The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-31 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Sunday Evening.
A report has been prevalent in Paris that the
great Powers of Europe intend some intervention,
with a view to the speedy and total suppression of
the insurrectionary proceedings in Crete. lam not
able to confirm the truth of the report. Indeed there
seems reason to doubt it, but I believe that the new
Turkish Ambassador has communicated to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs a note, which has been
addressed on the subject by the Ottoman Porte to
the Government of Greece. Some letters received
in Paris assert that the Cretan insurrection has be-
come more formidable and important.
Several of the Paris papers assert that the clerical
party in Mexico have made pressing representations
to Maximilian, with a view to induce him to abandon
his idea of abdication.
Another Cabinet Council was held yesterday at
the Tuileries, the Emperor presiding, as usual.
On Friday afternoon the Princess Mathilde re-
ceived Mr. and Mrs. John Bigelow to take leave,
Mr. Bigelow having resigned his post as Minister
Plenipotentiary from the United States to France.
The first meeting of the Commission appointed
to revise the convention between England and
France relative to the fishery on the coasts of both
countries took place on Friday, at the Ministry of
Marine, under the presidence of the Marquis de
Chasseloup Laubat. This commission is thus com-
posed :—For France, Messrs. Mauceaux, Council-
lor of State, Herbet, Minister Plenipotentiary and
Director of Consulates and commercial business at
the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ozenne, Director
of Foreign Commerce, Ame, Chief of Division at the
Ministry of Finance and naval Captain Champeaux.
For England—Messrs. Stephen Cave, M.P., Vice-
President of the Board of Trade Mr. Frederick
Goulburn, Director of the Customs ; Mr. Shaw
Lefevre, M.P. ; and Capt. Hore, Military Attache
to the English Embassy.
The Moniteur Prussien announces that the King
of Prussia has sent to the Marquis de la Valette,
the Minister of the Interior, and to his Excellency
M. Benedetti, French Ambassador at Berlin, the
decoration of the Order of the Black Eagle. Any
tribute to the services of the Minister of the Interior
will be received with satisfaction by everybody here,
for in his department he is indefatigable in his en-
deavours to promote the comfort of the lower classes,
and to provide for the general welfare. Under his
auspices enormous sums have been raised for the
relief of the sufferers by the inundations, and in
several instances he was among the first to assuage
the effects of accident or other calamity. We
acknowledge the promptitude with which any repre-
sentation whatever connected with the affairs of the
departments is sure to be received.
The Provincia of Turin states that it will be on

the 18th or 20th of January that the High Court of
Justice will decide whether or not it be expedient
to place Admiral Persano on his trial.
Various inaccurate reports have been circulated
with a view to create an impression that the Pope
was indisposed to a conciliatory arrangement with
the Italian Government. In reference to these
apocryphal statements the Nazione says :—" The
news published by several journals relative to the
negotiations between the Italian Government and

the Pontifical Court, and particularly the details
relative to some supposed points of difference be-
tween the two Governments, should be received with
great reserve. The negotiations proceed regularly.
They have for object points of ecclesiastical right,
and it is hoped that they will not be without useful
results."

The expedition of Vice-Admiral Rose, Com-
rnauder-in-Chief of the Naval Division in China
to demand expiation from the Emperor for the bar-
barous murder of several French missionaries, natu-
rally creates a desire to obtain some information
relative to that distant region, which is very little
known. Captain Basil Hall, who explored the
coasts of the Corea, and the archipelago of Liou-
Tcheou, and who formed part of Lord Amherst's
mission to China in 1816, wrote a book
upon the subject, but in the Leltres Ed7iantes
some very interesting points are mentioned.
In 1703 the Corea obtained some notoriety. At
that period the Father de Pontenay, minister of
the Society of Jesus in China, wrote to Peve
Lahaise, confessor of Louis the 14th, as follows :
" Father Thomas has informed us of all that was
known at Pekin of the kingdom of Corea. He
tells us that its capital is called Chan-sien, and
that it is situated at a distance of 110 leagues
from the river Yallo, which separates Tartary from
the Corea. From that river to the town of Chin-yae
—capital of the province of Leaston—the distance
is 60 leagues. From Chin-yau to Chaiu-yai,
which is at the entrance of China from Leaoton
80 leagues, and from Chain-yai to Pekin 67.
The kingdom of Corea extends on the
north side to 44 deg., latitude north. It is
numerously populated and divided into eight pro-
vinces. From east to west the distance is 140
leagues. Persons were not allowed to go there
from China without the Emperor's permission."
According to a geographical account of the Corea
it is almost an island of a long form which the
Chinese call Kaoli. It has an extent of 7,442 geo-
graphical square miles and has a population of no
less than 12 millions. It is situated between. China
and the islands of Japan. In reaches on the north
to Eastern Tartary and to the province of Canton
or Leas-Thong to the south, east, and west. To
the north there are immense mountains almost
always covered with snow, but the south is fertile,
and produces rice, corn, flax, cotton, and silk. It also
possesses valuable gold, silver, iron, and lead mines.
In many respects the inhabitants of Corea resemble
the Chinese. Their alphabet contains some thou-
sands of letters. Their Religion is a species of
Bhudism. It is only within ten years past that
Corea has deigned to enter into relations with the
European countries. The present Emperor, with
whom Vice-Adsniral Rose is now in correspondence,
or rather in hostile contact, assumes the title of
King, but he is in reality only a vassal or tributary
to the Emperor of China. The language is so
very difficult that the ordinary interpreters could
not properly explain to Vice-Admiral Rose the
statements and excuses of the Emperor. The
Vice-Admiral was therefore compelled to detach a
vessel from the squadron to bring back more
learned pundits " from Shanghai.
. .

A Belgian journal states that a sportsman in the
environs of Esneux killed a wild rabbit of singular
conformation. It had four ears of equal dimensions
at an equal distance from each other. Two of these
ears were white and two grey. In other respects
the rabbit was of the usual form. It has been care-
fully stuffed by a naturalist.

Here is an illustration of the truth of the poet's
assertion that " a (very) little learning is a dangerous
thing." Madame X., who keeps a wine shop not
far from the Boulevards, the other day received in
the course of business a letter containing a 100 f
note. While she was turning the letter over and
over in evident embarrassment, for it appears she
is guiltless of the knowledge either of reading or
writing, a very genteel, innocent-looking youth
passed by. She asked him to come in, and on learn-
ing the cause of the difficulty, he kindly offered to
put an end to it by reading the letter. Under the
pretence that it was too dark in the shop to read the
letter he went to the door. A step only separated
him from the street, and that step he rapidly jumped
over and ran off with full speed, taking with him
both letter and bank note. Nothing has yet been
heard of him.

I sent you the particulars at the time of the mur-
der of an innkeeper, named Vitte, by two soldiers
named Ciosi and Agostini, who had sought a night's
lodging at his house, and had afterwards robbed
him. They have been convicted by a Council of
War and sentenced to death. They were natives of
Corsica, and served in Africa. Both of them were
men of bad antecedents.

The rain fell in torrents during the greater part
of last night, and there has been a good deal of rain
to-day. The temperature continues very mild.

FENT ANIS3I. John M'Kearney, charged at Not-
tingham with Fenianism, has been again brought before
the magistrates ; but no evidence was adduced in addition
to what has already been published. On the application of
the chief constable the prisoner was further remanded till
Wednesday next.

LA TEST INTEL

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE ABYSSINIAN CAPTIVES.
PARE, Dce. 31.

The Moniteur of this morning says :—" Letters
received here from Massowah state that Consul
Cameron and Mr. Rassam, with their friends, have
been again placed in irons by orders of the Emperor
Theodore. The cause of this severity is not
known."

AMERICA.
(By Atlaiitic Telegraph.)
NEW YORK, Dec. 29.

Gold, 1334. Sterling Exchange on London, 1091.
Illinois, 118 ; Erie, 68. 5-20 li.S. Bonds, 1054.
Cotton : Middling Upland, 34c.
The Royal Mail steamer Australasian arrived out
yesterday.

ARRIVAL OF THE HECLA.
QUEENSTOWN, Dec. 31.

The Cunard steamship Hecla, from New York,
arrived here at 4.25 a.m., with 105 passengers and
$115,437 in specie for England. She landed 14
passengers, and proceeded to Liverpool at 4.40 a.m.
All well.

TURKEY AND SERVIA,
CONSTANTINOPLE, Dee. 30.

France has confidentially advised the Porte to
yield to the demands of Servia, and, generally, to
endeavour to pacify its Sdavonian subjects.
The Candian insurgents have been reinforced by
fresh arrivals of volunteers, and arc preparing to en-
gage the Turkish troops.

WEST INDIA, MEXICAN, AND PACIFIC
MAILS.

SOUTHAMPTON, DOC. 31.
The Royal Mail Company's steamship Shannon,
with the above mails, has arrived. She brings 69
passengers, $1,613,830 in specie and 3,298 packages
of cargo, consisting chiefly of cocoa, indigo, cigars,
bark, and tobacco.
She left St. Thomas on the 16th, and experienced
fine weather. The yellow fever has greatly de-
creased. The Shannon had about 5 cases and only
one death, which occurred ten days since.
Dr. Wiblin, the Medical Superintendent of Quo.-

rantine, has communicated with the Lords of the
Privy Council. It is expected that the Shannon
will be admitted to pratique forthwith, as there ap-
pears no reason for the detention of ship or passen-
gers.

In Chili the press in the Radical interest con-

tinues to denounce the Government. The allied
fleet were to leave Valparaiso about the 20th Nov.,
for the purpose of attacking the Spanish merchant
vessels in the Atlantic.

A slight shock of an earthquake was felt at Val-
paraiso on the Bth. A fire also occurred there on
the 2nd, and entirely destroyed the market of that
city, reducing numbers of families of the lower
classes to want and ruin. In Valparaiso the market
was active, and considerable transactions were

taking place hi nitrate of soda. Bar copper had
declined 37c. per quintal. Exchange on London,
46d. to 46 d. Ou Paris, 480 f. ; bar silver, per
mare, $lO 25c. Freights to Liverpool and Swan-

sea, 555.

Peru continues to fortify Arica and Callao—the

latter port, it is said, will soon be capable of re-
sisting the most, powerful fleet. The telegraph
between Arica and Jacua was completed, and will
shortly be in operation between Islay and Arequipa.
The secretary of the Exchequer had resigned, in
consequence of a misunderstanding between the
other members of the Cabinet. The troops stationed
on the Chincha islands had mutinied, and having
seized a boat made their way to Pisco, and returned
to their homes in the interior.

In Costa Rica dry weather prevailed, and a great
improvement was shortly expected in business.

The Central American Republics were in the en-

joyment of peace.
The difficulties existing between the President of
Bogota and the Archbishop had been ami,mbly
arranged.

A revolution in Antioquina against Mosquera,
and an invasion of the Canea by that state was
expected.
The Jamaica Legislature was to meet on the 10th
December. The Government had manifested a
desire to economise the expenditure. It is expected
that numerous offices of emolument will be abolished.
The north side of the island had been unusually wet.
On the South side rain was wanted. In some parishes
sugar making had commenced, and the yield was
expected to be good. The coffee supplies were
small, and had sold at from 40s. to 455. Rum,
2s. 6d. in bond. Sugar 14s. to 17s. Exchange on
London, 2 per cent.

The weather at Trinidad was unsettled, but pub-
lic health had improved.
General rain had fallen at Antigua, and crops
were flourishing, and were expected to be good.
The yellow fever and smallpox still prevailed at
St. Thomas, which, although not to the extent re-
ported by the last mail, are nevertheless very bad.
Cholera, however, is raging fearfully, and carrying
off the inhabitants at the rati of 35 to 40 daily.
News from the other islands was unimportant.
SOUTHAMPTON, Dec. 31.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-
ship Pera has arrived here to-day with the heavy
portion of the Calcutta and China mails, 25 pas-
sengers, £1,410 ill specie, and a general cargo in-
cluding :,576 bales of silk, value £140,000.

Across the Bay of Biscay she experienced heavy
north westerly gales and a high sea. On the 27th
inst. the Pera spoke the steamer London, on the
28th the steamer Thessalia and Castillian, and on
the 29th the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
st,aniship Syria.

New Zealand advices announce that the ilokitiki
murderers had been hanged, with the exception of
Sullivan, the approver.
The Hokitiki gold diggings were yielding more
largely than ever. News had been received from
Victoria that the ship Result, of London, had been
destroyed by fire. The gold fields were prosperous.
Trade was dull. Parliament would open in Feb-
ruary next. The Governor of Victoria was becom-
ing popular.