The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-07 00:00:00

PARAGUAY AND HER PRESIDENT.

The Asuncion correspondent of the New Fork
Herald, under date March 19th, bears testimony
to the progress making by Paraguay, and the cha-
racter of the Government of President Lopez,
which will be read with interest in this country,
where accurate information on both points is so
desirable. " This republic," says the writer, "the
best populated and best governed of all South
American republics, offers many advantages to
mechanics, merchants, and speculators. Cotton,
tobacco, and sugar, the staples of the country, offer
a large field for speculation, as they yet want a
great deal of improvement, easily done by intelli-
gent and enterprising men, who are much wanted
here ; but the right sort of men are slow in coming,
owing to reports derogatory to this country and its
Government, spread by persons ill-disposed, having
been foiled in humbugging the simple people here,
who are well guarded by a wise and strong Govern-
ment, represented in the person of President
Lopez, the best head south of the equator. All who
take an interest in this country, and will inquire of
the Hon. J. S. Pendleton, formerly our charge
d'affaires here, or the Hon. Judge Bowlin, or his
secretary, Mr. S. Ward, or any of the officers who
came with the Paraguay expedition, or Capt. Page,
so well known here, will find my statement correct.
Nowhere in South America is the Government so
well respected and obeyed as here ; nowhere are
life and property more secure. Paraguay is the
only one of the South American republics which
achieved her independence without bloodshed, and
the subs?quent iron rule of Francia kept down the
turbulent, and saved the country from those ter-
rible intestine wars which distracted the lower
provinces for forty years, and only ended now by
the successful mediation of General Lopez. Since
the beginning of the actual Government a new era
has opened for this country, which has assumed its
befitting rank among the independent nations of
the world. Lopez found nothing to act upon when
he took the Presidential chair, only eighteen years
ago—neither means nor men. He had to create
both. Relations with foreign powers were first
opened by him ; foreign commerce and trade, which
were prostrated under Francia, were protected
and encouraged; railroads, steamboats, arsenals,
foundries, &c., the best south of Rio, and the
best disciplined and best equipped army,
are his work—at the same time working against
fearful odds of jealous and turbulent neighbours
and dubious friends. Paraguay, like the rest of
the South American republics, has been the theatre
where European diplomatists make their debut,
and, for the sake of trying their strength and
making themselves a name, never leave these coun-
tries without having done some mischief, either
embroiling them with their respective governments,
or sowing the seeds of future discord." This ac-
count of the progress and and present prosperity
of Paraguay is confirmed by all the latest advices
from that country. Building operations are pro-
ceeding actively at Asuncion, and there is a wide
field for enterprise in the manufacture of bricks. A
new theatre, on a large scale, is in course of erec-
tion ; also extensive buildings in connection with
the naval dockyards and foundries. Captain Page,
mentioned in the extract, is the commander of the
exploring expedition sent out from the United
States ; he has ascended the Vermejo to Oran, 300
miles from its mouth, thus affording further demon-
stration of the facilities which exist for distributing
the manufactures of Europe throughout Paraguay,
and sending the tobacco, cotton, hides, wool, and
other produce of the country down to the great
fluvial highway of the Platine region in return.
The statement that Canstatt, the alleged British
subject, convicted of complicity in a conspiracy to
assassinate the President and his family, and con-
demned to death, had been pardoned and liberated,
is confirmed. He left Asuncion on the 17th of
January, in the Paraguayan steamer Jessni, for
Monte Video, of which city he is a native, having
only claimed to be a British subject when he en-
gaged in the plot against President Lopez. This
is so well established that it is believed there is
nothing now to prevent a speedy and amicable
settlement of the difference which the claim pre-
ferred by Mr. Consul Henderson, on behalf of
Canstatt, had created between England and Para-
guay.

THE JAPANESE AMBASSADORS AT A
BALL.

►-

Last evening, at a ball given by the Secretary
of State, the Japanese ambassadors appeared un-
officially, for the first time, in public. The in-
terest felt on this occasion was so great that of the
numerous guests invited hardly a single one failed
to be present. The saloons of General Cass were
fully crowded at an early hour, 500 or 600 persons
assembling before nine o'clock. The ambassadors
did not leave -Willard's Hotel until 10. On reach-
ing General Cass's residence they were conducted
by Captain Dupont and other gentlemen, who ac-
companied them through the various rooms of re-
ception, and finally seated at a point most conve-
nient for approach by those who were to bo pre-
sented to them. Their neighbourhood was at once
invaded by numberless candidates for introduction,
mostly ladies, all of whom were received with the
grace and elegance of manner inseparable from the
Japanese. The party visiting the Secretary of
State was composed of three Princes, and the five
officers next in rank, and the two interpreters.
For nearly an hour these 10 gentlemen sustained
unflinchingly the unavcrted gaze of as many scores
of people as could draw dear to them. Their self-
possession then, as it always is, was marvellous.
The haughtiest stare, with intensest eyeglass con-
centration, could neither move them to embarrass-
ment nor rouse them to the least defiant glance in
return. Directly 'personal remarks, not always
uttered, I am afraid, in the best taste, and some-
times unworthy the fair lips whence they pro-
ceeded, were listened to by those who perfectly
understood with no sign of discomposure, except
perhaps a slight compression of the mouth, show-
ing that insensibility was no cause of theirimmov-
able calmness. Towards 11 o'clock the ambassa-
dors rose, and were again led through the apart-
ments, pausing before a refection table, the details
of which no interpreter was needed to explain
to them. The number of guests had now greatly
increased. There were present the members of
the Cabinet, the Vice• President, and Speaker Pen-
nington, a few members of Congress, many officers
of the army and navy, and a very full representa-
tion of foreign legations. The number of ladies
seemed greater than of gentlemen. The least
unwary step engulphed ono in surging waves of
muslin, silk, and those other kindred dangers which
evade precise designation. Mrs. Douglas, Miss
Lane, Mrs. G win, and Mrs. Slidell, were the various
central orbs, alluring to themselves countless satel-
lites, seeking from the reflections of fashionable
warmth and social light. On their way along the
drawing-rooms, the Japanese caught sight of Com-
modore Tatnall, who brought them in the Powha-
tan from Japan to Panama, and whom they
instantly surrounded with every grateful expression
of welcome. For the few minutes that Commodore
Tatn all was near, all objects beyond testifying their
recognition of him were abandoned. A little later
towi
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thered
of the ambassadors had at first been to adhere to
this principle while in the United States, but they
ex press some satisfaction at having set it aside,
since by doing so they were enabled to share the
enjoyment of so brilliant an evening.—New l'ork
Tribune.

A telegram from Constantinople,' dated the 4th
inst., reports the death of M. Theodore Baltazzi, the head
of the wealthy family of bankers of that name.
An enormous body of whales appeared off the
coast of Belfast on Monday evening. They were so nume-
rous that several boats of the hook herring fishing had to
leave the ground, the crews being afraid of their boats being
capsized,