The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-09 00:00:00

FRANCE.

Me entry of the Prince President into Paris is
expected to be a spectacle of the most imposing gran-
deur. The Municipal Commission, which acts as the
Council-General of the department of the Seine, has
voted a sum of 40,000 f. for the erection of a triumphal
arch at the entrance of the Pont d'Austerlitz, not far
from the spot where the fortress of the Bastille once
kept in check the turbulent faubourg of St. Antoine,
and where still a column stands over the ground in
which the bones of the almost forgotten combatants of
July are mouldering. The streets of Paris will be
lined with an army of at least 60,000 men, and
we are told that the President himself will pass along
the Boulevards and the Champs Elysees—from the
Bastille to the arch of the Barriere de l'Etoile—on
horseback, followed by an escort of 52 squadrons,
composed of the choicest of the French cavalry.
The 16th was first named for the ceremony, but that
happens to be Saturday, a busy day for the operative
classes and for tradespeople in general. Sunday does
not present the same inconvenience, and as the hour
will no doubt be late, business will not be interfered
with. The present arrangement then is for the 17th.

As one of the signs of the coming Empire, an ex-
traordinary issue of the military journal, Le Moniteur
de l' Armee, has been published. It contains the pro-
gramme of the coronation of the Emperor Napoleon
and the Empress Josephine, as drawn up by M. de
Segur, who was grand master of the ceremonies on
that occasion in 1604.
General Mazaredo, Captain- General of the Basque
provinces, has arrivE d at Bordeaux to offer his con-
gratulations to the President in the name of the Queen
of Spain.
The Slide has an article on the rumours that have
been in circulation respecting economies in the budget
as regards the army. Most of the details into which
the Siecle enters on this subject possess very little
interest for the general reader, but the following pas-
sage is too striking not to be quoted :
" The pay and cost of the army anlounts this year to
166 millions of francs, whilst next year, according to the
estimates of the budget, it will not be more than 163}
millions, or 24 millions less. But, unfortunately, the ex-
piation of the leap-year, and the non-production of the
special credit applicable to the increase of expenses, oc-
casioned by keeping the army of Italy on a war-footing,
alone absorb more than 2 millions of that economy. One
of these causes is seen every four years, and the other
appears likely to be prolonged for some time more.
We keep up either at home or in Algeira 102 regiments
of infantry (including the foreign legion), 10 battalions
of foot-chasseurs, 3 regiments of zouaves, 3 battalions of
African light infantry, and 19 companies of disci-
pline. These corps contain 261,095 officers, non-
commissioned officers, and soldiers, at an expense of
pay and living alone, of 78 millions of francs. Our
58 regiments of cavalry, two squadrons of guides, and
Lour companies of the body called cavaliers do re-
monte, contain 61,187 men and 44,707 horses, at a
cost of 57 railiions of francs. The artillery,
which is divided into fourteen regiments, a regiment
of pontooneers, four squadrons of park artillery, and
thirteen companies of workmen, consist of 32,000 men
and 11,138 horses, and the engineers of 9,290 men
and 748 horses. The waggon train consists of 5,000
men and 4,425 horses. The gendarmerie and veterans
form a chapter of the budget quite apart. This large
force gives a grand idea of the power of France;
but, we ask any man of sense, to what idea it
responds? Is it to the present state of Europe
and of France? Certainly not; for it is enough for
any one to look at the railways, manufactories, and
industrial undertakings which exist everywhere, to
perceive that no nation desires to engage in war.
Sovereigns in the present day have too much to do at
home to wish to invade the states of others; and, be-
yond any doubt, would have all the others against
him. No ; the formidable armies which the Euro-
pean Powers have kept up, at great cost, for the
last forty-seven years, respond to a state of things
which exists no longer ; and diplomatic agents will
give proof of the immense want of intelligence, as
long as they do not cause a European congress to
decide on a general disarming, were it only of a limited
character. Let the staff of the various regiments be
kept up, if that is thought advisable, but let the thou-
sands of men on whom are now expended so many
millions of the public money be restored to agriculture
and industry, and let the money so saved be expended
en the arts and works of public utility. That would be
a noble initiative to take, and to do so belongs to the
nation which was the most intrepid and the most fortu-
nate on the fields of battle—to France."