The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-14 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS,

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Tuesday Evening.
The discussion yesterday in the Legislative Body
elicited some very interesting facts in regard to the
position of the agriculturists. M. Magnin, in pro-
posing an amendment to the Address having for
object the abolition of various local imposts upon
corn, said that " the sufferings of the agriculturists
were very great, and nobody denied them. There
were three causes of the depression which now
existed—the depopulation of the rural districts, the
want of capital, and the increase of duties. There
were various explanations of the decrease in the

population of the rural districts—the chief was the

large increase in the army. (Several voices—
" That is true.") The successive calls for 140,000
men in time of war, and for 100,000 men in
time of peace, took away from agriculture
immense numbers of hands, and the agriculturists
could not afford to pay the high price of exemption
from service. Men who are under arms did not
work, and yet decreased the produce. Another
cause of the decrease of the population of the agri-
cultural districts was the emigration towards the
towns. From 1851 to 1861 the rural population
diminished to the extent of two millions. If the
account to the end of 1861 had been completed
the deficit would probably have amounted to
500,000. If machinery had not come to the aid
of agriculture, it would have been unprofit-
able to gather in the harvest in 1863 and 1864.
want of capital was the second cause of the
The sufferings of the agriculturists. Capital
had been taken from the land and invested
in various other securities. From 1855 to 1865
8 milliards 264 millions of capital had been taken
from France and invested abroad. Mexico, without
speaking of the expenses of the expedition, had
taken from France several hundred millions for sub-
scriptions which had been opened in France under
the patronage of the Government, and which, in
spite of the law, had tempted families by lots of
500,000 f., an operation disastrous for France, and
which could not be too severely condemned. Be-
sides, this the Government had authorised the Credit
Foncier to obtain in the departments money to lend
in the towns." The orator, in conclusion, entered
into some statements to prove that the third cause
of the agricultural distress was the increase of
imposts.

M. Vuitry, Minister and President of the Council
of State, refuted the arguments of M. Magnin and
other members. In order to prove the anxiety felt
by the Emperor for the prosperity of the landcil
interest, he said that, while President of the Re-
public, he had caused larger reductions of imposts
than had taken place for fifty years. In 1851 there
had been a reduction of 17 millions of imposts upon
the land. "In regard to England," continued the
Minister, " which is always cited when reduction
of duties are demanded, it is well that the Chamber
and the country should know that in England the
average amount of imposts is 576.70 c. per head,
and that in France it is only 41f." The Minister,
in conclusion, opposed the proposal for an inquiry
into the state of the agricultural interest, on the
ground that it would do harm to individuals, and
excite want of confidence. The verbal amendment
proposed was rejected by 223 against 23.
The cholera has re-appeared in Lower Brittany,
and, it is said, in the provinces of France ; but it is
in a mild form, and the deaths have been very few.

Dr. Shrimpton, the most approved English mem-
ber of the medical profession in Paris, has just
published a pamphlet to prove that the cholera is
not contagious. He quotes various facts and
authorities in favour of his opinion. There have
been reports of the re-appearance of cholera in
Paris, but my inquiries in the proper quarter lead
me to the belief that they are untrue. There is,
however, a good deal of illness here at present.
An important question of law and personal right
is to be decided by the Civil Tribunal of Paris
on Friday. The point to be decided is whether a
journal which republishes a comnzuniquj inserted by
another newspaper which defames a third party is
liable for damages. A communique is a communi-
cation sent to a newspaper by the Minister of the
Interior to rectify statements, which the editor is
compelled to insert. The Constitutionnel repub-
lished a communiqué which appeared in the Avenir
whn +l,;nls. as hiulcAf
" grieved by the particulars stated in that
communique,
fl ""
unique, cites M. Boniface, the editor of the
Constitutionnel, before the Tribunal, and claims
200,000 f. damages for alleged defamation of his
character.

The Moniteztr of this evening announces that the
Emperor, yesterday, received the letters by which
his Majesty the King of Denmark and the Prince
Frederich of Denmark thanks his Majesty for send-
ing the Grand Cross of the Imperial order of the
Legion of Honour. Also the letters of recall which
put an end to the mission of Gen. Torrico as Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the
Republic of Peru.

The Moniteur also mentions the receipt of a pri-
vate despatch from Madrid, which states that the
Minister of the Interior announced to the Congress
week.
that the state of siege Would be terminated this

M. Duruy, the Minister of Public Instruction, is
reported to be rather seriously indisposed.

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, March 14.—There has not only
been a pause in business to-day, but some slight
check in prices. For shipping yarns we ha6e had
a strong market, and spinners are deeply under
contract, but the demand has been scarcely equal
to what it was yesterday ; yet at a shade less than
the extreme prices spinners are asking a large busi-
ness could be done. In home trade yarns the
advance asked has also checked business. In the
cloth-market business, which was active and hard-
ening in prices up to yesterday, received a check
through the advices then to hand from America
of the plentiful supplies of cotton being sent
forward to the principal seaports. To-day, after
merchants have had time to consider the advices
brought by the steamship Europa, the effects
of the check are still seen in the diminished
anxiety manifested on all hands to operate, and in
the altogether quieter tone of the cloth-market.
Sellers, of course, after the recent activity, are in a
very independent position as regards fresh orders ;
but although they have made no alterations in their
lists of quotations, the tendency of prices may be
described as decidedly weaker. The business of the
day in cloth has been of small amount. Messrs.
John Slagg and Co. report of this day's cloth mar-
ket :—" The active demand noticed last Tuesday
continued till yesterday, when the arrival of the
American advices tended to check operations. To-
day our market is quieter, and we close with a small
business at slightly weaker rates."

steam coal trade, and orders are being pushed for-
12th.—Activity still characterises the
DitlhFF,much
waCrdAßw vigour, so that the men have no
cause to complain of slackness of work. In the
iron trade business is in about the same state as
when last reported, and although specifications come
in irregularly makers manage to keep their mills and
furnaces going.

LEEDS, 13th.—There has not been a full atten-
dance of buyers in the cloth-halls this morning,
but there was a moderato demand for seasonable
fabrics, including plain and fancy meltons and
tweeds, and prices were firm. The larger por-
tion of the spring goods trade being now over so
far as both manufacturers and merchants are
concerned attention is being paid to fabrics
suitable for autumn, and on such and heavy
goods for winter manufacturers are well employed.
The price of wool, English as well as colonial, is
very firm at the recent advance, and stocks are
generally low. Hence voolleu yarns and cloths
have an upw aril tendency

RoCIIDALE 12th.—The state of the market to-
day shows that the severe frost which stimulated our
trade last week has bee% but of brief duration.
Business has been below the average, and there
is little doing, except that a few buyers are
operating in the fancy flannel department. The
home merchants aro doing little in plain goods.
The local wool trade is flat, and staplers are asking
higher rates.