The Paris papers of Sunday are much occupied with the
projected marriage of the Duke de Nemours with the Princess Victoria Augusta Antoinette of Saxe Coburg Gotha, which was communicated to the Chambers of Peers and Deputies, on Saturday, by Marshal Soult. The matter is announced by the Moniteur in the following terms. " The Marshal President of the Council presented to-day to both Chambers a communication relative to a project of marriage between his Royal highness the Duke de Nemours and her Highness Madame Victoria Augusta Antoinete of Saxe Coburg Gotha, sister of the King of Por- tugal, and niece of his Majesty the King of the Belgians and of her Royal Highness the Dutchess of Kent, mother of the Queen of Eng- land," On this important communication most of the Paris journals before us comment at considerable length. The Opposition papers refer principally to the demand of an immediate vote of 500,000 francs to defray the expenses of the proposed marriage, of an annuity of a similar amount to the Royal Duke during his life, and of a jointure of 300,000 francs for his Princess should site outlive him. That the Prince should marry, if it please him, is, say those papers, natural ; but they complain that the country should, at a period of so much dis- tress and suffering as now prevails, be so largely, and as they contend unnecessarily, and even so unjustly, taxed for his support and that of his Princess.
The Con/trier Franeais thinks that the Ministry has chosen a strange moment for demanding a " dotation" for the Duke de Nemours. "'Tire year 1840," it says, " opens with a probable deficit of ;0,000,000 francs or 80,000,000 francs. The affairs of the East and the dispositions of the British Cabinet may bring about a general war. The disasters in Algeria require new sacrifices. Work is at a stand in our manutitetures, bread is dear, 62,000 persons are inscribed in Paris on the list of the in- digent ; and this is the moment chosen to apply for an annual dotation of 500,000 francs and 500,000 francs pin-money, on the occasion of the marriage about to be contracted by the second son of the King."
The Paris papers are filled with details of the disasters occasioned by the tempest, which had for more than a week prevailed throughout France, and which was not yet over.
Two projects of law were presented to the Chamber of Deputies on Saturday by the Minister of Finance; one relative to the pensions of retreat, and the other to the renewal of the charter of the Bank of France. The so-long-announced project of law on sugar was also brought forward on that day by the Minister of Commerce, but was received in an unfavourable manner by the Chamber. It would impose upon native sugar a duty nearly equal to that levied on the colonial article; hut, by way of a compensation, it would grant to the home manufacturer an indemnity of 40,000,000 francs.
A letter from Hayti in the French papers notices that fonearly the greater part of the shipments of produce on English and Corn on ac- count were made front that island to Havre in French vessels, on account of the greater moderation of freight and the better rates of pace in that market than elsewhere. Latterly, however, the ease was altered, since it was found only by reference to an article in the Foglisl: tariff that foreign coffee, front whatever quarter, brought by Brbislt shipping which had last touched at the Cape of Good Ilope, was ad- missible at a considerable reduction of duty into English ports. In consequence, many of the foreign houses at 1 layti had been encouraged to make their shipments of entice to the Cape, and thence to England. This sort of operation was found sufficiently. advantageous to compen- sate the lower comparative rate of freight by French shii,s Cram Hayti to Havre, ranging fi•om 130 to 150 francs per ton less than by other ships.
The Exaltado party in Spain had succeeded in returniiu the chair- man and secretaries of all the electoral colleges in the capital : amt would, it was thought, be likewise successful in the election of the Deputies and Senators.
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