The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-28 00:00:00

M. Mocquard's Successor.

The Emperor's new secretary, according to the Mies'
correspondent, is M. Conti, a lawyer and a Corsican. He is
a relation of the Baciotes family, and the Baciotes are rela-
tions of the Bonapartes. In popular belief the Corsicans are
all cousins more or lees removed.
M. Conti, though a member of the Council of State, is not
I believe generally known to the public, though at one time
he enjoyed considerable renown in his native island. As the
post he is to occupy near the Emperor's person will proba-
bly give him much influence, which may be felt in-political
affairs, it will not be out of place to say a few words about
his antecedents, and of the opportunities he will have of
using his position for the public good. It is by no means
derogatory to M, Conti that he cannot, anymore than any-
body else, completely fill up the void caused by the death of
M. Mocquard. M. Mocquard'a connexion with the Empe•
roe's family began several years before it attained the posi-
tion it now holds. He had been initiated in its policy from
the day when he ceased to be a functionary of the Orleans
Government, and probably some time before ; and
when he retired from his sub-prefecture, and gave
up his practice as an advocate, he laboured diligently
to promote the cause which it had so much at heart, and
which he l!ved to see prosperous; and the position he ob-
tained was the reward of services which no other party had
required from him. M. Coati's talents were long directed to
another object, and he enters upon duties which may now
be discharged without danger.
Like the great founder of the Napoleonian Dynasty, M
Conti was born at Ajaccio, In some respects there is are,
semblance between him and his predecesszor, as he was bred
to the bar, and has written a good deal of "poetry," both
in French and Lail en, and which competent judges pros
nounce as not inferior to that of M. Belmontel, the Bona-
partist poet ear excellence. He was elected under the
Orleans Government member of the Council-General of Cor-
sica, and in the discussions of that renowned body distin-.
guiehed himself by the persistence and vigour of his attacks
on the prefect of the island, M. Jourdan, whom he held up
to the indignation of mankind as a" modern Verres." The
Cicero of Ajaccio was in those times an avowed Republican
of the school of the National, and the .National did all it
could to celebrate his triumphs over the " odious Pro-Con-
sul" sent by Louis Philippe to trample upon the liberties of
the free-born Corsicans. The unfortunate prefect, scorched
by the lightning of M. Conti's eloquence, appealed to the
Council of State ; and the Council of State, which was it-
self but the instrument of the tyranny which the Corsican
patriot laboured to overthrow, found that he was not quite
the monster he was described. The deluded prefect even
fancied that ho was entitled rather to the thanks of the
Department he administered than to its censure. At a
meeting of the Council-General, at which he, in his
official capacity, presided, he was addressed by the
implacable enemy of oppression, and of electoral cor-
ruption, in terms such as I suspect no member of
a CouncileGeneral of the present day would ven-
ture to employ, and which leads one to suspect that the
tyranny so denounced must have been of a peculiarly in-
dulgent kind indeed, for it does not appear that M. Conti
was sent to Cayenne, or to prison, or, what is still more
incomprehensible, that he was prevented from speaking
again as often as he pleased. It would be curious to hear
a modern councillor address a prefect in language like the
following !

The prefect pronounces for our edification the name of
Turgot after his own. For our honour he demands our
praise; and submits for our examination his past system of
administration. You do well, Sir (to the prefect who pre-
sided), to shrug your shoulders, for you have a heavy load to
support. Persons have advised you to withdraw from this
assembly ; I would rather have you remain. My explana-
tions will be more frank while you are present. I have de-
ncunccd you for ruining the country, for having squandere3
more than a million, and I now reproach you for having
everywhere introduced elcctorial corruption, for having in-
serted your hand in every b illet-box, for having stirred up
only bad passions, from which crimes havo ensued. You
havo been present in person on every electoral battle field—
on horseback, in carriages, and in steamboats. You have
trafficked in votes, and you have suborned electors. I have
seen your letters, I know your menaces, and I know, too,
your promises. You tell us, forsooth, how you build presby-
teries and schools. Yes, but you sap morals, and demolish
our principles. You make roads; yes, but you make them
only that they may serve as an easy means of communicat-
ingfyour:corruption. You build fountains; but there are
still many consciences to purify. On the stones of your
buildings you leave, with your names, the traces of your
corruption and your intrigues, You beautify Corsica ma-
terially, but you demolish it morally, and the ruins of our
morals remain for ever ? "

When the prefects of the present day learn the nomina-
tion of this formidable scourge of corruption is elections—
for of course ho still retains his opinions in these mattters
—they will pause before they again attempt, in their own
language, to " insert Their hands in the ballot-box ; suborn
lectors," or employ intimidation ; and the great autocrat
of Paris, M. Haussman, may fear to brave the anger of
the Emperor's secretary, who thinks that opening streets,
building houses, and spending millions without regard to
the wishes of tho population, do not make up for the absence
of other qualities.

After his campaign against the Prefect of Corsica, M.
Conti came to Paris, where he diligently laboured with his
countryman, the late M. Pietri, for the triumph of pure
Republican principles. When the tyranny ho so much
hated was overthrown by the catastrophe of February, the
Provisional Government marked its sense of his services to
the cause by appointing him ProcureureGeneral in Corsica;
and the Corsicans elected one of their representatives to
the National Assembly. He voted in the Assembly with the
democratic party. He voted, too, for the perpetual banish-
ment of the Orleans family; against the proposition in
favour of two Chambers instead of ono ; against martial law
during the debates on the Constitution ; against the re-
establishment of caution money for newspapers; for the
constitution of the Republic; but he refused to vote for the
motion that General Cavaiguac deserved well of his coun-
try for putting down the insurrection of June. After the
election of Prince Louis Napoleon to the Presidency of the
Republic, N. Conti, though he may have still cherished in
his heart the same democratic principles, yet ostensibly mo-
dified thorn a little, He supported what was called the per-
sonal policy of the Prince President ; voted with the oppo.
nents of the Republic for the revision of the Constitution as
proposed by M. Rateau, for putting down the clubs, and
for the French expedition to Rome. His electors did not
seem to approve M, Conti in his process of ripening into a

Conservative. He was not elected to the Legislative As.
sembly ; but he still supported out of doors the policy of the
President. Just six weeks before the coup d'etat ho was
made a Knight of the Legion of Honour ; and soon after
that event a member of the Council of State. He still holds
his place in the Council-General of Corsica, but has, I be-
lieve, long ceased to war against the prefects—no doubt
because the prefects do not, as in times gone by, " insert
their hands in the ballot-box, suborn voters, corrupt or in..
timidate electors," or indeed, do any of those things which
used_to call forth his eloquent indignation.