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

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

PARIS, Sunday Evening.
_ _

There was another Cabinet Council yesterday
afternoon at the Tuileries, at which, as usual, the
Emperor presided.

The Moniteur says :—"The Gazette de l'Allemagne
du Nord, the official organ of the Cabinet of Berlin,
renews its contradiction in reply to the assertions
of the Independance Belge 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 Illoniteur Prussten 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,
replicd—" 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 localities, and 1,773 arrivals have been slaugh-
tered, and 252 others died from the disease ; so that
the total number of animals lost from this disease
amounted, up to Feb. 26, to 2,025.
Charles Lcmaire, 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 Conciergerie 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
Donnet, 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 cent the following letter to the
chief editor of the Siecle, who inaugurated a sub-
scription for a statue to Voltaire:—

" Gaprera, Feb. 19.

" A monument to Voltaire in Franco signifies the return
of that noble country to its post as the advanced guard cf
human progress towards the fraternity of tho 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
gratitude.—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
gun as well as his
thatmistress, is a French
tress,andissoasldeiearreflouvleas his
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 on
lil
aght:and, having a
charge of cavalry.
the
bayonet, march.
may
Ibtei is
ssehdo rtto
raenpde
cases, the regulation is
Seventeen bullets may be fired from it in a minute,
itpbuittataelsy, wouldb
exceptin rare
ases,
to fire with it eight times in a minute. A very
accurate aim may be taken with it if time be given,
e useless in war to fire so preci-
pitately,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 Elysees thousands took various routes
to see it on its way to the Embassies, or to the side
of the water, and from thene to the Tuileries and
the Palais Royal. The Emperor always receives
the persons who form it very- graciously, and both
he and Prince Napoleon Jerotne 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 ba 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 precession
of the Deed Gras is of Pagan origin, it being derived