The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-18 00:00:00

FRANCE.

" PARIS, MONDAY.
The Emperor and Empress left St. Cloud to-
day at 4 o'clock for Biarritz.
The Moniteur announces the reception, by the
Emperor, of his Excellency Ferukh Khan, Ambas-
sador of the Shah of Persia, at a private audience,
whereat the Ambassador presented an autograph
I,tter from the Shah, togeth,ffr with a sabre which
belonged to Shah Abbas the Second, as an offering
to the Emperor.
M. B llault, Minister of the Interior, is ele-
vated to the dignity of Gra'id Cross of the
Legion of Honour, and M. Rouland, Minister of
Instruction and Public Worship, to that of Grand
Officer in the same order.

Marshal Vaillant, Minister of War, is charged
with the Ministry of Public Instruction and Wor-
ship, during the leave of absence granted to M.
Rowland. There are also several lists of promotions
in honour of the fete of Saint Napoleon.

The distribution of medals to the successful
artists at the exhibition of 1857 is also contained in
the official journal.

The prefect of police has issued the following
circular to the police commissaries of the depart-
ment of the Seine, on the important subject of
►he reimbursement of the sacrifices made during
the last three years to keep down the price of
bread in Paris :

My decree of this day's date lowers the price
of bread to 40c. (it was previously 44c.) fer the
second fortnight of August. The dearness of bread,
which involves high prices of almost all the neces-
saries of life, has not only been openly combated
during the long crisis which we have passed through,
but it has also been indirectly remedied by measures
of assistance without precedent, and I may also say
without limits. The Emperor's gifts have enabled
us to open in Paris and the department of the Seine
no less than 70 kitchens, where during the winter
substantial food has been sold to the poor at very
cheap rates. The Empress his generously endowed
the " Institution of small led;ings." Their Majes-
ties, through the Minister of the Interior, have
placed at my disposition 1, rge reFour(;ei, which have
enabl,d me to make daily distributions of money and
provisions. Thanks to tri ese coin! dned efforts w e have
been able to attenuate the effects of the crisis, which
now approaches its t-rinination. But th, conse-
quences will be felt for some t inie to com,. It is only
by great sac' ifices that, during the last three years,
the price of bread has been kept in Paris and the
department of the Seine at a rate much lower
than what people have been paying in all other
parts of the empire. The municipal council of
Paris, which has lent its aid to the government
in these trying circumstances, has been compelled
to call for the restitution of very considerable
advances, b. th in the interest of the city and of
the great public works, which concern alike the
present and the future. Its resolution, approved
of by the ministers of agriculture and commerce, .
makes it necessary to keep up the price of
bread a little above its natural level, but the mea-
sure will be used with an extreme reserve, and the
surcharge will never in future exceed two or three
centimes the kilogramme. This trifling surcharge of
a centime the pound proves sufficienCy that the Em-
peror will not allow the people to pay by new suffer-
ings for the relief they received formerly. Let
them know this, and assure them that no one is more
penetrated than I am with these sentiments of the
Emperor, who, asyou know, will never be satisfied
till he has assured the welfare of the labouring

Receive, &c., the Senator Prefect of Police,
PIETRI.

RUSSIA.

The GazTile de Cologne publishes a telegraphic
despatch from Koenigsberg, announcing that the
cabinet of St. Petersburg has resolved to make a
reduction of upwards of 30,000 men in the Imperial
Guard. Each regiment will have a colonel, and
will be reduced ti 800 men. A reduction of the
whole army is said to bs probable. A despatch
announces also that the Russian government is
engaged in equipping a flotilla destined for the
Chinese Seas.