The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-20 00:00:00

ThE SUN, LO DUN, WEDNESDAY EVEN

Independence." The people of Prussia are too
wise to believe a word of this. A very sounding
but unmeaning tirade, and it will not produce the
desired effect of conciliating them, and making an
odious war popular among them.
The Governments acting in concert with Austria
have resolved to insist on the following deci-
sions : That Holstein be taken possession
of, and the former mode of Government
re-established there, and to re-assemble the
Holstein Estates. The Government of Italy have
now fairly declared war, and may be expected to
set to work in earnest. Things are beginning to
look serious indeed for the prospects of the German
States, for move which ever way they may they
meet with enemies. The chief thing to impress
upon Austria is that she must use despatch and lose
not a single instant in unmeaning discussion and
unnecessary delay. The opportunities thrown
away at the beginning of a campaign are seldom,
if ever, retrieved, and it would be indeed most de-
plorable if Prussia remain in the ascendant after
all.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, Tuesday Evening.

The Moniteur contains a letter from the Hague,
which states that the proposal to withdraw from the
Germanic Confederation the territories belonging
to the King of the Netherlands (that is to say, the
Duchy of Limburg and the Grand Duchy of Lim-
burg), the proposal contained in the project of
Federal Reform presented by Prussia, has given
great satisfaction in Holland, as it is in accordance
with public opinion and the repeated wishes expressed
by the Government of the Netherlands. It is to a
sentiment of gratitude towards Prussia that the vote
of the representative of 'William the Third at the
Diet in opposition to the motion for the mobilisation
of the Federal army made by Austria is attributed.
The Minister of the Netherlands on this occasion
abandoned the reserve which he usually maintains,
and which induces him in general to abstain from
giving an opinion upon purely Germanic ques-
tions. This vote besides only confirms the attitude
of neutrality which the Netherlands wish to observe
in the conflict which has broken out between Prussia
and Austria—a fact which the Court of Vienna
seems to admit beforehand, since it has "asked the
Netherlands representatives at Berlin and at Flor-
ence to take charge of the interests of Austrian
subjects in Prussia and Italy.
The official paper also states that as the tele-
graphic communications in Germany are interrupted
by the movements of various belligerent States
authentic information as to military operations is
exceedingly scarce, and it can only make a summary
" under all reserve." The Moniteur proceeds to
mention a few circumstances, some of which may
be already known. It notices the entry of the
Prussians into Hanover, and says they were received
in silence by the population. It was not believed
that the Saxon army could oppose any serious resist-
ance to the Prussians. Prince Frederic Charles of
Prussia (army of Saxony) had advanced to a point
of the Saxon territory formed by the territory of
Bohemia near Rumbourg. The Italian General La
Marmora had arrived at the head-quarters of
Cremona, where he had been joined by the King of
Italy. The announcement of an engagement near
Frankfort-on-the-Maine between the troops of the
Grand Duchy of Hesse and those of Prussia is
placed among the information given "with reserve."
The latest reliable news in reference to the war
is that the Hanoverian army is concentrated at
Gottinger. The Saxon army is on the march to
join the Austrians. The Prussians occupy the capi-
tal of Hanover and various points of Saxony ;
among other places Leipsic, the Duchy of Saxe-
Altenbourg, and Gerstorf, which is on the frontiers
of Bohemia.

A letter from Como speaks of the indefatigable
activity of Garibaldi while there. His reception was
enthusiastic by the men, and the women strewed his
path with flowers. On his route from Camerlata to
Como, under a tropical sun, to review the Volun-
teers, the excitement was extreme. All cried " -Viva
Garibaldi." The soldiers sang warlike songs, and
it was with the greatest difficulty that the populace
were prevented from drawing Garibaldi's carriage.
The General seemed unmoved, but once he cried
out, " What splendid volunteers !"
The cholera and dysentery have manifested them-
selves at Amiens, an ancient town at which many
English travellers stop on their way from Boulogne
to Paris to visit the Cathedral and other interest-
ing objects. Several deaths have occurred, but
chiefly among old persons and children, who are the
most subjected to atmospheric influences. The ac-
count as to the state of the disease on Saturday is
that it is on the decline. On each of the preceding
days the number of deaths was 38 ; on Saturday
the number of deaths was 28. Some of these deaths,
however, are not attributable to cholera.
Mery, whose death I mentioned yesterday, was a
great poet, probably the most remarkable of French
poets of modern days. He could also write prose
articles, which were greedily read by the Parisians.
Some interesting stories are told of his literary
career. When he wrote an article for the .Hain
Jaune, Yellow Dwarf, some doubt was expressed
as to whether he was not indebted for it to
a fraud. 1116ry, therefore, offered to write some-
thing in the presence of the directors. The subject
given to him was the Petite Poste. The article made
a sensation in the literary world, and one author
remarked that it was not the petite poste which had
been illustrated, but the grande. At first Mery was
only paid I,Boof. a year—then 2,ooo—then 3,000
—afterwards as much as he wished. Upon one oc-
casion
he is said to have been offered 25,000 f.
(£1,000) upon the perusal of one single article in
the Constitutionnel. Mc:try was then about to write a
pamphlet La Villeliade. It was against M. de
Villele, then Minister of Finance. It became known
that the publication of thepamphlet would be inter-
dicted by M. Villele, but although the agreement
with M. Ponthieu, the bookseller, had been signed,
M. M6ry, on hearing of the interdiction, tore the
contract into pieces. M6ry's poem, Napoleon en
Egypte, was sent to Queen Hortense, the mother of
Napoleon the Third. The Queen sent the poet an
autograph letter, in which she said, " I have read
the Napoleon, and I teach your beautiful verses to
my children." Miry improvisated very inspiring
verses. One one occasion he recited impromptu
another act of the " Luerece of Pousard," and on
another day, in an hour, he wrote the sth Act of
" Herculaneum," the opera of Felician David. He

had just finished, in conjunction with M. Camille
Locle, the libretto of Don Carlos, the opera which
Verdi has promised to complete in the ensuing

Autumn, and which is so earnestly expected by the
Parisians. As to the titles of M. Mery's poems
" their name is Legion." Joseph Mery was born at

Aygalades on the 21st of January, 1798. His first
work was a satirical poem, written at Marseilles.
He arrived in Paris in 1823. M. Mary had some
reputation as a dramatist. He wrote a comedy in
5 acts, " L'Univers et la Nation," a drama "La
Bataille de Toulouse," " Herculaneum" and
" Seramis," operas, "Le Selam," and other dra-
matic works. His articles in the newspapers—he
wrote for almost all of them by turns--would fill
volumes.

The weather is still stormy, rainy, and unsettled,
but there has been no recurrence of the wintry cold
of Sunday. One of the French weather prophets
predicts cold and wet during the greater portion of
the present summer,

YACIITING.—A TOUR OF TIIE MEDITERRANEAN.—
A select party of ladies and gentlemen have, it appears,
organised, under the auspices of some of the yacht club
a trip this autumn to the Mediterranean in a first-class
steamer of about 600 tons. The party has boon limited to
35, and Will leave England on the 11th July, and stay from
two to seven days at different places. The tour is expected
to occupy a space of three months.
REFORMATORIES AND INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.--The
meeting of managers of reformatories and industrial schools
on the subject of the bills before Parliament on these sub-
jects was held yesterday at 1, Adam-street, Mr. Adderley,
M.P., in the chair, and after a discussion the meeting was
adjourned to this day (NYQdnesday), tl2 p'clyck.