The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-09 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE

MM. Montane, BaronTravot, Colonel Th'tenon,
Paul Dupont, Dusolier, Baron de Jouvenel, Favart,
Viscount de la Gueronniere, de Parieu, Deltheil,
de Romeuf, Revell, Marquis de Mortemart, Dugas,
and Cubias, Deputies of the Gironde, the Dor-
dogne, the Correge, the Cantal, the Lot, the Haute-
Loire, and the lihOne had a private audience,
yesterday, of the Emperor, in order to express to
his Majesty the gratitude of the inhabitants of the
principal departments through which the great
lines of railway from Bordeaux to Lyons, from
Limoges to Agen, and from Clermont to Montau-
ban, the execution of which has just been decided
on by the Government, will pass. The Emperor
reeeived the deputation in the most gracious man-
ner, and conversed with the members of it on the
interests of their respective departments.
The Union, in noticing the announcement of the
afoniteur, that the Government has no intention
of proposing any modification in the conditions of
civil marriage, expresses regret that more time was
not taken to consider this important question.
The journals which have protested so warmly
against any concession to the high church party on
this subject probably take a very different view of
the course pursued by the Government. Public
opinion having been strongly opposed to the con-
cession which is said, we know not how truly, to
have been demanded by the Court of Rome, they
think that the announcement of the Moniteur
should haze been made at an earlier period.
The Siecle has the following on the paragraph in
the Debats stating that the Austrian Government
has resisted the demands of the Cabinet of Pied-
mont on the subject of the sequestrations in Lom-
bardy, and that the Sardinian Ambassador at
Vienna was preparing to quit that capital en conge,
The Siecle attaches great importance to this news,
and regards the departure of the Piedmontese Am-
bassador as equivalent to his having demanded his
passports.. In diplomacy, however, there is a vast
difference between the two modes of proceeding.
One implies a rupture, the other leaves the door
open to negotiation between the two states for the
means of preventing a rupture. When a conge is
given to an ambassador under such circumstances
as those mentioned by the Debats, there can be no
doubt of the existence of a misunderstanding which,
if no concession be made by either party, may lead
to a demand for passports ' • but we have had re-
peated instances of ambassadors leaving their posts
en conge in consequence of a misunderstanding,
and returning as if they had merely left on a
pretext of indisposition or for private affairs. But
even supposing that the Ambassador of Piedmont
had demanded his passports, that would not imply
a danger of war with Austria. It would be merely
a suspension of diplomatic relations. The Siecle
calls upon the French Government to inter-
fere on the side of Piedmont, thinking, perhaps,
that this would complicate the affair, and make it
really serious. According to what is said in the
diplomatic circles of Paris, there is no chance of
such a complication. There is no naturalised sub-
jects of the Emperor of the French included in the
decree of sequestration to make France an interested
party in the dispute ; and however the Emperor of
the French may regret the course pursued by Aus-
tria, he is said to regard the affair as a question of
internal government, with which no foreign state,
not having to protect its own subjects, can inter-
fere without exposing itself to interference by other
states in its own affairs of internal government.
The Bourse yesterday was characterised by great
dulness in the demand both for Rentes and Bank
Stock, but prices remained firm throughout, and at
the close of business had slightly advanced on
Thursday's quotations, the Four-and-a-Half per
Cents. for cash and the account, and the Three
per Cents. for the account, having improved 10c.
each, and the Three per Cents. for cash 15c. In
Bank Stock a rise of 15f. took place. °losing
prices:—Three per Cents, for cash and the account,
79f. 95c. ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 103 f. 40c.
for cash ; 103 f. 45c. for the account. In the Rail-
way Share Market there was not much activity,
though, excepting a decline in Western of France
shares of 2f., and of 4f. in Paris and Lyons, the
prices of Thursday were maintained with even a
slight improvement. The final quotations were:—
Northern 902 f. 50c. ; Orleans, 1,051 f. 20c. ; Paris
and Strasbourg, 845 f. 50c. ; Paris and Lyons, 948 f.
50c.; Paris and Rouen, 1,055 f. ; Lyons to the Me-
diterranean, 817 f.: Western of France, 754 f.