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

THE SUN, LONLON, MONOAY EVENING, APRIL 22, 1867.

literary productions, specially bearing the impress i the little chapel at the head of the Scala Santa, one
of genius. The speaker bad a difficult task ac- of the rare occasions when a certain picture is un-
corded himin attempting to portray the merits of covered—a picture said to have been painted by St.
the deceased, but he accomplised it gracefully and Luke and finished by an angel. One or both of the
successfully. The faults of the old man were not ; artists had a very Egyptian taste, but there were
recalled, and his virtues only, reviewed. I men even of middle age, who very devoutly pressed
An exhibition of the paintings of the lamented crucifixes against the glass which covers the pic-
Ingas is now opened at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, ture, and under which, at the distance of some two
and is daily attracting crowds of visitors. More inches, is a cross of silver placed at the waist of
than 300 pictures, many of which are chef d'ceuvres, the painted figure.
are included in this magnificent assemblage of the i Yesterday were performed in St. Peter's the
works of the great master. his " Virgin and In- usual ceremonies of Palm Sunday. The day was
fant Jesus," " Apotheosis" of Homer," "Martyrdom fine and the attendance was considerable. A large
of St. Sympherien," and the " Soiree," are a few number of Protestants stood on the pavement for
of the remarkable productions now on exhibition. i nearly five hours, and perhaps it is doing no in-
In front of the l'alais de 'lndustrie an equestrian justice to any of them to say that no eloquence
statue of Napoleon I. has been erected. This statue could have induced them to sit half that time in
was executed by General Charles Pajoe, and is in- their own places of worship. The ladies, the diplo-
tended for the city of Montereau. matists, and distingui,hed guests hail certainly the
The Universal Exhibition is still far from being best of it. I was amused to see an officer of the
completed, yet it affords exhaustless objects of in-
Colorado, who happened to be in full uniform, pass
o
terest to the visitor. The section appropriated ton the score of his epaulettes to a position which
machinery is especially replete with everything i would hardly have been accorded to an European
in the way of mechanical wonders, which must in- officer of equal rank ; but it was decidedly comical
terest the most careless observer. One of the to witness the long and profound nap of a fat
peculiarities of this fair is the competition of several i ecclesiastic on the steps of the high altar, and the
of the religious bodies, disputing the empire of promptness with which he woke at the cessation of
souls. In an appropriate section of the Park is a I the chant, just in time to rise and face the altar.
small, neat church, containing all necessary acces-
You will doubtless have beard before this of the
sories for Catholic worship. Not far from this an recent descent of brigands upon itocca di Papa. The
English Evangelical chnrch has been constructed, band numbered about fifty, and exacted as large a
and was inaugurated yesterday with befitting contribution of food and drink as the poor little vil-
lage could yield even to force. It would seem from
pomp and ceremony. English exhibitors can
now, without going out of the Champs de Afars, this that the affairs of the fraternity are not in a
perform their religious devotions. Some distance very prosperous condition, and this little incident
will diminish.still further their possible revenues, by
further is a Turkish mosque, where the Mussulcnan
w would otherwise have
service, no doubt, will be performed for the benefit
frightening away many ho
of the faithful followers of the good prophet visited Frascati and Tivoli.
Mahomet. It is fortunate that the other 5,000 or
6,000 religious denominations have not also deter-
mined to be represented at the world's fair of 1867,
or a worse than Babel confusion would have resulted
from the proximity of the spiritual controversies of
this heterogeneous multitude. Two handsome small
boats, exhibited by the Empress, have just been ad-
mitted into the Exhibition. One is a Venetian
gondola, and the other a long boat (calque). On
the occasion of the reception of these specimens
the commissioners of the section in which they
were placed sent an exhibitor's card to the Empress
with the portrait in the corner. This card, like all
others, bears the inscription giving the number of
class and name of exhibitor.

PARAGUAY.

Paraguay is an inland country of South America
lying in the fork of the rivers Paraguay and
Parana, which join near the fort of Humaita, and
flow in a broad stream navigable for ocean ships.
Near the sea, the Uruguay enters this river, which
then becomes the La Plata, and assumes the pro-
portions of a gulf, on which stands the great city of
Buenos Ayres. The Republic of Paraguay has an
area of 100,000 square miles, with a population of
1,500,000. It was discovered by the Spaniards in
1508, and ten years after, the city of Assumption,
now the capital, was built. The native inhabitants
belonging to the tribe of Guarani amalgamated
with their Spanish conquerors, and at once became
converts to the Roman Catholic religion. Being
docile, amiable, brave, and truthful, they were a
singularly easy people to govern, and for 100 years
they were peaceably and happily ruled by the
Jesuits. After the expulsion of the Jesuits, which
arose from causes over which the Paraguayans ex-
ercised no influence, they continued to derive the
advantage of good administration till the year 1810,
when the ambition of Buenos Ayres induced that
province to declare itself independent of Spain.
The first step taken by Buenos Ayres was an en-
deavour to induce the Paraguayans to join in the
revolt, and to place the city of Buenos Ayres at the
head of the Republics. This the Paraguayans,
who had never been well treated by Buenos
Ayres, declined. The army of Buenos Ayres
invaded Paraguay, and was defeated at Paraguary.
After rallying from this defeat, they were
again beaten and forced to capitulate at Tfa-
cuary. Elated by their triumph the Paraguayans
assumed national independence, offering to elect
as President the Spanish Governor. The post
was declined by this gentleman, who felt he
could not in honour accept it. The choice then
fell on Dr. Don Jose Gaspar Francia. This ex-
traordinary ruler, seeing his efforts thwarted to ob-
tain the free navigation of the La Plata and its tri-
butaries, by the grasping policy of Buenos Ayres,
closed Paraguay to the world for nearly 30 years.
Dr. Francia was created dictator for life, and hebe-
came the absolute ruler, in whom was centred
all power, representing, in conjunction with his
Secretary Patino, the machinery of the Govern-
ment, and directing the business of the country.
Four years after his death, which occurred in 1810,
Don Carlos Antonio Lopez was elected President
for ten years. Under his rule the Republic rapidly
advanced ; the rivers were opened, roads completed,
ships built, schools founded (which have taught all
the people to read and write), hospitals erected, and
an army and navy formed. This was effected with-
out burdening the resources of tie country by debt.
Ills son, Francisco Solano Lopez, was sent to
Europe to benefit by travel. On the death of the
President, which took place in his 69th year, 10th
Sept., 1862, ere his second term of office had ex-
pired, be was succeeded by his son, General Lopez.
The present ruler is described as a gentleman of high
attainments, of extensive travel, and keen observa-
tion ; able and judicious, graceful and refined, of
great conversational powers, speaking and writing
many languages. lie took up his father's policy ; but
in the midst of his patriotic efforts to advance hiS
country, the Republic over which he presided became,
against its settled policy, entangled in the complica-
tions of its neighbours, which has ended in one of
the greatest wars of South America, and one of the
most gallant struggles ever made by a people for
independence.
of The
emostpowerful and grasping
Government America is Brazil. Paraguay
South
is but a patch on its extremity, and Uruguay but a
bit, at the end of its empire. Brazil, in concert
with General Mitre, the President of the Argentine
Confederation, intrigued for a cause of quarrel
allies lio
against Uruguay—a State hostile to General Mitre
and coveted by Brazil. Through a political adven-
turer, skilled iu guerilla warfare, t he excuse was found.
General Flores landed in Uruguay onpatshseed: 18th
:
April, 1863, and at the head of some banditti
and cut-throats, plundered thelvliellraege he eesnosnpirhaitsewrsaiyn
in
noh
ect
ecßrazilian
rhf
sri
uso
endat
intoies Y
theoverl territory of Brazil, which,
which that Government represerited as a cases belli.
Uruguay was overrun, and Monte Video surren-
dered, when Flores was proclaimed dictator ; Pre-
sident Lopez, who justly considered the independ-
ence of Uruguay necessary for the freedom of his
country, protested against the invasion of that
State. He asked permission to march his troops
through Corrientes to the assistance of his ally—a
request refused by Mitre. The delay was fatal to
Uruguay, for when Lopez got into motion Monte
Video had fallen, and Brazil ruled from the Amazon
to the La Plata. With an and tcity which has alike
surprised his enemies and all other States, President
Lopez undertook with his own resources to face the
mighty empire of Brazil, joined by all the power of
Buenos Ayres, and even the forces of the State,
now in the hands of his enemies, in whose interest
he had become involved in the quarrel. A glance
at the map would give something of the idea of this
act of President Lopez by supposing Switzerland to
undertake the defence of Denmark against the
united power of France, Germany, and Austria.
No wonder the attitude of Lopez was the subject of
banter in the camp of the allies, or that General
Mitre—then at the head of the allied army—de-

Prince Napoleon has had constructed at Cowes,
Isle of Wight, a small yacht of 10 tons, which will
make its appearance to-day in the Exhibition, and
remain there until the period for the International
Regattas, in which it will take part. A complete
American Circus troupe, with two live Indians, is
expected daily in Paris, and will exhibit during the
season at the Cirque de l'lmperatrice. Another
company, I think, intends giving representations iu
the Cirque Imperial, so we shall have every oppor-
tunity of judging of the superiority of American
equestrian performances. An interesting cargo of
Senegambian negroes will soon arrive as visitors to
the Exposition. These negroes belong to the high
aristocracy of the tribes placed under the sove-
reignty of France. In wandering over the 'World's
Fair you encounter representatives of almost every
race and colour under the sun. Chinese, Turks,
Africans, &c., are every-day sights, and seem to
enjoy hugely the wonders exposed. In fact, to an
American visitor, the singularities of costumes,
diversity of colour, language, &c., constitute one of
the greatest attractions of the Exhibition.
ROME, April 16.
On Friday last occurred the celebration of the
Pope's return from his exile at Gaeta.
A review was held at the Macao, on the site of
the old Praetorian camp. The number of troops on
the ground could not have exceeded 5,000, and was
probably less. Three lines of infantry in double
rank extended across the field, leaving, however, a
wide space at each end, besides openings of consi-
derable width between the battalions, and the field
is about 300 yards in width. Besides the infantry
there were two batteries of artillery, each contain-
ing four guns of small calibre. There was also a
showy squadron of cavalry. A. little after five
o'clock the General Commanding, with a large
staff, brilliantly equipped and finely mounted, rode
down the lines at a rapid pace, after which the men
piled arms, and all became dull in the extreme, ex-
cept when some high-nettled horse got up a per-
formance on his own account. The carriages, of
which a considerable number were gathered at the
lower end of the field, began to roll off, and the spec-
tators on foot threw themselves down on the grass, or
against the barrack railings, and it became evident
that all was finished until the arrival of the Pope,
for whom a small pavilion with a throne had
been erected. The nuryber of spectators was
the smallest I ever saw at any military parade.
Guards certainly had never an easier time. In the
vicinity of the throne there were about three lines
of lookers-on, among whom monks and foreigners
were numerous. The former seem still to think
that there is some antagonism between cleanliness
and godliness, if one may judge by the discomfort
their vicinity occasions. On the greater part of
the line the duties of the sentries were merely
nominal, no one approaching them except an
occasional straggler. A single regiment of militia
would have drawn a larger concourse to a " June
training" in any New England village. Foreign
visitors would very easily have accounted for all
that
brilliant
at
the
Popeid
the carriages present. After waiting in vain for
nearly
't
would suddenly
n ootec arriveuiTed
tomy an
ownhour,
party
th h
until nearly dark, in order to witness the illumina-
tion on his return. Though this was conjectural,
the chill of the evening air, and the propriety of a
dinner, were certainties sufficient to determine our
return. As we approached the Piazza di Spagna
we found the illumination had already begun, and
by seven o'clock it was in its full brilliancy. The
long line of steps leading up from the Piazza di
Spagna to the Pincian were brilliantly lighted, and
the outline of the obelisk and cross at the summit
brought out in lines of light, the whole forming a
very beautiful display. The Piazza Colonna had
the semblance of a Gothic temple, covering the
whole front of the large building facing the Corso.
The square in-front of the Pantheon presented more
glare than taste, though a few lights within the
portico brought out well the proportions of that
grand old relic of heathenism. On the Piazza
Navona much pains had been bestowed. Around
and within, the fountain lights of various colours
were burnt, making the work look better than it pro-
bably ever did by day. Lights, in festoons and circles,
extended nearly to the sides of the square, and at
either end the keys and tiara blazed within a star.
The Via Rissetta was brilliantly illuminated, and
the effect of the lights as reflected in the water was
very fine. _ _

Opposite the Castle of St. Angelo was a semi-
circular wood-work, bearing a fanciful resemblan,le
to the front or the tribune of a church. In the
centre stood a statue of the Apostle Peter, and in
five niches were painted human figures of various
complexions, representing apparently the five races,
which, at the sides, united to do reverence to the
Pope and to receive his blessing. Here, at the ar-
rival of the Papal cortege, some little excitement was
produced by the horses of the dragoons, which be-
came so frightened at the crowd, the carriages, and
the blue-lights as to be scarcely manageable, and
whirled about in a way somewhat perilous to those
in their vicinity.
The street leading to St. Peter's was decorated
with boughs of evergreens and circles of lights,
in which the wooden hoop was somewhat too pro-
minent, though the whole effect was pretty. The
great church itself displayed only a few lights along
the front, leaving the colonnades and the grand
dome in shadow.
The streets throughout the evening were crowded
with carriages and foot-passengers. The private
houses were adorned with numerous lanterns, and
it was impossible to doubt that the people, for some
reason or other, enjoyed the show. Perhaps the
explanation of their apathy in the afternoon and
enthusiasm in the evening is that they like the
Pope, but not the Papal King. It is pretty evident
the armed supporters of the latter authority are
little admired by the people.
On Saturday morning I attended the service in

dared a war with Paraguay would be merely a
paseo militar, which would take him in three
months to Asuncion. Brazil, in concert with
her allies, placed on the frontiers of Para-
guay an army of 70,000 men in c)-opera-
tion with the largest and best equipped fleet that
had ever steamed up the broad waters of the La
Plata. For three years the little Republic has
held its own, and inflicted on the allies severe :yid
damaging checks. Already the army of tie allies
has become demoralised through their heavy losses,
while their vaunted fleet of iron-clads has been
shattered before fortresses of a secondary power.
Brazil has in this miserable war spent £40,000,000
in her ineffectual efforts to subdue the gallant little
Republic, while the loss to Buenos Ayres has been
even heavier in proportion, and she has to mourn
not only over treasure sacrificed, but death carried
into every family
of the city. The great Slave
State Brazil has lost prestige, and a feeling of
resistance to her usurpation is spreading strongly
and widely throughout the States of South America.
As yet little interest has been excited in Europe
by the. noble efforts of Lopez to maintain the inde-
pendence of the Republic. This is accounted for
by the general ignorance of Paraguay. The Dic-

tator Francia hermetically closed the country for
thirty years, and the world ceased to know or care
about a country in which it had no interest. The
general idea was, that the prescribed boundaries
were inhabited by simple ani docile Indians, who
had voluntarily given themselves up to the rule of
a grasping and sanguinary tyrant; while Christen-
dom accepted the statements of the Government of
Brazil, with whom they were in communication.
Attention is now being roused to the subject by the
unequalled gallantry with which the Paraguayans
have kept at bay the combined effort of such com-
paratively powerful countries to subdue them ;
the creditors of Brazil are beginning to feel alarmed
as the war progresses, accumulating a debt, without
producing a result. "It must be," says the author,
" the wish of all who sympathise with the brave an 1
the just in an unequal struggle, that this free and
freedom-loving State may conquer in this war. She
will perish rather than give in,—for the freedom of
the Mouth of La Plata is essential to her commercial
and political existence." The author has spent
many years in the La Plata countries, and is per-
sonally acquainted with most of the influential
public men of these States. His bias is strongly
towards the Paraguayans, and if his facts be correct
he has good grounds for the conclusions at which he
has arrived. He ends his interesting pamphlet with

this remark :—" For the sake of commerce and of
the world it should be desired by every Englishman
that the policy of Paraguay may prevail." The cli-
mate is said to be the most healthy in the world.
The soil is fertile, feeding countless flocks and
herds ; while forests flourish, producing tile most
valued woods, bark, and gum, in boundless profusion.
Upon the fertile banks of the streams grow the
sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco, rice, mandioca, Indian
corn, and a thousand other productions, chief
among which is a tea, prized by all the States of the
Continent. —Anglo-American Times.