The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-27 00:00:00

FRANCE.

The Moniteur of this morning publishes a report
of the Minister of Finances on the financial results
of the year 1853. The receipts and expenditure
are nearly balanced. The deficit will not exceed
four millions of francs.

The Paris correspondent of the Times, writing
yesterday evening, says :
" I mentioned yesterday that the Russian Mini-
ster had an interview with M. Drouyn de Lhuys,
foe the purpose of demanding explanations relative
to the entry of the French fleet into the Black
Sea—a question which, I presume, has been asked
in London with reference to the English squad-
ron. M. Drouyn de Lhuys might well have
expressed surprise at such a demand, seeing
that the object of that movement had been
fully and clearly explained in the despatch which
announced the fact itself. For any other explana-
tions that might be required, M. Drouyn de Lhuys
said that he should first take the orders of his Sove-
reign. This, I believe, was the answer given by M.
de Nesselrode when the note of M. de Reizet was
communicated to him. I understand that M. Kisse-
leff again saw the Minister for Foreign Affairs yes=
terday, and the answer was, that the Emperor had
not yet taken his determination respecting any
further explanations. It is stated, and I have
reason to believe:correctly, that the despatches
received by M. de Kisseleff touch on several
points, the principal of which is, of course, the
presence of the combined fleets in the Euxine.
The Emperor of Russia is forbearing enough not to
consider it as a case of war, and he believes, or
affects to believe, that the English and French
fleets have only quitted their anchorage in the Bos-
phorus, not by way of menace, but to act as me-
diators between the Turkish and Russian navies,
to perform the humane duty of pacificators, and
possibly that Admirals Hamelin and Dundas are
in reality a volunteer deputation of the Peace Con-
gress. He of course has not the least idea that
these gallant officers would, under any circumstances,
imitate the pacificators at an Irish fair, where,
when the combatants did not listen to reason, they
were knocked down on both sides. It is chiefly to
ease his conscience on that point that explanations
are demanded. A delicate allusion is also made, so
runs my information, to the trifling affair' of
Sinope, which was the immediate cause of the
entry of the squadrons ; and it is not unworthy
of attention that his Imperial Majesty gives what
no doubt he considers a very fair explanation of
that incident ; he protests that he had no idea of
profit by 'the defenceless condition of the Turkish
squadron at Sinope, but acted under the impres-
sion that he was justified in preventing the
Turkish fleet from carrying succour of any kind
to the rebels on ',Russian territory, and against his
Sovereign authority. It is also intimated that
perhaps, with the view of preventing any mistake,
a paraaraph, how concise he does not care, in the
Moniteur, expressive of the neutrality of France,
would be very agreeable—but it is indispensable
that the word, neutrality, shall be printed with its
complete allowance of syllables and letters. These
are, I hear, the points on which an explanation is
requested, and on them it was that a reference had
to be made to the Emperor of the French. A
Cabinet Council was held yesterday, no doubt for
the purpose of coming to a determination as to
whether any answer should be given, and what are
the explanations that ought to be given.
" It is certain that on the fact of the Russian Am-
bassador not having demanded his passports, as the
result of his conference with the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, are founded hopes that an amicable arrange-
ment is not yet beyond the limit of probability,
and that the firm attitude of England and France
is at last giving the Czar serious cause of alarm. It
is said that the disposition now shown by Austria
is very favourable, and if such be the case he might
well pause. But it cannot be concealed that those
who indulge in these hopes are very few indeed,
and the opinion most generally entertained is, that
this new move of the Czar is of a piece with his
policy throughout. From the very commencement
of the quarrel Russia has never hesitated to give
assurances of heepacific disposition ; to reject with
indignation the ideas of aggrandisement, imputed
to her, while at the same time she has not discon-
tinued for a single day her preparations for war.
Her object, it is.believed, is only to gain time to
complete these preparations, to concentrate all her
force, to overrun even more than she has done the
Principalities, and to enclose them in such a grasp
as cannot be loosened ; to pass the Danube in irre-
sistible numbers, and force Turkey, when alone,
and at its last gasp, to consent to treat directly
with her, while the Powers are still receiving her
notes, and the Ambassadors are referring to St.
Petersburg. I have reason to believe that there
are very serious apprehensions that Turkey will be
forced to that alternative, and I know that in Con-
stantinople such is the result anticipated."
The answer of Russia, says the Paris correspon-
dent of the Chronicle, to the declaration of France
and England, with respect to the entry of the com-
bined fleets into the Black Sea, is at last known.
It appears that it arrived in London on the 22d
inst., in order that it might, in the first instance,
be communicated to the English Governmont. M.
de Kisseleff, to whom the same despatch had been
transmitted, was instructed to wait for the answer
to be given to M. de Brunow, before communi-
cating the document to M. Drouyn de Lhuys.
The Russian note expresses the astonishment felt
by the Emperor Nicholas on learning that orders
had been sent to the combined fleets to enter the
Black Sea ; and declares that, before giving a for-
mal answer to the declaration to that effect, he
considers it necessary to have some categorical ex-
planations as to the attitude to be assumed by the
fleets. He requires to know if France and England
were about to abandon their neutrality ; or, if on
the contrary, they were about to become parties to
the war carried on by Turkey against Russia. On
these points the Emperor demands peremptory and
categorical answers.
The movements of M. de Kisseleff have become
events of public importance. Not only did he at-
tend the ball at the Tuileries on Monday, but he
attended the reception at the Princess Mathilde's
on Wednesday, and is to dine to-day with the Em-
peror and Empress. But, notwithstanding this,
I understand that he holds himself in readiness to
leave Paris on short notice. Since Wednesday, M.
de Kisseleff has begun to speak of a trip which he
has some intention of making to Belgium, during
which he will leave the affairs of his mission under
the care of M. Balabine and M. Tolstoi.
Letters have been received from the Balearic
Islands, which state that an American war-steamer
has put into Mahon, on board of which is the am-
bassador extraordinary of the United States, now
on his way to Constantinople.
The Moniteur announces that, in obedience to
orders sent to the prefects by the Minister of the
Interior, an inventory is about to be made of all
the departmental archives previous to 1790.
The Emperor has granted, from his privy purse,
a sum of 3,000 f. to the Abbe Daras, director of the
Institute of the Deaf and Dumb at Soissons, for
the construction of a church.

By imperial decree dated the 25th a resolution,
of the municipal commission of Paris to the effect
that a sum of 2,500,000 f. shall be allowed for the
active receipts to pay a part of what is called the
" contingent personnel Mobilier de 1854," is ap-
proved of.

The Bourse was firm yesterday, with a further
rise on Wednesday's quotations, the latest news
from Germany being considered favourable by the
speculators. The Three per Cents. opened at
70f. 35c. fell to 70f., rose again to 70f. 50e., and
closed at 70f. 40c. for the end of the month. The
Four-and-a-Half per Cents. closed at 98f. sc. ;
Orleans Railway shares, 1,062 f. 500. ; Rouen,
940 f. ; Havre, 437 f. 50c ; Great Northern, 755 f. ;
Paris and Strasburg, 740 f. ; Paris and Lyons, 840 f.;
Lyons to the Mediterranean' 655 f. ; Western of
' France 555 f. ; Bordeaux and Cette, 550 f. ; Great
Central, 435 f. ; Lyons and Geneva, 450 f. ; Shares
of the Bank of Credit Mobilier, 655 f.