The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING', MAY 24, 1867.

supposed plot for the restoration of the King of
Hanover to the sovereignty of that kingdom. Ac-
cording to one of these authorities, the idea was to
form a Royalist Legion which would have begun a
campaign at once if war had broken out between
France and Prussia. Various domiciliary visits
have been made, followed by arrests. One report
says that the police have seized a sum of 150,000 f.,
which was deposited with a banker to enable the
conspirators to carry out their views. The idea of
the plot seems to be a mere invention.
A splendid dinner has been given by M. Schneider,
the President of the Legislative Body, to various
eminent individuals, more or less, connected with
the Exhibition. Lord Cowley sat at the right of Mine.
Schneider, and the Vice President of the Commission,
M. Rouher, opposite to whom was Marshal Vall-
iant. The Marquis de h Valette, Minister of the
Interior, M. Forcade de la Roquette, M. le Play,
the President of the Commission, and other official
personages and foreigners of note, were present.
Only two toasts were given—the first by Lord
Cowley, to the Emperor, Empress, and Imperial
Prince ; the other by Presideut Schneider, to the
Sovereigns and Powers, friends and allies of France.
The band played the air of " La Reine Hortense,"
and afterwards " God Save the Queen," and the
national airs of several countries. An admirable
concert was given after the dinner. The guests
were more than 1,500 in number.
A letter from Berlin states that the treaty was
ratified by the Prussian Government on Friday
last.

A Prussian military paper states that the effective
force of the Prussian army on the peace footing
consists of the following :—lnfantry of the line,
.5,629 officers, 160,168 men ; foot chasseurs, 286
officers, 6,942 men ; infantry of the landwehr, 279
officers, 2,064 men. Total of the infantry, 6,194
officers, 169,174 men. Cavalry, 1,806 officers,
45,589 men ; artillery, 1,521 officers, 28,491 men ;
pioneers, 216 officers, 6,036 men ; train, 144 officers,
2,726 men. General total, 11,169 officers, 2b3,468
men. In consequence of recent changes, the army
has been augmented by 2,140 officers and 43,809
men. This estimate does not include troops of
various denominations, the number of which, how-
ever, is not very large.
From the inquiries of the police relative to the
mysterious affair in the forest of Fontainebleau, it
appears that one of the ladies went to Paris to re-
ceive a large sum of money, the produce of the sale
of a hotel belonging
to her. The idea of the police
a that she has been poisoned and robbed of the
money. She was young, and the Droit describes
her as " very beautiful." The stomach and intes-
tines have been sent to Paris for medical examina-
tion. The body of the lady is said to have been
first discovered by a coachman who was driving
past the spot. No document has been found to
lead to the identity of the lady, but she had a wed-
ding ring, which has assisted the police in their
inquiries.

The weather is very extraordinary. Last night
there was frost. This morning, between six and
seven, large flakes of snow fell for ten minutes.
Soon after nine there was a violent hailstorm. On
the sill of my window 1 collected with ease ice suf-
ficient to fill a large breakfast cup. During the day
the cold wind took the shine out of the sun, or, at
all events, the warmth of it. Late in the afternoon
it began to rain.

A Hungarian steam yacht is now moored in tha
Seine close to the Exhibition, and forms an interest-
ing addition to its many curiosities. Its name iu the
Hungarian language is " Hableany," or Daughter
of the Waves. It is a boat of small dimensions and
graceful form, belonging to Count Edmond Sze-
chanyi. She arrived in Paris on Saturday last,
after a voyage of 42 days, under the command of
her owner. The crew consists of an engineer, a
stoker, and two sailors, one of whom is hardly
twelve years of age. This yacht will form part of
the Maritime Class of the Exhibition. It is 20
metres long by about two metres and a half wide.
Its engine is of 84-horse power. It is painted white
with ornaments and moulding of gold. It is very
convenient, and in
.the saloon are divans, a piano,
and a library. It has also a bedroom and kitchen.
It is the first vessel which has come from I'esth to
Paris, and this is also the first time that a vessel
hoisting the Hungarian flag has been seen in the
capital. The course was by the Danube, the
Louis (Danube to the Maine), the Maine, the Rhise,
the French canals and the Seine. At Frankfort
nautical men predicted that the yacht would incur
great danger in navigating the Rhine, and require
to be constantly towed ; but the skill of the captain,
aided by the excellence of the machine, overcame all
obstacles.
A man and his wife, named Jestram, natives of
Hamburg, have been arrested at Calais, coming
from London, charged with fraudulent bankruptcy.
About 100,000 f. in bank notes and gold were found
upon them. The notes were concealed in the chig-
non of the woman.
It is now certain that the Sultan of Turkey will
come to Paris. He will be accompanied by Fuad
Pacha, his Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Emperor of Russia, it is said, has set apart
five millions of francs to defray his expenses while
in Paris.
The amendments proposed to the new law upon
the Press are now under the consideration of the
Council of State.

Death of Mr. E. H. BAily,

-41.-

Following closely on the number of eminent
artists who have lately' departed from among us,
Mr. Edward Hodges Baily, R.A., the sculptor,
died on Wednesday. He had attained his 80th
year. On Saturday last he accidentally contracted a
slight cold, which brought on an attack of bron-
chitis, to which be succumbed. He was a Royal
Academician for 47 years; but since the recent
change in the constitution of the Royal Corporation
his name was placed upon the list of retired acade-
micians. His growing infirmities necessitated a
withdrawal from the active prosecution of his pro-
fession a few years ago. The period when he took
this step may almost be marked with accuracy by
the absence of his beautiful works from the annual
exhibition. Ever since he was first elected to
the principal honour, his statues, busts, and par-
ticularly the exquisite groups embodying poetical
and classical subjects with which he has enriched
the English school —not a prolific one in such
works—were prominent features in the display, and
were expected as regularly as that the doors in Tra-
falgar-square would be opened. But few English
sculptors have attained the happy power of, produc-
ing such works as, by their exceeding artistic value,
rise above, and are in a manner separated from the
general similar productions of their country, inso-
much as to become rather of an European than any
merely local school. Some of Baily's statues, not-
ably his " Eve at the Fountain," may be said to have
passed into that honourable category. His chisel
was always remarkable for the refinement and
gracefulness with which it wrought the beauty of
women and children. His allegorical and poetical
designs were mostly classical ; but his ideal subjects,
although exquisitely sculpturesque, were never se-
verely distinguished from the life. His portrait
sculpture, of which, especially in the later years of
his professional career, he produced many famous
examples, was characterised generally by much
dignity; some of his monumental works of this kind
express a very touching sweetness. He was a pupil
of Flaxman's. The sou of a ship carver at Bristol,
he began the model when a boy of 16. His earliest
attempts were in wax, and in after years, when he
had become celebrated, his skill in this branch of his
profession, ordinarily practised for artistic silver-
work, was very conspicuous. He came to London,
and, impressed with the beauty of Flaxman's out-
line designs illustrating Homer's " Iliad" and
" Odyssey," obtained an introduction to the great
artist, who took him into his studio. Here he
worked during seven years, and his progress in
art was assured. In 1811 he took the gold medal
at the Royal Academy ; in 1817, the year before
he exhibited his " Eve," he was elected associate,
and in 1820 was made a Royal Academican. Mr.
Baily enjoyed the friendship of a vast number of
the great men in art and literature of his time, a
fact that he.was wont to steak of with great plea-
sure.