The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-31 00:00:00

prfJcious freight of life and property, undeterred by
ar ►y test of his fitness for so responsible a position.
Wr. MITCHELL exerted himself strongly in bringing
the matter under the attention of the public, and
he succeeded at last in getting it laid before Parlia-
ment. The result was the salutary enactment that
all who undertook the command of merchant
vessels must undergo a preliminary examination by
a duly constituted Board. The effect of this judi-
cious regulation has been to raise the professional
character of the merchant service, and, we cannot
doubt, greatly to diminish the annual list of casu-
alties, still far too large.
Mr. MITCHELL has also done good service in pro-
moting the establishment of the commercial code of
signals for the use of all nations, which are now
generally adopted throughout all Europe, and is
even winning its way in America. We arc glad to
find that such useful labours are not to be over-
looked in the bestowal of titular rewards.

Another gentleman has also been recommended
to her Majesty for the honour of knighthood, whose
reception of the honour will be generally approved
of. By one of the ;ungracious and uncalled-for
manifestations of party spirit for which the Whigs
of late years have made themselves remarkable,
the friends of Alderman ROSE were disappointed
in their well-founded hope of seeing him elevated to
knighthood during his Mayoralty. The cordial
and magnificent reception given to the Princess
ALEXANDRA on her arrival in this country by the
Corporation of the City, if it did not give an actual
reason for the knighthood of its chief magistrate, at
least offered a very graceful pretext. The bestowal
of such an honour would have been a compliment to
the Prince and Priucess of WALES as well as to the
City, and the general feeling was one of surprise
that it should have been withheld. The excuse made
was that there was no precedent for so doing, as if it
was not customary to bestow some mark of honour
on the gentleman who filled the office of Mayor
during any eventful season. We are glad that Lord
DERBY has remedied the omission, which bore the
appearance of a slight to the Corporation, since
Alderman ROSE'S double Mayoralty included some
remarkable events, in which the City played a con-
spicuous part.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

__ ,P------

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Tuesday Evening.

The Empress has returned to Paris from her ex-
cursion to England in the best health and spirits.
The Emperor went to meet her Majesty at the
Western Railway station.
The Emperor yesterday reviewed, in the Bois de
Boulogne, a portion of his Guard and the Division
of Cavalry of the First Corps d'Armee. The troops
were formed into three parallel lines. The Em-
peror arrived about 4 o'clock, accompanied by the
King of Portugal, the Duke de Corribra, his brother,
the Grand Duke Constantine, the brother of the
Emperor of Russia, Prince Charles of Prussia,
Prince Albert of Prussia, and the Duke of Olden-
burg and his three sons. Marshal Niel, Minister of
War, General Fleury, the Duke de Louie, and many
officers attached to the persons of the foreign
Princes, were present at the review. In the Em-
peror's pavilion were the Queen of Portugal, the
Princess Clotilde Napoleon, her sister, and the
Princess Charles of Prussia. The infantry defiled
in mass by battalion at half distance. The artil-
lery, in trot, by battery column. The cavalry, also
in trot, in column by squadron. After the defile,
the Division of Cuirassiers, of the First Corps
d'Armee, and the Regiment of the Empress's Dra-
goons formed in line of battle opposite to the Tri-
bunes, and then being ordered to gallop, stopped
for an instant within a few paces of, the Emperor
and presented swords amidst deafening cries of
" Long live the Emperor," " Long live the Em-
press," " Long live the Imperial Prince." The
Emperor expressed to Marshal Rcgnaud de St.
Jean d'Angely his great satisfaction at the appear-
ance of the troops, and the precision and regularity
of their movements.

The Italian Chamber of Deputies has agreed by
204 votes against 58 to the project of law relative
to the liquidation of ecclesiastical patrimony. A
vote of confidence in the Ministry was agreed to
by 255 votes against 41 and five abstentions.
The Swedish fleet, which was about to sail for
Cronstadt, was detained for several days at Stock-
holm in consequence of the manifestation of an
epidemic disease on board the frigate Vanadis, the
flagship of the commander. This vessel being re-
placed by the Thor, the squadron put to sea on the
24th inst.

The Constitutionnel, in reference to the important
article in yesterday's Moniteur, says :—" The Moni-
teur replies to the alarming assertions to which the
French and foreign papers have lately sought, by
common accord, to obtain credence with the public.
According to these journals our diplomatic relations
and the military measures adopted by the Govern-
ment denoted a situation which must end in war.
It was in vain that notorious facts, reason, and
good sense were contrasted with hazardous con-
jectures. The article of the Moniteur, however, will
reassure the public."
Among the many extraordinary meteorological
phenomena of the day is to be noticed an incident
which occurred to the Seine et Tamise, one of the
steamers which ply direct between London and
Paris. At a short distance from Mantes, towards
evening, the vessel was assailed by a real torrent
of butterflies, which formed so thick a cloud that
for ten minutes the crew could not see any thing
before them, and it was necessary to stop the
engines. Myriads of these insects fell dead upon
deck and formed a sort of carpet. The chimney
was completely-cover,..sd. with them.
The Vistula has overflowed its banks at Warsaw,
and much damage has been done. The inundation
continued for 24 hours. It was almost as exten-
sive as that of 1845. The inhabitants left their
houses in great alarm, and took refuge wherever
they could. The damage done to property is esti-
mated at millions.

In regard to Paris the change in the weather
is wonderful. After a December day, yesterday,
this has been a real day of summer, excessively
hot, with slight touches of thunder occasionally.
The barometer still indicates meteorological agita-

A letter from Florence, dated July 26, says that
the cholera is on the decline in Sicily, but it has
made many victims. When it broke out every-
body took flight suddenly in great alarm, including
the authorities, many of whom have been dismissed.
The crop of corn will be unusually abundant in
Italy this year. Last year the olive crop was large,
but this year the olives are splendid, and in great
quantities. In Sicily, however, a long drought has
seriously injured all the cross. Baron Cosa, com-
mander of the gunboat Terrible, who was tried
before a Council of War on the charge of cowardice
at the battle of Lissa, has been honourably acquitted.
The Opinion Nationale s iys :—" A portion of the
Berlin press takes delight in representing France as
a very enfeebled nation, and incapable of making
any great effort. This sort of tactics has for object
to raise the patriotism of the Germans, to inspire
them with great confidence iu their own strength),
and to engender imaginary alarms among people
who, discontented with Prussia, always turn their
eyes towards France in cases of difficulty. But the
Prussians use their eloquence at a pure loss. It is
known well enough in Europe, and the Prussians
themselves know what we are and what we are
worth, and what we could do at any given moment."
This article merits more attention than perhaps
might be paid to it without reflection. It is a sort
of hand writing on the wall, pointing out that there
is at least a shade of diminution in the supposed
ardent and unalterable entente cordiale between
France and Prussia. A few days may develope
something more forcible upon the subject.
. .

The Moniteur of this evening states that the
King of the Belgians, who has been on a visit to
his sister at Trieste, arrived this nionaing at Vienna.