The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-29 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, Sarranav, 7 rat.
The nix du Peuple was seized yesterday for an
article attacking, not a measure of the government,
but a plan set forth by the Coastiltdionnel as intended
by the government to relieve agricultural distress.
This plan, which I sent in my let•er of yesterday, is
perfectly analsgous to the measure adopted by the
Provisional Government to relieve tradesmen by the
establishment of warehouses where goods were de-
posited, the receipts given being negotiable like bills
of exchange, only in the present instance agricultural
produce will be warehoused instead of manufactured
goods. Whatever be the merits of this scheme,
people are at a loos to conceive why it should enjoy
an exclusive immunity from discussion. The article
in question is written in a tone which might serve as
a model to the moderate pipers for coolness and logic,
the only strong expression being in the heading—
" Organisation of Famine." Nothing can be more
mischievous than this absurd suscept:blity of the go-
vernment, which will not allow • word to be uttered
in public against a project indicated in a semi-official
paper. In Spain, in Prussia, even in Austria, an op-
position press is allowed, in which articles daily ap-
pear with impunity, compared to which the article for
which the Vuix du Pavia was seized yesterday is
meek. Is it to be supposed that France will endure
i gag which no other government in Europe dares to
impose
It is impossible to conceive a more furious persecu-
tion than that which is waged at this moment by
M. Culler against the opposition press. Taking ad-
vantage of a decision of the Court of Cessation, which
has settled that pamphlets and other compositions
=nut be sold without • bookseller's license, or an
authorisation from the prefect of police, this func-
tionary has given notice to those who had opened
their shops as a refuge to the persecuted liberal
papers driven from the pavement, that legal proceed-
ings will be adopted against such as resist seizures, or
persist in selling papers. Oirardin, however, re-
marks that the sentence of the Court of Cessation, as
well as the prohibi'ion in the law of July, refers to
pamphlets, not to newspapers.
The following resolts of the military votes are
given to-day : Garrison of Toulon, voters 55:
Eugene Sae, 31 ; Leclerc, 17; lost votes, 7. Orleans,
25th Regt. of the line : Eugene Sne' 48 ; Leclerc, 5 ;
lost votes, 2. Blois, 24th Regt. of Light Infantry :
Eugene Sue, 17 out of 19 votes. The following addi-
tional returns of the votes of the army, for the elec-
tion of the Seine, Republished by the Consfittetionnel:
—Thionville : ielerc, 21; Sne, 0. Gien : Leclerc,
14; Sue, 5. Villefranche : Leclerc, 11; Sue, 0. Le
Puy: Atclerc, 11; Foy, 1. Peron= : Leclerc, 4 ;
Sue, 15. Bethune: Leclerc, 15; Su, 8. Avesnes :
Leclerc, 20; Sue, 35. Sarreguemines: Leclerc, 37 ;
Sue, 0.
A very numerous meeting of the friends of M.
Leclerc was held last night in the Rue Berger., M.
Lacrosse in the chair. After several communications
from different arrondiesemens of a nature to inspire
confidence as to the prospects of the party of order,
antigen was made to a report that M. Fernand Foy
had not frankly and cordially withdrawn his candt-
datesbip, and that many of the electors might be ex-
pected to vote for him, and thus, by division in the
ranks of the moderate party, give victory to the so-
cialists. A letter from M. Foy, which has been pub-
lished in the Everternent, though dated so far back as
the 18th, was mentioned as showing that M. Foy's re-
tirement was not of such a nature as to convince
his friends that he had the snows of M. Leclerc at
heart. The chairman announced that this misunder-
standing would probably be cleared up, as M. Foy was
waiting in another room to give explanations. A de-
legation was therefore appointed to wait on M. Foy,
and request him to give a fall and satisfactory solution
to the difficulty which had presented itself; the dele-
gation returned with a declaration from M. Foy, that
his secession was sincere, that the letter in the &tine-
mast had been withdrawn before that journal pub-
lished it, and was therefore without effect, and that he
requested his friends to vote for M. Leclerc. The fol-
lowing communication of this result has been addressed
to the journal by the committee of M. Leclerc:

A letter of Fernand For, inserted in the Evinenterst of
last evening, pee rise to some explanations in tie meeting
of the Rue B,Ngi re. M. Clary, representative, K. Paco:, and
K. Anse de Fleury, having communicated with M. Foy, who
was In an adjacent apartment, annosneed to the assembly
that Y. Foy had declared to them that he persists in his
withdrawal of his candidateship, glees the 18th to the Rita
torsi Union, that he 'maintains it in the most formal manner
completely and without arriimpenste. Re moreover af-
firmed that he had withdrawn the two letters published last
evening, and which bad been inserted against his will.
An experiment was made yesterday at the Elysee, by
order of the President of the Republic, of the electro-
chemical telegraph of M. Bain. The telegraph was
fixed up in the grand saloon of the palace, and soon
after one o'clock the Experiments commenced. The
President was attended by the Minister of the Inte-
rior, his chef do cohinlU, and M. Chevalier, secretary
general of the )'residency. M. de Persigny, the
Freuch ambassador to the court of Berlir, was also
present. M. Loverrier, of the Institute, who has
t.kt.n great interest in the invention of M. Bain, and
eeho was present on Thuredly at the Ministry of the
leterier, when the telegraph co iveyed a long despatch
to Lille and back, a distance of 325 English miles, io
less than one minute, explained the process to the
President of the Republic. The Prince compre-
hended rapidly the principle and the mode of execu-
tion, which, he said, were almost marvellous, and
complimented M. Bain on the labour nod intolli-

rgenos which be had displayed in bringing his inven-
tion to sash perfection. As an insfance of the
extracedinsry powers of his telegraph, we may men-
tion that, ha the promos of the President of the Re-
public, a despatch containing 1,327 letters was
conveyed in the space of 53 emends, being at the rate
of nearly 1,600 letters per minute.

PARIS. SUNDAY, 7 P.M.

A letter from M. Fernand Foy, written yesterday, is
published to-day in most of the moderate papers,
stating that he is at a law to explain the doab•s
raised se to his resignation of his candidacy, after the
declarations made on two distinct ocean ,ns by the
Electoral Union. He renews that resignation in the
most formal manner, and declares that he will vote
with all the men of order for M. Leclerc.

In answer to a challenge of the Park, expressing
a desire to know the canes of Eugene tine's retract
from military and naval service, the socialist candi-
date hu Addressed a letter to the editor of the mode-
rate evening paper, giving an outline of Lis military
and naval career, and proving the motive of his
retirement honourable.

General Lamoriciere has opened a subscription to
defray the ezpensrs of M. Leclerc's election, and he
has himself subscribed 100 f.

Yesterday M. Carlier set his sergens-de-ville on a
rezzia, putting to rout all the lit le coops where old
women sit selling papers. All the prints of the oppo-
sition, whether on stall or in shop, were seized
wherever found except at booksellers' shops
or in the offices of the papers. Hilt Paris
MIA bewildered by this sweeping stroke, and no
one could get his Sleek, National, Preis°, or any
other liberal pap( r, unless he was a regular subscriber,
Of went to the above-mentioned sanctuaries, which
the police durst not invade. Three thousand copies
of the Evencment were sold under thepwri cochtre, in
the Rue Montmartin, which opens to the office of the
Prem.

The Moniteur contains a semi-off:141 article justi ry-
ing the seizure of the Voix du Peuple for attacking
the plan for establishing warehouses far the deposit
of grain and other agricultural produce. This is the
first authentic intimation which the public has re-
oeived that the government really harboured such •
plan. The Irons die Peuple maintained that the mea-
sure would occasion dearness of food by fome'ting
speculation, and pointed out the mischief of aiding
artificially the tendency of capitalists to acctimulate
grain for purposes of cupidity. It is, I believe, ad-
mitted sea prinoiple in journalism that when the
government brings forward a measure calculated to
promote the interest of a few at the expense of the
many, it may be fairly charged with dishonesty be
its intentions what they may. How am Ito tist the
purity of a minister's intentions except by the drift
of his measures. I am not bound to know
whether the defect in his administration arises
from ignorance or corruption, if the effect of
his ignorance might have been produced by
Ifs corruption. A measure which is corrupt in its
working may bo fairly attacked as corrupt in its
origin; and if the government puts money into the
pockets of a certain ewe of men to the detriment of
the common weal, its complicity with that class may
be obviously inferred without calumny. Toe Mom-
leur's justification of the government's violence, be-
cause its intentions are misrepresented, is therefore
puerile, unsound, and unconstitutional.

The Legislative Assembly has skipped over the
budget of Public Works to get to that of War. M.
Mathieu de la Drome opened the debate yesterday
upon this branch of the public expenditure, with some
general considerations which made up in truth what
the wanted in novelty. It was not, he said,
by means of a powerful army that the institutions
of the country could be consolidated. Many govern-
ments which counted as many bayonets as the present
had fallen. Therefore, some higher base and one more
secure for the establishment of order must be chosen.
Wise laws, useful institutions, well-administered
finances, these were what Franoe wanted. Let the ge-
vernment grant satisfaction to legitimate wants; ad-
vance, instead of retreating ; protect, iamb ad of oppn s-
nug ; conciliate, instead of dividing. It will then be de-
fended by its acts, by its populanty, and by the gra-
titude of the country. It will have no need to fortify
itself against the people, for the people will be on its
side. He knew that his advice woull not be fol-
lowed, and he regretted it. An army of 100,000 min
must be the ruin of the country. Coercion and beg-
gary reproduced each other. Liberty and prosperity
went hand in hand. A free people was always a rich
people. General ee Grammont was not at all satis-
fied with the state of war in which society was conti-
nually placed. He proposed seriously that the seat of go-
vernment should be removed to some provincial town.
He affirmed that before long the government would be
called to deliberate on this step. General d'Hautpoul,
Minister of War, condescended to reply gravely to
this intimation. The minister could not accept the
idea of removing from Paris the meat of government.
After this preamble the Assembly passed to the dis-
cussion of the articles. M. Charras kept up a amen
fire of amendments, some of which gave a highly ani-
mated turns to the debate. lie took occasion of one
of these, in which he proposed a reduction of the
credit allowed for the staff of the minister of war, to
quarrel with tbe military costume and attendance of
aides-de-camp, with which the President of the Re-
public appeared in public. He had no more right to
dress himself up as a general of the national guard
than he had to wear the toga of the president of the
Court of Cessation. (Cheers from the Left) But
the kernel of the debate lay in another motion of M.
Ch to reduce the item of " gendarmerie." The
minister of war hod presented a bill for the
creation of a new battalion of "gendarmerie
mobile." The committee proposed to authorise
this creation bya provision introduced into the budget.
This question, touching so closely the constitution of
the armed force, was the signal for a fight between the
African generals on the one side and the ministers and
committee on the other, in which the former were
beaten. General Leydet complained that the govern-
ment wanted to resuscitate privileged corps ; which
drew from Gen. d'Hautpoul a remark which grazed
the susceptibility of the military men. He said that he
accepted the expression ; the geudarmie were pri-
viliged for the defence of order. General Lamoriciere
swooped with his usual aquiline impetuosity upon the
subject, and complained loudly of the levity with
which the committee had acted in cutting the knot
ore question which touched so nearly the constitution
of the army, and could not in his opinion be settled
without without a special law. General Cavaignac
also supported this view with weighty arguments.
'But little regard was paid to these remonstrances
by the Assembly, whose eye was on the political interest
of the measure. The provision, which creates a
second battalion of gendarmerie mobile, was there-
fore voted by a large majority. Meanwhile the go-
vernment may live to see this precedent turned
against them. If the opposition ever bring forward
a proposition for the redaction of the army, instead
of resorting to the ambers of a special law they will
only have to propose it simply as an amendment to
a chapter of the budget.
The committee on the Transportation Bill has de-
cided on adopting the proposition of M. Vatismenil,
which refers to the tribunals the application of the
law. But it is not easy to see how the amendment
' of M. 0. Barret, which declares that the law shall
only be applied to crimes posterior to its promulga-
tion, can be got rid of.
A cabinet council was yesterday presided over by
Louis Napoleon. A serious split is said to have opened
in the ministry on the subject of the wish expressed by
the president to put his aide-de-eamp, Col. Vaudrey,
at the heed of the committee of artillery, which is op
posed by General d'Hautpoul. The cabinet was
divided on this question. MM. Dumas and Parieu
abstained from siding with either party.
It was reported that General Lahitts would take
this occasion to resign with the rest of his colleagues.'
The President was only waiting for the result of the II
election to forma now cabinet.
. .

M. Dounay, Archbishop of is presented
by the government with the cardinal's hat vacant by
the demise of Cardinal Girard.

The bureaux of the Assemby terminated on Friday
their examination of the budget of ministers. Out of
30 committee men only two belong to the opposition.
The new plans of the Minister of Finance were in
general favourably received. The diminution of the
land-tax, the reduction of duties upon mortgage deeds,
the reform of the door and window tax were approved
as being in the interest of the poor. Despatch was
recommended to the committee-men in all the bureaux
in order that the report might be got ready in time
enough to diecuss and vote the budget this year.
All the socialist clubs in the banlieue of Paris have
been cloned by order of the authorities. That of Mon-
treuil was shut up yesterday.
TLe Abbe Mated warn yesterday condemned by

default, by the Court of Assizes of the Seine, to one
yal imprisonment and 500 fr. fine, for an outrage
on blic morality and religion in a speech which he
del red at a political meeting at the Salon de Mars.
The following are the prizes which will be run for
at the races in the Champs de Mars to-day :—Prize
lof the Minister of Agriculture, 2,000 fr., six horses
entered; extraordinary priz 3,000 fr., three entered;
spring prize, 3,000 fr., nine entered; Jena prize,
I,ooofr , four entered; Pavilion prize, 4,000 fr., five
entered, all celeurated horses ; produce stakes, 4,000 fr.,
twelve entered. The last prize will give the winner
at least 12,000 fr., including the entries paid by each
horse.