The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-08 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
The Union and. the Pays are at variance as to
the probable effect of the recent changes in the
constitution. The former regards those changes
as hostile to the principle of rational liberty, but
it does not condescend to give us any definition of

the term "rationalliberti," while the latter, in a

lengthy and forcible article, defends them, and
pronounces emphatically that they are all for the
advantage of the country. The article contends
that the modification respecting the legislative
control over the budget does not deprive the depu-
ties of the power of protecting the interests of their
constituents ; it only prevents, it says, the display
of captious and prejudicial opposition. 42 regards
the power given to the Emperor to make commer-
cial treaties and modify tariffs, the writer states
that this power is absolutely necessary, and is a
great point gained for the public prosperity.
In the Constitutionnel there is another article in
opposition to free trade, but as it contains nothing
new upon the subject, we may content ourselves
with extracting from tile same journal the follow-
ing observations on the peace of Europe :
"We yesterday said that the peace of Europe was
secure. Thanks not only to the policy of the French Go-
vernment, but also to the sympathies of the foreign
powers for a government which has had the glory of
vanquishing anarchy, and which supports itself on the
enlightened will of the whole of France. The event
ihas
just fulfilled our previsions. Russia has newly accredited
M. de Kisseleff, her Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary4to Napoleon 111. The -United States
have sent the necessary powers to its minister, and the
us an,s Wurtefilberg, Bavarian, Hanoverian, Baden,
:and;! axon ministers will immediately have audiences to
'0
VreSpnt their n.ew,letters of credence. .The empire is
accepted and recognised by all the civilised nations of
the world. How could it be otherwise ? Is not the
sovereign whom France has placed over her the resolute
prince, who, from the commencement of his career of
government, when his authority was menaced by a hos-
tile assembly, frankly adopted a policy of order, sent a
French army to raise up the Papal throne at Rome,
overcame the spirit of insurrection in the streets of Paris
on the 13th June, 1849, before reducing it to weakness
by the success of a coup d'etat Can Europe, which
was ravaged and deluged with blood by civil war after
1848, be wanting in justice and gratitude towards him
who, in saving society in France, prevented fresh and
more terrible commotions abroad ?" _ _

M. Michel Chavelier, in a letter to the Siecle,
pretends to '()rive us some account of the manner in
which Free Trade was brought about in England.
He attributes the success of that measure to our
large political freedom, and demands of his reader
if " Free trade has triumphed in England, do you
think it would have done so in Russia ? If Cobden,
instead of having been born on the banks of the
Thames, had been born on those of the Neva, he
would assuredly have been now meditating on the
advantages of his system amidst the snows of Si-
beria. In order to achieve liberty by persuasion,
it is necessary in the first place to have the liberty
to persuade. A man has one day, in England, the
iniative of an idea. That idea is unknown to the
country and misunderstood by the Government ;
but that is of no consequence. That man said to
himself one morning : Idea in a free country is
the power of powers. Freedom of commerce
is now denied around me. With the sacred wea-
pon of speech, I will come out of my obscurity,
as a simple manufacturer, and will teach my con-
viction to the country, and impose it on the Govern-
ment. The Prime Minister of England opposes
my principle ; I will place it in his hand by force,
and he shall apply it himself ; and in applying it,
he will acquire the greatest glory that has ever
crowned the head of a statesman. And what Cob-
den said, he openly performed. What did he re-
quire to accomplish this miracle ? One thing only
—liberty. Liberty of the press, liberty of associa-
tion, and liberty of meeting. Take from him one
of these, and his reform would have gone with him
into his tomb. We shall not now discuss the
merits of that reform. Is the system of free trade
as applied in England equally applicable in all
other countries ? This, entrenous, is a re-
served question." In the conclusion of the
letter it would lead one to believe that the recogni-
tion of freedom of commerce in the despotic nations
of Europe would be the precursor to the adoption
of every other species of liberty.
An imperial decree, dated the 3d, promulgates
and brings into effect the convention concluded be-
tween France and Belgium on the 9th ult. This
convention, it will be remembered, adjourns the
exchange of the ratifications of the literary and
commercial treaty of 22d August last until a new
commercial treaty shall be negotiated ; and it en-
acts that until then the commercial treaty of 13th
December, 1845, shall be in force, subject to mo-
dification in favour of French salt imported into
Belgium.—Another decree enacts that from the
:15th the duty on coal imported by land by a line
drawn from the sea up to Halluin, on the Belgian
frontier exclusively, shall be 50e. the 100 kilo-
grammes ; by the river Meuse, and the depart-
ment of the Moselle 10c., and by all other points of
the frontier 15c.; and that the duty on unwrought
cast iron pigs weighing 15 kilos., or upwards, im-
ported from the adjacent countries by the frontier
from Blancmisseron inclusively to Mont Geneve
exclusively, shall be 4fr. the 100 kilos., and by all
other points 7fr. By another decree the regula-
tions relative to the retiring pensions of function-
aries and employes of the Ministry of State are de-
clared applicable to the functionaries, agents, and
employees of the Ministry of the Emperor's house-
hold. And by another decree it is enacted that the
fines to be paid by newspapers condemned for any
offence,within three days after the definitive judg-
ment, hall henceforth be paid into the Caisse des
Consignations at Paris, or one of its branches in the
country, and shall remain there for three months
at the disposal of the Treasury; after which, in the
event of there being no appeal in Cassation and no
pardon, they are to be paid over by the Caisse des
Consignations to the Receveur de rEuregistrement.
The Moniteur says—" Count de Hatzfeldt,
Mi-
nister of Prussia ; Minister of
M. de Hubner,
Austria ; and M. Rumpff, Resident Minister of the
Free and Hansa towns, have received their new
letters of credence, and will shortly be admitted to
present them to the Emperor.
M. Tourangin, Councillor of State, has been n at-
tached to the Section de Contentieux, in the room
of M. Conte, who takes his place in the section of
Legislation. M. Flandin, Councillor of State, has
been appointed member of the Mixed Commission
of Public Works, in the room of M. de VuillefroY
The Imperial Council of Public Instruction has.
been convoked for Monday, the 17th inst., for an
ordinary session of a month.
The Patrie announces that the Emperor intends
to give several fetes at the Tuileries this • t
and to invite successively a great number of winter,
Per-
sons. The first ball will, it is said, take place on
the 12th inst. The Journal de Oise says
it
is
rumoured there that the Emperor will have a gad
hunt in the forest of Compiegne on the 15th inst.,
and that he will return to Paris in the evening."
The poor Irish emigrants, and the crew of the
St. George, which was burnt at sea, are still at
Havre, but they are to leave on Monday. Every
attention has been paid to them. Being almost
entirely without clothing, clothes have been given
to them, and a subscription, exceeding 4 000 f
, has
been raised. _

Cadiz ; Murcia to Almeria • Cordova to Malaga ;
Barcelona, to Martorell ; Moncada to Sabadell ;
Sarragossa to Barcelona; Martorell to Reus. Be-
fore 1851 the lines open were Barcelona to Mataro,
and Madrid to Ara.njuez ; and in 1852 the lines
opened were Gras to Valencia, Silla, and Bene-
fago ; and Langreo to Gijon.

AUSTRIA.
A telegraphic dispatch dated Vienna, Thursday,
says :—" Baron Prokesch Osten is named Minister
Plenipotentiary and President of the Germanic
Confederation."
A letter from Vienna states that the coronation
of the Emperor of Austria is to take place in May
next. " The system of a separate coronation,"
says the letter, " has been abandoned, and the
coronation this time will put the seal to the unity
of the Empire•
Sir H. Lytton Bulwer has left Florence, on leave
of absence. Mr. Erskine carries on the business of
the embassy until his return.

HANOVER.

The Post-Ampt Gazette of Frankfort contains a
letter from Hanover of the 3d, which says :—" The
King, on the occasion of the new year, received a
very friendly autograph letter from the Emperor
of Austria. The Emperor has conferred on the
King the command of the regiment of the Duke of
Wellington. His Majesty has also sent several
decorations for the officers who accompanied the
King to Berlin."

A passenger, who arrived at Havre est,. ray by
the American hip the Isaac Bill, was arrested for
having, a number of socialist publications in his
possession.
The prices of public securities declined again at
the Bourse to-day, as compared with the prices of
yesterday, in consequence of a very heavy
de-
faulter having been declared. The Foicilro-ndd-a
Half per Cents. opened at 105 f., and.
closed at
104 f. 90c. for the end of the month ; the
per Cents. closed at 80f. 10c, ; Orleans Railway Twee
Shares, 1,020 f. ; Rouen, 980 f.
.; Havre, 51 cf.
Great Northern, 857 f. 50c.,; Paris and Strasburg'
785 f. • Paris an Lyons, 892 f. 50c. ; Lyons aiia
Marseilles,' 735 f. ; Caen to Cherbourg, 622 f. 50c. ;
Bordeaux to Cette, 590 f. ' • Shares of the Bank of
Credit Mobilier (issued at 500 f.), 825 f.

SPAIN.
We have received the Madrid journals of the 2d.
The Gazette publishes a Royal decree fixing the 4th
of February for the elections for the Cortes. The
-Diario gives an account of the state of railway en-
terprise in Spain. It appears from it that, in 1852,
ithdie
ridfolluozing lines were conceded to companies or
n ls--Barcelona to Tarragona ; Seville to
Cordova and Andujuar ; Alcazar de San Juan to
Ciudadi Zia' 1 ; Mataro to Aveyns ; Tarragona to
cia to Ai manza to Jativa • Seville to Cadiz ; Mur-
Martorelimeril.‘al ; Cordova to'
Malaga ; Barcelona to
Barcelona; Marti
to Sabadell ; Sarragossa to
tinesl open were Barcelona
to Reus. Before 1852 the
rjoe ;
and
darcelona to Mataro, and Madrid
Gras to Valencia in 1852 the lines opened were
gres to Gijon. ,i3Silla, and Benefauo • and Lan-
metrical decimal svY a decree the Gazette, the
in °
into operation in gb,n, which was to have come
in January, 1853, is post-
letteronedto January, VP
y 11°1:I.—The Espana publishes a
addressed b
eisweller, in the name of
the English cominittoe'o-Wf
holders of Spanish
bonds, recapitulating the tke
the Spanish Government. Claims of these parties on
M. Castillo Ayensa, the new Spanish ambassador
to the Holy See, arrived at lee on the 22d ult.
The Diario gives an account
appears
the state of rail-
way enterprise in Spain.
in 1852, the following lines were conceded
from it that,
conceded to com-
panies or individuals :—Barcelona to Tarragona ;
Seville to Cordova and Andular-cazar de San
Juan to Ciudad Real ; Mataro to'
to Beim A
sal ai • Alinan to Ja- v°Ylls ; Tana-
; ilVa i Seville to

14
10
1
2

Australasian

THE SUN,
_LONDON, SATURDAY EVE NING, JANUARY 8, 1853.

Leasing
Compans.

London &,1
N. West.

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Central of France(Or•
leans & Vierzon ,
Charleroi & Erquelin
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Dijon and Besancon
Dutch Rhenish
East Indian

Gt. Indian Peninsula
Gd. Junct. of France
Gt. Western of Canada
Shares

Do.Bds. (Ist i55.)1857
Do.Bds. (2d i55.)1862
Luxembourg

Do. (Railway)..

Do. (Canal)
Lyons & Mediterran
Madras

Maria Antonia.
Do. Now

Namur & Liege (with)
interest)

Do. (ex Interest)

Northern of Prince.
Do. 201. 3 p. c. Bds,
(fmy. B. &Ams. Shs.,
NorwegianTrunkPre:
Orleans & Bordeaux ,
Paris and Lyons
Do. Bonds

Paris and Orleans
Paris and Rouen
Paris and Strasbourg
ParisCaen& Cherbrg.
Quebec &Richmond
Rouen and Havre
Sambre and Meuse
Southern of France
St. And. & Quebec(A)
Tours and Nantes
Upper India Scrip
West Flanders

Do. 5,1 per c. Pref.,.
Western of France._

Agua Fria .....
nglo Californian ...

Australian
Australian Cordillera
Australian Freehold
Ave Maria

Baden (Gd. Duchy of)
British Anstrin. Gold
British Iron

Brazilianlmp.(issued
at £5 pm
Do. Comes & Cuiada
Do. St. John Del Roy
Carson's Creek

'Cob re Copper ...

'Colonial Gold.

• Copiapo
English and Austin.
Copper Smeltg. Co
General
Golden Mountain ,
Great Polgooth .