The Sun. — 1866-02-12 (London, England)

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.  (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) PARIS, Sunday Evening.  The only political news of interest to-day is from Spain. The Moniteur is silent on the subject, but a private letter from Madrid states that great agitation prevails there, and that another insurrection is probable. There was a report of an attempt upon the life of Espartero. The accused was a sub-officer of cavalry, but was recently dismissed.  A tremendous storm has prevailed at Paris all day, and no doubt it was very heavy at sea last night. 'The letters and papers from London of yesterday's date have not been delivered. Two rival hairdressers have appeared before the Juge de Paix to make known their grievances. The complainant, M. Prechard, is a man dressed with precision, and redolent of the divers perfumes of his shop. The defendant, M. Lionel, is of plainer exterior, attired with the simplicity that seems to denote the opinion that a good-looking man " needs not the foreign aid of ornament." " What do you want," said the Judge to M. Prechard ! Complainant—" I want M. Lionel to be restrained from decoying away my customers who come to have their beards shaved and their hair cut and curled." Defendant—He complains that I entice his patients away from him. The Judge—Don't quarrel here. Explain to me how M. Lionel injures you. Complainant—l obey. They say that good wine needs no bush and no sign-board to recommend it, but in my business you can't do without a sign. I considered about it for a long time, and at last I hit upon a sign very appropriate for a hair-dresser. The. Judge—What is your sign? Complainant— It represents a man of middle age, decently dressed, hanging by the hair to a tree. It is Absalom, that image of the son of David, who never combed his hair. The Judge—Your sign, then, is Absalom ? Complainant—Yes, sir, and underneath is a verse in biblical style, which runs thus :—[Your correspondent is a man who in general writes plain prose, but he invokes the Muses for once, and thus renders the " biblical" writing on the sign-board.]—.  " Passers-by, stop, read, beware, Here is Absalom hanging by the hair ; This death so cruel, and so infra. dig. Would ne'er have been had he but worn a wig."  The Judge—lt is a very good sign, but I don't see how it proves that your opponent wishes to • injure you in your business. Complainant—Ah ! there it is ; but it is by means of this sign that he has stuck the blow at me. It is through my sign that he wounds me. He has just got a sign which, by implication at least, criticises mine, for he gives another turn to the incident which mine pourtrays. " Describe it," said the judge." " Indeed," replied the complainant, "I shall not soil my lips with poetry only fit for the guardhouse. Let him describe it himself if he likes." Defendant—l will tell you about this sign which he considers insulting. Every one has the right to do honour to his profession, and my sign has this tendency. The judge—Give me an idea of it. Defendant—Nothing is more easy. In the first place, it has not more to do with David than if he had sent one of his children to the Hospice St. Paul. An honest man is about to drown himself. In fact, he is supposed to have jumped into the water. A courageous bystander plunges into the river and seizes the suicide by the wig. Alas nothing but that work of art remains in hii3 grasp,  for the man sinks and is drowned. Underneath the sign is verse—again I attempt a liberal translation— " Sad sight is here—a man is drowned. It may be long before the body's found. An accident so sorrowful and so forlorn  Would not have happened if a wig he'd worn."  The poetry seemed to please the audience. They laughed, the judge laughed also, so did the two barbers, and the judge cut short the hilarity by dismissing the case.  The Marquis de Boissy, who made such a display of himself last year by his vulgar attacks upon England and the English in the Senate, is at it again. In the course of a rambling speech, in which he talked upon almost every subject extant, he said he was by no means of opinion that the meeting of the French and English fleets was any proof of amicable feeling between the two countries. French and English sailors might appear to be great friends, but they were enemies in their hearts in reality. If the French sailors could have done as they liked, they would have cried heartily, " Down with the English navy !" and the English sailors would have cried, " Down with the French navy." There was in reality nothing amicable in the meeting of the two fleets, and the Queen had declared that it was intended as a demonstration against America. England was too weak now to make real opposition to France, even if the question were the annexation of Belgium to France. He thought it important to prove the weakness of England. After accusing England of fomenting the insurrection of the Southern States of America, the Marquis expressed his very great gratification. that England was surrounded with difficulties. The Marquis, in spite of the interruptions which continually assailed him, and in defiance of the mild remonstrances of the President, thanked God that England had to contend with another tremendous difficulty in the shape of Fenianism in Ireland. He then accused England of fostering dangerous secret societies, and with supplying money for the purposes of assassination. England had done her best to promote revolution abroad, but now she was furnished in kind by revolution at home, for the Fenian conspiracy was the first step towards revolution. The silly but mischievous orator contended that France ought to support Fenianism in Ireland. his next point was to deprecate the expressions of regret contained in the Emperor's Speech, at the death of King Leopold, who had been, since 1812, the most cunning, dangerous, and inveterate enemy of France. His venom upon political topics being at length exhausted, the Marquis commenced another discursive range upon all sorts of subjects, beginning with that of agriculture.  LA