The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-10 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Monday Evening.
The Pope, at a special audience, granted on the
3d inst. to a great number of Frenchmen, who had
solicited the honour of presenting an address to
him, expressed himself in these terms :—" I have
not forgotten what the French Catholics have done
for the Holy See. I shall not forget that in 1848 it
was an Ambassador of France who favoured my
departure for Gaete ; and that it was a French
General who in 1849 brought me the keys of Rome.
The proofs of sympathy which the Government of
the Emperor has given to me will not pass from my
remembrance."

In spite of the letter of the Minister of Justice,
giving his opinion that the Consistory of the
Reformed Church of Paris had acted contrary to
law in dismissing M. Martin Paschoud, the Pro-
testant pastor, that body has formally confirmed his
dismissal. M. Paschoud has therefore sent the fol-
lowing letter to the Minister :—" Monsieur le
Ministre,—The Consistory has just voted my dis-
missal. The motives assigned are exactly those
which it alleged when it placed me en retraite. Your
Excellency did not approve of that step, and will
still less approve of the present. For this reason I
will not add anything to the letter, which I had the
honour to address to your Excellency on the 23d of
February in reply to the memoir of the Consistoral
Body, and I again rely upon your great wisdom
and justice.—Martin Paschoud." I need scarcely
add that this matter excites intense interest
among the French Protestants of Paris, if not among
the English Protestants, to whom M. Paschoud is
well known.

The Paris papers, including even the Moniteur,
fall into strange confusion when treatini, of the
affairs of Germany. They give news from Pesth
under that head. It may be right to explain that
Hungary never formed part of the Germanic Con-
federation ; and, indeed, the French Government,
when it was proposed to incorporate the kingdom
' of St. Etienne with the Confederation in 1850 and
1851, protested against it, not only on the ground
of its being contrary to existing treaties, but also in
support of the principle of the balance of power.
Hungary does not form part of the Austrian Em-
pire, at least legally. It is united to that Empire
much in the same way as Norway is to Sweden—
under the same Sovereign, but with a separate con-
stitution and Government. That is the construction
of the union according to the Diet of Hungary, and
all Hungary has the same view of it.
" Don Juan" bads been revived with a .powerful

cast and great attention to scenic effects. It is
more attractive than ever. Its revival was marked
by an incident worth mentioning. At the moment
when Ottavio, Anna, and Elvira enter the ball-
room, Don Juan addresses them and gives them
permission to wear their masks, saying Vive la
Liberte, which is repeated by the chorus. The pit
caught at the allusion and cheered vociferously.
Even a portion of the orchestra joined in the
cheers. Under former Governments such an in-
nocent manifestation would have been sup-
pressed, but the Government of Louis Napoleon
rather encourages than checks all aspirations for
real liberty. _ _

The following is the result of the races in the
Bois de Boulogne yesterday :—Prix de Boulogne,
3,000 f., M. Delatre's Meli-Melo, 1 ; Le Menagere,
2 ; Castagnette, 3. Prix de Longchamps, 3,000 f.,
M. Delamarre's Victorieuse, 1 ; Stilton, 2. Prix de
la Seine, 10,000 fr., Sultan, 1 ; Tourmalet, 2 ; La
Magicien (Count Lagrange), 3. Grand Prix de
l'lmp6ratrice, 15,000 fr., Gladiateur, 1; Fum6e, 2 ;
Vertugadin, 3. Prix des Acacias, 6,000 fr, Fleu-
rette, 1 ; Etoile-Filante, 2.
The Paris Spring Meeting attracted a very
numerous assemblage. Besides the Emperor and
the young Prince of Denmark, on the grand stand
were Prince Joachim Murat ; Count de Nieuwer-
kerke, Minister of the Fine Arts ; General Fleury,
Grand Equerry ; Baron Haussmann, Minister of
Public Works ; M. Pietri, Prefect of Police ; also
the sporting men of note and the leading fashion-
ables of Paris.

The Constitutionnel, analysing the contents of the
German papers, says it collects from them that the
Cabinet of Vienna is determined to take an imme-
diate step in its character of a Federal Power, that
is to say, it will demand the intervention and action
of the Germanic Diet.

Here is the comment of the Siecle upon the affairs
of Germany :—" The journals of the secondary
States continue to be of opinion that the attitude of
the Cabinet of Berlin opens for Germany a per-
spective of interminable complications and troubles,
unless, indeed, the Augsburg Gazette says, there
should arise a dens ex machina." That journal also
says it was in error when it announced that the
Duke George of Mecklenbourg was the mediator
proposed by Russia to arrange the difficulties be-
tween Prussia and Austria.

I have never witnessed such an extraordinary
storm of thunder and lightning as that which visited
Paris and the environs last night, and I believe the
" oldest inhabitant" will be disposed to confirm my
opinion that it is unprecedented in modern times.
The day had been fine but somewhat gloomy, with
little sunshine and some slight April showers, but
there was nothing to indicate a storm. Between
six and seven in the evening, however, dark clouds
somewhat suddenly concentrated to the south and
north, and In half an hour the sheet lightning was
seen on the south, and was so frequent and vivid as
to excite some alarm in that direction beyond
Paris. They were not mere flashes of light-
ning, but livid flakes of flames glittered forth
almost continuously, or at all events for a
time, after the interval of a few seconds only.
For nearly an hour no thunder was heard, at all
events in the vicinity of Paris, but at the expiration
of that period it broke forth. It was " not loud,
but deep." They were not sudden flashes of thun-
der, but for several hours there was almost an in-
cessant rumbling noise, which continued till mid-
night ; but after nine o'clock the thunder was
not so frequent. At about nine o'clock the rain
came literally " rushing like a torrent." I never
before either saw or heard such rain. The country
districts were inundated. In some of the lanes a
boat of light draught would have floated. To-day,
near the Champs Elysees, and elsewhere, there are
deeper puddles than were perhaps ever seen there
before. I have not heard of any loss of life, but
there must have been considerable damage to pro-
perty. The Paris papers to-day have but a brief
notice of this almost unparalleled thunderstorm, but
they characterise it as remarkable. Within my own
knowledge many persons were afraid to go to bed,
and a sleepless night, I think, must have been the
fate of thousands. There is a proverb in France
to the effect that thunder in April fills the wine
let it be hoped that good in this respect may come
out of evil.