The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-27 00:00:00

FRANCE.

OPENING OF THE LEGISLAi TIVE SESSION.
PA RIS TUESDAY.
_ _

This day, at one o'clock, the E nperor opened in
person, at the palace of the Tuil, eries, in the Salle
des Marechaux, the legislative session of 1855.
The throne was placed at the end of the room, on
a raised platform, in front of the , window looking
into the garden. On the right of the throne was
placed a chair of state for Prince ; ferome Napoleon.
and on the left a similar one for Prince Napoleon,
absent in the East. On the righ• t and left of their
Imperial Highnesses stood seats l or the princes of
the Imperial family, designated b y the Emperor ;
whilst farther on were placed s eats for the great
officers of the Crown, the cardina ls, marshals, and
admirals ; the ministers, and Grand Crosses of the
Legion of Honour; the presidents , vice-presidents,
presidents of sections, and meinbe rs of the Council
of State.

The recess of the window was reserved for the
officers of the households of their Majesties and of
Prince Jerome Napoleon. On the right were places
reserved for the diplomatic body in front of the
throne were the seats of the pres ident, vice-presi-
dents, and members of the Sea: lee; and on the
left, these of the president, vec!:-presidents, and
members of the Legislative Corps- .Behind the Senate
were the places reserved for the deputations of the
Court of Cassation, the Court of Accounts, the Im-
perial Court, the Catholic clergy, the Prefect of the
Seine, the Prefect of Police, la; deputation of the
tribunal of Premiere Instance, the Presidents of
Central Council and of the Non- Catholic Consis-
tories ; the general com mantling the National
Guard, and the head of his staff ; general officers,
and colonels of the Imperial Guard, and of the
army of Paris. Between the places reserved for the
Senate and the Legislative Corps a wide opening
led to the throne.
The gallery above was reserved for the Empress,
-the princesses, the grand master, grand mistress,
jeanddieslaodfietshe Princessofthehouriathohliilifie n
of tahe Empress, the
d the
ladies
in-
vited, the wives of the members of the diplomatic
corps, of the ministers, marshals, and admirals,
.of the widows of marshals and admirals, the
wives of the great officers of the Crown, of the
:members of the bureaux, of the Senate, Legislative
Corps, and Council of State, and of the first presi-
,dents and procureurs-general of the Court of Cas-
uation, Court of Accounts, and Imperial Court, and
•of the Prefect of the Seine.
The ladies who had received invitations had all
tdien their places before a quarter to twelve. At
half-past twelve the diplomatic corps, the great
'bodies of the State, and the various deputations
evere in the places reserved to them. Every person
-avas in full dress or uniform, and the coup d'ccil
was magnificent.
At 5 minutes to one iio'clock an usher advanced
read announced the Empress. Her Majesty, accom-
planed by-the Princess Mathilde and the officers
(Gild ladies of her household, entered and took her
pdace in front of the throne. As soon as the Em-
press was seated a salvo of 101 guns announced
th at the ceremony had commenced. The Grand
TvL aster of the Ceremonies then went to inform the
En iperor, and immediately after the Imperial cor-
teg e entered in the following order :—The ushers, a
ma ster of the ceremonies, the equerry on duty, the
pre 'feet of the palace on duty, the chamberlain on
dirty, the adjutant-general of the palace, the com-
mander of the Imperial Guard, the grand master of
the ceremonies, the grand huntsman,- the grand
eiranaberlam.nies,
,
the grand marshal of the palace, the
et
eah
ri
esd e
commander-
od aide-de-camp
dutym p on
noof the
tduty,iie
Prince
Ct he ne t governor,G
earroduelsJerome
En iperor Prince Jerome Napoleon, the chief
studn
oa e-
tTi entephra; l a Cohen.
officers
Na;noleon.

the Emperor having placed himself in front of
the throne, and the whole of the persons being
unp.itauding and uncovered, the Grand Master of
the Ceremonies, after having taken the orders of
hi& Majesty, said, " Gentlemen, be seated." The
Emperor then read the speech, which was fre-
quently interrupted by loud acclamations, and was
greeted at its termination by repeated .cries of
g, Vive l'Empereur !"
Immediately after the Minister of State rose
and said, " Such senators and deputies as have
be en nominated since last session are permitted by
the Emperor to take the usual oath. As each name
is called out, the person called will reply, " I
swear." The form of the oath is, " I swear obe-
diet ce to the Constitution, and fidelity to the

Emperor." The oath was then taken by fourteen
new sen9i-nrs., and dennt;•-•q.
_IH t-
k.-,f the 14Inperor I declare the session to be opened,
and I invite the members of the Senate and of the
Legislative Corps to meet to-morrow for the de•
spatch of business."
The proceedings then terminated with cries of
" Vive I'Empereur !" " Vive l'lmperatrice !"

BOURSE, DEC. 26.—CLOSING PRICES.
Cash. fr. c. End of Month.
per Cents 94 —94 f. —c.
3 per Cents 67 10 67 10
Credit Mobilier 733 75 Roman
Credit Foncier 550 Austrian
Belgian Five 5........ Spanish Threes
Piedmontese — Horne Debt

RAILWAYS-FOR CASH.

Ir. c. fr. c.
Orleans 1,11.0 fr. Lyons , 978 75
Western.
Cette
Mediterranean B5O Havre
Northern

SPEECH OF THE EMPEROR
OF THE FRENCH.

MESSIEURS LES SENATEI/RS,
MESSIEURS LES DEPUTES,

Since you last met great facts have been accom-
plished. The appeal which I made to the country
to cover the expenses of the war was so well re-
sponded to, that the result even surpassed our
hopes. Our arms have been victorious in the
Baltic and in the Black Sea. Two great battles
have shed lustre on our flag (ont illustre notre
drapeau). A striking testimony has proved the
intimacy of our relations with England. The
British Parliament has voted thanks to our gene-
rals and to our soldiers. A great empire, rejuve-
nated by the chivalrous sentiments of its Sove-
reign, has separated itself (s' est detache) from the
Power which, for forty years, has menaced the in-
dependence of Europe. The Emperor of Austria
has concluded a treaty—defensive at present, soon
perhaps offensive—which unites his cause to that of
France and England.
Thus, gentlemen, the longer the war continues,
the more numerous becomes the number of our
allies, and the closer are drawn the bonds already
formed. What firmer bonds can there, in fact, be
than those bearing the names of victories belonging
to the two armies, and recalling a common glory
—than the same anxieties and the same hopes agi-
tating the two countries— than the same views and
the same intentions animating the two Govern-
ments in every corner of the globe. Thus the
alliance with England is not the result of a passing
interest and of a policy of circumstances ' • it is the
union of two powerful nations associated together
for the triumph of a cause in which, for more than
a century, their greatness, the interests of civilisa-
tion, and, at the same time, the liberty of Europe
are engaged. Unite, then, with me on this solemn
occasion to thank here, in the name of France, the
British Parliament for its cordial and warm demon-
stration, and the English army and its worthy com-
manders for their valiant co-operation.
Next year, if peace should not have been re-
established, I hope that I shall have to render
similar thanks to Germany, the union and prospe-
rity of which we desire.
I am happy to pay a just tribute of praise to the
army and to the fleet, which, by their devotion and
discipline, have worthily responded to my expecta-
tions, in France as in Algeria, in the North as in
the South.

Up to the present moment the army of the East
has had to suffer, and has overcome everything—
disease, fire, tempest, and privations. A. citadel
incessantly reprovisioned, defended by a formidable
artillery by land and sea—two hostile armies,
superior in number—nothing could weaken its
courage or impede its impetuosity. Every man
has nobly done his duty, from the Marshal who bid
death wait till victory had crowned him, down to
the privates and the sailors, whose last cry in ex-
piring was a prayer for France—an exclamation
for the elect of the country.

Let us then declare together that the army and
the fleet have well deserved of their country.
War, it is true, entails cruel sacrifices, yet every-
thing commands me to push it on with vigour ;
and, with that object in view, I count upon your
assistance.

The land army consists at present of 581,000
soldiers and 113,000 horses ; the navy of 62,000
sailors on board ship. - It is indispensable to keep
up this effective force. To fill up the vacancies
caused by annual liberations and war, I shall re-
quest from you, as I did last year, a levy of
140,000 men ; and a bill shall be presented to you,
the object of which will be to ameliorate, with-
out increasing the expenses of the treasury, the
condition of the soldiers who will re-engacie. It
will afford immense advantages by increasing the
number of old soldiers in the army, and by dimi-
nishing the oppression of conscription. This bill
will, I hope, soon have your approbation.
I shall ask your authority to conclude a new
national loan. Doubtless such a measure will
increase the national debt • but let it not be for-
gotten that, by conversion of the Rente, the interest
of that debt has been reduced to twenty-one millions
and a half. My efforts have been directed to place
the expenses on a footing with the receipts, and
the ordinary budget will be presented to you
balanced. The resources of the loan alone will
suffice for the expen,es of the war.
You will see with pleasure that our revenues
have not diminished. Commercial activity is main-
tained ; all the great works of public utility are
continued ; and Providence has deigned to grant
us a harvest which will satisfy all our wants.
Government, nevertheless, does not shut its eyes
to the distress occasioned by the high price of pro-
visions, and has taken every measure in its power
to provide against this distress, and to relieve it.
New sources of labour have been created in many.
districts. The struggle which is going on, circum-
scribed by moderation and justice, whilst it makes
the heart beat, nevertheless alarms so little the
interests, that shortly an assembly will be held
here from all parts of the globe with the produce
of neace. Strangers cannot fail to be struck by the
remarkable spectacle of a country which, counting
upon Divine Providence, maintains with energy a
war at six hundred leagues from its frontiers, and
which at the same time, with equal zeal, developes
its internal riches—a country where war does not
prevent agriculture and industry from prospering,
the arts from flourishing, and where the genius of
the nation reveals itself in everything which tends
to the glory of France.

(Front the Daily News.)

It is no exaggeration to say that the speech which the
Emperor of the French delivered yesterday at the open-
ing of the Legislative session, and which we publish this
morning, is characteri-ed by an eloquence as powerful as
that of the first of his name, and infinitely more chaste
and dignified. In this address Napoleon 111. rises to the
level of the situation. _

.s.s.
The point in the speech upon which we seize with most
avidity is that in which the Emperor defines the nature
of the existing alliance between France and England.
He emphatically detlares it to be no result of trivial in-
terests or ephemeral expediency, but the union of two
powerful nations, associated to insure the triumph of a
cause which for centuries has been the source of their
greatness, and which is essential to the civilisation and
liberty of Europe. This is the language of a true states-
man ; recognising that the alliance of France and Eng-
land is one of nations, and not merely of governments,
and that its best cement is their co-operation in the as•
sertion of that principle of national independenCe—of the
non-interference of foreign powers in the domestic affairs
of any state—to which both are indebted for their great-
ness. The Emperor's deliberate and solemn enunciation
of this great principle enhances the value of the warm
and elegant language in which be acknowledges the
tribute of esteem paid by the English Parliament to the
French army, and expresses corresponding sentime,nts
towards the army of England.
The allusions in the speech to the Central Powers of
Europe are singularly judicious. The treaty wit
Austria is spoken of as one which, defensive to-day, may
become offensive to-morrow. The extent of Austria's
approximation to the Western Powers is not exagge-
rated ; no attempt is made to lead the French people to
expect more from its qualified adhesion to their canoe
than facts warrant ; and at the same time the young
Emperor is spoken of in a manner calculated to encourage
him to persevere and grow bolder in the good disposi-
tions he has evinced. With regard to Prussia, there is
an utter silence—full of meaning, and perhaps hetf-
menacing. The wary Envoy of the Prussian Court no w
among us will understand this reticence. The allusion t;o
the aggregate of the German states in the Imperi if
speech is cordial and hopeful. This paSsage also may b'e
understood to contain a delicate btit weighty suggestio n
to any German sovereign who in his subserviency tea
Russia may be disposed to forget his obligations, to hiss
own country and the general interests of Europe.
The outline of the preparations for next year's cam •
paigu is succinctly yet clearly sketched. The army atnE
navy are to be maintained at their respective amounts of',,
581,000 soldiers (with 112,000 horses), and 62,000 s
sailors. To keep the army effective, and at the same:
time avoid bringing too great a strain on the Treasury,
inducements arelto be held out to old soldiers, whose
term of service has expired, to re-enrol themselves. By '
such means the ranks will be kept well filled with vete-
rans, and the future pressure of the conscription alle-
viated. A loan is to be raised, exclusively appropriated
to the exigencies of the war.
These are the main practical features of the speech.
The intimations of the purposes of the French Govern-
ment are interspersed with touching and elevating allu-
sions, well fitted to stimulate the national enthusiasm,
and sustain the confidence of the French people. Of
these the most striking, perhaps is the picture of Mar- I
shal St. Arnaud compelling Death to wait till he shall
have conquered ; the grandest, the rapid sketch of
France putting forth all her energies in perfect tranquil, '

lity andself-possession—wagiv—a eningPal war nf s, d;-.,

.nds of

•
iarne. tune earnestly making preparations for the ati4
great
r.i'ilustrial display of next year.

(From the Morning Advertiser.)
Among the remarkable sayings attributed by Surgeon
O'Meara to Napoleon 1., is one which stands up in pro-
phetic rebuke of England for suffering herself to be
guided in this momentous crises by the insincere and
equallyincompetent band of philo-Russians at the head of
affairs. " Europe, and England in partieular," said the
far-seeing warrior and statesman, "ought to have pre-
vented the union of Poland with Russia." Traitors
were then in the Cabinet, as there may be again, soon
enough for the present generation to know them. Na-
poleon saw both the folly and the danger of allowing
Russia to gain a firm footing on the Continent, in the
country which bad preserved all Europe from the devas-
tations of Ottoman conquerors, and had held Muscovites
and Cossacks confined to their frozen plains and bound-
less steppes. He thought that England should have for-
bidden this suicidal policy, but he could not imagine
that England would connive at the annexation of Finland
and the Baltic, nor that the Ministers of England would,
in 1848, be concerned in the treaty by which Denmark
itself became the prospective inheritance of the Czar. By
this treaty, all may be Russia from the Sea of Kamt-
schatka on the east of Asia, to the German Ocean on
\ the west of the European continent, and within 200 or
300 miles of our own shores.

Prussia and the Northern States of Germany, whose
rulers are already allied by marriage to the Imperial
family, would at once be swamped by the operation of
the iniquitous treaty in question. We now see the im-
minent danger which Cabinet after Cabinet has been,
with apparent design, bringing not only over us, but
all over the Powers in Europe. For we are now en-
gaged in a contest the same in principle and object as
that which commenced in 1803 and terminated in
1815, leaving us with an addition of nearly six hundred
millions to the national debt. We bad then to save the
world from the universality of a western empire, and we
are now threatened with that of an eastern empire.
Then, Russia united with us to to prevent the re-esta-
blishment of the Roman Empire under French chiefs,
and now France unites with us to prevent the re-esta-
blishment of the Greek Empire under Tartar chiefs. We
shall again succeed, if her Majesty shall choose her ser-
vants from men who are English in principle as well as
by birth.
Suffering the incorporation of Poland with Russia
was decidedly a false step, and, as common-sense dic-
tates, attempts should long ago have been made to
restore independence to the former. Russian policy
has rendered that more difficult now, for Poland has
been made almost one huge garrison, defended by ex-
tensive fortresses, which are said to he impregnable.
But if nothing be attempted nothing can be achieved.
If our Ministers were truly men of English feelings
and principles, they would instantly bid the Poles work
out their freedom, and they would offer them assistance
in money at least, and then see what would be done.
The Foreign Enlistment Act, though the obvious fruit
of the secret clause in the Austrian treaty, gives them
sufficient power to apply the means of the country to this
purpose ; but these men will ao more use their means
than they damaged Odessa or preoccupied Perekop, by
which some 54,000 English lives would have been saved.
The Ministers of the day gave their assent to the Danish
settlement, and the conduct of Russia will justify its
annulment without further consideration. No such
thing will take place under the present Cabinet, for that
kind of policy is too clearly continued which occasioned
Napoleon I. to say to O'Meara, " Your country is no-
thing the better for your glorious successes, throug* the
imbecility of your Ministers, who h cc-0 aggrandised
Russia instead of their native country."
Treacherous and imbecile as were Castlereagh and his
coadjutors, they yet contended against the project for
re-erecting a Frank monarchy over Europe, with the
Pope for its obsequious tool, Our Ministers make a
sh'ow of opposing the contemplated _restoration of the
Byzantine empire, with a Russian Pope at its head. But
do they so in reality ? Not one step has been taken
even yet that is at all calculated to prevent the Czar
from succeeding in all his projects. -We .have attacked
strong fortress, without taking the precaution to isolate
it at Perekop, in consequence of which reinforcements
in stores, ammunition, and men, are constantly pouring
into the Crimea for the enemy ; and the fortress is now
stronger than ever, while our forces are perishing for 'want
of shelter from the climate, supplies of food and clothes, and

sufficient medical commissariat. As to the last, it seems to

be almost nominal. Do these things hold out any the
slightest appearance of a war undertaken with a view to
cripple the enemy and preserve the honour of the coun-
rty ? If they do, we must begin to suspect that the
world has been turned upide down since the last war.
But, admitting that the war has been conducted in the
very best manner of which the Ministers are capable,
and with the honest design of humbling the Emperor of
Russia, we shall not err much in saying that a village
vestry could have done quite as well.
The war will be protracted, through blundering inca-
pacity and dallying with despots ; army after army will
perish ; but other men will be forced, by the repeated
recurrence of avoidable reverses, into the councils of the
state ; and, after the sacrifice of enormous treasure and
torrents of blood, we shall first begin to see the way to
an honourable peace. This result might even now be
speedily attained without such sacrifices, by rousing the
prostrate nationalities of Europe. Raise Polish, Ger-
man, Italian, and Hungarian legions under the recent
act, and not only will Rustlia be driven back, but barri-
cades he erected by the constitutional governments
which would necessarily arise, when nations panting for
freedom are armed against the common enemy. Let no
one, however, hope for any such measure from the pre-
sent Cabinet, for composed as it is of -all sorts—semi-
Catholics, Puseyites, and the fag-ends of Whig and. Tory
factions —all its sympathies are with the antipodes of con-
stitutional governments. Up to this moment this, the
greatest war of modern times, has been conducted so as
to avoid the enemy's vulnerable parts, and to do him as

little harm as possible, leaving our own warriors to he
taken care of by the accidents of sea and land, and the
tenderness of a Tartar winter on the shores of the Euxiae.

ETLIAOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

At the last meeting of this society, Dr. Conelly, pre-
sident, in the chair, Mr. henry Christy, Mr. Thomas
Sidney Walker, and Mr. James Walker, were elected
fellows of the society. The first paper read *as—

On the artificially compressed (Avarian ?) Crania, by
Professor Retzius. The well-known skull in the pos-
session of Count August von Brenner, founded at Graf-
enegg, in Austria, exhibits a peculiar artificial form,
which is considered to belong to an individual of the
Avarian Huns, who lived in that neighbourhood about
the end of the seventh century. Professor Joseph Hurth,
the eminent anatomist of Vienna, sent a copy of it in
plaster to the Caroline Institution, and Professor Ret-
zius, in describing it before the Royal Academy of
Sciences at Stockholm, showed that this skull, which
had been considered remarkable for its length, is on
the contrary short, but certainly is extremely high. It
is of the brachycephalic form to which the skulls of the
Avarians, as related to those of the Finlanders, must
belong. Dr. Tschudi thought; from its artificial form,
the skull'was that of a Peruvian. Dr. Fitzinger is of
opinion that it must undoubtenly have belonged to an
individual of the ancient inhabitants of the district,
ao he found a similar one in Altgerrsdelf, is South
Austria. 'The professor accompanied his paper with
drawings of a skull found by Mr. Trayon, at Bell Air,
near Lausanne, in Switzerland, also showing artificial
compression ; and discoveries *of other skulls of the
same singular form were also made by the same
person at the village of St. Remain, in Savoy ; and Pro-
fessor Duvernay, of Paris, had also discovered a skull of
a brachycephalic form in the Valley of the Daubs, nit
far froth the Mandeuse ; from which facts Professor
Retziue states there is no cloutit that they belonged to
the Avarians who accompanied Attila's army. The
Professor referred to "Attila," an historical work by
Arnedie Thierry, where the author shows-that the pro-
per Huns were Finlanders from the Ural, and the Valley
ofthe Wolga, but that under the same government wit h
them were Turks and Mongols, besides later Slaves, &c.,
that Attila himself, and part of his people have been de-
scribed as of the Kalmuc typo. The phys'eal character
of Attila is more like that of a Mongol than of a Fin-
lander from the Ural ; besides we know that the
Huns used artificial means for giving Mongolian phy-
siognomy to their children ; thus they pressed the
nose flat with firmly bound linen bandages, and
also pressed the head to make the cheek hones project.
Roman authors state that this artificial moulding of the
head was to make the helmet fit better ; but this is
scarcely credible. It seems more probable that when
the Mongols were masters of the Huns, the Mongolian
physiognomy was the prize attached to aristocratic dis-
tinctions ; they consequently tried to obtain this form,
and considered it an honour thus to deform themselves,
in order to resemble the dominant nation. Professor
etzius believes this barbarous custom has tow ceased
among the Mongolians, but informs us, on the authority
of Dr. Foville, of Paris, that it still exists in many parts of
France, is very common in Normandy, Eretagne, the old
country, Toulouse, and several places where the Celtic
race abounds, Did the custom of changing the form
of the head arise spontaneously in both hemispheres ? If
so, in which did it originate? • The professor will re-
turn to, the discussion of these questions on a future oc-
casion.
ol Alemosanda on the
After an interesting discussion, in which Drs. Conolly,
and other gentlemen took part,
HoAdgpkainp, Browne, "
Ethnol\gica
page:
rcalled
Negro Race, and on the Indians of Chili (South Ame-
rica)," by General Miller, communicated by his Excel-
lency Sir John Bowring,.was Tead ; and a paper, " On
the Ethnology of the Crimea, ' by Richard Cull, hono-
rary secretary, was also read.

The departures from the port of London for the Aug
tralian colonies during the week have comprised six
vessels—five to Port Phillip, with an aggregate burden
of 2,533 tons, and one to New Zealand, of 459, making
a total of 2,997 tons. The rates of frefght have not re-
covered from the late depression.
AMSTERDAM AND ROTTERDAM PRODUCE MARKETS.—
The weekly reviews from the Amsterdam and Rotter-
dam produce markets state that business had been limited,
owing to the close of the year, but that prices continued
to be well supported. In Some descriptions of sugar there
Was a tendency to improvement,

A t:

11 A. R T S.

20 - 201
41- 5

8 - 8i

13 12 d

16 - 17
7 -- 6

93 - 96
6O - 611

139
11
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-

4 - 31

61 - 7i

14 - 15
11 - 11

28 - 30
20 - 22

70 - 72
53 - 55

191 20
.6/ - 69
89i - 90
77 - 79
123 - 125
89 - 91
70 704
58 - 62

72 - 77
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81
106 108
100 —loo*
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id id
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41 - 42

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3 - 3
164 - i 17i
4i
20 - 'z2
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6 - 7