The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVEN I\ G, APRIL 10, 1868.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, THURSDAY, April 9.
Paris is absorbed in its religious duties, and fora moment
there is a lull in the wearisome round of private parties
and official soircles. Most of our senators have left town,
and even the busy tongue of gossip is unusually silent.
" No Thoroughfare " is about to be produced at the
Porte St. Martin, under the title of " L'Abtlne."
M. Eug6ne Haag has passed from our midst at the age
of 60. His youth was spent in Germany, where he devoted
his atttention to theological studies. He was a man of
profound learning, and was the author of the "History of
Christian Dogmas," and, in conjunction with his brother,
of " France Protestante."

As an item of news interesting to your military readers,
I may state that the Chassepot rifle has been furnished to
twenty battalions of Foot Chasseurs. Although the whole
of the infantry, with the exception of the Gendarmes,
of the Guard, are now supplied with Chassepots, there are
still 800,000 in store, Their value is about 70f. each.
There is some probability, not to put it higher, that the
Emperor will shortly pay another visit to Algiers, in order
to ascertain the present condition of the Arab population.
As far as my information extends the details of this visit
were arranged with the Duke de Magenta during his
recent sojourn here.
Advices from Bremen announce that emigration thence
is going on rapidly. In the course of two or three days
between 7,000 and 8,000 passed through the city,
principally from Saxony and Prussia.

Our papers just now contain a paragraph to the effect
that your Queen has written to the Sultan to inform him
that the Prince of Wales will pay the East a visit in
return for that made by the Sultan to England last
August.

One subject of general conversation here is the dis-
tressed condition of the working classes in various parts of
Europe. From Turin we learn that the discontent and
want are so great that a very little would tend to proluce
disorder, if not serious riots.
A legal notice put a stop to the sale by the sculptor
Clesinger of some of his latest works. The sale had
awakened great interest, and the reason why it was not
allowed to proceed was.that some_ person claimed to have
the right to make photographic copies of the works.
I am told that at the last sitting of the Swiss Federal
Council at Berne the President officially contradicted the
rumours respecting an increase of French troops along the
Geneva frontier.

The suppression of the bands of the French cavalry
regiments, as ordered by an Imperial decision of the 4th of
April, 1867, leads to a reduction of expenditure of 532,000 f.
But the camping service at Chillons and other large centres
of military instruction produces an increase of 1,549,050 f.
This arises from the circumstance that, as the soldier has
by the new law to remain a shorter time under the flag,
the necessity is felt of giving a more rapid impulse. to his
practical instruction and of more promptly forming his
military habits. The Minister of War is of opinion
that these results can only be obtained in special camps,
and, in consequence, the War Department proposes to
extend the duration of those establishments and to increase
the number of troops to be sent there.

M. Duruy, the Minister of Public Instruction, having
had his attention directed to the deficiency of France in
the cultivation of the Eastern languages,- as compared
with England and Germany, he directed, some time back,
that the subject should be carefully considered ; and now
a bill relating to the reorganisation of that portion of
public education has been sent to the Council of State,
and M. Genteur, it is stated, is appointed to report on it.

The empire of Russia, in the opinion of the Times, is
just now passing through one of those revolutions which
determine the progress of nations. The controversy is
between Free Trade and Protection, and a comparatively
small party have offered a successful resistance to the for-
mer. A commission which sat upon the question not long
ago confined its suggestions of financial reform within very
narrow limits, and it is now thought doubtful whether a
new commission may not undo some of the little which
had been done. Russsia for the Russians, and Russia for
herself, are the cries which have prevailed against the
interests of seventy million of consumers._ The question is
still alive, but it is impossible to say that the prospect is
bright. The higher Russian credit stands the better it is
for Russian creditors as well as for Russia itself, and
nothing would so tend to confirm this credit as a
tariff more in accordance with the commercial principles
now recognised in Western Europe.

The reorganisationof the medical service of the Prussian
army has now been realised, the late campaigns in Bohemia
having discovered its deficiencies. A sanitary corps ha:
been established, the members of which will be in almost all
respects, except name, combatant officers. The arrange.
molt is very similar to that proposed by the late com.
mittee on our own medical service.

The settlement of the difference in the Greek Orthodox
Church of Hungary is likely to cause the Diet some
trouble. Up to 1848 the whole Orthodox Church was
under one metr .politan, who resided at Cariosity, in Sla
vonia. Although the members of the Orthodox Church
belonging to the Rouman race were three or four times as
many as those belonging to the Servian race, the hitter had
the lion's share in all matters affecting the Church. In
1813 a separate national Rouman Church was established,
and the question now is, how to divide the spoils. By the
Ordinance of 1863 the Churches are to belong to that of
the two nationalities in the language of which the registers
and other ecclesiastical documents were kept,and where this
could not be ascertained to the majority. This decided
the question, as a rule, in favour of the Servians. The
Roumans ask to have these cases of litigation decided
administratively by the Government, while the Servians
want to leave the decision to the legal tribunals.
The " Interconfessional " - Bill in Austria permits
parents to determine before marriage the religion in which
the children are to be brought up. They can come to an
agreement on this head before marriage, or on the birth
of each child, or come to no determination at all. An
appeal is allowed from the decision of the parents. By one
of the clauses every child of 14 can freely select the
creed to which he wishes to belong. Change of religion
and proselytism cease to be punishable acts. No one
is to be forced to pay for a creed to which he doe,
not belong, or to follow the formulas of any worship,.
whether his own or another's. The Sunday question gave
rise to some discussion. Arguments from economy and
humanity were adduced in support of the Church view
that there should be a general cessation of labour on tin
Sunday. On this point an amendment, proposed by Baron
Tintli, was a,lopted by 76 votes to 65, to the effect that al
public works which were not urgent should be suspended
on the Sabbath. Every creed is at liberty to adopt what
religious ceremonies it chooses at funerals, but evcrythin
else relating to burials is confined to the civil authorities.

It is stated in a Vienna letter that the inquiry which had
been ordered by the Minister of the Interior respecting the
marriage of the Archduke Henry is terminated. Nothing
more will be done than to admonish the persons who aided
him in committing the " illegal act." The rumours con.
cerning the conciliatory intentions of the Emperor are not
confirmed. On the contrary, there is every probability
that the interdiction to return to Austria and the suppres.
sion of the appanage will be rigorously maintained.
There is published to-day a despatch from Sir Robert
Napier, in Abyssinia, to the Secretary of State for India,
which conveys the report of the Assistant Quarter-Master
General as to the different departments under his direc
tion. From this report it appears that the Land
Transport Corps are in full working order, that
the well-sinking, &c.,: proceeds satisfactorily, and that
the trigonometrical surveyors, with the aid of the
photographers, are likely to put us in pos
session of extensive geographical knowledge concerninL,
the route passed along. The railway being made between
Zoola and- Komaylee, however, does not make suffleien
progress. - The commanding engineer reports that maul
and great difficulties have had to be contended against
from the different.descriptions of plant sent from India
he states that the rails received from Kurrache,
differ in size from those from Bombay, and: tha:
many of them are bent, and others not finished. This
together with the scarcity of skilled labour, has preventet
the railway being carried on successfully. The India]
authorities seem during this campaign to do nothing
without blundering. Sunk this kind of thing should no:
be continued. The telegraph, too, has only been con•
strutted as far as Addigerat, on account of the didicult3
of obtaining poles ; but the concentration of the men uPoi
this work, and on that of the railway, is likely by the next
despatch to have put an end to a great extent to the
present backwardness.

A correspondent of the British MecEcal Jou: n w
from Suez :—"The Golden Fleece arrived here March 2;
from Annesley Bay, having on board 2)8 invalids of
different corps, who are ea route to England. The greater
number of them are unfits, who are rejected on climatic
grounds, or those on whom old Indian diseases were re
developed ; sixty-one of them, sent down from Senafd,
having been there stopped, as unfit to endure the long
march to Antalo. Beyond the former station we have not
any invalids on our list. There are about six ophthalmia
cases, contracted up country ; and several dysenteric ano
diarrhoea cases, with the same history ; but the greater
number date their diseases from India. The invalids have
left for Alexandria. The weakest of them have beer
selected to be put in American sleeping-cars attached tc
the Suez line, each man being able to lie down, which
relieves the fatigue of the long journey. They are to be
supplied with hot tea on the route, and ordinary luedica)
comforts with tinEgi
•

THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION.

The following has been forwarded to us for pub
lication from the India-office :

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR R. NAPIER TO THE SECRE

TART OF STATE FOR INDIA.

Quartermaster-General's Office, Headquarters
Camp, Attala, 14th March, 18G8.

Right Ilonourable Sir—l have the honour to
enclose the accompanying report by the Assistant-
Quartermaster-General at army headquarters,
on the several departments of the Abyssinian expe-
dition working under the Quartermaster-General's
Department.—l have, &c.,
R. NAPIER, Lieutenant-General,
Commanding the Forces in Abyssinia.

The following is a report of the several depart-
ments working under the orders of the Quarter-
master-General's Department, Abyssinian Field
Force :

Camp, Attala, March 14.
LAND TRANSPORT CORPS.

The last return received from the Director,
Transport Train, dated Bth inst., shows 4,682
camels, 9,793 mules, 954 ponies, 4,278 pack bul-
locks, 534 draught bullocks in the corps. Of these,
8,000 mules and ponies have been specially told off
for duty with the Highland Train, to work from
Senafe to the front. This order was only lately
issued, and consequently the whole of these animals
have not yet entered upon their duties on the high-
lands ; there were, however, on the Bth inst., 5,512
mules and ponies with the Highland Train, and of
these 684 are reported sick. No return of number
of sick in the Lowland Train has been received.
The Lowland Train is fully employed in pushing
commissariat and military stores and troops from
Zoula up to Senafe, and it has now the assistance
of 273 mule carts and 262 bullock carts, which have
been brought into work. The strain upon that por-
tion of the Transport Corps working on the high-
lands has in a great measure been reduced by local
transport procured for the conveyance of com-
missariat stores, such as flour, grain, &c., from
Senale to Antalo. Large numbers of native pack
bullocks, Mules, and ddnkeys are daily employed for
this purpose., and the system has been found so far
to answer admirably. The natives in the neigh-
bourhood of Antalo, however, are not so willing to
enter into an engagement for the conveyance of
supplies to the front, through fear of the Gallas,
whose territory we have now entered ; but it is
hoped that their fears may be assuaged, and that
they may soon be persuaded to assist us in this
matter, and so relieve our own transport as far pro-
bably as Lat, about 80 miles south of Antalo. An
officer has been sent to Berbera, with directions to
purchase as many camels and donkeys as possible,
and orders have.also been sent to Egypt for a fur-
ther supply of transport animals of every descrip-
tion, to replace casualties and to reinforce the Low-
land Transport Corps, the strain upon which is still
very great.

either side sketched in the country between Zoolla
and Senafe. Lieutenant Carter has commenced tri-
angulating, fixing paints and taking up the topo-
graphy of the country between Senafe, and Addi-
gerat ; the triangulation at and near Koomaylee has
been connected with that at Senafe by a traversed
line, executed by Lieutenant Duniler, R.E. By the
foregoing, it is hopol that a fair survey route of the
army, showing the country on either side for a dis-
tance of from 10 to 13 miles, will be obtained, and
on the return of the army more geo,graphicAl in-
formation will be furnished.