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

M. Mocquard's Successor.

The Emperor's new secretary, according to the Times'
correspondent, is N. 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 less 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's connexion with the Empe•
ror's family began several years before it attained thesposi-
tion it now holds. Ho had been initiated in its policy from
the day when he ceased to be a fu❑ctionary 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 Eyed to see prosperous; and the position he ob-
tained was the reward of services which no other party had
required from him. M. Conti'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 predecess,or, as he was bred
to the bar, and has written a good deal of "poetry," both
in French and Italian, and which competent judges pro.
nounce as not inferior to that of M. Belmontel, the Bona-
partist poet par 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-
guished 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 he 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 Council-General 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 ho 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-
nounced you for ruining the country, for having squandered
more than a million, and I now reproach you for having
everywhere introduced electorial corruption, for having in-
serted your hand in every b Allot-box, for having stirred up
only bad passions, from which crimes have ensued. You
have 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 dem dish
our principles. You make roads; yes, but you make them
only that they may serve as an easy means of cornmunicat-
inglyour.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 s3ourge of corruption is elections—
for of course he 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. Haussmaa, 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 the populalon, do not make up :or 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 NI. Pietri, for the triumph of pure
Republican principles, When the tyranny he so much
hated was overthrown tv the catastrophe of February, the
Provisional Governmant marked its sense of his services to
the cause by appointing him Procureun.General in Corsica;
and the Corsicans elected him 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 one ; 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 Cavaignac deserved well of his coun-
try for.putting down the insurrection of June. After the
election of Prince Louis Il'apoleon to the Presidency of the
Republic, M. Conti, though he may have still cherished in
his heart the same democratic principles, yet ostensibly mo-
dified them 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 he 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.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

MANCHESTER, SHEFFIELD, AND LIN-

COLNSHIRE.

The total expense of this company's railways,
including rents, tolls, duty, &c., from the Ist of
July to the 18th of December, 1864, amounted to
£190,311, as againbt £191,152 for the correspond-
ing period of 1863. The proportion of the South
Junction receipts accruing to this company from
the Ist of July to the ISth of December amounted
ted £17,851, as against £16,502 for the correspond.
ing period of 1863, and the expense to £9,283, as
against £8,151.

NORTH BRITISH AND EDINBURGH AND
GLASGOW.

These companies intend to ask for powers to con-
struct a high level railway bridge across the Firth
of Forth, and railways in connection therewith.
The bridge will be above two miles in length, and
the railways eight miles, the estimated cost being
£675,000. The share capital is to be provided by
the two companies in certain proportions, the North
British Railway Company are to subscribe 60.8 per
cent., and the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Company 39.2 per cent. of it ; and in the event of
the Monkland Railway being leased to or the corn•
pany amalgamated with the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow Railway Company during the ensuing Ses-
sion, the contribution of the North British is to be
56.3 per cent., and of the Edinburgh and Glasgow
43.7 per cent.