The Sun. — 1867-08-24 (London, England)

THE SUN, LON DOY. SATURPA Y E V ENING A UGUST 24, 1867.  for the murder of the widow Martens, and even afterwards, persisted in her innocence, now confesses her guilt. This woman, so imperturbable and so insolent, who related such marvellous stories about the Englishman Williams and a certain Count Les, an alleged lover of the deceased, persists now in her irony and satirical remarks. After the expiration of the time allowed for appeal against the sentence of which she said she would not avail herself, she requested the Procurenr Imperial of Melina to pay her a visit in person. When the magistrate came, prisoner remarked thlt the jury had declared her guilty of causing the death of Madame Martens, by violent pressure upon her neck and chest. She said the jury had been led into error by the doctors. " I did not," she added, " use any violence either on the neck or chest of Madame Mertens." Then assuming that ironical expression of countenance which had been remarked by everybody, she said, " What you don't know, and what the doctors could not discover, is the fact that I poisoned the woman with prussic acid." It would be difficult to describe the astonishment of the Magistrate at this declaration. It appeas that at the commencement of the preliminary investigation a point was neglected which might lave led to the trace of poison. Near the dead body 2, small white empty phial was found. This phial vas taken to an apothecary at Fontainebleau, who, tfter inspecting it, said there was nothing suspiciots about it. This declaration appeared sufficient to the persons who conducted the inquiry, and the phial was thrown away. It will be recollected that die surgeons who made the post 7nortenz examinadon said that they did not discover any evidence of poison. The prisoner has declared that she is fair months advanced in pregnancy, and this statenent is found to be correct. An excellent idea of the progress made in naval constructions and acmssories in France may be formed from an inspection of the models of ships and machines sent from the iron foundries and shipyards of the Mediterranean. There are three curious models of gunboats built for the Turkish Government. They are about 31 metres long by about 10 metres in breadth, and are destined for river navigation. Their artillery is composed of two riflebored guns of 30. The sides are iron and the upper deck is protected from balls by a peculiar system of iron-casing. The guns are marked by iron. These boats have a speed of from 7 to 8 knots an hour. A screw packet boat, the Masr, constructed for the Viceroy of Egypt, is 107 metres long, 12 metres wide, and has a speed of 14 knots and a half an hour. This boat, the largest of all the screw boats constructed in France, is fitted up very luxuriously. The cabins can accommodate 126 first class passengers and fifty-four second class. There is a distilling apparatus, which produces abundance of fresh water. The engine has two cylinders, of 600 nominal hole power. There are nine iron screw transports, cbstined to convey iron and minerals from Algeria o France. There are several vessels to be employed on the Suez Canal. A model of a screw gunboat is furnished with a machine adapted to 60 gunboats of the Imperial navy. The Viceroy of Egypt has also purchased a peculiar steamer for the navigation of the Nile. It only draws three feet of water. but may yet be laden with a sufficient quantity of cod for five or six days. This vessel, which is 70 metre. long, made the passage from Marseilles to Ale:andria without being towed, and realised all that was expected. The engine has a nominal power d 120 horses. On Tuesday, which is consilered an off-day, as it is called, there were nearly 44,000 persons at the Exhibition. To-day the Lumber of visitors was more numerous.  There has been a meetin; of exhibitors at the International Club, who adopted a petition to the Government, having for obje,..:t to induce it to allow the Exhibition to remain cpen beyond the time fixed by the Imperial Commission for its close (the 31st of October). I have reason to believe that this arrangement will be persisted in ; so I will hint to your readers who think of coming that " delays are dangerous." The Emperor and Enipms will, I believe, return to Paris from Salzburg to-morrow afternoon. The weather bas been like that of yesterday, not disagreeably hot, but exhibiting indications of more storms.