The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-22 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS FOREIGN NE 117 S.

(From Correspondents of " The Anglo-American Times.")
l'Anis, April 18.

France is at present proving to Europe and the
world that she it prompted by nothing more than
an earnest desire for the maintenance of peace, and
even wheu war would seem necessary and justi-
fiable she tries to avert it by conciliatory measures,
which appear inconsistent with the proud, war-like
spirit that animates her whole people when her
national honour is at all concerned. In withdraw-
ing from Mexico she made a concession to the ami-
cable relations between the United States Govern-
ment and herself ; in suffering the humiliation of
Austria and the unity of Germany she perhaps
endangered her future tranquillity, but still per-
mitted the desire for peace to prevail over personal
interests. She now gives another evidence of her
reluctance to unsheath the sword by consenting to
a settlement of the Luxembourg question in refer-
ring its solution to a conference of the Powers
which signed the Treaty of 1839.
Should the Prussian Government consent to sub-
mit the subject to the conference .all will be well,
(for a while at least) between the two rival powers.
But if Bismarck, as is supposed, intends to qualify
his assent to the decision of the conferring
powers, with certain reservations, all further at-
tempts to solve the question peacefully will be
abandoned, and war, prompt and immediate, the
only alternative left for France.
As a justification of their continued occupation
of the fortress of Luxembourg, the Prussian semi-
official journals are asserting that the garrison could
not be withdrawn without affecting the security of
Belgium. They say that the question of the Luxem-
bourg is not simply an object of litigation between
France and Giirmany,—that if the fortress, in a
German point of view, was destined to the defence
of the Germanic Confederation, it was also, in a
European point of view, intended for the guarantee
of Belgian neutrality. Belgium herself will not
feel flattered in discovering all at once so ninny
zealous protectors in a nation whose hypocritical
sympathies find a most worthy mouth-piece in llerr
von Bismarck. Prussia must evacute Luxerabou..g.
Upon this point there is scarcely any possibility- of
compromise, as France is determined that her rival
shall no longer occupy a place of so great an im-
portance to the defence of her country.
From Berlin we learn that the probabilities of an
early war were being generally discussed in every
quarter. Building enterprise, more especially, is
flagging, and being abandoned, because, says a
French writer, the expectation of lodging soon under
tents induces the inhabitants of the city to postpone
for other times the erection of their houses. In Pizis
and in London the Stock Exchange has been under-
going something like a panic on account of the fast
multiplying rumours of war. Apart from the un-
easiness manifested by the holders of certain
"foreign securities," there are no symptoms of
alarm among the French people, and business seems
to be progressing smoothly and prosperously.
On the Ist of January of this year the effective
of the French army, including the forces in Algeria
and Mexico, was 395,485 men, and the reserve
255,614 ; making a total of 651,099 disciplined
troops. France, if necessary, could readily increase
this force to over one million, and by resorting to
general conscription could raise any desired number
of fighting men. The soldiers are accustoming
themselves daily to the use of new breech-loading arms.
The favourite weapon is the Chassepot gun, by
which twelve shots per minute can be easily fired.
Recent and thorough experiments have proved the
excellency of this arm, and I presume it will be
generally adopted in the infantry service.
A grand ceremony took place at the French
Academy a few days ago on the occasion of the in-
stillation of Monsieur Cmillier Fleury in the aca •
demic chair, vacant by the death of Monsieur
Dupin. The duty of the newly-elected immortal
was to pronounce in his opening speech a eulogium
upon the virtues, talents, services, &c., of his pre-
decessor. Unpin is well known in France, as hay-

ing been an eccentric and an erratic genius, who
figured iu many important events in the present
and late century, changing his political principles
to suit the regime under which he was living,
guilty of many remarkable inconsistencies which
his public life would not suffer to be forgotten ;
more celebrated ass humourist than an academician
or statesman, and leaving nothing, in the way of