The Express.
London, England, 1851-10-17 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, TROVIDAT Evannto
The Committee of Permanence held to-day its °e-
stuary meeting, the result of which was looked for-
ward to with immense eagerness, as upon the expla-
nations to be given by ministers of the causes of their
resignation hung the important eventuality of the
Assembly's immediate convocation, a measure which
might have been interpreted as a defiance to the
President, and would have consequently produced
great agitation throughout the country. Fortu-
nately for the public the attitude of the
committee and the result of its sitting
have been equally pacific. All the members
were present with the exception of M. Berryer and
three others. The debate was much less animated
than was expected yesterday. It was evident
that the strong assurances of adhesion to" the policy
of order, conservatism and authority," as well as the
disavowal of the democratic party put forward so'
opportunely in the Constitutionnei, had operated
efficaciously in bringing down the excited minds of
the trusters of the Assembly to a temperature of
calm reason, and a peaceable disposition. The usual
report of the commissary of police having been read,
the Mtaistcr of the Interior first entered into expla-
nation with regard to the events of the Cher and
Allier. Order had been completely re-established in
these departments, nor was it likely to be disturbed
elsewhere. General Random the Minister of War,
confirmed this statement, and described the military
operations which had been resorted to fur the defeat
of the insurrection. Having been invited by Gen.
Huhn% who presided, to explain the motives which
had led to the resignation of the ministry, M. Leon
Faucher related what I have already sent you on die
subject, and acquitted himself iu a manner which
drew cheers from the committee. Ile answered
readily for the maintenance of public security ; bat
ho pointed out the real danger which would arise if
the proposition put forward by some members to con-
voke the Assembly for the 20th October were
adopted by the committee. This motion was accord-
ingly unanimously set aside. An incident was
nand by M. Vitet relative to the incorrect reports of
his speech at the meeting of yesterday given in the
democratic papers, and particularly the Arettement,
which attributed to him, with malicious design, ex-
pressions injurious towards the bourgeoisie.
The hunctio de Paris says:
There is much talk in the political world of an arrange-
ment by which the presidential policy would obtain full
vitevelopnii at, and the conservatives would act unanimously
in forwarding a modification of the law of May 31. The
arr.uti in. nt consists of a change to be made to the de-
partiut mai law, equivalent to a rational and prudent
change in the law of May 31; the title of the low in which
these changes would be enacted would be entirely new, and
would form a distinct decree, regulating in a satisfactory
manner the municipal and political elections. All pretext
at agitation on the part of the jacobins would be thus re-
moved, and then modem republicans and conservatives
would unite their eftorta to act in conformity with the in-
tentions expresatil in the President's forthcoming message.
All elunee of a struggle between the powers will be
avoided ; and the crisis would be stopped, and those anar-
chists put to confusion who already formed internal hope*
upon the nsult of our unhappy divisions.
The elections of the Stine arc expected to be ett•
journcd until the settlement of the dispute on La
electoral law.
To-day there was a grand &Yeutter at the palace
of St. Cloud, at which the officers of the garrison of
Versailles assisted, with the authorities of that town
and sonic other persons. A reception takes place
to-night at the chateau, where the President has
received several personages of distinction during the

day.
the Fives rose 40e., and the Threes 3.k.
The Cwistitationnel is headed with the following
important semi-official article :
We will explain in a few words the real state of affairs.
We shall not cuter into a detail of the various reports
which arc in circulation. Those which turn on pretended
projects, a hundred times attaibuted to the executive power,
and a hundred times contradicted by its acts, are absurd,
and meet with no credit anywhere. As to the rumours
which arc circulated on the pretended ministerial com-
binations, they are devoid of any foundation. We think
we can affirm that the President of the Republic has sent
fur no one, has conferred with no one, has charged no one
to negotiate with a view to a ministerial combination.
The Prasident it occupied with dm* ing up the massage
which is to he prt,ents a in his name to the Nationul Assem-
bly. 'rho eireurn.t knees under which the country is plated
naturally gives to thi. polaticaldoeuma nt a great importance.
Not until the na..siore shall have been definitively' drawn
up will the President compose the ministry charged to sup-
port his polity. From this tom untilthen,that is to say for 10
or 12 day., the honourable ministen who have resigned will
continue to lend their co-operation to the President of the
Republic ; they will transact the business of the country,,
and watch over the maintenance of order; there is no dan-
ger in this &ley. Other resignations besides those of the
ministen and of the prefect of police are spoken of as
Laving been or about to be tendered to the President
by high civil functionaries. If they
.are offered they
will be accepted. In this earn the chance of their sue-
mien will be such as not to diminish public confidence
in the holders to authority. It is nut for us to predict what
the message will contain; we think, however, that we can
give an exact indication on two very important points of
the presidential programme. These two points, which we
bendy state, are as follow.: First, the President will lay
down in very plain term., m one of the buses of his policy,
the complete abnegation of the law of Bay 31. Secondly,
be will repro,s with no lets firmness, his irrevocable resolu-
tion to maintain the policy of order, of conservatism, and ot
authonty, inaugurated on the 10th of December, and to
make AU COUCC,Mion to 011Aft111111 ideas, under whatever flag
they take shelter, and by whatever name they may be
authorised.
This announcement from the journal which first
proclaimed the new policy of Lous Napoleon, and
the evidently official style of its delivery, have
caused it to be regarded with the minutest attention
in all qunrtcrs. But chiefly by the Committee of
Permanence has it been accepted as a timely autho-
rising protest against the universal interpretation
fixed by the organs of tho party of order upon the
President's intention to abrogate the law of May.
These have assumed at once that adherence to a eon-
Berm alive policy is absolutely incompatible with pro-
posing to return to universal suffrage, and that sooner
or later, by the very force of circumstances, Louis
Napoleon must be driven to the democratic party for
support. Before we can form a correct judgment on
the truth of this assumption we must wait for the
President's message, which will no doubt elucidate,
be an appeal to official documents, the true charactsr
ot the law of 31st May, and must fail to give sa-
tisfation to the country, unless it prove, in
the most convincing manner.that the" cause of order,
of conservatism. and of authority" (to use the words
of the Constitutiiimier) has gained nothing by the
disfranchisement of three millions of electors. It will
then be Peen whether the President is animated by
motives worthy the head of a great nation, or whe-
ther he is sacrificing the interests of the commma-
nitv at last to the views of a narrow ambition. It
1;41 then be seen whether the parties which consti-
tute the majority of the Assembly are led by patriotic
statesmen and sagacious politicians, or whether t•
are moulded by the manoeuvres of a mercenary cabal, ,
who find in Louis Napoleon the main obstacle to the
restoration of one or the other branch of the Bour-
bons. Light once made, we may safely leave the rest
to public opinion. France may be trusted to make
the right election, and if both arc false the republic
h not so sunk in, credit, means, or estimation
but she may fall back upon that, and vote Cavaignac
or any firm, honest, liberal statesman into the pre-
sidential chair. It is true that the Assembly is the
sovereign power, that it may gird itself with what
fence of troops it will, and appoint its own com-
mander thereof. But unless it can make out a CM
for the maintenance of its pet law, that shall strike
conviction through the public sense out of doors;
unless they can prove that their great medicine is a
wholesome remedy against anarchy, and not a vio-
lent quack nostrum fraught with convulsion and
mortal spasm to the body politic, Changarnier nor
as well order his troops to load with blank cartridges.
Not an arm will be lifed in their defence,
nut a shot fired. The fears, in fact, of civil
war between the two powers seem quite groundless.
One or the other will prevail with public opinion,
and the other, if a serious conflict ensue, mast abdi-
cate, without needing to count the muskets it can
levy under its banner. if the Assembly refuse to
abrogate the law purely and simply, as it most pro-
bably will, the President must give away, and be
content with modifications which no party is in-,
dined to refuse. If the republicans deem these
modifications an insufficient price for consenting to
revision they will greatly weaken themselves is
public opinion, and measures might then be contems
plated to force revision, which would have a consi-
di rabic chance of reconciling the majority and the
canary at large to their adoption. Modifications of
the law of May and revision, legally, if possible,such
seem to be the ultimate result to which the situation is
labouring, unsteadily indeed, with tremendous pitches,