The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-16 00:00:00

To HIS MAJESTY TILE EMPEROR.

Sire,—Your Majesty will not be astonished at the
emotion which I now feel. I could not remain insensible to
the marks of benevolence which you have shown towards
me during the lest 15 years, and God is my witness that I
have responded to them by a sincere devotion. But to-day
this purple which, to my confusion,l have on, this eminent
dignity which the Holy Father has deigned to confer upon
me, are they not, Sire, on your part, a now proof of esteem
and confidence—l almost venture to say of affection—which
exceeds all those which your Majesty has hitherto honoured
me with f I cannot express what I feel. But this satis-
faction of the heart is not without au alloy, and I am anxious
respecting how I shall fulfil the now duties imposed upon me.

Your Catholic faith, Sire, and your filial attachment to
the Church have opened the Senate of the Empire to the
cardinals. Your high intelligence has never separated -in
its Christian views social and political interests from senii- I
menis of religion, which are their most solid basis and safest
guarantee. You therefore wished that in this august As-
seuiLly, where sit the highest representatives of the military
and civil hierarchy, the Church should also be represented
by its highest dignitaries.
Such, Sire, is the cause of my anxiety. The more we love
and respect the cause we support the more do we fear to
compromise it. And what eanses can be so great, so noble,
so holy as those of religion and patriotism ? To those sacred
interests I have devoted my whole life. I could not under-
stand how to separate them, and when unfortunate circura-
sten, es, arising from the clash of human passions, tend to
bring them into opposition, it is our duty as well as our heart's
wish to exert ourselves to reconcile them. This is what I
have always endeavoured to do during my career.
Educated and brought up in civil society, for many years
I studied its laws and their application, and I have been en-
abled to appreciate its real wants and its generous aspira-
tions as well as its errors and its dangers. Devoted later to
the more immediate service of God in the Church, in the
propagation of his Gospel, in the rule of Christian justice
and charity in the souls of men, whilst endeavouring to ac-
complish that sublime mission I never denied my origin ;
and oft times the Bishop has been happy to find at his ser-
vice for the government of ecclesiastical men and things
the remembrances and inspirations of the magistrate.
Resolved to live and die for the Church, I am, therefore,
equally resolved to live and die for France, for that beloved
land which gave me birth, to which, after God; I am in-
debted for everything, and to which I am linked by my
most tender and deepest affections.
But we have seen this France, 15 years ago, struggling
in the grasp of anarchy ; we have heard its cries of distress,
and we shuidered at the sight of the abyss into which the
blindness of party passion was about to plunge it, when
God brought you forward, Sire, to save it. The suffrages
of a whole people hailed you and proclaimed you. The
pontiffs and the holy tribe, as every class of citizens, saluted
you as the Elect of God and of the nation, the Prince who
has since re-opened the gates of the Holy City to the Vicar
of Jesus Christ, and who still defends it against the parri-
cidal mancouvres of ungrateful and rebellious children; the
Prince through whom France, after three centuries, has
refound her ceirerks; the Prince who has restored tran-
quillity at home anti glory abroad ; the Prince, finally, who,
a hen the universe is troubled at the sight of human blood-
shed which inundates it, at the noise and threat of war
arising from every side, remains calm and serene even in
the midst of sinister conspiracies, and offers peace to the
world by the proposal of a Congress to settle its disputes.
With such features, Sire, who can fail to recognize, at
the same time, your Providential mission and the duty of
us all to give you the loyal support of our will and
strength ?
Others can describe better than we your indefatigable
activity for the welfare of the State, the vast glance of your
intelligence, your decision of character, your patience, and
that goodness of heart which renders you sensible to the
afflictions of the most humble of your subjects, and which
gives you satisfaction in wiping away a tear or in prevent-
ing misery.
But what we might pourtray perhaps better than others
is that quality so rare in men whom God has elevated to
supreme power, that love of truth which makes you seek for
it in every path, which submits to contradiction, and which,
by a marked benevolence, encourages free speech and frank-
ness to flattery.
May your life be a long one, Sire, for the prosperity and
glory of France. May the Almighty, who has already pre-
served you from so many attempts against your person, deign
always to cover you with His protection, and enlighten your
mind more and more, by giving it the necessary strength to
govern the vast empire entrusted to you in accordance with
the law I May its most precious blessings be showered upon
your Majesty, upon your august spouse, and upon the Prince
Imperial, the hope of future generations,
The Cardinal then addressed her Majesty the
Empress as follows:--
It gives me pleasure to inaugurate this sacred purple by
offering my homage to the mother of the young Prince who
amid so many glorious titles, possesses that of spiritual son
of the Pontiff, the successor of the Prince of the Apostles.
This prerogative, a mighty guarantee of the benedictions
which have consecrated the Imperial dynasty, also includes
your Majesty, and adds a marked feature to your destiny,
which is so intimately bound up with the destinies of
France.

It is pleasing to contemplate in the midst of the compli.
cations of our epoch that mission so imbued V 1 ith serenity
and grace which Providence has deigned to entrust to you.
In, fact, though the thunder may peal around the Holy See,
spreading terror and sorrow in all Catholic hearts—though
a fratricidal war devastates the New World and causes sad
want amongst our country population, which it deprives of
work—your Majesty, by the energy of your faith, and by
your sympathising charity, soothes the wounded heart, ba-
nishes sorrow, and rekindles hope. It was thus that in past
times many illustrious Princesses displayed their noble
qualities upon the throne of France, and we are happy to see
the reproduction of such noble examples, We feel that, as

The Discussion on the Address in the

Legislative Body.

The discussion in the Legislative Body on the
Address does not appear to the Debats to improve
in tone or to hold out a model for the debates of a
great political assembly ; on the contrary, our con-
temporary conceives that the debate on the system
of official candidates pursues its way with a vivacity
which seems to increase and become more and more
envenomed :—" The contest," it observes, "which
hat arisen between M. Segris and M. Ernest Picard
has been renewed with a still more lamentable
warmth and virulence between the Opposition and
Government speakers. The fact must be admitted
that the question at the present moment discussed
is assuredly the most irritating of all those raised
by the Address, as it touches directly on the origin
of the Assembly, the basis of its powers, and the
source of the authority w hich it holds from the
country. The Chamber is thus placed in a hazer-
' dons situation, in which political passions must meet
and provoke each other, and become embittered by
the inevitable complications of private grievances
and personal susceptibilities. There is hardly
room for astonishment, although the fact most not
be the less regretted, that the discussion should have
become a sort of tilting-match, a furious tnaec in
which the Opposition and the majority are engaged
in a contest of reciprocal accusations, bitter re-
criminations, and violent reprisals. What is
especially to be regretted is the kind of antagonism
wiriesle the twcr-cittings knms cansed-Us break .
oat between the Paris and the provincial represen-
tatives, between the deputies from the towns and
the deputies from the rural districts. We shall Ab-
stain from taking part in this violent collision of
personal recriminations, in which we should have
perhaps to censure digressions more or less cb;;.c-
tionable, and manifestations of anger more or less
excusable. These tumultuous incidents, which to us
are only a sad departure from the order of the clay,
will not cause us to lose sight of the grave question
of principle and constitutional right which we have
already recommended to all the solicitude and to all
the patriotism of the Chamber. The amendment
which is at the present moment under discussion has
set forth the question in terms, the precision and.
measure of which appears to us to represent
exactly the just grievances and the legitimate de-
sires of the Liberal party." The same journal has
some observations on the double system of tactics
which the Opposition had to select from in its con-
duct on the Address. They might, the writer re-
marks, have endeavoured in their private meetings
to come to an agreement, by means of mutual con-
cessions, on all the points of the home or foreign
policy, and to confine themselves to presenting in
face of the document prepared by the committee a
sort of programme containing only general views ;
or they could have brought forward, en the prin-
cipal paragraphs of the Address, separate amend-
ments not implying any absolute unity of views :
" It was this latter system," says the Debats, " which
they decided on adopting. In consequence of this
manner of proceeding, we shall see divergences of
opinion take place in the Liberal party upon more
questions than one. We do not regret that fact. If
there is a loss of unity, there must be an increase
in the sincerity of the discussion, and the Opposition
thus gives a fresh proof of its fair dealing. Besides,
public opinion at the presesit moment demands,
above all, that fair and full discussions shall take
place on those subjects which are of a nature to
enlighten the Government and the country ; the
nation appears to us to be indifferent as to the
choice of means employed in addressing it (the
nation), provided that useful truths are enunciated
as often as possible. We should, however, have
suffered a feeling of regret if the deputies of the
Opposition, while declaring the points upon which
they intend to maintain their liberty of judgment,
had neglected to mark the common tendencies by
which they were united. It was their duty to show
that, if they sometimes followed different paths,
they are all tending to the same point—the unin-
terrupted development of liberty. We have thus
seen with extreme satisfaction all shades of libe-
ral ;opinion support the amendment directed
against the law of general safety, and the QX
ceptional measure by which it is surrounded.' "

Disastrous Explosion of Gunpowder at

'Liverpool.

LivEßrooL, Jan. 16.

A fearful explosion took place here at abent 20
minutes pest seven this evening, caused by the
blowing up in the river of a large ship heavily laden
with gunpowder. The gas is extinguished, end
enormous quantities of broken glass cucumber the
streets from the river to beyond the Town-hall.
The neighbovrhood is in almost total darkness.
The amount of damage done and the number of lives
lost is, of course, at present unknown.

10 P.M.

The vessel which was blown tip by gunnowder in
the river a little after iwv:,:u o'clock tt-!6 cverirg
was the barque Lottie Lee. She had been taking
in gunpowder for the West Coast of Africa about
Woodside, and caught fire early in the ercoing.
After burning some time the fire rer:ched the
powder, and a fearful explosion ensued.
No lives are believed to have bcea lost, the men
engaged having left the ship before the explosion
occurred.
The damage done to plato•gles3 for miles around
the town is enormous, and the event is cawing the
greatest consternation.
No injury is reported to the shipping.