The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-26 00:00:00

THE

FRE

NCH E

i\IPIRE

On Tuesday evening Lord and Lady Cowley
gave a splendid ball at, the British Embassy, in
honour of her Majesty's birthday. The whole of
the suite of apartments on the ground floor was
thrown open on the occasion. The garden was
brilliantly illuminated with 'coloured lamps, pro-
ducing a charming effect. A military band was
stationed among the trees, and played from time to
time. Over the gateway in front of the hotel of
the Embassy a huge Imperial crown in gas was
placed, with the letters "V. R." also in gas. The
number of guests was upwards of sixteen hundred
—among whom were the whole of the diplomatic
corps, ministers, functionaries, &c. ; Princess Ma-
thilde, Price Lucien Bonaparte, and a large
number of British nobility were present. At
one o'clock the supper-room was thrown open.
The tables were covered with delicacies of
every description, and every arrangement had
been made made for the perfect accommodation of
the guests. After the supper the dancing was re-
sumed with great animation, and was kept up till
4 o'clock in the morning. The Ambassador and
Lady Cowley were constant, in their attentions to
the company. Her ladyship did the honours of
the evening with equal grace and urbanity.
The Emperor will pass in review on Sunday
next, at one o'clock, the troops united at the camp
of Satory, near Versailles. The Duke of Genoa
will be present.
The Eastern question is not the only one that
engages the attention of the public. The rupture
of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and
Austria adds to the general uneasiness of the politi-
cal world, and it was reported last night that there
was some idea of establishing. a Corps of Observa-
tion on the frontier.

The Government of Berne has addressed a note,
dated the 18th, to tho Swiss Federal Council on
the subject.
The Moniteur says :—" Malevolence has en-
deavoured to disseminate the rumour that the Go-
vernment intended applying for a supplementary
grant for the civil list. Tis rumour is without
any kind of foundation."
The Assemblee Nationale says :—" M. J. Odier,
who has just been appointed by the Emperor to
the important functions of member of the Central
Council of the Reformed Churches, is the brother-
in-law of General M. Cavaignac. Ve congratulate
the Government on not allowing itself to be in-
fluenced by political considerations in a selection
so highly recommendable."

The Minister of Marine has within the last month
received several reports from Admiral Fourichon,
the new Governor of French Guayana, giving an
account of the state of the colony from the end of
January to the 12th of April. At Salutation
Islands the typhus fever had ceased to rage 'about
the end of March, and the convicts soon recovered
their usual health. Two attempts at escape had
failed, and the men finding it useless to endeavour
to get away, appeared more reconciled to their
position, working regularly a fixed number of
hours per day without complaining. The Saluta-
tion Islands were appropriated exclusively to con-
victs from the bagnes, who were in April about
1,500 in number, whilst all the individuals
transported by the application of the decree of
Dec. 8, 1851, were sent to the small island
known by the name of La Mere. At this latter
place, there were collected about 500 persons, in-
cluding the superintendents and the garrison. The
health of the persons at this place had never ceased
to be good, and the discipline observed was most
satisfactory. The establishment undertaken at the
Silver Mountain, on the left bank and at the mouth
of the Oyapock, had not turned out as favourably
as was expected. Several cases of death had taken
place both amongst the persons transported and the
superintendents, and difficulties of communication
had been found to exist at low water. The crops
in this quarter were, however, most luxuriant, and
the produce of manioc was so great that it had been
in part substituted for bread for the convicts. The
report states that Silver Mountain appears destined
to become a very useful intermediate post between,
on the one hand, Salutation Islands and Reunion,
and, on the other, a great establishment which the
Governor was actively founding higher up on the
Oyapock. Already, at the last-named place, 200
hectares of land were cleared, and 100 convicts
were to be sent there in the month of July to re-
side. Large forests were in the vicinity, and the
Governor intended erecting saw-mills there as soon
as the machinery arrived from France.

The unfavourable character assumed at the close
of business on Tuesday at the Bourse, in conse-
quence of the reported recal of the Austrian Minis-
ter at Berne, has again continued, and a consider-
able fall occurred in the public securities—in the
Three per Cents. for the account to the extent of
if., and of 50c. in the Four-and-a-Half per Cents.
The Three per Cents. for cash declined 65c. ; and
Four-and-a-Half per Cents. 25c. In the Bank of
France Shares there was an advance of 2f. The
closing_ wices were :—For Money—Three per
Cents., 801. 35c. ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents.,
103 f. 55c. For the end of the month—Three per
Ceuts., 80f. sc. ; Four-and• a-Half per Cents., 103 f.
Bank Stock, 2,697 f. Mortgage Bank Shares, after
undergoing no change for some time, have to-day
declined 27f. closing at 835 f. 50c. In shares of the
Societe Mobiliere a fall of 25f. took place, being
finally quoted at 882 f. 50c. The railway share
market was also unfavourably affected, and a con-
siderable decline eventually occurred in most of
the principal lines. Paris awl Orleans fell 20f. ;
Strasbourgs and Rouens, 17f. each ; Paris and
Lyons, 14f. ; and Northerns, Of. In Lyons and
Mediterranean Shares no change occurred. Closing
prices :—Northerns, 908 f. 50c. • Paris and Or-
leans, 1,080f.I; Paris and Strasbourg, 925 f. 50c. ;
Paris and Lyons, 941 f. ; Paris and Rouen, 1,128 f. ;
Lyons to the Mediterranean, 800 f.