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Leader (1850-1860), 11th December 1852, Edition Town of 2, Page 1174

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      The " logic of the people , " as interpreted by the new revision of the constitution , converts the Emperor of the French into a Czar , abolishes every vestige of dignity and indedfcndetfttB * *^ legislative body , leaves a blank ror" the Gtvil List to be filled up by " munificence of the SH ^ ate , " , in a word , fills up the measure of Ihfe nation ' s servitude . Our ambassador has hashed to be the first to present his crdtebtials , WJiile M . Ducos was haranguing the Deputies of Toulon , Brest , and Cherbourg , on the aggressive preparations of England , and was promising to keep pace with us , ship for ship , and gun for gun .

      The Moniteur protested against the insinuation that any undue influence had been exerted at Madrid , as to certain projects of constitutional reform , " attributed" to the Spanish Government : while the said constitutional projects were actually discovering their origin and their tendency by a dissolution of the Cortes , a new electoral

      law by royal decree , a suspension of almost the entire press , and a virtual annulling of all constitutional guarantees . How far Spanish absolutism may reckon on French imperialism we know not : it is not so likely , perhaps , that Spanish patriotism will yield without a struggle . The latest news from Madrid speaks of great excitement prevailing in the capital .

      The Belgian Press Law has passed the Chamber after a sharp contest , and one of the last barriers to French annexation is removed . The national spirit has no longer any aliment : and the influences of Imperial gold and priestly intrigue are in undisputed possession of the field . The most serious notion , however , is , that the Emperor will not invade Belgium by force of arms ; but in his own good time put annexation to the vote , and so proclaim

      himself , not the conqueror , but the " Elect of Belgium , " —a course which Lofd Malmesbury would be ready to justify , and even celebrate , in the House of Lords . It is not too much to say that the presence of Lord Malmesbury in Downingstreet is more responsible for the relapse in Belgium and Spain than even Louis Napoleon . Lord Malmesbury will be hereafter remembered in connexion with the eloge on the Enslaver of France , the press law in Belgium , the coup-d ' tftat in Spain , and the degradation of Englishmen everywhere .

      To return to home affairs . The agriculturists < lo not shine by their friends in Parliament so much as by their beasts in Bakerstreet . The Cattle-show of the year continues the recent improvements : the beasts are not so uselessly fat ; they are more healthily and serviceahly grown , and the implements in the machine department multiply . We noticed , indeed , no flax machine ; although Mr . Druce , one of our largest growers of flax , was one of the chief prizemen for stock , and one of the best exhibitors of roots . Still the show attests the

      advance of intelligence and of production among our agriculturists ; and it was impossible not to be struck with the advantages of this central gathering as a focus of enlightenment , now that farming is at length happily withdrawn from the political market . The list of crimes and disasters for the week is unusually full—murders , railway accidents , mutiny , and a smaller repetition of the calamity that desolated llolmfirth . The mutiny happened in the Melbourne , notorious for its career of disasters from England to Portugal . It was attended by niunler , and in the inquiry it came out that the crew were all drunk . The inundation , from a broken-down reservoir near Manchester , was caused immediately by the heavy rains ; but ill construction and insufficient attendance sn ' . v . m to have been the predisposing causes . The disaster was foreseen , but not prevented . Probably , like the llolmfirth reservoirs , these did not pay" well ; and no doubt it costs less to bury a workman or a pauper , than to keep up works that return no profit , or to feed a man out of poor-rates in finic of need .

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      THE PARLIAjtEltft £ > t taE WEEK . THU foENCH EMPIEE . Iir the House of littfds , on Monday , the Earl of Malijjjfesbury made tfefe following extraordinary speech : —f , ** It now fetebbines ;* 8 j- duty to Jfcfofotince to your lorflshiitf an event Which ytjjlinust all loilg since have expected , but which ifl iiot diminished in importance thoug h so long eipfected and foreseen ; I allude to £ he notification that hjw been made to llfet Majesty ' s Groverninent by the Secretary for F 6 rei | frl Affairs at P&bis , announcing that the French peOplfe Have determined to cnange their constitution from a Republic to that of an Empire , and to attach to the person of the Prince President of the Republic the diffnitv of Emperor . That notification was made to me

      on Thursday last , and , having been communicated by me to her Majesty ' s Government , her Majesty ' s servants have thought it right , without further hesitation , to advise her Majesty cordially to accept and recognise this new constitution selected by the French people for their own government . It has been , as your lordships all know , our usual policy for a period of 22 years—since the revolution of 1830 in Paris—to acknowledge the constitutional doctrine that the people of every country have the rig ^ ht to choose their own Sovereign without any foreign interference , and , that a Sovereign having been freely chosen by them , that Sovereign or ruler , or whatever he may be called , being de facto the ruler of that country , should -be recognised by the Sovereign of this . If there has been distinct will of the French

      formerly any doubt as to the nation in respect to the choice of their Sovereign , —if there has been any doubt as to their distinct intention at any former time , I must say that , on this occasion at least , it is perfectly impossible to mistake their undoubted determination , three times in a most solemn way expressed , with respect to the same person , in the most public manner that history can afford an example of . When the revolution and the Republic succeeded to the monarchy of Louis Philippe , the present Emperor of the French was residing in this country . He went over with none of the usual canvass that takes place at elections of minor importance , or even at those of equal magnitude . He went over , I may say , with nothing but a name—a name so great in France , that it evidently , is invested with a magic

      which has an effect that experience only has been able to make Europe understand . We could , indeed , almost comprehend that the fate of Napoleon , checkered as it was with such a mixture of immense glory and misfortune , was admirably calculated to rouse all the sympathies of human nature , and therefore we cannot wonder that he made a lasting impression on a peop le over whom he ruled sa long and so greatly . But it is hardly possible for any person in a European State out of France to suppose that the prestige of that name remains so long , and so steadily and strongly , for thirty-seven years after his abdication , that his nephew should have appeared in three different characters before the French people in the course of four years , —first offering himself , without any of the accessories of a Court or a Government to assist him , as simple

      President of the French Republic , with a Chamber ; secondly , as absolute President of the Republic without any constitutional form of government ; and thirdly , as Emperor of the same people , —and to be elected , first , b y 6 , 000 , 000 , then by 7 , 000 , 000 ; and lastly , confirmed in his power by nearl y 8 , 000 , 000 of people , forming the almost entire adult male population of France . This is not the time to speculate on the reason of such an extraordinary exhibition of sentiment and conviction on the part of the French people , but I think , if we have long lost eight of the power of that name in France , it has been because we have not sufficiently observed , that up to this moment , in the changes that havo taken place in that country , only one part of her population was consulted and considered . It was at Paris that all theso changes were carried out . It was in Paris alone that tho fate of Charles X . and Louis

      Philippe was determined ; it was by the voice of the Parisians alone that the Republic was established in 1848 ; and , though both forms of government successively met with tho silent approbation of the country , yot on no ono occasion , till the President of tho Republic was elected in 1848 , wore tho wholo body , tho mass of tho French people , consulted as to what form oi' government they preferred , or what manner of man they ought to have . Among tho masses of the French people ono recollection , and ono only , seems strongly and steadily to have prevailed , and 1 think it is not difficult to explain why it should havo been so . In 1816 , at tho time of tho

      Restoration , tho army of Franco , an enormous army , was disbanded . It was poured back again upon tho hearths of tho population ; tho prisoners returned from all parts of tho world in thousands and tons of thousands , and it ; in not exaggerating tho number to any that 400 , 0 ( K ) or 500 , 000 men , with ono fixed idea in their inindn , with ono wornhip fixed ' in their heart h , returned to their homon . For twenty or thirty years aftorwardu they talked of but ono man ; that ono man wan tho grout idol of their imagination , and , though they could hardly havo exaggerated bin military merits and glory , they still attributed to him all that enthusiasm could give . Upon tho rising generation all Hub w » ih not , likclv to l > o lout , and it apptuirn to mo that tho

      soodH thews men havo sown throughout tho provmoeH ot Franco aro now to bo neon in tho fruit which him ripe-nod on thin occasion into tin empire . Hoeing this immense demonstration of feeling on tho part of the French people , it was impoHHiblo for her Majesty ' s Government , oven if it had not boon tho uBual policy , not to advise her Majesty immediately and cordially to accept and recognise the empire . Tlioro might have been one , and only one reason , which might have tempted uHvfco hesitate so «<> mI ** " ? *™ Majesty , hut I rejoifio to way that the K ood boiibo ot ino T > r /»« mi Utriniiriir . 4 ' nrnHueiiiir the ( lilliuulty , made an

      advance to remove from tho Government those fjifncullios thai otherwise might have existed . T ulludo to a « c » nowhat fuui > iguuu » u >|> i-0 « aiuii to DO found in tho report oi tM ) Senatus-Gonaulte , which referred to tho late Preaidwt of the Republic , and which was oonnocteaTwith the titio

      he meant to take-a % a * 6 f * Napoleon III . " This mi ^ f iE , T ? KSW 5 S 5 f fcov / rnmen ^ -it woSd mdfed naturall y h «* tf ^ dO eSd tiny one to suppose—as understood m common park ^ a nd as it is commonly understood when designa ^ gjfirtre * e % &l-to give the bearer of the title an hereditary ijnd Retrospective right to the throne—^ JS ^ i V * i ^ T ^ * strai ffbt and legitimate ttne g ad that by right he now mounted the throne of France ' The preseht Eitiperbr , however , foreseeing this difficulty ' took himself the initiatory step , and frankly assured hYr I ^^ J&IF *^ ih&t it rela * d 8 imply tothe £ toricat incident that in France , and according to French law , two Sovereigns of the aame of Napoleon Bonaparte had preceded the present Emperor . If either of these was recognised by this country . The French Government knew that as well as your lordships , and they have adopted the title without any intention of claiming hereditary right from the first Emperor . They have distinctl y intimated

      this to her Majesty ' s Government , and it has also been since announced in a speech by the Emperor himself They have declared , and he has himself declared , that he is the Sovereign only by the ™^ iLla ^ toal I ' by hereditary right to the throne ; Hfl ^^^ HHIjf recognises all the Governments that hjj ^^^^^^^^^ H 1814 in France that he recognises thsj ^^^^^^^^ H ) Vern . ments ; and that he acknowledge a ^^^^^^^^ H pf j ^ g Government as succeeding the othfl ^^^^^^^ V gatig . factory and frank explanations , ^^^^^^^^^ H asked any official questions on the Bub ^^^^^^^^ H ~ sati g factory and frank declarations , J ^^ Hla ^ B ^ B ^ fto her

      Majesty ' s Government cordially J ^^ H |^^^^ B the decided will of the French nationf ^^^^^^^^ H ^ our ambassador at Paris credentiak ^^^ Hj ^^^^ Kcourt . In the notification of the EJ ^^^^^^^^ Best y ' s Government is informed that the ^^^ H ^^^^ Kt influenced the President will influen ^^^^|^^^^ H ^ And , with , respect to that policy , as reg ^^^^^^^^^ His impossible to speak too highly of the ^^^^^¦ manner in which every question has b ^^^ H ^^^^ H > y Government of France since I ha ^^^^^^^^ Hur of holding the seals of office , and I afl ^^ Hjj ^^^^ Hfriend opposite will be ready to say the s an ^^^ H ^^^^ Hfound nothing but fairness and fair play iHH ^ H ^^^^ Btions .

      I have found nothing but assura ^ H ^ K ^^^^ n , and wishes to maintain an unbrokerj ^^^ H ^^^^ Hi this country . - I believe that the Em ^^^^^^^^^ Hd the great mass of the French people (^^^^^^^^ Hessity for the interests of both countries ^^^ Hj ^^^^ H . be at peace . I believe , on the other l : ^^^^^ He the folly and the crime of provoking ^^^|^^^^ H know that war , so far as carried on for tl ^^^ Hj ^^^^ H either country by the other , is an absur ^^^^ Hj ^^^ Hie can never be so powerful or so indepe ^^^ HMi ^^^ &ble to subjugate the other ; and that , the ^^^ BHj ^^ Hust be only a useless war , —useless as cru ^^^ R ^^^^ Heless . " Lord Cajwikg wished to knc ^^^ l ^^^^ Ba the

      information had been received . ^^ Hj ^^ HPf said it was an " official declaratiJ ^^ pB ^ fTl Mr . Diskaem took a differeflHfltaaflHPIoiise of Commons . He said— III ^ Hb ^ b ^ EI . " I havo to inform the House thfj ^^^^^ flBf " 9 ie ' ccived a notification that there is *^^^^^^^^ F the government of France ; that t ^^^^^^^^ K cn re " established , and that the EmperJI ^ M ^^ BPa ™^

      -. , i i . i t * c XT 1 TTIfl ^^^ H ^^^^^ Vfl VXOunder the title of ' Napoleon I 1 ^^ HB i vernment , acting upon the polic ^^^^^^^^ V i / pursued by this country , of rec | H ^^^^^ V J " government , has advised Her Maj (^^^ M ^^^ B cnc (? r ' fully to recognise the new form of ^^^^^^ K ranco . I have at tho same time to ^^ " ^^^^ Hff ^ H I |! i iirst instance in a friendly and infl ^^ HfeUPW " " l

      mately in a formal and official r iHHH | , ' . tV ' nounced to Her Majesty ' s Goveri ^^^^^^^ P ^ 'f tho title of Napoleon III ., ' «« i ^^ ' ^^ S « does not in any way wish to assert hin hereditary clai ^ tho Empire ; lie declares that his only claim to t ^ Bidered Emperor is that he baa been elected by tW I of France ; and he has further declared , in a - «» alftho fectly voluntary on his part , that he entire ,, ^^^ Governments , and all the acts of « ' ' , 4 «* that have occurred and taken plw » «» co * ' . .. j The announcement thu- ™ ^ tlie " *? ... !" jl ne annoimceiueiiu mw — - < + 4 nii + inn ttent

      ., gentleman was revived with deep and earnest ^ . on g Lord J . ItirsSElx asked whether there ^ would be any objection to lay these documents on the ^ J ^ House ? Tho , . CHANCEMXm of the ^ ° ™ J * he ditl not see any present objection to lay he V ° t ™ on the table of the Houho ; but the nobto \ on \ he v »* sure , would not press him for . more ^^ T ^\ t at tha . t moment . ( Hear , hear . ) He l ^ jj . respectful to tho House to give it the ^^ l ^ TSbe tion of the fact he had stated , not wislung tl ^ House of Commons should be made acquainted wit

      from any other quarter . CLOSE OF THE FBBE-TRADJC COrTTttOVEBS ^^ At length the Hotoh of ^ nm }^ V ^^ ; tioti in favour of Free-trade . Caoug ffl ^ it the whole proceeding in tame and *«* l , aii i b ha * been undignified , neither ^»^ ' " , ^ , 1 Clanrtordo , nor W «« rby , nor the Horn * , bo seen thai * - '<* Harrowby atepped in , and "PP „ , iUo rahnoTBton of the Upper House . The MarquiB of Ciaiuuoarm , on Monday , wovu the following resolution '• .. ff ( , noral " That tfai ! T bouse . fcbankfully acknovledmng ¦ o ff < m-nannrltv . « md dooply BOiibiblo of tho oviln aU oih 1 « K l ^

      qa « nt ehangea in the financial 1 ^ 7 ^ , ; an ' d Wires to tho oommeraal syntem recently ^ estoWi »» * ^ would view with regrot any renewed attempt to ai « Ite operation or imped © ita further progwltf .

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      1174 THE L 5 A P E R . [ Saturday ,

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 11, 1852, page 1174, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1964/page/2/