The National Register. — London, England, 1819-01-04 00:00:00

r ///1-X//i€ j?, /' ` 4 i, / vl, - Art , .. ~, ... .. • • i. e 71D,Arzi No. 519.—V0L. XII. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. STATE OF FII4NCE. THE intelligence just received frma Paris respecting the changes of Ministry, of the failure of the Due de Richelieu to form one with a greater leaven of Roy alism, and of the ultimate triumph over hint of M. tie Care and the Liberals, will not surprise any wilt) have nefleeted on the natural effects to 6e expected from the evacuation of Fratece by the Allied Armies. The situation of the French nation is forcibly expressed in the King's tkeree, declaring that the cities on the northeni, frontier are no longer " in a state of siege " The siege of France has indeed been raised, and the real sentiments of the Fred% people will now display themselves. As the Times newspaper justly says, the Royalists stand in opposition to nine-tenths of the po pulation, and the King must choose, not those Minis ters which he would like best, but those who can best serve him. Hence the Doe de Richelieu's failure, and M. tie Caze's succes.e. The practical ptestion upon • svtlitth the two political parties arc at issue, appears to be the recent law of election, by which the Chamber of Deputies is to be renewed partially every year, and not like our !louse of Commons, by a general election at the end ofa certain number of years. The Liberals re. gard this law as the palladium of French liberty, and the Royalists arc equally warm in oppnsition to it. Tu who arc unacquainted with the practical operation of this disputee law, it is by no means visible how its con. tinuence 'ls favourable to liberty; or how its repeal, and the substitution of a periodical general election, would be favourable to the Royal aatherity. We can not theretbre pronounce an opinion on, that dispute ; . but front the relative strength of the )sorties which ise proved by the result of this dispute,we may well augur who are likely to rule in France, now she is free from foreign interference; and from the strange: remedy for the King's difficulties, viz. to revive the Chamber of 1815, by a simple Royal Ordonnance, we may also judge of the crude, inconsistent, and absurd notions of Constitutional liberty entertained in Fnutee. These State (lectors seen: to think that upon this the Chamber of Depeties, which was full of Royalists, being re vived, though by the arbitrary and illegal authority of the King's will, they may pass a har to alter the limn of elections—as if an illegal assembly could pass any law whatever. The Chronick justly observes on this project, that a Constitution which may be suspended or violated at pleasure, is in filet no Constitution at all— Though there is no probability that the King would be. so rush as to have recourse to such a measure, yet the serious mention among French politicians of so gross a violation ef the Charter, is a pr o of o f how un r ipe Cie public mind in France is in its notions of law and kberty. No individmil would be so silly as to propose .:(.11 a measure in this country• ; and, if he were, he would Lc laughed at—much less would a party in the s:,:te propose it. This eireamstanee is, we think, much lore tentlivourable to the progress of liberty. in France, !In any laws—than the exclusive prerogative of the is.ing• to nrigivate laws, or than any otter circumstance, except the trammels of the press. The public mind zaust be enlightened, and fur this purpose time is neces sary. No nation can become really free, who have not 4. at this maturity of mind ; as was fully prove 1 in the instance of Spain, where the Cartes were too ;11i4inetied tier the nutitm, atel at the crisis were de- Kite - 1 by them. Had this lizien the 'env in England, 16.55, the Parliament and the uriitocvacy would have is light oplioieil ;lames 11. The result of these coasi dmti4ons.x.:etns to be, that el French nation have not ;et reached that At etc he the ;;rant work (If free . dam caa ha diet they Pre ?rage's Lie..a.ls it. The party of the Liberals u:•: iv;: 11 4 3 1/11 . t t i 4 , irr+ Our Ulna, Con4tittition anD zeimi• MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1819. have the lead ; if they usf, it niodermely, they will keep it, and benefit their country ; if they abuse it, they will check the march of public opinion, and retard the future consummation of liberty. The political state of France, at present, is like that of Engl Ind in • the titue of Charles 11, The characters of the Mo narchs, as well a.; of the people, aro very different ; !;ut the circumstances, in whiqh they are placed, arc very analogous ; alba we must look figivstrtiato a simnel vacillation between liberty anal despotism. We trust, however, that the far wiser, as well as more virtuous, character of the Sovereign in France, will s:tve that country front the affliction of such noble blood being shed as Russell's and Sidney's. CHANGE OF MINISTERS IN FRANCE. A crisis has at length arrived in the Awe of French party, which can scarcely tail to he followed by impor tant consequences, let it take what direction it Sufficient had transpired though the medium of pri vate correspondence from Paris, to justify a persuasion, nearly amounting to certainty. that some serious differ ences had arisen in the French Cabinet, and that some change of measures, or of Ministers, or of both, was an event to be considered as rapidly approaching. It is announced by letters received on Tuesday, that the Admini.tratimn, of which M. de Richelieu wag the of ficial head, and of which M. de Cans was, in many points of view, the most efficient and prominent mem ber, has actually been dissolved. The details are, that on Wednesday sennight, M. de Cares resigned his of fice ; and that on Thursday, Christmas-eve, the other iuisters followed his example. His Majesty accepted the resignations of all but that of the Due de Richelieu. who forthwith exerted himself to till up the vacancies, and named a Cabinet as fiillows: M. Cuvier, the celebrated naturalist, but caebn.h...l fir nothing di:: that we know of, Ninivter of tae Interior. 11. Monier', (Minister of the Treasury dur44; the ion days, to Bonaparte), Minister of Finance. M. Sittieon, (Jiinis:e•r of Jte;tice in the kiugateu of Westphalia), if inistcr of Justice. M. de Videle, Minister of Nl.trine. Count La :v of lauristo.), (Aid-de-Camp to Bonny - ate. and hia Antba,stolor at St. l'etet.burgli, preview) to the grrui Hui/situ) •war), Minister at War. Every one of these persons, however; declined the places to which they had been nu•oinated, beflee five o'clock on the Friday following, the old Ministry having resigned only the day preceding. Thu immediate cau•:e to which this was ascribed, was the opposite materials .of which M. Richelieu sought to compound his Cabinet. Messrs. de Viilele and Law required a pledge fium their colleagn:ts, se modify the law of elections, and the recruiting law, in such u manner us to render them " more monarcliieal:" the other members of the new Cabinet at once rejected this condition, and a general refusal was the inevitable consequence. The hluliteur of Wednesday last, arrived on Friday, remove all doubts with regard to the fhrmatioa of the new French Ministry, and brings a Royal Ordinance to the etl;:ct following.—The King appoints— M. Le .Martiaii wars. Peer o( rranco. Minister of Foreign Afrair.: , ; and, in place of the Duc de Rich lire. Pretitlent of toe Cutineit of Ministers: M. de S.:rre, K =per of t's,: ofJusti..o : M. de CitLel. Minister of the Interior; the Ministry of Polict• being suppresse,'. : Baron t o. al, Minister of Marine. Baron Louis, Minteter of the Finances. tit. Cyr. oat Wins' n.inittil At sal, either annor.g , t the re.ignat.o.l. or tipp.onottoots, retains, let: bupihisc, ttie litt..try of War. This official statement introduces some names into the Cubiatt, which had nut been antieipated by the previAtis arriv.4.4 from Paris. The Count de Cazes, it se2ms, preferred Cie Ministry of the. Interior, with its collateral directian of the general police, to the higher official rank which rumour had assigned to him, in conjunction with his present office; and which would, indeed, have concentrated in the ::tune hands a mass of p aver and ministerial influence, very naturally the object of jealousy under a free constitution. The Ministry of the Interior, from the nature of its delicate and extensive duties, brings the possessor ,of it (now that there is na police Minister) into more imine.liate conmet with the spirit of party, with public opinion, and with the most interesting vilations between the people and the Government, than :my othrr (Ace under the French Crown. We trust that, fur the t‘die both 0.. France and a her 42verei2n, the administration of impoifr.ut C.ufies twill bu upright, able, and stir- PLucE 90. cessful. The promulg-ation of the names of the new 11inistry, together with the prospect of a speedy sale by the 'Treasury of the Royal Forests, ar.d the conse quent absorption of 10 or 12 millions of renles, is said to have had the effect of raising the Frunch Stocks to 67 on Wednesday last, ant! they were expected to advance still higher. tullowing are all the particulars which we are at present able to give respecting tlae four new met:- hers of the French Ministry : M. amanita, P.tgo Of France, Watt, in tB-14, mender of the Natiosel Guard of Paris;, when he con ducted himself so as to acquire the perfect confidence of the King, an.l WAS raised to the peerage in June or the same year: he is a Lieutenant-General of the armies of France, a Knight of •- , t. Louis, and Giand Cross of the Legion of Honour, and was, previous to his present exaltation, a member ot' the Privy Council, and a Minister of State. Aide Serre was President of the Chamber of De puties (luring the last Session, and was within four votes of obta:ning the same dignity this year : he is a Knight of St. Louis, anti of the Legion of Honour, and was, before his new appointment, one of the Council of State, and a member of the Cotnutittee of Legis lation. M. Louis was Minister of Finance in 181-1, being one of the Administration of which M. Tallevrand was at the head :• he is a Grand Cross or t e L;:gion .01 Uonoui•, and a member of the Chamber of Deputits;,, he was also a member of the Privy Council, and a Minister of State. M. Portal is an Officer of the Legion.of Honour, and a Member of the Chamb.A- 41f Deputies ; he has also been one of the Conneil of State since May 1814, and has been for two years vast, intrusted with the ilirecsioa of the Colonial Branch in the Department of tha Minister of Marine, over the whole of which he is new appointed to preside. Ogle of the last acts of M. Laine, late Minister of the interine,• was ter present to the King a report on the internal condition of France with report tails va rious institutions fir the regulation of the poor, and for the punishment of criminals. The most important feature in it is, that he reco„nizes the principle now so generally approved in this country of the absolute ne cessity of classification in prisons. He states the in crease of crimes brought to trial in the years 1816 and 1817, to be 6,857 in the first, and 9,185 in the last year ; an increase considerubl:: less than appeared in the. official statement to have occurred in England, ume%g a smaller population, during the same period ; fi r the differene4.-.. here was as 13,932 to 9,091 ; hut, perhaps, the mirianery necessary for the accurate production of the proper returns does not work so well in France as in this country, where it has been longer in use. The Dul:e of Glacestcr arrived at Paris, on Sunday. last, and alighted at the Hotel def Empire, rue d'Ar tois, No. 15, with his suite, composed of Col. Cotton, the Hon. Major Curzon, and Major Sir Murray,. with four valets de charrihre.—lt is stated, that vrioce Leopold of Saxe Coburg intends to stay with his tinnily at Coburgh. till March next, whet his Itiyal Highness proposes to return to England. It is to be n iticed, that althomA there will Le four eclipses this year, neither of theta is visible to us . ; they , will no doubt excite much astonishment and ti:ar in tha coasts of New &alma], New Holland, Guinea, Cali fornia, and Japan, awl espocial4 iu Nladagasear, on the Stl October, where the moon will rise eclipsed, and in the Sandwich Islands it will set ; it tvill have the sante appearance in Persia, the Caspian Sea, and west of Poland. Whatever appearances the moon ever assumes, they are always interesting to the followers of Mahumet. In a statistical sureey of Europe, lately published. at Vicaaa, it is estimated that the armed force Of Europe, on the PCiteg Establishment, consists of 1,798,000 men, and on a %% ar Establishment of 5,608,000.. The Ma rine is eaten's' cd at 462 vessels of the line, .370 frigates. and 1,92 vessels of lesser rank. _ _ The workmen began yesterday to erect handsome sup.. porters for the lamps, which are to ilium ate %I'ater leo-place, opposite L'arltoti "they in•e in a e to correspond with the adjacent reskler.ce... The uew iron bridge int. tided to be thrown over tiro Menge-strait, in %Vales, will be l,truO feet m li.itgth, and will be atibi , oided between two risks, at t::t hti o l.t el 100 icet above the surtiwc offal: watts.