The Paris papers of Thursday publish a Royal ordinance, reducing
'the duties on several articles of commerce imported into France in French ships. The object is understood to be, to revive the commercial navy of the country; sad complaints of declining trade being sent in from the principal ports.
The Courrier Francais states that M. Villemain is appointed to com- pose the King's speech at the opening of the session, and is at present engaged on it.
The French Court was to go into mourning on the 4th instant, daring six days, for the Princess Sophia Matilda of England. Our private letters state that "there is on hand in France more manufactured cotton goods than would suffice to supply the market for three years."
'Phe cold was increasing in Paris. "It froze very hard last night," says a private letter of Thursday, " and throughout the day the tempe- 'Mare has been so low as 25 degrees of Fahrenheit. I need hardly add, that fears are general that the predictions of an unusually severe winter will be realized."
The Presse copies from the Oceanie Frangaise (a French official newspaper at Tahiti) of May the 12th, an incredible account of inter- views which took place on the 3d and 4th May, on board the English war-ketch Basilisk, between M. Malmanche, Chief of the French Staff, the Tahitian Chiefs, and Pomare, Ex-Queen of Tahiti. The substance of the farrago is, that M. Malmanche bore an invitation from Governor Bruat to Queen Poulare to land ; that Lieutenant Hunt dictated a refusal; and that Pomare was manifestly "afraid" to give any other answer, as M. Malmanche told Mr. Hunt. Also the Chiefs avowed great friendship for the French!
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