Telegram Herald

Wants Enormous Damages.

Mr. Prien, a merchant who carried on business for many years in Brazil, has brought an action against the government of the French republic for the respectable sum of £560,000 for damages he alleges to have sustained through the action of a French consul. It seems that some thirty years ago M. Prien felt aggrieved at the action of the Brazilian authorities at Itajahy in overcharging him customs dues on merchandise passing through his hands. The papers to prove his claim, according to the plaintiff's story, were intrusted to the French consul, but that functionary disclaimed all knowledge of them, and since then the documents have neither been seen nor heard of.

For their loss and that of the money paid as surcharge of customs he brought the action against the minister of foreign affairs, as the official chief of the consul who represented the French government. Although he assessed his damages at the sum mentioned M. Prien informed the court that if the verdict went in his favor he did not intend to claim the money from the republic, being desirous only of recovering the documents which have disappeared so mysteriously. The judges have, however, non-suited the plaintiff, holding that the minister for foreign affairs could not be held responsible for papers intrusted to a subordinate. M. Prien intimated his intention of carrying the case to the court of appeal.-Paris Cor. London Telegraph.