The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-21 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS,

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(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Friday Evening.
The occupation of Darmstadt, the capital of the
Grand Duchy of Hesse, being an accomplished fact,
and the Prussians having marched upon the right
bank of the Maine at Hcechst and Biberich, thus
having the mastery over the whole course of
that river to its mouth in the Rhine, there is little
doubt that they will now concentrate their opera-
tions against the important fortress of Mayence,
where they formerly kept a garrison in the name of
the Germanic Confederation. With respect to the
Austrians, the question seems to be whether they will
attempt to rally and encamp at Florisdorf, near
Vienna, or try to join the defenders of the capital
by a turning movement by Hungary and Presburg ?
The other alternative left to them is to renounce
their projected junction with the troops of the Army
of the South and maintain the strong position of
Runatz, so as to keep in check the Prince Royal,
who is watching their movements. This point of
strategy would have the advantage of detaching
from the concentration of the Prussian forces
which menace Vienna a very considerable
corps d'armee. A day or two may elapse
before facts will give a solution to the difficulties.
The Vienna Gazette contains a proclamation of the
Archduke Marshal Albert to his soldiers on assum-
ing the command of the Army of Operation. He
speaks of the Austrian army as being more power-
ful than ever, and says that "he only loses his
rights who is intimidated or despairs." In conclu-
sion, he expresses unshaken confidence in God, who
protects the just cause. " Let us have confidence
in our own strength, which Increases with every
fresh task imposed upon us, and let us march with
confidence to the battle with cries of Vice l'Em-
pereur "
The Siecle says :—" Under the date of Storo, July.
19, 4 o'clock in the afternoon, we received the fol-
lowing telegram from General Garibaldi :—' The
fort of Ampola surrendered at discretion at half-
past nine o'clock. The route of the valley of Ledro
and Reva is open.—G. GARIBALDI.'"
The following is also from the Siecle " Al-
though England has reiterated her assurance of
neutrality, and made good professions in favour of
peace, she foresees in a future more or less distant
eventualities which may force her soldiers into the
field of battle. The sitting of the House of Com-
mons on the 16th of July was almost exclusively
devoted to dissertations upon the subject of the
needle gun. England is occupied with the subject
of armaments."
There is still no confirmation of the reported de-
feat of the Garibaldians at Condino.
A letter from Rovigo states that a scene of great
enthusiasm has been presented in that little town.
The Italian colours were suspended at all the win-
dows, and all sorts of rejoicing took place
to welcome the arrival of Cialdini and his corps
d'armee. The doors and pathways were embellished
with flowers, and the air resounded with cries of
" Long live our King Victor Emmanuel !" Day

and night people sing national airs or Brofferiu's
hymn. The cafes are crowded with enthusiastic
politicians, who eagerly devour every word illustra-
tive of the defeat of the Austrians.

An interesting experiment has been made at
Mont Cenis, in the presence of the Minister of
Public Works of France, accompanied by several
eminent French engineers. The portion of the
railway which is terminated was traversed by a
train composed of several carriages, with a speed of
18 kilometres in ascending, and of 15 in descend-
ing. The gradient is to the extent of 8.50 per cent,
and some of the curves have a radius of not more
than 40 metres. The works towards the Italian
side will be finished in October next, so that there
is an expectation that next November Italy and
France will be united by a direct railway.
The Empress and the young Imperial Prince
have returned to Paris in the best health and
spirits, and highly delighted with all the incidents
of their journey to Lorraine. Her Majesty re-
viewed at Nancy four regiments of Cavalry and a
battery of Artillery, and afterwards distributed
medals to officers and soldiers, who kissed hands on

Inc .empress was accompanied at 'the revieW, .0y
Marshal Forey, General Fleury, General Frossard,
the Emperor's Aide-de-Camp, General de Martin-
prey, and her Ladies of Honour.

A lady and gentleman named Bryere have met
with a frightful death at Tours. Their apartment
on the ground floor is built over an arch which
forms the common sewer. They were dining when
the arch suddenly gave way, and they, with the
table, were suddenly precipitated into the sewer.
Thereon attempts were made to extricate them, and
one young man was nearly suffocated. Twenty
minutes elapsed before the bodies could be drawn
up. Medical men were at hand, but they could not
counteract the Effects of the foul air. M. Bryere
was 40 and his wife 37. M. Bryere was a saddler.
A marriage is about to be celebrated at Paris
with great " pomp
.and pride and circumstance,"
that of the Duke d'Elchingan with a rich heiress of
the family of M. lleine, the banker. The dowry of
the bride is 10 millions of francs, and she will have
a fortune of 100 millions. The Duke d'Elchingan
is a grandson of Marshal Ney, Prince of Moskova.
M. Joire, a banker of Lille, has just been arrested
at the watering place of Vichy. He and his son
are charged with putting into circulation forged
sills of exchange to the amount of a million and a
half of francs. The discovery was first made by a
banker at Nantes, who at first thought that M.
Joire himself was the victim of a forger. He there-
fore gave notice to the Bank of France (which has
discounted some of those forged bills to the amount
of 80,000 f.), and also to M. Joire. The son for the
present has escaped. The banking house of M.
Joire is declared to be in a state of bankruptcy.
The assets amount to more than two millions of
francs.

I have already mentioned the subscription of the
Emperor and other eminent persons for the relief of
the sufferers from the invasion of the locusts in
Algeria. A general subscription is now on foot.
The crops is Algeria have been almost entirely de-
stroyed by these insects. The locust of passage or
cricket is described by a French naturalist as very
voracious. They generally come from Tartary,
Arabia, and Sahara, and are by no means scarce in
France at the present moment. In the East they
boil and eat them. The head and wings become
red like shrimps. A French writer says they may
be cooked in 36 ways. For more than three months
these insects have devastated Algeria. Besides
the mention of them in the Bible, it is stated
in the " History of Charles the Twelfth" that
the army were annoyed by them, and that they
were so numerous as to obscure the sun. The y
came like a tempest. The historian Mezevez
says that in 1613 they caused incalculable
damage at Arles, in the South of France. Three
thousand quintals of dead locusts were collected,
and thrown into the Rhone. They destroyed both
grapes and wine at Tavascon and Beausaine.
Another lady swindler has victimised a dealer in
silks and novelties in the Rue Richelieu. She hired
an expensive and beautiful apartment in the St.
Hyacinth, to which she ordered some valuable pur-
chases to be sent. When the assistant came with
them she called out as if to her husband to come and
look at them, and give her the money to pay, and
seemed much annoyed that he had gone out unex-
pectedly, as he had the key of the secretary. The
clerk was so captivated with her winning manners
that he left the articles, and said he would come for
the money in the evening. The employer, less con-
fident, sent him back immediately. It was too late.
The lady was gone, and so were the goods. She
had only occupied the apartment for a few hours,
and forgot to pay the rent, which in Paris it is the
custom to pay in advance.
A veteran clarionet-player, Franco Dacosta,
has
just died at Bordeaux, his native city. Dacosta
played solos at the chapelle of Napoleon the First,
and of the Kings Louis XVIII. and Louis Philippe.
He was the founder of the Societe des Converts.
He was eighty eight,
and played on his instrument
an hour before his death,
Anna Tetrelle, a girl of 23, a servant of M.
Sieuvin at Canvilly (Seine Inferianne,) was mur-
dered in the house last
Sunday, while the family