The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-05 00:00:00

FRANCE.

The following is the letter of the Times Paris
correspondent, dated yesterday (Friday), 6 p.m.:—
In the leading article, or, as it is called, " bul-
letin" which the Moniteur publishes since the Ist
inst., occurs the following paragraph :
" The English papers of to-day publish and comment on
the words spoken by the Emperor in reply to the compli-
ments addressed to him by Lord Cowley in the name of the
Diplomatic Corps. Generally they concur in admitting
that these words are of a nature to dissipate disquietude,
and to make us hope for the maintenance of peace."

The Meniteur is too positive. It is not the fact
that the English papers are as unanimous on this
point as the Moniteur would lead the French pub-
lic to suppose. But, if they were agreed among
themselves, they certainly are not in perfect accord
with the Parisians, who are not incompetent to
form an opinion on the subject. I affirm, without
fear of serious contradiction, that the Emperor's

words, as reported in the Moniteur, do not
inspire all the confidence desirable. What
people always complain of is, that his Majesty,
whether from design or from natural inde-
cision which he cannot overcome, is unwilling or
unable to utter a sentence which shall be perfectly
intelligible, and the meaning of which no one can
understand. I incline to the belief that it is less
from any desire to deceive than from an uncertain

and hesitating nature that this deplorable ambi-
guity arises. With the present speech I have not
heard a single individual express either positive
satisfaction or positive dissatisfaction. It may
mean any or nothing ; but, whatever feeling it has
inspired, that feeling is assuredly not one of abso-

lute confidence. I see that in Brussels the im-
pression seems to be the same as in Paris—at least
if we may judge by the Nord, which says :

" The first impression produced in Paris by the words
pronounced by the Emperor Napoleon at the reception of
the corps diplomatique was a slight feeling of disappoint-
.

went at the absence of a positive assurance with respect to

the maintenance of peace. The expression of a wish was
observed in it in which everybody participated, but the
public would have desired to find in it a declaration which
might be interpreted as a formal and certain pledge."
It is asked whether the Emperor, when he ex-
pressed the conviction that the friendly understand-
ing of the Great Powers would maintain peace, had
Syria as well as Italy and Austria in his mind. It
is desirable to know this, because it is affirmed that
the English Government has within the last few
days communicated a note to the French Govern-
ment against any longer occupation of Syria by
French troops than is warranted by the treaty with
the Porte. That occupation was limited to six
months and will expire very soon. The note in ques-
tion is also said to be couched in strong terms—so
strong, indeed, that no answer has as yet been
returned. The question is one in which not
France alone is concerned ; it equally regards all
the great Powers to which the Emperor's speech
refers.

I have said that the Mositeur regularly pub.
lishes a sort of leading article, or summary
of news, since the Ist instant. It is remarked.
with surprise and dissatisfaction, that the
Moniteur commits a flagrant infraction of the
law by publishing those articles without
any signature. The omission of the signa-
ture, however involuntary, would expose any
other journals to pains and penalties more or less
serious ; and the example of a daily violation of
the law should not be set by the Moniteur. If it be
alleged that the Moniteur, being the official organ
of the Government, is exempt from this necessary
formality, I may observe that we were re-
peatedly informed when the colonels' " addresses,"
after the Orsini affair, filled its columns,
that the portion of the paper they occupied
did not in any way come under the control of
the Government, being the " non-official" portion ;
and that the columns headed "official" are the only
ones it is responsible for. This, as I think I showed
at the time was untrue. But whether true or untrue
it is new no defence. The law is positive on the
point. Every article, summary of news, faits divers,
&c., that fill a French newspaper, must bear the
signature of the writer, or of the person who stands
for him ; and the Government ought to be the very
first to set the example.
Bullier's lithographic sheets state that, at an
audience granted by the Emperor to one of the
most eminent Archbishops in the south of France,
his Majesty spoke with great frankness on the
Italian question. He explained to the Archbishop
the difficulty of his position. He said :
" France has been placed for the last 18 months between.

England, which is urging the establishment of a united
Italy—between Piedmont, encouraged by the Cabinet of St.
James's in its revolutionary course, and the Pope obsti-

nately opposed to any compromise."

Napoleon 111. finds himself alone and against all.
He is compelled to serve the interests of France,
and of Italy, in spite of Italy and of the Italians,
and even in spite of a section of Conservative
Catholic Frenchmen. The Emperor, in conclusion,
assured the venerable Prelate that his affection for
Pius IX. is unalterable—that he will protect his
Holiness, and that he would already have done so
had he not been embarrassed by ill-timed pro-
ceedings.
Since the massacres in Syria several youths have
arrived from that country to be educated in France.
The inhabitants of Langres were surprised at the
arrival there last week of two Syrians, dressed in
thoir national costume, on their way to the semi-
nary of Chatel, in the Vosges, where they are placed
under the protection of the Bishop of St. Die. One
of them is the son of a dragoman at Damascus, who
was murdered by the Druses. He is 13 years of
age, and speaks French fluently, having been taught
by the Lazarists at Damascus. His comrade is
younger, he is a native of Deir-el-Kumar, and had.
been only a few days at the Jesuits' school when the
massacres commenced.
The Minister of Public Instruction has made
several improvements in the public schools in
France. Among other changes he has appointed
professors of natural philosophy, history, and
grammar where they were deficient. The Minister
has likewise considerably ameliorated the position
of the teachers. He has lost no opportunity of
adding to the salaries of some and to the hopes of
others by creating more places and thus adding to
their chance of advancement.

The Franco-Belgian Conference on the treaty of
commerce held a new sitting the day before yester-
day. As some of the journals have stated erro-
neously the names of the gentlemen composing the
Conference, it may be well to state that there are
four plenipotentiaries—MM. Thouvenel and Rouher
for France, and MM. Firmin-Rogier and Leidts for
Belgium. The Commissioners who assist the French
plenipotentiaries are not the same as those who took
part in the negotiations with England, Count de
Lesseps having been raised to the dignity of Senator
and M. de Foroade to the post of Minister of
Finance. They are M. Herbet, Director-General
of Consulates; M. de Clercq, Minister Plenipoten-
tiary ; M. Barbier, Director-General of Customs;
and M. Baroche, Director-General of Commerce.
The Belgian plenipotentiaries are assisted by Baron
Beyens, Councillor of the Belgian Legation, and M.
Vanderstraten, Inspector of the Department of
Finance in Belgium. The duties of Secretary are
performed by a gentleman of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.

Many. of the provincial journals contain accounts
of the rising of rivers or of inundations, caused by
the melting of the snow and of heavy rain. The
Loire at Orleans, the day before yesterday, rose con-
siderably—that is, to nearly three metres. The
Vienne at Chatellerault also rose to 3m. 85c. At
Lyons, the same day, the Rhone was so high that
the ports on its banks were under water, and the
cellars of several houses in the Cour-des-Brosses
were inundated. At Chalons-sur• Saone the Saone
suddenly attained sm. 45c. by the scale, and was
advancing; the large meadows of St. Marie and St.
Cosme, and the Plaine de la Bresse, in the vicinity
of the town, were inundated ; most of the other
rivers and streams in the department of the Saone-
et-Loire have also caused inundations. In the
department of the Calvados the inundations are
very extensive. By the overflow of the Tongues
the greater part of the town of Pont l'Eveque was
under water, and the inhabitants had to employ
boats to go from one street to another; the vicinity
of the town was also inundated. The waters came
in with such extraordinary rapidity that the inun-
dation of the town was caused in the space of one
hour. At Caen and the neighbourhood the Orne
overflowed, partly covering with water the Grand
Cours, the Rues de. Lengannerie, Guilbert-des-
Carmes, Jean Romain, and des Jacoblins, entirely
inundating the racecourse. Yesterday, the waters
were subsiding there. In the departments of the
Par-de-Calais and the Meurthe there also have been
inundations. Ihe Rhine likewise has risen consi-
derably, especially at Huminguen and Strasburg.
BOURSE, Jan. 4.—The English funds arriving
with an improvement has given a little firmness to
this market, and quotations are
.Ith erhigher.
Lombard,
:...For..7s_o446ts=h=fe.
account, Threes are now at 67f 60c ; 720 f ;
Orleans, 1,352 f 50c; Northern, 977 f 50c;
terranean, 898 f A6_91176 s t
_r_s7 Austrian,
pr:ael4mg
ind:iaastsnhn:
T 4.0;
The following were the last quotations :-
67
7450 opnetbeste Fives. 78 75
4f per per Cents ..
Home
Do end month
3 per Cents
Do. end month 67
—Austrian
Bank Shares ......70 50
DCroe.dAitcNcloounbitli
..
..
........
771280
496