The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-24 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVENING.
The Emperor yesterday received the reply of the
Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar to the letters of cre-
dence of the Viscount des Meloizes-Fresnoy, as
French Minister Plenipotentiary at the Grand
Ducal Court.
We read in the Moniteur :—" The President of
the republic of San Salvador has just charged its
representative at Paris to offer his most cordial
congratulations to the French government on the
taking of Sebastopol, and to state that that great
event had caused a feeling of admiration as well as
an expression of great delight in the state of San
Salvador."
" We are assured," says the Courrier die Havre,
" that an order transmitted from Paris this after-
noon (Tuesday) has directed that the loading of the
vessels intended for the Crimea shall be provision-
ally suspended."
The Debuts publishes an article on the question
of the day, which contains extracts from the letters
of its Vienna and Berlin correspondents, with
comments on the same. We select the most re-
markable passages of the article :
" Whilst M. de Seebach laboured at St. Petersburg to
re-establish peace, the King of Prussia despatched to
Vienna Colonel Manteuffel, who, according to our cor-
respondents, was charged with the mission of assuring
himself if Austria would fulfil the engagements she had
taken in the Ist article of the treaty of alliance, offen-
sive and defensive, signed with Prussia at Berlin on the
20th April, 1854, by which Austria was to consider
every attack directed against the German or non-
German territories of Prussia as an hostile enter.
prise directed against her own territory ; if, conse-
quently, Prussia could count on the action of Aus-
tria to protect her rights and interests, already
touched by the menace of a blockade of her ports.
He was also to demand explanations on the subject of
the memorandum agreed to the 28th December between
the cabinets of Paris, London, and Vienna, which bad
excited just alarm, at Berlin, because one of the clauses
excluded Prussia from future negotiations if she hesitated
longer in conforming to the policy of Austria, and sup-
porting formally the last propositions made at St.
Petersburg. This mission of Colonel Manteuffel ex-
cited numerous and difficult questions, and was cal-
culated to cause much embarrassment to the cabinet
of Vienna. The colonel demanded oaterorical rep;ies,
which Count Buol did not hasten to afford him. At
last, after reiterated demands, the Prussian envoy
obtained satisfactory explanations. . . Austria was
far more engaged with the Western Powers than
was supposed by the King Frederick William. Not
only had she promised to recall her minister
on the 18th Jan., if the Cabinet of St. Petersburg had
not accepted purely and simply the propositions she
advanced, but was ready to conclude with France and
England a military convention which would have re-
ceived its execution in April. Thus in the spring Austria
would have given to the Allies the assistance of her
armies, which would have made a useful diversion by
operating on the Gallician frontier. As soon as the
King of Prussia became acquainted with these views,
he perceived that no ground for hesitation existed either
for himself or for Russia. It is said that the King
hastened to acquaint the Czar with the information re-
ceived from Vienna, which confirmed accounts received
from elsewhere, and counselled him with firmness
to accept without restriction the proposals of Aus-
tria, declaring for his part that he could not permit
Prussia to run such terrible chances, and should be
obliged to modify his policy in approaching towards
that of the Western Powers. Two pressing letters
written in this sense to the Czar and to the Grand Duke
Constantine are spoken of. The letters of the King of
Prussia explained the motives, hitherto obscure, which
had animated the conduct of Austria ; and the advice
of M. de Seebach was remembered by M. de Nesselrode
and the Emperor Alexander. All these circumstances,
skilfully presented by M. de Nesselrode, struck the
most decided partisans of war, and the most declared
enemies of peace ; and the Emperor, supported by the
Council of State, accepted those very conditions which
had been declared a few days before not admissible. It
is believed that the preliminaries of peace will be signed
shortly at Vienna."

The remainder of the Paris journals contain no
articles worthy of particular mention.
BOURSE, Jan. 23.—The following are the last
quotations :

Cash. fr. e. End of Month.
4i per Cents 94 —f. -c.
3 per Cents 6B 25 68 70
New Loan 6B 85
Bank Shares 3250 Roman
Credit Mobilier 1415 Austrian
Belgian Fives. .... ... 95i Spanish Threes
Piedmontese (5) . B5 Home Debt

RAILWAYS-108 CASH. c
fr. c.
Orlgans
Northern .. 9OO Strasburg .......
Lyons
...1180 New Ditto 775
Rediterranean ...... 1310 Grand Central
Lyons Geneva. .
CetteBoo
7007
Austrianlee Corn....