The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-27 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, TUEMAT, January 26.
There will De a lively scene in the Corps Legislatif on
the occasion of the interpellation respecting the recent
affair at Reunion. The fight will be a party one, and
though the majority, as usual, will have the voting all
their own way, they will by no means find it easy
work to hold their own in debate. M. Thiers has
had an interview with a deputation of Creoles from
Reunion, and much information by no means creditable
to the clerical party of the Uniars type has been
gathered. The Opposition will make a fierce
attack upon the sad r6le which the friends of the
Univers have played in the colony. The majority, on
the other hand, I am told, are determined to repress any
anti-clerical demonstration. The Government, which
counts on the support of the clergy at the general election,
will certainly not tolerate any very strict examination into
the recent disturbances.
The frost has covered the lakes in the Bois de Boulogne
with ice, and all fashi nable Paris has turned out to take
advantage of the weather which has been so long in
coming. The army of skaters was so great on Sunday as
to be positively dangerous. Fashion prevails in skating as in
every thing else in Paris; the only correct place is the Bois
de Boulogne. There is a splendid sheet of ice at Vincennes ;
there are the spacious basins at Versailles and the Lac
d'Enghein ; but they are-all comparatively deserted. Rather
than enjoy unrestricted amusement on unfashionable ice,
the skaters prefer to be cribbed, cabined, and confined at
the Bois de Boulogne. One result ensues from this
rush to a single rendezvous—the sight to the simple
spectator is really charming ; of its kind there
is nothing like it. The Empress visited the lake in a

sledge yesterday, and there was, besides, a host of lesser
lights—the Chevalier Nigra, Herr Solms, the Prussian
Ambassador, and a legion of ladies, the majority perhaps
being Americans.
A strange scene took place at Marseilles yesterday.
The tobacco manufactory in that city was closed on the
morning, on the confession of some of the workwomen that
there was likely to be a riot in the workrooms in the course
of the day. The proprietor, thinking prevention better
than cure, refused to open his doors, and thus about 400
women and girls, makers of cigars, were " locked out."
They went in a body to the prefecture, where the cause of
this strange lock-out was revealed. The prefect refused to
hear a deputation of such formidable magnitude, but he
consented that ten be chosen and present themselves
before him at three in the afternoon. The ten were
selected, and the interview took place, the remaining
workwomen all assembling, together with an immense
crowd, in one of the most public places in Marseilles. The
ten delegates explained that they had no serious grievance,
and that their only object was to secure the restoration of
some of their companions, who had been dismissed for
insulting a foreman. Wishing to serve these unfortu-
nates, they had come to the conclusion that an uproar
would effectively secure their restoration. The crowd
d'spersed, and the workshops will be opened again in a
few days, but we are not told whether there is to be an
amnesty for the dismissed cigar-makers.
The School of Art at Aix has been broken up on some-
what extraordinary grounds. The pupils complained of
the rudeness of the teacher—he refused to rise when
they entered—and their annoyance at this want of
courtesy grew so extreme that they entered into a league
not to attend Lis class. Vain were the efforts made to
induce them to alter this determination. The directors of
the school and the sub-prefect of the department appealed
to the better feelings of the lads, but could
not turn them from their purpose. At last it
was resolved that the school be broken up. At mid-day
the doors were thrown open for the pupils to leave. Of
three hundred, two hundred and eighty had received a free
entrance from the State and the department. All belong
to families of workmen, who have made the greatest
sacrifices to enable their children to receive a superior
education.

A distressing accident occurred on Sunday in the com-
mune of Bouill4-Saint-Paul. Two friends had met
together to spend the evening, when one of them, a game-
keeper, whilst in the act of removing a charge from his
gun, accidentally shot his companion in the breast. The
wound was mortal, and as only the two were together, the
danger to the unhappy gamekeeper was considerable.
Assistance was procured but nothing could be done for the
wounded man. He died, protesting that his companion
was not answerable for the deed, and praying that no legal
proceedings might be taken against him.
Three days ago a large mass of rock slipped from the
ridge which rises behind the town of Saumur, and rolled
into the gardens below. Fortunately no person
was hurt, but as some fears had been lately
excited by the appearance of large crevices in
the ground, this accident became the signal for
a general removal of the people who occupy habitations
partly hollowed out at the foot of the cliff. The earth
continued to descend, and on the following day the roofs
of five dwellings had been crushed in. Masses of stone
aa much cc thirty feet long and aix or eight thick remain
suspended over the houses in one of the streets. A similar
phenomenon occurred in 1852.
There are several warlike and unpleasant rumours float•
Ong about to-day. One of the most important of these is
that the Greeks of London, Marseilles, and Trieste have
offered their Government large pecuniary advances, in
expectation of a war. They are resolved to sacrifice every.
thing rather than consent to what they deem a national
humiliation. This statement, I believe, is true. Much
less probable is the rumour that a pronunciantiento
in favour of the Duke of Montpensier has taken place at
Cadiz. Apropos of Spain, I may mention that several
English capitalists have offered the Provisional Govern-
ment money for the construction of irrigation canals.

TILE TrEATHEI? TABLE.-THIS DAY.

METEOROLOGICAL RETORTS.