The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-19 00:00:00

COMIESPO

(FROM OUR OW CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, THURSDAY, June lik

At the last meeting of Ministers the question of the
eneral election was discussed. M. Rouher urged that it

should take place in September. He said that while the
Government were quite ready with their candidates the
Opposition would not be prepared, and he used all his
eloquence to obtain the Emperor's consent. Most of the
Minister's colleagues supported him, but not M. Pinard,
between whom and M. Rouher, as your readers do not
need to be informed, there is no love lost. As M. Pinard
is Minister of the Interior, and it would devolve upon him
to manage the elections, his opposition notably had
weight with the Emperor. At any rate, his Majesty, after
listening to what his advisers had to say, came tono decision,
postponement being every year a more favourite solution of
difficulties with him. In this instance, perhaps, his
notorious indecision was aggravated by the indifferent
health which he .has suffered for some time past. As
time is rapidly passing, it is now most probable that the
elections will not take place until next year, when they
must come off by effluxion of time.

It is not surprising that what with the prolonged ses-
sion (seven months) and the great heat (90 deg. in the
shade), deputies of the Corps Ldgislatif should be pretty
well tired out, and want a holiday. The number of appli-
cations for leave of absence increases every day. And
yet the Budget has not been brought in, much less dis-
cussed or voted. It is probable that it will not be intro-
duced' until the 29th. However, the Opposition are nume-
rically so w( ak that the Government can afford to grant
furlough to a large number of its supporters, and run no
risk of defeat. And as to oratory, the less the truants say
the better for Ministers.

As Baron Haussmann is not a member of either branch
of the Legislature, and has no opportunity of defending
orally his administration of the Paris Budget, he has
eagerly availed himself of the invitation which the
Emperor has given him to explain what he has done
during his reign as Emperor of Paris. His defence occu-
pies thirteen columns of the Moniteur. I may perhaps
be pardoned for saying that I have not read it through,
and if I had read it your readers would scarcely care to
have even an analysis of the Baron's copious statistics. I
may mention, however, that according to these the
excess of receipts over expenditure increased about
£220,000 during the year 1867 as compared with 1866.
The Baron, while magnifying his achievements, intimates
with a sort of melancholy resignation that he no longer
The Avenir National predicts that " the solitary power of
wishes to bear alone the responsibility of his great office.
llaussmann is finished."

To day we have rather disquieting news from Prague.
is said that the murder of Prince Michael has given

a fresh impulse to the Czech agitation, and that the Bohe-
mians, who have long been demanding an autonomy like
that of Hungary, will join with the Servians in getting up
a national agitation which may have very serious con-
sequences. The Emperor Francis Joseph is going to
Prague, in order, if possible, to allay the agitation.
Meanwhile, Prince Napoleon avoids Belgrade at this
critical juncture, and is on his way to Constantinople, vita
Bucharest and Varna.

An action for libel has just been brought by the Baron

de Soubeyran aga'nst two persons connected with the
International, the French newspaper published in London.
The journal in question said that the Baron had been
" executed" at the Paris Bourse, and had found it ex-
pedient, in consequence of a " financial indisposition," to
leave Paris. For this the Baron indicted M. Dupont, the
author of the article, and M. David, the Paris manager.

His case was all the stronger because the International
subsequently published a denial of the charge, with the
word " annulled" stamped on the denial. The matter was
further complicated by the fact that M. Jules David,
the Paris manager of the International, had republished the
charge in another paper. The antecedents of M. David are
not favourable, and he had thought it wisest to absent
himself from the trial. In his absence he was condemned
to three months' imprisonment and £BO fine. M. Dupont
got off by proving that the libel had been intercalated by
D avid.

A. very important trial is now going on with respect to a
demand made by the United States against Messrs.
Arman, Erlanger, and others, for the value of certain
ships which belonged to the Southern States during the,
civil war, and which have not been delivered.
The velocipe le mania is spreading, and has infected the
Prince Impefal, who goes out racing with his friend,
young Conneau, at Fontainebleau.

THE WEATHER TABLE.-THIS DAAY.