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

itatgn anb Colonial intelligence.

FRANCE.

THE EMPEROR OP THE FRENCH ON ENGLISH

PERSONAL LIBERTY.
In the complete edition of his Majesty's works pub-
in Paris in 1854 occurs the following passages in the
chapter headed " De la Libertk Individuelle en Angle-
terre" (vol. I. p. 411) :
"No inhabitant of Great Britain (excepting convicts)
can be expelled from the United Kingdom. Any infrac-
tion of this clause (the Habeas Corpus Act) would be
visited with the severest penalties."
" There is in England no public prosecutor, for the
Attorney-General only intervenes in very extraordinary
cases. There is no doubt that many criminals escape
justice from the want of such a functionary, but, on the
other hand, personal liberty incurs less risk of being vio-
lated. But it is not merely the laws which protect the
citizen; it is the manner in which they are executed ;it
is the manner in which the government exercises its
power. In England authority is never influenced by
passion; its proceedings are always moderate, always
legal. In England those violations of a citizen's domi-
cile so common in France, under the name of domiciliary
visits, are unknown. In England the secrets of families
are respected, and correspondence remains intact. In
England the first of all liberties, that of going where
You please, is never disturbed, for there no one is asked
for passports—passports, the oppressive invention of the
Committee of Public Safety, which are an embarrass-
ment and an obstacle to the peaceable citizen, but which
are utterly powerless against those who wish to deceive
the vigilance of authority."
The Emperor alludes to what he calls the "exorbitant
power" once claimed by Parliament on the subject of ar-
rest, and says :
" But then the accused would appeal to a power
which has never been found wanting in England, when
it is invoked for the protection of liberty—l mean public
opinion. For it must be admitted, that however good
the laws may be, the government might infringe them,
or turn them to its advantage, if public opinion were not
ever ready to arrest it when it deviates into injus-
tice. In truth, a law or a charter deprived of the general
Rapport of opinion would be a mere scrap of paper. But
it becomes a sacred ark when the public interest guaran-
tees all its words, and that to efface but one of them, or
not to execute the whole, is for the government a sen-
tence of death."

"It sakes for as to note this fact, that in France
where such jealousy is shown of everything which.
touches equality and national honour, people do not at-
tach themselves so reNgiously to personal liberty. The
tranquillity of the citizen may be disturbed, his domi-
cile may be violated, he may be made to undergo for
whole months a preventive imprisonment, personal gua-
rantees may be despised, and a few generous men shall
raise their voices, but public opinion will remain calm
and impassible as long as no political passion is awak-
ened. There lies the greatest reason for the violence of
authority; it can be arbitrary because there is no curb
to check it. In England, on the contrary, political pas-
sions cease the moment a violation of common right is
committed; and this, because England is a country of
legality, and France has not yet become no; because
England is a country solidly constituted, while France
struggles by turns for 40 years between revolutions and
counter-revolutions, and the sanctity of principle has yet
to be created there."

The Monittur of Thursday publishes an Imperial
decree which divides the French army into five great
divisions. The head-quarters of the first division are
established at Paris, the second at Nancy, the third at
Lyons, the fourth at Toulouse, the fifth at Tours. Each
division is to be under the command of a Marshal of
France, with the title of "Commandant Superieur" of
the respective divisions of the North, East, South-East,
South-West, and West. In case of disturbance these
new Marshals have full powers to concentrate the
troops under their orders.
The Monsieur also publishes an article announcing the
intention of the Imperial Government to put down all
religious controversy in the French press.
Tag ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION.—The Birntiny-
ham Daily Post says: "We have been informed that,
on Saturday, Mr. Chief Superintendent Stephens received
some slight information which led him to make inquiries
in a certain quarter, and on Monday lie ascertained be-
yond doubt that the shells were constructed at a certain
manufactory in Broad-street. He was unable to obtain
an interview with the proprietor that day; but on Tues-
day he saw him. The result was that, without the
slightest hesitation, this person furnished Mr. Stephens
with all the information in his power as to the circum-
stances attending the execution of the order. He gave
the chief superintendent a copy of the instructions in
accordance with which the shells were manufactured,
and also handed him a considerable portion of one of
the deadly projectiles, not delivered with the others in
consequence of some defect. Who the manufacturer's
patrons were we are not in a position to say. Mr.
Stephens forwarded to the authorities in London, the
same evening, the details of the discovery he had made.
It was announced that the trial of the authors of the
attempt to assassinate the Emperor would take place on
the sth of February. It now appears that, in conse-
quence of the numerous commissioners appointed to col-
lect evidence in France and in foreign countries, and of
Pierre's correspondence having been discovered by the
activity and intelligence of the English police in Bir-
mingham, the trial cannot take place till the end of
February.
. . . . _

_
The tunnel under the channel being now one of the
things that must be accomplished in a few years, one of
the merry journals of the day announces the formation
of fai omnibus company to convey passengers every
quarter of an hour from England to France, and vice
vent. M. Thome de Gamond, who read a paper before
the Academy, and exhibited twenty-seven specimens of
sand,
,the earth and the clay to be bored through, is to
be conductor of the first omnibus at a moderate
salary.
The Moss ite ur continues to represent the French army
as burning to be let loose upon the British Islands.
Hear what the gallant Colonel Hardy says, vrritlng from
Lyons in the name of the filth Regiment :—" In our
virile hearts indignation against the traitors, succeeding
to our gratitude to God for your preservation, moves
us to call to Recount that land of impunity which con-
tains the den of the monsters who shelter themselves
under its laws. Give us the order, Sire, and we will
pursue these men into their hiding places." This give
"us the order" is delicious. It reminds one of T. P.
Cooke in " Black eyed Susan." That great artist was
wont, I reinember, when throwing himself into an atti-
tude for a terrific combat, at the Surrey, to exclaim,
" Now' my noble captain only give me the word of
n conuand, and see how I'll shiver their timbers." I
do not call to mind any other precedent in modern times
for the dictation by soldiers of the orders they are to
receive. Another military address is signed by Count
Oudin, general commanding the 2nd military division at
Rouen ;—" Let the miserable siesim, the subordinate
agents of deeds, receive the punishment due to their
abominable crime, but let the infamous den in which
such infernal machinations are hatched be for ever
broken up. The country loudly calls for this, and the
army is ready to shed the last drop of its blood to attain
the object." The correspondent adds :—lt is from the
French government that the provocation comes. If
these menaces mean anything an attitude of stern
defiance is the only one honourable as safe. And if
they are but mere idle bravado, let them be covered
with the ridicule they deserve.
A CRINOLINE GAME PREMERVE.—The gigantic crino-
line petticoats which are still the fashion, have, it is
known, been several times employed to defraud the
ootroi at Paris. At Toulouse, a few days ago, the octroi
men, struck by the crinolines of a woman and her
daughter, named Peguillan, had them searched by a
female; and it turned out that, under one crinoline,
slut fewer than twelve partridges, and under the other,
a hare and three rabbits, were secreted. Madame
Peguillan was on Saturday, for this fraud, fined 100 f.
by the Tribunal of Correctional Police of Toulouse; her
daughter being under age was not proceeded against.