The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-10-19 00:00:00

The EXPULSION of PRINCE NAPOLEON
from FRANCE.

We (Eastern Post) have received from a correspon-
dent in Paris, the following details, upon the authen-
ticity of which we can place full reliance, relative to
the recent journey of Prince Napoleon and the Prin-
cess Clotilde in France :—On Wednesday week Prince
Napoleon and the Princess Clotilde, with their two
sons, who had been at school at Vevey, and accom-
panied only by the officier d'ordinanee of his Imperial
Highness, and the lady-in-waiting of the Princess,
entered France from Switzerland, and at the Be!garde
Station, close to Belton, they were asked for their
papers. They produced their passports, which had
been duly rise at the Consulate at Geneva, and also
at the French Consulate in London. The papers were
found to be quite en regle, and no opposition was
offered to their pursuing their journey in France. How-
ever, on quitting the station, two police agents took
their places in the carriage next to that occupied by
the Prince, and apparently kept a strict watch
over his Highness and family till after the train had
left Macon. Then, no doubt, it was concluded that
the Imperial party were proceeding direct for Paris,
and the agents, deeming it superfluous to do more
until such time as the capital should be reached,
went to sleep. But it was the Pnnce's intention to
visit first M. Melon, ex-secretary to M. Emile
011ivier, with which unfortunate Minister he has pre-
served his old friendship. Accordingly he got out of
the train at Melon, where M. Adeion was in waiting
for him with a carriage. The two police agents, however,
knew nothing of this and slept on undisturbed till the
train arrived in Paris. Then to their horror they found
that the Imperial party were not in the next carriage,
nor anywhere to be found. In a very unhappy frame
of mind they went to their superiors and reported what
had happened. At ten o'clock at night M. Thiers sent
a detachment of police to Circay to pay a domiciliary
visit to M. Rouher. But the Prince was not only not
there, but never had any intention of going there, and,
of course, the police did not light upon him. On Mon-
day night the police discovered that the Prince had
left M. Melon's and had gone to M. Maurice Richard's,
at Millement, Seine et Oise, near Paris. Thither cer-
tain agents proceeded and signified to the Prince that
he should leave France in 24 hours. The Prince said
that he had entered France simply to place his sons at
one of the Lyc4es at Paris, on the re-opening of the
school session in October; that he was a French citizen,
that his papers were perfectly in form, and that to expel
him would be contrary to law. If he committed any
offence it would be the duty of theGoverntnent to arrest
him, and not simple order him to leave the country;
and as he was not there to commit any offence, or for
any object other than that of placing his child. en at
school, he would not leave except in obedience to force
majeure. There the matter rested, the agents not
having authority to arrest the Prince; and public
opinion has since pronounced against the arbitrary and
illegal conduct of the Government. As the Prince
stated, there is no law under which be could be ordered
to quit France. His rights as a French citizen were
admitted when he sought the snffrages of the electors,
for a seat on a Conseil GeneraL The suffrages were
given, the Prince receiving a majority of votes, but
owing to the Empress having caused the imposts
payatie on the hereditary property of the Bonaparte
family in Corsica to he paid in the name of
the Emperor only, the Prince found himself tech-
nically disqualified, and therefore could not sit. This
technicality being now set right, the Prince will possibly
seek re-election, and only by a strets h of arbitrary and
unconstitutional powercould possibly be prevented from
taking his seat There is no law of banishment against
the Bonspartes ; such as once existed was repealed.
With references to the political objects attributed to
the journey of the Prince by the organs of M. riders,
we are assured by our correspondent that none such
exist. So far from plotting with H. Rouher—if this
latter be plotting it is indisputable that a coldness
reigns between the Empress and the Prince, which
renders it impossible that the Prince could enter into
cordial or contidental relations with those who, like M.
Ronher, enjoy her Majesty's confidence. The Prince is
wholly opposed—and he does not affect to conceal his
opposition—to the projects attributed to the Empress,
or to any scheme of restoring the Empire by force.

•
The Qantas puhllshes the following protest of Prince
Napoleon against the order of the Government, requiring him
to quit the French territory :
" Prince Napoleon acknowledges receipt of an offi dal
copy of the order from the Ministry of the Intel :or,
which bas been handed to him by M. Patina. To
this notification the Prince makes the following
reply. The Prince bad proceeded to Millen out
with his wife, the Princess Clotilde, rests,nso to
an invitation from his friend M. Maurice Richard, ,nd
at the same time in his own private interest, as
the father of a family. The Prince is a Frt oh
citizen. No law of exile has been passed ago at
him nor against the Princess. The Prince is a men ',er
of the Council-General of one of the Department. of

France, and he is fulfilling bin functions as such. The
Prince and Princess exhibited at the frontier formal
passports issued by the competent authorities. The
Prince's passport, issued on the 15th of December,
1871. by order of the French Government, is available
for France ; it has been vidd successively by the French
agents at Turin, Brussels, London, and on the Bth of
October, the present month, at Pontarlier. The pass-
port issued to the Princess is granted by the Ministry of
France at Brussels, bears the date of October, 14, 1871,
and is good for England and France. It is therefore bye
very singular mistake, and in contradiction ti the con-
tents of the document just mentioned, that the order
of the Minister states that the passport presented at
the frontier had only been granted for a special occa-
sion. Under these circumstances, the Prince resists
the execution of the Ministerial order directed against
himself, and declares that to insure respect for his per-
sonal liberty and his rights as a citizen he is about to
appeal to the judicial authority—the guardian of the
law of the country. The Prince invites M. Patinot
immediately to communicate this reply to the Govern-
s. lent. "NAPOLEON (JEROME)."