from
if. to 3f., with a decline to a similar extent in Paris
and Orleans and Lyons to the Mediterranean
shares :—The final quotations were :—Northern,
857 f. 50c. ; Orleans, 1071 f. 25c. ; Paris and Stras-
bourg, 900 f. ; Paris and Lyons, 895 f. ; Paris and
Rouen, 1037 f. 50c.; Lyons to editerranean 722 f.
50c. • Western of France, 725 f. ; Rouen and liavre
487 f. 50c. ; Bordeaux and Cette, 615 f. ; Caen an d
Cherbourg, 605 f.