The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-27 00:00:00

THE LATE INUNDATIONS IN FRANCE,

The following correspondence has passed between the
Lord Mayor and the Earl of Clarendon, upon the sub-
ject of the contributions raised in this country for the re-
lief of the sufferers by the late inundations in France.
" Mansion-house, Aug.-13, 1856. -
" My Lord,—Having bad the honour of receiving
through your lordship the magnificent contributions of
her Majesty the Queen and of his Royal Highness the
Prince Consort to the fund for the relief of the sufferers
by the inundations in France, I deem it my duty, now
that our labours are drawing to a close, to address a
short report to your lordship, for the purpose of enabling
you to lay before her Majesty the Queen my humble and
respectful account of our proceedings.
" The meeting at the Mansion-house was held on Fri-
day, the 13th June. It was convened on a very I:bort
notice, yet I may venture to say that the commercial
wealth, influence, and station of the City of London
were never more worthily represented in the Egyptian
Hall than on that occasion. About 5,000/. was the sum
subscribed at the meeting. I wrote to the Prefet de la
Seine the'saine evening, placed at his disposal the sum of
100,000 f. (4,0001.), so that the same post should convey
to Paris an account of the meeting and a substantial evi-
dence of its success. I continued to forward suecessive
sums of 100,000 f., as money reached me. The last was
on the 25. h July. Yesterday I transmitted a further
amount of 165,000 f. (6,6001.), making a total of 765,000 f.
(30,600/ ) sent to the Prefet in aid of the sufferers.
" The total subscription received to this day exceeds
32,000/. Our expenses are about 1,000/. ;of this suns
the means of giving publicity to our proceedngs by print-
ing and a, lvertisements forming the heaviest items. A
small suns still remains in my bands, which will have to
be transmitted to Paris when all our expenses have been
finally defrayed. Her Majesty will no doubt be pleased
to learn that while her gracious and noble example of
generous sympathy has been followed by so many per-
sons of wealth and position, the humblest of her subjects
have, in very numerous instances, testified their conside-
ration by the most modest contributions to our fundi. I
could quote many cases of personal offerings of sma 1
sums, together with remittances of post-office orders and
postage stamps, testifying in the strongest manner to the
kindly feeling prevailing amongst all classes towards the
French natioa. The Prefet de la Seine has always ac-
knowledged to me the receipt of our remittances in terms
of the greatest warmth ; and I know from other sources
that the sympathy which has been so generally exhibled
has sensibly touched the heart of the French people.
" The example of London was followed by other
towns and districts, and their contributions swell our
general amount. Some towns have corresponde f direct
with the French authorities. I know Liverpool and
Scotland have done so. As I have no details t.f their
proceedings I cannot give any exact results; but I
should say that the total sum sent to France exceeds
1,000,60)f.

"I beg now to thank your lordship for the kind en-
coursgement you were pleased to give me at the outset
of our proceedings. I felt that, in the important step I
ventured to take, I needed every possible support ; and
the committee, of whom I am the humble organ, will, I
am sure, learn with delight that her most gracious Ma-
jesty approves of the manner in which we have discharged
the duty which the generous and kind sympathy of the
British people for the misfortune which overcame a por-
tion of their French neighbours enablesi us to fulfil.—l
have the honour to be, my lord, your obedient servant,
(Signed) " D. Sa.LomoNs, Lord Mayor.
"The Earl of Clarendon, K.G."

"Foreign-office, Aug. 22, 185 G,
"My Lord,—l have the honour to acknowledge the
receipt of the letter which your lordship addressed to me
on the 13th inst., and in which you have been good
enough to furnish me with some interesting details rela-
tive to the proceedings of the clinnitr.ce of the fund for
the relief of the suff,:xers by the late inundations in
Franco.

" I have not failed to lay your lordship's letter before
the Queen, who has commanded ins to express to you
her entire approval of the manner in which the commit-
tee so worthily presided over by your lordship has dis•
charged the duties which it undertook. Her Majesty
also desires me to convey to your lordship the assurance
of the great satisfaction with which she has observed the
generous sympathy displayed by the public in responding
to the appeal made to them by the committee, and in
thus endeavouring to alleviate the calamity which had
befallen the people in certain departments in Fr ince.
"I have the honour to be, my lord, your lordship's
most obedient-humble servant,
(Signed) " CLARENDON.
"The Right Hon. the Lurd Mayor, &c."