The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-08 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWNPCA9RRRISE,sesouIindpaEyNT.)
Evening.
There was a Cabinet Council yesterday at the
Tuileries. The Emperor presided, and the Empress
was also present at the Council. Her Majesty occa-
sinally takes part in the discussions.
The 3loniteur states that, upon the resignation of
the Italian Ministry, the King at first requested
General Menabrea to form a new Cabinet. That
statesman, however, from private motives having
declined the task, his Majesty charged M. Itatazzi
to propose to him the names of persons whom he
wished to form a portion of the new Cabinet.
A letter from Spezzia announces that the Italian
Government has given a fresh impulse to the works
at the, arsenal, which proceed rapidly. The walls
and the numerous forts, that is to say the most im-

portant part of the defence, are almost completed

The construction of the head of the jetty and
the advance military fort is being carried on with
great activity.
The Minister of War has decided that the pupils
of the Special Imperial Military School shall be
immediately armed with the breech-loading gun of
the model of 1866. The same regulation is to be
adopted in regard to the troops of the Imperial
Guard, and those who will form part of the camp
at Chalons. The battalion of Foot Chasseurs of
the Imperial Guard, who last year received 500 guns
of the 1866 model, have just been supplied with the
remainder of their armament.

The Minister of Agriculture, Commerce, and
Public Works, Vice-President of the Universal Ex-
hibition, yesterday received the members of the
French and Foreign Commissions, the Commis-
sioners accredited to the Imperial Commission, and
the functionaries of the Foreign Commissioners pre-
sented by:their President, and also various persons
having business at the Exhibition.
The juries will resume their labours to-morrow.
Notice of the fact has been given to the exhibitors
of various classes according to well-ordered arrange-
ment. The office for the purchase of season tickets
is now transferred from the Champs Elysees to the
office of the Imperial Commission in the Avenue de
la Bourdonnaye, No. 2 in the Champ de Mars.
Commencing from to-morrow (Monday) weekly
tickets will be delivered for 6 francs. Purchasers
must first have their portrait photographed on an
ordinary visiting card, on which the admission autho-
rity will be pasted. The day on which the ticket is
delivered will be included in the week. The ticket
will also servo for the Billancourt Exhibition.
The work men are now engaged in constructing in

he centre of the Exhibition a handsome circular

Pavilion, with glass work around, which will con-
tain the coins struck during the present reign. It
is also destined for the exhibition of the crown

jewels. Great precaution will be taken for their
safety. Every night they will descend by ingenious
mechanism into an underground receptacle, the
opening to which will be invisible.
Among the illustrious strangers who will grace the
Exhibition is a sovereign of note, the nigger King
of Bonny, who, it is said, has a palace constructed
of the bones of vanquished enemies, and who can
give a human skull to 100,000 guests to drink from
as with the loving cup. The kingdom of Bonny is
situated to the north of the coast of Guinea, be-
tweeen the Niger and one of its confluents. It has
an army of 60,000 men and 100 pieces of artillery
of English manufacture. The habits of the people,
says a French writer, are very simple, and if they
do not love one another they love the Europeans—
particularly after their flesh has been cooked upon the
gridiron and if they be fat. This description reminds'
me of a question put by a traveller to a chief of
one of the tribes of these niggers. The traveller
asked if the chief's people liked the English. Oh
yes, said the chief, and so do I ; I have eaten some of
them. They seem to illustrate the admonition to
" Love thy neighbour as thyself." His nigger ma-
jesty, adds the account, has not eaten any human
beings since his journey to London in 1861, and the
lords of his court have followed the example of ab-
stinence. The people, however, still preserve their
primitive taste ; but, in virtue of a recent law, no
native of Bonny can touch human flesh without the
permission, in writing, of his lord and master. The
black king, it is said, will bring with him plenty of
gold in barrels, and so no doubt he will be wel-
come.
Thursday next will be a busy day at the Billan-
court Exhibition, as there is then to be a sale of the
beautiful sheep and other animals now on exhibition
there.

There is still much to finish at the Exhibition in
the Champ de Mars. Switzerland and Italy are
nearly empty, and Belgium is rather behind.
The Opposition have given notice of several
amendments which they mean to propose in the
Legislative Body upon the law respecting the press.
These amendments are of a moderate character, and
several of them do not involve any serious modifica-
tion in the proposals of the Government. Some
relate to the stamp duty, which it is proposed to
make more equal in its operation. Other amend-
ments are with the view of changing the mode
of proceeding for offences of the press, to mitigate
the fines, and to lower the security of money to be
paid upon first publishing a newspaper. Another
important amendment is to provide that there shall
not be any proceedings against the printer of a
newspaper unless in cases where the author is not
known or refuses to assume the responsibility of an
incriminated article. Some members of the Opposi-
tion wished to propose amendments of a much more
extensive character, but their opinion was overruled
on the suggestion that there would be no chance of
passing them.
The articles of the newspapers respecting Luxem-
burg form a labyrinth through which it is difficult
to travel. Although Lord Stanley, in the House of
Commons, and the Dutch Minister, M. de Zuylen,
in the Dutch Chamber of Deputies, both speak of
what has taken place as "discussion" or overtures,
and not " negotiations," the Memorial Diplonuttique
asserts that the preliminaries have assumed the cha-
racter of "a formal negotiation," at least as far as
France is concerned. According to the Nord, Russia
claims to have a part in the negotiations in her cha-
racter as a party to the treaties of 1839. Another
journal asserts that the Prussian Government has
informed the French Ambassador that it is opposed
to the annexation of the Grand Duchy
of Luxem-
burg either to France, Prussia, or the Confederation
of the North, but that the inhabitants would be more
satisfied with the maintenance of the independence
of the Duchy under the sceptre of the King of Hol-
land. The Etendard has a despatch from Berlin
which states that instructions have been sent from
the Prussian Cabinet to its diplomatic agents at the
German States, and to the rowers who. signed the

above treaty, to ascertain the views and desires of
those respective Governments upon the subject of
Luxemburg. The Dutch Minister, M. de Zuylen,
told the Chamber plainly and unequivocally that
although Holland was disposed to give up Luxem-
burg, the price offered was too low, but added that
the Government of the Netherlands would not inter-
fere upon the question either directly or indirectly.
Apparently there is a good deal of candour and
openness in this declaration of the Dutch Minister,
but, coupled with the manifestations made in other
quarters, it appears only to mean that Holland will
not offer serious obstacles to any arrangement that
may seem likely to turn out eventually to her own
advantage. The German papers do not seem autho-
rised to make any official announcement upon the
subject.
. .

One of the most eminent men of France, Francais
Emile Villemain, has been " gathered to his fathers"
after a long and painful illness. He was born at
Paris on the 3d of March, 1795. After long and
attentive study he entered the Polytechnic School,
and afterwards the school of application at Netz.
In 1814 he was an artillery officer, and served in
that capacity in the French Colony of the Antilles.
Subsequently he entered the corps as Military Super-
intendent, for which his talent and faculties pecu-
liarly fitted him, and obtained for him great distinc-
tion. It was to M. Villemain that the Government
applied when it was necessary to organise, after the
Revolution of February, the administrative services
of the moveable National Guard. He accepted the
difficult task, and performed it very successfully.
A position in the Council of State was given to him
upon its formation on the 25th of January, 1852,
and M. Villemain was charged with an important
military mission to the departments of the South of
France. Attached to the section of war and marine
his experience and intelligence were displayed on
every detail connected with military and colonial
matters. On the 24th of October, 1863, the
Emperor, to reward a long career of service to the
State, elevated M. Villemain to the dignity of
Senator. In the Senate, as at the Council Board,
he distinguished himself by his skill and deep know-
ledge of public affairs. M. Villemain was Com-
mander of the Legion of Honour. As a military
man his talents and services may not be so generally
known, but as an orator and philosophical thinker
the reputation of M. Villemain has been spread
throughout the world.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE MEDITERRANEAN FLEET.
MALTA, Sunday, April 7, 4.48 p.m.
The ironclads now in this port have suddenly re-
ceived orders to prepare to proceed to sea. The
Prince Consort and the Royal Oak leave to-morrow
under sealed orders.
It is believed that their destination is the coast of
Spain, in consequence of the Tornado difficulty.
The Galatea, Captain his Royal Highness the
Duke of Edinburgh, leaves to-night for Marseilles,
having now her steam up.

PLYMOUTH, Monday, 10 a.m.

The Lords of the Admiralty have countermanded
the order for the departure of the screw steamship
Rodney, 78, Captain Heleage, for the Cape and
China. Her detention is attributed here to the
state of our relations with Spain.l