The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-24 00:00:00

EVRy 14EDITION

ViZENCii i,l)s i

IMPORTANT DEBATE.
SITTING OF APRIL 22.
At half-past one o'clock M. Passy, the President, took
'he chair. All the Ministers soon after entered the hall.
1i public tribunes were crowded with spectators, and so
e,re at was the anxiety evince l by the Peers to he present
at the sitting, that nearly all the members of that house
were in attendance. M. M:qiguin arrived at two o'clock.
In the interval the Ministers deposited a number of projets
de lei on the table.
The Minister of War brought up various ordinances rela-
tive to his department, and amongst others, one for calling
)tit 80;000 recruits of the class of 1839.
The Minister of Finance ucceedcd his colleague, and
p:esented the budget of 1839, which was already laid be-
fore the Chambers in January last.
After the Minister had concluded, the President called
M. Mauguin to the Tribune, but before the Hon. De-
puty could ascend it, M. Munnier de la Sizerane rose and
) demanded the adjournment to Monday of the interpellations
of which M. Mauguin had given notice fur the 22d.
This proposition, which M. Monnier de la Sizerano
grounded on the gravity of circumstances, and the fear of
aggravating them still more, was opposed by the great ma-
jority of the Chamber.
M. Mauguin next rose and said, that it was not from a
eense of curiosity he had yielded in bringing forward his
motion ; he had been actuated by high considerations, and
accordingly demanded leave to develope them.
M. Monnier de la Sizerane's proposition being put to
the vote, was rejected by an immense majority.
M. Mauguin then proceeded to develope his motion.
After an exordium on the inconveniences arising to the
or,nintry at large out of the prolongation of the Ministerial
e. ivis, he passed a severe censure on the ordinance insti-
tuting a temporary Cabinet, and even treated it as an un-
ocnstitutional act. The present Ministry, he said, was
without a chief; it could incur no responsibility, nor
be held to represer.t the Government, since its
members themselves admitted that they were not
bag to retain power. M. Mauguin then went over
the different phases which the crisis had undergone since
the dissolution of the Cabinet of the 15th of April, which
he fixed at five. The first, a Coalition Cabinet, had been
abandoned in consequence of the exigences of the members
of the right centre. The second, which was to have been
a centre gauche combination, was likewise given up, in con-
sequence of the reluctance of M. Thiers to enter it. The
formation of the third Cabinet was committed to the Pre-
sident of the Administration of the 22d of February (M.
Thiers). The motive of its failure had not transpired.
Tice fourth combination was exclusively the work of Mar-
shal Soult, and remarkable for the diversity of men and
principles which had been huddled together. So hetero-
genous a composition cculd not well grow into existence.
The fifth attempt had been productive of the return of M.
Passy to the Presidency of the Chamber. M. Mauguin
concluded by an appeal to the different personages who
had figured in these different combinations to disclose the
reason of their failure.
M. Girod de l'Ain, the Minister of Justice, justified the
Ordinance which appointed the provisional Ministry for the
despatch of affairs. He and his colleagues, he said, had
franklyaccepted their functions, and held themselves ac-
countable for all the acts of their Administration.
M.. Dupin followed, and began by disclaiming M. Mau-
ruin's right to address to him any questions on the part he
had taken in the Ministerial crisis. He was preparing, be
;mid, after his election, to return to Paris, and resume his
seat at the centre gauche, when he received several mes-
sages, urging him to repair to Paris to construct a Coali-
tion Cabinet. The formation of such an Administration
appeared natural to him, as the Coalition had triumphed ;
but he could not discern why he was applied to, having
neither belonged to nor approved of the Coalition. He
determined on entering it only on condition that its prin-
ciples should be consonant with his. He had never been
ambitious of a seat in the Government. He accepted it,
nevertheless, because the illustrious individual chosen by
the King to preside over it was popular both in France and
abroad. He also approved of the choice of his six other
colleagues, Messrs. Humann, Thiers, Dufaure, Passy, Sau-
set, Duperre, &c. A programme was drawn up, in which
the opinions of the centre gauche were clearly set down.
The first article, implying a change of system, received his
full approbation ; the second, touching the reduction of the
Rentes, was not agreeable to him ; he was opposed to the
measure, but he knew it would not be effected this year ; it,
Iconsequently, met no opposition from him. The third
; article referred to Spain. No intervention was stipulated.
The Cabinet merely reserved to itself to act according to
circumstances. The fourth article of the programme re-
gulated the choice of public functionaries; the former ad-
ministrations bad too lightly installed their friends and
partisans, without heeding whether they were fit or not for
their situations. The Marshal took charge of the pro-
, gramme, and submitted it to the King, by whom it was
accepted, the ordinance appointing the Marshal was signed,
and all was nearly settled, when :he and his colleagues met
i for the last time at the Marshal's. There the question of
i the presidency of M. Odillon Barrot was debated. It was
levident that the majority of the Chamber was on the side
of the left; the question should consequently be modified
in that sense. M. Dupin approved of the course, but
others were of a different opinion, and the combination
failed. M. Dupin said that he had been applied to since
to form part of all the succeeding combinations; that he
did not know what entitled him to so much honour; but
I that he was little flattered by it, and he requested the
framers of all future Ministries to leave him out in their
M;nisteriel lucubrations.
M. Thiers followed, and explained his reasons for not
accepting office in the various combinations of the last
t uty-four days. His first objection was grounded on con-
siderations of foreign policy. He had condemned the
coarse adopted on the 15th of April, and wished it to be
modified. On questions of domestic policy he had not
! ns,t started any difficulties. He had consented to the
maintenance of the laws of September; he was not, he
i admitted, an impartial judge of those laws, having contri-
buted to establish them. He would only consent to modify
th > article touching the attentat, which lie did not con-
sider well defined. fie had suggested, however, the
necessity of adopting a more firm, frank, and resolute
course, and for that purpose lie wished to be at liberty to
change such of the public functionaries as were not com-
petent foe their situations. On the question of the reduc-
tion of the Rentes, he was of opinion that the Govern-
ment should take the initiative of the measure. The
Belgic and Italian difficulties being settled, could no
longer offer any obstacles. The Eastern question
was not either a difficulty of a serious nature. His
opinion was that it was incumbent on France to
maintain peace in that quarter, at the same time
that she should hold herself in readiness to act
according to circumstances, with becoming dignity.
As regarded Spain, he had sacrificed his ideas re.
epectieg the necessity of an intervention; but he wished
the Cabinet to be free to act according to events—he in-
sitted only en France doing for the Queen at least as
much as England. M. Thiers had gladly accepted the
Pr< s;deney of Marshal S cult. Although he had himself
FesAed ~t, the Cabinet, )et his youth and the glory of
the Marsl:al irnpoacci upon him the obligation to relinquish
kali preteu,ions to that. lost ; but he declared to him from
th,, beginning that he would only accept the Foreign De-
psrtmerit. The election of M. Odillon Barret was also a
sue qua non of his acceptance. M. Tillers then entered
Seto a long account of the negotiations to which he had
In en privy since the 4th of March. In the first, attempted
M. Guizot was to be included, but M. Thiers held to the
aimission of his own friends, which
-being resisted, the
leieribination was upset. The next was a purely centre
yGuche Cabinet. lie had seen the King, with whom he
ha I come to alt understanding on many points of
f,:reign policy, had differed with his Majesty on
others, but had disagreed only on that of Spain. M.
Thiers wished that the Commander of the French naval
• forces on the Sdanish coast should he furnished with the
i same instruotions as those of the English squadron ; he
I wished France to supply the Constitutionalists with arms
1
itio. ; on thin point the King and he had disagreed,'
and M. Thiers had accordingly addressed to the Marshal
a letter in which he apprised him of his resolution to retire.
Tha Marshal wrote him back to request him to withdraw
e his resignation, informing him that the King was deter-
!blued on accepting his programme. He (M. Thiers)
and his friends accordingiy repaired to the Palace. Ho
leas etre that there was a mistake in the Marshal's letter
torching the programme, and that the King did not ap-
prove it as he (M. Thiers) understood it. Such was ac-
smelly the case. His Majesty could not be prevailed upon
to view the treaty of the quadruple alliance in the same
I esht as ha (M. Mier.) did. The Presidency of M. Odillon
Barrot was another cause of the split in the Cabinet. M.
Ilumann, however, alone opposed it with any vivacity,and re-
tired from the combination. M. Thiers thought that M. Hu-
mann could be easily replaced, but his secession being
eisierned to have broken up the Cabinet, the combination
was at an end. Next day Marshal Soult waited on M.
'Ehlers, and released him from his engagements towards
him). What was, however, his (M. Thiers') astonishment
A nen, on being sent for by the King, his Majesty offered
lima the Presidency ofehe Council. He declined accept-
ing it, waited on the Marshal, and assured him of his de-
termination not to enter a Ministry of which the Marshal
should not be President. Since then he never saw the
Marshal. The Duke de Broglie, who was next charged
w;th the construction of the Cabinet. waited upon M.
Thiers, and requested him to join him and his friends
iu an Administration. He consented, but on two con-
eitions, viz., the acceptance of the programme and the
e ection of M. Odillon Bsrrot. These conditions were
:it accepted. M. Thiers next gave an account of
I,e last negotiations carried on between Him and M.
Peaty, through the medium of M.M. Dufaure and Vivien.
The Marshal insisted on his relinquishing all claim to the
F ,reign Department, and accepting MM. Guizot and Du-
thatch for his colleagues. His friends had declined agree-
ing to these terns for him, und he thanked them for
guessing so well his intentions. M. Thiers, in conclusion,
declared that he had never, properly speaking, been charged
web the formation of a Ministry ; that he had only figured
10 days out of the 44 in the attempts made to form one, and
that ha was at present foreign to all combinations.
M. Guizot succeeded to M. Thiers, and proceeded
to explain the facts to which he had been privy. The
first combination proposed was to have included him
sad M. Odillon Bsrrot; but neither the latter nor
M. Guizot, who had not sacrificed their res-
pective opinions as parties to the coalition, would
accept a seat in such a Cabinet. The next trial made had
for its object to amalgamate the two centres, with M.
Odillon Barrot as President of the Chamber. M. Guizot
sefsented to both propositions. But when the organization
of Cabinet came under considertion, he was only offered
1 ooseats out of the ten into which it was to be divided.
1 . ~,,h caseu, departments not being political, he refused them,
se he thouht that if the
two centres were to share
power, they should equally participate in it. M. Guizot
then explained bis
overthrow the last
pa thy for those b
separated from them
) Cabinet,motives for joining the Coalition to
ywho but protested against his sym-
mh it was supported, and, though
.neyertheless strenuously
stipulated in favour of? theepoirhawadedrnission into the Cabinet,
vicbri 4144 ....ei_xlsaetreigfthstspeaankding.) Iv as the members of the
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