The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-16 00:00:00

We have received the Paris papers of Tuesday.

Monday being the fourth anniversary of the la-
mented death of his Royal highness the Duke
D'ORLEA.NS, a solemn service was performed in the
funeral chapel of Dreux, in presence of their _AIAJES..
TIES and several members of the Royal Family, who
had arrived from Paris for this pious ceremony. A.
service was also performed in the chapel of St. Fer-
dinand, at Sablonville. In all the churches of the
f capitalth deceased mass
wasPr ic , performed
for ttlae
of r
and most
closed.

According to the Courrier Francais, "a modifica-
tion in the Ministry is spoken of for the period at
which the Chambers are to be convoked. Marshal
SOULT is not the only one who retires. The retire-
ment of M. MARTIN (du Nord) is also mentioned.
He is, it is said, to cede Lis place to M. HEBERT ;
and M. DELANGLE, Advocate-General of the Court
of Cassation, is to replace M. HEBERT as Procureur-
General at the Cour Royale."
The Opposition papers are labouring hard to create
" a sensation " by the Pritchard indemnity cry, but
without produci4g much effect. The disaster on

the Northen Railroad still engrossess --,"
tention.

DIS.- •

t,uulic at-

-....05ARD, the Government Inspector of Rail ways,
has addressed a report on the subject to the Minister of
Public Works. The point of the running off the rails
is indicated, he says, by a broken rail, and the mark
of a wheel for the distance of 108 metres. Having
described the occurrence of the accident, M. FRISSAILD
proceeds as follows :
" The causes of the accident are to be sought for either in
the state of tke road, the traction, or in the material. With
regard to the first point it must be observed that the acci-
dent took place on a straight part of the line over an em-
bankment of seven metres in height. When an affair of
such importance is in question it becomes necessary to go
into a very minute examination, and we therefore carefully
examined the level of the road both lengthwise and across
it, and the result of this examination shows that the rails
have undergone no alteration from their longitudinal posi-
tion, with the exception of a slight depression caused by
the carriages running off them. This could not be otherwise,
for the embankment was completed before the winter of 1844,
and was made with earth and chalk. This embankment,
raised on a spot of peaty ground, experienced successive
sinkings, which were filled up and afterwards required but
little attention to keep it in its primitive level. It therefore
clearly appears to us that the execution of the line was in
no way connected with the accident of the Bth inst. Neither
can any fault be found with the manner in which it has
been.kept up. That portion of the line having been given up
to the company from the Ist of April, it has since had the
charge of keeping it in repair, and on this part of the line
great care had been taken. At the spot where the acci-
dent occurred the rails are displaced, the chairs are broken,
and from the violent shocks, the sleepers placed on new
ground were forced down, and thus caused the depression
above alluded to. We have mentioned this depression be-
caus, it has been stated without reflection and without exa-
mination that the accident was caused by the giving way
of the embankment formed on marshy ground. But even
supposing this slight depression to have existed prior to the
accident, which it did not, it could not have occasioned it,
for very sensible depressions are frequently to be found at
the junction of embankments with works of art, and some-
times the clearing broom of a locomotive has touched in go-
ing over those depressions without any inconvenience being
felt by the train. The condition in which the road has been
kept is therefore as little to be blamed as the execution. We
now come to the traction, and have to inquire whether the
too great speed of the train was the cause of the accident, or
a sudden check broke the connecting chain of the carriages?
The time at which the train passed the different stations
proves that the average rate of going was rather slow than
excessive; the last distance from Arras to Fampoux, which
is about eight kilometres (about five miles English), was
gone ever in 22 minutes, which only gives 22 kilometres per
hour. But the average rate of going does not prove that the
slope of Om. 004 was not gone down with great rapidity.
What might cause it to be presumed is the disposition of the
first group ; it indicates, in fact, that each of its elements must
have been animated by a great speed to pass beyond the ele-
ments which preceded it, and to get before it in place of re-
maining behind. The speed of the other groups was dead-
ened by ploughing up transversely a greater length of the
embankment. It may thus be considered that if in the de-
cline of a slope where the rate of going is usually more rapid,
a rise of a greater inclination is being surmounted, there will
be a slackening of speed at the head of the train, whereas the
rear will continue to move with its primitive speed ; the
middle of the train would then find itself compressed, and
pushed out of the way. This hypothesis, which may explain
the three points where the train was broken, and the dis-
placement of the rail on the left pushed towards: the empty
space, would not accord with the movement of other groups.
However, if the engineers, on perceiving a disorder in the
train, tried to stop the machines, the effect of the compression
may have added to any other cause of going off the rails. A
going off the rails may be occasioned by the rupture of one
or several parts of the materiel; but how, in the
midst of these broken fragments, can effects be sepa-
rated from causes? The materiel has been exa-
mined with great care ; the wheels and axletrees
are in excellent condition; none of the latter have
been broken or even biassed ; some wheels present slight
marks of collision from striking against the rails, particularly
those of the baggage waggon which was first precipitated.
There have been broken only a few junction-bars and some
uniting chains, and the euspension•springs of the waggon
just mentioned. It is impossible to say what
piece was first
broken, and that is perhaps the cause of the accident, for the
rupture of a juction-bar produces oblique shocks, and may
occasion a going off the rails. Every one has rivalled in zeal
to lessen as much as possible the results of this deplorable
event. The authorities did all they could to aid in saving
the victims, and the last duties were rendered with all de-
sirable propriety."
M. FRISSARD concludes with the following " sum-
ming up :"
" The catastrophe of Fampoux cannot be attributed either
to the execution or the mode of keeping of the road. The
cause of it must therefore be sought for elsewhere ; but how
can the truth be discovered by interrogating witnesses, pre-
judiced and troubled- or fragments flung together, in the
withstanding
ao of whichding
all
effects areearccohnefs
our
us to arrive at a positive conclusion, we have been able at
least to rectify many facts that were misrepresented and
researches,
with causes. If, not-
it has been impossible for
exaggerated by inexact reports. The Cour Royale of Douai
having taken up the affair, an inquiry, entered into by en-
lightened magistrates, will bring to light many facts and
circumstances which remain unknown to us. The courts of
law will come to the aid of science by furnishing new data
to resolve a question so interesting to public safety."

The report is considered by the National and the
Courrier Francais as completely insignificant. The
latter journal concludes a long article on the subject,
by giving the following as the causes of these dis-
asters :

" 1. On the parts of the line which required sleepers, only
four were placed in lieu of five, as all the rules of art demanded.
The Northern Company was informed of this necessity, but
in order to comply with it, it would have been necessary
to take up the rails along the whole line. 2. However
the Ministry did not fear to designate for the company
the day of inauguration. The company, placed in the alter-
native of opening the line, or giving reasons for refusing to
do so, preferred running the chances of a disaster, which was
certain since it was foreseen, to depreciating their shares,
by declaring that the line delivered by the Ministry was
badly made, and that it was indispensable to take it up for
the fifth sleepers. 3. Once that the line was opened, the
Prefect of Police imposed on the company the obligation of
delivering it to public circulation, or to declare the motives
for which such a course was to be suspended. It was again
not to depreciate their shares that
the company decided on
delivering to circulation a line which it knew to be defec-
tive; it adopted this course notwithstanding the detestable
organisation of its service, which alone caused the disaster of
the 9th July. In all that the company is as culpable as the
Ministry : the former has given proofs of an inexcusable
eagerness after gain ; the second of an unpardonable indif-
ference for the lives of passengers.,,

The Journal de la Somme states that in addition to
the fourteen persons killed as described in the official
report, three have since died of the wounds. The
Aid-de-camp of General OuniNoT is rapidly recover-
ing. He is now considered out of danger.
It is stated by the Univers that in consequence of
this accident parapets sufficiently high to prevent
the waggons from falling over the banks, and strong
enough to resist a violent shock, are to be established
on the bridges and other dangerous passages along all
the railroads in France.

The Prince DE JOINVILLE and his squadron ar-
rived at La Goulette, near Tunis, on the 27th. The
BEY invited the Prince to Tunis, where he remained
from the 28th of Juno to the 3d of July.
His reception was most cordial and courteous, and
Tunis was the scene of continued festivities during
the whole time of his stay. The Asmodee was dis-
patched to Malta on the 4th, for coals. On the same
day the squadron sailed for La Goulette, but its
destination was unknown.
The Three per Cents. closed on the Paris Bourse on Tues-
day at 83f. 30c. ; the Five per Cents., 121 f. 70c. ; the
Orleans Railroad Shares, 1,2721'.70c. ; Rouen, 902 f. 50c.;
Havre, 715 f ; Great Northern 717 f. 50c. ; Avignon, 878 f.
75c. ; Vierzon, 630 f. ; Bordeaux, 566 f. 25c. ; Fampoux,
407 f. 50c. ; Paris and Strasburg, 487 f. 50c. ; Tours and
Nantes, 500 f. ; Paris and Lyons, 525 f.; Spanish Three per
Cents., 351; ditto Domestic Debt, 31i ; ditto Passives, 5.
The following are the quotations for the new lines:—
Lyons and Avignon Definitives, 495 f.; Bordeaux ditto,
480 t: