The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-29 00:00:00

THE SUE, LON L ON, SATURDAY EVEN

CORRESPONDENCE PAAIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Friday Evening.
Some of the papers have vague but alarming
rumours about secret societies and plots in organi-
sation at Berlin in opposition to the policy of M.
Bismarck. One society is said to be composed of
the scholars of the Polytechnic schools of Schleswig,

Hanover, Holstein, and Denmark. Some domi-
ciliary visits have been made, the result of which
has not been published.

The Prussian Governor-General of llanover has

ordered a proclamation to be extensively circulated
there, which states that the measures adopted to

procure the arrest of large numbers of deserters,
who were known to be concealed in the country,

have proved ineffectual. It then says the Govern-

ment has acquired the conviction that the deserters
are concealed by the connivance of the local autho-
rities. It has, therefore, been thought necessary to
send detachments of soldiers to some of the coin-

triunes, with a view to frustrate opposition to the

orders of the Government.

The Emperor of Russia arrived on Wednesday
evening at Riga. The civil and military authorities

went Co meet him at the station, and the city was
illurninatel An immense crowd followed the Im-

perial procession, and greeted it enthusiastically.
The Federal Constitution of Germany, success-
fully adopted by the States interested, and finally
by the Prussian Cnamber of Lords on the day when
it closed its parliamentary labours, has been simul-
taneously promulgated in all the Confederate States,
_ _ _

and is Co come into operation on the Ist of July

next.

The Gazette of Northern Germany announces
hiat the revision of the electoral lists for the Reich-

stag will take place about the middle of July.. The
elections will be fixoil for the later end of August,

and the opening of the Reichstag will be iu the
early part of September. The Customs' Conference
relative to the tobacco duty will merely draw up
proposals upon which the future Customs' Parlia-
ment will be able to deliberate with full liberty.
King William of Prussia proposes to go to Ems
in the beginning of July, and his Majesty will then
make a short stay at Baden.

An American senator, who has undertaken the
construction of a telegraphic line to connect Europe

and America through Russia, has arrived at St.

Petersburg with a vie,v to induce the Russian Go-

verument to allow the resumption of the works
which had been temporarily suspended.
The Gazette of Northern Germany, ihich is
known to receive its inspirations from M. de Bis-
marck, assumes a very lofty and insolent tone in
regard to the treaty of Prague, and says that
" Prussia will fulfil her engagements, but in the
mode and at the time which she shall think best."
IVhat means this language ? (says the Necle).
Has Prussia the right to delay indefinitely the ful-
filment of an engagement entered into in the most
formal manner by the Treaty of Prague. What

means this air of derision of the stipulation accord-
ing to which the inhabitants of North Schleswig
are only to be consulted when it may please the
Prussian Government. If the treaty is to be car-
ried out in this way, the fulfilment of Article 5 may
be deferred for ten, fifteen, or twenty years, or
more.
The grand vocal and instrumental musical Or-
pheoneque competition, organised by the Imperial
Commission, which is to take place in July, begins
to assume colossal proportions. 310 choral societies,
forming a body of 6,000 singers, have responded to
the appeal male to them, and 80 instrumental

societies, chosen from the best French and foreign
classes, will take part in this artistic struggle.
These instrumental societies will form a body of
2,090 instrumentalists, whose musical festivities will
be thus arranged :—Festival of the Orpheons, in-
strumental concert ; Festival of trumpets and va-
rious instruments. The festival of the Orpheons
will be conducted by M. George Ilainl, chief of the
orchestra of the opera ; the trumpet festival by M.
Paulus. The time appointed is, for the Orpheons,
sth July, festival ; Gth July, French competition ;
7th July, festival. For the instrumental Eccietics,
July 1.-Ith, festival ; 15th and IGth July, competi-
tion. On the 21st of July the international com-
petition of French and foreign music will take
place, at which will be heard musicians from
Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, the Grand Duchy
of Baden, Russia, Bavaria, and Prussia. The fes-
tivals will take place at the Palace of Industry, and
the competitors at the Exhibition in the Champs de
Mars. A sum of 70,000 f. will be expended for
prizes, medals in gold, silver, bronze, and alu-
minium.

I have only recently had an opportunity of in
specting the English agricultural machines any
other appliances for agricultural purposes, of which
I ought to have spoken sooner, for the various
articles of this branch of industry are most impor-
tant and show the great advance which the English
have made. Without national vanity, it may be
said that we have quite outstripped all other nations
in this respect. In addition to a separate building
in the Champ de Mars, there is also an annexe
Agricultural Exhibition at Billancourt. Suffolk
(Class 48) is the most extensive and marvellous,
and of the Suffolk department it is seen at a glance
that Messrs. Ransomes and Sims, of Ipswich, stand
pre eminent both in regard to quality and quantity.
In addition to the articles at Billancourt and in
the Champ de Mars, they have fitted up a capa-
cious building opposite the Pont de Yena, which
is stored with agricultural machinery curious and
important enough in itself to form an Exhibition
worth visiting.
The Viceroy. of Egypt has said, since he has
been in Paris, that one great object with him is
to take care that there shall be " corn in Egypt,"
and lie accordingly went to Billancourt, as I men-
tioned yesterday, and after closely inspecting the
implements and machinery of Messrs. Ransomes
and Sims, some of which were put into operation,
he was pleased to say that they were peculiarly
calculated for the soil of Egypt, and accordingly
made large purchases. The Viceroy of Egypt is
an evident believer of the doctrine that he who
increases the products of agriculture is a benefac-
tor to his country. For the moment I can hardly
notice much of this machinery, but I must allude
to one of Messrs. Ransomes and Sims' ordinary 10-
horse power portable engines, and a 14-horse power
double cylinder engine, which may be used as a
fixed or'-portable cog/ire. Tire former -drives a large
fan.
drives all the sawing machines exhibited from Eng-
land.engine It is the only eis coupled to the shaft which
engine of its class in the Exhi-
bition, and several practical men have given their
opinion that it has
never been equalled for beauty
of workmanship or usefulness. One great point
connected with this machinery is that articles have
been manufactured so as to meet the requirements
of various countries with reference to their peculiar
soil and climate.
Thus it was that the Viceroy of
Egypt selected peculiar articles to forward his
desire for plenty of " corn in Egypt." One machine
particularly deserving of notice is a threshing ma-
chine, to which is attached an apparatus for chops
ping and bruising the straw so as to make it good
for cattle. This
machine is invaluable in hot
countries where hay is not produced. The col-
lection of ploughs is magnificent, and they are
remarkable for beauty as - well as usefulness.
The whole set. at Billancourt were immediately
bought by the Prussian Government. A plough,
vihich was remarked and admired by all, was the
new tarn-wrest plough, invented by Mr. Skelton,
which is intended for use on hill-sides or for
ploughing land, the crop grown on which it is in-
tended to reap by machinery. • Ploughs upon this
system are much in use by the French, but Messrs.
It irksome and Sims have materially improved on it.
As I am writing upon an agricultural subject, 1
may mention that some of this year's wheat has
arrived in Paris from Algeria.
The Egyptian Potentate wends plenty of money
in Paris—some perhapi for trivial purposes ; but it
is con solitary to know that,. cost what it may, lie is
maturity and increase of the " kindly fruits of the
deleuttehrm"iinnedEgt3o " speed the plough," and assist the
Egypt.
With such • friends and patron's
of agriculture in Egypt it is not probable that there
will ever again be a "famine in the land." Al-