The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-02 00:00:00

.
CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS,

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Wednesday Evening.
The fact mentioned in the despatches from Vera
Cruz of the capture of Matamoras, to which I
alluded yesterday, seems to me to be considered of
more importance than was at first imagined. A re-
port of it was circulated before, but there seemed to
be some doubt about it. Matamoras is a place of
some consequence, situated on the right bank of the
River Grande-del-Norte, which separates Mexico
from Texas. It was for a long time vigorously de-
fended by General Mejia, who appreciated its im-
portance in a strategic point of view. The occupa-
tion of Matamoras prevented the Juaristes who
might assemble in that part of the United States
called the Territories from crossing the river and
penetrating into the interior of, the country. They
will no longer have any rallying point upon the
Mexican soil. The despatches do not say
whether any French troops have been sent to-
wards Matamoras. Some of the Paris papers express
a hope that this will not be the case and give an
opinion that the Emperor Maximilian ought to un-
dertake the task of pacifying Mexico, and that no
more French blood should be shed with that ob-
ject. According to a private letter, the Republican
army, which compelled the surrender of Matamoras,
was 4,000 strong. At first, although General
Mejia had a very trifling force at his command, he
determined upon resistance to the uttermost, but at
a Council of War, at which the leading merchants
were present, the idea of resistance was abandoned
as useless, and the town was given up to Generals
Escobedo and Carvagal, and the French troops
retired.

w aAr d
scorrespondent
erofa thpfliaSnijoie,saadtoEwais,graunbd,
says
s-
that the battle there on the 3d of July ought to
be called the battle of Koniggratz. He gives a
succinct and lucid explanation of the strategic
arrangements of the Austrians, and mentions
facts more or less known to show the causes
which led to the success of the Prussians.
In conclusion, the writer gives the following ac-
count of the result The Austrian and Saxon
army endeavoured to escape by Koniggratz. A
portion of the Cavalry marched upon Pardubitz.
The greater number of the detachments, however,
were thrown into confusion, and the order of battle
entirely shaken ; 174 pieces of cannon, more than
18,000 prisoners, and 14 flags fell into the hands of
the Prussians. Had it not been for the coming of
night the Austrian army would have been almost
entirely destroyed. The Austrians confess that they
lost 40,000 men, whilst the loss to the Prussians,
according to the official accounts, did not exceed
10,000. The Austrian army never before expe-
rienced such a defeat. It was impossible to restore
order, even on the following days. Cannon, mate-
rial, baggage, columns of munitions, provisions and
guns and swords abandoned, sacks thrown upon the
roads, and, above all, the immense number of persons
continually arriving, prove almost the entire disso-
lution of the vanquished army."
A private letter from Italy completely disproves
the report circulated by some of the Paris papers
that Garibaldi ordered his soldiers to set fire to the
village of Berecca, in the valley of Ledro. The
village was set on fire by the Austrian artillery.
They fired upon it from six rifled cannon. As soon
as Garibaldi was able to regain possession of Berecca
he took the most vigorous and energetic measures
to isolate the flames and succour the unfortunate
inhabitants of the village. Count Martini de Reva,
and Trentin, Garibaldi's sub-lieutenant, undertook
to organise a subscription for their relief. Gari-
baldi had a very narrow escape at this engagement.
At the critical moment when the battle appeared
to be a
losttwhich th
Gee enemy neral'scarriage was the chief
point aimed,
One of his
guides, M. Giannini, of Florence, had his leg frac-
tured by a shell, which burst at the carriage door.
The guide, who was on horseback on the other side
of the carriage, had his horse killed by a bullet.
A very extraordinary encounter between a rat
and an elephant has taken place at the Garden of
Plants, which was witnessed with intense interest
by hundreds of persons. The keepers were engaged
in
nhedm escapedestroying a great number of rats, when one of
and ran to the spot allotted to the
elephant. Seeing no other refuge, in the twinkling
of an eye, the rat snugly ensconced himself in the
trunk of the elephant, evidently very much to his
dissatisfaction. lie stamped his foot and twisted
round his trunk like the sail of a windmill. After
these evolutions he stood suddenly still, evidently re-
flecting on what was best to be done. He then ran
to the basin where he is accustomed to drink, and
plunged his trunk into the water. He then re-
turned to his den, and, raising his trunk, with
the water he absorbed 'he dashed out the unfor-
tunate rat which was in a volume of water like
that issuing from a fire-engine. When the rat
fell to the ground, the elephant seized him and made
him undergo this immersion and projection four
times. At the fourth throw the rat fell dead. The
elephant, with a majestic air, but cool and placid,
ed his
gthe little enemy with his foot, and
then shwent spectators to make his usual
roundann annoying
collection of cakes, sugar, and other dainties. The
cru
feat was received with unanimous and vociferous
applause, which the elephant seemed fully to under
stand and appreciate.

M. de Lesseps has returned to Paris from Egypt.
He has brought with him three stallions, three
mares, and two ponies of pure breed, the most
beautiful ever produced in the East.
It appears from further researches made by the
police at Rennes, at the house of the railway clerk
charged with stealing 40,000 f. from the railway
company at that town, that nearly the whole of the
money has been found either in the cellar or on the
roof. The clerk has been arrested, and he will be
tried for the robbery at the next assizes for the de-
partment of Ille-et-Vilaine.
The Italian papers give some characteristic anec-
dotes respecting the Italian fleet after the battle of
Lissa. On the 26th July there was an affecting
ceremony on board the iron-clad ship Ancona. A
deputation of the municipality of Ancona presented
to M. Piola Casella a flag, on which is inscribed
ti The city of Ancona to the Italian navy." The
commander of the Ancona replied in these noble
terms :—" The flag with which you have entrusted
me will shine in future battles, supported by our
courage and the abnegation of all, and never will
it tarnish our glory by descending from the spot
where it has been hoisted." Count Fao di Bruns,
commander of the ship Ite-d'ltalia, after the aban-
donment of that ship by the admiral, fought with
rare intrepidity in the midst of a shower of balls
and bullets. Ile was killed by a bullet before the
shock of the three iron-clad ships of the enemy
sunk his vessel. The Nazione of Turin says that
the Italian Government is about to publish an im-
portant and interesting account of the battle of
Lissa.

A man named Louis Collignon, aged 42,
and his
sister, the wife of a man named I'ouillot, have been
tried for the murder of a little girl of nine years
old by drowning her in the river Seine. The child
was the daughter of Pouillot by a former wife,
and
there was also a son. These children, it appeared,
were a source of continued quarrels, and the evi-
dence went to prove that the prisoners concerted
together to murder the girl. The jury found both
prisoners guilty, and Collignon was condemned to
death. They, however, gave their opinion that