The Sun. — 1868-12-22 (London, England)

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 22, 1868.  PARIS.  (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)  PARIS, MONDAY, December 21.  I regret to say that the bulletins of the Marquis de Moustier's condition grow rapidly worse. The malady from which he is suffering, disease of the heart, makes such advances as to give rise to the gravest apprehensions of the result.  His successor, the Marquis de Lavalette, has not inherited a sinecure. The outbreak in the East is evidently becoming a serious matter for Europe, as much from the difficulty of securing joint action amongst the Powers as from thebitterness of the quarrel between the two principals. It is to France that the heavy work of diplomacy must fall. Other Powers are hampered by their well-known predilections for one or the other party. The Western States alone are perfectly free, but the Ministerial crisis in England has left the first place in diplomatic action to France. M. de Lavalette has, it is confidently reported, submitted to the other Cabinets a scheme of action which is likely to settle the difficulty. The new Foreign Minister is an indefatigable worker, attending every day at the Ministry for a considerable time. His policy is so decidedly pacific that the appointment must be regarded as a demonstration in favour of peace. He is especially disposed to a good understanding with Prussia. Similar gratification can scarcely be expressed at the appointment to the Ministry of the Interior. The deposition of M. Pinard is beyond doubt a great triumph for M. Rouher, who has put one of his own partisans in his place ; but this change is by no means to be accompanied by a. radical reform of internal policy. M. Rouher believes in a restrictive Government ; what he does not believe in is foolish restriction. He is determined, for one thing, that the system of official candidatures shall be applied with greater vigour than ever at the forthcoming elections. An extreme exercise of the Imperial prerogative has signalised the advent to power of the new Home Minister. It has been determined that none of the various vacancies in the Corps Ltgislatif shall be filled up until the general elections. This means that several departments shall have no representatives for six months. One of the vacancies is, of course, that caused by M. Berryer. Here the Government would certainly be defeatel, and it might sustain a check elsewhere. It has, therefore, been decided to prevent all this by the coup de main of holding no elections. The net result of the change at the Home Office is, on the whole, adverse to liberty. M. Pinard was, indeed, no advocate of the freedom of the subject, but he was also no friend to M. Rouher. Now that the Minister of State adds the command of the Home Department to his immense influence in the Corps L6gislatif, Imperialism will gain strength in every department of Government. There will be no power whatever in France, except that centred in the Emperor and his lieutenant. M. Gressier, the new Minister of Public Works, is a barrister of great reputation. The official announcement of the receptions of the First of January has been published. The Emperor and Empress have already exchanged visits with the King and Queen of Spain. Marseilles has not yet got rid of the great poisoning case. The paramour of Madame Ville, the most notorious of the offendors, has been pursued and mobbed in the streets. He shaved off his beard in order to disguise himself, but he was recognised immediately, and mobbed again. A hostile demonstration also greeted the two women, Dye and Flayol. These two were acquitted, but their part in the Gabriel tragedy was not of the most creditable character. Unjust suspicion may frequently impel people to desperate deeds, but the suicide of a man and his wife through the fear of suspicion is rather remarkable. A tax-collector at Boussac has just committed suicide, because, as he alleged, he apprehended the imputation of having stolen three bags of silver money recently sent to Boussac by the Strasburg Mint, and which are missing. His wife refused to survive him. The honesty of neither had in the slightest degree been called in question.