The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-11 00:00:00

COEBESFONDEETE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT•)

PARIS, THURSDAY, June 10.

The great apartments of the Tuileries were splendidly
lighted up yesterday, and there was great animation
in the court of the Palace, and on the Place du
Carrousel. A grand ball was being given in honour
of the Queen of Holland. The Court was having
its measure of enjoyment, and the public of Paris
seemed to have determined that it would not be deprived
of its share likewise. Whilst the ball was going on at the
Tuileries, there were other sounds of revelry by night, in
a different part of the capital. The riots, which were
inaugurated by the police, have been kept up with
infinite spirit by the populace, and I am sorry to say that
last night, forty-eight hours after the termination of the
polling, the disturbances were more serious than on the
previous occasions.

The disorderly business began on the Boulevard Mont-
martre about nine o'clock. A group of about fifty persoss
suddenly made its appearance beforg one of the cafs.
This small mob sprang from nobody knows where,
and was probably got together for the express purpose
of a little mischief. It was soon increased. One
voice struck up the " Marseillaise," and then the
" riot " commenced. The crowd soon assumed huge pro-
portions, circulation being extremely difficult, but still no
violence was offered. The demonstration was confined to
the vigorous rendering of the Republican chant. About
ten o'clock, the cafés, seeing the crowd increase still more,
decided to shut up. Their inmates added to the magnitude
of the mob, the street got entirely full, and carriages
could not pass without the utmost difficulty. The shut-
ting of the cafés, depriving the Parisians of their favourite
beverages, added to their discontent, the shouting and
singing became very loud, horseplay followed, and one
omnibus was upset, we are told. Then the sergents-cle•
Ole, who, be it remembered, had this time kept carefully
out of sight, made their appearance, followed by troops,
the Passages Jouffroy, des Panoramas, and de l'Op6ra
were closed, and the troops, occupying all the principal
streets, began to summon the .people to disperse by the
beat of drum. Soon the Boulevard was comparatively
deserted. Here, you will perceive, nothing serious hap-
pened, and yet a great number of arrests were made.
At Belleville, as might have been expected, things took
a graver turn. That quarter of the city was invaded,
about half-past nine, by a flying column of about 200
persons, unknown in the district, and mostly very young.
Without any apparent design, this mob waxed in propor-
tions and in impudence. It sang the "Marseillaise,
shouted, and commenced a war against things in general.
Imperialism was not the special object of its hos-
tility, election excitement did not regulate the dispensa-
tion of its favours. It was simply a mob of roughs, and in
the absence of the police, it gave way to all sorts of
fantasies. Stones were thrown against the fronts of shops,
windows were smashed, and some adventurous spirits
climbed up and put cut the gaslights in all directions.
It looked very much as if the police desired to get
up a riot. Where there was a mere crowd without
disorder, as on Monday night, the sergents
excited animosity by unnecessary intervention. Here
a disgraceful crowd, whose pranks had clearly nothing
to do with politics, were left in peace, even after
they had begun the destruction of property. The ma-
rauders rapidly progressed iu audacity. They knocked
down a kiosk, one of the little temple-like buildings in
which newspapers are sold, then the ruins were seton fire,
and a tremendous blaze created. The firemen were sent
for, their arrival being hailed by the famous ditty, " Les
Pompiers de Nanterre." After ten o'clock our
' flying column, much augmented, and greatly ex-
cited by these signal victories, resumed the march.
The red flag was hoisted, and the triumphant
army of canaille moved on from the Rue du Faubourg.-
du-Temple to the Rue Fuliellegnault, where a grand
attack was made upon a cafes, which was sacked. Another
house was beleaguered, but the arrival of some troops of
the line, with a squadron of cavalry, speedily raised the
siege, and the mob was dispersed without trouble.
The field of battle presented a serious aspect. The Rue
du Faubourg-du-Temple, where the flying column first
commenced operations, was a complete wreck.
You will perceive that this, the most destructive of the
riots that have occurred in the capital during the week,
was wholly the work of a mob of the lowest order. Politics
had not the remotest connection with the disturbance.
The disgraceful affair was simply the result of the inter-
ference of the police on Monday. Let the representatives
of order and authority keep a watch over the crowd by all
means, but undue meddling, particularly at election
time, only produces the disorder it is meant
to prevent. At the first balloting there were
immense crowds on the central boulevards, but no distur-
bances took place. What ground was there, then, to
apprehend disorder at the second ballot? The row of
Monday was the direct effect of the bad conduct of the
police; the riot of yesterday was the further consequence.
The Temps says that upwards of 800 arrests have been
made in the three days.
Unfortunately, this affair at Belleville, though the most
serious disturbance in Paris, is surpassed in gravity by the
riots at Nantes. From this place the news is undoubtedly
bad. I mentioned that some uproar took place there on
Monday. These were not of very great moment, but on
Tuesday and yesterday the aspect of affairs b-came very
grave indeed. As I said before, these troubles are directly
attributable to political causes. The el esAors of Nantes had
given their votes for the Liberal, and they found that the offi-
cial candidate had been returned by the votes of coe,ntrydis-
tricts, which had been incluoed in the Nantes circumscrip-
tion, though by no means belonging tc it. To protest
against this unfair proceeding—rod the same thing has
been done in other parts of France—was a perfectly
legitimate proceeding, and toe voters did protest.
A large number of them assembled, and loudly
proclaimed their dissatisfaction as toe manoeuvres of the
Government. But this spontavo,ons and inoffensive
expression of discontent soon dsgenerated into violence.
Great crowds assembled on Tu and yesterday, singing
the " Marseillai3o," vituperatinv the official candidates,
and exalting M. Guepin, the Liberal whom they had not
been able to elect. The cross de were comprised almost
entirely of workmen, who had been thus disappointed.
They went to serenade M. Gudpin, but he refused to
countenance the disorder, and did not make his appearance.
The mob then went to one of the squares, where they lit large
fires, which were fed with wood taken from the adjoining
property. Window-smashing to a large extent was, of
course, included in these festivities. Finally, with
evident designs of mischief, the mob moved towards
the Prefecture ; but here they were met by a
strong force of soldiers and dispersed. Later on
in the evening the crowds began to collect again, and there
was more stone-throwing and window-breaking. The mob,
armed with bars of iron, committed devastation in various
parts of the town. But the crowdi now were not corn.
posed of working men ; they were lads. They kept up the
spirit of the thing, however, admirably ; for at four
o'clock on Tuesday morning Nantes was still a prey to
uproar. .

Last night the riots recommenced, and two shots were
fired on the troops. A proposal was made to burn down
the residence of the official candidate, but the police
prevented this act of folly. Nantes is now calm.

It is stated that the Government intend to intro-
duce a bill to disfranchise the freemen of Dublin. The writ
will. in the meantime, be suspended.

At Liverpool, on Wednesday, two men
were charged with sending meat unfit for human food to the
Liverpool market. The case having been proved against
them, the bench refused to inflict a fine, and committed the
defendants to prison for one month each with hard labour.

On Wednesday a very brief telegram was re-
ceived in Liverpool, from Bombay, to the effect that the ship
Great Northern had been totally wrecked off Bombay, and
that 15 of the crew had perished. The Great Northern was
of North American build, having been constructed at Mira-
michi in 1858. She was a wooden vessel of 1,402 tons
burden, and was owned in Liverpool by Messrs. Fernie
Brothers, the agents of the Merchants' Shipping Company
(Limited). The vessel sailed from the Mersey for Bombay
en the 12th December, 1868, under the command of Captain
Flarty.
The accident which happened to a gentleman of
Runcorn through his putting his head out of the window of
a railway carriage while it was in motion on the London and
North-Western Railway has terminated fatally. An inquest
has been held on the body. It having been stated that some
years ago an engine-driver was killed on the same spot, and
it appearing that the bridge across the rails was most un-
usually narrow, the jury returned a verdict of "Accidental
death," with a recommendation to the London and North-
Western Company that the attention of their engineer, Mr.
V. Worthington (who was present), should be directed to
the dangerous state of the bridge.

MADAME TUSSAUD'S.—Ever anxious to keep pace
with the times, the proprietors of the far-famed Wax-work
Exhibition, in Baker-street, have now on view some of the
most elaborate and truly magnificent and costly Court
dresses, manufactured by the great and popular firms of
Paris, that it has ever before been in our power to so fully
eulogise as those which are now to be seen, and every
dress is in itself a perfect gem of loveliness, and will well,
unquestionably, fully repay a visit to every sight-seer to
the exhibition.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.—The
society will meet on Tuesday, June 15, at eight o'clock
precisely, when the following papers will be read : —" Ou
the Stature and Bulk of Man in the British Islands," by
Dr. Beddoe, President; "On Civilisation, with special
reference to the so-called Celtic inhabitants of Ireland," by
J. Gould Avery, Esq., F.A.S.L.