The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-17 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

Both the Senate and the Legislative Body have
resumed their sittings. At the sitting of the for-
mer Baron de Lacrosse, Secretary of the Senate,
read in succession the decree of December 30, 1852,
appointing M. Troplong, president of the Senate
and the decree of January 25, 1853, which nomi-
nated for the present session M. Mesnard first vice-
president ; and M. Drouin de Lhuys, Gen. Count
Baraguay d'Hilliers, and Gen. Count Regnault de
Saint-Jean-d'Angely, the other vice-presidents.
M. Troplong then pronounced an address, in which
he alluded to the establishment of the Empire, and
to his own nomination to the post of president of ,
the Senate. The Empire, he said, was clearly the
expression of the national will, and the Senate had
had the merit of having in its sphere aided in esta-
blishing it. M. Amedee Thayer and Count de La-
riboisiere were elected secretaries for the session of
1853, and Count de Beaumont and Admiral Cecile,
vice-secretaries. The bureaux were then appointed
by lot, and the sitting terminated.
At the sitting of the Legislative Body M. Bil-
lault, the President, was in the chair. After the
four junior members had been called on to perform
the duties of Secretaries, letters were read from
Messrs. Ancel, Bucher de Chauvigno, Cabias, De-
mesmay, Doumet, Legorrec, Monnin-Japy, Ponge-
rard, Justin Durand, Baron Viard, Langlais, do
Mesonan, Millet, de Nougarede, Sapey, Veron,
and the Duke d'Albufera, excusing themselves for
not being able to attend the first few sittings of
the session. The oath was then administered to 27
members, who had not been present the day before
at the Tuileries. After an incident regarding a
letter from M. Bouhier de rEcluse, relating to tak-
ing the oath, the President announced that he had
received from the Minister of State a bill asking
for a credit of 300,000 fr. for the administration of
the breeding-studs ; another concerning a credit
of 5,000 fr., called for by the Minister of Public In-
struction ; two bills concerning exchanges of State
property ; another bill relating to civil pensions ;
and seventeen bills of local interest. The bureaux
were then drawn by lot, and the sittings termi-
nated.

The Paris papers of yesterday devote a consider-
able portion of their space to comments on the
Speech of the Emperor to the Senate on Monday.
The Pays expresses the most perfect satisfaction
with it ; but the &ads, though it approves of the
declaration in favour of peace, writes in a tone and
manner as if it wished to raise a war cry.
In the Union there is an article on the pacific
declarations of the Government. This journal,
with the moderation and even impartiality by which
its recent articles have been distinguished, ex-
presses its satisfaction at the assurances given by
the Government, but remonstrates against the irri-
tating tone adopted by some of its organs.
General Okareff is at present at Paris, says one
of the journals, on a private mission from the Em-
peror of Russia to the French Government.
A decree, dated the Bth, opens to the Minister
of Justice a supplementary credit of 778,0001., ap-
plicable to the expense of criminal justice. This
credit will be regularised during the present session
of the Legislative Body.
The Minister of War has addressed a circular
to the Generals in command of divisions on the
carrying out of the new reduction of 20,000 men
in the army. " The first thing to be done," he
says, " is to cause to pass into the reserve all the
non-commissioned officers, corporals, and soldiers
entitled to their discharge in the course, or at the
end of 1853, who are at this moment on any ac-
count whatever absent on furlough ;" and when
this shall bo done he will, he says, make known to
them the number of non-commissioned officers and
soldiers, whose tune also expires in this year, who
are to be placed in the reserve to make up the
number of 20,000. In another circular the Mi-
nister invites the generals to see to the execution
of the regulations which prohibit soldiers and
military functionaries from addressing any docu-
meat direct to the Minister, and require them
to forward them through the regular hierarchal
channel.

By order of the Minister of War the companies
on active service of the 10th battalion of Foot
Chasseurs have left Lyons for Toulon, to embark
for Rome.

The Constitutionnel of yesterday having stated
that the Count d'Haussonville, the son-in-law of
the Duke de Broglie, who, it will be remembered,
was implicated in the affair of the Bulletin Fran-
cais, had on Monday attempted to break the line
of carriages proceeding to the Tuileries, and on
being remonstrated with by a police agent had
used offensive expressions towards the Emperor,
for which he was taken into custody, M. d'Hans-
sonville has addressed the following letter to the
Constitutionnel

" Feb. 15, 1853.

" Your-joumal of this morning contains details which
concern me, and which are completely inexact. My con-
fidence in your impartiality does not permit me to doubt
your readiness to rectify them. I never for a moment
attempted to break the line of carriages entering the
court of the Tuileries. I made no reply to the insulting
language of the police-agent who arrested me. I spoke
neither to him nor to any one in the crowd, which, be-
sides, was at rather a good distance from me. I merely
said to my little boy, a child of nine years of age, who
was by my side, some words, of which I am quite ready
to maintain, before any tribunal whatever, the perfect
truth and complete innocence. I have the honour to be,
&c., " COUNT D'HAUSSONVILLE

" Ex-deputy."
M. d'Haussonville was, it appears, taken before a
Commissary of Police, by whom he was soon after-
wards released.

The cold has at length set in with some severity ,
yesterday the thermometer marked 6 in the morn-
ing 3 deg. 8-10ths below zero centigrade (25f Fah-
renheit), and at noon 4-10ths (31k F.). This morn-
ing, at 6 o'clock, the thermometer marked 3 deg.
4-10ths below zero centigrade.
The explanations given on Monday evening by
the English Ministers in both Houses of Parlia-
ment have been welcomed as a pledge of peace,
and have produced a considerable rise in all de-
scriptions of stock on the Bourse.
The Emperor and Empress went in state to the
Grand Opera on Tuesday night. From an early hour
of the evening the rue Lepelletier was brilliantly
lighted up with gas, and the façade of the theatre
was tastefully adorned. A large crowd thronged
the Boulevards and the street on both sides, and
the way was kept by pickets of mounted gendarmes
and sergens de vile. About half-past eight the
Emperor arrived in a close carriage, attended by
the usual escort of cuirassiers. He and the Em-
press were received on entering by the director of
the Opera with the greatest ceremony usual on
such occasions. It was near one o'clock when the
party left, and though the night was very cold, but
dry, the Boulevards and street were still thronged
with crowds waiting to see him return.
The Bourse was as animated yesterday as it was
dull on Tuesday. The explanations given by Mi-
nisters in the British Houses of Parliament on
Monday night last were regarded as a pledge of
peace by the speculators, and a considerable rise
took place in the price of publicosecurities. A re-
port circulated that the Bank of England would
shortly reduce its rate of discount served to main-
tain prices. The Three per Cents. opened at
80f. 30c., and rose to 80f. 55c., at which they
closed for the end of the month. The Four-and-a
Half per Cents. closed at 105 f. 85c. ; Orleans Rail-
way Shares, 1,025 f. ; Rouen, 985; Havre, 477 f. 50c.;
Great Northern, 872 f. 53e. ; Bale, 355 f. ; Paris
and Strasburg, 797 f. 50c. ; Paris and Lyons, 892 f.
50c. ; Lyons to the Mediterranean, 775 f. ; Bor-
deaux and Cette, 675 f. ; Western of France, 710 f. ;
Caen to Cherbourg, 670 f. 50e. ; Dijon to Besangon,
525 f. ; Shares of the Bank of Credit Mobilier,
782 f. 500.