The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-07 00:00:00

whose names figure in every-day transactions, the ho-
mage always paid to the great eked the affluent, kindle
their curiosity. But we must idOk deeper than Royal
ceremonials and Imperial alliances for that which stirs
the inmost soul of a nation. Its impulses are not of an
evanescent character ; they owe their existence to some.
thing more enduring than cominon curiosity, courtly
etiquette, or family interest ; and it is this fact
,which
invests with so high an importance the approaching visit
of the Emperor Napoleon. lie will be, indeed, the
guest of our most gracious Queen, but her Majesty will
tender her best hospitalities in the name of the people.
The whole nation rises up to greet with unbounded joy
the visitors of its Sovereign. Iri; bidding the Emperor
and Empress of France welcome-tes this land, Victoria
speaks in the true character of ait English Monarch, as
the' representative, the oracle of every class within her
' dominions. Never was welcome so princely and sin:
sere, nor homage so unbounded. Other sovereigns of
France have been entertained in this island with fitting
hospitality and becoming friendship ; but Napoleon is
the first that has come as the desired guest of all branches
of the community. There is not a man in the three
kingdoms, no matter how humble he 'may be, who will
not feel himself honoured by the presence of Napoleon
and his Empress, and give them iaarty welcome.
The inward feeling, then, the life and soul of the greet-
ing, being so deep, let us hope thq the outward demon-
stration will he every way worthy of it. The citizens of
this great metropolis, who wenttoongrattalate the Em-
perer...am—the—allianoe- forma W*tiell" the Obtsl63-
France and England, have not forgotten the cordial re-
ception they met with from all classes in Paris. The cor-
poration has already given evidences of its determina-
tion to tender hospitalities with no sparing hand. Nor
must we at this moment altogether overlook the fact,
that the firm and enlightened statesmanship of a Con-
servative Government laid the foundation of this alliance
at once so beneficial and so pleasing to the inhabitants
of both countries. Had Lord Malmesbury, following the
lead of a large portion of the English press, and in de-
ference to the feelings of those who have since played
their parts in Coalition Administration, encountered the
Emperor Napoleon with coldness and disdain, we may
rest assured that he never would come here as a guest
to Queen Victoria. If, in compliance with the policy so
popular three years ago, we had. slighted Napoleon on
hispfirst accession to the Imperial dignity of France, we
should never have had the opportunity of receiving him
cordially in the plentitude of his power. Spurned and
insulted by the natural ally of France, her ruler would
have turned towards the despotic powers, and entered
into alliances with the northern courts. In that case
how different would have been the state of affairs at this
moment ! It is no small triumph for the Conservative
party that the most auspicious alliance of modern times
is the sole result of their patriotic exertions ; and that
the first thorough and sincere friendship formed between
the two nations of France and England was made by
Conservative statesmen, in direct opposition to the
policy of the other political sections of the land. The
Coalitionists may boast of this bond of union now ; they
may applaud it as a tower of strength to our cause, ,
and seek to turn it to their own immediate advantage ;
but they will do well to remember that the French ,
alliance formed no portion of their creed when they
plotted to drive a Conservative Government from po wen
Then they had other aims, and submitted to a
different inspiration. We rejoice, however, that
they have acknowledged their errors at last, and
we trust that no sinister motives, no unworthy views,
hat e conduced to their somewhat sudden and most ex-
traordinary conversion.
The Queen of England in giving this princely invita-
tion, and the Emperor and Empress of France by their
cordial acceptance of the same, set the seal to that bond
of union formed between the two.nations. These peo-
ples, so often honourable foes, are firm friends at last.
They have mingled together of late for their mutual ad-
vantage. They have broken through an absurd barrier
of prejudice and unreasonable dislike, and looked rather
curiously into each other's souls. Both have found
qualities to admire—something which teaches them that
they ought to be friends. They are the leaders in the
great movement for social 'and general progression—the
champions of oppressed nationalities ; both toiling,
though perhaps in different ways, for the advancement
of the human race. On stern battle-fields they have
fought side by side ; in sore trials and afflictions they
have ministered to each other's wants ; the wounded
English soldier has been snatched from the blood-stained
soil by his French comrade ; the grave of the Gallic
hero watered by the tears of the British warrior. By
many a lonely watch-fire, in the breken accents of a true
affection, have friendships been contracted which death
alone shall sever. There is nothing like the companion-
ship of danger for bringing out the pure ore of human
character. May we not, then, confidently hope that
this alliance will stand the wear and tear of human
adversities ; that it will outlive the petty animosities
of any momentary excitement ? May we not look upon
it as something better than the vapourings of all the
Peace Societies in the universe ? May we not regard
it as a pledge that the two mightiest states in this
world's history have discovered, that whilst in warfare
they can gain little save the laurel that grows out of
the tomb, their open and honest alliance will scatter the
blessings of liberty on thousands of the oppressed, and
bequeath the rich legacy of pease to after generations?
Should the Russian war have shown the rulers of
France and England their own destinies, the future his-
torian will chronicle it as the most merciful contest of
all time. It will, indeed, be the means of saving whole
hecatombs of human lives; and be a song of rejoicing by
happy firesides now deeply veiled in the recesses of an
inscrutable future.
With such views and such aspirations we hail the
visit of the French Emperor and Empress with unalloyed
satisfaction. The nation will welcome them to these
shores with one consent ; and the Imperial guests shall
learn that there is no mistake in a hearty, honest, Eng-
lish greeting. Hand and heart go together—what the
at opnpgr uo
ae
eshp
iesa ka ss tphoen
tsaonu
el feels.us
tri
buTt
eh e
of joynatitohjaaatl
fheaeillisn
gt h; e iirt
is the free expression of a desire to found a lasting al-
liance, not only between the Royal houses, but between
the two peoples. It is a demonstration that has never
before been witnessed in these islands, and , one that., as
it now raises bright hopes, may, we trust, hereafter
give birth to sweet and pleasant memories. The Eng-
lish Queen and her loyal people hail with delight this
Imperial visit, and to Napoleon and Eugenie, Emperor
Welcome,and Em Empress French,oifeetiwieelyonie, t oourwith
is
olannedvhooimcee declare,

THE OLIGARCHS AND THE PEOPLE.
(From the Morning Chronicle of this clay.)
Is Lord Palmerston to be the last of the oligarchs ?
Does he represent an effete principle of Government, to
be followed by a " revolution, of the kind in which the
sober and practical English people sometimes indulge
themselves ? Or is he only an accident—a something
thrown up to the surface in the turbid working of the
political elements—an obstruction to the healthy action
of an ancient though still vigorous system, rather than
its congenial exponent
When Lord Palmerston was called upon to assume a
kind of dictatorship, it was expected that he would re-
store the harmonious action of a disorganised machinery
of Government. Failure was never for a moment anti-
cipated from a man whose admirers- had hacked him to
do so much—and therefore the nation scarcely asked
what would come after him. He has failed, however—
utterly, egregiously failed—be has frittered away a po-
pularity and influence which no individual statesman has
enjoyed since Pitt or Peel—and now men begin to ask,
What is to be substituted ? Is the system to go with
him—or can the Tories, or any other political party in
the State, so purify and re-invigorate it as to make it
work on again ? One thing seems to be universally
agreed upon—that matters cannot be permitted to rest
as they are. The universal questions are—What is to
be done ? And —Who is to do it
It is strange that on both sidei of us—in Continental
Europe close to our shores, and far away in the West—.
men should, by a similar process, have arrived at the
same conclnsions, although from premises so different.
In the United States they have not been governed
by
an Oligarchy. Democracy, in its purest and
has swayed the destinies of
undeveloped country. Yet
dissatisfied with the order of
thingstmthh s t ti
i emuo;pmn f eene ntd
tsaeearr are justly
great rn edfaotr smnational party has been silently
formed, which already threatensin
theto manifesto'overshadow ofthe
all
others in the community. It is remarkable with what
given,
condition Of parties in the United
States
presenthem noment, applies to the case of the
know-nothings, precisionn ow- n
a o t t ht
the i hnegs description
of
United Kingdom. Word for word, the catalogue of
shortcomings serves to,censure those of our own Whig
t
and Tory, Radical, Politico-Economic; or Irish Catholic
parties. " All men acknowledge," say those clear-sighted
Americans, " that the old and familiar parties are scarcely
any longer cognisable by the original tests of distinctive
opinion. In the fading away of these, it is equally appa-
rent that they have lapsed into a condition which has lost
them much of the confidewe of the people. They lie open
to the reproach of substituting for holiest differences of
judgment upon questions of public coneern, others of
trivial import or even of mischievous extravagance.
Many exciting subjects which, in the earlier stages of our
progress, legitimately divided public opinion, have mani-
festly lost their significance in the estimate of the pre-
sent day ; and the country has seen with regret that as
these have sunk out of view, new and less worthy topics
of dissension have been thrust into their place—topics
to be noted chiefly by the low motives they propose to
a continued strife. They seem to have grown out of no
better motive than a desire to keep up division for the
profit of those who may thrive by it, in a career which
looks to no object of honourable ambition, and scarcely
affects to refer to the public good. Party action has thus,
in great degree, lost all dignity above that of a mere
struggle for the power of dispensing patronage, and has
done what it could to inculcate in the mind of the people
an opinion that Government is but a complicated system
of rewards for office seekers, in whom the faculty for
faithful service is the last and least of the qualifications
they are expected to present."
It is precisely of these evils that the people of England
now make their plaint—as yet muttered only; but soon
to burst in thunder. They have yielded up the legisla-
tive and administrative °Went° an oligarchy, and have