The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-12 00:00:00

portion of its leaves. A few minutes afterwards an
immense streak of red fire,' some portions of which
were of a zigzag form, was to be seen over the
Place de la Bourse. It was accompanied by
such a terrible detonation that the performance
of the " Famine Benoiton," at the Vaude-
ville theatre was temporarily interrupted. The
ladies screamed and fainted, fearing that the
lightning had struck the theatre. At the Church
of Notre Dame there was also a panic among the
congregation, and the service was also interrupted
for some minutes. At the Central Police Post in
the Rue de la Banque, which is behind the Church,
several police-officers experienced a sensation as if
an attempt had been made to knock them down.
One of, them says he saw a large ball of fire enter
the building by an open window, and pass out at
the other "end. At the Chateau des Fleurs, in the
Champs Elysees, some lamps were broken. In the
Rue de la Papiniere, in the same locality, the light-
ning set fire to the gas and burnt a heap of wood
which was in the yard. A thunderbolt
is said to have fallen in the cemetery of Montmartre.
Near the Pont des Invalides a vigorous omnibus
horsewas instantly struck dead. The most curious
incident of this strange storm took place on the
d'Orsay Railway between Bourg-la-Reine and
Arceuil. The electric fluid struck one of the car-
riages, rushed entirely through it, broke the door of
it into fragments, and emerged at the window oppo-
site to the door. All the telegraphic wires were
much damaged by the storm, but the communica-
tion is now restored.

A very small screw steamer of novel construction
has been launched upon the Seine, at St. Denis, as
a model of those which 'are to play during the Ex-
hibition from the new bridge at Bercy to St. Cloud,
and which, from their light draught, will be able to
navigate the Seine during the summer, a matter of
great difficulty, as the Ovate* is so low at that season.
The steam engine is such a minute and splendid
piece:of machinery as almost to resemble clock work.
.These boats, the speed of which is compared to that
of the butterfly, are to be called Papillons. They
will be fitted up with comfort and elegance. On
deck there will be a small compartment for smokers.
A new piece, called " La Vipere Blene," the idea
of which has arisen out of the excitement by the toy
of Pharaoh's serpents, has been read at the theatre
of the Palais Royal. It is by Messrs. Henri Roche-
fort and Pierre Veron. It is said to abound in wit
and originality, and to be likely to send home the
audience " laughing to their beds."
The attention of artists is this week directed to a
rich collection of pictures belonging to the Marquis
de Valori Rustechelli, of Italian ancestry, but a
Frenchman by birth. The collection comprises'
some rare specimens by the old Italian masters,
particularly remarkable pictures by Correggio and
Paul Veronese. There is also a fine Leonardo di
Vinci.

The dead body of a German lady, of 42, found
murdered at Colombes, near Paris, a day or two
ago, has been recognised to be that of Fanny Haag,
who had apartments to let, very handsomely fur-
nished, in the Rue Taitbout. She professed to
exist by giving lessons in German, but she bore an
equivocal reputation. She was reputed to be rich,
and is supposed to have had a good deal of money
in her pockets. The police have not obtained any
clue to the assassins.

A Paris paper, which sometimes has important
official news, says it has received private accounts
from Frankfort, which lead it to the belief that the
extraordinary sitting of the Diet, convoked at the
instigation of Austria, will induce M. Bismark to
recede from provoking the eventualities of war.