The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-24 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

--4.

(PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, Wednesday Evening.

Very soon after the arrival of Mr. Layard in
Paris, he was admitted to a private interview with
the Emperor, and he has also had a long
versation with M. Drouyn de l'Huys, the Minister
of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Layard was the bearer of
a communication for the English Government ex-
' pressing its consent to the collective note of the
neutral Powers. The result of the visit of Mr.
Layard is that England, France, and Russia have
agreed upon the terms of the propoSal to be made
to Austria, Prussia, and Italy in regard to a Con-
, gress, and therefore there is now very little doubt,
in spite of contradictions from many quarters, that
The Sun had the best authority and information for
stating that such a proceeding would take place,
with a view if possible to avert war. The leading
Austrian papers, nevertheless, speak of a Congress
as a " fantastic" idea. It is true that this was be-
fore the above facts were known. They will not
hear of anything pacific, and continue to remind
their readers that the Austrian army exceeds 800,000
men, of whom 270,000 are under the orders of Field
Marshal Benedek, who recently issued such a belli-
cose order of the day. A letter from Florence also
states that the proposal for a Congress has only had
the effect in Italy of producing greater enthusiasm
for war. The writer says that this enthusiastic feel-
ing pervades all classes. Colonels enrol themselves
as simple soldiers. Prince Pio, connected with
the House of Savoy, and an influential indivi-
dual, has enlisted as a volunteer under Garibaldi.
The Prince made this statement himself to
a friend. Five hundred young men of various
villages have armed and equipped themselves at
their own expense. The writer also relates what
he heard in an omnibus. Two peasants were chat-
' tering together. " Who is your son going with ?"
said one. " With Garibaldi." " And yours ?"
" Mine goes with 'Vittorio" (Victor Emmanuel) was
the answer. They 'then cordially shook bands.
This conversation is given as an illustration of the
feeling existing everywhere. The ladies distribute
bouquets to the officers in public, and have some-
thing patriotic to say about war. At the same time
the Government is not inactive, for every day fresh
battalions are despatched to rejoin and reinforce
on the Po the army stationed opposite the Qua-
drilateral, the number of which exceeds 200,000
men. A fete is in course of organisation in Italy for.
the sth of June, the anniversary of the battle of
Magenta. In short, in spite of the supposed media-
tion of a Congress, Italy is preparing for, and in
daily expectation (aud hope) of war. The Italian
paper, the Dube, states that a subscription has been
opened for the saviour of the Italian soldiers. It
is stated that the father of Komissaron, the man
who lately saved the Emperor of Russia from as-
sassination, and who was sentenced to hard labour
for life on the mines of Siberia for a political offence,
has just received a free pardon from his Majesty.
He will not only be set at liberty, but a handsome
sum of money will be given to him.
According to an ancient French legend there once
existed in Paris a house where savoury pies—sup-
posed pork pies and others—made of human flesh,
were eaten in great abundance, and relished as
keenly as the celebrated Perigord pies. This pork
pie establishment, which was situated on the Rue
des Marmousets in the Cite, has just been de-
molished like so many. others for modern improve-
ments. Here is what was written by the Pere
Jacques de Breuil about this establishment :
" From time immemorial there has existed a report
that there was in the city of Paris, Rue des Mar-
mousets, a murderous pastrycook who used to
assassinate the people who went to his house, with
the assistance of a barber, his neighbour, who pre-
tended to shave the victims. Of their flesh he
made pies, which were more relished than those
manufactured e'lsewhere, because the flesh of man
is more delicate in consequence of the food upon
which he lives than that of the other animals."
M. Coulvier Gravier, an astronomer who studies
the weather, gives his opinion that the rest of the
year will be dry rather than wet, and that the
temperature will be higher than the average.

An exceedingly interesting discovery has been
made at Montreuil-aux-Peche. The workmen at a
stone quarry have found the left humerus of an
elephas primogenius or mammoth. This bone is of
larger size than any heretofore discovered of -this-
animal, no longer in existence on our globe. It
measures one metre and the sixth of a metre in
length, and the circumference is rather more than
half a metre, from which it is supposed that the
animal was no less than six metres in length.
Anatomists who have examined this portion of the
skeleton gave their opinion that the animal had
muscles of a peculiar character, which enabled it to
make much more complicated movements than it is
in the power of the elephant to make. The skeleton
is so old that when it was placed- in a horizontal
position it crumbled almost to &lit, and great care
was necessarorNoyf
anettts
souht
rhetpaeh preserveHistory,environs
oenntmshhpaolvadfshe
etbprheeeisernnffragments.qeocutstaheariangrtyga
tßnomo :aattnnhhaydnee
kindl
nue
ds portioneexists. ingenious
xmis tospf.
remains of mammoths and hippopotami have been
found at various periods, and workmen are now oc-
cupied in seeking for other fossil skeletons of such
animals.

We have our sporting prophets in Paris as well as
in London, but on looking back to their predictions,
I find that they are all wofully out in regard to
the Chantilly Races. Not a single one gave the
victory to M. Delamarre's Florentin, which was in
the Jockey Club Prize. They all called him an
outsider, and spoke coldly of him, or " damned him
with faint praise." Marengo was spoken of as a
dead certainty by some. Others said that the only
horses which had the ghost of a chance were
Baionette and Czar.

The shock of earthquake felt at Marseilles and
elsewhere was also experienced in the town of Pig-
nans, in the department of the Var. An inhabitant
of that place writes to say that while he was walk-
ing in the street between nine and ten in the morn-
ing the earth trembled, and the effect upon him was
the same as if he had been intoxicated, as he could
scarcely keep his footing. This statement is corro-
borated by the accounts of other persons. The
earthquake also manifested itself with great vio-
lence at Toulouse, and at Chambery, in Savoy.
The sailors charged with the frightful murders on
board the Federis Arca have arrived at Brest, and
will shortly be tried.

The most destructive fire that has taken place in
Paris or the neighbourhood has just occurred in the
immense carriage manufactory of Messrs. Desouches
and Co., Pont de l'Oureg, Pantin. The workshops
which occupied 6,000 square metres exists no longer,
and their contents are almost totally destroyed.
The value of the property they contained is at
present incalculable. The soldiers and firemen used
the most courageous and active exertions. One man
is said to have perished in the flames. Three hun-
dred watermen are turned out of employ. j
The weather is very peculiar. Yesterday it was
very dry and bright, but last night was quite a
December one. In the vicinity of Paris, at 10
o'clock, the thermometer was only just above freez-
ing point, and this morning there was frost in the
fields long after sunrise. To-day a violent cold
wind has prevailed, the effect of which was not sen-
sibly counteracted by the continuous sunshine.
The cashier of the Sous-Cornptoir of the Rail-
ways, who absconded with three millions of cash,
has been arrested, and also a Paris printer. A
prince—the Prince de C. said to be impli-
cated in the transaction.

Le Charivari says,
" Nothing is changed in
Europe. There is only another casus belli." A
Paris paper gives the following as a specimen of the
way of managing elections in England :—The cook
says to his master (a candidate)—" I could not buy
that salmon." Master--"
Why ?" Cook—" Be-
cause an elector was bargaining for it." Master—
" Take those bank-notes and buy the salmon of the
elector. Say it is for me." English readers may
probably think this story of a salmon ". very_hke a
whale.''