The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-06 00:00:00

coansporthENot FROM

(FROM OUR OWN COREESFONDENT.)

PARIS, FRIDAY, February 5.
The third grand ball at the Tuileries took place the
night before last. There was an immense attendance, the
number considerably exceeding the gathering at the two
preceding fetes. Indeed, the rooms were so crowded that
dancing was all but an impossibility. The amount of pleasure
to be extracted from these assemblies seems to be highly esti-
mated by those most interested in them, but to plain people
such balls must be an intolerable nuisance. The formality is
fatiguing, the exigencies of dress more so. Then, after
having donned a small fortune in the shape of habiliments,
the delight of moving about for several hours in an
immense crowd and a heated atmosphere awaits the
a3pirant. One lady fainted at this last ball on account of
the pressure of the crowd ; another was knocked down and

run over by a cavalier who could not stop his momentum ;
and an officer was accidentally tripped up and fell with
great violence, his forehead striking the hilt of another
officer's sword. He bled profusely, and had to be carried
away. Truly this is enchanting enjoyment.
The pews of the death of Princess Baciocchi was receivea
too late for this ball to be postponed. The Emperor and
the Empress made but a very short appearance in
the throne-room, the former in a general's uniform,
having a black crape on the arm, and her 'Majesty
being without jewels. The late princess was an
Italian by birth, the daughter of the Princess
Elisa Buonaparte and Felix Baciocchi, Prince of Lucca.
Educated at the Court of Napoleon 1., she married, in
1825, Count Camerata, one of the richest of the Roman
landed proprietors, but lived separately from her husband
since 1830. She came to France on the re-establishment of
the Empire, and purchased cpsiderable estates in the Mor-
bihan. Her death is the ultimate result of an accident which
befell her about a year ago, when she fell and broke her
leg whilst getting into her carriage. Since then she has
declined in health. Her fortune is about £16,000 a year,
of which the bulk goes to the Prince Imperial. The Duke
de Tascher, another relative of the Emperor, who has just
died, was the grandson of a brother of the Empress
Josephine.

Death has been equally busy in the ranks of the
Emperor's relatives, friends, and opponents. The Marquis
de Moustier died this morning. His temporary recovery
was such as to permit his removal from the Foreign Office,
but not sufficiently decisive to bring round the enfeebled
powers of nature. He was a well-meaning and con-
scientious, but not a great statesman, and though edu-
cated fora diplomatic career, he made no great mark. He
was the eldest son of the Marquis Clement de Moustier,
and was born in 1815. He commenced public life promi-
nently by being returned as a member of the Legislative
Assembly for the Doubs department in May 1849. He
acted as Ambassador at the Court of Berlin from March
1853 to November 1859, when he removed to Vienna.
Here he was French representative until August 1861, in
which month he became Ambassador at Constantinople.
At this Court his abilities shone most brightly, and he
remained with the Porte until September 1866, when he
was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
Some say his resignation was due to his state of health,
others that his state of health was the effect of his replace-
ment by Lavalette.

Typhus fever is raging at Brussels. All the private
schools, the Court, and everybody who can get away,
have rmoved from the scene of the plague.
Joye, the herbalist of Marseilles, arrived at the Toulon
prison the other day. This able performer preserved the
credit of his reputation to the last. He had for some time
delayed his removal to the galleys on account of the
" revelations" which he was to make respecting the
past history, present state, and future prospects of
poisoning in Marseilles. But the magistrates
soon grew tired of these revelations, which were,
in fact, nothing more than a deplorable parody on the
" Thousand and One Nights." The matchless herbalist
invented these stories hoping to amuse the magistrates,
and thus postpone the period of his departure to the dis-
agreeable retreat at Toulon. But the scheme collapsed.
The church at Fougerets, in Brittany, has been struck
by lightning. The steeple and part of the nave were
burned.

A tame rabbit of value was lost by its owner at Bignay,
and ultimately found in an extraordinary place—at the
top of the church steeple, which was high. The sacristan
had gone up to sound the hour for mass when he was
troubled by the noise of the wandering animal. He
evidently mistook it for a much more formidable enemy,
and was so frightened that he fell insensible.

THE WEATHER TABLE-THIS DAY.

METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS.