The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-13 00:00:00

Ministers of War in France commenced their career
as simple soldiers. The military household of the
Emperor includes one Marshal of France, Grand
Marshal of the Palace, eleven generals of division,
six generals of brigade, three chiefs of battalion or
squadron, ten captains, exclusive of naval officers.
The number of marshals of France is six in time of
peace, and twelve in time of war. The present
marshals are—Marshal Vaillant, Marshal Baraguay
&liners, Count Randon, Marshal Canrobert,
Marshal Regnard de Saint Jean d'Angely, the Duke
de Magenta, Marshal Niel, General Furey, and
General Bazaine, who has just returned to France
from Mexico, where he commanded the expedi-
tionary corps sent to that country. The French
army includes 92 generals of division in activity or
at disposal, and 67 in the reserve. The number of
generals of brigade of the active army is 164, and
173 for the army of reserve,
_ _

The Staff is composed of 35 colonels, 35 licuten-
ant-colonels, 110 chiefs of squadron, 300 captains,
and 400 lieutenants.

The corps of the Cent Gardes of the Emperor has
10 officers. It is a splendid corps, and the uniform
is tasteful and magnificent.

The Imperial Guard is composed of a battalion of
foot chasseurs, four regiments of voltigeurs, three
regiments of grenadiers, a regiment of Zouaves, a
regiment of horse gendarmerie, a regiment for each
arm
mneeorsf
, and
cuirassiers,
artillery, a squadron of artillery train, and a squa•
dron of equipage train.
chasseurs, guides,
a regiment of mounted

The gendarmerie is composed, independently of a
squadron of picked gendarmes and a regiment of
gendarmerie forming part of the Imperial Guard, of
26 legions for the service of the departments, a
companies of colonial gen-
darmerie,ments stationed in New
legionfot
aAnldgerfiivae, fdouetraeh
Caledonia, Hayti, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Senegal,
and Lower Cochin China, the guard of Paris, and
a company of veteran-gendarmes.

The infantry of the Line is composed, indepen-
dently of the Imperial Guard of 100 regiments of the
Line, 20 battalions Foot Chasseurs, three regiments
of Zouaves, one regiment of Sapeurs Pompiers (fire-
men) of Paris, three battalions of light infantry of
Africa, five companies of fusileers of discipline, two
companies of pioneers of discipline, one foreign re-
giment, three regiments of Algeriue Tirailleurs, one
company of veteran sub-officers, one company of
veteran fusileers.

The cavalry is composed,. independently of the
regiments forming part of the Imperial Guard, of
10 regiments of reserve cavalry (Cuirassiers), 20
regiments of cavalry of the Line (12 of Dragoons
and eight of Lancers), 23 regiments of light cavalry,
and three regiments of Spahis.
The artillery, independently of that of the Im-
perial Guard, includes 20 regiments, 10 companies
of working artillerymen, five companies of working
cannoners, one company of armuriers, five squa-
drons of train artillery.
The Genie Corps includes 29 colonels, 29 lieut.-
colonels, 108 chiefs of battalion, 148 captains of the
first class, 148 captains of the second class and
lieutenants, 100 principal guards, 300 guards of the
first class, 170 guards of the second class, three re-
giments, and one company of working men. The
oldest colonel of Genie is M. Charpauhet, director
of the fortifications of Lyons.
Among the many interesting processes connected
with industrial arts at the Exhibition is the manu-
facture of felt hats. The machines for this purpose
arc to be seen in the machine classes 57 and 95.
Among them is an ex tct model of a steam machine
used for their manufacture by M. Haas, of Aix, in
the South of France. Strange as it may appear,
by means of this machine a rabbit skin may be con-
verted into a hat in 50 minutes ! During the pro-
cess the hat undergoes six operations. They are
lined and trimmed by a sewing machine. An imi-
tation of the whole process can be witnessed. By
the system adopted two workmen can make 1,200
hat bodies in a day, so that the evil of a " shocking
bad hat" may be remedied in a very brief space of
time. At the hat manufactory they will take your
measure, and if you choose to wait 50 minutes it
will be ready for you.
The Emperor continues to manifest great interest
in the Exhibition. His Majesty spent some time
there yesterday afternoon. During these visits his
Majesty usually selects for purchase some ob-
ject of prominent beauty or interest. I remark
that the magnificent ewer with dragon and serpent
handle, manufactured by the eminent firm of E. F.
Hancock, Son, and Co., is marked " sold to the
Emperor." I have already given a description of
this triumph of art and manufacturing skill. It is
of massive silver, and is as beautiful as it is costly.
The Emperor will probably allow it to remain at
the Exhibition for some time, as lit attracts such
general admiration, but it may be well for visitors
to inspect it without delay, lest it might be removed.
Hundreds go to look at it daily, for the Parisians
have such confidence in the Emperor's taste as to
know that when he selects an article it must be
something peculiarly remarkable. I believe the
Etnperor has not yet purchased anything else
except the
objects I have already described.
violent storm of thunder and lightning, with heavy
rain. The day has been sultry, with a lowering
This morning about three o'clock there was a
aspect and occasional rain. Another storm seems
inpendiug. 'The wind was very violent.
Some interesting particulars are given by M.
Richard Cortamberg respecting sub-marine tele-
graphs. The writer, after describing the submarine
telegraphs of England, who, he admits, was the
first to make use of this great invention, says that
the Danish Islands, Iceland and Fionie, are joined
by them to the Continent. Sweden is united to
Prussia by a line from Trelleborg, which reaches
near to Pomerania. The island of Gotland is con-
nected with Sweden, which governs it, by the tele-
graph from Vesby to Vaterwick. The submarine
tcicgraphs of the Atlantic are joined to the Anglo-
Norman islands of Guernsey, Alderney, and A • urigny,
which thus place Jersey in connection with one of
the sub-prefectures of France, of La Manche, Con-
tances. In the Mediterranean the extension of such
communications is marvellous. France can have
immediate news from Algeria by the following
route : Spezzia, near Genoa, Bastia and Bonifacio
(Corsica), Cagliari (Sardinia), Marsala (Sicily),
Bizerte (Africa), and to the coasts of Alge-
ria. Another line by Spain •
will also shortly
place Franco in connection with Africa. An-
other important line is from Sicily to Malta,
from there to Tripoli,
Benghary to Egypt
(Alexandria). Here is the chain of communication
from West to East. There are other marine cables
in the Mediterranean, from Sicily to Calabria and
Messina, and one from Stranto and Corfu to, and
a third line between, Stranto and Hevat (Turkey).
Asia is connected to Europe by two of the points
nearest to it—the channel of Constantinople and
the Straits of the Dardanelles. Another sub-
marine cable has been finished between nletelin and
Chios, and from
Chi to Syria. In another year
an immense line will go round the world by the
North, and at the same rate of progress in five years
another line will reach to all the countries of the
equinox.

Eloi Pivost, of whose trial and condemnation
for the murder of his father I gave an account at
the titne, has been executed at Versailles. His
wife was charged as an accomplice in the crime, but
as the jury contrived to find extenuating circum-
stances iu her favour, her sentence was hard labour
for life. The convict was very penitent. As usual
in cases of parricide, the culprir, was almost en-
tirely enveloped in a black veil, and he walked
bare-footed to the scaffold.

The Plenipotentiaries accredited by the European
Powers to the London Conference on the Luxemburg
question met on Saturday for the fourth time at the
official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury in
Downing-street.

THE NEW FRENCH GUN, which shoots people
without powder or smoke.—The weapon is really a
sling improved up to the nineteenth-century standard.
Bullets are placed in a circular groove on a disc of steel,
which, driven by a wheel of much greater diameter, re-
volves at a prodigious pace, and hurls out the bullets at
the rate of about 300 per minute. They strike as hard as
rifle balls. We do not vouch for the account, but it is
trusted by a correspondent of the Times, and is not mecha-
nically impossible, as anybody may test with a tin spin-
ning top and a pea.