The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-03 00:00:00

PROCLAMATION

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

On Wednesday evening, at seven o'clock, the
Legislative Body met, for the important purpose
of making its official declaration of the number of
Votes given on the plebiscite for re-establishing the
lupin in France. The tribunes were crowded,
and all the persons occupying them apparently be-
longed to the higher classes of society. The num-
ber of deputies present was 240, and all wore their
grand, official costume. A solemn silence took
place when M. Billault, the President, preceded
V the messengers of state and the ushers, and ac-
companied by the Vice-Presidents and Secretaries,
entered the house. The President, after having
,taken his seat, proceeded to read the official de-
?Laration of the Legislative Body, to the effect that
the French people had, by an immense majority,
called Louis Napoleon to be Emperor of the
reneh. Scarcely had M. Billault terminated
reading the declaration of the Legislative Body,
when cries of " Vive l'Empereur" burst out from
everY part of the Chamber, tribunes and all. The
whole assembly then rose, and again shouted "Vive
P—LuP—spereur !" The following is the official docu-
Meat read by M. Billault

"DECLARATION OF THE LEGISLATIVE BODY.
"The Legislative Body,—
"Having taken into consideration the Senatus-Con-
atiltum of Nov. 7, 1852
"Having considered' the decree of the same day,
calling on the French people to vote on the acceptance
or rejection of the plebiscite proposed by the Senate ;
"Looking at the decree of Nov. 7, 1852, "convokin,
theQela
ctirigengislative Body for the purpose of verifying the
I:,egillarity of the votes, of summing them up, and of
the result ;
"After having examined and verified in the sittings
(3f its bureaux of Nov. 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, and of
Dec. 1, the proses-verbaux of the votes given in the
eighty-aid departments and Algeria, and by the land and
Bea forces •
" After having heard, in its sittings of Nov. 30 and
ec• 1, the reports made to it in the name of its bureaux,
and having confirmed by a vote after each of these re-
Ports the regularity and exactitude of the figures ex-
amined, such as they are set down in the table annexed
to the present delaration ;
" Considering that, in the presence of the immense
majority of votes already ascertained to be given in
favour of the plebiscite, there is no necessity for waiting
for the few proces-verban.x drawn up in distant localities,
4114 of which the verification will be made hereafter, and
that it is fitting, in order to comply with the national
rill, to proclaim without delay the great event which
uxes the destinies of France ;
" Declares :
" Ist. That the operations of the vote have been every-
where freely and regularly accomplished ;
" 2d. That the general summing-up of votes given on
the, plaiscite has given :
Seven millions eight hundred and twenty-four thou-
sand one hundred and eighty-nine (7,824,189) bulletins
bearing the word
"Two hundred and fifty-three thousand one hundred
and forty-five (253,145) bulletins bearing the word
NoN ; •••
" And sixty-three thousand three hundred and twenty-
CI bulletins null ;
"In consequence the Legislative Body declares :
"That the French people, convoked to vote in its
comitia, on the 21st and 22d of Nov., 1852, has accepted
the following pldbiscite
" 'The French people wills the re-establishment of the
Imperial dignity in the person of Louis Napoleon Bona-
P~, with succession to his direct descendants, legiti-
or adopted, and gives him the right to regulate
the order of succession to the throne in the Bonaparte
as is set forth in the Senatus-Consultum of Nov.
7, 1852?
thisA unanimous cry of Vive l'Empereur,' greeted
declaration, and the Legislative Body decided
"Y acclamation that it would proceed the same
evening, at eight o'clock, to the Palace of St. Cloud
to present to his Majesty the Emperor the result of the
votes of the French people.
"Given at the Palace of the Legislative Body, in
public sitting, this Ist day of December, 1852.
"BILLAULT,
"President of the Legislative Body,
"DALLOZ, the DUKE DE TARENTE, BARON
ESCHASSERIEUX, DUGAS, Secretaries."
The President left the Chamber with the same
ceremonial as he had entered, and was followed by
the Deputies, who proceeded to take their places
in carriages ready in the Court of Honour, to take
them to St. Cloud.
The cortege advanced in the following order.
The Ushers, the Messengers of State, the carriage
of the President, then those containing the seven
reporters of the bureaux, namely,
MM. Bavoux,
Leroux, Delamarre (Crease), Reveil, Lemercier,
Belmontet, and
Fauguer ; the Vice-Presidents ;
the Secretaries ; the Questors ; and lastly, the
Deputies. The whole number of carriages was
uywards of 100, and a long line of torch2bearers
accompanied them on both sides. The regiment
of the 7th Lancers served as escort to the Deputies.
The cortege passed along the rue de l'Universite,
t,he Esplanade des Invalides, the Quai d'Orsay,
•rassy, Auteuil, Boulogne, and St. Cloud. A con-
siderable crowd was collected along the line of pro-
cession. At Auteuil, the Mairie was illuminated,
and four eagles of fire, with the words " Vive Na-
Poleon 111 I" above, decorated the front. At Bou-
logne many of the houses were illuminated, as was
the long avenue from Auteuil to Boulogne. St.
Cloud was even more brilliant than the other parts
of the route, and a vast crowd was collected in the
neighbourhood of the palace.
The deputies arrived at St. Cloud at eight o'clock,
hang been preceded only a few minutes by the
I.lembers of the Senate, and of the Council of State.
The Legislative Body was shown into the Salon de
Mars, the Senate into the Salon de Venus, and the
euncil of State into that of Diana. After a short
CFuse, Count Bacciocchi, Grand Master of the
the Ironies, assisted by M. Feuillet de Corches,
deputy-master, introduced the senators into
the
Gallery of Apollo, one of the finest in Europe,
kace-President Mesnard, Troplong, General Count
raguay-d'Hilliers, the Grand Referendary,
General Count d'Hautpoul, and Baron de La-
Zosse, the Secretary, marched at its head.
e Cardinals, Marshals, Admirals, and the
chhishop of Paris were with the Senate, the
(Tercbers of which immediately took their places
al:the right of the throne erected for the solemnity
tile end of the gallery. The Legislative Body
took their places on the left, the two bodies sitting
clVesite each other. The Council of State next
entered, conducted by the Presidents of section,
• Rouher, de Parieu, Bonjean, General
Allard, Vice-Admiral Leblanc, and M. Boudet.
They were seated opposite each other along the
„; s'ues• M. Baroche, being a member of the Coun-
eil of Ministers, sat immediately behind them, close
to ,
the throne. The Procureur-General Delangle,
41. de Royer, Baron Brenier' M. Heurtier, Gene-
-I'4l Daumas, M. Greterin, M. de Sibert Cornillon,
and M. Darricau, were seated amongst the Conn-
ewers of State.
1,...,The master of the ceremonies having informed
'ince Louis Napoleon, who was at the time in his
trivate apartment, that the great bodies of the
tate had arrived, entered the gallery of Apollo,
tith all his household, military and civil. Count
and and M. Feuillet de Conches led the way;
-41,eLl then followed the orderly officers, Captain Ex-
Tr 7-4 us, Commandant Lepic, Commandant de
li-lucligeon, Commandant Faye, Captain de Men-
tae:val, Captain de Berkeim, Captain Petit, Cap-
,- Cambriels, Captain Tascher de la Pagerie, and
Lieutenant de La Tour d'Auvergne ; M. Mocquart,
10 r• Conneau, and M. C. Bure, intendant-general
ithe household ; then came the aides-de-camp,
q°„`.,,°nels Fleury, Edgar Ney, de Beville ; and
teZejals Vaudrey, Espinasse, de Lourmel, de Mon-
ti-474c, de Goyon, de Cotte, Canrobert, and
.
Napoleon 111, in the uniform of a general of
division, next entered, having on his right the ex-
j Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, in the uniform
arshal of France ; on his left Prince Jerome
the -aParte, in coloured clothes ; and behind him
Minister of State, Ministers, M. Baroche, Vice-
iesident of the Council of State, and M. Berger,
Prefect of the Seine.
tai,,h2 moment Louis Napoleon appeared he was
teZed with loud acclamations of " Vive l'Empe-
u"- r' every person present rising at his entrance.
troce,aevinealgutthede the various bodies of the State, and then
eded on to the throne, which he ascended,
erome Jerome on his right, and Prince
sta,nsdin,i his left. Louis Napoleon remained
The
princes, placed themselves behind the three
th and the aides-de-camn orderly officers and
Ili:civil household,the •
—tem at the bottom after
• Billault, President of the Legislative Body,
-"Yanced d •
speech :
I. following
'Wane brining a firm and emphatic voice, read
owurill.Mal
a'. •esion
'‘aviz
dodffe, raevdeenetythethe midstsolemonf
the
-
t were decreed to you by popular enthu-
°sivaalloa‘t;i::.thhe national will.
showed no anxiety to assume a crown, which
en decision by you on all sides, but wished that France
bfo r
which
i oan
people,; y o u s wished
master
hoaft
itself, that
di
secreet_,
es of
all
008013138 ea sovereigntyyof its destiny, should only be taken
Your wish, Sire,
"Y arid in entire liberty.
is accomplished ; a ballot free,
under
the aripen to all, has been loyallyexamined
votes Yit . ; summing up in one, eight millions of
Nride4 basis
to the legitimacy of your government the
_ev" estaebillsohnei
the
collected for you by which any government in the world was
theY called the
ee
dgaoyvernwhmenentsix millions of
it
self which
fe.t.,e of the c you to replace, deposited in your bands the
by additio o_untry, France, at each new ballot, marked
conadneal millions of votes the continued increase of
xlittees, • nce in you. Without as within her com-
An her fatze
U in her votes, everywhere her