The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-23 00:00:00

LATEST INTELIAGENCE. CORRESPO

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

TIIE DANISH WEST INDIES.
COPENHAGEN, Dec. 23.

The plebiscitum in the Danish West Indian
islands, upon their sale to the United States, is to
take place in the course of January next.

PLYMOUTH, DEC. 23.

Advices from St. Helena, per the Norseman, an-
nounce the death at that place of Chief-Justice W.
R. Phelps, eldest son of Mr. Phelps, the tragedian,
on the 23d November, of enteritis.

THE POPE'S RECENT ALLOCUTION.
ROME, Dcc. 21.

The text of the short Allocution pronounced at
the Consistory by the Pope yesterday has just ap-
peared.
his Holiness depicted the Divine assistance as
tempering his sorrows, since he saw all the bishops
closely united in his defence by word of mouth and
pen, and the laity advocating the cause of the tem-
poral power in public assemblies. It had been splen-
didly and magnificently defended in the Senate and
Corps Legislatiff at Paris amid the applause of all
honest people. The Pope dwelt upon the demon-
strations and offerings of the faithful, and upon the
ardour of Catholic writers and speakers, upon the
devotion of the Papal volunteers, the fidelity of his
subjects—especially of the Romans—upon the army,
and the most powerful Emperor of that noble and
generous France, who, taking the danger of Rome
into consideration, had sent brave soldiers who had
fought at Mentana and Monte Rotondo under illus-
trious chiefs to shed their blood for the cause of
the Holy See. His Holiness concluded by recom-
mending his hearers to pray that God would pro-
tect him against his enemies, and would convert
them from their errors. He then bestowed his bless-
ing upon all present.

DM PARIS.

(nom OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, SUNDAY. Dec. 2.1
Yesterday was a great field day in the Corps Ldgis-
ttif. The Army Reorganisation Bill has practically got
Es mittimus, and the discinision of details commences on
Monday. As the Government have a decided majority,
verything will go as the Emperor wishes, despite the
emonstrances of Jules Simon and M. Magnin. The
ormer seemed to prove evoclusively tliat the enforced
:elibacy of the French soldiery during Aifterm of their
ervice—nine, or r.ther nine-and-a-half years—had a bad
:ffect upon the population, in so far 113 that while the
trong and vigorous youth of France were not
permitted to marry until their best years were
iearly over, the feeble and weakly, who were
anfit for military service, and who in the absence of their
nore gallant brethren had the field all to themselve3,
night marry when they pleaSed. But of these unhealthy
'tabus the children were unhealthy, and thes the national
type of French strength and manliness wasbeing lowered.
this plan of enforced celibacy seems very unjust. I
lon't care to look at it at all from a 'noral point of view.
Let the French bury their dead. But, on the face of it,
love should accompany military glory, and everybody
knows that " none but the brave deserve the fair."

The Archduke Louis-Victor, brother of the Emperor
Francis Joseph, will arrive immediately at Trieste, in
Drder to be present to assist at the funeral ceremonies of
Maximilian.

The discussion on the abolition of capital punishment
seems to me a foolish and a fruitless one. Very seldom,
indeed is the last penalty of the lc.w exacted here, even
In cases of unprovoked murder. Until the number of
these cases has greatly diminished, the law on this ques-
tion might well be allowed to remain as it is. A dreadful
crime, which forms an instance in point, was committer:
at Marseilles the other day.
An architect named Vachier had recently dismissed his
coachman, an Italian named Vignole, but had suffered
him to remain as labourer at his country seat at a place
called Quatre Chemins, in the neighbourhood of the city,
until the servant should find some other employment.
Vignole was consequently in constant company with the
new coachman, his successor, named Dol, the two men
hliving in the same house, and appearing to be on good
terms with each other. Three days back, however. M.
Vachier informed Vignole that he could not allow him to
remain any,longer. The Italian, thinking that Dol had
been instrumental in his dismissal, determined to be
revenged, and, getting up in the night, he murdered Dol
by stabbing him several times with a knife, and then set
fire to the premises. Although the flames were subse-
quently got under, a portion of the house was destroyed,
and the body of the victim was completely carbonised.
Vignole was afterwards arrested.
Prince Lichtenstein, whose mind for some time has
been in a state of aberration, and who has been staying
at the Maison de Sante of Professor Leidesdorf, is about
to that establishment, his sanity having been re-esta-
blished.

M. Laboulaye has published a second volume of his
delightful " Old Wives' Tales." The collection is illus-
trated by Yan d'Argaut. Together with • one or two
others—Jean Macd, Desnoyers, and T. de Saint-Ger-
main—M. Laboulaye is classed in the very first rank
of writers for young people. Many other spindidly illus-
trated and ornamented New Year's books are at present
being published here. The house of Firmin Didot has
an edition of the Nouveau Testament, illustrated in
the purest style of Italian and Renaissance art.
Other magnificent gift-hooks, beautifully illustrated and
sumptuously bound, are "La Vio et la Legende de
Madame Sainte-Notbury," by M. de Beauchesne ; " Imi-
tation de Jesus-Christ," by Monseigneur Darboy, Arch-
bishop of Paris ; " Correspondance de Madame Elizabeth
de France," published from the original manuscripts
" Thorwaldsen ; his Life and Works,",by EugZme Plon.
A rather amusing case appears in the Paris journals of
to-day. Charles IV., Prince of Monaco, appeared in
court two days ago as defendant to a small money action,
before the Civil Tribunal of the Seine. His Royal High-
ness had employed a certain M. Blaise, a French archi-
tect, to repair or alter his stables. M. Blaise did the work
and sent in his bill, which amounted to over £80; but
the high, serene, and dread sovereign, being just then
scant of cash, could not pay, and has not paid since-
The case was an excellent one for the counsel, who seem
to have enjoyed it extremely. M. Peronne, counsel for
the Prince, pleaded that no sovereign could be sued before
a French court. . He knew of no writer who was
opposed to this doctrine except one, a German, whose
name was never heard because nobody could pronounce it.
M. Duverdy, on the other side, contended that sovereigrs
could be sued for private debts before a French court, and
this was distinctly a private debt. Charles IV. had asked
the builder to repair certain stables. The request did not
come from a Parliament or Council of State, and there•
fore the princicality of Monaco, which an author de-
scribes as a " pretty place on a rocky promontory," was in
no wise responsible—the responsibility not being trans-
ferable from the Prince to his 2,000 subjects. We shall
hear more of this case, as it has been postponed.