The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-02 00:00:00

FRIDAY

THE FREqCH REPUBLIC.

Wo have received le Paris journals of yesterday.
The Senate held n sitting on Tuesday; and is not to
meet again before Sturdily next.
In the Legislative body, M. BILLATILT, the Presi-
dent, took the chairzt three o'clock. The report of the
proceedings of the dy before was read over and adopted.
The rest of the da3was taken up with the verification
of the returns sent Y from the late elections, and the
deputies of 28 deartments were declared to be duly
nominated member of the Legislative body. Before
the sitting the deludes met in their bureaux, when the
following were naned Presidents and Secretaries:-Ist
Bureau—President M. Sapey; Secretary, M. Severin
Abbatucci. 2cl Eireau—General Brunet-Denon, M.
Segretain. 3d Bireau--M, Lemaine (Oise), M. Mi-
Bureau—M. Godrt, M. Jules Portalis. 6th Bureau—
Om. 4th Bureu--General Rog
Colonel Normand Baron de Veauce. 7th Bureau—M.
F. Fevre, M. Koaigswarter. M. Noubel. sth
The Afoniteur ?üblishes in extenso the speech of the
PRESIDENT of tie Senate on the opening of the As-
aembly.
The journals if the departments give the following
as the words of the telegraphic dispatch sent to the
Prefects on the 19th ult., by the Minister of the In-
terior :-
4, Monsieur le Prefet,—The installation of the Great
Bodies of the St.te took place to-day at the Tuileries. The
sloe .ch
Hof the Pard race Presiden
notwouldproduced a profound impres-
e decl he ask the people to establish
the Empire unlea the hostility of parties forced him to it.
The Senate an( the Legislative Body received him with
marks of lively sympathy. The Prince returned at two o'clock to the hysie in an open carriage, in the midst of
the acclamationsof an immense crowd."
securities atre was
the a tanif
Bourse.est improvement in the price of public
The Five per Cents. opened at
ioof. 35c., and losed at 10If. for the end of the month ;
the Three per tents. closed at 7lf. 70c.; the Four-and-
Half per Cents. 101 f. 25c.; Orleans Railroad Shares, 1,140 f.;
Rouen, 705 f.; lavre, ; Great Northern, 653 f. 75c. ;
2721. Vierzon, ; Basle, 232 f. 50c.;
Paris and Strasburg, 555 f• Tours and
Nantes, 312 f. 0Q- ; Paris and Lyons, 600 f.
BUSINESS IDNE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONLDN STOCK EXCHANGE, APRIL 1.
Avignon, 2721.
5751;
Dutch Rhelish, 4.l,.—East Indian, 21% Laxembourg,
—ParislsTamur and 3trasbour e, 6;%4--Orleans and Bordeaux, 13,4,
g, 2172 I,__
Tours and Nantes, 10 jg,—
West Flandea, 2N—Western of France, 7%.
4 i4— and Lieg

if-
The Cologne GazG
etteER:ANY.
, under the date of Cassel, 28th
ult., says:—" The question of the Constitution of Elec-
toral Hesse received its solution yesterday in the Ger-
manic Diet. The proposition of the Commission were
aduptec by the m3j3ritY, and a Federal resolution to
fr
nearly he. following
..et was adopted:—
"'Th, Germanic Diet gives its approbation to the mea-
sures wLich the Federal Commissioners, named by Prussia
and Austria, have adopted for the re-establishment of order
and tranquility in the Electorate of Hesse. It declares the
Constitution of 1834, as well as the modifications afterwards
introduced into it, and the electoral law of 1849, to be abo-
lished, as incompatible with the Federal laws. The Govern-
ment
a nev Constitution,
of Electoral Hesse is requested to immediately promul-
gateregulatiore.
It is said that some third rate states only attempted to
oppose this resolution."
as well as a new electoral law and
A letter from Coblbniz, of the 23d, states that great
preparations were already being made at Ems for the
Empress o RUSSIA, who was expected there towards
the end of May, to drink the waters. It was said that
the King of PRUSSIA Wils to pass some weeks there.
The Second Chamber of Prussia, in the sitting of the
25th ult., voted the budg?.t for 1832, which estimates the
receipts at 97,000,021 Milers, and the expenses, ordi-
nary and extraordinary, et 99,434,734 thalers.
The King of Pursue. returned to Berlin on the 27th
uh., from his visit to the Westphalian provinces.
The Customs Congress at Vienna was brought to a
close on the 25th ult. The conditions of the proposed
union between Austria ar,d the Zollverein are to be sub-
mitted to the respective
Governments.

TO THE EII.ITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—As one of your numerous staunch advocates,
please to allow me, an old officer, to make my appear-
ance on your quarter-deck to summons the whole crew
of her Majesty's Royal Navy to give three hearty cheers
for our naval First Lord and for the comprised honour of
Old England andithe British navy, since whatever other
consequences may result from the late political gale—and
I fear that with respect to questions of the first. import-
ance:we shall still be left far in the rear of the requirements
of the age,—nevertheless we may hail with rejoicing the
change in the atmosphere of the Admiralty, a most re-
quired yet almost hopeless event. And truly what an
arbitrary and gross insult to the navy has been the
placing
of a landsman in first authority at tho Admiralty;
what a barefaced monopoly of all the patronage, for the
purporn of making it subservient to party interests—the
First Lord and the patronage changing with every
change of Ministry; the patronage of the navy system
itself made a scramble for party strife. Also, this
placing of a civilian in supreme authority at the Ad-
miralty is little better than placing a mere landsman at
the helm of a ship, requiring a pilot to be standing at
his elbow to dirct every movement, now to this side, now
to the other. What a ridiculous farce! For myself and
for the navy, I deeply resent this forced lowering of our
topsails to an empty stranger, and therefore gladly hail
the Derby deed; and it is with excited feelings of regret
that I find some naval officers advocates of the existing
•y3tcw, alleging the ehjection that an admiral has so
many followers; but surely not a tithe part so many as
the never-ending obligations of au individual, placed in
power purposely to serve an overruling state party, for
should the claimant not happen to be on the right bide,
what chance has he? Witness the many deserving
officers whose heads have been stepped over by juniors
s
of half their standing. Moreover patronage, great in
otininetiq; n
character,
aucnotrrg s I
ta vnidews p irtOminently first,
is yet by no means the main
p
experienced and distinguished profes-
,oabsolutely re-
quiring
competent to a right direction of our
ciosauceole a
ly
important naval power in all its bearings. To imagine
a flag officer to be less scrupulous than a civilian to the
general and right direction of the naval patronage, is to
suppose there are admirals in the service who have no
proper regard for the honour and consequence of the
pror
inhoanargtouebefofroupnladc?ingTtohemmy.
nwhtheoreseisoffisuCcehrsaW
selves under a landsman are those who do not show a
proper regard for the honour and welfare of their pro-
fession, and I would suggest precaution lest they un-
anpaplyr:e.hellnsult.o
wittingly strand their own cable. a
a.'ae patent abuse to
which I point, may
.be considered al being singularly
marked by the appointment. of an army officer to pre-
side at the Admiralty, a distinct service. But mortify-
ing as this may have
been felt, m
m
lt, it is quite obvious that
ono of our brethren in arms is
-nee ore competent to
the situation than a mere landsman, noble though he
may be, but who probably may never have been christ-
ened with the spray of salt water, and never saw a
cannon fired in an.ger, and who very possibly may not
have marine brooding enough to steer a boat across the
river Thames, mahout such incessant and unscientific
tos andfros of the rudder, as would figure out such a
vermicular wake as would make the presumptuous wight
the laughing stock of the multitudes l on each
bank to witness the amusing assembledessa Fancy, 00, a mere
landsman perambulating our dyards to survey the
building of our ships, and to inspct the quality and
quantity of oar naval stores; e,
were it not that ho
moves screened by an assemblage of naval insignia
the dockyard mates would absolutely laugh him to scorn.
To such indignity as I have been considering the army
would not submit for a day; honour would immediately
call up an angry rising throughout the entire camp, and
I do greatly admire this esprit de corps, though it con-
stitutes a contrast. very disadvantageoue to the existing
crushed spirit of the navy. Alao
our condition too much
resembles that of the victim
endured and hopeless miser under the law, who by long
y --(comes at length but little
sensible of the weight and disgrace of his chains. It would
be highly diverting to see how our brave and justly
honoured Duke would eye a civilian strutting about and
assuming all authority at the Horse Guards; I opine he
would be forthwith marched out at double quit time,
the movement, too, probehly accelerated by a well-
directed stimulus,
"Just in the place where honour's lodg'd,
As wive philosophers have judg'd-''
I feel assured there is not an admiral in the service who
would consent to place himself in a situation at once so
invidious and insulting as that which I have remarked
upon. I imagine a naval flag waving in authority at the
Horse Guards; surely the weather-beaten veteran per-
ambulating the forts and inspecting the militar stores would never venture to look behind him, awarey of the
derision and contempt which would be standing in alto
relievo upon his gallant retinue, faces too flushed and
crimsoned to the colour of their Martial garbs. No, the
veteran tar would indeed be as a fish out of water,
gasping and convulsed by the effect of the unnatural
element in which be was placed. For the navy let the
offensive conception be annihilated. Now, concerning
this Admiralty affair, and including the reasons for it,
there is a vast deal more to be said, rivalling if not cur-
pas,ing the h. igh reach of intellect which I have endea-
but
voured to bring down within the reach of common senile,
tip and present having eh eddy
'pun out so long a yarn, I must reel
artice
In offering thismy marinel. essay, I have sought to vindi-
cate and uphold the honour of the British navy, and for
my encouragement I hear in advocacy the-voice of our
idolized national guardian• Britannia calls aloud for
justice and honour due, for Britannia rules the waves,
the glory of her sceptre; and regarding the state stigma
fixed upon her favourite sons of the ocean, she stands
indignant, and in proud resentment turns the wilful and
disgracing aberration over, as a choice article for our
witty and sprightly We have had a long
.range
of illustrious statesmen moving boron the public, as
monster children in leading-strings. Wo have had
cyphers placed upon a summit, and contemplating the
philosophical elevation, I bid my adieu, not however so
deeply submerged in wi,ndoring reverie, as to sink the
hope that the trident of our national sovereignty may be
DO more placed in the hands of a presumptuous, ignorant,
themeless landsmen.---I am, Sir, yours, 86c.,
A FLAG-OFFICER.
A

,CCIDENT To TRE DOVER EXPRESS TRAIN.—An
accident of a rather alarming character, but happily unat-
tended by the slightest personal injury to the passengers,
occurred yesterday morning to the express train, which
leaves Dover at eight B. M. While passing the Edenbridge
station the carriages ran oft' the rails, but the driver was
fortunately able to stop the train almost instantly, and the
passengers all descended unhurt. By, means of the electric
telegraph assistance was immediately obtained, and precau-
tionary measures taken to prevent accident to approaching
trains. After a short time the passengers were enabled to
proceed to their destinations, the only inconvenience experi-
enced having been delay and consequent anxiety to friends.
The carriages were replaced on the rails, and the ordinary
traffic of the lino was resumed within two hours allot. the I
accident.