The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-17 00:00:00

FRENCH BALL PRACTICE.

We frequently hear of the vast superiority of
foreign artillerymen and marksmen over anything
that we can show at Woolwich, or from the port-
holes of the Excellent, our gunnery ship at Ports-
mouth. Many of our marksmen were startled by
the performances of the Riflemen at Lord Ranelagh's
the other day, who witched the world with their
noble gunmanship, and their needle rifles, with the
unpronounceable names ; and assuredly these lords
of the unerring aim are entitled to their well-earned
honours; but we have nothing to fear from France
in matters of this nature. You will hear them boast
and talk magniloquently of their wondrous deeds
but, as Voltaire's old woman raid to the patrol, who
cried out in the dark street " Who goes there ?"
" Don't be afraid, patrol, it is only me,"—there is
but little danger to be apprehended on this score.
The crack marksmen of the French army
are the Tirailleurs de Vincennes, and assuredly
they did murderous slaughter in the streets of
Paris, in June, 1848; wherever they could find a
sheltered corner, or "coign of vantage," they perched
themselves, and brought down their men at each
shot, with unerring aim ; but our Rifle brigade
would have done the thing as well, and perhaps even
better, as would also the 60th Rifles, the Cape
Mounted Rifles, or the Ceylon corps. My reason for
alluding to this subject at present is, because all the
world was invited on Saturday to Vincennes, to wit-
ness the wonderful performances of these celebrated
French artillerymen. The " performances com-
menced"—for everything is theatrical in France—at
nine in the morning, and long ere midday a mighty
mass of powder was consumed in expelling balls, of
various dimensions, from howitzers, huge mortars, and
cannon of various calibre and power; but nothing
was done that I have not seen surpassed an hundred-
fold, and an hundred times, at Woolwich and Ports-
mouth. The most interesting but least successful
part of the performance was the shell practice ; a tub
was placed as a mark at some short distance, the
mortar was carefully poised and pointed, bang, bang,
whizzed the shells through the air, but the tub
remained to the last in secluded security, as safe and
sound as if it had not been aimed at by the flower
of French artillerymen for some hours. I remember
last year, at the naval review at Cherbourg—which
was, without exception, the most magnificent spectacle
that could greet the eyes of a civilian—a boat was
moored at some five hundred yards distance from two
of the crack ships of the French navy, and they blazed
away at it for three-quarters of an hour with their
broadsides, the guns being manned by picked men, in
order to show off before the English Royal Yacht
Club, our Admirals, and the French President; but
the boat danced gaily on the bright ripples of the
noble bay made by the breakwater, and the balls
rattled by it at several yards' distance, but in no
single instance did even a stray shot come within ten
yards of the uninjured boat.—Paris Correspondent
of the Morning ,3dvertiser.

IV ARNING TO TRAVELLERS IN FRANCE.
We have received the following letter from a
French gentleman, who has sent his name and ad-
dress :
" Allow me to address myself to you, in order to
make known to the public a disgraceful speculation,
which appears to have been carried on during the
whole summer, on the road from Marseilles to Paris,
to the prejudice of foreigners, and particularly of
English families. The following are facts which came
under my own observation, and which I will relate as
briefly as posssible. Coming from Chalon-sur-Saone to
Paris in the early part of July last, my attention was
called to a dispute which arose between two English
ladies, who spoke French imperfectly, and a conducteur
of the Messageries; these ladies had paid for their
places from Lyons to Paris, and as they had travelled
in the coupi they had a right to seats in a first-class
carriage on the railway, whereas the conducteur had
only given them tickets for the second class, and thus
endeavoured to deceive them. I considered it my duty
to interfere, and in spite of the insolence of the man
who bore on his jacket the plaque of the' Messageries
de la Bourgogne,' I obtained justice for the ladies.
When this point was settled, one of the employes of
the railway came to me, and thanked me in the name
of the chef de Bureau for my firmness and for my inter-
ference, adding that scarcely a day passed without the
same kind of trick being carried on by the conducteurs.
But this is not all. In nay conversation with these
ladies I found that on the whole route from Marseilles
they had been subjecr(d to this disgraceiul conduct.
Immediately on lauding from the steamer which had
brought them from Malta, they had inquired for the
iffice of the Anglo-French Company, which, accord-
ing to advertisement, would bring them from Mar-
seilles to Paris direct. Fur this purpose they needed
only to have been directed to the office of the
Me.;segeries Nationeles,' instead of which the porter of
the Hotel Beauveau, at which they put up on landing,
took them to the office of the • Messageries de Its Bour-
gogne,' if I may judge from a ticker drawn out in a
most extraordinary mariner, which was delivered to them,
and which I retain in my possession, in order to inquire
into the matter on my return to Marseilles. Teere,
after having made them pay 100 f. more than was due,
another conducteur, whom they never afterwards saw,
succeeded in extorting 10f., promising to take care of
them and their luggage as far as Paris. I had deter-
mined to bring these facts before the public, but
have been prevented by private business from at-
tending to it; having, however, heard a similar account
from a friend, who has since travelled by the same road,
I am induced to believe that it is a regularly organized
scheme of imposition, and as such ought to be exposed."
In giving the above letter we think it right to state
that we have received an account of a similar imposi-
tion upon an English lady and. her family, who have
just arrived in Paris. We feel confident, however,
that when the proprietor of the Hotel Beauveau and
the directors of the " Messageries de la Bourgogne"
shall have been made acquainted with these practices
they will immediately take efficient steps to prevent a
repetition of them.— Galignani.