The Express.
London, England, 1850-06-11 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PAWS, 1110XDAT ETINING.
Omit sensation Lee been produced by the para-
graph in the Consliertioisisol, which I sent yon yes-
y; and most of the papers contain articles con-
demning the tone of menace in which a conflict
between the President and the Assembly is pointed
oat es the mosesery consegasamo of a refusal on the
part of the latter to vote the flotation
M. Bets, the candidate of the party of order, has
been elected a member of the Council-Genand of
the Basses Alps by a majority of 1,196 votes to 326
given to the Socialist candidate.
The President of the Republic, in the uniform of a
Claiof the National Guard, left the Myst* Fester-
ming, about nine o'clock, in as open derri,
for the Na Railway. He was nemmpnaied
the Ministers of War and of Comsarres, and two or-
derly officers, sad wee escorted by a body of Lanese&
A special train was waiting to carry him to Saint
Qttentin, for the inaaguratim of the railway from
that place to CreiL The President was to pass the
night at St. Quentin; and he intended to leave at
half-peat 10 this morning for Ls Per,, where he was
to pees the national guards in review, to visit the
arsenal, &o. He wee afterwards to proceed to Chaim,
to review the national guards, and at half-past four
was to set out for Paris.

The speeches and toasts delivered at the bonnet of
St. Quentin will only appear in the papers of this
evening. There is no importance in them, as the
spesebes are manly funnel. But one demonstration
of mach significance in the streets of St. Quentin
must not be omitted. A large crowd cried " Vise la
Republique Demooratique et Bociale r Another
crowd got up the opposition cry of " Vive PEmpe-
reur r This is really the only event of importance
which has marked the progress of the President.
The Legislative Assembly was occupied today
with discussing the first article of the bill for establish-
ing mines do retraite, or retiring funds, in favour of
the working claws. No vote was arrived at, and the
debate was devoid of interest.

On the other hand the appointment of M. do Mor-
nay as president of the committee on the Dotation Bill
is a fact of much importance, as M. de Mornay made
a speech in strong opposition to the bill when dis-
cussed in the bureaux.

The commissioners already appointed on the Re-
cruitment Bill are Gen. Lamone•ere Gen. Bodeen,
Gen. Cbasgarnier, Berryer, Admiral Cecile, Gen.
Oudicot, and M. Thiers. The remaining eight ap-
pointed to-day are : MM. Ayme, Bocher, Prosper de
Chaneloup-Lsubet, de Cronstilhes, Darn, (Milos
Barrot, Pliny, Gen. de St. Priest. You will perceive
the absence of Gen. Cavaignac's name from this list.
Lamoriciere was only elected through his wife's in.
fleerce in the Faubourg St. Germain.
M. Thiers set out yesterday for London, accompa-
nied by his wife and Mdme. Doses. In order to
guard against uncharitable emstructions as to the
motives of his journey, M. Thiers had an interview
with the President before his departure. He did not,
it is said, disguise his intention of visiting the ex-
king, but represented this step as a duty which he
owed to his old master, whose life was fast ebbing
under the progress of a fatal disease. Lcus Philippe
is said to be dying of cancer in the stomach, and his
physicians state that his life can scarcely last a month
longer.
AU Paris is occupied to-dity with the singular
revelations contained in a letter published by the
Sleek. You may remember that M. Rigel, a member
of the Left, moved not long ago for some statistical
document, connected with the working of the Elec-
toral Lsw.

M. Itigal having oompletei a report, founded on
these papers, whereby he made it appear that the re-
sult of the new law would be to cut off six millions of
electors from the exercise of the suffrage, applied for
an audience with the President of the Republic, in
order to submit to him the argamenta by which he
arrived at this conclusion. The law had been already
voted by the Chamber when the interview was soli-
cited ; and when it was granted, the term of three
days allowed to the President for deciding on a fresh
deliberation having expired, the law appeared pro-
mulgated with all due form in the Moniteur. M.
Rigel, albeit a day too late for suspending the blow
dealt on universal suffrage, nevertheless repaired to
the Elyse' at the hour appointed. Toe circumstances
of his interview having been incorrectly represented
by the Stick, he has written a letter to that paper,
communicating the most minute details of his con-
versation with the President. A fact of the greatest
importance results from this disclosure. The Presi-
dent is proved to have laboured under the delusion
that the new law was not applicable to presidential
elections, and to have imagined that the chief magis-
trate of the republic would be chosen according to
the special law passed by the Constituent Assembly,
by which his own election was determined. This
confession is so carious that I give M. Rigors own
words

Having explained my petition with respect to the Presi-
dent, informing him that I bad not voted for his election, I
entered on the question of figures. The President livened
with great interest. I proved to him (permit me to say so)
that universal suffrage will undergo • reduclon of six mil-
lions of electors, and I added—" Thet is just the number of
votes which msde you President of the Republic." The
answer was—" The bill promulgated yesterday is special for
the nomination of representatives. The President of the
Republio will be elected in virtue of the special law made by
the Constituent Assembly for that case.' I did not conceal
my astonishment at such a doctrine, and added : " But sup-
posing that it was legally possible to resuscitate for a great
day universal suffrage, is it net to be supposed that the peo-
ple would have but little sympathy for the magistrate in
presence of whom, if not by whom, it saw itself deprived of
the right to name its representatives;?" " That touches on
a personal question. Whether it is lor any one else, is ne
matter. ins election of the President of the Republic is not
not regulated by the new law."

What can lie assigned as the source of such a sin-
gular misapprehension? It is impossible that Louis
Napoleon should not have consulted his ministers on
this point. Were the answers he received such as to
lead him into error? If so, one can hardly conceive
a more serious case of ministerial responsibility. The
116th article of the constitution settles that the first
election of the President shall take place according to
the law of Oct. 28, 1848. The organic electoral law
not having been at that time framed, it was indispen-
sable to proceed by a special law. The transitory
character of the special law appears clearly from its
first article, which mentions the date Dec. 10, 1848,
when the law is to be applied. Besides, in the Elec-
toral Law of March there are several articles men-
tioning expressly the mode of its application to the
election of the President of the Republic. These are
so distinct that unless we had the asseveration under
the hand and seal of M. Rigel, it would be difficult to
conceive how the President should have become im-
pressed with so gross an error. It is expected that
some interpellations will be addressed to the govern-
ment on this subject.
The Journal des Dibate declares this morning that
the speedy revision of the constitution is indispensable,
and ought to be made in the intention of establishing
a conservative republic.
Abd-el-Kader is labouring under a serious attack of
Ulnae, and a consultation hu been held upon his
case at the Castle of Amboise.

The English fishing.boats, the Wonder and the
Hunt, were seized and taken into Havre two days
by the government cutter the Myrmidon, for fishing
for oysters in the part of the coast proh►bited to Eng-
lish fishermen.