The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-14 00:00:00

OUR RELATIONS TVITHTPRANCE.

(From the Morning Post.)
We publish in another column a new and impokant
manifesto of the Emperor of the French, in.which he
again protests his earnest desire for peace, that "fruitful
and honourable peace," which it is so clearly the interest
of France to maintain.
This note, which appears in the Moniteur of
morning, has been called forth by a rabid yesterday
publication of
a Legitimist writes., who publishing the earnest desire of
his party, and boldly advocating the policy urged by the
A ssemblee Nationale, Univers, Union, and other Legiti-
mist, Jesuit, and Orleanist newspapers has called upon
Louis Napoleon to crush England by invasion, and that
quickly—" C'est en galopant qu'il Taut marcher sur die,"
says he, and then, seizing the gold at the Bank and the
stores in our arsenals, and liberating a people of slaves
from the oppression of a cruel aristocracy, he purposes to
restore England to her just position in the world—Lon
don being a French sub -prefecture, and the British
islands enjoying a benign protection, and flourishing
more or less under the soft influence of the Peace
Society.
Such are the wishes of the "Old Parties," as expressed
in the pages of the Legitimist, M. Ferdinand Billot—in
the pages of the Prince de Joinville, and in many a broad
sheet of the factious press.
Sach wishes and such intentions are denounced by the
Moniteur in the strongest terms. Its silence would treat
the writer with deserved contempt, were it not that he
and others might attribute the silence to a wrong motive.
The old factions are weary of peace. Revolution at
home or war abroad is their only hope. Louis Napoleon
has chained dOwn the one. Then, their only chancechancel lies
in stirring up the other.
Shortsighted, they calculate rapidly upon what they
too hastily conclude to be solid facts. First, they 'as-
sume, France hates England. Let us stir up that
b
atfeele-
ing. Second, they imagine, if war with England
provoked, France will be damaged and Napoleon may
fall. Or Napoleon may discountenance war, and for so
continually doing, will lose his popularity, and be re-
garded as unworthy of his name.
They are mistaken: It appears the Emperor is as

accurate as he is bold in his reliance on the Benne 0.
France, and in appealing to her interests and those' al
Europe, as the basis of general prosperity and peace. e
_
When we see such efforts as these on the part of th
old factions, it takes away any regret at the still r f. 34
strained condition of the French press—that is, of t
Parisian press—for Paris is the focus of faction. Thar e'
" anonymous calumny," there " sanguinary provoc
tions," placard the walls, or are whispered in the salon VP
While these remnants ofd ying discord flicker and flan
on the altars of mischief:, we are not surprised that r
larger measure of liberty is not allowed to the French.
In our own country, whenever riots and disturbancet ;
of much less social magnitude have threatened the king
dom, our Legislature has at once enacted the suspension
I
of the Habeas Corpus Act, and placed in the hands ;3
the Executive that very power which the French Er ti;
peror holds, and exercised the other day, by the erre °
of some of the Legitimists, who are to be brought t°,
trial on the accusation of " anonymous calumnies
spreading seditious news, and other charges.
In our own country, we have seen such things, an „'
when we recollect what France was but two years ag' "
end the terrors of the future which then threatened, s
feKrfully shown in the dark deeds of the Socialist insui`;
gents of December;. 1851, we cannot be surprised tha;s
she stili requires to be guided by a firm hand wielding
large power.
Were the French press again free to-morrow, 11.43
should see what we have already seen. The most aIY
minable and incendiary artic:es from all parties, incitie gf
domestic strife and foreign disturbance. The Wenn)" I°
malice, hatred, and all uncharitableness would soo
plunge the wretched country into a slough of despend•./
As it is, we hope for better things. French politico;
liberty is still in its cradle ; and, if that cradle be l'n
strong, the child will never prosper. With a repreBelr.
tative assembly and a senate, there is a good founclai°l3,
for a strong constitution, and with the growth of yes'there is promise of liberal development.
In the meantime, there is no doubt the French peopie
are prospering. Some papers here, when the Frew I'
funds have fallen one per cent. or so, have shouted.,
"Now comes the inevitable financial crash ;" but
tbd
funds always recover, and the crash does not come, an.,
the budget is better than it has been for years, and we
army and navy are reduced, and the people at larige...
thoroughly content. So the Emperor cries, "L'Elnr-
c'est la paix," and France acclaims both.
Peace it is, but peace it may not always be ; unfnlir
seen accidents may unhappily produce division and ion
Far be that day ! But, whilst it is good to cherish W
interests which are the strong preventives of
war--it
no less good to provide the materials which aro our o'7
fence, should it occur. Thus, with national Piet/
secured, and commercial intercourse on the ineren%
the neighbour sisters may look forward to a haPPI
prolongation of a peace which has already subsisted for
so considerable a period, and whose blessings are tf)°,
strongly felt on both sides of the Channel to be sal"„,
discarded for the trumpetings of disastrous vanity, "r-
-the itchings of unprofitable jealousy.