The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-12 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—l see in a speech of the Duke of Marlborough
delivered in the House of Lords yesterday a state-
ment that on the occasion of inaugurating a bell in
Bampton Church, the Bishop of Oxford explained
in his sermon what he called " the impiety and
superstition of the Church of Rome in baptising
bells, and the piety of asking God's blessing, as
they were going to do, on this addition to God's
house."

Now, it seems to me that the Bishop of Oxford
might very well perform his own functions without
going out of his way to attack and abuse as im-
pious and superstitious the rites of the Roman
Catholic Church.

But I must add that there is no such thing in the
Roman Catholic Church as the baptism of bells. I
have before me the service used by that Church ou
occasions similar to that referred to by the Duke of
Marlborough. It is entitled, not baptism, but
Benedictio Signi vel Campine. It is contained in
the second part of the Pontificate Romanum. The
words used are not "I baptize thee," &c., but these,
" May this bell be sanctified and consecrated in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Ghost, iu honour of Saint ." In fact, the
whole service is simply a consecration service analo-
gous to the consecration of a church. No doubt
many ancient bells have names, but the giving the
names is no part of the service, and the bell is dedi-
cated to some saint just as a church is. Where is
the " impiety and superstition" of this ?
I hope you will be so good as to publish this
letter.—Your obedient servant,

GEORGE BOWYER.

House of Commons, April 10.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Thursday Evening.
There was a Cabinet Council yesterdey at the
Tuileries, at which the Emperor presided, and the
Empress was present.
The Moniteur, in its weekly review of foreign
affairs, says :—" The settlement of the Hungarian
question has sensibly ameliorated the situation of
the Austrian 'Monarchy. The Constitutional orga-
nisation of the Emperor still presents numerous dif-
ficulties, but the principal problem is solved, and
the Government, reconciled definitively with the
Magyars, is in a position to face the exigencies
now existing. The relations between Hun-
gary and Croatia will soon be arranged, and the
Government, instead of maintaining the elements
of rivalry between the various countries connected
with the Crown of St. Stephen, seeks to remove all
causes of misunders banding. Austria sincerely
accepts the city of Pesth as the centre of political
action of the races who occupy the territory beyond
the Leitha. It believes that the simultaneous work-
ing of liberal institutions in Hungary and in the
western provinces of the empire will reconstitute
the Monarchy upon the bases indicated by history
and State reason. The propositions relative to
Croatia will first be submitted to the approbation of
the Hungarian Diet, and then sent to the Croatia
Diet, which will meet very shortly. To grant to
Croatia an independent position as regards the ad-
ministration of justice, public worship, and educa-
tion ; to give limits to affairs common between the
countries of the crown of St. Stephen ; to place
questions of autonomy within the jurisdiction of
the Croatian Chancellory of Agram, and to remit
other questions to the Hungarian Ministry ;--such
will be the general plan of political economy which
will no doubt be adopted. The Emperor of Austria
returned to Vienna on Saturday last, and on the
same day the Diets oi Bohemia, Moravia, and
Carniola assembled."
According to the latest accounts from Florence
there was another hitch in the formation of the new
Italian Ministry, and although a list of the new
Ministers was published, which was supposed to be
authentic, it is again said that M. Rattazzi has
abandoned the task of selecting a Ministry, which
he began at the request of the King.
In the Senate yesterday the President, M.
Schneider, announced that the request for interpel-
lations relative to Luxemburg, which had been de-
posited with the Chamber by Messrs. St. Paul,
Eugene Pelletan„Tules Simon, Jules Favre, and
other members, had been withdrawn. As to the
two demands for permission to interpellate made by
other members, the nine bureaux were of opinion
that such interpellations could not be made. The
number of Deputies who voted in favour of the
refusal of the interpellations was 172. The number
in favour of them was 61.
It is stated that the Powers who signed the
Treaty of 1839 will be invited by France to give
their opinion upon the question of the Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg, but in the form of direct
communications in the shape of diplomatic notes.
Two questions will be proposed. 1. Has the King
of Holland the right to give up the Duchy of
Luxembourg? 2. Has Prussia, after the ag-
grandisement she has obtained by the last war, the
right to continue to occupy the place of Luxem-
bourg ? The Memorial Diplomatique, which always
claims an official character, says the difficulty would
not be solved by the evacuation on the part of the
Prussians, even if the French Government should
renounce the idea of possessing it. Nothing of the
kind will be discussed by the parties to the Treaty
of 1839, and the proof that no immediate compli-
cation of the sort is to be feared is to be found in
the reiterated invitation to King William for the
Ist of April by the French Ambassador to visit the

Exhibition of 1867. Consulted as a party to the
treaty of 21 Articles, the Cabinet of Vienna made
a reply, of which the following is the substance :--
"Austria thinks that when Prussia, without paying
any attention to the Powers who guaranteed the
final act of Vienna, has' arbitrarily broken the
Federal German pact in spite of the protestations
of the legitimate princes and resistance of the
respective populations, none can deny to the King
of the Netherlands the right of freely disposing of
the Grand _Duchy of Luxembourg, which is his
personal property. The dissolution of the Germain
Confederation has emancipated the King of the
Netherlands from all the federal engagements which
f which the Powers
he contracted in his quality of Grand Duke.
His Majesty has, therefore, recovered the plenitude
sovereignty,reatiniesviortfuelz
9 should allow him
wahohisst
signed
full latitude to act upon his own responsibility.
A man named Victor Felix Pivost, aged 35, has
ned the
been tried at the assizes for Seine-et-Oise for the
murder of his father, Eloi Pivost, aged 65. The
prisoner's wife, Marie Pivost, was charged as an
accomplice before the fact: Indeed it was proved
that she incited her husband to commit the murder.
The prisoner's antecedents are very bad. He had
been imprisoned for embezzling money, and he had
often stolen money from his father. While he was
in prison the wife led a very disorderly life. when
he was liberated they were very poor, and the
woman often complained of the avarice of her father-
in-law, because he would not give her any money.
On one occasion she said that her husband ought to
threaten him, and, if necessary, strangle him if he
would not provide for them. On the night of Dec.
13 last they were without money, although the hus-
band had stolen some from his father a few days
previously. "Go to your father," said the woman,
get more money, and should he refuse, strangle
him with a cord which I will give you." On the
night of Dec. 29, soon after the father returned
home after supping with a neighbour cries were
heard from his room, and the body of the deceased
was found lying on the floor, the head covered with
wounds from a hammer. He still held in his hand
the key with which he had opened the door. The
prisoner was seen to escape across the garden ; and
the evidence left no doubt that he was the murderer.
The jury found both prisoners guilty, but with
extenuating circumstances regarding the woman.
Eloi was condemned to die the death of a parricide.
The woman was sentenced to hard labour for life.

The clerk of the court read the sentence upon the
man from the Code Penal as follows :—" The guilty
condemned to death for patricide will be conducted
to the place of execution in his shirt, barefoot, and
his head covered with a veil. He will be exhibited
on the scaffold, while the officer of the court will

.ead to the people the sentence of condemnation,
and he will then be immediately put to death."
In the English jewellery department to-day in the
Exhibition a very beautiful article has attracted much

attention. It is a swan in silver very beautifully
chased. The bird is in a silver tray, and the water
is very well represented by a layer of silver. By
means of ingenious mechanism the swan moves

and turns its neck as gracefully and as naturally as
if it were a living bird on its accustomed element.
In Mr. Brogden's stall there is a magnificent ob-
ject, which I mention because it must have excited

notice, it being marked " Sold to the Emperor."

It is a Rhyton in gold with a bas-relief, which re-
_

presents a griffin and an amazon.

The work is de-

scribed as a faithful copy of the Rhyton, which
was found at Rubi, in Apulia (an ancient province

of Southern Italy), and which is now iu the Bri-
. . _ _

fish Museum.
In the French jewellery and silversmith depart-
ment are magnificent articles from one of the first

manufactories iu the world—that of Christofie

and Co., jewellers to the Emperor. This portion
of the Exhibition would command attention, if it
were only for the fact that upwards of 1,200 work-

- .
men are employed at the manutactory, but it has
also striking attractions. The table services, and
_ _

gilt and plated articles are splendid. Among the
table ornaments is a portion of that belonging to
the Emperor, executed to complete the table service
_ _

of 100 silver gilt covers exhibited in London in
1862. There are 22 gilt candelabra and various
allegorical figures. One group represents Agricul-
ture and Industry. There is also a grand orna-

mentation and table service executed for the fetes

at the Hotel do Ville, after the designs of Baron
Haussman, Prefect of the Seine. One object of
art will no doubt be sought for by your sporting

readers. The victory, the prize cup given by the

Jockey Club in• 1866, and won by Gladiateur.
Victory, executed by M. Maillet, is represented by
a young girl, who stops, still breathing with diffi-
culty after the distance she has run, and raises
over her head the palm she has gained. Messrs.
Christofle and Co. hold pre-eminent rank in France
for these electro-plated covers and table services.

Last night the tempest returned, and to-day the
wind has been violent. At 11 o'clock this morning
there was a heavy shower of snow, sleet, and rain,
but the sun has shone during the afternoon.

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

ITALY.

FLORENCE, April 12.
In ye3terday's sitting of the Senate Court, the
public prosecutor delivered a long address demand-
ing the dismissal of Admiral Persano from his
command.
Count Cibrario has arrived from Vienna.

FRANCE.
BOURSE, April 11, Three o'clock.—The marke
closed as follows :

41 per Cents 9G 10
Do. end month —
3 per Cents. 66 45
Do. end month 66 20
Credit Mobilier
Do. end month
Credit Foncier
Do. end month 1305

,Bank Shares 3400
Italian Loan 4B
Do. end month 4B
Mexican Loan
Do. Bonds
Spanish Threes
Home Debt
Deferred
VLYB.

For Account.
Orleans
Northern . lllO
Lyons and Mediterranean 867 50
Southern 546
Western —
Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard . 372 50
North of Spain BO
Saragos:a
Ditto to Barcelona ,
Roman.

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