The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-15 00:00:00

FRA_N CE.

The Emperor and Empress will, it is said, on the
return of the latter from Biarritz, reside for some
days at the palace of Compiegne. Great prepara-
tions are already being made .for the reception of
their Majesties ; and the hunting establishment
has been sent to Compiegne.
The Empress has sent a sum of 2,000 f. for the
relief of the sufferers from the recent terrible fire
at Saint Laurent-du-Pont, in the Isere. The do-
nation is accompanied by a most gracious letter
from her Majesty's secretary.
In some of our Paris contemporaries the portion
usually devoted to what are called original articles
is filled with notices of the preparations for the
attack upon Sebastopol, and speculations as to the
mode in which it will be made. Most of these,
however, are founded on the articles which have
appeared in the English journals.

The Debats says :
" It is admitted that the landing of troops, or the pas-
sage of a wide river in the presence of the enemy, is one
of the most difficult operations of war, and at the same
time one of the rarest. According to General Jomini,
the numerous armies which the great States keep up
in our days, do not allow a descent of 30,000 or
40,000 men, as formerly ; and he regards it as nearly
impossible to embark an army of 80,000 or 100,000
men, with its immense apparatus of artillery, cavalry,
provisions, and ammunition ; consequently, the com-
bined army will at the present moment have executed
what that great strategical writer looked on as impos-
sible. The experience of. history demonstrates, he adds,
the difficulties of a naval expedition, even for bodies
of 50,000 or 40,000 men only. There it is evident,
he says, that with these restricted forces a descent
ought to be attempted only against isolated colonies, or
against a Power of the second rank which could not
be immediately supported, or to effect a momentary
diversion against a State whose troops would be occu-
pied at a distance from the spot by a great war. And
thus the descent which is now being effected in the
Crimea with a whole army, in face of a hostile army
fully on its guard, will constitute a feat of arms as
striking as it is new in the annals of modern wars, and
which ought to strike the masters of the art with
astonishment."
The question of disposing in France of the pri-
soners from Bomarsund has already given birth to
a number of applications from various towns in
France. Cherbourg requests to have them to aid
in executing the works in its port ; Algiers for the
cultivation of the ground c its vicinity ; Nantes
for the drainage of the Lake of Grandlieu ; and
Orleans for the improvemet of the Sologne. What-
ever occupation they may be assigned (and it is
certain that they will not be left unemployed),
they are sure of humane treatment.
General Count d'Hautpoul, commander-in.-chief
of the camp of the south, has announced to the
authorities and to the Archbishop of Aix that the
Emperor will visit the camp in the month of Octo-
ber.

Marshal Baraguay d'Hilliers arrived in Paris
yesterday, and left this morning for Boulogne.
The following telegraphic despatch arrived last
night :—" This night a fire broke out in the goods
warehouse of the Arles Railroad, it is said in three
different parts. Although immediate and active
aid was received, the whole, among which was a
great number of bales of cotton, was consumed.
The warehouse was insured for 500,000 f."
We read in the- LW oniteur de la Flotte :—" The
Messager de la Manche announces as positive
the arrival, next month, at Cherbourg, of the
?atria our Baltic equaciront report, if not