Our Paris correspondent sends us a lively letter on matters
financial and political, especially as regards the attitude of Germany. " ThursdayEvening.
"There has been a complete stagnation at the Bourse during the past week ; not even the battle of Montebello succeeded in giving animation to business ; the prices have been kept up solely by the small investments of the public, and the vast scale on which 'discounting' has been practised; that is to say, purchasers of funds for the end of the month have required the Stock to be delivered within five days, as is permitted on the French Stock Exchange. This manceuvre of course creates a scarcity of Stock, and frightens speculators for the fail; for being generally unprovided with Stock, they are naturally embarrassed when called upon to deliver up what they bare not got; this manceuvre„ however, generally defeats itself; it causes an artificial buoyancy, and, immediately the motive cause ceases, the reaction commences. This is the case at present ; as we draw near the end of the month, of course discounting ceases • and yesterday the tide set the other way ; the Bourse was very bad indeed ; and the gloominess was increased by a number of reports set on foot, the truth of Which -I cannot affirm. It was said, however, that both Russia and England were very dissatisfied at the entry of Prince Napoleon inleTuscany, and that England had gone so fares to protest; that the feeling in Germany was rising to a head, (a report which is_in part substantiated by the speech of the King of Saxony) ; and lastly that the French had been fighting for two days ;of the truth of which there is I think great doubt. It seems a pity, however, that the Government is not more explicit and frank. A note in the Mendenr is generally conceived to mean the reverse of what it says ; at the same time news is withheld ; last Saturday the despatch posted at the Bourse made no mention of the death of General Beuret and the colonels ; it was not till the next morning that the Moniteur gave the dark side of the picture ; now this is a pit'; for the next time a despatch arrives, however accurate it may be, people will still think that there is more behind. At this moment it is not known how many officers were killed or wounded; a Belgian paper says twenty-six ; but a private letter from the camp received in Paris yesterday puts the num- ber at fifty-five : of course anxiety is very great to learn the names of the sUfferers. The peculiarity of the battle 'lithe great loss sustained in officers ; the number of the French engaged is not yet certain ; a Belgian paper says 12,000; but a French paper of this morning goes as low as 3000; one thing is quite certain that the Parisians were a little surprised at the obstinate resistance of the Austrians ; the French newspapers have been decrying the Austrians and vaunting French military skill to such a ridiculous extent, that many a Parisian bourgeois fondly believed that the Emperor would dictate his bulletins from Milan in a week from his de- parture, and would have chased the Austrians from Lombardy in time to be back for the season at Compiegne. The affair of Montebello has brought the conviction home to the most unreasoning bourgeois that the Austrians will not let themselves be cut down like sheep, and that the French will have to pay. dear for their victories. Most exaggerated accounts have been.travel- ling from paper to paper of the cruelties and exactions of the Austrians in Sardinia. The Presse of last night is the first to make the amende honour- able, and to admit that the Austrians have only made use of the right that war gives them to live in an enemy's country at the enemy's expense. " A belief is expressed here that the Liberals will come in under the leadership of Lord Palmerston ; this change would be very acceptable to the French at this moment, as my Lord Palmerston is supposed to take the same view of the Italian question as his Imperial Majesty; the Derby Ministry finds no favour in the eyes of French journalists, who characterize Mr. Disraeli as a feeble imitator of the great Pitt. "The view you took last week of the probable conduct of Prussia, will turn out, I fear, but too correct ; the minor States will soon draw her into the contest ; 25,000 Bavarians are, it is said, to support Austria in the Tyrol; the King of Saxony has spoken out; while Prussia herself is trying to bor- row at this moment five millions sterling in the London market. All this looks threatening. He is a clear-headed man who can see the denouement of the drama that is opening."
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