The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-22 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS,

(FROM OUR OWN CORItat'ONDENT.)
PARIS, THURSDAY, January 21.
The Emperor's speech is still the topic of comment;
indeed, the articles in the journals have lapsed into a
curious phase of controversy. The question now is not
whether the Emperor's speech be good or bad, but whether
the English journals did or did not praise it. The autho-
rities, casting a glance at the Times, immediately sent a
telegram to the effect that the reeeptloll of the
speech in England bad been wholly favour**.
The Opposition papers point to the Daily News
and deny this. The truth seems to be that tie comments
of the English journals were varied, some still keeping to
the old story, others carried away by the manifest supe-
riority of the sentiments expressed on the 18th oirPr those
of former years. The speech is, beyond doubt, the best
the Emperor has delivered, but that does not prove it to
be remarkably good. It is a great improvement on the
hard terms offered in other discourses ; it expresses great
confidence in peace, and throws out some vague hints of
liberal reforms ; but the peace is an armed peace, and the
liberty is yet all to come.
Whatever may be the value of the discourse, nothing
could exceed the anxiety of the French people to obtain
it. It was delivered at one o'clock, and was selling
in the streets at two. This feat is managed by dis-
tributing copies beforehand. As soon as the Emperor
enters the hall, a copy of his address is given
to a representative of each of the newspapers ; they
drive off to the printing offices where the compositors
await them. Each man gets about three lines of the
precious document : in five minutes it is all iu type,
and within the hour it is corrected ; a brief comment
from the editor is added, and the machines set to
work. The newspapers on the 18th were sold for half a
franc to a franc a copy on the Boulevards, The
speech is immediately telegraphed to all parts of
the Empire. It reached Rouen in twenty-two
minutes, and was sold in the streets of Marseilles before
five o'clock. The sale of newspapers on Speech day is
fabulous.
The Corps L4gislatif sat yesterday, but did less than at
tne previous sitting. A demand of interpellation on the
R4union affair was presented by M. Bethmont, a few local
bills were presented, and then the chairman rose. There
will now be a short vacancy, during which the
Deputies may study with advantage the Blue-book
and the Budget, This forms a nice total of
about 2,000 pages, crammed with figures—altogether a
lively holiday present. The budget is coming on soon this
year, on account of the general elections. Usually, it is
the last business of the session—the Government reserving
it, because it naturally prefers the task of disposing of the
finances to be as short as possible.
Marshal MacMahon has set out for Algeria. Civil
reform has been adjourned for the time, but not abandoned.
I am told that a new and far more extensive project is
under consideration. It will radically transform the whole
system upon which the colony is administered. Of what
nature this change is to be it would be premature to
speculate upon.
The Temps contains a letter complaining of the dismissal
of M. Sainton, the Mayor of Mergey, by the Prefect of the
Aube Department. The facts are certainly curious.
home time ago M. Sainton was talking with the prefect,
and expressed his intention of not actively propagating
Imperialism at the elections, and further of voting
as he chose. If that was not agreeable to
M. le Pr6fet, he (the mayor) was ready to resign.
"Remain, Mayor," answered the prefect, "and vote as
you please." A little while after M. Sainton received a
note from the prefect, telling him that " his resignation
was accepted !" An admirable illustration, says the
Temps, of the Emperor's recent speech on the liberty of
election and the freedom of the great bodies of the State.
There is much talk at Paris of a sermon recently
preached by the Abb6 Bauer at the church of St. Louis
d'Antin. The worthy father took occasion in the course of
his discourse to warmly eulogise the virtues of—the ex-
Queen Isabella !
A man named Legrand was sentenced to hard labour
for life, at Aldan, two days ago, for a murder com-
mitted under rather strange circumstances. The crime was
a cruel act of vengeance. The convict murdered a girl of
18 because her father, an innkeeper, had put an execution
into Legrand's house to obtain payment for wood supplied
to him. The miscreant laid wait for the innkeeper's
daughter, and cut her throat. A woman who
had been attracted to the spot by the cries of
the deceased saw the murderer escape into a wood,
followed for a few seconds by a dog which belonged to a
young woman ; the animal then returned to protect the
body of his mistress, but shortly after, accompanied by
several persons, lie was again put on the track, which he
followed to a copse, where he commenced barking.
On the spot being searched, Legrand was discovered
in an abandoned marlpit, standing up to his middle in
water, in which he had probably entered for the purpose
of cleansing the traces of the crime from his clothes. He
at once gave himself into custody and confessed his guilt.
e was now condemned to hard labour for life.

THE WEATHER TABLE, THIS' DA Y

METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS.

Extreme Sea
Friday, !VS= W. 17. I !0
Jan. 22, B. T. k g lto, F. D. WH. to
8 a.m., 11' 12 9
-- --- -- _ _
--- ---
Nairn
40 S.S.W. 2 2 S.W. fro 1919 ' 2
Aberdeen
Leith
Shields
Sycaarmrbooruotubgb 3300:3836rr.. 4351- 33 S.E.
5 6 W.N.W. free 4
Helder
Cuxhaven
Skud esnms
Ardr ossan
Green castle I ,
Holyhead 14. E.N.E. 4 5 N.N.E.°To
Liver pool
Valentia
2 5 N.N.E. co.!. 1
Cape Clear 3O 27f. 39 i 37 N.E. 2 3 N.E. •
b.c. 1
[tech es PL 30'290. 40 139 N. 2 4 N.E. b.c. 1
Penzance .. 30'27r. 39 (32 N.N.E.S.E. 3 4 8. o.c. 002 2
24 ,34 E.N.E. 4 4 E. c. 3
Plymouth .. 30'33r. 35 1343 DI 1 3 S.S.E. b. 1
Weymouth 30'32r. 40 1 , E.N.E. 1 1
S.E. ,m.o 2
Portsmouth 30'34r. 35 , -.1 E. 1 1 S. Ic.m 1
London ~. 30-34 r. 32 i 3. E. 2 1 W.S.W. fbm
C'peGrisN er 30'38r. 27 17, E,. 4 N.E. c. 4
Brest ...... 30'27r. 34 i 3 3 E. b. 2
Roche fort
3300:1281rr..
32 3.2.. S
E. 4 3
S.E.
c.
...... 1
Blarr itz .... 30125. 45 " W. 4 in. 6'04 5
Corunna.... :.:. -'_
Brussels.... _
..._ Paris ...... -- _
Strasbourg.. -- _
Lyons ...... ::: N
Toulon
.„ ... I 2 9-94 f. 39 ~..., ~ 1 5 W. b.f. 2
Heart's Con-,
tent (9 a.m.
local tin)___=_- -._:---L-:---_.: --