The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-17 00:00:00

Scenes in the French Legislative Corps,

PARIS, Sunday Evening.
In the Corps Legislatif yesterday, M. Stievenart
Bethune (a new opposition member, who was elected
for a northern department against M. Boitelle,
brother of the Prefect of Police) moved to suppress
the funds applicable to the pay of the rural police,
on the ground that that institution was worse than
useless. He desired to do cheerful homage to the
utility of the police in Paris and other large cities,
but ho had the bat reasons for knowing that the
rural police, a very modern creation, and one which
happily did not exist in all the departments, served
no good purpose, and was mainly nothing else than
a scandalous instrument of electoral tyranny. The
members of this body were illiterate, ill-mannered,
and having no legitimate employment naturally
sought occasions to meddle with citizens, and curry
favour with power. This was their normal condi-

tion in what he would call times of peace. But in
time of war, that was to say, during elections, these
men transgressed all bounds of decency. Then the
rural couimiaaary of police became an undisguised
electioneering agent, he spoke everywhere in the
voice of authority, and treated his district like a
conquered country. His mouth continually vomited
threats, and no idle threats either, for they were
constantly followed by the penal visitations of the
local magistrates.
M. Pellotan followed with a demand for the
repeal of the law of public safety, and ho based his
arguments mainly upon this consideration, that the
present government had, in its own point of view
at least, less need than any other of laws of public
safety, because it kept liberty in a state of suspense.
Liberty of the press, liberty of association, liberty
of public meeting, commercial liberty, parliamen-
tary initiative, ministerial responsibility, all the ins
atitutions, all the guarantees of 'B9 were promised
only in perspective, but immolated for the present
by reason of the necessities of public order. Well,
it was not unreasonable to argue that all that the
Government had deducted from liberty it must be
taken to have gained in security. Whence, there-
fore, the necessity for exceptional laws of public
safety. (Applause on several benches.) M. Pelletan
then went through the list of various repressive laws
passed by the Government in the course of the last
12 years, and showed that in practice they had all
been found unnecessary. The Government every
now and then got frightened, and asked for harsh
laws, which after all it did not want. The law
against keeping up " intelligence abroad," which
bad been called for on the pretext that it was a
necessary protection against the scum of society, had
been put in operation against jest three persons,
viz., a judge, the Marquis de Flers, M. Shearer, and
M. Taule, a medical student. M. Shearer, a most
respectable inhabitant of Alsace, had been pulled
out of his bed, and taken to a cell in Mazes. He
was Prosecuted, and sentenced to three months' im-
prisonment. He had paid the penalty which the
law awarded, but he was liable to-morrow, upon,
perhaps, an angry man's denunciation, to be trans.
ported. When he thought of such things he could
scarcely believe the statue of Mirabean was yet
standing in the building within which he spoke.
Here a long altercation ensued between the Duke
de Morny and M. Pelletan, the president laying
down that a deputy had no right to dispute the law,
unanswerable force
11iiiioinrfingyataensdtyAl:
le
and M. Pelletan replying with
After this a battle
Body to criticise bad laws.
that it was the especial province of the Legislative
ahrikeosdtoß
Gas
royal ensued between the 39
Picard. They wrangled in
The Duke de Morny told M. Picard that the G
vernument were not afraid of him or of anybody
else. Picard inquired that a threat P" to which
de Moray rejoined,
"It is no threat to say that the
Government
is not afraid of you. If the Govern-
ment were inclined to threaten, perhaps the len-
ge we bear would not be addressed to it." (Tu-
,
multuon, applause on the benches of the majority.)
Picard attempted to explain, but could not get
nearing, and M. Jules Fevre exclaimed "This is vie,
lence." At this juncture M. Thiers said—,, When
the interests of the country are in question no one
will frighten us, not even the Government." M.
Rouher said M. Thiers had only just come into the
house, and did not know what had passed, but the
latter said he had heard it all, and persisted in his
observation. M. Gamier Pages brought forward
the subject of the violation of his domicile, and the
interference with his electoral meetings. MM.

Rouland and Rouher replied on behalf of the G 3.
vernment that the law justified what had been done
—or, at any rate they thought so—and it was for
a court of law to pronounce. The Government had
tolerated electoral meetings, but they had reason to
think that Dl, Garnier Pages was at the head of an
unlawful socisty, which sought to carry the elec-
tions throughout France.

SIR EDWARD BI LWEIt LYTTON'S " Last Days of
Pompeii" is now in opera by Pabol.
M. TRIERS is said to be writing the history of
French finance.

A beautifal specimen of the finest Irish lace,
value one hundred guineas,
has been prepare id fcr presen-
tation to the Princess of Wales, by the ladies flt .eland, in
remembrance of the Royal marriage.

COALS.—The LILLESHALL COMPANY'S
COALS.
Direct from their own Collieries.
Marquis' 24s. per ton. Double.. ....... 20s. per ton.
Top 235. I Nut 5........ ..... iSs. „
Deep ....215. „
Well screened and delivered within five miles of their De-
pots, Westbourne Park-road, W., and 17, South Wharf ,
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Best Colv.
Terms cash.
JOHN SCOTT, Sole Agent.

TIRE THIRD EDITION OF THE SUN,"
Containing the Latest SPORTING INTELLIGENTE,
tan be had. Every Evening of

G. R. GLICNIE, NEWS AGENT,
No. 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park,

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