The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-24 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

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We have received the Pates papers of yesterday.
Although an animated diecuesion is described to
have teken piece yesterday in the Corps LegislaV on
the beget; there is not even an allueion to the sub-
ject in any of the morning papers. Tice Moniteur
disposes of the thing in a few hoes, (or until the minutes
be adopted by the House there can be no publication
of the debate, and then only in the shape authorised
by the President of the Assembly. Galignani con-
trives, however, to give the following lively sketch of
the proceedings :
" The discussion on the Budget of Expenees was com-
menced yesterday (Tuesday) at one o'clock before the
Legislative Body, M. Billault being in the chair. The
President of the Republic was present on the occasion,
having come to the Chamber in a state-carriage, followed
by two others containing his suite. He entered by the
large iron-gate in front of the bridge, which had been
before passed through only by the Emperor Napoleon.
The Prince, who eves in plain clothes, and
accompanied: by M. Dueos, the Minister of Ma-
rine, took his place in a private tribune to-
wards the right side of the House. The pro-
ceedings commenced, by a speech from M. do
Kerdrel. He expressed his surprise at seeing on the
bench appropriated to the Government Commissioners,
whose duty it was to defend the various credits proposed,
men who had formerly been most forward in proposing
reductions. He quoted the opinions of M. Billault, the
President of the Legislative Body, and of M. Stourm,
one of the Government Commissioners, to that effect,
and read passages from a work written by Prince Louis
Napoleon, which insisted on the necessity of reductions
in the army. The Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to
argue that the vote of the House could not, as matters
were now arranged, be either an enlightened or
a free one. He complained that the amend-
ments of the Deputies, when once rejected by
the Council of State, could not be voted, or
even explained by their authors before the House, a pro-
ceeding which was at variance with both the dignity
and independence of that body. He quoted a passage
from the Coneitutionnel, which declared that the inter-
vention of the Council of State in the labours of the
Committee on the budget rendered all discussion illu-
sory, and that the Councillors of State were in fact the
dispensers of the public fortune. At least, the Hon.
GentlemafaxeMarked, they ought in such a case to be
appointed for lite. The Honourable Gentleman con-
cluded by declaring that a change ought to be effected in
the present mode of examining and discussing the
budget.—M. Billault remarked that the Honourable
Gentleman had, in reality, spoken more of what
the Constitution had •fixed, than on the budget
itself. did not, -'however, think it necessary
to stop him,' added the Honourable Gentle-
man, 'although I could and ought to have done
so.' This declaration did not appear to be favourably
received by the House.—M. Devinck then spoke at some
length, entering into minute financial developments con-
nected with the budget. He declared that he approved
fully of the conversion of the Five per Cents., and:blamed
the Republic of 1848, and even the Government of Louis
Philippe, for having added so much to the floating debt.
the Hon. Gentleman terminated by accusing the Com-
mittee on the budget of endeavouring to foment a secret
opposition to the Government.—Count de Chasseloup-
Laubat, the reporter, replied with much warmth to that
accusation, affirming that the Committee was not in any
respect hostile to the Government, and that it had
merely endeavoured to explain with fairness and sin-
cerity the 'financial position of the country. These
words were received with applause.—M. Jollivet do
Castelot next read a speech in favour of the system at
present existing in France; after which Count de Mon-
talembert rose and declared that he took the same view
of the budget, its examination, and its discussion, as M.
de Kerdrel had done. (It was remarked that the Prince
President, who had hitherto sat far back in his tribune,
now came more forward, as if to hear the Hon. Gentle-
man better.) M. de Montalembert said that he must
protest against all idea of tending towards the reestab-
lishment of the Parliamentary regime, although he did
not hesitate to say that be admired and regretted that
regime, which had given so many years of peace and
prosperity to France. He was contented with the
existing system, at the same time that he
must declare that in his opinion the great
difference which existed between that system
and one of absolute power was, for the Le-
gislative body to vote the taxes in all its independence.
Yet who could say that such independence existed when
the present manner of examining the budget was consi-
dered! The Honourable Gentleman then proceeded at
some length to enumerate the various impediments
which, he said, the intervention of the Council of State
had thrown in the way of that-examination. He also
enumerated the fate of the' various amendments pro-
posed by the Committee, and declared that the manner
in which they were treated amounted to ' an absolute
massacre of the innocents: —M. de Parieu, one of the
Councillors of State, next spoke, and said, that
the discussion which had just taken place ap-
peared to him to have no other object than
to attack the enactments of the Constitution, which
did not allow any amendments when once rejected
by the Council of State to be again brought before the
Legislative body. Yet the Constitution was the conse-
quence of the decree of the 2d of December, which had
not only saved the country from anarchy, but proved
the salvation of the public fortune, which had been ever
since in a regular course of improvement.—M. Monier
de la, Sizeranne adduced arguments in favour of main-
taining the army at its present strength.—M. Stourm,
Councillor of State, argued that honourable gentlemen
were too precipitate in forming an opinion on the
Constitution. The country looked at it very differently,
for all that France asked for was simply to be al-
lowed to remain tranquil; and no one could deny
that since the Constitution. had been promulgated,
the country had enjoyed complete tranquillity. The
Hon. Gentleman then, in replying to the observations
made relative to the presentation of amendments, said
that the speeches which had been that day delivered
would have been better suited to an adjoining chamber
(this allusion to the lath and plaster building of the Le-
gislative Assembly was received with murmurs). After
some observations from the reporter, the general discus-
sion was declared to be closed. The President then
rose, and said that before the House passed to the dis-
cussion of the articles, he wished to communicate to the
Members the contents of a communication from the
Minister of State, which had been handed to him in the
course of the sitting: The letter in question stated that
the Government considered it right to inform the Legis-
lative Body that the amendments presented by the
Committee on the Budget, having been rejected
by the Council of State, ought, according
to the terms of the Constitution, to be looked
on as not ihaiine. been: .brought forward, and
that consequently, rale terms of the report, ' which
said that there only remained one course for the Legis-
lative body to adopt—namely, to reject
to be a
the whole
lecap
ter,' appeared to it (the Government)
uncon-
stitutional act. This declaration produced great com-
motion, and Count de Chasseloup•Laubat, at once rising,
energetically declared that no man was more constitu-
tionally inclined than he was, and that the language of
his report did not go farther than what he conceived the
nature of the case demanded. After a few observations
from M. Billault, the discussion of the articles was ad-
journed to this day. The sitting was then brought to a
close at half-past five."
At the opening of the sitting, the President read a
Bill transmitted to the Legislative body by the Mi-
nister of State, approving of a convention entered into
on the 19th inst. between the Minister of Public
Works and the Lyons to Avignon Railway Company.
The Bill was referred to the bureaux.
We read in the Presse ' -
" The Moniteur will soon be installed at the Palais
Royal. The chief editor, 241..Grun, will be under the
direction of a comite, de surveillance, composed of three
public functionaries -viz,, M. Perron, who will repre-
sent the Ministry of State; M. Chevreau, who will re-
present the Ministry of the Interior; and M. Latour-
Dumoulin, who at the Ministry of Police has the special
surveillance of all matters respecting the press. These
three persons will select the writers who are to assist
the chief editor."
The Government received yesterday a dispatch,
dated Cayenne, May 13; announcing the arrival there
of the Allier corvette, with the first convicts, under
the charge of M. DE SARDA-CANIGA. This gentle-
man gives a very satisfactory account of the concinct
of the convicts, who are, he says, disposed to labour
and to lead a reformed life.
The Moniteur contains a notification to certain
journals that they must not continue to evade the
signature law or they will be fined. The Moniteur
also contains the Bill for making a fusion of the
southern railway companies.
The continued_fall of rain is beginning to create
uneasiness, lest there should follow inundations of a
destructive character such as occurred in 1846.
Last night a telegraphic dispatch was received from
Lyons, stating that the Saone had swelled to such an
extent as to be no longer navigable for the Lyons
steamers. The Journal de Lot et Garonne states that the
Lot and the Garonne had risen considerably, and
overflowed their banks in many places. All the hay
crops have been destroyed. On the day before the
inundation all the hay on different islands was sold by
tender, and the loss to the purchasers will be very
great. Inundations have also taken place in the Ain,
the Saone-et-Loire, and the Jura. The Loire had
overflowed some places, so had the Allier, but ac-
cording to the last accounts these rivers were becoming
lower. A good deal of damage has been done.
M. CADON TAIDEFEJR., .manufacturer at Laigle
(Orne), writes to the Sieele that he is ready, in con-
ic,earrti
swaintdh
CO thheerri .3 o capitalists,urg lin e o
onto o
cmo
na
dkiet
othe
fw
rheocl
ee
voifn theg
a
subvention of 30,000,000 f.
"It is stated,"-says the- Patric, " that the Roman
Government has just conceded to a French com-
pany the railway from Rome to Bologna, and to
Ancona. The works will, it is said, be very soon
commenced."

Paris, it is calculated, annually consumes straw-
berries to the amount of .5,000,000 f. Epinay, near
Sr. Denis, sends every day, during the season. 500 f.
of asparagus to England. Meudon, last year, sent a
similar amount of plums every day; and Honfleur and
its neighbourhood 1,000,0001. worth of melons in the
course of the season.

The Bourse was dull, with not so much business
doing as for some days past. The Four-and-a-Half per
Cents. opened at 101 f. 40c.' and closed at 101 f. 50e. for
the end of the month; the Three per Cents. closed at
70f. 80c.• Orleans Railway Shares, 1,237 f. 50c.; Rouen,
860 f.; dam, 330 f.; Great Northern, 620 f.; Avignon,