The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-06 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, Friday Evening.

In the official portion of the Moniteur to-day is
the appointment of M. Schneider as President of
the Legislative Body in the room of Count
Walewski. M. Schneider assumed his functions
yesterday, and was received with affectionate
sympathy. The only information worth notice in
the non-official part of the Moniteur is the arrival
at Marseilles of the brother of the new Taikoun of
Japan, the chief of the Japanese mission to Paris.
The speech of M. Bismarck on the interpellation
of M. Ben nigsen has not excited any comment from
the morning Moniteur, but the evening journal of
that name remarks that several of the statements of
Bennigsen are open to serious objection. It adds
that M. Bismarck had admitted in pointed terms
the necessity on the part of Germany of paying de-
ference to the just susceptibilities of France. He
also says that M. Bismarck made several important
declarations. Ile admitted that Luxemburg was an
independent State, of which the King of the
Netherlands could dispose in full Sovereignty,
but upon his own responsibility. M. Bismarck did
not attempt to deny an undoubted fact, that the
inhabitants of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
would feel great repugnance at the idea of being in-
corporated with Germany. In conclusion (proceeds
the Moniteur) M. Bismarck remarked upon the in-
fluence exercised upon the policy of the Prussian
Government by the desire to maintain " pacific and
amicable relations with a powerful neighbour." (Of
course meaning France.)
There has been nothing of particular interest
to-day at the Exhibition, but to-morrow will be
rather exciting, as the juries will then commence
their inspection of the various articles preparatory
Ito giving their judgment in regard to the prizes to
be awarded. The requisite notice has been given
to the exhibitors who will no doubt be in full atten-
dance. The Government, in its desire to protect
and reassure inventors, has recalled to mind that
the official certificate that a new invention
was exhibited will have the same effect in law
as a patent. The certificate is given gratis. At
the present time the number of exhibitors is 42,217.
At the first Universal Exhibition in 1855 the num-
ber was only 21,779. France, of course, has the
largest proportion, but it is a curious fact that Tur-
key, supposed to be in the rear in regard to civilisa-
tions, comes next as to the number of exhibitors.
There are, as just stated, upwards of 42,000 French
exhibitors, and Turkey has 4,496. It will astonish
many that the English exhibitors are not so nume-
rous ; they are 3,609. Of course it*.is quality and
not quantity that weighs in these matters. The
number of Italian exhibitors is almost equal to that
of the English. It is 3,992. For Austria the num-
ber is upwards of 3,000. The Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg is represented by the smallest number
of exhibitors, ten only. From Prussia and the
Northern States of Germany, the number of
exhibitors is 2,206 ; Spain, 2,071 ; Belgium, 1,448 ;
Prussia, 1,392 ; Greece, 892 ; the United
States of America, 778 ; the Pontifical States, 40 ;
Denmark, 287 ; China, 72 ; Egypt, 70 ; Tunis, 47 ;
Morocco, 20 ; Siam, 13. The number of exhibitors
does not give an idea of the space occupied there.
France occupies 63,640 metres ; England, 21,059.
Next comes Austria with 8,353 metres. Belgium
has 6,993 metres ; Russia, 6,060 ; the United
States, 3,944 ; Italy, 3,459 ; Switzerland, 2,854 ;
the Netherlands, 1,995 ; Sweden and Norway,
1,930; Spain, 1,778; the Turkish Empire, 1,525;
Japan and its annexes, 1,447 ; Bavaria, 1,225.
Portugal is contented with 765 metres. The Exhi-
bition is composed of 95 classes, divided into ten
groups. I must reserve for a future day the com-
position of these classes. The merit of the articles
is of course not to be estimated according to the pro-
gressive numbers, but with a view to convenience
and other circumstances. The works of art com-
pose the first five classes.
The body of a man has been found in a ravine at
Bray-sur-Seine. It has been recognised as that of
a farmer named Constant Serre, a man of 61 years.
It was his wife who murdered him. She has con-
fessed that two evenings previously she had a violent
quarrel with her husband, who was going the next
day to the fair at Courtenay. lie then threatened that
he would kill her. This so irritated and alarmed her
that she seized an instrument used for cutting vines,
and inflicted such injuries that ho soon died. He
was nearly drunk, and did not make any resistance.
The murderess got the cart ready next morning,
threw the dead body into it, and drove to theravine,
where she deposited it in the place where it was
found. She made this confession to the Commissary
of Police without any hesitation.

The La Marche Steeplechases commenced yester•
day, but the meeting was unimportant and the at.
tendance rather limited. The bitter wind did uol
blow good to anybody.
Democracy has lost one of its principal sup.
porters, M. Charles Morier, formerly Secretary.
General at the Prefecture of Police.

Viscount Chabrol, who was once Prefect of
Police, has also just died.
The Charivari says that the English are so afraid
of the Fenians that the police lately opened a coffin
on the way to the grave, to ascertain if the deceased
was connected with the conspirators. There has
long existed a paper called the Monde. A new
paper is to appear on the 15th, to be called the
Univers. According to the Charivari, the Monde
will then be only the Demi-Monde.

There has been a melancholy disaster in the Rue
des Fortes Blanches. The wing of a building in
course of construction for the General Omnibus
Company suddenly gave way, and, as far as can be
ascertained at present, twenty workmen have
perished. The occurrence took place at 11 o'clock
iu the morning, just after the workmen returned
from breakfast. The wall and roof gave way, bring-
ing down the columns supporting the different stages
of the building. With great courage and humanity
many persons near the spot vied with each other in
endeavouring to render assistance, and dead and
dying victims were soon extricated from the ruins,
with the assistance of the workmen who were not
injured. Many medical men soon arrived and at-
tended to the sufferers. In order to disengage the
fragments it was necessary to pull down some of the
brickwork. The sufferers are either carpenters or
bricklayers. The disaster is supposed to have been
caused in consequence of the foundations having
given way. The extent of the disaster has not yet
been precisely ascertained, but the estimate of the
number killed is made from the supposition of the
workmen who escaped.
There is a strange contrast between the weather
of to-day and yesterday. Yesterday the wintry
wind chilled the blood ; to-day it has been almost
as warm as it is generally in June, and once again
there is a hopeful prospect for " the kindly fruits of
the earth."

We have authority to state that the instruction
to the committee on the Bill for the Improvement of the
Representation of the People, which is to be moved by
Mr. Coleridge on Monday next, and which strikes at the
principle of personal payment of rates, on which the
measure of the Government is founded, will not only be
opposed on that account, but will be treated by them as a
vote of want of confidence in the Administration.—
Herald.

PRINCESS CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN.
—Yesterday evening, in consequence of premonitory
symptoms, a telegram was despatched from Windsor
Castle, shortly after seven o'clock, to Dr. Farre, request-
ing that gentleman to immediately attend her Royal High-
ness Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Dr. Farre
arrived at Windsor at 8.50, and proceeded to the Castle.
ASSAULT BY AN EX-PUGILIST.—At Worship-
street, on Thursday, Jack Brooks, of Norwich,
now a purveyor of cats'-meat, was committed for trial at
the sessions, for brutally assaulting one Phillip Berlyn.
It appaared that at a " knock-out sale" at a publichouse in
Shoreditcb, where Brooks was acting as door-keeper, the
prosecutor attempted to enter the room. Brooks imme-
diately struck him violently with both fists on the chin
knocking him down and rendering him insensible. He
was taken home, where he remained in the same state till
the next day. Brooks's defence was that the whole thing
was an accident.

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