The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-22 00:00:00

NOTES FROM PARIS.

NAPOLEON IN ITALY. —Among the gaudy and ill-
drawn pictures at the Palace of Versailles, intended to
commemorate all the glories of France, there is one
which repre;ents Bonapatte loading his troops over
the Bridge of Arcole, while a brawny grenadier vainly
tries to pull back the valiant " petit caporal" out of
danger. By a pictorial license, the artist has given
Napoleon a very clean uniform : had he been an eye-
witness, he would havo known that the future Emperor
was then equally " covered with glory " and with mud
from head to foot !

To oppose his advance into Italy, the Austrian forces
were assembled at Vicenza ; and Arcole, which is a few
leagucs horn that town, was fixed for the tug of war.
The French troops had crossed the small riv.•r Diesc by
a bridge of boats, protected from the observation of the
Austrians assembled in the plain beyond by a steep and
almost perpendicular embankment. Napoleon could
not resist the temptation of looking down on the posi-
tion of the enemy, and while his troops marched on be-
low, he pushed his hose up the bank to reconnoitre
alone. The solitary and stationary horseman soon at-
tracted the attention of the enemy, who sent a shower
of balls quickly around him, one of which wounded and
threw down his charger. _ .

A young officer of French artillry, riding below
at the instant, and admiring his Genera'; indiLrence to
danger, saw him fall ; the young man dashed his own
horse up the bank, dismounted, and when Napoleon bad
disentangled himself, he found another steed held for
him, the owner of which disappeared, to rejoin on foot his
company b, low.
Suddenly he heard a prancing and crash:nf;,- on the
bank ; and, looking up, he perceived a violent disagree-
ment between Napoleon and the horse, a fiery, ill-tem-
pered animal, who ended the matter by first rearing,
and then backing over the bank, down which he slipped,
and deposited himself and the future Emporor in, the
stagnant and muddy water blow.
Here was an overthrow, not merely of man and horse.
but of the young officer's hopes, founded on the good
luck of being able to assist his General : all overset by
the rearing of a vicious brute !

The armies met, the French were victorious : the day
was done, and the companions in arms were in groups at
supper, chatting over their adventures, when an aide-de-
camp summoned the artillery officer who Lad lent his
horse to General Bonaparte." The young man accom-
panied him, bestowing an anti-benediction on the cause
o!'-his• disgrace,- and preparing to endure a reprimand
for his ill-broken steed.

Napoleon, to whom he was a stranger, said sharply,
" You lent me a horse to day
" I had that honour, General."
" You may select and take any three of mine you
please. Have you any armorial bearings ?"
" Yes, General, I am the Cho.. lier Faure de Lilste."

" Then, in memory of your prompt attention to-day,
you may henceforth bear on your shi&ld, as a charge
of honour, a coeval cabre (a rearing horse). Good
night, Sir.

The Chevalier Faure withdrew, and lost no time
in taking possession of the living and pairit horss ;
and at this day the " rearing horse, borne by his fa-
mily, commemorates Napoleon's gift, which was cer-
tainly " four-fn-hand."

HERALDRY.—Since the old revolution the French
have totally neglected heraldry, and are thoroughly ig-
norant of it, although formerly le blazon, was part of
the education of the young nohlTsse. Even the resto-
rition of the Bourbons did not bring back " the an-
cient and noble science" to its pi oper place.

. .
As a proof of ignorance on this point, displayed in
even official documents, may be cited the " patent of
nobility of Baron," given to the aho've-named Chevalier
Faur© de Lilate by Charles X., shortly before he was
deposed. The arms of his lady, although not a
heiress, are actually embodied in the blazonry, and
placed in chief (that is, at the top of the shield), in-
stead of being impaled (placed on the sinister side), as
a wife's arms should be
,borne. Most strange of all
mistakes, the rearing horse, which as a charge of honour
should occupy honour point (the exact centre of the
shield), is placed in base, the lowest point in the bear-
inv. There is scarcely a country ecych-painter in
England who would have marshalled arms so contrary
to heraldic laws as this official parchment, to which is
appended the great seal of France, in green bees'-wax,
as large as a plate I
The mushroom nobility since the Revolution assume
any supporters they please, and aro not at all particula-
in having their coronets of the regular form, according
to their rank. In fact, it is well known that many per-
sons assume titles here which it would be very difficult
to trace to any Royal donor ; and the English incur a
risk in signing agree meats with these self-eleet_d Comas
and Viscount', for, by the French law, such contracts
are not binding, as the parties have not been rightly and
legally styled.

SEWERS OF WESTMINSTER AND

PART OF MIDDLESEX.

A special meeting of the Court of Sewers for the
City and Liberty of Westminster and part of the
County of Middlesex, will be had at the Sewers'-office
in Greek-street, Soho-squa .e, to-morrow, at twelse
o'clock, to transact the following business :
To make decrees for rates on the Ram la;11 and
Counters Creek districts, on houses, &c., at 6d., end on
land at 2d. in the pound ; and to sign the rat:-books
for the new rates, pursuant to the said decrees, and the
abstract of the rate books of the rates made 15th Nov.,
1539: or to take such other proceedings as the Court
may then consider neeeisaty. Upon which

Mr. Leslie will move, as an amendment, " That the
Commissioners do not sign the decrre for t rate on the
Counters Creek and Ranclagh presentments ; because
the proceeding of the Court which lave led to the said
presentments, and the presentments are void, being con-
trary to the Statutes, to the Commission, and the Oath
taken by the Commissioners : because the doctrine laid
down to the Jurors, Tf at the Commissioners impose
the tax on the land, aad arc not bound to
inquire whose property it is, or to tegari any question
of ownership or occupation,' is contrary to the Sta-
tutes : because the necessary consequence of such er-
roneous doctrine is another ; that having made a sewers-'
rate without any regard to ownership or occupation, a
leg :1 distress for the same can be taken upon the pre-
mi. es so rated, and any person's goods found thereon
mr y be sold for such tax : because, during these pro-
lings, the Commissioners have been made aware,
t t,.e opinions of the Attorney and Solicitor-General
and Sir Frederick Pollock are against them : because
it the erroneous advice given to the Commissioners be
sti:l further sc:el upon to the signing of the decree,
such proceeding will bring her Msjesty's Commission of
Sewers into contempt, as being a final judgment of a
Ginn of Record which cannot be carried into effect,
ei!her as to a distress upon or sale of premises charged
b 3 such decree." - •
ADDITIONAL MATTER ORDERED BY THE COURT, ON
THE 19TH FEBRUARY, TO BE CONSIDERED AT THE
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COURT TO-MORROW,

AFTER THE MATTERS ALREADY ANNOUNCED.

. Surveyors to present Repoit, Opinions, &J., as
fo.l iKs : On h tter from Horne Depaitment, respecting
drainage of streAs in the neighbourhood of Bucking-
ham Palace. Oa the Lest mode of improving draicage
of the upper part of Blackl inds Sewer. 0,1 pipes laid
through the bank of the C.:unters Creek Sower, for
the relief of the West London and Westminster Ceme-
tery. On the pet. tion of Wm. Higgs to build 20 feet
of gully drain in Fulham-road.
2. To consider as to the rating of churches in the
eastern division of the Westminster Sewers, with refe-
rence to a communication from the solicitors respecting
their conference with the solicitors of the tev,rl,l pa-
rishes upon the subject of a proposed spec Lil case.
3. To inspect the book of informations.

The Royal Thames Yacht Club have given the
surplus funds ati ing from their annual IN 11, to the wihows
and orphans of the late crew of the Fairy. Last year they
pre,.ented it to the Naval Be, evident Society.
ESCAPE AND RECAPTURE OF A CONVICT.
—On Tuesday a gaol oiiioer, deputed by a town in Wales
to convey a couvict under sentence of transpo tation to
the Warrior bulk-ship at Vv'oolvvicii, arrived at London,
and, on the same day, -engaged a waterman ti convey hint
and his charge to Woolwich. The waterman, on arrivirg
at a public house on the bank of the river, at the west e.,u
of the ducky/ad, landed the partie,, st.t•ng that he had
brought them to Woolwich in terms of his pg come t, and,
notwithstanding he was remenArated wins lyscause
would not preceel to the Warrior hulk, he could nvt he
pt evailed on to du so, as it was contrary to t':'e regulations
to admit strangers in that dife.:tion. On lanuing, the
parties catered the public-house, and, a'ter having he..tn
drinking for sours tin.e, the gaol officer c e,i.ed the con.
v:ct to remain vac e he was whi!e i c we..t to make in.
quirks as to the way in which convicts vve e admitted ti
the hulk ship fitted for their reception. Pro virus to the
return of the gaol officer the c tnvict had set aff in a can
trary direc.ion, and could nut be found. On communci-
t4ig what had occurred to the police of the do ckyard, who
pould Scarcely telieve that any person would have bean
so simp:o as to leave a prisoner in the manuer r:e►criLed,
nceces were issued to the Greenwich police, and in the
evening, the conv.ct was found staggering in the sheets of
eat town quite drunk, and a once acknow:eiged he was
the party ney warted, and actually an eared tu.coniciaus
of having male an attempt to csc,pe from the pet son who
had charge of him.

The King of Prussia has conferred the order of
the Red,E.Tle on Admiral the Hon. Sir Robert Stopford,
for his services on the coast of Syria
The Lords of the Admitalty have directed that
trcop ships wear the colours worn by her Majesty's ship
on the stations that they may be horn time to time em
ploycd,
AN EMPTY TREASURY.—A Bill has been in-
trukcei into the Virginia Legi=ht:tre, to autheii4e the
bAnks of that State to loan the counnw.‘realth 100.000 dol-
lar. It it sta'ed that there is not ,ncugh money in the
treasury to pay the Mcrnlers wager.
We are giad to find that the Dee steam-vessel,
Commander J; Sherar, K,l-1., uported in the American
papers to have been lost oil her return from lux to
the West ludh7, arrived in srfety at Port Royal, Jamaica,
on the 26th cf December, in twenty days from 1-klifax.