The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-13 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, MONDAT, April it

M. de Lavalette's speech_ has been very favourably
received by the Paris journals. Almost unanimously they
concur in praising the clearness of the Foreign Minister's
statement, and the sincere spirit which animated it
throughout. All agree that so far as the statement of
an irresponsible Minister can be accepted as a guarantee
for the future, the speech of M. de Lavalette is all that
could be wished. It is impossible that any Ministerial
declaration could be more explicit and circumstantial.
Under parliamentary Government the assurance would
be final and conclusive. No responsible Minister would
dare make such an exordium on behalf of peace,
and at the same time contemplate speedy war. AS
it is, the Emperor can change his Ministry and his policy
at will, without consulting anyone ; and, as the Temps
remarks, there must always be a certain element of doubt
under such a regime. But at the same time it is evident
that nothing more definite than the speech of Saturday
can be hoped for. As an oratorical dc'but, too, the Marquis
must be congratulated upon a success.
An extraordinary election expedient- has just been
adopted here. A day or two ago a great crowd was
assembled before the great ready-made-clothing depot
in the Rue du Pont-Neuf. Aboutahnndred "individuals"
in blouses were ranged in military order on the pavement,
and every quarter of an hour twenty "gentlemen" issued
from the shop clad in a new suit, and each with a bundle
under his arm. No sooner had one party of twenty emerged
than another entered en blouse and came out' at the end of
fifteen minutes arrayed in a new suit. What was the
meaning of this strange operation ? It appears that a
certain personage thought it necessary, in view of coming
events, to conciliate a certain number of his fellow
citizens, who, though of .no great social standing,
were yet the possessors of the suffrage. This genius
longed for a new mode of indirect bribery. Dinners and
the like were stale and unprofitable ; why not array the
free and independent electors in a new suit? But a diffi-
culty presented itself. Where was the establishment that
could receive a large number of worthy citizens of different
ages and stature, and provide them all with ready-made
suits ? The "personage " applied to the great house in
the Rue du Pont-Neuf. " Send ten thousand," was the
reply, " and they shall be served, and each have a
selection." The "personage" did not send ten thousand,
but he sent in 160, who were all metamorphosed in the
course of two hours. It is said that charity is ingenious,
but personal interest is still more so. The journals which
report this occurrence do not say that it was an electoral
manoeuvre, but there can be no doubt that such was its
object. But who is the candidate ?

M. de Montalembert has been in a very serious condi-
tion for some time past. The latest bulletin is very
unfavourable.

A very heavy case of embezzlement has just been deter-
mined before the Assize Court of the Seine. It
will be remembered that an agent de change, Banes,
committed suicide last January, on discovering that he
bad been swindled by his cashier, and that
he had lost the enormous sum of £130,000. The
affair created much excitement at the time. The cashier,
named Allotte, has just been brought to trial. It seems
that he had a share in the business, and enjoyed the confi-
dence of M. Ban Zs. He, holiever, launched into a num-
ber of ill-advised speculations, so that in the space of
four years be had squandered this large amount.
£68,000 was sunk in oil works at St. Denis ; £25,000 in a
manufactory of perfumery at Puteaux ; £1.0,000 in a soap
boilery at La Briche ; and £9,000 in a water company at
Cadiz. Other sums were lost in various smaller specula.
tions. The deficits were made up by the sale if securities
left by customers-and by the appropriation of a sum of
£32,000, deposited by a M. Br6on for purposes of
speculation, and concerning which a fictitious account was
furnished every month to the owner by the accused. The
sum, however, had never been regularly entered on the
books of the firm, and the consequence is that Br6on
is entirely ruined, as he has no claim to any share in the
assets of the bankruptcy. Allotte maintained in his
defence that he had only borrowed money from the firm
of which he was a partner. Against this plea there was
not sufficient evidence, and accordingly the cashier has
been acquitted.
The Rue Saint Jacques was the other day the scene of a
family tragedy. M. S- was a discharged soldier, who
had vainly sought employment for three years past. His
wife kept a boarding-school for young ladies. The two
lived on the best of terms, but a double misfortune at
length drove them to despair. M. 5- appliedfor asitua-
tion in the offices of a railway company, and was rejected on
the plea of age. At the same time a rival establishment
was set up in the neighbourhood, and half the scholars of
Madame S- left her. The two resolved to die together-
The husband shot Iris wife with a rifle, and then com-
mitted ..I.:ile. Both werc, found immediately after the
rcpurt of the weapon quite dead, and horribly mutilated.