The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-17 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

In the Moniteur of yesterday morning there is
an article of an angry character against three Lon-
don journals—the Morning Chronicle, the Times,
and the Morning Advertiser, which are accused of
persevering in a system of falsehood and insult
against the French Government, at a time when
all Governments are endeavouring to maintain
friendly relations, and when they are moreover, as
it is affirmed, approaching to present French prin-
ciples of administration. The Moniteur, while
blaming the literary excesses of the three London
papers, acknowledges that, generally speaking,
offences of this kind on the part of foreign journals
have become rare. In Belgium, for instance, the
complaints against the press as soon as made were
so seconded by public opinion as that they had no
occasion to be renewed. Even in England some
journals, at first most hostile to the new order of
things, not being able to resist the evidence of
fact, had adopted a tone of moderation and dig-
nity ; while, on the other hand, the three obdurate
journals already named have only become more
violent, pushing beyond all bounds, l'impudence
de la calomnie, la grossierete des outrages. In
vain has the Emperor, it is said, protested, on
the most solemn occasions, that his sincere desire
was to consolidate the peace of the world,
and that he aspired to no other conquests than
those of civilisation, finding ample scope for
his useful activity in the colonisation of Africa, the
completion of public works, the amelioration of the
state of the working classes, and the progress of in-
dustry and arts. Those declarations, supported,
too, by the reduction of the army, have been met
by these hostile journals with an insolent dementi,
they asserting that France andher chief only breathed
war, and were watching an opportunity to fall on
Europe, so that a new coalition would be necessary
to resist such insatiable ambition. The French
people, they say, have shown themselves the vilest
and most contemptihle, and their statesmen, gene-
rals, and even the army itself miserable slaves, or
greedy instruments of tyranny, because they had
all acclaimed Louis Napoleon Emperor, and sup-
ported the grand act of the 2d December. In sup-
port of this general style of language, as being that
of the journals in question, the Moniteur proceeds
to give extracts, beginning with the Morning Chroni-
cle of the Ist January, calling the Emperor a usurper,
who, with the help of a band of adventurers, has set
about reorganising the Imperial regime, which
must necessarily be one of territorial aggrandisement
and military glory. Next comes the Times of the
2d of January, with its strictures on a Senate more
cowardly than that of Tiberius, favourites gorged
with honours, functionaries without conscience,
with crimes and exactions, which before a year was
about would bring about something terrible. The
Morning Advertiser of the 3d, calling Louis Na-
poleon the " greatest tyrant, the most perjured
criminal, and the most abominable monster that
had ever shamed humanity," is very fairly de-
scribed as having surpassed its cotemporaries in.
abuse. These extracts are of course made a han-
dle of against the liberty of the press, and are used
as affording a justification of the measures of the
French Government anent the same. In conclu-
sion, the Moniteur relies on the good sense of the
English people as an antidote, and feels assured
that it is only necessary to bring such sentiments
as those put forward by the three London papers
to the bar of public opinion to ensure their con-
demnation.

The following is the article in extenso :

" While all the Governments are endeavouring to main-
tain the most friendly relations between nations—at the
moment when the powers join in a manner in the senti-
ments of France in recognising the rights of her new
Emperor, and the services which he has rendered to
social order, some foreign journals persevere in their
deplorable system of falsehoods and insults ; they seem
to suffer fro►n witnessing peace and public security.
Their excess shows how fortunate it is for the repose of
the world and general prosperity that wisdom and mode-
ration now preside over the conduct of States. We
must, however, allow, for the honour of the foreign
press, that these excesses have become more rare. It
was sufficient to point out to the attention of Belgium
the licence and dangers of certain journals of that
country, in order to excite against them the opinion of
all honest men, and to submit them to the just authority
of the laws. In England, even, journals which were in
the first place the most hostile to the new order of things
in France, are now more measured and more dignified
in their language. It is not, however, so with all of
them—the Tinbesithe Morning Chronicle, and the Morn-
ing Advertiser appear to increase in their hatred, and to
push beyond all bounds the impudence of calumny, and
the grossness of outrage."

The 31oniteur then quotes parts of leading articles
of the above journals, and proceeds :
"It is needless for us to give any more quotations.
What we have given is sufficient to make known the
terms in which certain journals speak of a friendly nation,
and of a sovereign whom it has just raised to the throne.
It may be remembered the indignation which was raised
throughout the whole of Europe on reading those odious
manifestoes of the demagogical party against the re-esta-
blishment of the Empire. England herself could not
comprehend that those to whom she has accorded her
hospitality should profit by it to dare to publish these
savage provocations. The same disgust, the same uni-
versal reprobation will be excited by the language which
we have just quoted. What opinion de these journals
give to the world of the liberty of the press, of
which they so freely make themselves the defenders ?
What ! in a country where that liberty has existed for
so many ages there can still be found writers
who only make use of it to propagate falsehoods !
Certainly the French Government is far above those
miserable insults. It sees enough in the spectacle of
public prosperity and in the sentiment of confidence and
affection of the people to inspire it with conte,npt for
such outrages. It, besides, knows the sentiments of the
statesmen of England ; and it knows that the mass of

the nation is animated with the most friendlyfeeings
for France. The close relations which exist between the
two people have taught them reciprocal esteem ; but it
is precisely for that very reason that it is impossible to
prevent a painful impression in thinking that at the very
moment when the Government and all right-thinking
men are striving to remove all the prejudices of another
age, and which have had such disastrous consequences
on both sides the Channel, unworthy writers should en-
deavour by insult to revive our old divisions. The good
sense of the English people will rightly judge of a press
which so unworthily sacrifices the true interests of their
country, and to punish such excesses, it is only necessary
to bring them before the bar of public opinion."

Official notification is given of the proclamation
of the French Empire at Tunis on the 2d inst. The
Bey ordered the event to be celebrated by firing a
volley of 101 guns from the batteries, a salute
which was ackowledged by an equal number from
the French frigate Mogador, stationed in the har-
bour.

Abd-el-Kader arrived at Messina on the 23d of
December, at half-past four in the evening, after a
journey of less than three days. Great attention
has been paid to the Emir on his route by the King
of the Two Sicilies ; the ruins of Etna particularly
excited All-81-Kader's attention, and the civilities
of the authorities were acknowledged with all the
florid gratitude of Arabian custom.
A telegraph dispatch from Hamburgh, of the
15th, gives us a rumour worthy of belief, that the
Danish Diet has been dissolved, on accountiof the
rejection by 50 to 45, of the law for removing the
customs frontier from the Eider to the Elbe.
The Minister of Public Works has published re-
turns of railway receipts for the years 1851 and
1852, showing an increase in the latter over the
former year of 25i millions of francs, of which, al-
though a certain portion may be attributed to the
opening of some branches, yet must the whole be
taken as a proof of augmented traffic, the average
per kilometer having risen from 32,345 f. to 35,673 f.,
making a difference of 3,317 f. for 1852. The re-
turns of taxes and indirect revenue for the whole
year 1852 amount to 804,334,000 f., showing an
increase over the preceding year of 66,491,000 f.
The direct taxes received amount to 389,282,000 f.,
being 94 per cent. of the sum due, while at the
corresponding period of last year the amount got
in was but 92 per cent. The cost of proceedings
against defaulters came to 2f. 75c. per cent., while
in the preceding year it amounted to 3f. 7c. per
cent.

The Council of State has had laid before it the
estimates of expenditure for 1854, as they were
prepared by the different Ministers. The estimates
for the department of Foreign Affairs have in-
creased by 1,200,000 f. The secret service ex-
penses of the department of Foreign Affairs are
fixed at from 500,000 f. to 550,000 f., and for the
expenses of Government messengers an additional
sum of 260,000 f. is demanded. It is also rather
curious to observe that, under the head of depenses
imprevues, the amount is at once raised from
30,000 f. to 80,000 f. The estimates for the de-
partment of Public Instruction are increased by
353,000 f.
Public Worship is united with Public Instruction,
but they have a special budget, and the latter is
increased by 709,000 f. The expenses of the Pro-
testant worship are increased by 15,000 f., and
those of the Jewish by 7,000 f.
An augmentation of 1,035,000 f. is made in the
estimates of the Minister of the Interior, Agricul-
ture, and Commerce.

The department of the Minister of Police is put
down at 518,060 f. increase. But the most consi-
derable augmentation is that which is found in the
estimates of the Minister of Public Works ; it
amounts to 5,413,000 f. for the ordinary service,
and 26,931,000 f. for extraordinary works.
With respect to the extraordinary works, the sum
of 27,000,006 f. is destined to the great railroad
lines. A reduction appears in the war estimates ;
this reduction is but 4,088,000 f., to which, how-
ever, must be added a sum of the same amount, or
little more, proceeding from extraordinary credits,

but which will not be employed for 1853—the total
difference (less) is 9,032,000 f. '
Finally, the budget of the Minister of Financ3
has been considerably increased, like that of the
Minister of Public Works. The increase is
28,046,000 f., of which 21,671,000 f. represent tie
increase in the dotations.

The increase of the budget of 1854 over that o
1853 is 57,719,795 f.

The question arises, How is this continually
increasing expenditure to be defrayed by the pre-
sent revenue 7

The Moniteur publishes ae decree, commanding :
"1. That the officers, functionaaies, and employes,
connected with the departments of War and Marine,
shall take the oath prescribed by the 16th article of the
Senatus Con,sultum, of the 25th of December, 1852, modi
fying the 14th article of the Constitution. 2. Every
officer, functionary, or employe, who shall refuse to ful-
fil that obligation shall be considered as having resigned.
3. A Ministerial decree will define the form and the
delay in which this oath shall be taken, according to the
rank and position of the parties. 4. The Ministers,
Secretaries of State in the Departments of War and
Marine, are charged with the execution of the presen
decree.

"NAPOLEON."

It is not considered likely that the recognition of
the Empire by foreign Powers will be followed by
any extraordinary mission to the courts, at least
before the coronation. Any feeling of asperity that
may still exist will, it is hoped, be softened down,
and an additional claim to complete equality may
be advanced from the imposing ceremony of conse-
cration and the marriage.
It would appear that Prince Napoleon Jerome is
directing all his efforts to the triple object of keep-
ing himself in the good graces of his cousin; of di-
minishing the repugnance of moderate men to the
probability of his being Emperor at some future
day, and of regaining the confidence of his former
Red associates, which, it is scarcely necessary to
say, has been seriously impaired by his late defec-
tion—if, indeed, the Prince had ever been a
Democrat. One of his former colleagues of the
Mountain he succeeded in inducing to visit him
very recently. The ex-representative maintained
throughout an attitude of much firmness, and
seemed by no means convinced by the arguments
employed by his Imperial Highness for his justifi-
cation. The Prince reminded him pathetically that
he once had the pleasure of sitting with him
on the extreme Left of the Assembly ; but the
stern Republican remained untouched by the
souvenir. He then alluded to the possibility of a
democratic prince being one day the Ruler of
France. To this it was replied, " Sir, you will
neither be the man of France nor the man of the
Republic." _ _

M. Delangle's place of Procureur at the Court of
Cassation is not yet filled up, and M. Dupin is still
coy, or coquetting, or biding his time. The learned
gentleman's position with the Orleanist party does
not much differ from that of Prince Napoleon Je-
rome with the Republicans. There is an old pro-
verb about the probable result of a person trying to
sit on two stools. M. Dupin has clever people to
deal with. He has already lost caste with his party,
and it is to be feared for ever. It is not certain
that he has acquired much credit elsewhere, and
between the two, should he hesitate much longer,
he will very likely come to the ground.
Two individuals were arrested at Vaugirard on
Wednesday night, after having made a determined
resistance and wounded the officers entrusted with
a warrant for their apprehension. On searching
their lodgings a quantity of arms and a mass of
political correspondence were discovered.