The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-04 00:00:00

CORRESPO:

There was another Cabinet Council yesterday
afternoon at the Tuileries, at which, as usual, the
Emperor presided.
The il/oniteur says :---" The Gazette de 11 Allemagne
du Nord, the official organ of the Cabinet of Berlin,
renews its contradiction in reply to the assertions
of the Indepcndance Beige and other papers which
have spoken of pretended demands addressed by the
Cabinet of Berlin to the Dutch Government. On
the other hand, a private telegram from the Hague
mentions the categorical assertions made upon two
occasions by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Netherlands in the Chamber of Deputies, from
which it appears that the report is inexact that
Prussia has addressed any representation to the Go-
vernment of the Netherlands relative to the dis-
armament of the Dutch fortresses of Maestricht and
Venloo."

The Moniteur Prussien contains an account of a
banquet which took place at the chateau after the
opening sitting of the Reichstag of Northern Ger-
many, at which the King of Prussia gave the fol-
lowing toast—" To the health of the Princes, my
high allies, who concluded with me the Confedera-
tion of the North, and to the hope that our peoples
and their representatives will regard the work in
the same sense and in the same spirit in which we
offer it to them." The Plenipotentiary of the King
of Saxony, the Minister of State, Baron de Friesen,
replied—" I respectfully beg your Majesty to per-
mit me to return thanks in:the name of the German
Princes united in the Confederation of the North
for the toast which has just been given, and to
give in return ' The health of his Majesty the
King of Prussia. Long live his Majesty.' "
A decree of the Queen of Spain has just autho-
rised the Minister of Marine to conclude a treaty for
laying a telegraphic cable between Cuba, Puerto
Rico, Mexico, and Panama.
Contradiction is given to the repert that the
Minister of Foreign Affairs in Paris had sent a note
to the Government of Greece relative to Candia.
The Memorial Diplomatique asserts positively that
France, England, and Russia, in their characters of
protectors of Greece, have come to an agreement to
give full support to the principle of the independence
of the Cretans.

The Italie says that the Mediterranean squadron
of evolution, under the orders of Admiral Ribotti,
will sail about the 15th inst. to the waters of the
Levant, in order to insure the protection of Italian
citizens in case of need.

The cattle plague has manifested itself in Lower
Austria. The cattle have been attacked with it in
72 localitie, and 1,773 arrivals have been slaugh-
tered, and 232 others died from the disease ; so that
the total number of anima!s lost from this disease
amounted, up to Feb. 26, to 2,025.
Charles Lemaire, the murderer, seems determined
to die what is called game. He has refused to ap-
peal to the Court of Cassation, which might have
given him a chance, but he says he would rather
die than work. His counsel, however, has sent a
petition to the Emperor for clemency. Lemaire
has been transferred from the Conciergeric to La
Roquette, where executions take place, so that the
petition probably will not be attended to. Lemaire
is continually singing, and from time to time ex-
presses his satisfaction at his sentence of death.
An imposing ceremony took place on Friday at
Amiens Cathedral. The high dignitaries of the
Church assembled there to render homage to the
memory of Monseigneur Daveluy, who with other
missionaries was murdered in Corea. The makers
of the procession left the Church of St. Leu arrayed
in white and red. All the clergy of the department
of La Somme were present ; among them were no
less than 12 bishops. Cardinals Bonnechose and
Bonnet, and the Archbishops of Nancy, Cambrai,
and Algiers were present, as well as Monseigneur
Chigi, the Pope's Nuncio. After the ceremony the
prelates were re-conducted with great pomp to the
Episcopal Palace.
Garibaldi has sent the following letter to the
chief editor of the Siecle, who inaugurated a sub-
scription for a statue to Voltaire :

• " Caprera, Feb. 19.
" A monument to Voltairo in France signifies the return
of that noble country to its post as the advanced guard of
human progress towards the fraternity of the peoples.
This is of good augury for the whole world of which the
great man was a citizen, and a terrible shock to the coali-
tion of despotism and lies. Accept my mite, and all my

gratitudo.—Yours, " G. GARIBALDI."
It is. calculated that a walk through the whole
extent of the gardens and alleys round the Exhibi-
tion will be to traverse no less than 74 kilometres.

Such a feat could hardly be accomplished in a day,

even without stopping.

The Chassepot gun has now been definitively
adopted in the French army. There is a saying
that a French soldier loves his guu as well as his
mistress, and is as careful about it. The Chassepot
gun is both a murderous and handsome weapon, and
is manufactured with a view to elegance as well as
utility. It may be carried in four different ways,
so as to fatigue the soldier as little as possible. The
old guns could only be borne upon the shoulder ou
the march. It is short and light, and, having a
bayonet, may be used to repel a charge of cavalry.
Seventeen bullets may be fired from it in a minute,
but as it would be useless in war to fire so preci-
pitately, except in rare cases, the regulation is
to fire with it eight times in a minute. A very
accurate aim may be taken with it if time be given,
and this is the reason why it is determined that the
soldier shall not fire too quickly. It has many ad-
vantages over the Prussian needle-gun. It seldom
misses fire, the needle is shorter, and it does not
break so often. The bullet does not describe so
large a circle, which is a point of much importance.
It is found that, even after long use, this gun re-

quires but very little repair.
There is considerable excitement at Nantes in
consequence of the failure of the well-known bank-
ing house of Messrs. Gouin Brothers. Probably
the effect of the failure may be felt at Paris. At
least five millions of francs are involved in the
failure.

In spite of an intensely cold wind the streets of
Paris have been immensely thronged to-day. It is
the day of the procession of the Bceuf Gras ; and
from the moment it left the Palace of Industry in

the Champs Ely sees thousands took various routes
to see it on its way to the Embassies, or to the side
of the water, and from thence to the Tuileries and
the Palais Royal. The Emperor always receives
the persons who form it very graciously, and both
he and Prince Napoleon Jerome make handsome
presents. This year the procession was more novel
and beautiful than ever. It was most expensive
and tasteful. An idea of it may bs given in a few
words. At the head of the procession were the Horse
Guards of Paris, in full uniform, followed by 24
drummers, who made a terrific noise, if they did not
discourse eloquent music. All eyes were fixed upon
tambour-major Polechineke, a very fine tall fellow.
Then followed five giants, who played various
antics. Music, perhaps, is not much played on
board ship, but nevertheless there was what
is called a sailors' band. Then came handsome
vehicles, ;and the pastoral chariot, replete with all
that appertains to agriculture, including lambs,
shepherdesses, and a gigantic ape. After that was
the chariot of the singers, immediately followed by
the chariot of the Bceuf Gras. The animal and car

were gorgeously ornamented. Next in company
were the butcher and the breeders. The last at- ,
tribute of the procession was really splendid, and it
was admirable as a work of art. It was the Genius
of France inviting all nations to the Great Exhi-
bition. The idea is personified by an immense
globe ornamented with azure and stars. It is sur-
mounted by an eagle with outspread wings. Beside
the eagle is an immense figure of a woman, four
times larger than nature. The group is seven feet
high. Europe is represented by a woman holding
the attributes of art and industry in her hands.
Asia is a beauty sparkling with diamonds. Africa
appears as a negress crowned with corals and
ostrich feathers. America is pourtrayed by a
Creole. The flag is emblazoned with the flags
of all nations ; and on the chariot were twenty-
four ladies representing various countries, whose
products will enrich the the Exhibition. It
is stated by a French historian that the procession
of the Bceuf Gras is of Pagan origin, it being derived

from the worship of the ox Apis by the Egyptians.
They fed her during four months in a building, the
facade of which was towards the east. When the
moon was at the full ho was conveyed
in a splendid chariot to Heliopolis, where, during
40 days, he was fed by women who gave themselves
up to orgies during all that time. From Heliopolis
he was conveyed to Memphis and placed in a chapel
where there were two temples. The choioe of the
temple which he entered was interpreted as a pro-
phecy for the future. At the commencement of the
periodical rising of the Nile fetes were given for a
week in honour of the ox Apis. The fete of the
Bceuf Gras, as it is now celebrated in France, may
be traced to the time of the Gauls, who celebrated
it at the sign of the Zodaic Taurus. In 1739 the fete
was organised by the Corporation of Butchers of
Paris. The Egyptians did not set the example of
innoculating the oxen to so gratify the palates of
the Parisians. On the contrary, they allowed the
ox Apis to live his natural time, and when he died
he was buried in a well, with all sorts of funeral
honours. Although, as I say above, the wind was
cold, there was splended sunshine all day, which
gave additional zest to the glittering ceremony.

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.
(Arrival of the Australasian.)
NEW YORK, Feb. 20 (Morning).

The bill brought forward in the Senate, in substi-
tution of the measure agreed to by the House of
Representatives establishing military government in
the South, was passed by 29 against 10 votes.
The house of Representatives rejected the sub-
stitute bill by 98 against 13 votes.
In answer to a Congressional inquiry, the Presi-
dent and the Cabinet officers have submitted re-
ports showing that no action of the Executive
branch of Government has interfered with the en-
forcement of the Civil Rights Bill.

The Kentucky Legislature has passed a resolution
protesting against the establishment of military
rule in the South.

MEXICO.

Republican accounts received from Matamoros to
the 15th inst. represent Miramon to have been
totally defeated by Escobedo. Juarez had returned
to Zacatecas. The news received through Im-
perialist sources state that Miramon was successful.
An Imperial squadron has attacked and totally de-
feated a Republican flotilla near Campeachy. The
Emperor was at the capital actively engaged in re-
organising the Imperial army, which represented
30,000 strong, well armed and disciplined.

QUEENSTOWN, March 4.

The royal mail steamship Australasian from New
York on the 20th ult., arrived here at 10.55 p.m.
last night with 71 passengers. She landed all the
mails except those for Liverpool and Scotland and
six passengers, and proceeded immediately. All
well.

She was detained at New York on account of a

snowstorm.

LISBON, March 2.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh
landed to-day from the frigate Galatea, and dined
with the Royal family at the palace. He after-
wards accompanied the King to the Opera House
of San Carlos.