The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-08 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 1867.

hie!' startledthe Parisians on
The sad affair w
Thursday forms, as might have been expecte], tile
chief topic of conversation in all circles. The
Ilioniteur, in its official account, states that the
affair took place while the review was being held,
and an immense crowd wa7, ass':'lnLied. The Em-
reror of the FRENCII run a great risk as well as the

Emperor of RUSSIA ; and, indeed, all in the imme-
diate vicinity were in danger. The ball struck the
head of the horse of the groom in waiting, who was
at the door of the carriage. The weapon burst,
being overloaded, and wounded the hand of the
would-be assassin. The crowd was most infuriated,
and had not the police interfered the unfortunate
man would immediately have paid the penalty of his
crime. According to this statement no one was
hurt with the exception of the Pole. Another ac-
count says that the assassin purchased a double-
barrelled pistol on the previous day. If true, there
seems to have been some oversight in this circum-
stance escaping the detection of the police, espe-
cially as the man was a Pole. The two Emperors
displayed the greatest calmness and presence
of mind, the Einpaor XLraLroN remarking with a
smile, " Sire, we have been under fire together," to ,
which the CZAR is plied, "All destinies are in the
hands of Providence." The Emperor NAPOLEON
has conferred the cross of the Legion of Honour
upon the groom RAINBEAUX, whose spirit and
energy have been so serviceable. It appears that he
observed the movement of the Pole when he came
forth from the crowd, and caused his horse to
make a sudden bound, and thus placed it
between the sovereigns and the assassin.
The horse- died the same night, and we may gather
some idea of the risk run by the illustrious occu-
pants of the carriage from the fact that the blood
from the wound in the horse spurted on to the
uniforms of the CZAR and CZAREWITCH, and the
Emperor NAPOLEON'S uniform was soiled by the ex-
plosion of the pistol. The cortege was ordered to
proceed at a walking pace, and nothing could exceed
the collected manner of the Sovereigns. It is said that
some persons had entreated the CZAR to return home
at once, but that he very wisely refused to do so,
declaring that he would not shorten the period of
his stay in Paris. The exciting event has caused
the greatest indignation everywhere, and the Temps
of last evening published a letter that was signed
by several Poles expressing the " sorrow" and " re-
probation" which they experienced at the infamous
attempt just made upon the life of the CZAR,
and General ZAMOSKI also publishes a letter, in
which he states that he and his countrymen feel
sorrow and " profound indignation" at the assassin's
conduct.

The CZAR received a most enthusiastic reception

from the crowds when going in an open carriage to
pay a visit to his sister the Gland Duchess MARY
of RUSSIA, and the Emperor NAPOLEON also met
with many marks of welcome when he was passing
the Exhibition. The ball which was given at the
Prussian Embassy was very brilliantly attended,
End the Imperial guests were warmly welcomed
upon their happy escape. The assassin seems to
have exhibited the greatest coolness upon the occa-
sion, and when he was upbraided with attacking a
guest of France he admitted that he had been un-
grateful towards France, but declared that he had
not put the EMPEROR NAPOLEON to any risk, be-
cause he said that a " Polish bullet could not go
astray it must go straight when aimed at the

CZAR." lie wished to deliver the world from the

CZAR, and the CZAR himself felt the remorse which
must weigh upon him. He had not informed any one
of his intention to assassinate the Emperor of Russia,
and had kept his secret from the fear of being
betrayed. It is, indeed, fortunate that this exciting
affair has had no worse termination, and the come-
quence will doubtless be that the CZAR will leave
Paris, having met with far more cordiality and
expressions of goodwill than seemed at all likely at

the commencement of his visit, and thus his infu-
riated antagonist will have rendered him an uu-

conscious service.

There seems to be little doubt that the unfortu-
nate Emperor of AlExtco is actually in the hands
of his enemies, although his life has not as yet
been sacrificed. At least we must believe it to be
so if we accept the information confidently pub-
lished in the New York journals yesterday, and
transmitted by the Atlantic Telegraph. The
Liberals, it is said, have left Queretaro for the city
of Mexico, and the Emperor 'MAXIMILIAN will be
taken to the capital as prisoner of war. Whatever
the actual position of the unfortunate Prince, or
the temporary success of his adversaries, two things
seem to be certain—the empire founded by the
French is at an end, and the prospects of Mexico
itself are tumultuous and uncertain. The old story
of anarchy and bloodshed, of violence and plunder,
will, we fear, be rehearsed pretty often before
anything like a settled Government can be again
expected in Mexico. What part the American Go-
vernment may play in the drama is as yet un-
certain. There is never wanting a party in favour
of annexation, while at the present moment the
American Government has enough to do in
administering the affairs of its own States. The
Washington Cabinet has, it is said, been using
every effort to protect the person of MAXIMILIAN
until his embarkation, but this intelligence is dated
a week back, and comes to us through Vienna. The
position of affairs is most complicated and un-
certain, and if the Americans, so much nearer
hand, cannot obtain reliable information, we need
not wonder that we, across the Atlantic, are left in
doubt whether MAXIMILIAN is alive or dead, whether
Queretaro is in the hands of the Imperialists or of
the Liberals. According to the New York journals,
LOGADO and VEGA are organising an army in
Sinaloa, to resist the authority of JUAREZ, so that
the Mexican soldiers of fortune are likely to have
enough opportunities for action.
The American news itself is not altogether en-
couraging. Attorney-General STANBERRY has de-
fined the disfranchising clauses of the Reconstruc-
tion Act as excluding all participants in the rebel-
lion who were members of Congress, members of
State legislatures, State officials, militia officers,
or holders of any office under the United States,
also members of the rebel Congress, and rebel
diplomatic representatives. The Act does not dis-
franchise rebel county, municipal, judicial, or tem-
porary State officers ; but even with these excep-
tions it is manifest that the Act under this reading
will exclude almost every man of position, ability,
or character among the Confederates. The South-
ern district commanders will, it is expected, admi-
nister the Reconstruction Act as interpreted by Mr.
STANBERRY. It can hardly under such circumstances
afford much relief or satisfaction to the Southern
people. They have not even any security that the
Radicals who predominate in Congress will admit
thtir representatives to the National Assembly,
unhss, indeed, the wholesale disfranchisement of
all public-spirited and independent Southerners
should enable Radical members to obtain seats for
the ex-Confederate States !

Mr. TREVELYAN is determined apparently to
come forward as a reformer, or rather as au advo-
cate of those who have substantial grievances to
complain of. After brinjing under notice the
whole question of promotion by purchase in the
army, he has now turned his attention to the sister
service, and has brought forward a case of much less
importance, and much more limited interest, yet one
that deserves to be treated with some consideration.
Mr. TREVELYAN last evening called the attention
of the House to the old seamen who, prior to the
year 1844, paid the Ureenwich Gd., and said that

the old seamen whom he represented believed they
had a claim on the country on account of that pay-
ment. It was discontinued in the year 1844, but
notwithstanding the lapse of time the old seamen
concerned have not forgotten their claims, and an
agitation has lately sprung up in the north-eastern
ports respecting it. Petitions have been got up, and
in a very short time the signatures of 430 old men
were affixed to one at Shields, the lowest
term of service of any of them being thirty-three
years. The petition at Sunderland was signed by
thirty-three men, whose average age was sixty-six.
The sum in question is, as Mr. TREVELYAN observed,
a very modest one, the money paid by these men
having been only 61 a month, and their numbers,
it is evident, from the lapse of time since all pay-
ment ceased, being necessarily very limited. But this
is just one of the cases in which our officials are
seized with their periodical fits of economy and pru-
dence. Advantages and disadvantages must be
strictly weighed in the balance, rash expenditure
must be deprecated, dangerous precedents avoided
in the case of a few hundred old men who have
passed their lives in the public service. It is just the
opportunity for a wise display of care of the public
money, and the hundreds thus saved will go towards
building a new target for an experiment fifty times
repeated, or towards putting a new bow on some
costly vessel that will not accomplish the requisite
speed. Whatever the exact law of the case, England
can surely afford to be generous in these petty
matters, for petty they are to the national exche-
quer, though all-important to the old seamen. It is
in this way that we disgust men with our services,
both naval and military, and every such case of
disaffection and disappointment will counteract
among the old sailor's associates and belongings the
effect of fifty bounties.

A very general feeling of regret will prevail
through Europe at the receipt of the sad intelli-
gence of the death of the Archduchess MATILDA.
" In the midst of life we are in death" could not
possibly have been more forcibly illustrated than
in the case of this young Princess who has met with
a sad end so prematurely. She was endowed with
the rarest gifts, and all seemed to smile upon her,
when, by a mere charm, she was suddenly
reduced to a state of suffering, from which
death only released her. The heir to the
throne of Italy is, indeed, to be pitied for
having been suddenly deprived of his fair bride, and
for the cloud now thrown over his brilliant pro-
spects. The Emperor of AUSTRIA is also deserving
of all sympathy and all sorrow, for it would almost
seem as if he was never to meet with success for
himself, or to see fortune smile upon his relatives.
The coronation, to which so many hopes were
directed, will be celebrated under most melancholy
circumstances, and a moral is pointed to those
who look to kings and princes as those
who enjoy the fairest gifts of this world.
FRANCIS JOSEPH iS forced to appeal. in State, and
to mingle in scenes of brilliancy and gaiety, while
his wishes and thoughts must tend in a very dif-
ferent direction. There are many circumstances
just now which conspire to make the Austrian
Royal family unfortunate, and which, for some
time to come at least, must throw a gloom over all
things. It is to be hoped that the unfortunate
EMPEROR will find some consolation in the improved
state of his relations with his subjects, a result
which has not been obtained without great sacrifices
on his part, which deserve recognition and respect.