The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-16 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Friday Evening.
In the Legislative Body yesterday the discussion
on the interpellations commenced, and a very long
speech was made by M. Thiers. It lasted six hours,

and embraced so many subjects that it is almost

impossible to follow them minutely. The speech,

upon the whole, was in a more moderate spirit than
usually pervades the speeches of M. Thiers, but the

Chamber seemed rather fatigued with it, and M.

Thiers said he had fatigued himself also. M. Thiers
is dissatisfied with everything. The following is
the conclusion of the speech, which will give a fair
idea of the general tenour of it :—" I would never
advise an Opposition," said M. Thiers, " to pursue
popularity, and yet that would be its natural fate.
But a Government must not seek popularity. Go-
vernments have all a judge, an infallible judge, the
event. Policy must be confirmed by the result,
and no applause can replace that judge. As, to
myself, if I advise that policy, it is apparently be-
cause I think it good. Ido not seek to know if the
question of the Papacy, the question of nationalities,
be popular questions or not. I examine them in refer-
ence to the state of the country, and that is the interest
to which I cling. If an individual alone, without
party, can adopt that line of conduct, a Govern-
ment which has in its hands all the strength of
power can follow it more surely and more conve-
niently for itself. In conclusion, gentlemen, I
beg you, for yourselves and for the country, con-
nect yourselves entirely with that policy which I
call the policy of good sense, for—l will add but
one word, a single word—there is no longer a single
fault to commit. (Prolonged sensation of different
kinds.)
The camp at Chalons will this year ba opened

about the 20th day of May. The command in
thief will be probably entrusted to Marshal Forey,
although Marshal Randon ha 4 been spoken of. The
19th Regiment of the Line, which is at present in
charge of the camp, will remain there during the
whole time of the manoeuvres. The camp will be
formed of three divisions of infantry and a division
of cavalry, with six mounted batteries, two of horse
for the divisions, and four for the park of reserve.
There will be three battalions of foot Chasseurs,
24 of Infantry of the Line, 16 squadrons of Light
Cavalry, and 12 batteriel, and a Company of
Artillery.
The Prince Royal of Prussia arrived at Stettin
on Sunday last, in order to be present at the cere-

mony of the blessing and presentation of the new
flags sent by the King to the troops of the garrison,
who are placed under the command of his Royal
Highness. The Prince went first to the military
church, were the ceremony of blessing ten flags
took place. There was afterwards a grand review
of all the troops of the province, at which the
flags were presented to them. After the review
the Prince Royal returned to Berlin.
The corvette La Gazelle, belonging to the Prus-
sian Royal Navy, has received orders to sail for
Smyrna, to give assistance to and protect Prussian
subjects who may desire to leave the Island of
Mitylene, which recently received £0 much damage
from the earthquake.

The Moniteur states that on the occasion of the
anniversary of the birthday of the Prince Imperial
the Emperor had bestowed his clemency upon 45
sailors now in prison in the penitentiary establish-
ment of the War Department. The Emperor par-
doned 18 of these men, and reduced the terms of

the imprisonment to which the others were sen-
tenced. Upon the same occasion the Minister of
Marine and the Colonies has awarded 46 medals of
gold or silver to persons who had saved lives during
shipwrecks, and as a testimony of satisfaction for
acts of devotion and courage.

The question of boarding and lodging the im-
mense numbers of strangers expected in Paris during
the Exhibition begins to absorb newer attention.
Innkeepers and others have exhibited symptoms of
extorting as much as possible from visitors, and
reports are industriously circulated which are cal-
culated to raise alarm about accommodation. I
shall have more to say upon this important subject,
but in the meantime the public may be assured that
accommodation will be found in and near Paris at
a reasonable rate. Placards have been extensively
posted at Rouen announcing that from the present
time 20,000 lodgings may be hired at Paris at the
rate of lfr. a day. These lodgings are situated i❑
various quarters of Paris. A small room for one
person can be hired for lfr. a day, and a room for
two persons at 2fr. a day.
The Opinion Nationale attributes to a public
functionary a rather smart saying in reference to
the letter of the Count de Chambord to M. de St.
Priest, which brought such severe strictures upon
➢l. Vandal, the Postmaster-General, who allowed a
few copies of it to be opened. " Instead of track-
ing, as the Government did," said this individual,
" this claim to superannuated rights by a Prince to
whom marriage has refused an heir, I should simply
have reproduced the document, after writing under-
neath it, Rights reserved, reproduction inter-
dicted.' "
The Journal des Debats contains a letter signed
Bente, iu which the writer, after citing Lord Stan-
ley's speech, stating that the Emperor had written
a letter to the Queen, offering the statues of the
Plantagenets to England, and that consequently
they would be transferred by France, says, " We
cannot doubt it. There is a promise of the Emperor.
The fact is proved by an official declaration. On
the other hand, public opinion and the national feel-
ing have manifested themselves with energy. Not only

has Anjou claimed with emotion the monuments
which are dear to her, but all the learned bodies of

the West participate in the claim. At Paris the
Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Lettres, the
Society of Antiquarians of France, the various com-
mittees who sit at the Ministry of Public Instruc-
tion and at the Ministry of the Fine Arts, have pro-
tested against the removal by unanimous expression.
I dare assert that nobody in France differs upon
this point. The Council of State, if it were con-
sulted, the Senate,
if a petition were presented to it,
could not give another opinion. The right to these
statues is written, formal, and incontestible. This
unanimity, which is founded on the law, offers to
the Emperor the most legitimate and the most
honourable mode of retracting his promise to Eng-
land, for there is no country where the respect for
right and the power of opinion is better understood.
If these statues of the Kings of Anjou were to be
transported to England, the House of Savoy would
soon claim the statues of Philibert-le-Beau, his
mother, and his wife, which are in the Church of
Brou ; the House of Austria would claim the '
Dukes of Lorraine, who are at Nancy. These claims
would appear more natural than that of the Queen
of England, who has no tie of relationship with the
Plantagenets." I believe it was the account of these
statues which I gave in The Sun a short time ago
that has directed public opinion to the matter.
A great deal of rain fell last night again, and to-
day has been rainy and rather stormy. The Spanish
astronomer may have been wrong in predicting
another deluge ; he is a native of Arragon, and such
a prediction may be arrogance, but the abundance
of rain which has fallen within the last few days has
not been agreeable to pedestrians, it begins to alarm
agriculturists, aud, as far as I have observed, it has
only been satisfactory to the ducks.

THE GREAT EASTERN.—The bad weather has
caused some delay in the shipping of the now paddle shaft
on board the Great Eastern, and her sailing will be post-
poned,