The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-24 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Sunday Evening.
The Empress and the Prince Imperial came to
meet the Emperor on his arrival at Biarritz. His
Majesty, who had been impatiently expected at
Biarritz for some days, was received with the ut-
most affection and cordiality by the population
and the numerous strangers now residing in the
town.

Her Majesty the Empress of Russia has sent to
the Princess Matilda the grand cordon and the
decoration in diamonds of the Order of Sainte
Catherine.
The Journal de Dresde says that the news given
by the Nouvelle Presse Libre of the conclusion of
peace between Prussia and Saxony is premature ;
but the official journal believes, nevertheless, that
the negotiations will have a favourable result.
The Memorial Diploinatique says it learns "from
a source on which it places entire reliance that the
English Government has decided to devote a sum
of 20 million sterling to complete the armaments
of Great Britain both in regard to the fleet and the
army. The preparatory execution of the requisite
measures has commenced, and they will be actively
pursued during the interval which will elapse before
the meeting of Parliament. As soon as Parliament
shall assemble the Minister will submit the measures
he has in view for its sanction, and ask for a vote
of credit to carry them into execution. Lord Derby
is so determined to place England in a position to
meet any eventualities which may arise that rather
than renounce the object he has in view he will
dissolve Parliament." Be this announcement well
or ill-founded, the Paris papers do not seem to think
it worth much attention. Sometimes startling news
respecting England is, however, known at Paris be-
fore it transpires in London.
The vintage has commenced in the Maconnais,
not under favourable auspices, but from the unset-
tled state of the weather cultivators fear that by
delaying the vintage time will be still worse. For-
merly there was a prohibition against the com-
mencement of the vintage until a certain day, just
as shooting is forbidden until the reign of St.
Partridge, the first of September. The prohibition
was called Ban des Vendanges. Now cultivators
may begin to make wine when they like. The vin-
tage is an important epoch in France, and no won-
der that some French writers now employ themselves

with erudite researches upon the subject. They
tell us that the wine originally came from Persia,
that Cesar in his Commentaries speaks of the wine of
Campo Forti, and that in ancient times vines were

trained against cathedrals. Rabelais, they say
was a great drinker ; at least his epitaph records,

" Here lies the man who drank every day as long
as he lived." Modern French authors have culti-
vated vines. Paul Louis Courrier had a vineyard,
and Lamartine has one now. In France two mil-

lions of hectares are planted with vines, which pro-
duce 40 million hectolitres of wine. This wine
produces 500 millions of francs. Of this amount
no less than the sum of 80 millions of francs is paid
to the Government in the shape of duty.
The works for levelling the heights of Trocadero
at Passy have led to the discovery of a quarry of
stone of the peculiar kind used for sharpening
razors, and for lithography. A lithographic artist
by chance took up a piece of the stone, which he has
polished, and it is found perfectly applicable to
lithographic printing. Near this spot there was
formerly a marble quarry. It is proposed to work
the quarry now discovered.

A trial for poisoning of a terrible character is
about to take place at the Court of Assize of the
Deux Sevres. The accused is charged with poison-
ing four persons, Pierre Reau, his brother-in-law,
who died in 1853, Marie Jeanne Reau, his first
wife, Julie Bontemps, his second wife, and Adele
Reau, his daughter by that wife. All these persons
died with vomitings and convulsions, particularly
the second wife, Julie Bontemps. The bodies were
exhumed, and traces of poison, salt of mercury,
were discovered. Circumstances led to the belief
that all these murders were committed by the same
person, and suspicion pointed to the prisoner. It
was known that he had conceived a violent hatred
against his brother-in-law. The prisoner had also
obtained wills in his favour from both his wives,
and the motive for the murder of the child of the
second wife was that she would have inherited some
of her mother's property. It appears that by the
French law, as one of the murders was committed
more than ten years ago, there is prescription, and
no proceedings can be taken in reference to it, but
the prisoner will be tried on the charge of com-
mitting the three other murders.

The Jews of Paris keep their great religious
fete—the Feast of Pardons --very devoutly. This
fete, in Hebrew Hiom-ki-pour, commenced on Wed-
nesday last. On that day the localities leading to
the two great synagogues, one on the Rue Notre
Dame de Nazareth, the other on the Rue Lamar-
tine, were almost blocked up with the faithful pro-
ceeding to public worship. The Jewish population
of Paris is estimated at 30,000. The fete is cele-
brated according to the Mosaic law by singing,
prayers, and particularly by a rigorous fast for 25i
hours. The venerable rabbis went in procession to
the synagogues in the usual ceremonial costume,
including the ephod, or tunic. Eight days after
this fete is that of the Roch-Achanah, the renewal
of the Jewish year.
The accident to Adelina, belonging to M. Bal-
chin, at the Chantilly races, arose in this way. Soon
after starting for the fourth race she threw her
jockey (Smith), leaped the barriers, and ran full
gallop into the town, falling with great violence
against the shop of M. Gilquin, a wine merchant.
Smith, although much shaken, was able to go home
without assistance. Adelina was so much injured
that it was thought necessary to kill her. She was
hurt with the broken panes of a window against
which she dashed.

Four young men went out shooting a day or two
ago near Poissy. Not meeting with any game they
amused themselves by throwing an apple into the
air to shoot at. The gun of one of the young men
went off accidentally, and shot his companion, who
was near to him. The unfortunate young man died
in hour in the arms of his friends. The victim
has a situation in the office of the Bridges and
Highways.

A :Amin carriage has been driven from Nantes to
Paris on the highway, drawing several other car-
riages. It is stated that carriages on a similar
principle will shortly circulate in Paris. It is like
an ordinary hackney coach, with the boiler in front,
with a fifth wheel, by which the movement will be
directed in any way with great speed.

It was stated that M. B. Maria, who has just died
at Nice in his 84th year, was the last survivine,
Frenchman who was at the battle of Trafalgar. Ile
was surgeon on board the Formidable. M. Grand-
valet writes to the editor of a Paris paper, that he
and his comrade, both of whom were at that battle,
are now alive and well at the Invalides. The French
ship which suffered the most severely was the Re-
doubtable. Out of 643 men, in two hours 522 were
hors de combat. It is a remarkable fact, and perhaps
not generally known, that the three Admirals who
commanded all perished. Our own Nelson fell
while " doing his duty." The Spanish Admiral
the Duke de Gravina died from the wounds he re-
ceived at the battle in 1806. The French Admiral
Villerende committed suicide in despair for having
been vanquished. M. Maria was taken prisoner at
the battle, which took place on the 21st of October,