The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-24 00:00:00

might have been well if they had been got ready a

little sooner.
The reports with respect to the new loan to be
raised by the French Government are again rife,
and it is thought the operation cannot be post-
poned many days longer.
It is reported in Paris that the King of Prussia
is about to abdicate.
A treaty has been concluded between England
and France with respect to the division of the prizes
taken from Russia. They are to be divided in pro-
portion to the number of men engaged in the differ-
ent captures. The whole terms of the treaty show
that the utmost confidence exists between the two
Governments, and that they are both actuated by
the same feeling, of not doing more than is abso-
lutely necessary, or anything that can outrage the
feelings of humanity of the most scrupulous.
The French Government has determined to send
M. Ebeling, the Russian consul-general, who still
remains in Paris, his passports—the Russian Go-
vernment having withdrawn the exequaturs from
the consuls of the allied Powers.
Allusion was made yesterday to changes likely
to take place in the French Cabinet. It is now
said that not only is M. de Thouvenel going to
Constantinople as ambassador, but that an im-
portant change is to take place at home. M. Drouyn
de Lhuys, it is $. aid, is to retire, and to be succeeded
as Minister of Foreign Affairs by the Count de
Walewski, the ambassador in London. In that
event, 111. de Persigny will quit the Ministry of
the Interior, and become ambassador in Lon-
don ; 111. Baroche will become Minister of the In-
terior ; and M. Fould will retain his post of
Minister of State. The disputes between M. de
Thouvenel and M. Drouyu de Lhuys have a consi-
derable influence on these changes. The friends
of M. de Thouvenel assert that he is the real writer
of the famous despatches which have gained M.
Drouyn de Lhuys so much renown, aud that M.
Drouyu de Lhuys is so jealous of his able chef de
division as to wish to thrust him into the back-
ground. The appointment of M. de Thouvenel to
Constantinople is the act of the Emperor himself,
and is so unpalatable to M. Drouyn de Lhuys that
it has produced the crisis.
The following is from the Times Paris corres-
pondent's letter, dated yesterday, 6 p.m.:—
It is very probable that the Moniteur will soon
publish decrees conferring the high dignity, of
Marshal of France on three Generals. Who the
three new Marshals will be, is, with one exception,
not generally, or rather not positively, known. That
exception is General d'Hautpoul. Of the two others
General Baraguay d'Hilliers may, in all probability,
be selected for the honour ; the baton of Marshal
will it is to be hoped console him for his failure in
the diplomatic line, and for his recall from Con
stantinople. This is not the only, though it is the
highest, mark of Imperial favour to be bestowed on
General d'Hautpoul. He will also be appointed to
command the army of 50,000 men encamped at
Marseilles ; while, as already announced, General
Baraguay d'Hilliers takes the command, under
the Emperor's superior orders, of the camp of
St. Omer. A considerable portion of the army
of Paris will proceed to Marseilles, and form
part of the corps, which is no doubt to furnish rein-
forcements to the troops in the East. To supply
their place, the Imperial Guard will be stationed
en echelon round Paris, with large detachments at
Versailles, St. Germains, St. Cloud, Auteuil, &c.
A private letter from Constantinople mentions that
Marshal St. Arnaud had pressed on the French
Government the propriety, indeed the necessity, of
recalling General Baraguay d'Hilliers. The Mar-
shal was not aware that the order for that recall
had been already despatched, but the demand is
an additional proof of the unfitness of the G neral
for that very difficult post : and in any case it is
almost impossible that two military men—one in a
diplomatic capacity, the other exercising such high
powers as those entrusted to a Commander-in-
Chief, not to speak of his rank as Marshal—could
long get on together in harmony ; and at this mo-
ment harmony is indispensable.
A private letter from St. Petersburg of the 14th
mentions that the Russian Government had ordered
an extraordinary contribution, amounting to one-
fourth of the income, to be levied on the central pro-
vinces. The ukase declares that the proceeds will
be exclusively employed in the expenses of the war,
which is waged iu defence of the Orthodox Faith
against the Western Powers, who are the enemies of
Christianity. The Emperor does not seem to place
overmuch confidence in the religious ardour of the
central provinces, inasmuch as, by way of additional
encouragement, he informs his loving subjects that
the property of those who shall not within 15 days
have paid the first moiety of the impost shall be put
under sequestration, and be administered by the
Crown. The same letter announces that Prince
Stourdza had arrived at St. Petersburg, and taken
service in the Russian army.
Private letters from the Piraeus give some details
of the piracy which had been organised through the
whole extent of the Hellenic kingdom. The energy
displayed by the ships of war of the European na-
tions, attacking and sinking the corsairs wherever
they meet them, has produced a salutary effect, and
has evidently discouraged these brigands. The pi-
rates had become, in consequence of the indiffer-
ence of the Hellenic Government, so audacious as
to have planned the seizure of the military arsenal
of Paris. The failure of the plan was only due to
the presence of the ships of war in the Greek waters,
and to the determination of the foreign Govern-
ments to destroy every vessel known to be fitted
out for piracy. The Prussian steam frigate
Dantzick was still anchored at the Piraeus ;
she has been joined by the Stettin. We have
little authentic news from the seat of war,
but general attention is still fixed ou Silis-
tria. Up to the 14th we have not heard that
the Russians had obtained any favourable result,
though it is certain that Prince Paskewitsch has
concentrated a considerable force at that place, in
the hope of taking possession of it before succour
can arrive. On the other hand Omar Pasha has a
large force also at Shumla, and is watching the
movements of the Russians at Silistria, from which
he is distant about three days march. It is there-
fore probable that in a short time the ground con-
tiguous to Silistria may become the theatre of a
general action. So long as the Russians are unable
to occupy that point and Nicopolis they can at-
tempt nothing important in Bulgaria.
The market was rather languid yesterday, and
prices were a little lower. The Three per Cents.
have fallen 10c., at 67f. 94c. ; the Four-and-a-Half
per Cents. are unchanged, at 04f. 75c. Bank of
France Shares are unchanged, and the other Bank
Shares have scarcely varied.