The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1863-08-04 00:00:00

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

The Emperor of the French who, in 1852,
announced that the age of conquests is passed,
is rapidly completing one of the most extensive
conquests attempted in this generation. By the
latest intelligence from Mexico we learn that
Jatirez' slight remaining power of resistance was
rapidly melting away ; that the troops who fol-
lowed him to San Luis are deserting by hundreds
a week • and that General Forey is raying out
small bodies of troops all through the country,
who are welcomed everywhere with acquiescence.
Partisan resistance, of course endures ; but
partisan resistance, with leaders who may be
purchased, and followers who seek plunder
rather than battle. is but a temporary danger.
Unless some new element is therefore introduced
faith the question, the pacification of Mexico will
be the work of but a very few months, while the
results of the in hievement may be almost with-
out a patellal. According to the proclamation
issued by General Furey, the sales of "national
property" arc confirmed, and only fraudulent
sales are to be revised. The Ilishops srs
invited back to their sees, but they are not
to have the control of society, as they
undoubtedly hoped, for the Emperor "would
view with pleasure the establishment of
freedom of religious worship—that great
principle of modern society." With regard to
the traders "no forced contribution or requisi-
tion will ever be exacted. Taxes will be levied
as in civilised countries, in such • manner as to
affect citizens according to their means." There
is not a single decree of a revolutionary charac-
ter; on the contrary, all that existed—except
the Federal organisation of Mexico—is studi-
ously respected, while security to lit) and pro-
perty will be steadily enforced. To secure the
advantages promised however, there remains to
be accomplished the orgenisation of the Govern-
ment An appearance of independence is care-
fully entsint•ftiut,l, but the arrangement ts clearly
intended to leave the French Government a very
influential voice. Universal Suffrage is not to
ho resorted to, but General Foray, in the first
place, nominated a committee of 35, who, in
their turn, are to noir,inate 214 notables to decide
the form of Government. It is therefore pretty
evident that such a body, &rambled under the
protection of French c.utuon, and within reach
of all manner of inducements, will, unless in-
tensely opposed to the form ksired by the
French, vote for that form ; and already observers
who do not pin much faith to Mexican Bepub-
lie/mine, nor to General Foray's self-denial,
predict !he 'establishment of a monarchy. The
principle of monarchy once accepted, the next
question that will arise will be as to the monarch,
end there are but three likely candidates—the
Archduke Maximilian, Prince Napoleon, and
Louis Napoleon himself. With regard to the
Archduke, his election would be most unpopular
in France, and the probability is that the
notables—aware that the conquest is inevitable,
and that if Napoleon 111. were elected, all pro-
wises about Mexican independence would be in
theory fulfilled—will be induced, unless General
Poesy hasreceived orders to the contrary, to
give in their adhesion to the Emperor. Should
such he the case Mexico will be a noble appanage
for the Tuileries, and furnish a safe retreat in
the event of revolutionary disaster in France.
. . . . . .

Few Englishmen have read with inything but
sincere pleasure the admirable letter of the Queen
to the Mayor of Birmingham, through Sir C.
Phipps, concerning the recent disgraceful sacrifice
of a female Blondin in the people park. The
singular appropriateness and excellence of the
Queen's rebuke on this the only occaaion on
which she has ever intervened to mark her
personal censure of any of her subjects' conduct,
raises in the pleasantest form the question of
the limits within which the vast social power of
the Crown ought to be directly exercised. Her
Majesty expresses her personal feelings of horror,
that one of her subjects, a female, should have
been sacrificed to the gratification of the dormers-
ling taste unfortunately prevalent for exhibi-
tions attended with the greatest danger to the
performers." Her Majesty adds the expression
of her opinion, that if any proof were needed of
the demoralising tendency of such exhibitions,
it would "be at once found in the decision
arrived at to continue the festivities, the
hilarity, and the sports of the occasion after
an event so melancholy." Finally, the Queen
treats that the loc.' authorities and the
people of Birmingham will use their indolence
'to prevent in future the degradation to such
exhibitions of the park, which was gladly opened
by her Majesty and the beloved Prince Consort, in
the hope that it would be made serviceable for the
healthy exercise and rational recreation of her
people. ' This letter of the Queen will, we trust,
po much good. We are aware that there is •
large male of brutal and selfish people who will
have their amusements at any price, and that
there are many rascals who will provide coarse
amusements if they will pay; but decent people
will stay away from performances denounced by
their Sovereign as demoralised. There were many
circumstances which not only justified, but almost
required, this expression of the Queen's disgust.
The Home Secretary had explicitly—but most
absurdly—declared that the law could not inter-
fere to prevent gratuitous risk in public amuse-
ments, though it habitually interferes to prevent
much less culpable risk in manufactures and
mines. Lord Lyndhurst once defined a diffi-
culty "as a thing to be overcome ;" and we
trust that if the Home Secretary does not
know how to frame an Act to meet the cams,
some one else, either on the ministerial or
opposition side of the House, will show him how
it can be done. In any awe, however, the
thanks of the English people are due to their
Queen for the salutary influence on national
manners she has at all times been anxious to
exert, as well by the simplicity of her own life
as by her constant and dignified reserve as to the
nature of her people's amusements, until called
forth by so exceptional • circumstance as the one
before us. - . - -

Rome days have elapsed since the Lords
Commissioners prorogued Parliament, and the
Lord Chancellor read to the aseembled Lords
and Commons that nataterir place of oomposi-
tion—the Royal smolt The fact that it is
already well nigh fotgottan is sufficient evidence
that in substance it is about as original and in
style as elegant as such documents usually are.
Indeed there is only one paragraph which seems
at all to call for cominwat—we refer to that
wLich alludes to the onion of the lasi=

Isles to Greece. Strange as it map appear)
the Greek question is evidently still In an
unsettled state. A telegram, received on
Thursday, informs us that King (*urge I. of
Greece will leave Copenhagen "immediately
after the question of the lonian Islands has been
arranged;,, and this intimation, if it mean any-
thing, mutt meta that should the question not
be satisfactorily settled, King George I. of
Greece will remain where he is. On this point
the paragraph in the Royal speech throws some
light :—" Her Majesty is taking steps with • view
to the union of the lonian Islands to the king-
dom of Greece. For this purpose her Majesty
is in communication with the Powers who were
parties to the treaty of 1815, by which those
Wands were placed under the protection of the
British Crown; and tip wishes of the lonians
on the subject of such union will be duly ascer-
tained." The question, therefore, seems to be
but very little nearer settlement than when our
Foreign Secretary began to enact the part of
king-maker. At all events it is quite clear that
the new-made king reserves to himself the option
of declining his kingdom The complication is
an odd one—a king without a monarchy and a
monarchy without a king. Surely Prince
Oortschakoff would be a valuable acquisition
at our Foreign Office.