The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-03 00:00:00

FRANCE.

The preparations for war, both of a military and
naval character, are proceeding with great activity.
Orders have been sent to Toulon that the Labra-
dor steam-frigate shall be immediately armed and
got ready for sea. She is to bet victualled for
seventy days, and with six months of spare stores.
The Asmod6a steam-frigate, the arming of which is
completed, is now ready for sea.
The French Government has determined to try
the experiment in Paris of night policemen, similar
to our police force in England. The new police
will be established in Paris in about two months.
It will be simply a night police, and will, in the
first instance, be on a very limited scale. If the
experiment succeed, the system will be gradually
extended.

The Conrrier de Champagne announces that secret
clubs have been discovered at Rheims, and. that
several of the ,members have been arrested.
Rumours are again current with respect to a
change in the French Cabinet. It appears that
M. Fould, notwithstanding all that has happened,
continues to maintain his ideas that Franco should
at all sacrifices avoid war. These arguments were
repudiated by all the other Ministers, with the ex-
ception, it is said, of M. Magne. M. de Persig,ny
more especially opposed them, declaring that all
these considerations were of secondary importance,
and dwindled into nothing when brought in com-
parison with the national honour, the equilibrium
of Europe, and civilisation itself—all of which were
threatened by the grasping ambition of Russia. It
is thmight that M. Fould, differing so essentially as
he does from' the other members of the Cabinet,
will retire. Indeed, the Ministers themselves feel
the necessity, in the present crisis, of having a
united Cabinet.

It is understood that apartments are to be pre-
pared at the Palais Royal for the Duke and
Duchess of Brabant, who will pay a visit to Paris,
in return for the visit of Prince Napoleon to
Brussels. The visit of Prince Napoleon to Brus-
sels is a sad blow to the Fusionists, who look upon.
it as principally directed against them.
On Wednesday the police paid a domiciliary
visit to an establishment called the Bureau de
l'Agence Etrano• 'ere, in the Boulevart des Italiens.
The authorities had received notice that the secret
agents of Russia, were in the habit of meeting at
that place to receive at all hours of the day from:
their superiors the mots d'ordre, which they *firth-
with proceeded to hawk about at the Bourse, and
in the cafés and clubs. Several papers were seized,
but no prisoners were made.

Sir Stephen Lakeman, ' who commanded the
Waterkloof Rangers at the Cape of Good Hope;
where he obtained such a brilliant reputation,
arrived in Paris some days ago on his way to
Constantinople to take the command of a large
body of troops in Asia. He has new 'left for the
Turkish capital, but during his stay in Paris ho
was for some time engaged in inspecting, with the
permission of the Minister of War, the improved.
drill and arms of that formidable corps the
Chasseurs de Vincennes. Sir Stephen speaks in
the highest terms of the courtesy he elxperienced.
from the Minister of War, Marshal Magnan, and
all the French military authorities.
The Paris journals which did not on Wednes-
day remark on the speech of the Queen of Eng-
land have article on the subject in the i mpressment
of yesterday. They are unanimous in. regarding
the language of the speech as moderate, but they
are also nearly unanimous in the expression of an
opinion that no conclusion warranting; -a belief
that war will be prevented is to be ,drawn from
that circumstance, things having been now brought
to such a point that no more concessi on can be
made to unreasonable demands on the pa it cf Rue-.
sia, and there being as yet no indicafz ion of the
abandonment by the Emperor Nichola s of pre-
tensions which render it difficult to ar rivo at a
pacific solution without a sacrifice by and England
of interests, honour, and dignity. The .Debats says
that the Queen's speech is eloquent in its . simplicity,
amid that the answers to be given to M. dlo Brunow
will clearly demonstrate this eloquence.
The Bourse was much crowded yesterday, and a
large amount of business was transactec I. Sales
of public securities were difficult, except at a con-
siderable reduction on the prices of Wedne: slay, the
speculators regarding the arrangement of f Lhe exist-
ing differences between Russia and the -Western
Powers as nearly impossible. The Three pe r Cents.
opened at 68f., fell to 67f. 25c., and close 4 at 67f-
-35c. for the end of the month. The FOU r-and-a-
Half per Cents. closed at 96f. 80c. ; Orlea: as Rail-
way Shares, 1,020 f. ; Rouen, 910 f. ' • Havre , 425 f. ;
Great Northern, 715 f.; Paris and Strasburg 4-, 695 f.;
ditto, New, 550 f. ; Paris and Lyons, 800 f.. ; Lyons
to the Mediterranean, 617 f. 50c. ; Great Qentral,
425 f. ; Lyons and Geneva, 435 f. ; Shar es of the
Bank of Credit Mobilier, 607 f. 50e.