The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-26 00:00:00

nueninil 'Ult

LONDON, MONDAY, APRIL i 6, 1852,

An ingenious proposition has recently been sub-
mitted to the French Academy by one of the most
eminent, though, at the.same.time, one of the youngest
of its members, the eloquent and enthusiastic
Count DE MONTALEMBERT. To this proposition we are
induced to refer, because we recognise in it the deve-
lopment of that noble and generous idea which was
originative of the Great Industrial Exhibition. It is
intended that a prize of 4,000 francs shall be given
for the best historical and literary essay on the
" Political Elcquence of England"—the conditions
submitted to each competitor being that he shall in
his paper present a narrative of its rise in the seven-
teenth century, and its development under the aus-
pices of the House of Hanover, with illustrations of
the excellence it attained from the days of CHATHAM
to the days of CANNING. There is something espe-
cially graceful in this proposal, coming, as it does,
from our rivals in the arts as well as in arms, and
suggested, as it has been, by one of their most distin-
guished orators. Among the other projects submitted to
the aspirants for the honour of success in the intended
enterprise are those of—explaining the twofold influ-
ence of the study of the ancients and of the national
character on English oratory, together with the indica-
tions of the most prominent characteristics distinguish-
ing the speeches of the great orators of England as
compared with the monuments of ancient oratory, and
the eloquence of the French Tribune, the essayist
indicating and defining, moreover, the nature of the
services rendered by political eloquence to the genius
and the power of the British population. What-
ever compositions are penned in accordance
with these -suggested conditions are to be
transmitted with sealed packets, containing the names
and addresses of the respective competitors, before the
Ist of March, 1854, when the essays will be exa-
mined by a committee appointed by the Academy, the
sealed packets not being opened until after the judg-
ment has been pronounced.
From the particulars already given, as well as from
the nature of the very theme selected by the Count
DE MONTALEMBERT, it is at once obvious that
the most probable winner of the prize will be an
Englishman. A capacity for expressing his ideas
idiomatically in the French language is more likely to
be found among the lettered natives of the United
Kingdom than an adequate acquaintance with the
political eloquence of England, even among the most
gifted class of Frenchmen. So manifest is this pro-
bability, that it may at once be reasonably presumed
that the attainment of the proposed prize by a
subject of V ICTORIA was directly intended from the
outset by the originator, being accepted with corre-
spondent cordiality by his brethren of the Academy.
A more graceful response on the part of the men of
science and of letters in the French Republic could
scarcely have been contrived in return for the magni•
ficent arena opened last year in Hyde-park for the
display of the artistic and industrial products of all
nations in immediate juxtaposition with those
of the United Kingdom and its colonies. Some
scheme more remarkable for munificence might, of
course, have been readily propounded, , but however
distinguished by grandeur of design or magnitude in
execution—not one, we rest perfectly satisfied,
could have indicated a more graceful, or indeed a
more permanent recognition of the probable results
of the Exposition. By the projected prize, not
only will a valuable essay be contributed to French
literature, but that very essay will be illus-
trative in a peculiar manner of one of the
most resplendent departments in the litera-
ture of Great Britain. To a nation as appreciative
of eloquence as France, the theme, moreover, will be
fraught with a peculiar attractiveness. Whether
from the mouths of pulpit orators, such as BOSSIIET
0: RAVIGNAN, as BOURDALOUE or LACOR-
DAIRE, or from the mouths of
_political orators
“3 luta*. C., 11. U or reuese ALZAIIitIRT, al
ee
v ERGNIACD or maaresE—the people of France
have learnt, more particularly during the last two
centuries, the power for good or for evil of that sub-
lime capacity which revealed itself under its most al-
luring aspect in the days of antiquity, in what GRAT-
TAN picturesquely termed the " splendid conflagra-
tions" of CICERO, and the " rolling torrents"
of DEMOSTHENES. From her own famili-

(tray with the force of
.eloquence ever
admirable as a gift, but ever still more
admirable as an acquisition—France is in a special
manner qualified to appreciate the glories of British
oratory, for which our literature is indebted to the
impassioned genius of CHATHAM ; to the genius less
impassioned but more majestic of his sun, " the
heaven-born Minister;" to the florid beauties of
BURKE and to various and distinguishing
merits by which the eloquence of such
men as SHERIDAN, FOX, CURRAN, GRAT-
TAN, PLUNKETT, ERSKINE, WHITBREAD, CANNING,
and BROUGHAM were characterised. From the nature
of the prize which is thus generously and magnani-
mously offered by the Academy, at the suggestion
of the Count DE MONTALE3IBERT, a masterpiece may
with some degree of confidence be anticipated, pro-
bably not unworthy of being ranked with the more
celebrated among the Bridgewater Treatises, and
certain to reflect honour simultaneously both upon
French and English literature.

When the Select Committee of the House of Corn.
mona made their second report on steam communi-
cation with India and China, &c., after emphatically
stating the serious objections to "any arrangemen t
which might tend to promote an exclusive traffic on
the Indian lines in the hands of one company," and
that " the only security to the public for the
full advantage of these communications must
consist in open and fair competition," they
concluded with these remarkable words :—" On the
Government must rest the responsibility of car-
rying out that principle with honesty and fair-
ness to the public, and it can only be effected by
ample notice and full particulars of the terms
and conditions required being given, so as to enable
all parties to enter the field wbo may be desirous of
tendering for the service." There is an appearance
of distrust and suspicion apparent about this para-
graph that could not at the time of publication be easily
accounted for. It would almost seem as if, notwith-
standing the cheerful assent of the three members of
the Government, who participated in their labours,
7i"4.1 the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secre-
tary of the Board of Control, and one of the Lords
of the Admiralty, the remainder of the Committee
had experienced a premonitory feeling that some dis-
creditable dodge would be resorted to. The matter
tiy between ;he Treasury and the Board of Admi-
ralty. The Hon. WlLLram COWPER would neces-
sarily have considerable influence with " my Lords'
on a subject which he might be supposed to have in-
vestigated in all its
branches,
while Sir CHARLES
WOOD had the ultimate decisionremaining
in his own
desired
hands. The Committee nevertheless dsicdotmo
mgeinv.e
additional strength and validity
to their
dat ions, and to impose the strop
tions on their Ministerial c gent possible obliga-
-0 eag.
Subsequent events have shown oesthat the precaution
was a wise and salutary one. It proved fruitless but
it will have its due effect upon public •
opinion, and in
exposing the parties really guilty to the censure
which they have so justly merited. It must be ascer-
tained how these thidgs are
managed
in Downing.
street, and what are the secret influences that call
into unwonted activity Bight Honourable and Ho-
nourable Gentlemen, and produce reports and obtain
the confirmation of these reports, with a degree of
speed and promptitude which we believe to be per-
fectly unprecedented. The necessity for the inquiry
so loudly demanded at the meeting of the share-
holders of the E Astern Steam NaNigation Company,
in the early part of this month, has been fully estab-
lished by the publication of the return ordered by
the House of Commons on the motion of the Hon.

Gentleman the Member for Bristol. We have now

before us not only the tenders, but also all letters and

a tatements accompanying those tenders, and the

_
Admiralty reports and we must say, that 14 much

stronger case for a stringent and searching investiga7._,
tion is thereby established than we could have anti-
cipated.

We had previously known that although the report of 1
the Select Committee, urging the greatest expedition, I
was published on the 29th of July, the tenders were 1
not required to be put in until the 26th of February•
Nearly seven months were thus completely thrown
away—a period that would have been exceedingly
valuable if judiciously applied, and the misapplication
of which might have left the eatire matter in the
hands of a single company, who could then
have made their own terms, the Government
being entirely in their power. Viewing this part
of the case in the most favourable light, it cer-
tainly bears the aspect of a degree of gross negli-
gence and unjustifiable procrastination, utterly un
becoming in a high officer of the Crown, and deserv-
ing of serious animadversion. The apathy was,
however, perhaps more excusable than the reckless
and headlong activity by which it was succeeded.
The Government had tendered its resignation
on the 21st of February ; on the 23d Lord
DERBY was entrusted with the task of form-
ing an administration, and his predecessors were
only nominal occupants of office until his arrange-
ments were completed. This was the case on the
26th of February, and notice was given that the ex-
Ministers would surrender their seals of office at her
Majesty's levee on the 27th. Tne 26th, however,
was the day fixed for sending forward the tenders for
the different mail services. The day which had
been fixed in the previous November could not be
altered. If that were practicable, perhaps some
greater degree of " decency" might have beeil ob-
served, and more time might have been consumed
before " the foregone conclusion" was announced to
the world. Every minute was, however, of impor-
tance—an hcur's delay might have allowed the question
to be fairly adjudicated on with ample leisure for
testing every point to the very bottom ; but that did
not suit the views of those whose official existence
had so nearly approached its termination. A
stranger might have thought that they would ratber
have evaded so great a responsibility, binding the
country to the payment of 1,596,800/., and post-
poning for eight years the urgent and unanimous
recommendations of a carefully selected Committee
of the House of Commons. The motives must have
been strong indeed that could have induced such
extraordinary hardihood of assertion as that
contained in the Admiralty report of the 27th of
February, the morning after the tenders were lodged
the very morning when " my Lords" bade farewell—
we trust a long one—to the cares and sweets of office.
In that report their Lordships utterly ignored the
fact that the Eastern Steam Navigation Company had
offered to establish branch communications between
the ports of Bombay and Calcutta and those of Pe-
nang, Singapore, Hong-Kong, and Sbanghae, invol-
ving a distance of 84,000 miles additional service per
annum, without additional charge, an omission the
more remarkable, inasmuch as they pointedly alluded
to the extra service between Bombay and Point de
Gallo, volunteered by the Peninsular and Oriental
Company.

But, great as was the speed at the Admiralty,
there was more remarkable expedition apparent at
the official residence of the Financial Minister in
Downing-street ; notwithstanding the melancholy
preparations for the surrender of office, Sir CHARLES
WCOD found time to peruse the report and record his
approval of it. We know not whether he did so
before or after the levee, but it would be worth
knowing exactly at what hour the report of the
Lords of the Admiralty was signed on the 27th, and
at what time it was transmitted to Downing-street.

The matter cannot stop here. It is due to the
country that every circumstance connected with what
appears to be a gross and palpable job should be
fully and clearly explained. It is also due to Sir
CHARLES Woos and the members of the late Board
of Admiralty. Any further concealment can only
prove injurious. The Eastern Steam Navigation Com-
pany, whose exertions have saved so many thousands
per annum to the nation, have also a right to an im-
partial consideration of their complaints, and if they
have been used as tools on the occasion, and led into
expenses which it was determined should not produce
any fruits, to fair remuneration for their losses.

Of the propriet'- of the recommendation of the
ior true euuouragement or an open coa.
petition," and their objections to an exo:usiro h‘no
on the Indian lines, we have recently had too strong
a proof in the protest signed Captain Cu ARLES MORGAN
ELLIOTT, of the Madras engineerF, and concurred
in by five officers of her MAJESTY'S and the Company's
service, against the arrangements on board the
Oriental. The letter of the gallant officer—which
is well worthy of perusal—clearly establishes the ad-
vantage of affording a choice between rival
companies, and not alloNcing a monopoly to
one favoured association, at the expense of
the community, and thus removing the prin-
cipal stimulant to attention, civility, and Effi-
ciency. If it was known that rival vessels were to
pass by the same route every alternate fortnight, and
that a choice was thus afforded to passengers, we
should find no such complaints as those which have
emanated from Captain ELLIOTT, and -Messrs.
THORNHILL, LEVINGE, WICK HAM, MAYNE, and
GORDON.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
There was another grand review in Paris yesterday.
The Civil Tribunal of the Seine was on Friday
engaged on a very serious question regarding the
confiscated property of the Orleans family, and which
substantially amounted to this—whether the act of
confiscation was above the courts of law or not.
It may be recollected that, in order to raise the ques-
tion, the executors of Louis PHILIPPE had instructed
the keeper of Neuilly and Monceaux to resist entry by
the authorities in such a way as to oblige the latter to
have recourse to force, and then to summon the tres-
passers before the proper tribunal, which they did,
when their complaint was met by a plea on the part
of the Prefect of the Seine, denying the power of the
court to deal with the matter, as it was the execution
of a decree of the PRINCE PRESIDENT of the Republic,
having all the force of law. On this question of com-
petence the Civil Tribunal of the Seine was occupied
on Friday. After hearing the counsel for the Prefect
of the Seine and M. BERRYER in reply, the Court
made the following important decree :
" Seeing that the members of the Orleans family de-
rive as proprietors of the domains of Neuilly and of
Monceaux, either in virtue of the donation of the 7th of
August, 1830, or in capacity of heirs of their father,
and in part of the Princess Adelaide, their aunt, as well
as by virtue of possession, prolonged beyond 20 years,
founding right of prescription:
"Seeing that their action has for its object the pro-
perty of these two domains:
" Seeing that the ordinary tribunals are exclusively
competent to decide on questions of property, the vali-
dity of contracts and of prescription:
" That this principle has always been applied to the
State as well as to individuals:
" That thus to the tribunal alone it belongs to appre-
ciate the titles of parties, and to apply the law to the
facts which eive rise to proceedings:
" Declares itself competent, retains the cause, and, for
sake of complete investigation, adjourns to this day fort-
night, and condemns the Prefect of the Seine to the costs
of this motion."
Cheers having been raised, the PRESIDENT immedi-
ately repressed the demonstration.
The PRINCE PRESIDENT left Orleans on Thursday
morning and arrived in Paris at ten o'clock that
evening.
The Memorial of Amiens contains an article from
the pen of M. LEON VIDAL, who holds an official
situation in the Ministry of the Interior, in which,
examining the joint note of Russia and Prussia of the
24th of March, declaring that these Courts might re-
cognise an Emperor of the Republic elected for life
by plebiscite, but not a hereditary empire, being con-
trary to the treaties of 1815, this gentleman protests
against such assumption of these powers, but, at the
same time, considers the principles laid down as not
indicative of the personal tendencies of the Sovereigns
so much as of their Ministers, especially M. DE NES•
SELRODE. He does not think accordingly that any
attempt would ba made to interfere with the un-
questionable rights of the French people to place the
Imperial crown on the head of Louis NeronEorr,
with descent to his heirs, should such measure be
thought desirable ; and that it will be thought de-
sirable before long is evidently the opinion of M.
LEON VIDAL.
The Legislative Assembly met on Friday at a
quarter past two, M. BILLAULT, the President, in the
chair. M. GoIJIN complained that an error had been
committed in placing his name on the list of those
Bill.aepo
pmtmo factetTtdeheoefonu ntha
nevii
Bma
ol
itu,hsbal
yty,
Members who bad voted against the Copper Coinage
adfbetehne
aide—namely, amongst those of
hysehohmadth formed
rm e d
measure pa
part
ht
the Mimbers Who hhadd voted in favour of the Bill.
lie wished his name to be
placed on the proper aide—namely,

The President said that without fitting attention on
the part of the Members themselves, it was im-
' possible to avoid errors. As to the observations of M.
GOUIN, they should be inserted in the Moniteur. N.
GRANTEE DE CASSAGNAC, returned for the Gera, but
whose admission bad been postponed in order to
allow time to present the documents necessary to
justify his age, country, &c., was declared to be duly
entitled to sir, in the Chamber, 111 BILLAULT read a
decree from the PRESIDE:NT cf the Republic trans-
mitting to the' Legislative Body various Bills of local
interest.

After the presentation of several reports on local
Bills, the sitting closed at three o'clock, and the
Legislative Body adjourned to Thursday, when the
Budget, with which the Council of State is actively
occupied, will be presented.
The Pattie of Saturda7 contains the following
paragraph :-
6' We have reason to believe that the Minister of
General Police has intimatedto the proprietors of foreign
journals that they will hare to rectify in their own
columns the falsehoods (fatisses nouvelles) that may be
published in them, under peealty of having their entry
into Fiance interdicted."

It is announced that M. I'I:HERS has pissed through
Cologne on his way to Italy,
and that N. Bixso also
proposes to visit the same country.
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, APRIL 24.
Charleroi and E,rquelines, R:34—Luxembourg, s—Namur
and Liege, 6:YB—Northern of France, 201.3 per cent. Bonds
(formerly Bolougne and Amims Shares), l3?—Paris and
Rouen, 3231—Rouen and Hare, 117 i, ex div.—Sambre and
Meuse, 5 —Tours and Nantez, 113,
iti•