The National Register.
London, England, 1819-01-04 00:00:00

71D,Arzi

No. 519.—V0L. XII.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

STATE OF FII4NCE.

THE intelligence just received frma Paris respecting
the changes of Ministry, of the failure of the Due de
Richelieu to form one with a greater leaven of Roy-
alism, and of the ultimate triumph over hint of M. tie
Care and the Liberals, will not surprise any wilt) have
nefleeted on the natural effects to 6e expected from the
evacuation of Fratece by the Allied Armies. The
situation of the French nation is forcibly expressed in
the King's tkeree, declaring that the cities on the
northeni, frontier are no longer " in a state of siege "
The siege of France has indeed been raised, and the
real sentiments of the Fred% people will now display
themselves. As the Times newspaper justly says, the
Royalists stand in opposition to nine-tenths of the po-
pulation, and the King must choose, not those Minis-
ters which he would like best, but those who can best
serve him. Hence the Doe de Richelieu's failure, and
M. tie Caze's succes.e. The practical ptestion upon •
svtlitth the two political parties arc at issue, appears to
be the recent law of election, by which the Chamber of
Deputies is to be renewed partially every year, and not
like our !louse of Commons, by a general election at
the end ofa certain number of years. The Liberals re.
gard this law as the palladium of French liberty, and the
Royalists arc equally warm in oppnsition to it. Tu
who arc unacquainted with the practical operation of
this disputee law, it is by no means visible how its con.
tinuence 'ls favourable to liberty; or how its repeal,
and the substitution of a periodical general election,
would be favourable to the Royal aatherity. We can-
not theretbre pronounce an opinion on, that dispute ; .
but front the relative strength of the )sorties which ise
proved by the result of this dispute,we may well augur
who are likely to rule in France, now she is free from
foreign interference; and from the strange: remedy for
the King's difficulties, viz. to revive the Chamber of
1815, by a simple Royal Ordonnance, we may also
judge of the crude, inconsistent, and absurd notions of
Constitutional liberty entertained in Fnutee. These
State (lectors seen: to think that upon this the Chamber
of Depeties, which was full of Royalists, being re-
vived, though by the arbitrary and illegal authority of
the King's will, they may pass a har to alter the limn
of elections—as if an illegal assembly could pass any
law whatever. The Chronick justly observes on this
project, that a Constitution which may be suspended or
violated at pleasure, is in filet no Constitution at all—
Though there is no probability that the King would be.
so rush as to have recourse to such a measure, yet the
serious mention among French politicians of so gross
a violation ef the Charter, is a proof of how unripe
Cie public mind in France is in its notions of law and
kberty. No individmil would be so silly as to propose

.:(.11 a measure in this country• ; and, if he were, he
would Lc laughed at—much less would a party in the
s:,:te propose it. This eireamstanee is, we think, much

lore tentlivourable to the progress of liberty. in France,
!In any laws—than the exclusive prerogative of the
is.ing• to nrigivate laws, or than any otter circumstance,
except the trammels of the press. The public mind
zaust be enlightened, and fur this purpose time is neces-
sary. No nation can become really free, who have not
4. at this maturity of mind ; as was fully prove 1
in the instance of Spain, where the Cartes were too
;11i4inetied tier the nutitm, atel at the crisis were de-
Kite -1 by them. Had this lizien the 'env in England,
16.55, the Parliament and the uriitocvacy would have
is light oplioieil ;lames 11. The result of these coasi-
dmti4ons.x.:etns to be, that el French nation have not
;et reached that At etc he the ;;rant work (If
free. dam caa ha diet they Pre
?rage's Lie..a.ls it. The party of the Liberals

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