The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-20 00:00:00

0010031'01iDlit1CF; ..eGEI6.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.);
PARIS. TUESDAY, May 19.

I mentioned in yesterday's letter that M. Pinard had
been very successful in his management of the elections.
But even while I was writing there was impending a most
severe defeat. Early in the month an election took
place for the district of Tarn. There were three candi•
dates, one officially favoured, the others independent.
The result was, that the first was at the head
of the poll, but did not obtain the absolute
majority required by the law. A fresh election
therefore took place, and one of the Opposition candidates
having withdrawn, the contest was fairly fought out on
equal terms. The result was that the official candidate
was beaten by more than 7,000 votes. Nor was this all
while at the first election he received 13,774 votes, at the
second he received 1,176 fewer ; on the other hand,
the Opposition candidate received 3,752 votes more tl:an
both the Opposition candidates together received at the
first election. So that the Government has lost 5,000 votes
in that district during the past fortnight. The Govern.
ment journals had spoken confidently of their champion's
success. To-day they declare that when the second Oppo.
sition candidate withdrew the election lost all its interest,
for it became a mere question of personal preference—a
statement manifestly contrary to fact. This is a sore
rebuff for the Minister of the Interior.

Recently there has been some talk of a visit by the
Emperor to Berlin. The idea has been abandoned,
but it was at one time entertained. I believe that
this is what took place. When the King of Prussia
visited our Exhibition last year he gave a return invitation
to his host. It was accepted, and this year an attempt
has been made to give effect to it. M. Benedetti, our
Minister at Berlin, was charged to make the necessary
arrangements ; but he soon found that it would be better
for the visit not to be made at all. He had to tell his
master that the Emperor of France was by no means
popular in Germany, and that his reception, if he went
there, might be even more marked by unfriendliness than
that which lie had at Salzburg last year. Under these
circumstances the project has been abandoned. It is far
more probable that the King of Prussia and the Emperor
of Russia will meet at some watering•place, probably
Kissingen.
The Archbishop of Algiers complains that there is a
religious influence at work at headquarters adverse to him.
Mgr. Lavigerie refers to a curious fact which is not gene.
rally known. There is a certain M. aUrbain who is
attached to the Ministry of War, and who attended the
Emperor during his journey to Algeria. This official,
who is much consulted on all matters relating to
the colony, acme time ago turned Mussulman.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Arch-
bishop should suspect M. Urbain would use his
influence to prevent the education of Arab children in the
Christian faith against the wishes of their relatives.
The Commissioners of the Great Exhibition have got
into deserved trouble. Last year they suddenly removed
all the chairs from the front of the restaurants, in order
that the public might he compelled to use the seats which
were the property of the Commissioners. For this they were
sued by M. Bernard, one of the contractors, and they
have been condemned by the Civil Tribunal of the Seine
to pay him an indemnity of more than £9,000 and all the
costs the trial.

Baron Haussmann is as merciless as death. He spares
neither the young nor the illustrious. He is pulling down
one of our finest streets, which is comparatively newly
built ; and he has now doomed the house of our great
dramatist Corneille, IS, Rue d'Argenteuil, to destruction.
The air is full of the dust that comes from the baron's
demolitions, and it has produced a peculiar effect upon the
nasal and bronchial organs, which is called the Haussmann
catarrh.

Both Chambers have been sitting this evening. In the
Senate the important subject of free teaching in the
higher grades of instruction—one which excites immense
interest here— was discussed by Baron Dupin and M. de
Sainte-Beuve. The latter senator is a rara avis at
the Luxembourg Palace, and is considered by the great
majority of the senators a very black swan indeed. They
refused to listen to him the other day when speaking on
the Press Law. This afternoon he made a somewhat violent
speech in behalf of free thought.
In the Palais Bourbon the discussion on free trade was
resumed by M. Rouher. The Chamber was crammed in
expectation of this speech, and presented a very im-
posing spectacle. The Minister of State said that this
long debate had raised two fundamental questions,
which it was important not to confound. Had the Com-
mercial Treaty of 1860 proved injurious to the industry of
the nation, or had it not rather had the effect of an ener-
getic but most necessary stimulant? The second question
was, what were the causes of that general crisis which for
the last twelve or fifteen months had weighed upon the
whole of Europe? The first was a permanent and general
question ; the other a special and transient one. This
distinction established, he would inquire into use
motives that led to the conclusion of the treaty, and the
promises which accompanied it ; and he would point out
that at the time the Government had not the advantage
of finding ready to hand a maturely-considered
system of legislation on matters of commerce and of public
works. Anterior to 1852, French legislation on these sub-
jects was in open contradiction with the moderate tariffs
of Colbert and the Liberal theories of Turgot, which led
to the commercial treaties of 1786. The system practised
anterior to 1852 was, in fact, an act of anger on the part
of the Convention, finding itself at war with all Europe.
That it had subsisted so long was to be explained
by the great wars of the Empire, and during the two
succeeding pacific Governments by the predominance
of privileged interests. Since the Treaty of Com-
merce bad been signed, it had become the fruitful
basis of confidence between two nations upon
whose mutual good understanding depended the
peace of the world. But the treaty had not been
hastily concluded. It was preceded by an inquiry which
lasted eight months, and in which no interest had been
overlooked. As for the promises which accompanied the
treaty, and which removed any uneasiness the manufac-
turing interests might have felt, he would prove that the
programme then held out, so far from being neglected as
had been charged, was being persisted in with unremitting
perseverance. M. Rouher refuted the figures given by M.
Pouyer-Quertier to prove that taxes had increased in
France while they had diminished in England, and that
French Budgets had been constantly growing while
British ones followed the inverse direction. M. Pouyer-
Quertier had forgotten, said M. Rouher, that the English
budget was not that of a centralised Government like
ours. Again, as for the valuation of exported articles,
which M. Pouyer-Quertier criticised so much—who fixed
the scale of that valuation? Not Government officials,
but a committee (la commission des valeurs) consisting of
80 of the most honourable merchants in Paris. All M.
pouyer-Quertier's figures vanished as soon as they were
touched with the end of a finger. During the progress of
his speech, which was delivered with M. Rouher's usual
effective eloquence, the orator was several times applauded
from the Opposition benches.

It was stated by one of the correspondents of the
morning papers that the Abyssinian captives had no love
for Mr. Rasam, and it was pretty broadly intimated that
he was a humbug who used his influence with Theodore to
his own advantage without caring for his fellow-prisoners.
A letter from that gentleman, published in the Pall
Mall Gazette, gives a different account of the matter.
He mentions (without reference to this accusation)
that when his chains were taken off by the
command of the King be used every favourable oppor-
tunity that offered to obtain the same concession for his com-
rades, and at length had the satisfaction of seeing his
exertions rewarded. lie indignantly denies the charge of
which he had heard—that he had appropriated to his own
use money which bad been presented to him by Theodore.
He gives an amusing account of Theodore's great
gun, which had been named Sevastopol. The King
asked many questions about the English style of
warfare, and said that had he been as powerful as he once
was he would certainly have gone down to the coast to
meet our people on landing, or he would have sent and
asked them what they wanted in bis country. " But
now," he added, " I have lost Abyssinia excepting this
rock ; and it would be quite foolish of me to say anything.
However, I am ready to meet them here, and I must sub-
mit to the will of my Creator." Surely never did more
pious words come out of the mouth of a blood-stained
monster.

Last week the Pope entered on his 77th year. He is
wonderfully vigorous for his age. He takes pleasure in
referring to the great longevity of his nearest relations.
His brother, Count Jerome, died at 84 ; his mother, the
Countess Catherine (née Polazzi), at 82 ; his paternal
grandfather, Count Hercules, at 9G. His two surviving
brothers, Counts Gabriel and Gaetano, are respectively 87
and 83 years old. His one surviving sister, Countess
Benigni, is only three years younger than himself. Very
different from some other Popes, Pius IX. has neither
enriched nor called to Rome any of his relations. There
are some in a condition of fortune not far removed from
embarrassment.

According to the reply of Pius IX. to the bishops, the
great Church Council is to take place on the anniversary
of the promulgation of the doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception, Dec. Bth ; but, as it is estimated that the
preparatory work to be done will take at least seventeen
months, it is not probable the Council will be convoked
.
lAce,mba WC.