The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-14 00:00:00

LONDON,

judicious selection would be made of the districts which I
were to be transferred from the county to the
borough constituf ncies, and that the change would be
anything but injurious to the interests of "the party."
A cursory glance at the third column of the second
schedule will show that these experienced men have
not been mistaken. A fair opportunity for a job could
not be resisted by "the happy family." Accordingly
we find that the alteration will by no means
render the constituencies more independent, or more
opposed to undue influences then they had formerly
been. The patron will still be enabled to obtain the
" most sweet voices" of a majority of the electors in
favour of his nominee. He may, perhaps, be obliged
to take a little more trouble, and to form new alliances
offensive and defensive with families in the vicinity.
The Messrs. EDWARDS, BLAGGS, et hoc genus
onme, may be compelled to take some extra
trouble, for which they will take care that
they receive extra remuneration. " The Corrupt Prac-
tices at Elections Bill" will, of course, impose the ne-
cessity of greater caution, but the conflicting parties
—those who are ready to bring out " the golden key,"
and are only desirous of securing a contest on any
terms—will, of course, enter into arrangements to
prevent any exposure, the result of which must be
equally prejudicial to all. We know that at
St. Albans the " purity of election" party
were exceedingly anxious that their candidate
should act in direct opposition to the principle
on which they brought him forward. Under the
more stringent regulations now introduced, we shall
find that complaints of the existence of " bribery" or
" treating" will no longer be preferred, but that
there will be a mutual understanding on these points
by the agents of the belligerents. Of course, where
there is a recognised patron, or where an ambitious
gentleman desirous of senatorial honours, hands out
large sums of money, so as to have many of the
free and independent electors completely at his 1
mercy, there will be no probability of a complaint, or
even if there were—although the moral taint might
be clearly established—there would be no legal
guilt that would justify the excision of the offending
constituency from the list of boroughs returning re-
presentatives to Parliament. We do not then look
forward to the gradual extinction of the minor bo-
roughs which Lord JOHN RUSSELL now considers
essential to the maintenance of " the balance of the
Constitution," nor do we think that there is any
reasonable prospect of a progressive reform under
the series of measures brought forward by her
MAJESTYS Government.
But, as if to show more clearly and distinctly that
the object was Rot to abridge patronage, or to prevent
the usurpation by individuals of the rights of the
many, we find that some of the rotten bo-
roughs, which bad been disfranchised in
1832, are now restored. Their quondam
opponent has manifestly repented him of his
severity, and is desirous of holding out the olive-
branch to those whom he had formerly assailed. We
find that many of those which in 1832 were included
in schedule A are now to be restored to their
former position. Saltasb, Boroughbridge, East Looe,
Stockbridge, Camelford, and many others, resume at
least a portion of their pristine importance. Like
RIP TAN WINKLE, they have had prolonged
slumbers, and, like the great dreamer, will be
restored but little the worse for their protracted

repose.
And this is what the Noble Lord calla " a Reform
Bill 1" and which his toadies are prepared to exalt to
the skies as one of the brightest illustrations of
modern legislation ! We bad previously formed no
very exalted estimate of the measure. As we have
already shown, it seemed, even on the first impres-
sion, to be totally opposed in principle to
its great antecedent, to be intended rather to
promote the interests of the Whig party than
of the community at large. That we were
not mistaken in the conclusion at which
we arrived will be sufficiently shown by
a perusal of the list of places that are in.
eluded in the third column of schedule B, to the ex-
clusion of many important and populous towns in the
manufacturing districts.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
The I'ays has an article giving an unqualified approval
to the ciicuiar of the Minister ot the Interior respecting
the approaching elections. It says that the ballot will
be tree, but it will be enlightened; that it would be as
absurd as dangerous to expect from universal suffrage
an initiative or which it has not in itself the power, and
that unless the electors be properly edified by com-
petent counsel as to the merits of the candi-
dates they will become the tools of demagogues. "Let
then," adds the writer, " universal suffrage be directed,
the ballot free, and the electors weal advised, that is
what is required. In that way the Government and
the country will be placed in the situation which suits
each. The Government will say frankly to the country
what it expects from its reason and prudence; and the
country will reply by a vote of confidence, which will
bare so much the more authority that it will be at the
same time a vote of patriotism and dignity."
The ball given on Wednesday night by the Minister
of War was very numerously attended. 3,200 cards of
invitation had been issued, and the company included
the highest military notabilities, members of the Senate,
of the magistracy, and a number of the first public func-
tionaries. A. captain, a lieutenant, and a sub-lieutenant
from each regiment in the garrison were present. The
Princess MATHILDE, and a great number of ladies in
the most brilliant toillettev, were amongst the company,
which included the diplomatic corps, and all the Mi-
nisters, many of them in grand official costume. Inde-
pendently of the saloons, a gallery, beautifully deco-
rated, had been constructed in the garden, capable of
containing 1,200 persons. The walls were hung with
arms, in imitation of the armoury at the Tower of
London, and, from the numerous lights, had a brilliant
ff et. Refreshments of the most exquisite kind were
served in abundance, and dancing was kept up until past
seven in the morning.
The Academy ot Sciences have elected M. ALFRED
DE MIJSSET and M. SERRYER iR place of the late M.
L)UPATY and M. DE SAINT-PRIEST. The choice has to
be submitted to the approbation of the PRINCE PRE•
SIDENT.

Amongst the persons condemned by the High Court
of Justice at B-Jurger, fur the affair of the 15th May, was
M. HUBER, one of the most ardent leaders of the ultra-
republican party, and who had undergone previously
many years' imprisonment, under the reign of Louis
PHILIPPE. After the vote of the Plebiscite, M. HUBER,
who has for some time past been in the prison of Belle-
Ile, addressed a long letter to Louis NAPOLEON, in
which he recognised the right that he now has under
the vote of abuse seven millions of electors to expect
adhesion to his Government, and candidly admits
that resistance to him in such circumstance would
betray an utter want of patriotism. M. HUBER then
entreats from the clemency of the PRINCE ouch a
commutation of his punishment as would enable him
to enjoy better air, with a view to the amelioration
of his health, which has suffered materially from
long confinement. The PRINCE has gone much further
in the way of clemency than the petition asked. He
generously ordered that M. MINER shall be liberated
from prison without being required to subscribe to any
condition. _ _ _

The instructions given by the Ministers of the Inte-
rior, War, and Justice, by order of the PRINCE PRESI-
DENT, with a view to the speedy liberation of the per-
sons arrested tor the events of December, in whose fa-
vour clemency could be exercised without compromising
the interests of order, are being acted upon to the
fullest extent in all the departments were arrests had
taken place.
The Committee of the Dramatic Authors have bad an
audience of the PRESIDENT of the Republic, for the ex-
press purpose of thanking him for the international trea-
ties, which had been recently concluded, and which se-
cured to the French authors all the advantages attached
to literary property of French authors abroad. The
President replied to M. VIENNET, who was the organ of
the committee, that he had been long devoted to letters
and the arts, and that he was anxious that they should
under his Government attain the highest degree of pros-
ptrity. The committee afterwards entered on the ques-
tion of the diminution of the tax levied for the poor,
to which Prince LOUIS NAPOLEON replied with great
kindness, but with all the reserve which the subject de-
manded.
The Bourse was remarkably firm,_ and public securi-
ties rose considerably as compared with the closing
prices of the day Wore. The Five per Cents., opened
at 103 f. 80c., and closed at 103 f. 90c. tar the end of
the mouth; the Three per Cents. closed at 65f. 80c.;
Orleans Railroad Snares, 1,145,..; Rouen, 652. f. 50c.;
442 t. sou.
~114"0, 265 r.; Gri•at Northi rn, 583 t. 57c.; Avignon,
`3of.; Vier son, 527 f. 50c.; Basle, 215 r.; Bordeaux,
LONDON
and Ntinta9,3oot • Amiens to Boulogne, 300 f.; Paris and
; Paris and Strasburgh, 472,. 500.; Tours
Lyons, 585 r. "
and bleuse,
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
Dutch Rhenish, 36 --Namur and
Liege, diB!•42 - Luxern bourt,,
STOCK EXCHANGE, FES. 13.
them ot Frat.ce, and.Lyous, 9,,
endPuri nouen, 26: —R and Havre, 10). Sambre
4 Wien

PSAIN.
We have received advice& from Madrid of the Bth
inst. Thg- QUEEN was convalescent, so much so that'
the book which %pita opened at the Palace for the names
of persons making inquiries as to her health, had been
closed.
The body of the regicide Maximo had been burned.
him a document in which he declared that
and his ashas thrown into the moat. The regicide
he blbehindU!
occcoplicto in his ntreciens design.