The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-02-23 00:00:00

iortign an Colonial intelligence.

FRANCE.
Tax EticosnrY.—The nit cur states "that the mea-
sures recently taken to defend and consolidate the
constitution were determined upon some time ago. The
attack upon the Emperor has neither inspired nor ag-
gravated those measures; they are addressed to but one
category of criminals clearly defined. France, which has
just witnessed the Empress's courage, knows that in the
event of misfortune she would find in her another
Blanche of Castille, ready to defend the rights of her
son, and make of Lim • prince after God's heart."
The works of the railway from Caen to Cherbourg
have been carried on with so much activity since the
beginning of the year that it is pretty certain the line
will be opened for passengers in the month of July next.
During the last month there were 4,000 navvies, 200
horses, 80 carte, 1,000 waggons, and three locomotives
employed by the company in order to accomplish the
undertaking they made to open the line in July, 1858.
1,100,000 cubic yards of earthworks have been com-
pleted. The carpenters' work at the terminus of Car-
entan is oompleted ; those of Chef-du-Pont, Ham, Sot-
tevast are entirely finished; and the stonework at the
terminus of Cherbourg is considerably advanced. I
have already announced that some of the railway lines
in Algeria are to be executed by the army. lam now
informed that orders have been transmitted to the Com-
missaries-General in the southern provinces of France to
send to Algeria all the implements required for the ex-
ecution of earthworks, such as shovels, wheelbarrows, ,
&a. As complete tranquillity prevails in the colony the
government has decided to employ the troops on rail-
way works, which are to be carried on this year with
unusual activity.
PASSPORTS FOR FRANCE.—" Foreign-office, February,
18, 1858.—Her Majesty:. Ambassador at Paris having,
in pursuance of instructions from the Earl of Clarendon,
inquired of the French Government whether British
subjects will be permitted to land in France without
passports when they have no intention of proceeding
into the interior ; and also whether Her Majesty's Don-
suls will have power to grant passports to such persons
to proceed to Paris or elsewhere ; his Excellency has
been informed by the French Minister for Foreign
Affairs that no person whatever will be permitted to
land in France without a passport, nor will • consul's
passport given to any one who may have landed with-
out one be recognised."
LOUIS NAPOLEON ON ENGLISH LIBERTY AND LAW.
—ln the Frog,* du Pas de Ca/ais of the 18th of Sep-
tember, 1843, is an article included in the last edition
of the Imperial works. "lii England," wrote Prince
Louis Napoleon, "the greater part of important
questions, before being laid before Parliament, is pre-
viously and profoundly studied and discussed at many
public or private meetings, which are so many machines
to winnow, grind, and knead the political matter before
it passes to Parliament. When • member of the House
of Commons arrives at Westminster he has already ac-
quired a complete knowledge of all the subjects which
are to be presented during the session, for he has already
discussed them at public meetings, dinners, Ao." The
illustrious writer of these articles not only speaks in
praise of such a system, but evidently pities the France
of 1843 for being deprived of them. He says:—" In
France, on the contrary, the Deputy who arrives at the
Chambers has only heard about political discussion in
his newspaper, and he has no opportunity for ascertain-
ing public opinion, and exercising himself in the pre-
paratory struggles for the great struggle of the Tribune.
The right of meeting is consequently the fundamental
basis of a representative government." The writer then
launches out into praises of the manner in which laws
are made in England, and concludes the article, among
other things, by demanding for France the right of
association. The following, from the same hand, is the
boldest of all. After describing the deplorable condition
of France in 1843, politically, morally, and materially,
the Print* adds—" Ought we not, in fact, to blush—we,
a free people, or at least as we think we are, having
made many revolutions to become so, ought we not to
blush, we repeat, on thinking that even Ireland, un-
happy Ireland, enjoys in certain respects • greater
measure of liberty than the France of July Here (in
France), for instance, 20 persons cannot meet together
without the permission of the police, while in the country
of O'Connell thousands upon thousands of men assem-
ble, discuss their interests, and menace the founda-
tions of the British empire, and a Minister dares not
violate the law which in England protects the right of
meeting."—Progrea du Pea de Calais, 4th October,
1843; CEuvres de Napoleon 111, pp. 63-4.