The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-27 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVENING.
The leading question of to-day is urgency on the
Council of State's Bill. You are aware that urgency
was proposed in the committee by Pascal Duprat,
but the decision was postponed till to-day. The
Left which met yesterday in a committee room of
the Assembly to settle on a common vote, adjourned
last night to Lemardelay's where, however, they
came to no decision. It was evident, however, that
the President's speech, notwithstanding his declara-
tion in favour of the republic, had checked the in-
tention of the democratic party to vote against the
urgency. The IF6als contains an important article
on this subject, imploring the conservatives not to
precipitate a collision with the executive power by
voting urgency on this question. The Arf7acosene
of last night dissuades urgency; but the
article having been written before the Presi-
dent's speech was known, loses all significance
as a test of opinion to-day. On the whole,
upon political parties, the speech has operated un-
favourably ; but it will no doubt have an immense
effect upon the country at large, and the reaction of
opinion from the departments will no doubt tend to
keep the excesses of parliamentary opposition in
cheek.

h is reported that the Left intend to move that a
majority of two-thirds of the Assembly shall be ne-
cessary to authorise direct requisition of the troops.
Thus the democratic party would retain the same
arbitrary power in their hands on this question,
which is given them by the constitution over re-
vision.

The committee upon the bill of the President's
responsibility has to-day decided upon the motion of
M. Pradie, to adjourn the consideration of the ques-
tion of urgency, and to pass at once to the discussion
of the articles. It was resolved that the 614th article
of the Constitution, upon the subject of high treason,
should be incorporated in the first article of the bill.
The subject of provocation to a violation of Art. 43
of the Constitution was discussed, but no resolution
was come to upon it.
The legitimist members of the Committee on the
Council of State's Bill are against urgency, but also
against the adjournment of the bill.
The Assembly in its sitting of to-day resumed the
debate on the Lyons Railway. Called upon to de-1
cede between the amendment of M. Pussy and that
of M. Fremy, proposing a credit of 20 millions (de-
dieting the 1 millions already employed) the house
declared in favour of the latter figure by i4O votes,
against 326, notwithstanding the efforts of M. La-
crosse, the minister of public works, who said that
ten millions were enough for him. M. Passe pro-
posed to fix these 16 millions upon the
re ounces of the floating debt. A motion to
this effect was adopted. NI Mortimer Ternaux
took the occasion to call upon the government to ex-
plain the state of the floating debt. This demand on
the financial attention of the new minister, M. Casa-
bianeu, excited general hilarity. In the place of M.
Casablanca, M. Wintry, the commissioner appointed
by the government to speak on the bill, entered into
some di tails. The ens,nifne of the bill was then
adopted by 060 votes against 13.
The amendment of M. Pussy for a grant of ten
millions of francs, to continue provisionally the
works of the Lyons Railway, was taken into consi-
deration by a large majority. It signifies that the
system of the committee is set aside, and the princi-
ple of concession to a company implicitly admitted ;
that a bill for this concession, and a eahier des
rhetryea will be prepared; and that in the eventuality
of the company not being able to keep its engage-
ments, an eventual credit of 10 millions is opened on
the budget of 1n32, in order that if, at the expira-
tion of the term fixed—the Ist of February, for in-
stance—the company shall not have paid the 10 mil-
lions stipulated to the Treasury, the contract may be
annulled, and the continuation of the railway pro-
vided for.

By the adoption of this bill the Assembly has
therefore thrown out the positive assertion of M.
Ituthures principle fur continuing the works at the
expense of the state. It has, on the other hand,
adopted implicitly the principle of concession to a
company. But M. Pussy, doubting whether any
serious company is prepared to undertako the line,
has got au amendment inserted for a grunt, to go on
with the works in case the company should break
down. The grunt has been fixed at It) millions of
francs, which are to be charged on the resources of
floating debt.
The hawse then passed to the interpellations of M.
Cremieux on the transportation of the condemned
conspirators of Lyons to Noukahiva. M. Cremieux
maintained that the Lyons plot was anterior to the
law of transportation, and argued against the retro-
active application :of this law. lie appealed also
forcibly to the humane sentiments of the Assembly.
N. lhiviel, Minister of Justice, dwelt upon', the dan-
gers of the time, and protested against disarming the
law of its rigours. M. Batted reproached M. Ihtviel
with having calumniated the country. lie main-
tained that the government ought to set the example
of respect for the law. Ile stigmatised as seditious
the speech pronounced yesterday by the President.
He reminded the house that Louis Napoleon Bona-
parte had twice, at Strasbourg and Boulogne, re-
belled against the liberties of his country ; and he
predicted that the transportation of Ode, Gent, and
Longumaziuo would enlighten the country upon his
policy of falsehood, and prevent the realisation of the
designs which he had always pursued.
M. de Thorigny, after repeating the arguments of
the Minister of Justice, declared that ho would not
follow M. &meet to the ground whether he had
transported the debate, or answer his violent attacks
against the executive power.
General Fabvicr asked if Noukahiva was suffi-
ciently well defended for the prisoners not to fall
into the power of the English. (Laughter.) M.
Fortoul, the new Minister of Marine, answered in
the aflirinative. Several orders of the day, variously
motived, were then proposed. But the Assembly
voted the pure and simple order of the day, by 41•
against 233.
The grand feature of Louis Napoleon's speech at
the circus is the frank, although tardy acknowledg-
ment of the republic. Once fOr all he has thrown
himself fairly into democratic ground. The declara-
tion in favour of a return to universal suffrage was
stigmatised as a pernicious sacrifice on one hand, was
hailed as the acknowledgment of aright on the other,
but by all equally it was pronounced as a selfish cal-
culation, the prologue to ambitious designs. If the
recognition of the republic, more emphatic and me-
morable from this being the first occasion on which
the President has even pronounced the word in pub-
lic, is coupled with expressions which indicate the
intention of'' perseverance" rather than " abnegation,"
at least from this day forth the charge of imperialist
aspirations is disarmed. If Louis Napoleon's powers
are renewed. he becomes by this pledge the chief of
a democratic republic, and abdicates all pretension
to be Emperor. He denounces equally the Utopias
of demagogy and the hallucinations of royalism, the
sedition of socialists and the conspiracy of conven-
tion-men. To enable France to breathe at ease, to
mind her real work, and live with her life, unmo-
lested by conflicting factions, this is his professed
iaiin. The intention is no doubt good, but to pass '
current it needs the authentic stamp of the law. To-
, wards the end of the speech there peep forth symp-
. toms of a design or at least a wish to set aside or
ignore that indispensable sanction. The President
talks about being animated by that ardent faith
which guides et-curtly over spaces where there is no
road traced. This expression, applied to the crisis of
I lsl2. is hardly admissible, the road having been,
' precipitous as it is, all too distinctly traced. None
so blind as those who will not see ; and
the disposition here evinced to prefer an arbitary
short cut to the thorny ombages of the constutition,
of' dangerous import. and may terminate in something
far different from the realisation of the President's
good intentions. The journals of the opposition do
I not spare their wit on allusions to the locality, where
daring feats of horsemanship are exhibited. The
Siert/. says that the slang phrase in the press for a
champing, high-stepping piece of composition, is to