Northern Times. — 1857-06-23 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.  FRANCE.  PARIS, SUNDAY EVENING.  What particularly strikes one on a survey of the men who have come forward as candidates to the Ligislative Corps, is the small number of eminent or influential names, either on the side of the Government or of the Opposition. Attempts were made to draw from their retreats a few of those who, in other times, occupied a distinguished place in the political world, but without effect ; and the candidates who have come forward as representing tha Democratic party ;would, perhaps with few exceptions, be disavowed even by the National, were it in existence. The merits of the respective candidates have been already noticed. I may now say a few words on the operations which opened at 8 o'clock this morning in all the Mairies of the arrondisements of Paris. I have just paid a short visit to most of them —viz., the first, second, third, sixth, eighth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth. I remarked that the number of electors who have attended for the purpose of voting is less than might have been expected in proportion to the voting tickets which had been taken out ; and these tickets, so far as I can ascertain, exceed in number those which were delivered in 1852, when General Cavaignac and M. Carnot were also candidates. Another peculiarity which (Hs tinguishes the present elections in Paris is the far greater number of tickets taken out by the working and poorer classes, who have flocked in greater numbers for their tickets than the bourgeoisie. The reason for this number, small when compared with the three hundred and fifty thousand registered electors in Paris and the Banlieue, is said to be a recommendation previously given to the workmen and the poorer population not to vote the first day of the election. Rightly or wrongly, they entertained the suspicion that during the night between the hour of closing on Sunday evening and of recommencing on Monday morning, the toozealous agents of the Government might take upon themselves to remove the seals which are affixed to the ballot-boxes before being transferred to the respective Mairies, abstracting the tickets that were unfavourable to the Government candidate, and substitute others of a contrary description. This feeling acquired for the last few days such consistency among the working class, ever suepicious of the good faith of those in power, that in the Banlieue the National Guard requested to be allowed to take the place of the regular soldiers, to whose care,tb.e ballot-boxes are entrusted during the night. The Government at once acceded to the request. The working people who have voted to-day are those who are not in the habit of losing a day's labour, dr of observing what is called `• Saint Monday." The immense majority who spend Sunday outside the barriers, will vote early tomorrow. It appears that a pledge has been given to that effect reciprocally. The aspect which the voting places above-mentioned presented this forenoon was in general not very animated. The Russian Government has authorised the Emperor of the French to take copies of the French manuscripts in the Imperial Library at St. Petersburg, which afford useful information with respect to the history of the 18th century. The Government has received information that the Chinese who murdered the captain of the French brig Anais had been arrested by the French admiral in the Chinese Seas, and subsequently tried on board the Virginia and executed.