Prince Puckler Muskau left Paris a week ago, to answer
the chal. lenge of a Prussian officer, who, erroneously, deemed himself insulted in one of the Prince's literary productions. ' The encounter has taken place on the Prussian frontier. The combatants fired at the same time: the Colonel has received a shot in the neck, which would have proved fatal if it had struck a line less on the side. The wounded mat, declared himself satisfied, and subscribed a declaration to that effect, required by the Prince. These worthies travelled about a hun- dred and fifty miles for the sake of a shot at each other ; and the best of the joke is, that Puckler had not the slightest intention of carieaturing the Prussian (having stumbled upon his name fictitiously), and never saw him till the day of the duel.
Mademoiselle Duchesnois, the celebrated tragic actress of the Paris theatres, finds her means now reduced to the small pension allowed her by the Theatre Francais. A pension had been granted to her by Na- poleon, which was regularly paid by the Bourbons, but it has been stopped since the Revolution of July. Mademoiselle Duchesnois has retired for some time from the stage, on account of bad health, and has been labouring under a long and painful illness.—Journal des Debats.
A brother of M. Thiers was appointed to a Government situation in the neighbourhood of Montargis, but was soon afterwards deprived of it, from his inability to discharge the duties. He then came to Paris, where he had formerly lived very respectably by his trade of house-painter. His disgrace, however, did not cure him of his ambition ; upon his return to Paris, he presented himself at the hotel of the Minister of the Interior, and asked to speak to his brother M. Thiers. When the Minister was informed who the applicant was, he requested the servant to say that be was not at home.. The brother of M. niers seeing that nothing was to be obtained from brother Augustus, deter- mined to return to his former calling. He is now engaged in a dispute with the Commissary of Police of the quarter in which he lives, who has no objection to allow him to put up his sign—" Thiers, house- painter," but be will not allow him to add, " and brother of the Minister of the Interior," which he insists upon doing.—Le Bon Sens.
A duel took place on Wednesday last week in Paris, which was attended by singular circumstances. One of the combatants having had the first fire, placed himself in an attitude to receive that of his adver- sary; who took a long and deliberate aim. The ball passed through his skull, and he died instantly. A few seconds afterwards, his ad- versary also fell and expired; for he bad received a ball which traversed his lungs : he nevertheless retained sufficient strength to execute the deadly purpose of his deliberate aim. The combatants went into the field to avenge a double and reciprocal adultery.
We learn from Calais, that on Thursday last the port and pier were crowded to witness the departure of a vessel fur St. Petersburg, with fifteen machines for weaving net-lace, and as many English weavers, with their families. It appears that a French merchant is about to in- troduce the manufacture of this article into Russia, where English cotton suited for its fabrication has just been decreed to be admitted without the payment of any import duty.—Galignani's Messenger.
A large portion of the cliff at Boulogne-sur-Mer fell down on Wed- nesday week, and killed a young boy named Grieve, the son of an English gentleman, who was walking with his governess on the beach. Mr. Grieve had arrived from Dover that morning to visit his family, who are residing at Boulogne.