The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-14 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

The Constitutionnel extracts from the Morning
Chronicle part of a letter from Paris, in which the
writer declared that the recent reduction of the
French army was a mere fiction ; that by the new
contingent this reduction was more than made up ;
and that the effective force of the French army was
never greater than it is now. After giving this
extract, and remarking on the error of the writer,
the Constitutionnel says
" Unless these tactics be ascribed to the desire to keep
Mr. Cobden and his adversaries occupied, we cannot un-
derstand the mania which certain English journals have
to cry war, in the midst of a profound peace. Why do
they not show more regard for the sensibility of their
readers, who have had so long the nightmare of a French
invasion, and who a thousand times have awakened in a
fright, dreaming that London was taken by a battalion
of chasseurs of Vincennes ? Whence comes it that they
persist in alarming credit, in disquieting commerce, in
tormenting public opinion with phantoms ? Whilst the
correspondent of the Morning 'Chronicle gravely sends
these ridiculous stories to his journal, the French Go-
vernment replies to him by convoking at Paris, for the
spring of 1855, the manufactures of the whole world, in
order to celebrate the fête of universal peace."
The same journal extracts from the Morning
Advertiser a long Paris letter, stating that the
superior of a nunnery in Paris having become
Protestant, and induced seven of her nuns also
to embrace the Protestant creed, they had been
menaced with persecution if they persisted in their
new faith. Four of the nuns, says the letter, did

persist and were sent away to a- distance of 100
leagues from Paris, and the superior having written
to them to encourage them in their conversion, and
promising to aid them, she was thrown into prison.
The writer of this letter asserts that he knows all

this to be true, and has seen letters connected with
the affair bearing a post mark ; on.which the Con-
stitutionnel, which turns the statement into ridicule,
aski why the correspondent of the Advertiser, if
he has letters bearing post marks, to indicate where
these victims of persecution are, does not at once
enable the legal authorities to do them justice.
The Constitutionnel says
" We wish the English correspondent success in his
researches, and if he attains any result we will assist
him with our publicity as we now do, provided he points
out facts a little more precisely, which it will be easy
for him to do. In fact, if he has had in his hands letters
bearing the stamp of the post-office, those letters must
have had addresses, and a clue would thus be given."

The Pays says it will pity the readers of the
Advertiser, if they are credulous enough to believe
this story.
The Journal des Debats says 4.--g ( The Legislative
Body will soon have several bills brought before it
relative to ways of communication either by water
or land. The bill for farming out the canals will
be shortly presented. As to the railways, that
from Besancon to Mulhausen is in particular men-
tioned, that line being the last fragment of the net-
work of 1842, and being the means of connecting
the Rhine with the Mediterranean. Several com-
panies have been formed to tender for this line,
the basis of their combination being the division
into several parts of this great line. We cannot
believe that the Government will consent to such
a system. The Strasburg to Basle Company solicits
this new line as its natural extension in the direc-
tion of the Mediterranean : it would then constitute,
on a•direct extent of 350 kilometres (2184 English
miles), a transversal line between the Lyons and
Strasburg lines. The Government by this combi-
nation would avoid the division of the line at the
point of Mulhausen and would remain faithful to
its system of great lines and few boards of direc-
tors."

The funeral of Madame Raspail took place yes-
terday. The political friends of M. Raspail availed
themselves of the opportunity to make a demon-
stration, and about four thousand of them accom-
panied the procession to Pere la Chaise.
Although politics are unusually calm at present
in Paris, it would appear that the partisans of the
house of Bourbon are not altogether idle. For
some days past letters have been in circulation in
some of the Legitimist salons, addressed by the
Count de Chambord to some of his adherents in
France. One of them is addressed to the Duke de
Rovigo, who was recently thrown into prison under
pretence that ho was in correspondence with foreign
newspapers, and is principally remarkable for the
fact that the head of the house of Bourbon ad-
dresses M. de Rvvigo as mon cousin. This affec-
tionate style in a letter to one who derives his
dukedom from the Empire (the Duke de Rovigo
being the son of the celebrated. Savary), is taken as
a proof that the Count de Chambord, if restored
to his rights, would make no difference between
the ancient and modern nobility. Another letter
speaks in the most delicate and flattering terms
of the notabilities of the Orleanist party, who
have of late, under.the name of Fusionists, given
in their adhesion to the elder branch of the House
of Bourbon, and more especially of MM. Mole,
Beugnot, de Salvandy, Vitet, Guizot, Villemain,
Keratry, &c. In another letter, the Comte de
Chambord, in allusion to a reproach which had
been addressed to him, that he wished to impose
humiliating conditions on the Prince of Orleans,
says :—" It has always been as far from my ideas
as from the feelings of my heart to impose the
slightest humiliation on princes whose honour is
dear to me, because they will be called upon, if
they wish to understand their own duty and their
own interest, to surround and defend the throne."
Active preparations have already commenced for
the coronation. The . royal carriages, and more
especially the carriage used at the coronation of
Charles X., have been brought into Paris from
Versailles, and are at the present moment under-
going the necessary painting and alterations for the
occasion. The state carriage of Charles X., which
for magnificence is a wonder of its kind, is to be
so completely transformed that it will scarcely be
recognised. Not only are the arms and colour
to be' altered, and the royal crown changed into an
imperial crown, but the silver angels at the four
corners of the carriage are to be replaced by eagles.
It is at Mouceaux that the carriages are being
not takeplace till June, it having
It is said to be now determined that the
• in Paris by the day first fixed.
Pope to arrive
in publishing a document
shallcoronationd; that it will be difficult for the
a r
rbeenTahn egascertainede
in the, Moniteur of yesterday,
which appeared
of the city of London," says:
bankers; and traders " Declaration of the merchants,
tly remarked that those Eng-
lishConstitutionnel,
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frequently
as to the intentions of the Fr
withwho represent it continually as animatedd
journals who always show aewneahntGofoveounnfimdeenncte
thus soek to keep up hostile feelings
ag-
gressive intentions respecting England, and whotlvn
maintain-ineogunatrigoesodwhuinedhehrsatvane sdino mg,uachreinfatrerefrstomm
represent-
ing the Arne sentiments of England. The docu-
ment, which we find in the official journal, appears
to us to be of a nature forcibly to characterise how
much falsehood there is in that system of polemics
of which we must hope people will get tired when
they see the uselessness of it.
Some speculators assembled yesterday at the
Casino, but no business was transacted.
On Saturday the Stock Market remained with-
out any yery marked change in prices. Saturday
is frequently a dull day at the Paris Bourse, and
this was no exception to the rule. The Four-and-
a-Half per Cents. have declined 20c., closing at
104 f. 20c., and the Three per Cents. have risen
20c., at 81f. 10c. Bank of France Shares are un-
altered ;. those of the Mortgage Bank are sf. lower,
11antt. ibmw.Pf ..the Societe Mobiliere 7f. 50c. lower.
Roman is higher, as is the Austrian (London)