The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-17 00:00:00

The greatest importance, says the Times Paris
correspondent in his letter, dated yesterday, con-
tinues to be attached to the adherence of Austrira
to the alliance of the four Powers, even after the
entry of the combined fleets into the Black Sea ;
and on that fact are founded the hopes that a
general war will be avoided, as very few indeed of
the many who discu s the question think that th%
Emperor of Russia will persist in his opposition
to the rest of Europe, unsupported as he is by any
Government. The partisans of Russia do not
relax in their efforts to create suspicion and
jealousy between France and England. For a
long time it was England that meditated aban-
doning France • now it is, according to them,
the Emperor of the French who is about to
yield to the tempting offers of Russia, and quit
his ally. They go so far as to say that at this mo-
ment many thousand copies of a pamphlet, announc-
ing and explaining the cause of the separation, are
already prepared for publication. These and other
absurd stories are propagated with a zeal and an
energy worthy. of a better cause, but, it must be
added, without producing conviction in the mind
of any one. This is so little the case, that I am
assured everything is ready for an expedition
should circumstances require it, and those " cir-
cumstances" would probably be the defeat of the
Turks on the Danube, and the passage of the river
by the Russians. In spite of these rumours public
opinion is to-day more in favour of the maintenance
of the peace than for some days past ; and the Em-
peror himself is said to share in that opinion.
On the same subject the Paris correspondent of
the Morning Chronicle writing yesterday says :
Although it is now known that no news has been
received from St. Petersburgh that in any way jus-
tifies the increased confidence in the re-establish-
ment of peace, which suddenly seized on the public
on Saturday last, there are many who still hope
that the Czar will reconsider the matter before
plunging the world into all the horrors of war. This
hope is founded not so much on any information
rceived from St. Petersburgh, as on the more than
moderate terms of the negotiation lately agreed to
by the Sultan, and on the belief that the unanimity
with which the four Powers have recommended the
acceptance of those terms to the Czar will not be
without its weight. I find, however, that these
considerations have not much value among the
political men whose judgment on such subjects
is most deserving of attention. They still think
that the Emperor Nicholas has gone too far to
recede, and that after the recent acts and declara-
tions of the English and French Governments he
will be less disposed to yield than before. They
eons-Pier it probable, to be sure, that in pursuance
of that suaviter in modo policy which.has hitherto
been .his rule, he will probably agree to send
a plenipotentiary 10 the conference, who will
be empowered to discuss the questions pending
with Turkey ; but as it is understood that he still
persists in reserving the religious question (which
is, in fact, the whole question), and settling it by
direct negotiation with the Porte, it is evident
that -the affair will be as far from being arranged
after the discussions of the conference as it was
before. Russia has everything to gain by this
tempolising policy, and she makes an able use of
it. She has still reason to hope that by agreeing
to send a plenipotentiary she; may delay the active
hostility of England aid France; while she on'her
side will continue to strengthen herself in the po-
sitions she has already gained, and concentrate, the
enormous forces at her command, but at present
spread over immense territories, in the seat of war.
There was a full Council of Ministers at the
Tuileries yesterday (Monday), at which the Empe-
ror presided. Nothing transpired as to what reso-
lutions had been adopted, but it was known that
the subject under deliberation was the Eastern
question, and the question of sending troops at
once to Constantinople. In principle it has long
since been decided to send an auxiliary force to the
Sultan, but the details of the expedition are not
yet settled.

The price of corn continues to rise in Paris, and
in all the departments of France. The high price
of bread, combined with the stagnation of trade and
the inclemency of the season, creates great suffer-
in, among the people, and it is feared that some
disturbances will take place. Several of the manu-
factories in the provincial towns have partially sus-
pended their operations, and are only working short
time.

Judgment was delivered in the Police Court of
Paris yesterday in the case of the individuals accused
of having formed a secret society for the purpose of
overthrowing the Government. Three were ac-
quitted, and the remainder were found guilty. Of
these 21 had already been found guilty of con-
spiring for the death of the Emperor, and had been
already sentenced by the Court of Assize, conse-
quently no further sentence was passed on them'.
Watteau, Furet, Francois, Bratiano, and Alavoine,
declared by the Court to have been the founders of
the secret society, were sentenced each to impri-
sonment for five years, and to pay a fine of 500 f. ;
15 others Irere,sentenced each to imprisonment for
one year, and to pay a fine 'of 100 f.
The answer of the Emperor of Russia—if it should
arrive at all, which is doubtful—cannot be known
in Paris before the 20th. of January. In the mean-

time, so far from the idea of men in official situ-
ations being of opinion that the Czarwill give way,
they think precisely the reverse. It is well
known that he is making preparations on the
most gigantic scale for the prosecution of the
spring campaign, and that his orders to his
generals is to cross the Danube, and to • carry
the war into Bulgaria as speedily ,as possible.
From all this it is evident that the rise in the funds,
both in Paris and Vienna, :does not proceed from
any real improvement in the position' of the
Eastern question ; but' simply from the fact that
the speculators for the fall know that one word
,
bring ruin upon them
from the Czar, might and
that they are consequently alarmed whenever re-
ports are spread that his Majesty has resolved
to
abandon schemes of ambition which threaten him-
self as well as the rest of the world wi •
th years of
misfortune and probable ruin. It is stated that
the feeling of the French Government
on the sub•
ject of peace•or war is this—the members of the
Cabinet consider the maintenance of peace is hope-
less ; and feeling satisfied that d elay is injurious
to the cause of the Sultan (which is the cause of
Europe), while it is profitable to the Czar alone,
they are prepared to car
and energy. ry
on the war with promp-
titude The chief of the State also
considers war inevitable and he sees it with deep
regret, on account of th ; the wide-spread mischief and
misery it has created
among
mercantileand is creating the
portion of his
subjects. On this ac-
count, Louis Napoleon would be glad to see an
settling opportunity of the question ; but as he
does not see
that it would be possible to do so with
honour, he also isprepared to join 1 • • '
his Ministers
in resisting R •
Russia to the utmost.. From this it is
clear that the attitude of France is precisely what
we could wish—showing at the
same time modera-
tion and firmness.

The Moniteur publishes the official returns of
the receipts of the direct and indirect taxes for the
past year. From this account it appears that the
receipts for the year from these sources amounted
to 846,804,000 f., being an increase of 42,470,000 f.,
as compared with 1852, and of 108,991,000 E over
1851. As compared with last year, the increase
bears principally on the following heads of re-