The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-01 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

The Ministerial journals of yesterday again ex-
press their satisfaction at the manifestation of
bankers, merchants, and. traders of the city of Lou-
don, in favour of peace and close ties of friendship
between France and England. The Constitutionnel
says :

" This manifestation of the sentiments which now ani-
mate the bankers and merchants of the city of London
has, particularly at this moment, a significance which
cannot escape the notice of any one. It secures the
peace of Europe, for everything which strengthens the
intimacy of France and England assures the harmony of
Governments and the repose of nations. According to
the celebrated words of Napoleon 1., first quoted yester-
day by the Standard—' Are they not, when united, the
arbiters of the world, the one supported by her armies,
and the other by her fleets ?' This is a great result for
which we must congratulate ourselves for the interest of
the people, whose prosperity could not have a more for-
midable enemy or a more powerful obstacle than a
general conflagration. In our civilised Europe, the sword
is no longer an instrument of progress. Habits and cus-
toms are everywhere softened down, and interests mixed
up, at the same time that intelligence has become extend-
ed. Now that there exists between all manufacturing na-
tions a sort of financial and commercial solidarity, the re-
sult of which is that one cannot be attacked without the
other soon feeling the effect of it, war would entail uni-
versal ruin. This result is more particularly owing to
the wisdom of Napoleon 111., for it has required a
strength of mind not often met with, for him the nephew
of Napoleon the First, the heir to the power and to the
crown of the Conqueror of Austerlitz, to resist the influ-
ence of the souvenirs of glory of the Consulate and of
the Empire. It has required a rare heroism of charac-
ter to combat the warlike inspirations of this past which
appeared to have bequeathed to him an inheritance of
reprisals and of conquests. After having overcome
anarchy, the Emperor has obtained a triumph still more
difficult—he has conquered himself. Everything in his
acts as, in his words, has been marked by the stamp of the
intelligence of modern times, by the stamp of reason and
moderation. It is thus that his name, which was re-
garded as a menace of war, has become a pledge of
peace. It is thus that his reign, which might have re-
vived disastrous rivalry and deplorable hatred between.
France and England, by awakening the irritating sou-
venirs of another period, gives, on the contrary, to
Europe the tranquillising spectacle of the intimate rela-
tions of two great nations, whose union is the most solid
guarantee of the peace of the world."
The Pays says :

" It was natural that the great English commercial
body, which above all, by the immensity of the advan-
tages procured to it by peace, has need of calm and
security for the future, should render itself the organ of
the ideas which animr to the whole commercial body of
Europe. But what will excite amongst us a sentiment
of real satisfaction and legitimate pride, is the testi-
monies of esteem and deference lavished on France and
on the Emperor Napoleon by the principal population of
the city of London, which is the centre of commercial
activity and industrial progress of the whole world. We
are consequently happy to bear testimony to the kind
feeling expressed towards France by the honourable men
who signed the address, and to their wishes for the con-
tinuation of peace and concord between the two coun-
tries. Such sympathy throws a clear light on the present
situation, and is a guarantee for the future. It proves that
the most important portion of the English nation does not
share in any of the prejudices which some spirits, more
turbulent than enlightened, have endeavoured to excite
against the powerful government which the French
people has given to itself ; it proves also the considera-
tion of the English people for the French power ; and,
in fine, it gives us the conviction that the intimate rela-
tions of France and England will continue, for the repose
of the world, on the bases of mutual esteem and con-
fidence. The reply of the Emperor gives to this con-
viction of ours an entire consistency. It is a repetition,
in another form, of that speech of Bordeaux, which
explained the sentiment which was to characterise the
reign of Napoleon 111. After the storms of revolution,
it requires the strong hand of a powerful authority to
repair the ruins which such convulsions produced. Al-
ready great things have been done; other great things
will continue to be effected ; and the glorious programme
of the policy of peace and progress will be thus realised."
The Minister of Foreigh Affairs has given a
grand dinner. Among the guests were the Princess
Mathilde, the British Ambassador and Lady
Cowley, the Turkish Ambassador, tile Ministers of
Spain, the Netherlands, and Eraz' ; the Charges
d'Affaires of Peru and New Grenada, the Marquis
of Clanricarde, the Earl of Malmesbury, the Mar-
quis de Louie, the members of the deputation of
the Bankers, Merchants, and traders of London,
the Minister of State and Madame Fould, the
Minister of Marine and Madame Ducos, Vice-Ad-
mirals Cecille and Baudin, the Marquis de la Va-
lette, the Duke and Duchess de Guiche, &c.
A telegraphic dispatch has been received an-
nouncing the arrival of Marshal St. Arnaud, Mi-
nister of War, at Marseilles, where he is about to
take up his residence with his family. His health
is every day improving. '
The preparations for the fête to be given to the
Emperor and Empress by the Municipal body at
the Hotel-de-Ville, on Saturday, are nearly com-
pleted, and the prefect of the Seine has begun to
issue the invitations. There will be three orches-
tras, and the dancing will take place in the Galerie
des Fetes, the Salle du Trone, the Salon du Midi,
and in the two salons adjoining.
In the course of 1852, and in January 1853, the
Emperor had shown his clemency towards a great
number of soldiers condemned to punishments of
-various kinds. His Majesty has now extended his
clemency to 651 persons of the army, undergoing
punishment in Algeria. Of these, 257 have had
the remainder of their time remitted, and 394 have
had it reduced.
The Moniteur states that on the Ist October last
the total number of members of the Legion of
Honour was 53,462—namely, 62 grand crosses, 215
grand officers, 986 commanders, 4,639 officers, and
47,560 knights. Out of the total number of mem-
bers, 36,983 receive no pecunfary allowance.
The Senate met yesterday; M. Troplong, the
sident, in the chair. Baron de Chapuys-Montla-
ville, M. Larahit, and M. Doret took the oath and
their seats. The rest of the sitting was occupied
with the presentation of reports on petitions by
Gen. de Bourjolly, Count de Breteuil, the Marquis
de Pastoret, Marshal Count Valliant, Baron de
Ladoucette, and Count Lemarois. Before the sit-
ting the members met in their bureaux, and named
four committees; one, on the bill calling out 80,090
for 1854 ; one, on that relating to buying up the
jouissance shares of the canal companies ; a third,
on four bills relating to exchanges of state property;
and the fourth, on fifteen local bills.
The course of the funds at the Bourse yesterday
was still downwards, especially in the Three per
Cents., for both cash and the account. The fall in
these securities for cash is 30c., being sc. greater
than Wednesday, and for the account 40c., a de-
cline heavier by 30c. than on that day. The Four-
and-a-Half per Cents., for cash, have somewhat
improved, for though there has been a fall of 5c.,
yet the decline is less by 45c. than Wednesday's
fall ; and for the account there has also been ail
improvement of a similar character, the decline
being 15c. or 25c. less than that of the previous
day. Bank Stock, however, shows no amendment,
but the reverse, for that descilption of stock has
gone down 95f. to-day, an excess of 60f. over the
decline of Wednesday. At the close of business
the quotations stood thus :—For cash : Three per
Cents., 78f. 95c.; Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 102 f.
95c. For the account : Three per Co a 78f. 90c.;
Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 102 f. 93c. Bank Stock,
2,460 f. On the 10th of last January the Three per
Cents. were quoted 80f. 75c.; yesterday they stand
at 78f. 95c., thus showing a depreciation since that
date of If. 60c. The Four-and-a-Half per Cents.
on that day were worth 105 f. 50c., and now they
sell at 102 f. 950., or 2f. 55c. less.. In Bank Stock
the fall is very great. At the above date 2,844 f.
-was the quoted price ; yesterday it was 2,460 f.;
the decline, therefore, is no less than 384 f. since
that period.