The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-21 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

"„rrtom OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, WEDNESDAY, May 20.

At length the great free trade debate is over. M. Rouhey
continued his speech to-day. He declared emphatically
that the Emperor would not surrender his right to make
treaties, and would not withdraw from the commercial treaty.
At the same time he intimated that certain concessions
would be made which would materially modify the treaty,
because the Legislature would in future be consulted
%bout the details of the tariff. This, of course, is only
right; at the same time there is considerable reason to fear
that the Corps Lfgislatif will seriously increase the duties
on foreign imports so soon as the term of the present treaty
expires.

This debate—one of the most important that has taken
place under the Empire—has led to an incident which
attracts much interest. M. Pouyer-Quertier, in his
remarkable speech (by far the ablest on the Protectionist
side), impugned the accuracy of the Government statistics,
declaring that in arriving at the tonnage of imports the
number of tons received at the port of entry was
multiplied by the number of kilometres over which
the goods were conveyed inland. So that if 100
tons of coals were received at Dieppe and trans-
ported thence to Paris, they would be entered
as 20,000 kilometrical tons, Paris being 200 kilometres
from Dieppe. There is no reason why M. Rouher should
not swell his returns still more by calling them metrical
tons, in which case the original 100 tons would figure for
20,000,000, a feat of multiplication that even Falstaff
might envy. M. Rouher, when speaking on Tuesday,
declared that the official figures were unassailable, and
thereupon M. Pouyer-Quertier and M. Jules Brame, who
opened the debate, have offered to give the Empress
£4,000 for the hundred poorest families of France if they
do not prove that in the table of the " United Imports
and Exports" the great majority of the articles are
counted twice, once on being entered inwards; and once
on being entered outwards ; the jury to consist of four
persons, two chosenby the challengers, two by the Govern-
iient, and the President of the Corps Legislatif to preside
and have the casting vote, it being understood that the
other side will pay the same amount if they lose. It is
rumoured that M. Rouher will accept the challenge. I
doubt it, however. In his free trade policy, the Minister
receives the support of the Opposition journals, yet even
one of the most Liberal of them—the Avenir National—
declares that his figures are wrong. A day or two ago
this journal would not credit M. Pouyer-Quertier's allega-
tions, declaring that Ministers might make a mistake of
thousands, but certainly not of milliards. However, it
now admits that the snore serious blunder has been com-
mitted.

M. Vitu has, as I mentioned, replied to M. Horn's
damaging pamphlet, " Le Bilan de l'Empire," and M.
Horn is now going to answer M. Vitu's reply. Great
amusement has been caused by a misprint in the title of
M. Vitu's brochure, and which is spelt " Les Finaces de
l'Empire," a word which when spoken most unfortunately
suggests another word, finesse—to act in a cunning
manner. Of course M. V.tu blames the printer, but the
public declare that there is no mistake. •
The Archbishop of Algiers had a private interview
with the Emperor to-day, and the semi-official journals
are instructed to announce that the difficulty between the
archbishop and the governor of Algeria has been got over.
The same j urnals assert t hat the difference with the
Tunisian Government is in course of settlement. It is to
be hoped that this latter piece of news is true. It
has caused considerable commotion in high diplomatic
circles, and the English, Italian, and Prussian Ministers
in Paris have had to speak their minds pretty plainly to
the Marquis de Moustier, who was for extreme measures.
The Emperor has just been fficially informed of the
death of King Ludes: Pavaria. Considering that the
King died in February, and that the Emperor went into
mourning for him on March 3, and was out of mourning
two months ago, this official information was not very
novel. Court e';'quette still seen.s unchanged by steam
and electrici y.
The Viceroy of Egypt is expected to pay us anoth(r
visit this summer. Ido not know if he comes for pleasure
or business. His Highness is always wanting to raise
money ; but then he is also passionately fond of the opera,
and I believe there is none at Alexandria or Cairo.

At the last meeting of the Academy, M. Dumas, tne
secretary, read a eulogium on Faraday, which was very
warmly al pLuded. Another item of scientific news is
that M. Gaudin has disco% ered a process by which he can
manufacture crystals of any shape and colour, and so hard
that they will cut glass. In other words, they will be un-
distinguishable from diamonds. There should be weeping
at Amsterdam and in Golconda.

The yearly campaign against the cockchafers has_ just
been waged with more than usual mercilessness. Moro
than 15,000 litres of these insects have been destroyed in
the woods of Vincennes alone. They are shaken from the
trees after gorging into water impregnated with gas,
which kills them at once. They arc then used for manure.
At Rouen these " abominable insects," as they are called,
have been so numerous that people struck thtm down as
they flew in the air. A certain M. Gueroult and four
assistants kill d 1,4001 b. weight .)f them in a f .11r h urs.

The Florence correspondent of the Morning Herald says
that while the Princers Irgaret is adored b.,. t'ie Italians,
her husband is anything b.t popular. He is reserve: and
haughty, takes no notice of any salutes or applause, dis-
plays a most irritating hauteur to those who address him,
and has the singular want of ju lgment to speak always in
French instead of the national language. All these are
serious misfortunes for the House of Savoy, which must
for a long time maintain its rule over the greater part of
Italy only by the personal popularity of its members. So
far as the whole country, save Piedmont, is concerned, the
reigning house has no dynastic claims upon the people. It
is a pity the Prince's friends do not warn him of the
danger he is incurring by his haughtiness of demeanour.

There seems to be at least an apparent reconciliation
between the Queen of Spain and the Duchess of Montpen-
sier. It is doubtful, however, whether the reconciliation
is real. The Queen is intensely jealous of her sister, both
on account of the duchess's superior morals and the love
and respect which are generally felt for her.
The Paris correspondent of the Morning Star tells the
following story, which, as he rightly says, seems too good
to be true. He writes : " You will remember the adven-
ture of the Prussian Engineer officers whose good pleasure
it was to spend some days in the vicinity of Meudon, and
in the garb of workmen to drink at a cabaret by an unac-
counted•for accident frequented by the men employed in
the manufacture of the portable cannon invented by the
Emperor. The story goes that Marshal Niel is particu-
larly curious as to the manufacture of German beer, and,
wishing to ascertain precisely the amount of hops used in
breweries along the Rhine, sent a party of French Engineer
officers to make inquiries on this interesting subject. By
another unaccounted-for accident these officers were only
interested in the manner in which beer was made in for-
tress towns. This peculiarity struck M. de Bismarck,
who, to save further trouble and expense, has obligingly
forwarded Marshal Neil plans of all the Prussian-Rhenane
fortresses, together with a design of the best breweries in
each of the Rhenane frontier cities."

Count Bismarck has received another serious check in
the Customs Parliament. That body has rejected by two
to one the proposal to levy a duty upon petroleum, having
previously rejected the proposed tax upon tobacco. What
is to be done without funds? When the Prussian Premier
received a similar defeat in his own Parliament he stopped
the works at Kiel and the construction of new ships. He
will now have to reduce the War Budget of the Confedera.
tion. And yet tobacco, at all events, was not overtaxed in
Germany. This is proved by the fact that whereas every
Englishman smokes on an average 1•371 b. of tobacco per
annum, every Frenchman 113 b.:every German smoked
3191 b., or nearly three times as much as a Frenchman, and
just 31.91 b. more than is good for him.

There appears to be an unusual and indeed almost inde-
corous haste in selecting candidates for the representation
of Dublin. Before Sir Benjamin Guinness had been dead
twenty-four hours the Conservative Registration Society
of the city assembled, and, having adopted a vote of con-
dolence with the family of the late baronet, unanimously
adopted a resolution calling upon Sir Arthur Guinness,
h.s eldest son, to allow himself to be put in nomination for
the vacancy in the representation of Dublin, and pro-
mised to use every exertion to secure his return. Should
Sir Arthur decline to stand, it is likely that Sir
Edward Grogan, who formerly represented the city with
Mr. John Vance, will be brought forward. The hon.
baronet did not offer himself at the last election. He is
an antagonist who will demand the full and united force
of the Liberal party to defeat. The Liberals have already
named three candidates. 'I he first in order is Sir D. J.
Corrigan, physician to the Queen in Ireland, but as on
educational matters his views do not agree with those of
Cardinal Cullen, Sir Dominick would in all probability
offer himself in vain. After him Mr. Matthew Davy, a
brewer in large business, and a Roman Catholic awl
Popular Liberal, would probably be asked to stand ; and
Sir John Ennis has been spoken of, but not with hope-
fulness.

The Marquis of Worcester, eldest son of the Duke of
Beaufort, attained his majority a day-or two ago, and the
event was celebrated with great rejoicing by his grace's
tenantry in the counties of Gloucester, Monmouth, and
Wilts. As the youthful marquis is now old enough to be a
legislator, there is 'little doubt that he will be one of the
Conservative candidates for West Gloucester at the next
election. Colonel E. A. Somerset would not have been
brought out in July last had not the Marquis of Worcester
been tenmontha too young to be admitted into
.019 491.1:0
Commouty,